Month: September 2016

We can do that: MORE and BETTER. But first, I challenge you, ask yourself WHY. Then ask WHY you want that WHY.

Your first WHY answer might be something like, “…So that I can manage my time better and be more effective at work.” The “why behind the why” is more like, “I am losing credibility with my colleagues because I am generally running late and don’t always have what I need for meetings. I think I am going to get passed over for that promotion, and in fact, I am not sure how much longer it may be that I’m employed here. That scares me because my family counts on me for this income, and I’ll feel like a failure unless I can prove that I can excel here.”

Do you see how different the first “why” is from the second “why?” The second “why” taps into our feelings. Human beings are more motivated by fear of failure than by the promise of self-improvement. True story. One of my clients actually had to go bankrupt before she was ready to do More and Better. At that point, she ceased caring what the “world thought of her”- and went full speed ahead to Being More, Being Better, Being Brilliant.

If you have been meaning to attend one of my events and have not made the time to do so, there’s an opportunity around the corner, and you don’t even have to leave the office. On October 5^th at 1 pm Eastern, I’m doing a webinar (see sign up info in the margin). Here’s a video (9 minutes long) to explain it a big. Fast forward to minute 2 for the “meat” of the program, so you may determine if it’s a good fit for you (if your WHY is strong enough, I mean)!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN 5 WAYS TO ACCOMPLISH A LOT MORE IN A DAY

Here’s a tip to get you started before Oct 5^th: For meetings, follow the EpS rule:

E = Eliminate the meeting when it’s not needed;

P = Prepare. Everyone needs the agenda at least 24 hours in advance. Set expectations.

S = Stick to the Agenda. 1.) HAVE an agenda; 2.) Use Robert’s Rules to run the meeting; 3.) Begin and end right on time.

Do more, do better, and do it for the reasons that are heartfelt and meaningful to you. Tell me, what ONE thing will you do differently this week now? Go ahead, just shoot me a quick email about it: Carol@eps-time.com. I’d love to hear how this positions your week.

September blows in freshness. For me, this year’s new beginnings include the honor of speaking at a day-long leadership conference. I’m especially excited because of my colleague Steve Gamlin, who I consider a famous (locally, anyhow) speaker will be doing his motivational, practical wizardry as well. Yippee!

Leadership: when you hear this word, what enters your mind? Leadership seems to be somewhat of a buzzword of late. “Lead yourself first.” “We are all leaders.” “Leadership for Women.” “Real leadership.” What does all of this mean?

For me, leadership means accessing what you have and using it to the best of your ability. It means being your best self, sharing yourself with others, and seeking ways to be an even better best self. To that end, I’ll be sharing a talk I’m calling “The Power is with You- Plug it in.”

The power is with you. Hold that for a moment. What happens in the opposite mindset, when we feel powerless? Do we have our next great and bold thought or plan? Do we do our best work? Of course not. The feeling of powerlessness spirals down, resulting in some combination of sadness, anger, anxiety, and possibly depression.

When the opposite is true, we feel powerFUL. We get the “world is our oyster” feeling. We sit and stand up straight. We smile. We laugh. We become more attractive. Words come out of our mouths at just the right time. We get our next great idea. Things seem easy.

Knowing that the power is with us does not mean that we think we know it all. Quite often, embodying this knowledge leads us to expand our knowledge and skill base further. This then puts us in a circle of other leaders, committed to learning and growing. Friendships grow. Leadership circles form.

So lead, but lead from the inside out. Outside influences can light our inner fire, but our inner fire is the light of leadership.