I live on Florida’s Emerald Coast -  a land of sugary white sand, lots of sun and emerald green waters. Since my roots are in the sand dunes, my stress management plan includes time at the beach.  However,  all is not sunshine and happiness in this vacation destination, because there is something critically important to know about swimming here. When the red flags are flying, it seriously means, “DO NOT go in the Gulf”. The danger is hidden & deceptive and it has a name: Rip Current.  Unfortunately, there are more than a few deaths every year because people are unaware of the threat.

Rip currents are deadly because people panic and often drown from the exhaustion of fighting the current. As a Florida native, I was schooled from an early age about what to do if you get caught in a rip current. The key is to go with the flow. If possible, floating on top of the water is the best action to take.

Some wonder about that logic, since the current is a fast flow to deep waters. But the key is, once you are out of the current, you can swim horizontally to avoid the current and get back to shore. The sad thing about fear and panic is they typically override logic.

The connection is clear when this concept is applied to stress management. There are hidden dangers that can take us under when we disregard warning signs.  Excellent leaders begin by leading themselves well, which involves self-discipline. This is an intentional process. I teach a program called the “FLOAT” Approach to Stress Management that includes placing lifeguards in vulnerable spots . The principles are timeless, yet they bear repeating since stress still kills – deceptive bugger that it is. Here’s a quick video message from Beverly:

Stress Management is a leadership skill. I challenge you to intentionally incorporate at least one proven technique every single day this week.  Techniques are personal, principles are universal.  Take care of yourself…your life depends on it.

Stress Management is a Leadership Skill – Go With the Flow!

The calendar flips so fast, I can feel the gusts of wind coming from the pages. It’s not productive to be stressed by that fact, so I choose to focus on how to make the most of the moments.  Leadership is influence, so your daily actions matter. Lead from within.

Here are 12 exercises to build your leadership muscles. They’ll not only make you stronger & increase productivity and ensure joy in the journey.

12 Exercises to Build your Leadership Muscles

1.  Take a Leadership Assessment.  I suggest one that’s free and readily available: ask two people on your team for feedback.

2.  Revisit the written vision statement  for your team or project. If you can’t put your hands on it, craft a new one.

3.  Set S.M.A.R.T. goals for the next 6 months. Specific, Measurable, Articulated, Realistic and Timely

4.  Implement the 3 x 3 rule. Make 3 calls to prospective clients or customers every day by 3 PM. Emails do not count – we’re talking phone calls!

5.  Give away something that you want more of in your life.

6.  Praise someone.

7.  Take a brisk walk to clear your head.

8.  Find a mentor. If you already have one, thank them.

9.  Really listen to someone.  “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply”, says Stephen Covey.

10.  Delegate something meaningful.

11.  Have a career/development discussion with a mentee.

12.  Take inventory of underutilized assets, both tangible and intangible and make a plan to redefine and redeploy them.

We are all leading someone.  Do it with excellence.

“It is not what we read, but what we remember that makes us learned. It is not what we intend but what we do that makes us useful. And, it is not a few faint wishes but a lifelong struggle that makes us valiant.”- Henry Ward Beecher

12 Ways to Strengthen Your Leadership

I’m really happy that “Awesome” hasn’t made the recent lists of overused words .

This morning, as I read a post on “Why Being Amazing is Not a Marketing Strategy“, I started thinking about “The Awesome Factor”.  Granted, awesome isn’t a strategy,  but  an amazing attitude sure is a game changer.

As I pondered the power of this factor, I was reminded of a viral post penned by Melissa Wardy and read by over half a million people within a few weeks last year. (That’s a viral experience we all dream of!)  Her words were inspired by her young daughter.  Read this and let “The Awesome Factor” rise up in you….

There was a time when you were five years old, and you woke up full of awesome.

You knew you were awesome.

You loved yourself.

You thought you were beautiful, even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers.

You loved your body, and the things it could do.

You thought you were strong.

You knew you were smart.

Do you still have it? The awesome.

Did someone take it from you? Did you let them? Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough? Why the heck would you listen to them? Did you consider they might be full of it?

Awesome is something you choose. Our kids do it naturally, they can’t help themselves. It is the choice to hold your face up to the world, knowing you are beautiful inside and out, and feel the light that shines out of you. Somewhere along the way, some people stop looking, stop choosing to be awesome. It doesn’t matter what your story is, if it is happy or painful…the time to be awesome is now.

Make that choice for yourself. Tell your demons to shut it. If you can’t remember feeling awesome, then make new memories. Start today. Start now.

Melissa used the attention generated from her blog post for an amazing cause and has the story along with the fund-raising T-shirts reading “Full of Awesome” on sale here.

The Awesome Factor

Your flickering confidence is meant to be a flame of brilliance.

My experience working with leaders is that everyone has moments of doubt and discouragement. You know… those moments of sheer panic when you question yourself and your own abilities. Some are simply more masterful than others at disguising their “moments”.

A certain degree of self-doubt is normal- especially when trying something new. Fear that paralyzes is another matter altogether.

I’m known as the queen of optimism and encouragement but truth be told – I have those moments too. The time for concern is when the moments become weeks and then months. That’s called depression.

One key to success is learning how to encourage yourself and “strengthen yourself in your inner man.” In 35 years of business ownership, I’ve honed that skill and offer you 7 keys to becoming a person worthy of your own respect.

1) Stop comparing yourself to others. You will never fulfill your own destiny as long as you are desiring someone else’s. Comparison is the thief of joy.

2) Persevere. Your greatest strength is often where you experience the greatest battle. It’s human nature to want things to go smoothly, so it’s easy to think that if you are continually coming against major obstacles in expressing your best gifts that it’s just not meant to be. Think again. Understand that the process is going to be painful at times. Press on.

3) Know your core values and guard their importance in your life. When you are anchored to those things that are unchangable, you won’t lose sight of who you are when the storm is raging.

4) Discipline is a pathway to growth. The pain of discipline is short-lived but the pain of regret lingers. Discipline your mind, your body and emotions by making healthy choices. Even when you don’t feel like it. Abraham Heschel wrote, “Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.”

5) Forgive yourself. It’s not always easy to forgive others, but it can be especially difficult to forgive yourself. It was when I experienced the amazing love of Christ and discovered grace to the utmost that I learned how to forgive myself. I don’t know how to teach forgiveness outside of the miraculous, holy wonder of His love. Without that, the past is like a shadow that follows you – a constant reminder of how you’ve fallen short.

6) Invest in yourself. Investing in something is an outward statement that you believe enough to put your time and resources behind it. Buy books to feed your mind. Connect with mentors that see your potential and will help you harness it. Sometimes this means paying a coach. You’re worth it.

7) Accountability is the game changer. We’re not designed to function at our best in isolation. Accountability often takes the form of setting measurable goals and checking in with someone to report your progress.

Leadership at any level begins within secure, authentic people. To hear more on this, tune into the recorded tele-conference call below.

The Best is Yet to Come!

30 minute Tele-Conference by Beverly on How to Become a Person Worthy of Your Own Respect can be streamed or downloaded for listening on your device.  Enjoy!

How to Become a Person Worthy of Your Own Respect

Illustration by Arthur Rackham

Actually,  I’m more likely to be found murmuring about how slow progress seems.

The only thing that seems too fast is the constant flow of information and ideas that stream from computer devices to our brains every day. So much, so fast that it can be a real distraction. Or how about the way time flies – that’s fast!  I blinked and my children were grown.

But when it comes to progress… not so fast. Have you ever taken a giant leap that propelled you into success and growth so staggering you longed for a simpler time?

Then I need your autograph.  Because that’s not my experience.

In my world, progress is more like climbing a mountain rather than strapping on a jet pack.

Take weight loss as one example.  It’s possible to gain 2-3 pounds over 12 months and 5 years later wonder how the extra 15 pounds landed in your lap. (Now this is really sounding familiar. *Grin*)

Okay, that’s me.  But then when I want to lose it, I get frustrated when it slowly comes off 1 pound at a time, with weeks and weeks of effort.  Hey-  I want to lose 15 pounds in a month, like the magical commercials promise.  But the real deal takes discipline and effort and doesn’t produce instant results.

What about building a business?  A ministry? A legacy? What about building a life?

I’ve always been rather fond of the tale of the tortoise and the hare. The moral of the story being that “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Overnight success stories seem enticing but when you dig a little deeper, there’s cause for concern. Take the history of lottery winners.  The National Endowment for Financial Education estimates that as many as 70% of Americans who experience a sudden windfall will lose that money within a few years. As a whole, their stories are rather sad.

The truth is, the journey is all about process.  Process, by definition, means “a continuous action, operation or series of changes taking place in a definite manner.”   It takes perseverance to continue on.

Haven’t mastered social media yet? Press on.

Haven’t made it onto the first page of Google for searches in your area of expertise? Press on.

Haven’t hit your target income yet? Press on.

Haven’t experienced ideal communication in key relationships yet? Press on.

Haven’t seen the manifestation of your dreams yet?  Press on.

The most important question to ask is not “What am I getting?” The most important question to ask is “What am I becoming?”

Most success requires the fortitude of an endurance runner rather than a sprinter.

So pace yourself. It doesn’t have to all get done this week.  But run with confidence, finding joy in the journey.

Embrace the process.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Too Much, Too Fast

So I was delighted to find this Infographic by PostRocket on their FaceBook Marketing Blog that reminds me of the game “Candyland”. This visual makes me feel happy while contemplating important  principles like:

• How many characters should be in a FaceBook post for optimal engagement (less than 250)
•  Be current by posting content that relates to holidays and events
•  Best frequency of posts is 1-3 per day for most pages

Enjoy the fun of doing business well. See you on FaceBook! In the meantime, read on…

18 Tips For FaceBook Page Posts

18 Tips For FaceBook Page Posts

I’ve been listening to our young rooster at crowing practice for a week. Poor guy. He was born to crow, designed to crow and it’s his purpose in life to crow. But if I had recorded his first few practice sessions, you would be highly entertained.  He was hilarious - sounded both sick and silly at the same time.  He’s been at it consistently and he has improved. But his “cock a doodle doo” is still pitiful.  Who knew that roosters have to practice?

The Deciding Factor Between Success and Mediocrity

What’s the difference between a pianist and someone who just plays the piano? Practice.

What about running; are you a “runner” just because you can break into a sprint if something is chasing you? Or is it when you intentionally and consistently run that you’re actually ”a runner”?

It’s easy to look at top performers in any field and admire their gifts and talents.  But how much of that actually contributes to remarkable success?

Talent is Overrated

So says Geoff Colvin, author of the book, Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else.   Colvin builds a case that the proven road to success is based on deliberate practice rather than natural giftedness.

It’s interesting to study the real story behind extraordinary performers from Mozart to Tiger Woods. They have a lot in common. Most stars were coached and groomed from a VERY early age by parents who were focused mentors and coaches.  In fact, Colvin proposes that becoming extremely good at anything is almost impossible without a teacher or coach, at least in the early going.  Without a clear, unbiased view of performance, developing the appropriate practice activity is almost impossible.  The challenge is to identify one or two sharply defined areas that need to be improved along with a strategy for deliberate practice. Practice without feedback is particularly ineffective.

Out of the Comfort Zone – For Life

Deliberate practice demands getting out of your comfort zone. Only activities that keep us in the learning zone are going to contribute to growth and improvement.  However natural it is to want to stay in our comfort zone, the pull of the comfort zone can lull us into the sand trap of mediocrity. There are three zones: the comfort zone, the learning zone and the panic zone.  Excellence comes by consistently living in the learning zone.

Doing things we do well is inevitably enjoyable.  Thus, a qualification of effective practice is that it’s not particularly enjoyable because it’s hard!  The willingness to consistently do an activity that is not easy or fun, is the most distinguishing characteristic that identifies the best from the rest.

The Power of Persistence and Determination

“Nothing in the world can take the place of
persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more
common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius
will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated
derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are
omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and
always will solve the problems of the human race.”
~ Calvin Coolidge

The revelation that talent is overrated can either intimidate you or motivate you. Either way, it strips away excuses.

Talent or Discipline: Which Weighs More?

Motivation is part of the tagline for my business, so it’s a word I live with.

Why are you working 40 hours a week for an organization?

Why are you getting up early every morning to run?

Why are you working at a job , then coming home to spend nights and weekends building your own business?

Why are you driven to do your best; to BE your best?

Because you’re motivated.  Why?

One thing is certain: Any price is too high without a reason why.

I recently experienced a shift regarding my fitness goals that caused me to take a fresh look at what “clicks” inside when we get really motivated to take action.  A number of factors coincided to bring me to a major decision to train for a half-marathon.  I think it was a combination of dissatisfaction and desire.

Discontent is not always a bad thing; it can push us to change.

One day,  something rose up in me and I decided to tackle a  “BHAG”. That’s a Big Hairy Audacious Goal.

I have never been a runner. I exercise regularly but it’s what I call “wogging”; a combination of walking and jogging.  So when I entered my first 5k race this month to get a sense of what running is all about, it was a new experience for me. I loved that it was called “Race Judicata”, sponsored by the local Bar Association, as a play on the words in the legal term, Res Judicata. The meaning is, “it is decided and not to be brought up again. It’s settled.”

So it’s settled. 2013 will be a year of a new level of fitness for  me.

In my mid-fifties, I’ve noticed I have to fight harder to keep extra weight off and sustain my strength, flexibility and balance. Truth is, that wasn’t enough motivation to provoke me to action.  The news that our 4th grandchild is on the way provided a big spark.  All of these little ones are under the age of 4 and it takes a whole lot of energy to take care of them.  I want to keep up!  Hearing my friend who’s 8 years older than I tell of recently completing her first half-marathon was another spark.  If she can do it, why not me?  And then there’s my friend, cohort and fellow coach, Becky Harmon, who coaches teams to do half-marathons and who’s urged me for years to get in the game.  All of those sparks, and now I’m aflame.

So, my friend,  what’s your BHAG this year?

I’ve noticed when you  pursue the desires within you with diligence and persistence, you think more highly of yourself.  And that’s just one of the points I’ll be making in this week’s Tele-conference: How to Be a Person Worthy of Your Own Respect. Click Here for Details It’s free, but likely to be worth more than you imagine.

What Does it Take to Motivate You?

I’ve come across some awesome and inspiring descriptions of entrepreneurship, posted by students and friends of the #1 college in entrepreneurship education as rated by U.S. News & World Report for the past 18 years, Babson College.

If you could use a reminder of why what you do is important, read on…

 Entrepreneurship is…

The process of managing and leading change. Entrepreneurship is spontaneous creativity in the form of passionate pursuit for a unique purpose without any concern of resources that you currently have.

A student from Mexico says, “It’s a way of life where you drive your own future and the future of our world.”

Entrepreneurship is character to innovate what exists and create what does not.

Entrepreneurship is having a relentless passion and the guts to pursue it.

Entrepreneurship is a pursuit of opportunity and exploration of the unknown to create value.

An entrepreneur is a business designer who sees what there is and what could be.

Entrepreneurship is a combination of risk taking and inventive capabilities, while constantly producing and inspiring.

Entrepreneurship is the act of aspiring, perspiring and inspiring!

“Entrepreneurship is an art of identifying opportunities and steering them to your advantage by employing creative, innovative and practical approach in your businesses”, offered by a graduate student from Pakistan.

I believe Entrepreneurship is a calling. Those who hear the call and respond are the people I work with every day.

My favorite definition describes the call and defines the people who respond to it…

The Call to Entrepreneurship

A picture’s worth a thousand words, so many thanks to Traackr – an Influencer Marketing Blog for the Infographic

The Many Faces of Online Influence [Infographic]