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The Power of You in Business by @SaabyConsulting

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The Power of You in Business

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by Karen Jensen | Featured Contributor

I’ve spoken to so many women over the last several years – across all industries, revenue models and business types.

In all but rare cases, there are still some old patterns of behaviors and expectations that we really need to be committed to get rid of PERMANENTLY.

Do you fit into any of these?  I know I did…

  • Lacking confidence – I don’t know why, but especially in business ownership, women are less likely to approach situations with confidence. It may be cultural, gender related or any number of other things, but it’s got to stop!

Remedy?

You got this!!  We are moms, sisters, friends, household managers, partners, business executives et al.  And we are doing most of those things at the same time!  If you aren’t born with confidence, that’s ok – it can be learned.  You ARE good at things – think about all those things, write them down, shout them from the rooftops.  People are naturally drawn to someone who is confident.  In a world of competition, you need every advantage you can get.

  • Not all women LEAN IN – I can’t say I know the why of this one either – but I’ve seen it too many times to know that not all women lean in. Some of our business sisters haven’t gotten the message yet, or they got it and disregarded it.

Remedy?

You be the business sister that LEANS IN.

When I first started out, I approached a woman that I thought might be a good mentor, or just someone that I thought would have a good perspective.  I told her I was having troubling connecting with potential clients.  She asked me to make my pitch to her – right there on the spot.  Well, see Item #1 above lol.  I stumbled a bit and told her I started my business after being laid off/outsourced.  She stopped me right there and said, “You sound like a loser”.   Needless to say, that wasn’t what I was looking for, BUT I did learn something from that.  She was right in a way.  I wasn’t owning my story with confidence and I wasn’t prepared.

I do things a lot differently to LEAN IN when I’m approached by an entrepreneur.  I know how hard it is when you are first starting out to approach someone you don’t know and figure out a way to talk to them.  When they stumble a little bit or start to apologize, I stop them….and tell them what they are doing, why they shouldn’t do that and how great they are for being on this journey!  Some of them have cried because no one has really treated them with any respect in their business journey.

It’s bad business to treat people disrespectfully and kindness is NOT weakness.  The business world is VERY connected.  Reputation is everything for a small business.  I’m not taking anyone’s crap, but I’m also mindful of my behavior and how it is a reflection on my business.

  • Failure to delegate and accept that you can’t do it all. We want to be everything to everybody all the time under every circumstance.  Sound familiar?

Remedy?

You are a leader, and leaders cultivate people who can do all kinds of different things.  It doesn’t make sense for you to get up at four o’clock in the morning and drive yourself tirelessly through the day until midnight, then do it again the next day.  I hate to break it to you, but on that schedule, you aren’t doing the best you can.  You might be doing the most you can, but not the best.  Get a good night’s sleep!  You want to be around to see all the results of your hard work.  Set realistic goals for yourself every morning but incorporate flexibility into your design.  Things happen!  The people who survive are the people who can best adapt to change.  Try a virtual assistant – just to dip your toe in the waters of delegation.  If you can let go of a few things (that someone else can do better than you can), you have more time to work on new business and solidifying core business.  You are also helping to strengthen the workforce supply chain.

You are the business!  Take care of yourself!  Believe in yourself!  Just think of the example you will be setting for those that come after you!

All the best.

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The Power of You in Business by Saaby Consulting Company

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You Want To Drive Business Results, Start Appreciating Your People @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

The modern workforce is a changing workplace. Business in the 21st century must be collaborative and bottom up, rather than hierarchical and top-down, to thrive. Employee recognition is a must, not a should.

Over 65 percent of employees report that don’t feel recognized at work. The number one reason why employees quit is due to the lack of recognition. The Hay group, now known as Korn Ferry, referred that “companies with the most engaged employees report revenue growth at a rate 2.5X greater than their competitors”.

Employee recognition creates an infectious work culture that retains top talent and improves the customer experience. Recognition is an integral part of employee wellness, and the benefits supersede. Acknowledging the effort and not the outcome creates an opportunity for your people to keep pushing boundaries for your business and continue to be an actively engaged workforce.

Recognition is only impactful if it is in alignment with who you are. A sincerity and genuineness in what you say is the distinction. The employee experience must not feel like a computer-generated email. Any recognition communication must address – “Who is being recognized, who is recognizing them and what specific individual action or decision deserved the recognition.”

When you commit to delivering an extraordinary employee experience throughout the lifecycle of an employee, appreciation, and recognition will be the most significant factors that increase employee happiness and drive engagement. What an ROI.

Appreciation brings out the best in people and yet within the workplace appreciation is one of the key areas that organizations continue to disappoint their staff. When your employee appreciation ideas or practices suck, you need to create a new landscape. The infamous employee of the month plaque or the old bulletin board announcements in the break room quite frankly suck.

In today’s world, social platforms increase visibility for all to interact with celebrating success, sharing stories and guiding others. The beauty of the digital world has provided recognition moments in real time preventing the Chinese whispers.

Here are four ways to show your people that you appreciate and love them.

Celebrating in real time

Creating memorable moments for people is a rewarding experience. Celebrating a colleague for delivering an extraordinary presentation at an event provides opportunities for a selfie. A photo can be used to post on their social media platforms recognizing them for their achievement or perhaps recording a video message to post congratulating them on the impactful message you received from their presentation. When you add value to another human being by tapping into your personal touch, you are serving them with kindness and love.

Workplace blogging

A workplace blog is a brilliant way in real time to communicate your message, voice an opinion or challenge respectfully a view. It’s an opportunity to congratulate a colleague in real time. In today’s world, human being’s attention span is 8 second. One second less than a fish. Social recognition provides you the opportunity to maximize time and connect in real time.

Area of harmony

An investment and more in-depth understanding of your people, their needs and their lifestyles create a platform for flexibility to deliver results that permits the individual to work in a way that prioritizes work demands without sacrificing their wellness and productivity. When you listen to your people and invite conversations about inclusive work practices, culture changes.

Voting Tool

Adopt a voting tool that can capture company-wide voting, free-frame in real time moments as they celebrate people’s contributions as they happen. By empowering people to vote, they can shine a spotlight on people’s efforts in a timeframe that matters. eBallot, an online voting platform, engages all people company-wide and provides a platform for teams to establish a weekly election to spotlight a co-worker’s efforts.

Love Languages at work

The cultural phenomenon of the five love languages, specific to intimate relationships, was rebranded to fit within a workplace context specifically.  Appreciation at work was born to help build a culture where co-workers and management expressed recognition and appreciation at work. The five love languages included physical touch, quality time, acts of service, tangible gifts and words of affirmation.

When applied in the workplace, touch referred to a ‘high five,’ or a congratulatory handshake in the context of celebration. When it comes to physical contact, it is essential to ensure the recipient grants permission. Quality time is providing your undivided attention, being fully present at the moment with your staff or co-worker. Acts of service are representative of collaborating on a project or assisting in getting a task done. Tangible gifts in the workplace are measured in the time someone gets to know you – exploring what they enjoy, inquiring about interests and aligning what you buy them with what is important to them. Words of affirmation encourage people. Whether it be a one to one statement or a public display, the value in the words and language used to affirm the other person.

By asking your people directly to identify their appreciation preferences creates an opportunity for managers or co-workers to celebrate them in alignment with who they are. Appreciation is a low cost and high impact.

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Lavish Perks Are Nice But In The 21st Century Employees Are Seeking More @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

All the perks in the world won’t mean anything if you don’t show your employee the respect they deserve. Corporations can’t treat their people like cogs in a machine and expect them to keep coming back. Your people want evidence of mutual commitment, investment, and personal development before pledging their undying loyalty.

Business loyalty is not dead. Having said that, it is harder to earn. Loyal employees show an undying devotion to your brand, actively defend it in front of critics and socially share its virtues with friends and peers. Loyalty is deeply rooted in human behavior and plays hard to get where expectations have skyrocketed.

Attracting and retaining quality talent is a priority for all businesses. Enticing people with all the perks can work, however, once the rose water glasses are taken off, people begin to see that sometimes the benefits are a camouflage for an un-resourceful environment. The fabric of the company starts to stink.

When people are invested in their work and committed to excelling in their workplaces, company productivity improves. Gallup reminds us that happily engaged works are less likely to leave their jobs, reducing turnover-related costs. By comparison, when people are not engaged, the company’s bottom line suffers.

“The Secrets of the Happiest Companies and Employees” survey of 12,000 workers conducted by Robert Half in collaboration with Happiness Works revealed that the most significant factor affecting worker happiness is the sense of pride an employee takes in their job. People want to be appreciated, respected and build positive relationships. The human spirit is driven by engaging in meaningful work.

What is needed in the 21st century is a new view of loyalty and what it means to people and organizations. Few business leaders would deny the importance of company loyalty. Yet few believe they can achieve it. A thinking shift is required where corporations use their expertise and focus to thrive within a market and support people to access opportunities to grow. When you invest in people, they invest in your company. To breed loyalty, companies must embody the 10 principles.

Say what you mean and mean what you say

Ensuring clear and frequent communication to ensure that your people know what’s happening, decisions are transparent. Know your people’s points of pain and what makes them happy. Consider a compressed work week for your staff so that they get time off at the end of the week, consider a bonus at critical times, be flexible in someone needing a new work schedule for a period.

In 2017, a study titled “Work Redefined: A New Age” focused on what companies can do to inspire loyalty. Despite so much change, employees are looking for more stability, protection and a safeguard against disruption. If they can find it in their employer, they’ll show their appreciation through loyalty.

Never ending continuous learning

An investment in continuous training and learning including personal development training. Help your people better themselves by paying for employees to take a class unrelated to their current position, provide employees with health club memberships or enroll in a business-wide wellness program that all can take part in.

Start dating your employees

A demystification of departing employees is synonymous with not being loyal. Loyalty doesn’t mean forever. Loyalty is like dating – you can be faithful to the one you are seeing but that doesn’t mean you won’t move on to dating someone else later.

WOW me

There is a much greater payoff in working on improving the human factor than people think.  Imagine every person wearing a sign every day at work that says, “WOW me – l am important”. Soliciting feedback from all your employees and gauging the pulse of your employees is an opportunity to learn a great deal about attitudes and business outcomes. A research study presented compelling evidence that employee-loyalty-related attitudes were positively linked to performance drivers.

Raising the standards

When you raise the bar and expect greatness, people will rise to the occasion. When the bar is lowered, people will also rise to the occasion. Regular conversations about future career opportunities, recognition of great work with positive feedback and engagement for input on important decisions is critical. Spending time understanding how your employee sees their own career is pivotal in co-piloting the journey.

Giving your energy and time

Corporate social responsibility is one way to demonstrate that you and the organization care about the causes they care about. Dedicating energy and time to volunteering, product donations or collectively raising donations. YourCause, CSR software company reports that reports that engaging employees in CSR programs can reduce turnover by up to 50%.

Support alignment between career growth and organizational mission

Leaders need to help their people identify links between their own professional goals and the company’s goals. When you understand the larger business context, you can more easily define opportunities to be maximized. Direct and frequent dialogue about careers, succession planning and creating opportunities should be built in as part of everyday conversation and at times, this can lead to people parting ways as they can’t jump on the same train.

Two options only – in or out?

Buy-in is not an option, it is a responsibility. Playing on the team, buy-in is a pre-requisite and having the conversation turns the questions in a different direction. Quality question such as ‘if buy-in is something you are not willing to offer right now, what plans do you have to transition off this assignment or team?’ There are no other options.

Strength-based leadership

Leveraging people’s strengths is for the individuals and company’s good. Encouragement of people to lead conversations with their direct leaders to explore career-path possibilities, how to leverage their strengths to contribute, influence and add value, is the best way to do business. Everyone benefits.

Exercising choice

Empowering people to design their work environments based on autonomy and variety provides opportunities for people to own decisions and learn from mistakes without retribution. Loyalty is fostered when a value of freedom is embraced as people embody the opportunity to learn new skills and demonstrate how they have implemented what they have learned. The human need for recognition is real and people want the opportunity to exercise choice.

Nurturing your employees to love your business as much as you do will strengthen your company’s foundation and your business will be more likely to surpass setbacks and grow to new heights.

 

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5 Actions You Can Take To Start Building An Inclusive Culture @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

The era of diversity as a check the box initiative is over. CEO’s, Directors and business founders must take ownership and drive accountability of inclusive working styles. Leading organizations in this digital era thrive when diversity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of the organization.

The Diversity Council of Australia describes an inclusive leader as curious about new and different perspectives, is responsive to diversity of people and perspectives, challenges accepted practices and creates teams in which people feel valued and respected. Inclusive cultures improve profit and performance, create higher levels of innovation, provide greater team engagement, improve employee well-being, improve conflict resolution and reduce employee turnover.

Diversity and inclusion are not a problem. They are opportunities to think about how to earn respect from people in the workplace and marketplace. To provide an opportunity to make an impact and have an influence over the growth of the company.

Diversity creates opportunity, value and respect for all. Inclusion ensures people feel it. Exclusivity breeds exclusion. Inclusion fosters connection and belonging. People want to feel included, heard and valued. Individuals will go beyond any expectations, elevate their own standards to fulfil their essential need to belong. They are more likely to help co-workers prevent or resolve problems, demonstrate initiative and care about the business performance.

Talking about diversity isn’t always straightforward. Too often people subscribe to cultural celebration as fulfilling their diversity quota. It’s time to explore the combination of diversity and inclusion to create opportunity for all people to meet their potential by eliminating biases and improve business outcomes.

Diversity and inclusion are a global issue. Not only is the public increasingly aware of this issue, think about what is portrayed in the media regarding the scrutiny of gender and racial discrimination worldwide. Unconscious and explicit bias is visible to the everyday person.

Leaders bear the responsibility for setting the tone in the workplace and must be held accountable at all levels of business. Awareness and training are critical in creating cultural shifts. To embed diversity means removing bias from systems and processes coupled with leader accountability and a new language to discuss bias.

Companies such as Facebook and Salesforce are publicly highlighting gender equality and setting strong examples. There has been a shift on eliminating measurable bias from talent processes. The state of Victoria, Australia is experimenting with removing all personal details from job applications to overcome a hiring bias.

No one ever said that breaking down walls was easy. Inclusion should be a purposeful trait that every leader embodies. Let me share with you 5 actions you can take to start leading with inclusion:

Adopt a curiosity mindset and foster a culture of growth

Curiosity creates an openness to new and different perspectives, creates flexibility in how we respond, allows us to challenge accepted practices and incorporate different perspectives into how business is done. Growth-focused mindset generates flavorsome dialogue and creates a diverse-thinking team. The hallmark of true inclusive leadership is grounded in an openness to all ideas

Importance of inclusion starts at the top

It is no surprise that diversity at the top promotes diversity throughout an organization. When leaders make an organizational commitment to inclusive leadership and culture, emerging leaders identify with role models. Discussions and shared knowledge, including research on the value of inclusion needs to be led by the top. Leaders need to be accountable through metrics and transparent reports. Like in Australia, anonymize resumes and implement training around removing bias. Inclusion must be practiced and owned by all leaders. It is a business responsibility, not a HR add on.

Catalyze opportunities for inclusion

Lead conversations, identify potential areas for bias and co-develop solutions with staff. When you embrace complementary differences, you enable more holistic and integrated solutions.  EY earnt the top spot on this year’s DiversityInc Top 50 Companies due to key results including accountability for equitable mentoring, sponsoring and advancing talent, empowering people to have a courageous conversation, hosted a webcast on the topic of race, equalized paid parental leave and created opportunities for high functioning individuals with autism.

Start observing unconscious biases in your workplace

Our workplaces and cultures feature subtle and not so subtle biases about gender, race, nationality, education, sexuality, body-type. They can blind us to the value that people from other cultures bring to our communities and limit opportunities for talented people.

Start observing unconscious biases in your workplace. Check assumptions and challenge stereotypes in you and your team. Open discussions to people outside your group, find commonalities with people you meet, bypass stereotypes and expand your working group for new and unexpected connection.

Having policy doesn’t create change

The Boston Consulting Group report, What’s Working to Drive Gender Diversity in Leadership highlights the significance of when a commitment to flexible work is made, this drives gender diversity in leadership. Jetstar Group Chief Executive, Jayne Hrdlicka, shared at the launch how she works to demonstrate that senior managers can work flexibly as she makes it home to her children by limiting her nights away from home.

Companies must spend more time listening to their people about gender diversity initiatives, to unveil the real obstacles that women face that prevents progression, focus on developmental experiences needed for succession in to the next role, expand flexible work arrangements and engage the entire organization in the execution of the inclusion strategy. As Gary Vaynerchuk, media mogul says, “we all have ideas, execution is the game”.

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10 Ways To Neutralize Toxic Energies In The Workplace @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

The 21st century is basking in change and no one is immune to the experience. Rather than buying in to the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), it’s time to quit wishing the change won’t occur or resisting the opportunity to contribute.

Resistance to change, lack of alignment to business and the lack of buy in, is costing organizations millions of dollars per year. Gallup research estimates the cost of workplace drama at over $350 billion per year in the United States. There are many tools and programs available however the root cause is not being explored to be able to affect long term sustainable change.

In business, whether it be small business or large conglomerates, leaders continue to reinforce beliefs that people are at the mercy of their circumstances. Leaders mollycoddle, rescue and enable individuals into co-dependent relationships.  Drama is perpetuated within the business resulting in reduction in productivity and increased emotional waste.

Our intentions may be good to protect and create safe environments however what we create are spaces that diminish people’s preparedness for change. Change isn’t hard. It’s only hard for the people who are unready. So much wasted energy is invested in reinforcing negativity about the change – “it’s too hard, I don’t have time for this training, I have too much work on, nobody tells me anything, l haven’t been consulted”. When we invest energy into talking about how hard change is, our belief system will gather all the evidence to support.

When we invest time into eliminating emotional waste by facilitating resourceful thought processes, investing in curious questions centered around personal responsibility, people’s contributions increase as they engage in activity rather than drama. Let’s keep it simple. When we subscribe to driving our own bus, then we are 100% responsible for our results. Our level of accountability determines our happiness, not the circumstances around us.

Modern day leaders, it’s time to cut the complaining, stop drama filled stories and arguing with reality. Recouping problem saturated time into impactful, value adding and deliverable results. No more of “my colleague is slacking off and l’m doing all the work, nobody tells me anything, I don’t have time for this training, too much work on or I don’t get paid to stay back”. Whining, gossiping, complaining are wasted energies that stain the fabric of the organization.

Drama can play out in more subtle ways and over the years the open-door policy has fueled it. People withholding information, leaving out important details, refusing to work with someone, holding on to work that should be delegated and when in a bad mood, enter at your own risk. The unspoken rules that permeate the organization and create a stench.

A ‘hands on deck” mentality where all focus on delivering results is demanded. Eliminating drama and increasing quality and efficiency, creates a competitive edge. When we feel disappointed we can choose to saturate our environment with bitching or drowning our sorrows by keeping our feelings bottled up while we stew them over or choose to have a Dali Lama experience to let them go and move to more solution focused questions. May be a ‘How can l help?’ It is always your choice.

Let me share with you 10 ways to create a work climate that frees people to focus on delivering results.

Real engagement requires accountability

Drama has nothing to do with reality. It’s the story we make about reality. We become masterful as we create our meaning to the experience. If your leader asks you several questions in a short space of time about a project, you may construct a story that they are micromanaging you. The reality is that they asked you some questions. The rest is a made-up story. When our energy is not invested in making stories up about circumstances, we capitalize on our time to be more productive and happier in the workplace. Fancy that, we come to work experiencing a freedom in our work. Wouldn’t want to do that.

Curiosity killed the cat – do more of that

Start asking great questions. Facilitate great thinking through self-reflection. When we hit pause, and adopt curious questions to decipher what is real or not, we deduct all the story to examine the facts. We ask questions specifically around ‘what do l know for sure, what could l do to add value right now, how could we make this work?’ Wasted energy dissipates and we invest in ways to collaborate and develop solutions. We transform negative energy into self-reflection. We bypass the ego and our need to be right to step into accountability through self-reflection.

Eliminate the drama king

Ego creates chaos. Self-reflection and accountability trump ego. Happiness is a choice. Engagement is a choice and not a job description criterion for a leader.  It puzzles me how leaders believe that it is their responsibility to ensure employee engagement. Unless you are working with 2-year old’s, not sure where we lost sight of individual responsibility. You determine your happiness and success at work.

Happiness is an inside job. Expecting your success at work to make you happy is the wrong way to think about this according to Shawn Achor. Shawn shares that 90% of your happiness is predicted by how you process your work internally. The other 10% comes from your external world.

When leaders adopt an accountability practice through meeting demands in exchange for employee engagement, the strategy will sink exactly like the Titanic. It is a waste of energy, time and resources. Accountability is a mindset, engagement a choice and happiness a by-product.

Increase value to the business and feel fulfilled

Change is only hard for the unready. When you are open to expand your unfamiliar zone, experience new things and surround yourself with successful people, you will be open to what is next and with small steps and consistency, progress is made. When you adopt the mantra – ‘say yes and work out how’, your paradigm shifts.

Don’t eat the elephant in one chunk, bite sizes

To grow people beyond their circumstances, small chunks are required. Having worked with thousands of clients who have experienced trauma, circumstances do not define their ability to succeed. Oprah is phenomenal example of rising above her circumstances. Opportunity and growth present themselves in the current reality. Turn excuses into results by taking bite size pieces and facilitating accountable practices.

It’s time for a new benchmark of excellence

Coaching people and facilitating growth opportunities through applications of tools in real time to unlock breakthroughs creates a shift in people’s level of consciousness. By integrating curious questions to delve into the heart of the challenge and eliminate the highly toxic emotional response, the brain begins a trans derivational search for finding answers. Leading with questions such as ‘What are the facts? What would add more value right now? Or what would great look like?’, moves the individual from no responsibility into self-reflection.

The Venus flytrap

Have you ever seen a Venus flytrap in action? The carnivorous plant with its unique jaws close on its prey, secrete enzymes that break down the insect into a goo. They suck in their prey like underwater vacuum cleaners. Like the Venus flytrap, sympathy comes from a good place, however often soothing the person’s ego by agreeing and colluding with the individuals self-imposed suffering can be “gooey”. Ever heard a leader lead a discussion with ‘l’m sorry that you must take on more responsibility and l agree that more work will come with this new change?’ Agreeing with an individual’s narration and assigning blame prevents the person from being able to rise above the drama and stand in their greatness.

When we come from a place of empathy, we acknowledge that someone is struggling and we facilitate the experience by allowing the individual to find the very place they need to grow and rise above the struggle. When change is being rolled out, empathetic leaders simply let people know what is required from the organization and involve the group in planning for how the team can deliver results.

Emotional constipation

Have you experienced being irritated with a colleague for being late to the meeting, angry with a staff member for spending over budget or frustrated watching the gossip at the water-cooler? When you allow these emotions to build up over time, they become toxic and contaminate relationships around us. Emotional constipation occurs without a functional way to process and purge these emotions.

Responsibility starts and ends with you

Leaders need to begin with their own self-audit. Question their own thinking, edit their own stories and ditch their victim-mindedness. Develop a set of rules within the workplace, get clear on what the role as a leader truly entails and what are the non-negotiables.

Asking yourself the questions – ‘What was my role to this problem? What story am l telling myself right now? What would l be doing if l didn’t have the story? What would l change in my approach? How do l need to look at this to make it a possibility? How can l step this up 20%?’ By asking questions we are extracting facts from story and neutralizing the toxic energies. It’s time to put ourselves in charge of our emotional waste facility.

Binging on PIMM’s

When you immerse yourself in story-telling, sulking or gossiping, you are allowing your ego to create a roadblock to self-reflection. Venting feels good, like binging on PIMM’s but not a sustainable lifestyle. The Handbook of Emotion Regulation confirms venting your anger doesn’t reduce it, venting intensifies emotion.

Highly accountable and resilient leaders are cultivated over time. They adopt a belief system that they are accountable for their actions and results. Their mindset is developed through challenging experiences, coaching and feedback, layered with self-reflection. You can’t vent and self-reflect at the same time. Ego does not allow for our inner 2-year-old to multi-task. Curious and purposeful questions promote self-reflection and purposeful analysis disarms the ego. Leaders become neutral on issues and focus on facts. It all starts with you.

 

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7 Power Moves For Entrepreneurial Success by @XLConsultingGro

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by Elaine Slatter | Featured Contributor

Entrepreneurial success can happen if you follow our key 7 power moves.  A successful business is a series of building blocks.  Once you have these fundamentals in place, all you need to do is rinse and repeat.  Here are our power moves.  They form an important foundation for entrepreneurial success.

1)  Find A Mentor

Why a mentor?  Think of a mentor as your business advisory board.  A great mentor will listen to you, guide you, open up doors for you, help you overcome roadblocks and keep you accountable.  Find the right mentor that fits where you are on your business journey.  Are you a startup, a mid-size company or something else. What do you need help with?

Not sure where to find a mentor?  Ask your entrepreneurial friends, check out your contacts on LinkedIn or contact entrepreneurial organizations such as your local Chamber of Commerce to see who offers mentorship programs.

Connecting with and asking experienced entrepreneurs in your field whom you admire to mentor you is priceless.  You will be rubbing shoulders with people who have achieved the success you are looking for. Be specific when asking for help.  Exactly what do you need?

2)  Network

Business networking can be scary for some people, but it doesn’t have to be.  Networking is key to building your tribe.  Finding like-minded entrepreneurs with whom you can develop a long-term relationship with is golden.  Not everyone is an extrovert but that shouldn’t stop you from going out and meeting people face to face or connecting online.

If you are still anxious about how to network effectively, listen to our podcast with featured guest, Darcy Roberts, a certified business coach.  Her helpful tips will help you to relax and enjoy meeting new people and building a vibrant group of entrepreneurs.

Networking also helps you build your team and a community among potential clients.  It will become your referral base.

3)  Create A Professional Presence

Are you true to your brand?  How you present yourself to the world is so important.  On all your social platforms (even your personal ones) make sure you are always professional.  From your bio, to your posts, to your photo, how you present yourself in person… all of it is critical to your success.

Yes, celebrities and politicians can get away with less than professional postings and behaviors, but in the long-term, even they will lose fans and support.  Don’t let that be you.

4)  Become An Expert

Are you known as a reliable, go-to expert in your field?  If not, keep working on getting the best training in your field and then presenting your expert advice in a book, workshops, special events, as a speaker or on platforms such She Owns It.  Over time, with consistent exposure, you will become that sought after person in your field.

5)  Market Your Business Effectively

Target the client base that can afford you.  Offer a taste of your services with an irresistible offer, but make it limited, and time sensitive, so it is exclusive.   Don’t forget to address these key points in your offer,

Why people need it

What problem will it solve

How you will solve it and why you are the best person to solve it

Where will you deliver this offer (online, in person, at an event)

Automate your sales funnel and remember that you will need at least five touch points to get people’s attention in this busy connected world.

Don’t forget to charge what you are worth. Your price points will determine the kind of clients you will attract.

6)  Leverage Other Experts To Enhance Your Product/Service

How do you do this?  One of the easiest ways is to interview people for your videos/podcast/books.  How do you get people to say ‘yes’? Just ask, you will be surprised at the results.  I’ve asked dozens of people to offer their expertise for my entrepreneurial startup book, Fabulous Fempreneurship and for a new book I’m researching. I’ve only had one person turn me down.  Why did I get 99.9% of people to say ‘yes’, even though I haven’t even personally met most of them?   It’s easy, people like to be recognized for their expertise and want to share their knowledge.  And don’t forget your experts all have business friends too who will help promote your product/service.

7)  Follow-up

The secret sauce to every business is to exceed your customer’s expectations.  Give them superior service by meeting your deadlines and communicating well. This means having a great follow-up system. Nothing should fall through the cracks, ever.  If you can’t fulfill your promises due to unexpected circumstances, communicate this news, too and have a rescue plan.

These 7 power moves will help you build a lasting, sustainable and successful business that you can be proud of.

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Why Women Must Own It: Communicating Confidence in the Boardroom and Beyond by @wsrapport

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Photo Credit: stockimages via FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

by Karima Mariama-Arthur | Featured Contributor

In business, communicating confidence is currency—it’s quantifiable and can translate huge dividends for those willing to brandish a little bit of old-fashion moxie. Now, while this notion has traditionally worked for men, it hasn’t always been such a sure bet for women. In a recent Bloomberg interview, BBC World News America anchor Katty Kay and “Good Morning America” contributor Claire Shipman explore this notion and expose the confidence gap between men and women. Katty and Claire are also co-authors of The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know. Read more about their research and findings here.

So, why is confidence such a big deal? And, why isn’t competence the “be-all and end-all” for women in business? Well, competence is really only part of the equation. Women, just like men, do better in business by experiencing confidence in 3D. By leaving valuable trump cards on the table—like confidence, for example—we set ourselves up for less than stellar results.

I’ve worked with numerous male and female business professionals during the course of my career and my experience confirms that being competent means nothing if you don’t believe it. Sure—we’ve all heard that you can “fake it until you make it”, but that’s simply a prophylactic measure. Confidence must be real. It must be visceral. It must be owned.

Confidence is compelling. When you harness its power, you win. How’s that? You gain immediate, first-class, strategic advantages in business, which allow you to advance your “pawns” to premium positioning: you elevate your thinking, your performance, and your results. You can’t get those kinds of outcomes by “faking it.” With the power to seal a deal, or break it, confidence is a golden calling card that women simply cannot afford to be without. So, if the evidence demonstrates that men have mastered this criterion in business, then quite frankly, why shouldn’t we?

Ladies, here are 4 key reasons why women must own it and communicate confidence in the boardroom and beyond:

Confidence is currency. Confidence is the necessary quid pro quo (“consideration”) in every business transaction. You need it and it will take you FAR. It raises the stakes and opens doors. It helps to position you as the expert, facilitate the exchange of value, and ultimately “transact” business. You would never think of making a new purchase without first giving value (payment), right? Well, doing business of any kind without confidence is a deal-breaker and will leave you strategically bankrupt. Don’t do it.

Confidence says “Take me SERIOUSLY.” Ladies, you want to play in the big league? Get ready to play full out. If you want to be taken seriously, bring some old-fashion moxie to the game and introduce it at the outset. Insecurity, self-doubt, and hesitation can all be seen from a mile away. And, if you’re not convinced of your own competence, then why should anyone else? That’s right. Don’t expect more from others than you expect of yourself. If you want to be taken seriously, demonstrate that you have confidence to be in the game and win it.

Confidence influences brand perception. Your brand is your billboard and it’s always at stake. And, if you’re in business, you are always in the business of managing your professional brand. Everything you say or do has the potential to impact it. With that in mind, brand yourself as someone who executes “boss moves” with confidence and you’ll hardly have to worry about earning a reputation for being an easy mark.

Confidence impacts performance. What the mind harbors, the body manifests. If you don’t believe that you can get the job done with excellence, then your performance will reflect it. Why risk showing up like an amateur? Why risk having your qualifications second-guessed? The odds are not in your favor. Increase your confidence and boost your performance. It’s just that simple.

Here’s the deal: Confidence is an essential life skill. And, it’s critical for business. Therefore, we must own it. Make confidence the gateway, and not a roadblock to your success. Play bigger, stand taller, and… own it!

Not sure where you fare on the confidence meter? Take Katty and Claire’s confidence code assessment here:

To your success!

Photo Credit: stockimages via FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
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Karima Mariama-Arthur, Esq.Karima Mariama-Arthur is a corporate attorney and the Founder and CEO of WordSmithRapport, an international consulting firm specializing in professional development. For helpful tips on increasing confidence and solving performance challenges, connect with her on Facebook,  and for a quick dose of #Leadership inspiration, follow her on Twitter, @wsrapport.

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Women in High Gear Launches May 21 in New York City to Social Media Influencers

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(April 11, 2013)– Anne Deeter Gallaher and Amy D. Howell will launch their first book, Women in High Gear: A Guide for Entrepreneurs, On-Rampers, and Aspiring Executives, on Tuesday, May 21, at the Waldorf Astoria, New York City.

 

Book Launch Invite 2“Conversations on women and work, women and leadership, and women as executives have captured global attention. We are excited to add to the conversation with our experiences in Women in High Gear,” said Deeter Gallaher and Howell, both of whom founded and run public relations firms and strive to balance work and family expectations.

 

As business owners who met on Twitter in 2009, the duo realized that their different stories of business success and family/career balance would encourage and help women of every career stage. “Whether you’re a recent graduate, returning to work, or running your own business, the value of reaching high gear is critical to our economy,” the authors said.

 

Corporations and small businesses alike are now engaged in these conversations and realize the benefit in helping employees reach their high gear goals.  Is high gear attainable for today’s women and the next generation of women? What exactly defines high gear? A seat at a board of governance? Ascending to the C-suite? Financial independence? Starting a business? Yes! The prescription for high gear is not limited to BA, MBA, Wall Street, Board Seat. In fact, the engine and backbone of the global economy is small business—smart, innovative people who are contributing to their own economies, their communities’ well-being, and creating jobs.

 

Amy_Anne“Whether you’re in mid-career, on-ramper, or have a laser-focus on the corner office, we challenge you to charge ahead. The world needs your energy, ideas, passion, and curiosity. As Marissa Mayer once said, we need women who have a ‘healthy disregard for the impossible,’” said Deeter Gallaher.

 

“Talking honestly about emotional resilience and soft skills, working with men, understanding the bottom line, social media, personal branding, and rebounding from roadblocks, we reveal advantages and opportunities in shifting into high gear,” said Howell.

 

SoSlam SigningWhat the Readers are Saying

“Women in High Gear is a terrific book for women seeking career advancement.  I recommend the book to anyone who wants to better understand how to leverage the power of today’s ever-increasing diverse workplace.”

– T. Michael Glenn, Executive Vice President, Market Development and Corporate Communications, FedEx Corporation


“Anne Deeter Gallaher and Amy D. Howell are also keenly attuned to the need for mentoring, guidance, and inspiration to help prepare current and future generations of women for leadership in business and society. These are exhilarating times to be in business, begin a career, or re-launch ourselves after a sabbatical. Women in High Gear will challenge, inspire, and guide women at all stages of career development to set priorities, overcome obstacles, and achieve their boldest goals and callings.”

– Dr. Kim S. Phipps, president of Messiah College, and author of the book’s Foreword

 

“In a business world steeped in too much self-help blather, Amy and Anne stand up for accountability, distinctiveness, mental toughness, responsibility, hard work, compassion, and appropriate compromise—the values that forge great leaders. This book is inspiring, true, and even better—entertaining!”

– Mark W. Schaefer, college educator, entrepreneur, international speaker, and author of Return on Influence.

 

About Women in High Gear Anne_Mark Schaefer_Amy

In 13 easy-to-read and easy-to-relate-to chapters, Deeter Gallaher and Howell share their journeys to high gear and exemplify how others can connect the dots for growth and success. Women in High Gear combines big business principles with small business DNA in hopes that these experiences will shorten the business learning curves of others.

 

To learn more about shifting into high gear today, order the book from Amazon; visit the Women in High Gear website and follow the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.

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