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Intero Cool Apps: Get the Inside Scoop on Your Clients with Flowtown

By John Thompson | June 24th, 2011 0 Comments

You know those names and addresses that line the pages of your real estate email contact list? Do you know who these people really are? Have any clues about them, what they enjoy in life, where they envision themselves living? Or, when is the last time you did a quick reality check on who you think they are?

Without any information (or the right information) about the folks who receive your marketing messages, your efforts are wasted dollars.

Enter Flowtown. It’s a social media marketing platform that enables you to mine your current email lists and figure out where your contacts are active and engaged online. (Could this be the end of aimless Twitter and Facebook campaigns?)

The web app can help you reach your existing contacts in new ways. You’ll know a bit more about them as you gain information about where they’re engaged in public online networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. You can get more detailed data about what they’re into.

The only thing Flowtown needs to work is an existing contact list, which hopefully you’ve been cultivating since the day you set foot into the real estate field.

OK, how does this thing work?

1.     Go to Flowtown’s website to get started.

2.     Once you’re in, hook up your contact email list.

3.     Watch as the app prepares an information sheet with data about your clients (based on their public social network activities).

4.     Mine that data for all sorts of useful information like which social networks they use most, which clients have large followings online, their occupations, interests, etc.

5.     Start thinking of how you can better target your marketing to fit your real customers.

Real estate choices are about lifestyle. It’s amazing the kinds of clues you can get about a person’s approach to lifestyle just by analyzing what they’re doing publicly online. (I stress the word “publicly” because this activity could have a Big Brother feel to it, but no one’s privacy is being compromised here because the app is using information gleaned from public sites.)

Once you know more about your clients – past, present and future – you’ll be able to craft stellar marketing messages that really speak to them, not just out-of-the-box real estate marketing that every agent in town is using.

This sounds wonderful, right? But alas … there is a catch. Flowtown is still in early stages and accepting new users only by invite. So to use the service, you have to sign up to be on the invite list and invite a few friends and colleagues along with you.

Bummer, I know. There’s a tad bit of waiting involved.

But cruise on over to the website and get your name in there to test drive this thing. You may be surprised by the results!

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Wednesday Wellness: Perfectly Imperfect

By Tammy Parkinson | March 23rd, 2011 0 Comments

Why is it so hard for some of us to admit that we aren’t perfect? Why do we expect ourselves to be excellent at something we’ve never even tried before?

As a trainer, I’m used to people saying to me, “Oh, I’m terrible at balance.” Or, “I must whine and complain more than any other client you have!” And I always assure them, no, you’re not terrible at balancing–that’s why you’re practicing. And no, you’re not whining and complaining; what you’re doing is hard because it’s new and you’re not expected to do it “right” the first time out. Yet we continue to have these unrealistic expectations and sometimes, if you’re like me, you can take it to an extreme and truly beat yourself up for not doing it “right” or doing enough of a given activity. (As though there was some measured amount and the “enough” police are on the lookout for me!)

In order to be perfect, it would mean we reached the pinnacle of what we are doing–there is no more room for growth and there is no error. Which is of course IMPOSSIBLE. When I meet a client for the first time, I try to assure them that I expect them NOT to understand what I’m saying, to ask questions and to make mistakes. Just like I tell my 8-year old daughter–homework is for learning and for making mistakes so we can keep practicing and learning. Training is homework. Life is homework. The challenge I have is in applying that to myself…

If you’re at all like me (anal retentive with perfectionist qualities, and in denial that you’re a perfectionist because you’re not perfect yet!), you struggle to accept that you are exactly where you are supposed to be at any given moment. And that life is messy. Not everybody shows up; not everybody does it my way; not everybody sees it my way; and each day is meant to be different than the preceding and following one. Grrrr….I’ve been a salmon swimming upstream my whole life fighting (literally) this truism of life.

It’s only been since I started “practicing” yoga (I love that we call it that!) about a year ago that I began to see the beauty of making mistakes, of falling down, of striving to be better for oneself but not necessarily to “prove” anything to anyone else. That is why yoga is a called a practice because we never arrive at a destination. Instead, we “practice” in order to do the act repeatedly so as to gain skill. And one day may be “easier” or “better” than the next, but we are taught to just let it be. Tall order for this girl! But I’m learning, slowly, gently, that it is indeed easier to be perfectly imperfect and at ease in my own skin, rather than itchy and scratchy because I never QUITE do it good enough.

I used to live my live by the credo, “I’m not enough.” You could truly fill in the blank with any word and it would describe me. As of late, I’ve adopted the motto, “I love myself the way I am, and still I want to grow.” –Jai Josefs

Try it on for size. Be perfectly imperfect. You might just find that you like it.

Written by Stacia Carney
Body Firm Certified Personal Trainer

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Monday Mojo: Road map to success

By Tom Tognoli | March 7th, 2011 0 Comments

Good Morning MOJO,
 
Last week I spoke to a group of about 70 Mortgage Bankers with Western Bancorp on what I would do if I were them to increase their business and be more successful at what they do. I went over a list of activities I would do if I were them, but first I started off by talking about why people start their own business’s, like being a Mortgage Banker. I stated it is typically because of the freedom and the unlimited earning potential and they all agreed. Unfortunately, freedom can also cost unlimited losses as well. What so many small business owners forget to understand is we have the freedom to set our schedule instead of having someone else set it for us, however, in order to be successful we still need to set some kind of a schedule. One which includes all of the activities we need to do to accomplish our goals, and then we need to live by it. It is our road map to success. No schedule leads to no business. A schedule filled with productive activities leads to a lot of business! It is simple to do, but unfortunately it is also simple not to do. Bottom line is, no matter how good your intentions are, if it is not in your schedule it is not going to happen, no matter how bad you want it. 
 
When I meet with people one on one about their business, the first question I always ask is to let me see their schedule. It is amazing to me how many people either do not have a schedule at all or if they do it is completely blank-both of those options are a train wreck waiting to happen!
 
We can’t just have it in our heads. Our minds are meant for creating ideas not storing them. We need to take the time to create our success plan, whatever it is and outline the things we need to do to accomplish it, then put those things in our schedule and stick with it day in day out…forever. Now, that is not to say we cannot make some adjustments along the way and modify our schedules to become more efficient, but we have to follow our directions/road map to success and that road map is our schedule. Way too many people spend the majority of their day thinking about what they need to do instead of doing what they need to do. I know it sounds so simple, but it is amazing how most people don’t have a detailed schedule with all of the things in it they need to do to accomplish their goals.    

Look at your goals as your destination on a trip halfway around the world to a beautiful and remote place you have never been to before and look at your schedule as your map/directions to get there. Could you imagine traveling half way around the world to a place you have never been and doing it without detailed directions and a plan? Of course not, we know we would get lost and never make it. Well the same thing applies with our goals and our schedule. We have never been where our goals are so we better have a detailed plan and schedule on how to get there and the discipline to follow it every day or we will never make it.
 
Remember as you set your schedule to keep your F-5 in mind and make sure you put time in to focus on all of them every week. What is your F-5 you ask? FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDS, FITNESS, AND FINANCE.
 
Make it a POWERFUL week!!!!!

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Monday Mojo: Be a gamer!

By Tom Tognoli | February 28th, 2011 0 Comments

I have been in the real estate business for over 20 years and have seen it firsthand. People are always waiting for the perfect time to act whether it’s buyers, sellers, realtor, lenders, etc. Most people won’t do anything unless they are “sure” it is the perfect time. Well, we never know when the “perfect” time is at anything in life until after the “perfect” time has passed us by and we see it in our rear view mirror. And those who are always waiting, trying to time the perfect moment, do just that – they wait and they wait and they wait. They sit on the sidelines watching and never get in the game.

Why is that? Why are most people spectators? Because when we go for it and get in the game there is always risk no matter what it is. To be successful we have to be “Gamers” not spectators. We cannot be paralyzed by fear. Then once we jump in we have to go for it 100% or we are going to get hurt. It is like playing sports. The person who usually gets hurt is the person who is not 100% committed, the person who is timid or the indecisive one. Conversely, the people who are fired up and go for it 100% usually are the ones inflicting the pain..excelling. It does not matter whether it is football, soccer, snowboarding, investing, your job…we have to give it 100%…no, we need to give it 110%.

Remember, success always involves risk. We must take a chance by investing our time, money, and effort. It pays to be thoughtful and deliberate in our analysis of opportunities, but we cannot let fear hold us back. Because we have worked hard to develop those things we must risk, it is natural for us to place a high value on them. But what use are they if we do not put them to use? We will recognize opportunity only to the extent that we are willing to consider risking our time, money, and effort. Being confident gives us the courage to face risk and act when opportunity arises. No one on earth is going to force success upon us; we will find it only to the degree that we actively seek it out and ACT ON IT!!!!!

Remember, when everyone you know is doing, saying and feeling one thing, the right answer is probably to do exactly the opposite.

Have a powerful week and don’t be paralyzed by fear. That is what the masses are doing. Step out and go for it…be a GAMER!!!!!

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Monday Mojo: ‘Opposite George’

By Tom Tognoli | January 31st, 2011 0 Comments

As I have mentioned several times in the past, one of the coolest things about being the author of Monday Morning Mojo are the stories of success people send to me.

Below is a great success story I received from a woman named Jennifer. Once you start reading it you will not be able to stop until you are finished. I did not want to edit it at all…it is powerful. Grab your cup of coffee and enjoy.

Thanks for sharing your story Jennifer.  It is incredibly inspiring.

Tom,

THANK YOU – Thank You  – Thank You! I adore your Monday Morning Mojo’s. Every Monday morning that is the first thing I look for. I have even logged on to my work computer while on vacation to read it.

It’s pretty amazing how the universe works. The reason I started getting your mojo’s was actually from your IT department I believe. I work for the company that creates your accounting software for the real estate transactions. The emails started coming to me. I then signed up under my account once I realized how much I needed the message that they had to say. I also started to forward it to others in the company. We all love them.

I also wanted to share my experience this past ten months. I have struggled most of my life since a teen with my weight. I’m 39 now and I would have said last year that I had a good life. Great – no not necessarily but it was good. I am married with three girls ages 5, 3 and 1. I have a good relationship with my husband and like my work. We were in the process of filing for bankruptcy and losing our house due to the market and my husband not working full time. So my life had its challenges – weight wasn’t the biggest thing on my list of things to do something about. My friends would have said that I was a good friend and always there if they needed me. That was part of the issue – I was there for everyone else. I let my life slowly decay because I put myself as a friend, mother and wife before I was Jennifer. So Jennifer got the short end of my 24 hours.

I decided to start a journey back at the end of March 2010. The favorite times in my life were when I was pregnant. I took better care of myself. I watched what I ate, worked out a bit more and rested when I needed to. It just all felt perfect and then a new bundle of joy came into our life. Those nine months went by so quick. I decided to try it with myself – birth a new me. I was going to commit to nine months of concentrating on me and my life. I took a page from a Seinfeld episode – I was going to do the opposite of what I normally do. ‘Opposite George’ did great. Now remember I am also getting your messages. Your message when I started this “Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain” and then the next week “Finding Your Meaning and Purpose in Life” just reaffirmed I needed to do this.

I found a class taught by my friend that teaches relaxation, meditation and healing your life. She had been trying to get me to go to it for years. It took finding out we have a mutual friend  who looked at me and said we are going to at least one of them. I had to go – the universe sent me a partner. So my journey began. I carved out an hour each morning to work out and listen to my music. My kids found out quickly that it was my time.  They could come down and watch TV but they didn’t talk to mom. What started as  a 2 ½ to 3 mile walk mainly in the mornings turned in the end to a 6 mile run 5 days a week. One of my goals at the end was to run the Rock and Roll ½ Marathon in December. I wanted to do it in 3 hours which considering I didn’t run seemed a bit ambitious. You can’t even believe the pride I had when I crossed that finish line with a time of 2 hours 38 minutes. It was the most amazing thing I did. It felt wonderful to take a goal and knock it out of the park.

I went from eating fast food three plus times a week to maybe a couple times a month. I learned that spending extra on fresh veggies and fruits really was worth the money. I slowly got my family to the point that dinner was more lean meat and fish with tons of veggies rather than meat, potatoes and bread. No more sodas or tons of desserts. Everyone was eating better. I love to think that I am establishing good eating habits for my girls now that they are young. I hope they never struggle with weight like I did.

I changed so much even the genre of my music changed. Again the universe sent me an opportunity and I looked and said – why not. A friend house sat for us one vacation and borrowed our vehicle. She left a Keith Urban CD in the player. I thought it was Jennifer Lopez and was very surprised when I turned it on. Now I was not at all a fan of country but Keith did have some stuff that crossed over. Well my instinct was to take it out. I decided to listen to it that day until I saw her. I then asked her for a copy of it because I realized I enjoyed the messages and melodies. Next thing I know I have this amazing collection of country music and friends I didn’t know who liked it are recommending people and CDs. It is wonderful to jog to all this new music in the morning. It is added incentive to get up.

There were many times I thought ok I have done this for a while let’s go back to the ‘old’ Jennifer. For the most part I was motivated by the way everything was changing around me (I know actually I was the one changing but that isn’t how it looks at first). I kept telling myself it is only nine months you can do this. After the nine months whatever new habits stick I will keep doing and if I want to go back I can. Your messages, reading and listening to  Wayne Dyer,  meditation, reworking goals and making plans all that kept me on the right track.

After my journey – I did birth a new me. The new me is 100lbs thinner. I haven’t been this small since college and then it wasn’t for much more than a semester. I am THRILLED with my life.  On the outside you would say it is the same old life I had 1 year ago – I still have my kids, husband, job, house that the bank won’t take back but I don’t live in any more, money issues from time to time. To me it is all beautiful and perfect. I am calm and peaceful inside. I am not running around trying to do everything for everyone. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that every single event that happens in my life happens for a reason. Somewhere somehow the choices I make right now will affect me later. If nothing else they continue me down the path I am on or they just could jump me into an opportunity that I never thought possible before. I welcome every moment good and bad although when you welcome it all the bad doesn’t look that bad anymore. It just is.

A wonderful example of this was a Doctor visit I had in December. I went for my annual checkup. I took the book BLINK that your recommended because I know there is always a wait time. I wanted to start the book but just hadn’t found time yet. Well somehow my chart got lost while I was actually in the room waiting to see the Doctor. She came in after about an hour of me waiting and asked where I was and if I was running late. That was when we realized that the nurse misplaced my chart – I was sitting in the room ready and the Doctor kept seeing other people. I honestly couldn’t even get upset about it. I got to spend almost the entire hour reading an amazing book which I wouldn’t have started if it wasn’t for that time. I got to relax during a hectic day. I went back to work 2 ½ hours later and I couldn’t be upset about any of it. The Doctor felt bad and spent extra time with me. My blood pressure was down so far I thought it was too low. She told me no it was good for someone who’s an athlete. I have been called many A names before but never that one. I went to correct her and she said – anyone that runs every day and paid money to run 13.1 miles straight can be called and athlete. Life is good.

I have learned that you have to take care of yourself first. Once you truly love yourself, all of life gets easier. You also learn that you can help others then. I think too many people put others first without knowing who they are and loving themselves and so they get caught up in being what others want. I spent decades doing that. Now I find that I can do more for others because I put me first and I truly from deep down want to help others succeed in life.

The one thing/tip that I want to share with you that helped me when I hit my plateau – journaling. Now I am not a fan of journaling. I don’t like the idea that the word puts into my head. Someone who sits and writes and writes and has all this time. Nope – not me. My teacher/friend explained that this can be anything – you can write what you did today. You can write your ‘wins’ or miracles. You can write what you are thankful for in your life. Or you can write what you are. I chose the last one. I go and write each morning a bunch of “I” statements. I started this when I hit a plateau on my weight loss and was just feeling myself start to slip. My first day I wrote “I am a beautiful, powerful, thin woman. I am constantly losing weight. I am abundant. I have money showing to me at this minute.” Now did I believe this – nope. As my teacher says “fake it until you make it”. So I did. And you know what by the end of the week I believed the sentences I was writing down. I would spend time during my run thinking what I was that day. I also lost 12 lbs that week and didn’t change a thing. I just started to adjust my thinking. You start to believe what you write. I am a beautiful, peaceful, healthy woman. And I love it!

So to you Mr. Tom Tognoli – I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If I ever have to take a client trip to Intero I would welcome the opportunity to shake your hand and thank you in person. I deeply appreciate you giving yourself to all of us. Keep the Mojo coming. It flows farther than anyone’s mind can comprehend.

Thanks,

Jennifer

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Thoughts on Leadership: Take your MEDS and become an effective leader

By Gino Blefari | January 20th, 2011 0 Comments

The constant pressure to perform and stress of solving difficult problems is part of a leader’s role. It can be easy to let these factors weigh on your personal health, but it’s crucial to be on top of your game and productive at all times. Poor nutrition and poor sleep habits are ineffective coping strategies.

Take time to slow down and you’ll find that this peaceful state of mind contributes to more effective leadership. To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner is the kind of meditation that Buddha, Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi engaged in to train, calm and empty the mind. Recent brain research shows that M-E-D-S – meditation, exercise, diet and sleep – can actually improve performance. “MEDS” aren’t just actions you perform occasionally, but part of your daily life.

As the empowering life coach, author, trainer and inspirational speaker Matthew Ferry explains: “It’s hard to be happy when you’re not healthy. When you are feeling physically down, it’s difficult to experience happiness. It takes a tremendous amount of work. And so, what I recommend for people to be happy is to take their MEDS. MEDS is an acronym for meditation, exercise, diet, and sleep.”

Here’s what we mean by MEDS for great leaders:

M: Meditation

One of the main benefits of meditation is that it helps shape who we are and how we interact with others. The biggest misconception about meditation is that our thoughts or ideas just appear in our heads. On the contrary, we choose what we think. It’s simple, if we think something will go wrong or that we will be ineffective, then to each one of us that is true. Now if we think the opposite and think we can be successful, intellectual and powerful, then to each one of us again, this is true. The idea here is that we are what we think about and we become what we think about every day.

E: Exercise

Another strategy for maintaining effective leadership is to exercise regularly. Studies have proven that those who exercise on a daily basis rated significantly higher on overall leadership effectiveness than those who do not exercise. An excellent example of an effective leader who is dedicated to working out every day is Intero’s Chairman Bob Moles. He has worked out every day for over 22 years, 8054 days in a row! Bob’s dedication helps him to lead by example and be more effective at what he does.
 
Routine is extremely important in this regard. In my own life, I work out as well as meditate first thing in the morning. By doing this I tend to keep appointments throughout the day every day. If I were to hold off and work out after work I would not be disciplined in sticking to a routine.

D: Diet

We need to have control over ourselves before we can lead and motivate others. When it comes to diet, the key is finding what works for you. Proper diet and nutrition can significantly enhance energy, which helps you be a better leader. Intero’s COO Tom Tognoli is a great example of someone who controls his diet and maintains these habits each day, making him a distinguishable role model. This kind of self-discipline serves as incredible inspiration to others.

S: Sleep

More sleep tends to contribute to better success in life. It results in fewer mistakes and higher productivity throughout the day. Studies show that those who sleep seven to nine hours per night accomplish more than those who sleep less. If you lack sleep, you are sluggish, easily discouraged and pessimistic. Other people sense this. On the other hand, a good night’s sleep will give you energy and an upbeat and optimistic outlook. This will affect your team positively.

Make it a daily thing

Great leaders know that MEDS is key and needs to be followed every day. Those who follow this habit tend to have lasting impact, pushing their teams to success time after time.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Meditation, exercise, diet and sleep will make you mindful of your daily performance and you will no doubt become a more effective and superior leader in your business.

Special thanks to Matthew Ferry for the tip on MEDS! Taking our MEDS is most definitely a major ingredient for creating success.

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Thoughts on Leadership: Impact and goals on the road to success

By Gino Blefari | January 6th, 2011 1 Comment

The excitement of a new year tends to fill us with motivation and inspiration. We load ourselves with to-do lists and action items and jump in head first.
 
But then the exuberance tends to fade after a week or two of vigorous activity. The idea of a new year draws away from the collective consciousness. This familiar situation presents a good time to discuss the importance of impact in leadership.
 
As a leader, you’re always making an impact as other people observe you, listen to what you’re saying and make judgments about your decisions and style. But are you making the right impact? Do you shape other’s impressions of you? Do you know how you would like them to perceive you?

Your team members are your most valuable asset and to maximize that asset every leader needs to make a positive impact and be a role model for others.
 
Impact is the strength and the root of all the goals you hope to achieve this year:

Which people do you want to support?
What problem do you want to solve?
What pleasure do you want to create?

Your keys to success in the New Year are a focus on impact and becoming intensely goal-oriented. Highly successful people know where they want to go in life, and they have a roadmap to get there. A written set of goals is their roadmap to success.When you root yourself in the goal of making a positive impact, you’ll be able to build better relationships, influence people in the way you want and find it easier to reach your true potential.

Statistics show that 3 percent of people in the world have goals that are written down; the other 97 percent do not.

Which group would you rather belong to? What impact do you want to have this year?

Written goals are very powerful. They document your vision and create your impact in any business situation. They are well-defined statements of what you will do – not what you might do.

Goal setting is a concept that’s been around for a long time. Yet, it’s amazing that less than 3 percent of our population has a set of written goals and less than 1 percent reviews their goals on a regular basis.

Further studies therefore show that the 3 percent who have written goals end up achieving their goals 89 percent of the time and earn, on average, 10 times as much as the other 97 percent who do not.

So the big questions are: Are you ready to join the 3 percent who are achieving success? Have you put together a set of written goals for 2011? It’s never too late to start.

Use your impact to push new ideas in this quarter and start the New Year off right. For more inspiration on your path to success, review the “Goal Designing” worksheet to help you get started and take action.

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Thoughts on Leadership: The Top Five Thoughts on Leadership of 2010

By Gino Blefari | December 30th, 2010 0 Comments

Want to check out the best-of-the-best in the world of Thoughts on Leadership during 2010? The following list is the top five blogs viewed and commented on in 2010. Each helps people find not only the best leadership advice being put out today, but also gives you the tools and confidence to help bring out the leader in you.

  1. The 10 qualities of a true leader
    How do you know if you have a strong enough desire to be a leader? Follow all the essential traits to be a true leader and with that enthusiasm to work hard, your progress toward leadership will accelerate.
    Read More
     
  2. Embrace a positive attitude for success
    Your attitude may play a bigger role in your life than you may think. It is up to you on how you want to use it to achieve success. Maintain a positive attitude and you’ll be surprised on how your life will change and how quickly you will climb the success ladder.
    Read More
     
  3. The 93% Rule: Nonverbal Communication
    Do you ever stop and think how your words may articulate one thing, but your nonverbal gesture can mean something completely different. Nonverbal communication, believe it or not, makes up the majority of our daily communication. So next time you are interacting with one person or a group of people, remember that your nonverbal expressions can reveal your true feelings about something.
    Read More
     
  4. The Golden Rule for Leaders
    All you have to do, really, is think of how you would like to be treated in any given situation, and then act accordingly. Apply the Golden Rule to your everyday behavior and you are sure to succeed.
    Read More
     
  5. Leaders Make Energy and Passion Contagious
    Do you want to show your energy and passion more at work? Then read more about Southwest Airlines’ founder, Herb Kelleher. He followed the footsteps of GE’S Chairman Jack Welch. They both loved what they did and not only inspired themselves but all the employees around them to create a lively organization. Perhaps if you pursue these gentlemen’s management rulebook, you too can catch this passion and energy.
    Read More

If you embrace the principal, that each of you can be a leader, you will find within yourself a greater desire to succeed and to perform at a higher level because you represent something larger than yourself. My hope is that each of you has your most successful year ever in 2011. Strive to make it so and recognize yourself as a leader in this company; a company of leaders.

Happy New Year and see you at the top!

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Thoughts on Leadership: The GIFTS that Leaders Give

By Gino Blefari | December 16th, 2010 0 Comments

This is the time of year when many people exchange gifts and messages of gratitude for the things we do for each other. As a leader, the gift you bring to your organization is important in many ways. “Gifts” take on a whole new meaning, as they aren’t material things you can hold in your hand, but qualities that you bring to the table to lead a team to success.

Here’s what we mean by G-I-F-T-S from great leaders:

G: Generosity

A leader’s generosity will spread quickly through a company. Being generous often means understanding that most people want to feel that they are part of something bigger and that what they do matters.

I: Inspiration
 
Leaders always make us feel we can do more than we’re currently doing. In order to inspire, a leader needs to show by example rather than tell others to be inspired.

F: Focus

Good leaders provide clear, consistent communication to all. There is no mistaking the goal and what needs to happen to achieve the goals. Bottom line, there’s power in the alignment effort that comes from focus.

T: Teamwork

Good leaders take us from “me” to “we.” The leader will model positive behavior and encourage people to work together to achieve success. There is indeed a connection between people and cross-functional communication.

S: Success

It’s the power of “we” that achieves great things. The greatest outcome is to see how someone can step up and lead a group to accomplish together what seems unattainable on our own.

A good leader brings these gifts to an organization wrapped in his or her own unique style. These contributions tend to have a lasting impact, pushing a team to success.

What are the gifts your leadership style brings? Embrace the principle of G-I-F-T-S and you will find that you and your team can go further and perform at a higher level.

As we close out the year and open a new one, we challenge you to examine the kind of gifts you give to others throughout the year. Be mindful with your contributions and you will no doubt become a superior leader in your business.

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Monday Mojo: Stay in the Zone

By Tom Tognoli | November 22nd, 2010 0 Comments

The same 20% of your clothes are what you end up wearing 80% of the time. You eat the same 20% of the stuff in your kitchen 80% of the time. You get 80% of your results from 20% of your effort and the scarier part is you get only 20% of your results from the other 80% of your effort. So, stop doing 80% of the things you are doing where you are not getting the results and do a lot more of the 20% where you are getting all of the results. Check out this math:

  • 80% results / 20% effort = 4
  • 20% results / 80% effort = .25
  • 4 / .25 = 16X

What this means is you are 16 times more efficient when you are in your 20% zone. That means that in a typical 8 hour work day you get 80% of your results from1.6 hours of work and 20% of your results out of the other 6.4 hours. If you could just stay in “the zone” for 30% of your day instead of 20% of your day, you could work 2.4 hours and then go home. You would be getting 120% done of what you are doing today and work 5.6 hours less.

You just have to do more of what you’re already doing that works fantastically well because most of what you do is a waste of time. So, you might as well stop most of what you do. You can put less energy in, yet get far better results, if you just concentrate on the things that produce fantastic results.

Of course, the math in 16X only applies if the relationship between energy and results is exactly 80/20. So it’s best to think of the 80/20 formula as only a rule of thumb. If the true ratio is 75/25, then you’ll “only” get 9 times better results from the top things you do. Sometimes the true ratio turns out to be 90/10, though, which gives you a massive 81 times better results.

The mechanics of 16X are more about stopping than starting to do more. The key is to create white space – in your schedule, in your mind and in your life as a whole. It’s about emptying your days of those things that don’t justify your time and effort because they give such a poor return.  Most of the things you allow to take up space in your life are not important. They accumulated gradually over a period of years – certain work habits, leisure activities, relationships, stuff lying around your home and office, and a lot more that you could add to the list.

Just think, what would it would be like if you scaled back to those things that truly count the most, that work the very best, that bring you the greatest joy, energy, and sense of fulfillment? How much more time, vitality, and peace would that bring? Then imagine taking some of this new white space you’ve created by uncluttering your life, and investing it in those things that count most, work best, and bring the greatest rewards. That’s your path to breakthrough results.

Here are some of the ideas on what you can do to stay in the zone longer:

  • Get up 30 minutes earlier. Don’t wake up in a crisis or the rest of your day and life will be one big crisis. Quit hitting the snooze bar!!!!
  • Health…you don’t have BIG BONES
    - Diet (less than 2,000 to 2,500 calories everyday)
    - Cardio for at least 30 minutes 5 times a week: INTENSE!!!!!!
    - Take vitamins everyday – don’t get sick
    - Drink a lot of water
    - Don’t drink alcohol or smoke
    - Sleep 7 hours a night
  • Dress for success, clean up yourself, clean your car, clean your office and clean your house
  • Review your affirmations everyday, day dream everyday and think everyday
  • Be focused while doing one thing and do it well…you will knock it out of the park. If you try and do everything, especially try and do everything all at once, you will suck at it all.
  • Do the things you like least first every day, then knock out all of the little things so your mind is clear.
  • Have a good system for To Do’s and your Schedule and live by it.
  • Create white space in your mind and you physical spaces. Purge 80% of everything at work, in your car, and at home.
  • Speed up. Walk 25% faster. It will carry over into everything you do. Speed is key.
    (Read the book New Work Habits for a Radically Changing World Operate)
  • Go with your gut and don’t over think it. Your first instinct is almost always right. If it feels right, do it and do it with focus and intensity. (Read the book Blink)
  • Don’t play it safe. Take risks and think different.
  • Turn your dreams into a plan. Turn your plan into a list and plug your list into your schedule. Then do what your schedules says. If you ever wake up and actually have to think about what you need to do, you are dead.
  • Have Fun, be Focused, be Intense, be Accountable and be Disciplined.
  • Fill at least two Garbage Bags every month from home and work. One for garbage and one to donate.
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