leadership Archives - Page 40 of 46

Episode 79 – Drive Business Results

March 16, 2017 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“It is in doing things and not reading about them that results come about.”
―Stephen Richards

When it comes to driving your businesses results, steer clear of promises of get-rich-quick schemes or offers to make you an overnight success. Warning, when you hear something that is too good to be true, it often is. You know those people you think about being an overnight success – they are not. You did not witness the sacrifices, the work that was put in, and the sweat and tears that went into getting to where they are today. They were the ones honing their craft while others were out partying it up. They finally reached a tipping point where all their efforts, hard work, and dedication stood out in the crowded marketplace. If you want to drive your business results, you need to look beyond the bottom line. Your bottom-line is important but should not be your sole focus.

Communicating Your Vision and Values The leader of the organization needs to be able to communicate the vision and values for the business in order to gain by in from the people. There is great debate whether businesses and organization should be well managed or well led. There may be a decent argument for a little bit of both. When people are focused on the process, sometimes they lose sight of the impact on the people and how it ripples to the rest of their lives. As a leader, I have a different perspective. I believe that if you gain the trust and buy-in, you gain engagement. Engagement of your people with drive your business results as your people can share ideas and an invested interest in reaching the end goal = making the vision a reality.

Sharing the Benefits Remember when sharing your vision that you need to share the benefits too – the benefits to your people as individuals, as a group, and the entire organization and the people served. People are always looking for “What’s in it for me?” and wondering “Is what I am doing meaningful and does it make a difference?” Let them know that they matter and how what their involvement does.

Appreciating and Recognizing Your People For some people the monetary incentive is attractive but what intrinsically drives people more is that you are catching them doing something good! Let the people who work for you know what a great job they do and focus on specifics so they can do more of it. You can recognize them for their attendance, follow through, how they handled a situation or project, or the presentation they were nervous about. When someone appreciates you and believes in you, you will go out of your way to ensure that you are giving your very best.

Streamline Processes or Discover New Ways to Become More Efficient “A Better Way” Of Doing Things You can drive your business results and performance by looking for ways to become more efficient. Reflect and keep track of wastes of time, money, and resources. You may be surprised with what you uncover. By paying attention to the smallest detail you can save time, money, and resources if you look for ways to be better and stronger.

Boost Your Revenue with New Products and Services in the Marketplace Many people are interested in the newest and latest and greatest products and services on the market. When was the last time you brought something new to the marketplace? No one said you needed to create something new entirely. Is there something that needs to be upgrading or updated that you could relaunch? Sales and marketing are an important strategy to getting your voice heard in the marketplace.

Manage Your Expenses and Invest Where You Need to You need to measure and evaluate where your money is going to make good decisions. You can’t just look at an area of business and think I need to cut costs here or cut costs there without evaluating the impact. You want to be responsive in business not reactive. Sometimes you need to invest your money to increase productivity which in turn can lead to increased profit.

Building and Supporting Community There is nothing better than building strength in numbers. By building and supporting your community through charity functions, cross promotion, and collaboration, you can drive business results to extraordinary results. People want to work with people who care about what they care about. When you participate in a fundraiser, charity function, or volunteer, you help your business or organization come alive into a breathing living entity of vision and values in action! Who do you like to do business with and why?

If you want to drive your business results, you want to be purposeful and strategic in getting the outcomes you want. Create an emotional connection to what you want to achieve and you will have many people wanting to help you make that goal a reality. People want to be a part of your success! Let them be a part of the action that makes it happen.

“The results of knowledge without application results in nothing at all. Do what you know better to do.”
― DeWayne Owens

What action will you take today?

We would love to have you subscribed to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get us free MP3 download 10 Surefire Strategies to Power Up Your Productivity and Performance. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

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

Time: 8:46 min

Keywords: Communicate your vision effectively, vision, leadership, business, team, share your vision, what is in it for me, drive business results, drive your business results, boost your revenue, manage your expenses, appreciate your people, share the benefits, communicate your vision and values

Episode 77 – Fighting Negativity

March 9, 2017 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“See if you can catch yourself complaining, in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather. To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself into a victim. When you speak out, you are in your power. So, change the situation by taking action or by speaking out if necessary or possible; leave the situation or accept it. All else is madness.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

We have all encountered people who have the glass half full viewpoint (optimist) and those with the glass half empty viewpoint (pessimist). Which one are you? Did you know we have 50,000-70,000 thoughts a day? 98% of those thoughts you have had the day before. Eighty percent of those thoughts are negative. It sounds crazy but most of your thoughts are not conscious thoughts. You have not brought them to your attention. When you do bring those thoughts to your attention, you have a choice whether to respond or not respond to them. If you focus or put your attention on a thought, you are giving energy to it or empowering that thought even if that thought could be wrong.

Don’t believe everything you think without questioning it. Your imagination can run away from itself – thinking often the worst of a situation rather than the best. To fight negativity, you must start with dealing with the negativity within.

Defeat the Negativity Within

Start by paying attention to what your inner voice is saying in any given situation. Is it empowering you or shaming you?

You cannot think a negative thought and a positive thought at the same time. When you think a negative thought, identify the thought and challenge your thought by questioning any assumptions you may be making. Surely, you have never made an assumption that was wrong before. I have I know I am not the only one. Remember though only have the meaning we give them. So, if you do not like the thought you are thinking, think a different thought or don’t give it meaning or your attention. Shift your energy by reframing the thought positively. Reframing will help change your perspective on some of the limiting beliefs you may be having. For example,

“I am not good enough to be chosen for the promotion.”

Is this thought true?

How do you know?

What do you want to be thinking?

“I AM good enough to be chosen for the promotion.”

Feel the energy shift. Wherever you focus your time and attention to, you will get more of. What are some of the self-limiting beliefs that you are having? Write out what your self-limiting beliefs are. Challenge the assumptions you may be making. Reframe the thought to an empowering thought. What do you want to be thinking? Consider capturing your thoughts by writing them down in a journal and reframing them.

Stop exposing yourself to negativity. Steer clear from watching the news first thing in the morning or right before you go to bed. There is a lot of negative news going on the world that can really affect your mood and mindset. What kind of movies and books to you read? What are you feeding your mind with? I am hoping is entertaining you, inspiring you, or educating you to become the best you can be!

Develop an attitude of gratitude. Start and end your day in gratitude. Gratitude is about being thankful and appreciative of something tangible or intangible and how it has impacted our lives. What are you grateful for? Positive psychology research shows that people who are grateful tend to be happier. Tell people in your life that you are grateful for them in your life or send them a thank you card. Too busy to write (even though I still suggest you send a card) – you may choose to thank them mentally.

The Negative Relationships – The Toxic People

Attitudes are contagious. Be careful who you surround yourself with; ensure you are spending time with positive people who encourage and support you. One of the greatest lessons I have learned is to not take other people’s negativity personally. Their reaction to things is about what is going on for them in their mind and life and often has very little to do with you. A toxic person is someone who makes a person feel bad about themselves by talking down to them, criticizing them, or belittling them. They may tell you that you can’t do things or you’re not good enough or talented enough to be successful. Do you know where that is coming from? It comes from their own fears of you succeeding or even that fact that they are not and did not go after their own goals.

Gandhi once said, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with dirty feet.” You get to choose whether you will respond or react. Sometimes the toxic people may be people you are related to. Often the best things to do in these cases are to change the subject of the conversation or set boundaries by expressing what you are willing to talk about and what you are not willing to talk about. You are in control of letting that messaging in or keeping it out and how it impacts you. Limit your contact with toxic people.

The Negative Environment

Somethings you can control and somethings you cannot. You want to focus on what you can control.

Focus on solutions and the next positive step. It is easy to replay negative experiences over and over in our heads like a movie – reliving every moment. Is that what you really want? Learn to let go of past hurts. They occurred in the past and they cannot be changed.

Focus on the present – it what you can control. Redirect the topic and take control of the situation.

Keep the lines of communication open. Talk about your concerns openly and ask questions to avoid any misunderstandings. Again, your imagination can run wild if you do not ask questions to ensure you understand things correctly.

Deal with issues/concerns head on. Do not avoid having important conversations that you need to have. They can fester and exploded into much bigger problems and damage morale if not tended to immediately.

Follow up with others that you work and spend time with. This “pulse check” can help you determine if everyone is getting along or there are any concerns you may not be aware of. By being aware, positive changes can create positive results. Be proactive.

Be careful not to minimize the positive. Fighting negativity is a work in progress. It is too easy to fall into the trap of getting caught up in negative thinking, gossiping with others, and creating a toxic environment if you do not pay attention to where your thoughts are at any given moment.

Empower yourself by thinking empowering thoughts. When you think positive, you are giving a boost to your mood and you will take more affirmative actions to support your goals and objectives.

Time: 12:25 min

Episode 75 – Communicating Your Vision Effectively

March 2, 2017 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn’t come alive until the leader models it.” John C. Maxwell

Leaders can have great ideas but unless they can create a compelling vision for their people – ideas remain ideas. Leadership is about being about to communicate what that vision is on a consistent basis. You are pointing the way and leading them toward the vision. You must first believe in the vision yourself in order to share it.

Gain Clarity of Your Vision. You cannot share a vision with others unless you clearly understand it yourself. It does not have to be perfect to gain buy-in, people need to see the vision of what you are talking about. If they cannot understand the picture of what you are creating, you will not gain buy-in. What is the vision?

Make Your Vision Compelling by Sharing Stories. Describe your vision in as much detail as possible. The use of stories will create a connection between you and the people you are communicating the vision to. People will learn ‘why’ your vision is so meaningful to you. They will start to visualize how they fit into the story. Otherwise, they feel like they are on the outside looking in. It is like looking through a candy store window and not being able to touch or taste any of it. Keep your message simple but powerful. What stories or experiences can you share that help share that create a compelling reason for making the vision a reality?

Communicate with Enthusiasm. Be positive about your message. If you are not excited about your vision, you cannot expect others to be. Be passionate and enthusiastic about what you are doing. You want people to be engaged because they say “I want to” rather than them say “I have to” attitude. Otherwise, they will not put in their best efforts as they have no vested interest. People will be drawn to the positive energy you share and will want to learn more. Write out your vision so you can you are describing the vision exactly how you see it and the possibilities. What excites you about the vision?

Communicate a Variety of Ways and Channels. People like to receive information in different ways. They also each interpret messages in different ways. It is best practice to share your vision through a variety of channels. If you communicate the vision randomly, it will get lost in the whirlwind of other daily activities or your message may get diluted.

One of the most popular and possibly overused ways is through email. Not that it is not effective, it may not have the impact when buried in the others 400 emails you have. You may choose share your vision through one-on-one meetings, town hall meetings, video presentations, or even webinars. It can take from 7-9 contacts with information before they start adopting or moving into action. Overcommunicate your message to ensure it sticks. What are the best ways for you to communicate the vision and reach your people?

Help People See Themselves as Part of the Future and Part of Making an Impact on the Greater Good. Team members and followers have their own vision – the starts with “What is in it for me?” Talk in terms of how “we” are going to make the vision a reality. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves by knowing they play a key role in making it happen. Collaborate with and engage your people in the process and help them understand their role and responsibility in making the vision become a part of reality. Two-way dialogue is very important. They want to know how what they do will impact the vision and if their work is meaningful or matters. What part does your team member or team play in making the vision come true?

Keep the communicate lines open. Allow people to ask questions and offer their suggestions. You never know what other experiences people have until the right opportunity comes up to share it. What can you learn from the questions and feedback people share to strengthen your vision?

You have a vision. You must now lead the way. Other are watching and waiting to find out how they will make an impact and when it is their turn. Invite them into the conversation and call them to action – to be a part of the vision.

Time: 10:02 minutes

How to Get Rid of the Fear of ‘Putting Yourself Out There’ Once and For All

February 5, 2017 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

Anyone who wants to grow in their business or in their leadership skills has to learn how to put themselves out there. Putting yourself out there doesn’t mean exposing yourself and every little intimate detail of your life. It is about getting out amongst people and learning about the world around you. The secret sauce is about being curious about what matters most to people and putting yourself out there.

“Believe that if you make courageous choices and bet on yourself and put yourself out there, that you will have an impact, as a result of what you do. And you don’t need to know now what that would be or how will it happen because no one ever does.” – Dick Costolo

Does thought of networking make you queasy?

If you’re shy and feel uncomfortable in networking situations, you might find yourself hiding behind your computer with every excuse why not to go to a networking event. You tell yourself you don’t really like to meet people. Although this may be true, the greater truth may be that you’re more afraid to fail in front of others or say the wrong thing. You may also be afraid to succeed, for the fear of the unknown and how your life will change. Uncertainty can hold you hostage and you may sabotage yourself by letting your imagination go wild with all the “what if” situations that would not support you. You are in the people business. You need to connect with people.

Imagine what it would be like to meet like-minded people who could introduce you to other like-minded people to ensure that your pipeline of clients is consistently filled forget the promotion you have been longing for. How would that feel?

Pretty amazing I bet!

People don’t know how great you are and until you show them. They want to know how you will help them. Don’t let your own fears hold you back from providing value to others.

Focus on providing value instead of focusing on your fear. Every person does not like to be put in the spotlight as they feel exposed and vulnerable. You may worry about what others will think of you or wonder if people will like you or your ideas. You may fear being rejected as the expert you see yourself to be. When it comes to your clients, who knows more about your subject matter than you? Most people are wondering what you are thinking about them and their ideas.

If you want to grow and being known as the go-to resource for expert, exposure in the marketplace if necessary. You have to take the risk of putting your ideas and opinions out there.

No, you won’t appeal to everyone but that’s the beauty of it.

This is the exact reason why there is such abundance in the world. Each individual cannot serve everyone and they may not appeal to everyone and that is okay. There is more than enough business to go around for everyone.

“You put yourself out there in the truest way you can and hope others do the same. You’ll connect or you won’t, but you did what you could. “ – Chris Crutcher

Shift your thinking from self-promotion to self-expression. You may think that self-promotion is bragging and conceited. Self-promotion is about promoting oneself and it doesn’t have to mean that you’re arrogant or that you’re better than the next person. If I’m hiring you to do a job, I will look for the person who can best represent themselves and what they stand for. It will come down to how they express themselves. How you express yourself and what you stand for and how you take interest in others will demonstrate your core values and what you believe in.

Whether you’re putting a post on social media or writing your bio for an article, you want to be able to express how you provide solutions and can help others along their journey. Your expression may be in the form of photos, comments, or sharing a little bit about yourself in order to make yourself relatable to those around you. Think about what you’re expressing and how it may help others. Does it inspire? Does it encourage action taking? Does it help people reflect and think about their own situations?

Take action now. Too many people talk themselves out of taking action because they feel that they’ve missed the opportunity but what they’re really doing is coming up with an excuse as to why they haven’t taken action. You can always find evidence for whatever you believe to be true as it is your reality. It is never too late. If you’re waiting for everything to be perfect, you will miss out on those opportunities. New opportunities will arise for you to take action on. Remember that your work in progress in you can adjust your course along the way.

Every successful story from Eleanor Roosevelt to Oprah Winfrey required that they put themselves out there regardless of their fears to share their voice. Their circumstances weren’t perfect. They grew and learned along the way and put new knowledge into action. As one action didn’t work they would try another while they stayed focused and determined to move forward.

You can create your success story by taking the actions required to put yourself out there even when you are afraid. Know that you’re never alone as the like-minded people around you are often experiencing the same thing that you are but never have had the courage to share it with you. As you put yourself out there, you’ll quickly learn that many feel the same as you and you can be reassured that the courage that it takes for you to push through your fears, shift your thinking and take imperfect action, you will be inspiring others to do the same.

Debra Kasowski is an award-winning 2X bestselling author, professional speaker, certified executive coach, and podcast host of The Millionaire Woman Show which discusses topics of leadership, business, and human potential. She has interviewed influencers like Bob Burg from the Go-Giver, Dr. Mark Goulston, John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneur on Fire, and TEDx Speaker Teresa de Grosbois. Debra has the heart of a teacher and certified in the areas of Emotional Intelligence and Appreciative Inquiry a positive approach to change. Her work has been published in a variety of traditional and online media. 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

3 Reasons You Should Hire a Coach to Help You Manage Your Next Project

November 4, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

Whether you are a project manager or a member of a team, coaching can help you navigate the challenges you face. There are many roles and responsibilities and expected results. It takes each member of the team to take full responsibility for their actions to move towards making the vision of the project a reality. Project managers are challenged with leading teams through projects with tight deadlines and increasing demands with decreasing resources. Strong leadership skills are needed to ensure that priorities are tended to before a whirlwind of urgent requests interferes with execution.

A coach is someone who acts as your thinking partner or sounding board who helps you uncover solutions by asking thought-provoking questions to overcome the challenges you face when working on a project. The fundamental premise underlying coaching is that you already have the answers within. A coach helps you generate solutions and identify resources. Coaches can accelerate your effectiveness and improve your collaboration efforts to get the outcomes you want. The agenda of the conversation is yours.

Strengthen Your Capacity as a Leader. In order to lead others, you need to be able to lead yourself. As you improve leading yourself, you can better lead others by creating a compelling vision in which your team would like to be a part of. A coach can help you identify your strengths and leverage the strengths and skills of your team members. The coach helps you challenge your assumptions to gain new perspectives. A leader needs to have the ability to motivate the members of the team and empower the team members by asking questions to engage the team in coming up with solutions that mitigate risks. Not only are you mitigating risk, you are encouraging ownership of results. It demonstrates that you trust your team members in providing solutions. This confidence in your people leads to increased productivity and morale.

Mitigate Risks. A coach can ask insightful questions as you progress through the milestones of a project. The most important time to ask is – before the project even starts. It is imperative to collaborate with your team members as they may hold the key to the solutions you need. As the leader, you do not need to know all the answers. You need to know what resources are available and how to mobilize them if required.

What could possibly go wrong in this project?

How can we mitigate or decrease the risk?

What are some potential scenarios that could come up?

What can we do to manage the risks and move forward?

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
― Paulo Coelho

Ask the Right Questions to Clearly Define the Right Goals or Objectives. One of the greatest challenges you face managing a project is that your goals are not clearly defined so there is no target to aim at. A coach can ask you questions that will assist you and your team in define the right goals to get the results that you want. By asking the right questions, you can establish specific goals, break them down into manageable pieces, and create measurable outcomes. With clearly defined goals, you will be able to articulate and prioritize your needs, expectations, and resources.

Coaching can play a significant role in getting the results you desire in a more efficient and effective way. A coach can you help brainstorm new ideas and maintain focus and direction with the right goals in place by leveraging your strengths and making an impact.

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. Debra is the host of The Millionaire Woman Show podcast helping people live rich from the inside out through leadership, business, and human potential. 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