All The Leader You Can Be By Suzanne Bates

Hi Love!

The old adage “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” has thus far been a challenge when approaching the elusive idea of Executive Presence. In ALL THE LEADER YOU CAN BE: The Science of Achieving Extraordinary Executive Presence (McGraw-Hill Professional; February 2016), executive coach and bestselling author of Speak Like a CEO, Suzanne Bates, and her co-author, William Macaux, demystify the “X-Factor” behind executive presence and offer a blueprint for leaders to climb the ladder with concrete measurement of their influence and impact.

Everyone recognizes leaders with “presence”; they stand out for their seemingly innate ability to command attention and inspire commitment. But until now, it’s been virtually impossible for organizations to measure and ultimately leverage the true value of this secret sauce of leadership. With groundbreaking original research, Bates and her team examine what it really takes to get ahead and how to amplify their strengths and to build upon their perceived needs.

In All the Leader You Can Be, Bates deconstructs Executive Presence and provides a framework in which to fortify their leadership skills by tackling imperative questions, such as:

·         Are we already hard-wired with Executive Presence or do we inherit it?

·         How can leaders demonstrate qualities of leadership that build trust, such as composure and resonance?

·         Why do facets of a leader’s character, such as humility, concern for others, and integrity, matter when it comes to driving business results?

·         What does it take to inspire trust within our teams?

·         How can we, as leaders, thrive in a crisis and overcome daily challenges?

·         Does appearance matter when it comes to Executive Presence?

Filled with stories of effective leaders with powerful presence and the latest scientific research translated into actionable habits, this authoritative guide puts a little-understood, but potentially game-changing tool within everyone's reach. Beyond this, Bates and her team provide valuable data about how Executive Presence is perceived among various groups, such as high potential leaders, women, and leaders of diverse backgrounds. While some leaders look like they are born with Executive Presence, the research Bates has done shows that most successful leaders have developed this feature through their own experiences and efforts. 

Leaders everywhere will be able to add a whole new dimension to succession planning and talent management that guides good decisions and puts the right people in the right place at the right time. At a time when our the skills gap is making career advancement more challenging than ever, All the Leader You Can Be provides readers at every level on the career ladder the guidance they need to stay relevant, keep our skills fresh, and make the leap from working like an executive to feeling like an executive.

-- Love Rae

February The Month of Love

Hi Love!

Let's begin February by celebrating the best female leadership news we have heard so far. While everyone is prepping for Valentine's Day ,lets focus on all of leaders that are paving the way for women worldwide. Did you know:

1. Soyeon Yi is Korea's first female astronaut. ( Leading women in aeronautical engineering)
2. Supermodel Tyra Banks and The Honey Company Founder Jessica Alba are going to host Celebrity Apprentice.   ( Leading models/actors that want to transition into being a mogul)
3. Female Leaders in Latin America will lead the world ( Leading women in business) 
4. Leslie Berland has become the new Chief Marketing Officer for Twitter. ( Leading women in social media)
5. Rihanna's album is now #1 on itunes (Leading a new wave of music and art)

-- Love Rae

Conquering Work Wear with Julian Chang

Hi Love!

Quick tips for conquering work wear. 

Start with basic one-piece wonders, such as wrap or sheath dresses like our Beena dress. With a conservative scoop neckline and textured finish, it pairs perfectly with a tailored blazer and classic pumps.If you work setting is more casual and creative opt for a turtleneck dress and flowy and printed vest like our Ariana, which pattern is bold but not over-bearing. Pair with dainty earrings and solid leather tote for a comfortable and completely chic look. So as much as it may take you to pull yourself out of bed after a long weekend, let your looks motivate you to be the star of the office, without outshining your actual work of course!

Want an up close look of the Beena Dress and a few of my favorites check out the links below.

1. Beena Dress
2. Farah Dress
3. Jane Romper
4. Ariana Vest
5. Flora Top

To get a hold of this dress and more, please visit:  http://www.julianchang.com/


-- Love Rae

Driving Change with Anastasia Zamyshlyaeva

Hi Love!

What does the fall of Communism and the crumbling of the Soviet empire have to do with the newest generation of enterprise ‘data-driven applications’ and the modern data management Platform as a Service (PaaS)?

Ask Anastasia Zamyshlyaeva: Her earliest memories date back to the collapse of the USSR, a time when long-held habits were being crushed, and survival took patience and dedication. And while weathering constant changes and challenges, it was also important to think big.

Those characteristics serve her well in her current role as VP Product Management, Platform, at Silicon Valley standout Reltio. Here, she oversees the strategy and roadmap of the Reltio PaaS, which helps companies turn data into knowledge assets. In the process, it shatters the old beliefs that IT must combine multiple technologies to manage different types of data, and that business users must purchase standalone tools to do their own analysis. For the record, her background includes extensive experience in big data and enterprise software, including the design of core components of the Informatica Master Data Management (MDM) tool. She’s also conducted research in distributed graph computing.

While all technology goes through constant transformation, the primary driver of most changes now is data. Mastering this dynamic field—while keeping the long view—requires a unique blend of skills, experience and temperament. And it’s how Anastasia drives change.

-- Love Rae

Odd Mom Entrepreneur Out: Eliminate Guilt, Grow Your Business and Elevate Your Life

Hi Love!

Co-Authors Demote Phrase 'Mom Entrepreneur' in New Book, Available Feb. 2

Best-selling Author Rachel Olsen and co-author Flesché Hesch explain why the trendy term is outdated and provide tips

for starting a business, managing family and building a support system in 2016

Two women are on a mission to eliminate a phrase that yields 15 million search results on Google: mom entrepreneur. Rachel Olsen, Founder, Best Mom Products digital magazine and Flesché Hesch, Business Consultant and Founder, The Bizy Mom announce the release of their co-authored book, Odd Mom Entrepreneur Out: Eliminate Guilt, Grow Your Business and Elevate Your Life available on Amazon.com Feb. 2, 2016.

This collaborative book -- which encourages a shift in the family and work support system so that mom entrepreneurs are simply entrepreneurs -- includes insights of 11 business influencers and provides how-to steps in starting a business and managing family. Topics include:

Motherhood:

• Time Management Tips
• Money and Marriage
• Financial Planning
• Self-Care
• Get Your Body Back after Baby

Business:

• Accountability
• Create Information Products (i.e.) books, online courses
• Evaluate Mom Friendly Businesses
• Identify if your Idea is Financially Viable
• Create buzz through Public Relations and Social Media
• How to get into Retail Stores

“The name of the book came from the reality of where we are in society with accepting moms in dual roles of running a successful business and family,”shares co-author Flesché Hesch. “By drawing attention to it, we hope to make the phrase mom entrepreneur obsolete in the future while acknowledging how support systems must change in order to have happy, healthy and thriving families.”

According to the National Women’s Business Council, the number of women-owned firms has grown 68 percent since 2007, compared with 47 percent for all businesses.  

“With celebrity mom entrepreneurs Jessica Alba paving the way with The Honest Company, Reese Witherspoon starting Draper James and movies like JOY showing the realities of what it takes to start an empire and manage family, we are now seeing that reflection in mainstream media,”adds co-author Rachel Olsen.

Book Contributors Include Business Experts:

Colleen Arneil, PhD, Founder and Course Instructor, ColleenArneil.com

Erin (Cox) Day, Hayhouse Author, One Hot Mama: The Guide to Getting Your Mind and Body Back After Baby

Liz Goodgold, Celebrity Commentator and Branding Consultant, Redfire Branding

Mindee Hardin Harp, Juicebox Mom Consulting and Inventor of Boogie Wipes

Mary Ellen Juetten, Founder, TrakLight IP Software Platform

Elena Lipson, Self-Care Lifestyle Coach, ElenaLipson.com

April Perry, Co-Founder, Power of Moms + Learn.Do.Become.com

Ali Schiller, Founder and Coach, Accountability Works

Mary Beth Storjohann, CFP and Founder, Workable Wealth

Odd Mom Entrepreneur Out is available through online retailer Amazon.com starting February 2, 2016 in hard copy for $6.99 and ebook for $4.99.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

RACHEL OLSEN is a well-known media and marketing strategist, Amazon bestselling author of the Barbara Corcoran endorsed book Shark Tank MOMpreneurs Take a Bite Out of Publicity, and Founder of the entrepreneur magazine Best Mom Products.  She lives in San Diego with her husband and two daughters.

FLESCHÉ HESCH, MA is known as the Business Advisor for Moms and the founder of the TheBizyMom.com where she teaches women how to successfully launch and grow lucrative businesses that put family first. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and 2 sons.

Buy it now on Amazon: Odd Mom Entrepreneur Out: Eliminate Guilt, Grow Your Business and Elevate Your Life

-- Love Rae

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU Announces Alienware and Killer Networking

Hi Love,

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU Announces

Alienware and Killer Networking as Presenting Sponsors

for “The Art of Video Games” National Tour’s Final Stop in Miami

─ Organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum ─  

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU announces a new partnership with Alienware and Killer Networking as Presenting Sponsors for The Art of Video Games exhibition in Miami (on view Jan. 23 - April 17). This will be the public’s final opportunity to experience the exhibition, with Miami serving as the final leg of its national tour which originated at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. and included showings in New York, Seattle, Phoenix, Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee.

The opening reception is free and open to the public on Saturday, January 23 (4-8 p.m.) at the museum, located at Florida International University (10795 S.W. 17 Avenue, Miami, Florida 33199). 

“We at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum are honored to partner with Alienware and Killer Networking for The Art of Video Games exhibition,” says the Director of the Museum, Dr. Jordana Pomeroy.

“As Presenting Sponsors, their generous support continues a legacy of engagement with Florida International University and has enabled us to feature an exhibition at the Frost Art Museum that exemplifies how creativity shapes and drives technology,” adds Dr. Pomeroy.

(Pictured - Dr Jordana Pomeroy, Director of the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU)

“By teaming up with Florida International University’s Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum for The Art of Video Games exhibition as Presenting Sponsors, we have another great opportunity to be active in the community that is at the heart of Alienware,” said Frank Azor, General Manager of Alienware. “It was almost 20 years ago that Alienware started in Miami and even though we’ve evolved to a global community of gamers it’s great to have this incredible exhibit conclude in the South Florida community that’s been so instrumental in our success.” 

(Pictured - Frank Azor, General Manager of Alienware)

-- Love Rae

The Art of Video Games

Hi Love,

The Art of Video Games is one of the first major exhibitions to explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking graphics, creative storytelling and player interactivity. The exhibition features some of the most influential artists and designers across five eras of game development, from early pioneers to contemporary designers. Video games use player participation to tell stories and engage audiences. In the same way as film, animation and performance, video games are a compelling and influential form of narrative art.  

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, 2006, Shigeru Miyamoto, Executive Producer; Eiji Aonuma, Director;
Satoru Takizawa, Art Director; Eiji Aonuma, Satoru Iwata, Producers, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo of America, Inc.

Alienware and Killer Networking are actively involved with the Miami presentation of this exhibition, including through a showcase of their most impactful and innovative solutions that have been a shaping force in the history of PC gaming.

Alienware has long been a leader in the PC gaming space with a nearly 20-year track record of gamers developing solutions for gamers.

Some of the most iconic gaming PCs in history bare the Alienware logo and many will be on display in a separate installation during the run of the exhibition.

Similarly, Killer Networking has set the standard for consistent and reliable connectivity, a well-earned reputation bestowed by countless gamers and a valued component to many Alienware solutions.

More About the Exhibition 

Video games are a prevalent and increasingly expressive medium within modern society. In the forty years since the introduction of the first home video game, the field has attracted exceptional artistic talent. An amalgam of traditional art forms - painting, writing, sculpture, music, storytelling, cinematography - video games offer artists a previously unprecedented method of communicating with and engaging audiences.

New technologies allow designers to create increasingly interactive and sophisticated game environments while staying grounded in traditional game types. Five featured games, one from each era, are available in the exhibition galleries for visitors to play for a few minutes, to gain some feel for the interactivity. The playable games (Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst and Flower) show how players interact with the virtual worlds, highlighting innovative new techniques that set the standard for many subsequent games.

The Smithsonian American Museum invited the public to help select the video games in this exhibition. A pool of 240 games was selected by the exhibition’s guest curator, Chris Melissinos and an advisory group consisting of game developers, designers, industry pioneers and journalists. More than 3.7 million votes were cast by 119,000 people in 175 countries.

Rez, 2001, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, producer; Jun Kobayashi, director; Katsumi Yokota, art director and lead artist,
SEGA Dreamcast, © SEGA. All Rights Reserved

The Art of Video Games is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with generous support from the Entertainment Software Association Foundation; Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins; Mark Lamia, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk; Rose Family Foundation; Betty and Lloyd Schermer; and Neil Young. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museum’s traveling exhibition program, Treasures to Go. 

#  #  # 

About Alienware

Alienware products are designed for gaming and can be identified by their science-fiction-themed designs. Established in 1996 by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila, Alienware assembles desktops, notebooks, workstations, and PC gaming consoles. According to employees, the name "Alienware" was chosen because of the founders' fondness for the hit television series The X-Files, which also inspired the science-fiction themed names of product lines such as Area-51, Hangar 18, and Aurora. The company's corporate headquarters is located in The Hammocks, in Miami, Florida.

About Killer Networking

Rivet Networks is the owner of the Killer Networking family of high performance products, designed to be the benchmark for all superior system networking standards. Through its line of products, Rivet delivers unprecedented speed, intelligence and control for gamers and performance users alike. The company and its employees share a strong passion for high-performance computing and the gaming industry and are dedicated to driving continued innovation and new products in the market. 

About The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University opened its current 46,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building in November 2008. Admission to the Museum is always free. The Frost is an American Alliance of Museums accredited museum and Smithsonian Affiliate, and is located at 10975 SW 17th Street, across from the Blue Garage and adjacent to the Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon - 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and most legal holidays. For more information, please visit thefrost.fiu.edu or call 305-348-2890.

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU receives ongoing support from: The Steven and Dorothea Green Endowment; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners; Agustin Venero and the Venero Family; The Miami Herald; and the Members & Friends of The Frost Art Museum. 

-- Love Rae

Love Incorporated: The Business of Doing What You Love

Hi Love,



Available on Valentine's Day (February 14) is Love Incorporated by Jennifer Noel Taylor.

Love Incorporated is a guide for anyone that feels stuck in a mundane job that has little meaning. If your life feels more like a treadmill than an expression of your passionate heart-centered calling, Love Incorporated will help you tune into what your Heart is really telling you.And what happens after you jump off the treadmill to pursue your true calling... Do you still find it difficult to make ends meet?

Love Incorporated will show you how to overcome the unique challenges involved in creating a life doing what you love. In the book, Jennifer describes how she discovered her life mission and took a Leap of Faith. She quit her high paying job as a Software Developer and pursued her true calling. She thought she had displayed such great courage to follow her Heart, so she was surprised to discover that things did not flow very well! She was not prepared for the sheer amount of challenges involved in trying to turn her true passion into a business! After quitting my job and following my passion, I thought I would be rewarded with instant success. Boy was I wrong!

Through many setbacks and “learning experiences” (i.e. mistakes) she made some discoveries about how to actually be successful doing what you love. Years of study, trial error, self reflection, and working with mentors, kept leading her back to the same place...

Everything she discovered could be summarized by the Four Key Insights that make up this book. These insights are a guide to creating a business (and life) doing what you love! You don’t need to sacrifice your passion, Spirit or Integrity to have an abundant business.

And in fact, doing what you love is actually instrumental in creating success! 

May this book inspire you to follow your wishing heart and live your true calling!

Jennifer graduated from Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, CA) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and a Minor in Philosophy. After graduation, she started her first job as a Software Engineer at a big company in San Diego. Like so many people, she felt incredibly trapped and depressed at a job that paid the bills but didn’t speak to her passion in life. I constantly suffered from “a case of the Mondays,” this weighty sense of foreboding at the beginning of each work week.

Even though she was incredibly bored at her day job, she started pursuing her true passion at night: massage school! She studied massage at the International Professional School of Bodywork, Esalen Institute in Big Sur, and the Maui Academy of Healing Arts.

While working on people, she started to feel the “energy fields” emanating from people. She became fascinated by energy healing and studied various energy healing modalities including Reiki.She met Richard Gordon, the founder of Quantum-Touch, at his lecture on Maui. She fell in love with the vision of Quantum-Touch and received a very clear message from the Universe that Quantum-Touch was her true calling. Shortly after she met Richard, she quit her job and took a Leap of Faith. She finally followed her Heart. She took over as CEO of Quantum-Touch in June 2002. When you are following your Heart, doors will open almost magically.

She has dedicated her life work to helping people discover the healing power of their Love. She strives to integrate spirituality and business by implementing business practices that include spiritually rewarding jobs, loving spiritual service to the world, environmental responsibility, and financial abundance. Quantum-Touch has grown from a small United States company to an international Corporation with a community of  over 50,000 people. 

Here's the trailer: Love Incorporated 

-- Love Rae

Money & Success : Ambition

Hi Love!

You can never have too much ambition. If you want to be successful, you need to have ambition. Being lazy gets you nowhere. Put in the work no matter how hard it can become. If you don't  put in the work your dreams will never come true and your projects will never see completion.

When owning a business or simply working for an employer, ambition is your best friend. Finding new ways to use your work experience for your own ventures should be your main goal. Never discredit any of your ideas or sweep them under the rug. Build upon your ideas and projects.

Ambition comes from inspiration so if you are looking for new ways to empower yourself check out a few of the solutions below:

1. Travel - go into your city, check out the area, go to monuments and go to events. 
2. Look at your project - compare your ideal goal to where you currently are. Seeing the amount of work you still need to do will give you more inspiration than you ever need. 
3. Talk to others who have the same goals as you - keep yourself in good company that will support you and provide positive energy.
4. Create a list of goals - break down every step you need in order to achieve your goal. 
5. Do something fun - have fun with creating and spend less time procrastinating. 

My philosophy - Ambition is your best friend make sure to treat it as such!

-- Love Rae

Announcing Hilda Lunderstedt As CEO of Global Operations

Hi Love!

" Build a business that is scalable without YOU having to work harder " - Hilda Lunderstedt

Wealth Migrate Announces New CEO of Global Operations

Hilda Lunderstedt to oversee strategic international growth for leading global real estate crowdfunding platform

 Wealth Migrate, the tenth-largest global real estate crowdfunding platform as reported by Massolution, today announces Hilda Lunderstedt as its new CEO of global operations. A long-time adviser to the board and an investor in the company, Lunderstedt compliments the current executive team, which specializes in real estate by providing oversight of business growth strategy and international operations. Lunderstedt will work alongside current Wealth Migrate CEO and Co-Founder Scott Picken in order to support the continued demand for high-quality real estate investments from investors throughout the globe.

“Hilda has founded several businesses that have experienced accelerated growth,” Picken said. “With the demand from investors increasing daily, the launch of our second-generation real estate technology platform, the opening of several new global offices and an influx of new high-quality developers and operators adding their projects to our platform, 2016 is going to be a year of incredible growth for us. Adding a co-CEO of Hilda’s caliber will allow us to scale quickly.”

A seasoned business veteran, Lunderstedt started and grew her own company, NutriLida Healthcare, to a nine-figure business in less than a decade. She has raised capital and pursued investments on various continents, establishing herself as an international entrepreneur, investor and savvy businesswoman. She is passionate about how technology is opening up opportunities for underserved populations to have access real estate opportunities that allow for currency stabilization and wealth creation.

“As a longstanding investor turned board member, I have continually been impressed by the caliber of people and the strength of the technology behind Wealth Migrate,” Lunderstedt said. “As the company continues to grow, I am excited to move into a more active role managing day-to-day operations.”  

Lunderstedt has received international recognition for her talent, leadership and excellence in marketing, having been named as a Top Entrepreneur in the USA in 2013 by the JT Foxx Organization, and being selected by the Worldwide Who’s Who organization as a VIP of the Year for 2014-2015. Hilda has also received the award for 2015 Featured Global Expert of the Year from South Africa for her contribution in global entrepreneurship and Investments.

“One of our main objectives is to ensure that access to wealth through real estate as well as education regarding real estate investing is equally available to all populations in all corners of the world,” said Hennie Bezuidenhout, co-founder and chairman of Wealth Migrate. “Hilda’s passion for educating investors, specifically female investors, is one more reason we are thrilled for her to take a larger role within the company.”

With research indicating that women are underrepresented in financial market participation, Lunderstedt believes the emergence of real estate crowdfunding technology provides women a new avenue for investment in an asset class many understand and find appealing, and could revolutionize female investment behavior.

“As Wealth Migrate’s first female executive, one of my goals is to ensure we empower women with the knowledge and confidence to invest by providing the proper education and outreach female investors,” Lunderstedt said.

###

About Wealth Migrate

Wealth Migrate is a leading international real estate crowdfunding platform that offers global investors direct access to exclusive real estate investment opportunities in premier markets around the world, including the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Investors benefit from the extensive experience of the Wealth Migrate executive team, which has collectively invested more than $1.34 billion for clients in international real estate transactions. For more information, visit www.wealthmigrate.com.

-- Love Rae

When A “Rogue Wave” Hits, How Will You Respond?

Hi Love!

You are a leader. 
 
The urgency of this question is no surprise. A Rogue Wave, defined as “a massive organizational crisis that is spontaneous, sudden and significant,” is a challenge that every leader these days can expect to face.
 
Harry Hutson and Martha Johnson are leadership coaches with decades of experience as executives in the public and private sectors. Drawing from a variety of social science research, interviews, and personal experience, they explore the humanistic and personal challenges of crisis leadership in their new book, NAVIGATING AN ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS: When Leadership Matter Most (Praeger, January 31, 2016).
 
“Crisis demands much from a leader but not necessarily from one’s known bank account of skills and competences. It is a very humbling thing to be, in a very public way, in charge but unable to be in control, and when logistic, operational, and reactive muscles cannot pull the weight,” state Hutson and Johnson. 
 
NAVIGATING AN ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS details how leaders under intense pressure reach deep down into themselves in order to find a way forward. The book shares stories and case studies ranging from small non-profits directors dealing with tragedy to corporate executives suddenly in the spotlight (Entergy Louisiana post-Hurricane Katrina, for example). The authors cull revelations and identify patterns of how leaders can recognize and best apply their internal strengths.
 
NAVIGATING AN ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS offers insights such as the following:

• Faced with a Rogue Wave, leaders must promptly name it and face it. Any stalling undermines their leadership.
• Resilience can be improved, but it is leaders' pre-resilience that truly buttresses their effectiveness.
• Helpful help is hard for leaders who are focused on self-control to grasp, but it is essential in recovery and support.
• A leader’s skills and willingness to create meaning through storytelling is crucial in setting the organization up for the future.
• The journey from organizational crisis to leadership maturity follows a pattern: Respond, Reflect, Reach, Restore, Renew.

A common thread emerged during the interviews and research for NAVIGATING AN ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS—such events remain sharply immediate to leaders, yielding lessons well into the future.
 
“Leaders we interviewed told organizational disaster stories as if they happened yesterday. No one needed a calendar to puzzle together the details of the events. They became self-reflective.... Organizational crisis had intensified their awareness, shifted their assumptions about themselves, and uncovered deeper questions. It concentrated and crystallized leadership lessons,” comment the authors.
 
“In light of current crisis events, even experienced, practiced leaders can easily get in their own way. When they override their values and higher selves in urgency or even panic they make things worse. That's where we can help. Our book is more likely to be read in prospect or retrospect, but we can help leaders and teams in real time when we interact in person. That's our purpose in doing this work,” says Hutson.
 
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
A 25-year veteran in senior human resources and leadership and development roles in four multinational companies, HARRY HUTSON is now an independent consultant. He has passion for talent development, change management, organizational integration, and—most of all—finding a way when people feel lost or confused and tough choices need to be made. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC and teaches classes in Executive Education and the MBA Program at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.  
 
MARTHA JOHNSON is a leadership expert who draws on the lessons she learned as an executive with a more than 35-year career in business and government. Johnson is former Administrator of the General Services Administration under President Obama and also served for eight years in the Clinton Administration. Her private sector career has spanned the information technology, architecture, strategic consulting, and automotive industries.


-- Love Rae

Money & Success : Avoid Small Thinkers

Hi Love!

If you want a ton of money and success you have to avoid small thinkers. People that get comfortable when you start speaking about your dreams or begin to speak negatively about your goals are called small thinkers. They are the worst kind of people on the planet.

I've had the pleasure of working with the smallest thinkers on the planet. These people are usually fearful of change and unable to adapt to new things. For most people it is imperative to keep your ideas to yourself and I'm sure if you're reading this you will feel the way.

Well there's actually a better way of handling these type of people. Instead of completing avoiding conversation with these people, try to learn from their mistakes. Pay close attention to how their ideas may be successful however it doesn't make an impact. As a female entrepreneur your goal should always be to create an impact in a positive way.

Take all of your ideas and apply them to your ventures. Avoid following the traditional rules when you are working on your projects. Make sure that your contribution is the best version that you can possibly create. If you know your idea is great don't avoid it, keep it and apply it. Avoid sharing your ideas with small thinkers but pay close attention to theirs.

My philosophy: Use your great ideas for your projects and never feel bad for having them!

-- Love Rae

Roll Out The Red Carpet for Your Customers

Hi Love!

Donna Cutting is the Founder & CEO of Red Carpet Learning Systems, Inc., which provides tools and training for engaging staff to improve the customer experience. She is an in-demand keynote speaker, and the author of the new book, 501Ways to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Your Customers: Easy to Implement Ideas to Inspire Loyalty, Get New Customers and Leave a Lasting Impression (Career Press).
 
How do you get an employee, who may never have received world-class service, to roll out the red-carpet for your customers? You must model it for them. You can start by being more intentional about showing appreciation for their work.
 
It’s so easy to forget to say thank you on a regular basis. We rely on things like “Employee of the Month” or the annual “Employee Appreciation” picnic to do the job for us, even though daily expressions of appreciation make a bigger impact.
Why do we do this? The answer is simple: we think don’t have the time.
 
Try practicing saying thank you for seven consecutive days in seven different ways. Here are some ideas to get you started.
 
Day 1: Purposely walk the floor of your workplace and give spontaneous praise to someone you see doing something right.
This is perhaps the easiest way of showing appreciation for your employees or co-workers. Just taking five minutes out of every hour to walk the floor and give someone a compliment on their work can make a huge difference. Spontaneous praise is often more genuine than a carefully thought-out emails because of their personal face-to-face nature. Furthermore, spontaneous positivity leaves a distinct impression of purpose in their workday. Often times we get so caught up in the menial tasks of our day, that we begin to feel as if our efforts are fruitless. Spontaneous praise can help ease that feeling and improve overall moral in the workplace.
 
Day 2: Thank an employee or co-worker face-to-face, telling him specifically how he makes a difference to your company and/or workday. 
This is slightly different than Day 1 in that your praise is intentional. In other words, you’re making a conscious effort to intentionally seek out one person and specifically appreciate something they do. Not only does this show that you’re taking a personal interest in their work, but that you’re also taking a personal interest in who they are. This helps foster a sense of community and purpose within the workplace.
 
Day 3: Divide a piece of paper into two columns. In the first column, list the names of all your direct reports. In the second column, write something positive that each person contributes to the team. Leave no one out, even if you really have to work to find the positive. Carry that list with you for a week. When you have the opportunity, privately share the appropriate praise with each person on the list. Try to get through the entire list within a week.
This method is great for any work environment for several reasons. First of all, it’s intentional, which as we already discussed is a great way to show personal appreciation. Secondly, it’s long-term appreciation. Instead of simply showing appreciation for one day, this method of spreading positivity and kindness lasts all week. It helps you form a habit of not only remembering to show appreciation, but also to notice the kind of things that deserve it. Carrying around a list of positives for an entire week can open up the doors for you to notice the positive in everyone, which can help improve overall work moral tremendously. Not only that, but when people receive a positive comment, they’re likely to pay it forward, increasing the spread of positivity and appreciation throughout the workplace. And lastly, this method is inclusive. Making sure to include everyone in the list is extremely important in order for this method of appreciation to be successful. If you only express your thanks to a select few, then it will create a sort of clique-tension between groups of people in the workplace. It can also make those who are left out feel as though the work that they do is not enough, which is the complete opposite of how you want your work environment to be. Making an inclusive list of positives about everyone helps foster the idea that you are all a team, and everyone is both needed and appreciated.
 
Day 4: Go on WOW patrol.
Choose one employee/co-worker who really went the extra mile recently. Gather a group of department heads or other co-workers, and write positive messages on sticky notes. Plaster those sticky notes all over that person’s work area. Or put together a balloon bouquet, a special certificate, and maybe even a few special treats. Gather that person’s co-workers to help you surprise her with celebration of her contributions to the workplace. Or if you’d rather have less fuss, a simple standing ovation of applause for a chosen employee/co-worker can have an equally wonderful impact. Even taking them out to lunch, or letting them leave half an hour early with pay, is a great way to visibly show your appreciation. The purpose of this day is to give someone a big and visible WOW to make their day, and show them how much you appreciate their hard work. Visual displays of thanks not only show that you recognize the difference they have made, but also leave a lasting impression of appreciation.
 
Day 5: Start a “travelling trophy.” Find something fun to use a trophy. It could be a rubber chicken, a stuffed animal, or something humorous that goes along with your mission or brand. Give it to one of your team member and tell him specifically why he is the recipient of this award. When an hour is up, the recipient needs to find someone else who makes a difference, and then pay it forward. Keep going all day long and see who ends up with the trophy at the end of the day.
This one is great of obvious reasons. First of all, it provides a visual display of appreciation. That creates a positive message within the workplace. Secondly, by allowing the trophy to travel, you create an inclusive atmosphere among your employees/co-workers. And additionally, if you choose the make the traveling trophy a daily activity, rather than an hourly one, you can make the expression of appreciation long-term.
 
Day 6: Have lunch with one or two of your direct reports. Talk to them about their career goals, and where they see themselves in five years. Consider where you might be able to encourage them and help them. If possible, delegate something challenging to them that would help them along their desired path. Then ask for their opinions, no holds barred, about how things are going at work. What are their specific concerns? What are their specific suggestions for improvement? Thank them for their input and try to either appease their concerns, or implement at least one of their ideas. Be sure to give them credit. 
Above all else, your employees need to like their opinions matter, and that their voices are heard. Taking the time to take them out to lunch, away from the workplace, shows that you’re making an effort to be approachable. You want to your employees to feel comfortable coming to you with problems, so you can help foster a sense of teamwork and community. Additionally, giving them a chance to be heard in a neutral space will help them feel both appreciated and seen. In a team, every person matters and every person is important, so giving them credit for their ideas is just as important as hearing them.
 
Day 7: Bring in treats to say thank you to the entire team. 
There’s no better way to say “thank you” like four boxes of pizza and a giant cake. It’s a classic show of appreciation for everyone. It fosters positive socialization among your employees and celebrates everything you’ve all achieved as a team. It allows your employees to rest from their work and encourages everyone to take the time and opportunity to say “thank you” to everyone. Go team!


-- Love Rae