Debra Kasowski

EPISODE 1: Take 100% Responsibility 

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Stop Complaining, Making Excuses, and Blaming Others – It is Time to OWN it!!

We will be looking at the situations in life where you want to point fingers at people or you want to say it was not my fault. If you look around you at the choices you have made or some of the outcomes you have had, you need to look around and ask yourself, “What part did I have in this”

I had no control; it happened to me. Take a different approach by asking, “How did it happen FOR you?” What can you learn from this situation so the same situation does not happen again? People do not take enough time to investigate their outcomes.

Begin by asking yourself questions about a situation: What part did I play in this? What could I have done to change the outcome? What could I do differently in the future?

Imagine someone is coming to pick you up for an appointment or you are going somewhere for a specific time. You are watching the clock tick because you know if you do not leave by a certain time you will not make it on time. The person may show up 10 minutes late and you get to the location late. You get frustrated at the person driving you.

Take a step back.

Ask yourself…

What could I have done to achieve a different outcome?

Was I prepared to be out on time?

Could I have called in advance to ensure the person left on time?

Could I check to see if there was any road construction or accidents on their route to be aware of?

Come to the situation as a learner. What parts do I have control of or influence?

Avoid comparing yourself to others. Focus on improving yourself and showing up as your “BEST” self every day.

TMW_PDFclickhere.fwOften when people compare themselves, they are looking at one moment in time. As an example, someone has a victory – they seem to have all the luck. They have all the money and everything in place to succeed and it does not work out like that for you.

If you rolled out that person’s life and your life, would you be willing to erase all of the memories that you and trade for the other person’s life? If you at it from that perspective, I am sure chances are that you would not want to erase those precious memories.

It is not about competition as it is about playing your own game and showing up as your BEST self every day.

Focus on discovering solutions and look for the opportunities. What can you do about it? How can I make a different? It is not about sitting in the wings and being a wallflower. If you see something that needs to be changed, it’s about letting your voice be known.

Choose to be responsive versus reactive. You will make better decisions when you think before acting. Do you attack like a jaguar or a leopard ready to attack or do you take a step back and collect your thoughts? It is about choosing to be responsive versus being reactive. It takes a lot of emotional intelligence. Otherwise, you are like a bull in a china shop barging in and break everything around you and then you wonder why no one wants to follow you.

When you chose to be responsive your brain is a lot calmer. Your amygdala goes into an irrational mode – fight or flight response. When you are highly emotive and reactive, you are not thinking rationally and you will not make decisions as well. What you want to do is, is to come to a place where you are calm enough to respond, that you thought through what you want to say so you can make better decisions before you act. Not everyone likes to be held accountable but they like to know they are reaching outcomes.

Surround yourself with people who are accountable to for their actions. You become like the people who you surround yourself with. Take a look around you, “Are the people you are hanging out with accountable for their actions?”

You cannot hold others accountable for you cannot hold yourself accountable first.

Be willing to take action on what you want to achieve. Speak up if you need to, make a request, or try something new. Remember if you do what you have always done – you’ll get the same results.

Remember to SIGN UP for our Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 “Surefire Strategies” download.

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 9.46 min.

Personal Mastery is the Key to Professional Mastery

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Grab your free gift at www.debrakasowski.com by Signing Up for the Success Secrets Newsletter. Debra Kasowski International – Personal Mastery is the Key to Professional Mastery. Personal and Professional Success does not occur in silo. Become a better version of yourself today.

Above Mediocrity: How are You Measuring Up to Your Potential?

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Do you ever wonder how you are measuring up to your potential? Do you think you’re taking enough action and stepping out of your comfort zone? Do you ever wonder what the secret to success is?

You’re not alone. Many people have studied success for years. I myself have been studying success for over 20 years.

What it really comes down to is a person’s daily habits, attitude, and expectations that they set for themselves. If you truly want to be noticed and stand out from the crowd you cannot settle for mediocrity. People start to get comfortable, complacent, and maybe even a little lazy when it comes to expanding and stepping into their potential. They talk a great talk but they’re not always willing to take the action required to sow the seeds that lead to success.

“The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good.” – Brian Tracy

Complacency creeps in when people stop expanding their social circles and networks, learning and growing in their area of expertise, stop appreciating others because they assume that you already know how they feel, and they put their health on the back burner. Over time, complacency can damage relationships, career growth, and your health. Isn’t it funny that many claim that these things are what matter most?

How are you measuring up?

beauty child at the blackboard

Is it time to raise your bar of excellence?

Successful people do not strive for mediocrity or being average. They are looking for ways to be a little bit better today than they were yesterday. They are not willing to settle and fit in to what others say or think they should be like. Successful people do great things through small acts with intention and purpose.

You can start raising your bar of excellence by expecting more of yourself and inspiring others around you by the way you live in the choices you make.

Here are some simple ways in which you can start taking small steps to make big shifts in your relationships, your career growth, and your health. Focus on what you say is most important to you and you’ll reap rewards of happiness, health, and prosperity.

Read one nonfiction book per month. If you can read more books, fantastic! Increase your knowledge in your expertise or another area of interest. Commit to taking action on something learned in the book.

Connect with like-minded individuals. Join meet up groups, associations, and organization in which people have a common interest and also push you out of your comfort zone into dreaming and thinking bigger. You probably have heard the phrase that you are the average of the five people you hang out with the most. Surround yourself with people that you can learn from and who inspire you.

Develop your people skills. Many people take developing their people skills for granted. As you climb the ladder of success, the more people will not just focus on your skills and abilities and how smart you are, the more they look at how you interact with others. Learn to become a better communicator. Listen to the people you interact with. Put aside distractions and pay attention to the subtle tones and movements and body language. Always find a way to leave a conversation in which people are better because of your presence.

Become an action taker. Do not become known as someone who just talks about what they say they want to achieve. The most memorable people are the ones who take inspired action. People often hesitate because of the fear of failure; however, if you evaluate your probability of success you can start taking calculated risks. Each small success will build momentum. Success is short-lived by complacency. You will want to continue to challenge yourself and raise your bar of excellence.

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”-Thomas Edison

Hire a coach or find a mentor. You can accelerate your success by being coached through your challenges or being mentored by someone who has been where you want to be. Learn from these individuals and ask powerful questions to help you become more knowledgeable and resourceful.

Successful people do not try to do everything themselves nor do they try to take all the credit. They work with teams and incredible individuals who make them shine and raise their bar of excellence. When you take time to make these changes in yourself and look after your health, you will become an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. When you start taking one action each day, you will be taking 365 more actions than many people who are wishing for things to happen. Instead of wishing, you will be making things happen. Everyone has the same amount of time in their day but the difference maker is someone who takes action.

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. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com

How to Cultivate the Leadership Skills of Your People

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The constant debate of whether or not leaders are born or made is a challenge many organizations face. Many organizations are driven to perform, produce, and profit. After all, you are not in business unless your business is making money.

If you are a leader, you know you cannot motivate anyone to do anything but you can “flick the light switch” for that “ah-ha” moment by askin

Meeting with people around a table with a white puzzle with a red piece standing apart

g questions and encouraging self-reflection. There are several ways you can cultivate leadership skills in your people.

Create a Strong Vision. If the people you lead can see themselves engaged in your vision, you will have willing participants. However, if they cannot see where they fit into your plan, you may encounter resistance or cynicism. A strong vision gives people something to look forward to in anticipation.

“It’s not what the vision is, it’s what the vision does.” – Peter Senge

Offer Educational Opportunities. Education comes in a variety of forms: TED Talks, Journals, Leadership Books, Case Studies, Audio books, You Tube Videos, Workshops, and Conferences. Encourage book discussions or presentations on a workshop they have attended. When your people are learning and growing so is your organization. Education is often one of the first areas cut when their needs to be a cost savings when it should be the last. You never know what creative ideas your people may come up with when they have new knowledge and develop their competencies.

Make Mentorship or Coaching Available. A mentor or coach can help answer questions and challenge assumptions. They can act as a strategic thinking partner. A mentor can share their personal experiences about how he or she handled a particular situation. Whereas, a coach ask questions that encourage self-reflection about potential next steps. Growth is accelerated when you have this type of support system in place.

Encourage Open Communication. Create opportunities for your people to share their successes and challenges so others can learn from them. Take time to acknowledge their efforts. You create unity among team members when they feel their voice and ideas are heard and considered. When your people know that you value them, they will be more engaged in supporting the vision.

“Leaders who make it a practice to draw out the thoughts and ideas of their subordinates and who are receptive even to bad news will be properly informed. Communicate downward to subordinates with at least the same care and attention as you communicate upward to superiors.” – L.B. Belker

Allow for creativity and calculated risk. Organizations advance when they allow their people to get creative and express their ideas. As a leader, you can ask questions so they evaluate the risks and benefits of their ideas. If you do not allow for creativity, other organizations will surpass your organization.

It is important to tap into the diversity of organization. Take time to learn about the knowledge, skills, and abilities the people in your organization have. Some people may be savvy in social media or have strong writing skills but their current role does not allow for them to showcase these talents. As a leader, we need to discover some of these hidden gems that may propel your organization forward. Working from a place of strength is one of the most powerful ways to grow your organization so that it is performing, producing, and profiting. It begins with developing your people.

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. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com