March 2006

Happy Let's Laugh Day!

March 19th is Let's Laugh Day. Find a reason to laugh and share laughter with others. Laughter does the following:

• Decreases your stress level

• Improves your health

• Increases your positive outlook on life

Let's find a way to laugh by doing the following:

• Read the comics

• Call a friend and share a funny situation from the past

• Watch a funny television show or movie

• Listen to a funny CD or radio show

• Think about something that has been worrying you and ask, "How serious is this?" Find a funny side to the situation.

• Send a funny e-card to a friend or family member

• Share a joke with a neighbor or co-worker

• Put on a funny mask or costume

Have a good laugh on me!

Leadership Techniques for Anyone: How Kermit Shared Five Leadership Secrets with the World

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the funeral of my friend Kermit. A pleasure, you ask? Yes, a pleasure and a honor, because it was a great celebration of Kermit's life and the passion and spirit he brought to living it.

Usually, when I go to funerals, the spiritual leader (pastor, minister, rabbi, cleric, etc.) goes on and on about the deceased, a person he barely knows; and maybe one or two friends or associates might say something about the deceased. Well, Kermit's funeral was special. The pastor spoke briefly, a singer sang a hymn, and then the pastor asked for comments from the audience. That's when the funeral became really special. After one and a half hours later, over forty people had gotten up and shared their positive experiences and what Kermit meant to them. People from their 20's to well over 60-year-old people from different spiritual, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds stood up to make comments. People who served with him in the Navy (Kermit retired as a Commander) stood up and spoke about how Kermit changed their lives.

There was story after story about how Kermit made the speakers overcome obstacles and made them believe they could do better, and did this with passion. Some of them were as follows:

1. Past ballplayers talked about Kermit's cowbell as a rallying cry at their ballgames.

2. A woman told of having a flat tire on a busy roadway and Kermit, whom she didn't know at the time, stopped and helped her fix the tire; and then they became friends.

3. A businessperson talked about how Kermit volunteered his time to help him launch a business that is still going strong after ten years.

4. A previous player described how he was motivated by Kermit to make something of himself. He went to college and is a very successful basketball coach teaching the same principles that Kermit taught him.

5. A man explained that he was going through a divorce and bankruptcy and was thinking of committing suicide. Kermit heard about his troubles, called him, and helped him through these dark times. Now this person helps others through their challenging moments in life.

Wow! It moved me. Here are five leadership and success secrets Kermit shared with us. How can you apply them to become more successful and outstanding leaders?

1. What is Your Cowbell? Create Passion!
   Kermit truly enjoyed working with people to make them better. It was not just the cowbell, but the emotion and excitement he experienced when seeing other people succeed. The cowbell was just the tool that Kermit used to show his passion so that others became passionate. Let your passion show. Let people know that you are excited about their accomplishments, and the passion will multiple.

2. Expect the Best. Excellence Will Take Care of the Rest.
   It was said about Kermit that when meeting people, he never met a stranger. In his mind they were already someone he knew. Kermit always expected the best when interacting with people, and they eventually rose to his expectations.
   
   Expect the best out of people, and they will rise to your standards.

3. Understand So That You Are Understood
   Kermit's conversations were always centered on understanding the other person. For all the years I knew him, I never knew he was a commander in the Navy. He didn't make his title the focus of the conversation. You see, it wasn't about him; it was always about the other person's interests, needs, etc. Because of this, people naturally wanted to become involved in Kermit's projects and help Kermit make other people successful.
   
   So my question is: How well do you understand your employees?
   
   Take the time to understand their goals, wants, needs, hobbies, etc. The more you take time to understand them, the more your employees will want to help you succeed.

4. Give of Yourself
   Kermit always gave his time, energy, and passion without "keeping score." In return, the people he helped not only helped him, but went on to make a difference in other people's lives.
   
   Take the time to go the extra mile to see how you can help your employees, your team, and/or your organization without "keeping score." Your employees will feel that you care, and then they will go to a new level of caring.

5. Share the Knowledge
   Kermit took the time to share his knowledge with others so that they become more successful. Whether it was coaching a sports team, helping a friend start a business, or sharing his experiences to get a person through a difficult time, Kermit took the time to share his knowledge with others. Because Kermit shared his knowledge, other people became more successful and they shared their knowledge with others so that they could be more successful.
   
   What special knowledge do you have that can help others succeed? Don't hoard your knowledge, share it. By sharing your knowledge, you multiply yourself and become known as a developer of people. Your knowledge, once you share it, will live on after you are gone.

Apply these five leadership techniques and create success in your business, with your team, in your community, and your life. Just like Kermit, you will also see instant results.

Thanks for sharing, Kermit, and making the world a better place.

Explain Yourself! The Reason Why Excuses Sabotage Your Success

Have you ever been in a situation where you were unable to make good on a promise or commitment? Perhaps you were late with a report to your manager, unable to take a child to the playground, or late for dinner with your partner. The question is, after the realization sets in that you can not deliver, how do you explain why you were unable to meet your obligation? Do you stand in the truth, own your actions and give an honest reason, or do you make excuses concerned only with freeing yourself from blame?

Is there a difference?
For many of us, we have probably thought of the two as being one in the same. You may be asking yourself, "Is there really a difference?" At times, the distinction between the two can be difficult to see. After all, excuses have the ability to be disguised as reasons fooling you into thinking, "That sounds like a valid reason." In fact, when you tune in and really listen, the facade of an excuse will quickly give way to expose the truth of falsehood.

Explanations come in two forms - excuses and reasons. Remember: you make excuses and you give reasons.

Explanations
An excuse is an attempt to free oneself from blame by deflecting attention and responsibility onto someone or something else. Excuses diminish your power and say "I am not willing to take responsibility. Instead, I will settle for whatever path others choose for me as a result of my actions." Making excuses will erode others confidence in you, and destroy your self-respect. The refusal to be personally accountable is rooted in the fear of failure - to be known as someone who did not deliver. This defense mechanism results in a plea to convince others to overlook your part and to minimize the damage caused by your role in a given situation.

To say one has a "good excuse" is an oxymoron which implies there is a difference between good and bad excuses. All excuses are bad and unacceptable. Here are some examples:

• "I was late to the meeting because the clock in the lunchroom has been broken for a month."

• "My report is late because my manager didn't remind me it was due today."

• "I am not ready to give my report to the Board of Directors tomorrow because I was on vacation the last two weeks and I didn't prepare."

A reason is defined as a legitimate, truthful account of a situation which includes explanation of your part. Rooted in good judgment, there exists a willingness to own your actions and deal with the consequences. Reasons seek to clarify what happened, who was responsible, and how to deal with the situation and seek immediate solutions so that one can do better now and in the future. A reason is not motivated by fear, but driven by respect and integrity. Here are some examples:

• "The reason I am late is because I had a flat tire."

• "Although I was assigned this report last Friday, the reason my report is late is because the mainframe crashed Friday afternoon and has been down ever since. I have attempted to retrieve the information from our satellite location, but to no avail."

• "The reason I will not give a Power Point presentation is because the projector just died. Since it will be at least an hour before we locate a replacement, I will proceed without it and ask that you follow along via my handout."

Action Steps
When you are in the moment of truth, remember the choice is yours - you can make excuses or you can give valid reasons. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you speak out to determine if you are about to make excuses or provide a reason:

1. What is your intent - is it to release yourself from total blame or to provide a straightforward, honest account of the situation and your actions?

2. Are you willing to accept the consequences of your actions and take steps to improve the situation?

3. Are you willing to honestly acknowledge the degree of your responsibility, and is there anything you could have done differently?

The next time you are faced with the prospect of explaining your actions, ask yourself "Is this an excuse or a valid reason?" Always find the courage to behave with integrity and honor your self-respect. When faced with a choice, the question is what will you do?

March 3rd is Employee Appreciation Day

It's Friday, it's March 3rd, what better time to appreciate your employees. Invest the time to show your employees how much you appreciate them. The follow are forty-five no cost/low cost ways to appreciate to motivate your employees:

1. Call an employee into your office just to say thank you; don't discuss any other issue. Keep it "pure."

2. Create a "Pat on the Back" Award for employees who do an outstanding job. Send a notice of the award to the employee's file.

3. Post a thank-you note on the employee's office door.

4. Create business card size "Thanks," "Good job," "Bravo," and "Keep it up." Write specifically what they did in two or three words. Put the person's name on the card.

5. Volunteer to do another person's least desirable work task for a day.