Do you know that one in seven people on the planet log on to Facebook every day? That’s 1.43 billion people. I bet you were one of them. I was!
That can make us feel one of two ways:
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How collective wisdom can leverage results
I’m just back from an extraordinary three days with my own mastermind, the Thought Leaders Business School. We meet quarterly to review and celebrate our achievements and craft our plan for the next quarter. I had the special privilege of being asked to share my story – my epic business struggles over the last thirteen years, culminating in my quantum success since February this year. I was definitely intimidated – this was a room full of 125 brilliant thought leaders – many with outstanding practices making massive contributions in Australia.
I told my story, with all its lumps and bumps including cancer, despair, and nearly giving up many times. Until I chose something different, found the right tribe – Thought Leaders Business School, and hit it out of the park these last three months. I booked more business in ninety days than I’ve earned in a whole previous year. This is quadrupling my best results so far.
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The big little secret of deep connection
CC License “Drink my heart in the cup”, Cloud seeker, flickr
When I run workshops on Emotional Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence (Advanced Emotional Intelligence), I am struck by how little people know about the skills of engaging with others, let alone aware if they are genuinely connecting with them.
And for leaders, this is dangerous territory.
Rapport is leadership currency. Without it we become dictators. Or castaways after a mutiny!
When you have good rapport with your team members, trust builds, collective brain is activated and this creates more creativity, innovation, and performance.
Rapport is like an electric fence – when it’s there, you feel safe and protected; when it’s breached, you get an unpleasant jolt.
Here are the basics in developing rapport – some you may know, and one you likely haven’t seen before.
3 scary mistakes to avoid when moving from ‘expert’ to ‘leader’
Becoming an expert, or developing a body of expertise, is a rewarding and energising part of anyone’s career. You feel confident, focused, and knowledgeable. People turn to you for the answers, and you’ve usually got them.
Because you’re so competent, you get promoted. Now you’re in charge of a team. Maybe a team with knowledge outside of your body of expertise.
And that’s when all hell breaks loose.
Being an expert is totally different to being a leader.
Here are 3 big mistakes to void when you are stepping up from expert to leader.
Money mojo business success story – case study
Introducing Danielle Butler, owner and founder of Medical Uniforms NZ, movie script writer, consultant for cloud technology systems, wife and mother, and the only female baseball umpire in NZ (and possibly elsewhere!)
Danielle and I met a Flying Solo conference a few years ago and she has since become a Private Coaching Client. She recently completed a V.I.P. Coaching Day. Below is an interview with the amazing, bodacious, fabulous lady.
Conflict management techniques: What not to do
I’m never short of an opinion, so when my forthright comments in a recent board meeting elicited a response that equated to “Shut up, Buttercup, and respect your elders”, my blood boiled.
Luckily, being as outspoken as I am, I’ve had a few opportunities to learn conflict management techniques and what not to do in a situation like this. Try them next time you’re fuming.
Don’t let your emotions speak for you.
If I’d let rip with the words I was screaming in my head during that meeting, all anyone there would have heard would have been my feelings, red and raw. Plus, I would’ve had to watch them wipe spittle from their eyes. Yuck.
Fake it ’til you make it?
Here’s the scene: Thanks to the sudden resignation of one of your colleague, you’ve been promoted and you are now expected to lead a team. But you’ve never managed anyone before and are concerned about becoming “boss” of people who are used to dealing with you as a friend on their level.
“Crikey! Dropped in the deep end – the top 3 factors to consider when you’re suddenly the new ‘boss’”:
Top 3 leadership mistakes that screw up your credibility
When my client asked me what I see as mistakes that people make in leadership roles, one example jumped to the fore – ‘Sally’. Observing Sally is like watching a train smash in slow motion. She demonstrates the first two top leadership mistakes. The remaining one comes from examples closer to home.
Mistake 1: I’m right and you’re wrong.
‘Sally’ is an extremely passionate and driven leader with the singular purpose of advocating against injustice. There are two major problems with her focus: the first is that she is so single-minded that she becomes a cyclopse in any debate. No matter what alternative viewpoint is presented, if it doesn’t fit her version of the world it’s just wrong. She even told her team-mate, ‘if you don’t like it, join another group.’
Got a Pink Elephant to deal with?
Every once in a while that Pink Elephant shows up. You know, the thing that is blooming obvious, but no one wants to talk about.
Like the fact that Uncle Fred drinks way too much and smells of urine. Or Susan spends more time socialising on Facebook than she does doing the accounts. Or the boss’s right hand man – the ‘Golden Boy’ – has tantrums that keep everyone cowering behind their desks and taking really, really long lunches – out.
What do you do? If you say something then what started as something uncomfortable may become a Major Issue. If you pipe up about smelly Uncle Fred, then the family is going to have deal with alcoholism. If you point out Susan is wasting company time, you may become the tattle-tale. If you complain to the boss about Golden Boy’s tantrums, then maybe you’ll get the sack.