Debra Kasowski

How to Become an Effective Leader by Building Resiliency

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You don’t have to go far to learn about some of the challenges people are facing in their businesses and organizations. You just have to turn on the news or look around you. There appears to be a great strain on society today being so busy that they are unable to find equilibrium. People are asked to do more with less. People look busy running from one activity to the next but are they productive? Are they meeting their deadlines or quotas?

The one constant in everyone’s life is change. We are all faced with changes and challenges on a day-to-day basis. One of the greatest challenges that leaders within organizations face is being able to keep up with their workloads while putting out fires that seem to arise. They are taken away from some of their critical work to focus intently on performance issues. Managing people and working with people can sometimes be draining especially when you’re faced with resistance and lack of awareness. Sometimes it feels like no matter how much effort you put into something that you are unable to achieve what you hope to. At times this can be disheartening for a leader to lead because they may lose sight of their focus and the meaning of the work that they were driven to do. Don’t give in and don’t give up! Adapt!

“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Effective leaders become resilient through self-reflection and an increased self-awareness. Not only are the intellectual but they are emotionally intelligent. Resilience is the characteristic of being able to bounce back in the face of loss or failure. A resilient leader does not play victim to their circumstance. They shift into the mindset of a learner and so can you.

Everything is not in your control so don’t take things personally. Sometimes things in life occur that we do not expect and planning and preparation could not prevent them from occurring. Know that many things occur that are not in your control and it’s not your fault. You can only take ownership of things that you can do something about.

Resilient leaders know that it’s important to continue developing personally and professionally in order to embrace change and challenges. When people face a crisis or cutbacks, one of the first areas that seem to be eliminated is that of personal and professional development. This is a grave mistake as when people are learning and growing they are inspired and can cultivate new ideas and solutions to the challenges that they face. Never stop learning!

A resilient leader knows that it’s imperative to celebrate success even in the midst of a challenge. There is an opportunity to learn from success just as much as failure. Examine steps, processes, and strategies that help you develop success; they can be your greatest tools in helping you navigate some of your roadblocks.

Many of the greatest leaders have demonstrated that it’s important to take the time to recharge and rejuvenate in order to become a resilient leader in bounce back from trying situations. Meditation, prayer, and journaling are just some of the rituals that some of these leaders use to gain clarity on some of the significant situations that they face and eliminate the distractions from seeing clearly. Other leaders enjoy going for a walk in nature or a run to clear their mind.

Resilient leaders know that it is important to focus on the type of climate they want to create. They imagine the possibilities and articulate a new vision for the future. They pay attention to the words they use and ensure that they are creating a positive future – a future that taps into the strengths of the people who follow them. They know that open communication is the key to leading the way.

An effective leader knows that they do not have all the answers to every situation that they have the ability to tap into the strengths, opinions, and best experiences of their people. They draw on these perspectives and engage their people in coming up with new ideas in helping provide a solution to the challenges they face. By engaging their people, they know that the people will be intrinsically motivated to move toward a shared vision.

The resilient leader is someone who has been able to develop the skill of managing their own emotions and recover quickly. There are many characteristics and styles of leadership; however, emotional intelligence is a skill that is a must in building resilience.

“Shift your attention, and your emotion shifts. Shift your emotion, and your attention shifts.”
― Frederick Dodson

Optimism helps effective leaders maintain focus on their vision even when faced with setbacks. They choose to look for “what is good or right” about a situation. They know that wherever your intention goes your attention follows. They look on the bright side of every situation looking for the opportunity to learn and grow so that they may become more effective.

Leaders know that it’s important to build and nurture a network of relationships before you need them. When you are in crisis or faced with the challenge, you need to have that support immediately and if you don’t have it is more challenging to get through the tough times. When you build relationships, people are quick to reciprocate and support each other lessening the challenges.

Bouncing back to become the leader you want to be involves remembering your “WHY”. Why do you do the work that you do? Rediscover and connect with what she once was passionate about. See the importance in the work that you do. Your efforts do not go unnoticed although at the time it sometimes feels like it. Know that you are making an impact in this world even if you don’t receive immediate feedback. There will be a tipping point in which your efforts will have compounded and made the biggest difference. Bounce back and be strong – people are looking for a leader like you.

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

7 Exceptional Ways to Exceed Client Expectations

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Euphoric and surprised winner winning online watching a laptop at home

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “What is quality customer service?” Many people will tell you about the experiences they have had when customer service is below par. Word of mouth marketing is the most powerful ways to share a product or service. Why not create raving fans? Raving fans are the people who champion your work and your products.

Some people believe you need to have a wheelbarrow load of money to wine and dine people to exceed expectations. While there may be a few of those individuals out there they are fewer than you may expect. Richard Branson said, “The key is to set realistic customer expectations and then not just meet them but to exceed them – preferably in unexpected and helpful ways.”

Know Your Client’s Expectations. First, you must learn what your client’s expectations are. What are their expectations? Are they realistic? Are the achievable? Are they too low? Can your competition provide them with the same results? What can you do to help them stretch or achieve greater results? How will you – WOW them?

Be Intentional. When you learn what someone’s expectations are, you can determine what it will take to meet expectations. In most cases, if you are providing them with a product or service that they have reached out for and you know their expectations, it would be too hard to meet expectations. The difference lies in exceeding expectations. To exceed expectations, you need to intentionally go above and beyond what is expected. Do the unexpected and make is memorable.

Listen to What Your Client is Saying. In coaching, I have learned to use an acronym called W.A.I.T.; it translates to “Why am I Talking?” Not only are you listening to what they are saying, you are also listening to what they are not saying through their body language and tone. Anticipate their wants and needs. Call them for no other reason than to see how they are doing and what is new in their world.

Ask Questions. Discover what their underlying emotional need is. Emotions drive our purchasing decisions and actions. You will be surprised that some of your assumptions may be wrong.

Maintain a Positive Attitude. If you are focused on the positive, you can help others focus on the positive as well. Sometimes all it takes is to hear information from another person to gain a different perspective.

Personalize the Experience. No one wants to feel like they are just a number. Personalize the experience of working with you. Demonstrate that you were listening and pay attention to the smallest of details – learn about what your client’s hopes and dreams are – think about how you can help them achieve it. Be proactive and resourceful. Who are the people that matter to them? Learn the name of their spouse/partner or children. When is their birthday or anniversary?

“Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.”

Steve Jobs

Do the unexpected – that’s what creates the WOW! Send a card on their birthday or anniversary. Send a box of chocolates or cookies. Surprise the office with ice cream or popsicles on a hot day. What will you do to stand out from the crowd and make someone say WOW! Invite them as your guest to a workshop or charity event or ask them to go with you if you cannot afford to pay for them. Sometimes all it takes to win your customer’s heart is that you thought about them other than seeing them as a business transaction.  Turn ordinary activities to extraordinary experiences.

Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Be exceptional – exceed expectations. Be worth remembering!

What will you do today to exceed expectations?

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

7 Ways to Sharpen Your Decision Making Skills

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Effective decision making begins with knowing what you value and what is important to you. What you value, want, and need motivates you to take action. When you make choices that are not in line with your values, you will feel uneasy and incongruent with your choices – off track. When you make choices that are aligned with your values, you are at ease, satisfied, and fulfilled with the direction you are going.

According to the Free Dictionary online, value means “relating to or consisting of principles or standards”. Take a look around you; you will notice that everyone has different values. They have different standards. Everyone does not place value on the same things; therefore, the world is full of abundance because not everyone wants or desires the same things. Making decisions based on what you value is referred to as value-based decision making.

Do you find it hard to make decisions? Do you narrow down your choices and still find it hard to make a decision? Are you often influenced by other people’s opinions and later regret you did not listen to your gut instinct? Decision making can be made easy when you know yourself and what you value. Self-awareness is the cornerstone of decision making. Our values influence our thoughts and feeling and impact the decisions we make. Every decision we make takes us closer to or farther away from creating our desired future or outcomes.

What a person values is different than what they believe to be true. Beliefs are formed from out interactions and experiences of what we believe to be true. Many assumptions and judgments may be made that have no truth to them. Values are part of your core; the person who you are.

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” – Albert Einstein

To become a Value-Based decision maker or leader, follow these steps:

  1. Identify what is important to you. Values include generosity, respect, truth, honesty, gratitude, freedom, integrity, wisdom, responsibility, and accountability. There are much What is most important to you?
  2. Prioritize your values. You may value many things. Determine your top 5 values that you base your decisions on. These are non-negotiables,
  3. Recognize your emotions and the emotions of others. How you feel or how others are feeling can impact the decisions you make. Challenge any assumptions or judgments you may be making. Don’t be afraid to question or clarify what you are thinking.
  4. Gather the facts. You want to gather enough information that you feel good about the decision you are making. Do you need to speak to someone or research more information?
  5. Compare to similar situations and reflect on what worked, what did not, and what you needed to do differently. What are your options? What alternative exist? What are the consequences of the options or alternatives?
  6. Focus on the facts versus your emotions. When you have all the information you need, decision-making should be much quicker and easier.
  7. Make your decision. Adjust your course of action if required. You may need to make new decisions. Repeat this process as necessary to guide you to achieve the results you want.

The most effective decisions are based on values versus one person’s belief. Values define a standard or a code of honor to abide by. Beliefs are based on experiences. If a person’s decision making is solely based on their beliefs, the decisions that are made will only be as good as the situations and experiences that they have been exposed to. Values are who you are – know yourself and what is important to you!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

Why Optimism Beats Pessimism

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You are faced with a variety of life events and circumstances every day. Each event or situation can be viewed in a positive or negative way. Your perspective is your outlook on the world around you. According to psychologists, you are either an optimist viewing the world from the viewpoint of a glass “half-full” or a pessimist viewing the world as a glass “half-empty”. For the most part, you are not happy or sad 100% of the time but you will lean more to one or the other disposition predominantly. Which one are you?

“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.”
― Noam Chomsky

The Optimist

Optimism is defined as taking on a favorable view of events or circumstances and to expect positive outcomes. Optimistic character symbols are the fish Dory from the Disney Film Finding Nemo with her positive attitude and phrase, “Just Keep Swimming” demonstrating persistence. The Donkey from the movie Shrek does not seem to let anything bother him – everything just rolls off his back. The Disney character Goofy seems to do things without doubting of things with work out; he just does. You may see these characters as overly optimistic but it helps them face any adversity that comes their way.

Optimistic people look for the good in situations and believe that most people’s actions are filled with good intentions. They have a “can-do” attitude and see negative events as a temporary setback and see these hardships as learning opportunities for growth. They persist when faced with adversity. An optimistic person practices gratitude and acknowledges what is going well. They are positive and are confident in their abilities. When optimistic people share the events of their day, they tend to focus on sharing good events over negative ones. Uncertainty does not throw optimists off track; they see unscheduled or unplanned events as an opportunity and adventure to be seized.

The Pessimist

Pessimists are in the state of mind of expecting only the worst outcomes. These people have similar characteristics to the characters of Chicken Little who created a widespread panic that the sky was falling when it was only an acorn that fell, Charlie Brown was full of dread, negativity and worry, and Eeyore who was full of doom and gloom. People with these pessimistic characteristics can wear on the patience of others and suck the energy out of a room.

Pessimistic people believe that negative events were caused by them. What power they have! They believe that one mistake leads to a Domino Effect of mistakes. If something positive was to occur to them like a promotion or winning a prize, they would attribute these successes to luck, chance, or a fluke accident and the likelihood of it ever happening again was nearly impossible.

A pessimist can cause habit in the marketplace, business, or organization. They can negatively influence their employees, colleagues, and co-workers. I have watched this happen and it can move like wildfire. They start demonstrating poor work habits, carelessness, and lack of motivation. They become distracted and disengaged with the people who they are serving. Stress increase as these individuals gossip and complain. Others start to dread coming to work. They see setbacks as permanent and they are less flexible in challenging their perspective. There is increased fear, worry, and anxiety about the future which in turn impacts productivity and performance and thus the bottom line – profits.

Ultimately, optimism beats pessimism. Optimists live longer healthier lives. They have lower stress levels because they do not allow situations and life circumstances to dictate their happiness. They tend to be more successful and have increased productivity. Optimism impacts your overall well-being – it “feels good” to be positive and uplifting.

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Way to Beat the Doom and Gloom of Pessimism

  • Challenging assumptions by questioning your thoughts (Is your thought true?)
  • Reframe negative thoughts into positive thoughts
  • Learn from mistakes and adjust your course by doing it again until you get it
  • “Act as if”; be who you need to be now to achieve what you are trying to succeed at. Do not wait to be in the leadership role to become a leader.
  • Look for the good and what you have to be grateful for. The more you are grateful for, the more that will show up in your life to be grateful for.

Each day we have a choice. Which perspective will you choose – the optimist or the pessimist? At the end of the day, optimism beats pessimism. You cannot help wanting to be a part of the positive energy; it contagious. What attitude do you want to spread? How full or empty is your glass?

I believe it is not how full or empty your glass is what determines the quality of your life; it is about the people you meet, the places you travel to, and choices you choose to fill it with. Seize the opportunities live life to its fullest and drink up!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com