Leadership Solutions

How to Be Happy

This is so simple that it's amazing.

Of course, there are many ways to be happy. (People have written books on the subject.)

And here is something that you can do at any time. I'll use a story to describe it.

Many years ago, when I was an employee, I was driving to work, feeling miserable. I had a huge mess of huge problems.

The more I thought about these problems, the more unhappy I felt.

Then I got an idea.

I wondered what would happen if I laughed.

Sure, there was nothing funny to laugh at. But I still laughed. Okay, maybe I managed a forced chuckle. It probably sounded like, "Ho ho."

This felt so dumb that I chuckled again. And again.

Then I laughed.

By now, the fact that I was sitting in my car laughing at nothing became funny.

So I really laughed. And I laughed some more.

Soon I was having a hilarious time laughing.

By the time I parked my car, I felt wonderful.

As a result, I had one of the best days at work in months (maybe years).

The technique: Just laugh.

The benefit: Feeling happy makes you more effective.

Today's Task: Laugh.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of Create Success

714-528-1300

PS: My workshops help you get results, which always makes people feel happy.

Attention Trainers: How to Make Training Work

Here are three things you can do to improve your training program.

1) Provide useful ideas.

Recognize that people are smart. They read. They attend conferences. They know the basics.

So design a training program that extends beyond what people already know. Or bring in outside experts who excel in their topic areas.

Note: Experts who wrote a book know more than anybody who read the book.

2) Invite successful people.

Successful people are always seeking ways to improve their performance. In fact, this is the reason why they're successful.

Thus, top performers will help make a workshop more effective. They will ask questions and become involved to guarantee that they learn something useful. Then they'll apply the new skills as soon as possible.

Note: The best performers always achieve their success by helping others become more successful. Thus, their participation lifts the quality of every activity that they attend.

3) Involve the leaders.

Effective leaders support continual learning as a fundamental business strategy.

They do this by: a) Attending the workshops first, b) Setting an example by using new skills, and c) Making continual improvement a part of the organization's culture.

Note: The absence of leadership support will discourage average employees from using new skills. It also causes top performers to leave for organizations where excellence is appreciated.

Today's Task: Review your training program.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of Create Success

714-528-1300

PS: People often tell me that they gained more from one of my programs than any other they had attended.

Why Write a Blog

If you're planning to write a blog, here are seven benefits that you'll gain.

1) Writing

The process of frequent writing will improve your ability to write. The more you write, the more fluent you will become. This will make all of your communication more effective.

2) Thinking

The process of writing educates the writer. Thus, by thinking through ways to express ideas, your understanding of those ideas will improve. In addition, some subjects require research, which will increase your knowledge.

3) Discipline

If you decide to publish according to a schedule, then you will have to honor that regime. This forces you to set priorities and make choices so that you can complete the task.

4) Business

Many people post blogs to promote their products or services. By demonstrating expertise, they establish credibility, which can lead to sales.

5) Communication

Each blog becomes a vehicle for conveying ideas. Some leaders use blogs to share news, suggestions, and philosophy with others within their organization.

6) Fun

Writing a blog can be entertaining for the writer. It also provides the gratification that comes from doing something that benefits others.

7) More

Some writers use their blog to test ideas or as a means of creating an inventory of content. Then they compile their best blogs into a book.

Consider: Would writing a blog improve your effectiveness as a leader?

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of Create Success

714-528-1300

PS: Writing a blog can also improve the content in your presentations.

Why Meetings Matter

The real cost of a meeting is more complex than the expense of having people sit in a conference room.

Admittedly, wasting thousands of dollars on an hour of chit chat is bad.

This is common, too, because businesses waste an average of 20% of their professional payroll on bad meetings. That's equivalent to one day of doing nothing every week.

Yet, this wasted time is small compared to the real loss.

You see, bad meetings fail to produce useful results.

These are results such as plans, strategies, agreements, decisions, and solutions. All of them are essential for running a business.

So, what happens in your meetings?

Do you, for example, make methodical progress toward results that everyone will support? Do you obtain the best possible results by taking advantage of the entire group wisdom in the room? Do you obtain the results that you need to take your business into the future?

If so, congratulations.

Otherwise, you might consider improving the effectiveness of your meetings.

Today's Question: What could you accomplish with more effective meetings?

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of One Great Meeting

714-528-1300

PS: My workshop on Effective Meetings shows people how to obtain results that others will support.

Leaders: How to Speak at a Picnic

If you're an executive, you can expect this will happen.

You'll be enjoying yourself at the annual picnic, when suddenly someone will announce: "Our boss is here. Hey, come up here and say a few words."

Now you have an opportunity to advance your business -- or to cause permanent damage.

So here's how to make your talk memorable for the right reasons.

1) Be prepared.

Prepare as if you were speaking at the annual stockholder's meeting.

Yes, this small "informal" talk could have a huge influence upon the future of your business.

Thus, plan an outline of key points. Talk through your presentation with trusted friends, colleagues, or family members. Use their reactions to refine and polish your talk.

2) Be positive.

Recognize that you're speaking at a picnic (which is a happy event) to your employees AND their families. This matters because spouses and (especially) children will be brutally candid about what you say.

So, you want to avoid having your employee's six year old announce, "Wow, you really work for a jerk." Or the spouse saying, "You know dear, I think we should move."

Thus, use your talk to convey a positive message. Acknowledge the achievements, effort, and excellence of your employees. Talk about the wonderful future ahead. Express admiration and gratitude for the people who organized the picnic.

Similarly, do not criticize, complain, or admonish. Do not ask your employees to work harder. Do not talk about complex or controversial business issues.

Of course, no one would make these mistakes who had taken the time to prepare a few gracious remarks.

3) Be brief.

Recognize that they (the audience) are doing you a favor by listening to what you have to say. After all, your talk is replacing the play that they were enjoying.

Thus, your talk should last (at most) a few minutes. Speaking beyond that will cause people to become restless and bored.

Today's Task: Plan a basic picnic talk that you can use anytime that you're asked to say a few words.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of Create Success

714-528-1300

PS: My workshop on business presentations show leaders how to give talks that inspire.

Friday's Request

I'm looking for ideas.

- - -

 - - -

 

What topics would you like to read about?

What issues are challenging your business?

What would help you become more successful?

I'm always open to ideas.

Today's Task: Post a comment.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of Create Success

714-528-1300

PS: My workshops help people create success.

Warning

The world wants to control you.

This includes everybody you know.

Your employees want you to attend their meetings. Your neighbor wants you to feed their six exotic pets while they're on vacation. Your two year old wants you to buy toys. And so on.

Everybody wants you to do something. But this is a problem.

If you attempt to please all of them, your life will become miserable.

Guaranteed.

Why?

Simply because it's impossible to please everybody. There will always be more requests for your time than you have to give. And some of the requests will be absurd.

For example, you may have given the two-year old a toy yesterday.

So, let's go to the beginning.

There is only one person you have to please. And that's you.

Of course, there are realities we must live with. And there may be times when we choose to help others. The key is to make choices that are consistent with your priorities.
  

And so, take this blog as a friendly reminder.

Recognize that you're in charge of your life. After all, you're the one who has to live with the results.

Choose what you want to do. Know why you're doing what you choose to do. And ignore all of the helpful noise that wants you to do something else.
 

Today's Task: Evaluate how much of your life is under your control.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of Create Success

 - How to be a better leader

714-528-1300
 

PS: My workshop on Time Management shows how to set priorities.

The Problem With Pep Talks

If you ever feel compelled to give a pep talk, here's what to do.

Stop.

Then, don't do it.

Really.

Most pep talks fail miserably.

They sound like a parent scolding a teenager.

While this may work in the movies, most adults hate pep talks.

Why?

They're insulting.

They're boring.

They're mean something only to the person delivering it, and nothing to the people receiving it.

Besides that, effective leaders have no need for pep talks.

Why?

Because these leaders create an environment that facilitates excellence. They they use a reward system that inspires achievement. And they work with their staff as individuals, proving coaching to optimize their performance.

Then the employees give themselves daily pep talks to inspire their own success.

Consider: A pep talk is a shabby short cut to improving performance that seldom works.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of Create Success

714-528-1300

How to Rant

Many people waste a perfectly good rant.

True.

They vent a barrage of complaints, accusations, and other such rage.

While this may relieve pent up frustration, it does little to fix anything.

So, here is how to rant effectively.

1) Write it out.

Writing your rant will feel therapeutic. It saves your rant so that you can read it later. And then you can formally let go of the rant by feeding your problem to a shredder.

2) Pour it all out.

Write everything and anything that comes to mind -- Complain, assign motives, accuse, blame, and threaten. Really clean house.

3) Take a deep breath.

Pause for a moment to refocus. Use this as a transition from being mad to being logical.

4) Review the rant.

Read through the rant and highlight everything that you know to be absolutely true. This helps separate the reality from the angry fantasy.

5) Reframe the rant.

Change the focus of the rant from the other person to yourself. Consider, for example, is there anything that you could have done differently? Is there anything that you did that might have caused or contributed to the problem? Is there anything that you might want to change in yourself?

6) Plan what you'll do.

Make a list of things that you can do to resolve the rant. What changes can you make in yourself? What actions can you take? How would you deal with this situation if it were to happen again. And so on.

Realize that a good rant is a wonderful learning opportunity. Use it to find improvements that increase your effectiveness.

Today's Task: Turn a rant into a plan.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of Create Success

714-528-1300

How to Prepare an Agenda

 

Here are three easy steps for preparing a meeting agenda.

 

1) Identify the goal for the meeting.

 

This is absolutely essential. Without a goal, it's not a meeting: it's a waste of time.

 

Thus, write out the goal for the meeting. Then test if this goal can be achieved with available time, people, and resources. If not, revise the goal.

 

2) Know the purpose.

 

This is the benefit that the organization will receive as a result of achieving your goal. Test if this benefit warrants holding a meeting. If not, then cancel the meeting.

 

3) Identify the process.

 

Plan the steps that you will take to accomplish the goal. Then give this a logical quality check. That is, test if these steps will actually lead to the result that you want. If not, revise the goal or the process.

 

Note: These are the three fundamental parts of an effective meeting agenda.

 

Without these, I guarantee that your meeting will take too long and accomplish too little. In fact, it may accomplish nothing.

 

And no business can afford to hold meetings that waste people's time.

 

Today's Task: Plan your next agenda using this approach.

 

Much success,

 

Steve Kaye

Speaker, Meeting Facilitator, and Author of One Great Meeting

 

Want more info? Click on Hold Better Meetings