Time to reflect on 2014

I am so blessed to reflect back at this time of year and be totally grateful for everything in our lives .. It’s been a truly outstanding year,with ups and downs ,yet even through the challenging times they teach us new life’s lessons and we find out more about ourselves and what we are capable of becoming – to stretch us, to grow us , to help us become an even better, even kinder person.

“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings

 

I am so blessed to have some amazing friendships, friends I have known forever as well as some fantastic recent ones that will be true friends for life!

Thanks to my Fabulous Juice Plus team – for everything we have worked together this year and boy oh boy just wait to see how we are going to make 2015 !!

CHRISTMAS is not only an important time to reflect on the year past – but to look ahead to the new year too. What are looking to change? Change yourself for the better and as you change, things will start to change for you.

Transformation – it’s great! Don’t be afraid to transform into a person you feel comfortable with. Thinking with your heart will lead you in the right direction.

This life can truly be lived .. Travelling the world , sharing fun crazy times , helping to make the world a better place ..

God Bless x

Use Emotional Intelligence to Increase your Team’s Effectiveness

I had a great time delivering a workshop in Chester this week titled “Use Emotional Intelligence to Increase your Team’s Effectiveness”.

Why do some highly qualified and apparently capable managers produce less successful outcomes than other seemingly less qualified individuals? The answer is often in their levels of Emotional Intelligence.

If you are a manager or leader in any capacity I highly recommend you develop your skill set around understanding, using and managing emotions, this will help you improve the quality of your communication and lead your team to achieve higher levels of success.

It was Daniel Goleman who first brought the term “emotional intelligence” to the forefront back in 1995. I recommend reading his book as a great introduction into Emotional intelligence:

“Goleman found that while the qualities traditionally associated with leadership—such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision—are required for success, they are insufficient. Truly effective leaders are also distinguished by a high degree of emotional intelligence, which includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill.” source

Read: Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ – Daniel Goleman

Amazon description:

The ground-breaking best-seller that redefines intelligence and success Does IQ define our destiny? Daniel Goleman argues that our view of human intelligence is far too narrow, and that our emotions play major role in thought, decision making and individual success. Self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, motivation, empathy and social deftness are all qualities that mark people who excel: whose relationships flourish, who are stars in the workplace. With new insights into the brain architecture underlying emotion and rationality, Goleman shows precisely how emotional intelligence can be nurtured and strengthened in all of us.

Emotional intelligence has a huge impact on your professional success , in fact emotional intelligence it the strongest predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership. By becoming more self-aware and improving your emotional intelligence it can impact in many areas, including:

• Become an Emotionally Resilient Leader
• Learn Enhanced Communication Skills to Strengthen Team Dynamics
• Develop Self Awareness and Empathy
• Manage Emotional States for Improved Outcomes
• Identify your ‘Triggers’ – Learn Specific Self-Management Strategies
• Harness Stress and Use it Productively
• Create High Levels of Resilience to Perform under Pressure
• Improve the Quality of ALL your Meaningful Relationships

 

If you would like to be notified of my next workshop into Emotional Intelligence leave me a comment below.

 

 

Are you the best ‘people magnet’ you can be?

Learn to be an expert about connecting with people, if you can master the art of turning contacts into relationships in business, as well as life you will have unlimited success. Establish common ground with people to initially first connect, after trust builds, the relationship will move to a deeper level. 

WOW! THEM TO WOO THEM

The secret is to give value first. The power of building the strongest relationships you can have is to have other people wanting to connect with you! Magic words are ‘What can I do for you?’ stop thinking in the terms of ‘I’ and ‘me’.

BECOME THE DETECTIVE

As you arrive at the event/place of connection, capture and take in the surroundings on all senses.

Look around for visual signs that may help build the conversation, lie pictures, awards, desk items if it is someone’s home or place of work. If an event, notice who is talking to whom, signals that can lead you to who you need to speak to.

Once you have made the connection, use your listening skills to hone in on specific areas of interest, and powerful questions to get the person talking about themselves, to revel personal things you can build on now, and in the future. (Long term relationships is the true art of networking)

Before moving onto the next person, exchange business cards, and write down some personal points for the future.

 

When you embody and become your best, most enthusiastic, charismatic version of yourself you’ll find that people will be uncontrollably and magnetically drawn and attracted to you. – source

Are your thoughts, and therefore your attitude the most positive they can be?

No one will be attracted to someone who us negative, act confident (even if you don’t feel it), smile, make eye contact and have a confident, firm handshake. Courage is like inflicting yourself; it gains momentum every time you take ownership of it! Practise makes perfect, get out there and dazzle people with your magnetic personality !!!

Create a nurturing culture in the workplace

Your employees are your greatest asset! Therefore it makes sense to invest in them & create the BEST workforce you can have!

Does your workplace allow your employees to be energetic and alive? Are there enough opportunities being created to allow them to reach out & take ownership of their own personal growth? Take a step back and imagine what your employees would like to see happening that allows them to use their own initiative & improve their own skills & learning. What support are staff given with new challenges? Tap into your employee’s talents and unleash their potential in new ways that benefit both you and your business.

Ensuring that there is a connection between individual, team & department goals with those of the company is a winning strategy. Creating a nurturing culture does take consideration and time but the long-term goals far outweigh a one-off fundraiser or “dress-down Friday”. Investing in your employees will develop acommitted, passionate workforce who will deliver your long-term goals and move you closer to realising your own vision.

Are you providing the following opportunities?

– to increase staff morale & well-being

– to increase skills

– to get involved in decision-making & setting goals or targets with others

– to empower staff by giving them more responsibility and/or accountability

– to provide regular feedback on their performance and targets

– to assist staff in turning things around & be positive when things go wrong

– to get to know each others’ strengths & weakness to improve team performance

– to inject fun in the workplace

It is true that there is a risk element that staff will leave, however it could also be argued that if staff are not developed or nurtured then the business will, in effect, not grow. Is it not better to invest in people and assist them in getting qualifications or a better skill set that then benefits the credibility of the business too?

Developing people is about creating opportunities to help them grow. Nurturing people goes a little deeper – a culture where people are supported with personal and professional growth opportunities; where reflection, evaluation and support play a key part in coping when there are mistakes or failures. A nurturing culture does not mean pandering to every need but it does mean giving time, care, support and positivity. A positive attitude can nurture optimism, motivation & success in others as well as yourself.

What are your thoughts on a creating a nurturing culture in the workplace?

 

Networking -Work that room, baby!

I often speak at networking events and so I am writing this blog in mind of those who are perhaps a little anxious or don’t know what to expect at networking meetings. I am really excited about a new networking event, the Hour of Power, taking place next month so I would like to make sure that everyone is happy to come along and work that room, baby!

Why bother with networking? If you’re looking to succeed and sell to other people there will always be a need to connect with others. Yes, networking involves “work” but this can get to a stage, with my 4 tips below, where it becomes an every day habit that isn’t really “work”!

How do you feel when you attend a networking event? What do think when you enter the room? Who do you approach first? Where do you stand? Do you talk to many people or just a few? Networking can sometimes bring back those feelings of being at school –a little bit of excitement that is overwhelmed by the anxiety of putting your foot in your mouth! It doesn’t have to be that way! You’re no longer a teenager, so GET RID of those niggling doubts and take control of what you want to happen when networking in a room full of possibilities and opportunities. So, let’s start WORKING on those things so you can leave a networking event with optimism and a sense of achievement.

As Richard Branson tells it:

“Business is all about personal contact. No matter how heavy your workload is… everyone can and should be a networker.”

So, how can you reduce the “work” element of networking so that it becomes something you are so successful at that you forget there is any “work” involved?

Think of yourself as an actor or actress on stage in the local theatre where you see a mix of familiar faces as well as strangers. Preparation is key- fail to prepare and you prepare to fail. So here are the ultimate 4 steps on working that room, baby!

1. Act. Walk up to the mirror and look at the way you hold your shoulders and head. Study your body language as you walk around or stand in one place. Do you exude confidence? I’m not asking you to shimmy along like Beyoncé or to stomp around like Sylvester Stallone, instead find the natural confident you – lift your shoulders back and hold your head up high to notice an instant change! Practise your stance and your look until you see the epitome of confidence looking back at you; and…smile!

2. Put on your clothes. This does not mean that you’ve been naked for the whole of step no.1!! Instead, rehearse in the clothes that you will wear. What do your clothes say about you? When we meet people for the first time we take in what they physically look like and make a snap judgement – it’s not to say that that judgement is right but is the first and lasting impression! What will people think of your clothes, your shoes and your hair? This first impression gives others signals as to what our style is – or not – so think about the signals you send out. Look at your image and… smile!

3. Practise your lines. Have a number of good “opening lines” to break the ice. Get rid of all fears of rejection and change your mind set. If you’ve turned up, then you’ve conquered the biggest risk of rejection, so get rid of those others fears and start thinking about all the rewards you can get from meeting people and discussing business. Have a way of introducing yourself that makes a lasting positive impression. Never be afraid to introduce yourself or to ask others their name when you join a conversation. Everyone is there to network so it is expected that people will walk up to others and say hello. Rehearse what else you will talk about – what will you say about yourself and your work? What will you ask others? Don’t think of it as an interview but as a chat that you are having with your friends in a workplace setting – be professional, polite and friendly. Sometimes those pesky nerves can get in the way of our personality shining through. So bust those nervous feelings right now and… smile!

4. Be interested. It’s not all about being interesting! Ask powerful questions that mean you want to hear what others are saying. For example:What social media platforms do you use so I can find out a bit more about you/ your company? Can you tell me more about ___________? What do you mean by_______? Pay genuine compliments. Exchange business cards, thank people for speaking to you and… smile!

Pease do come along to Hour of Power – a women’s networking on Thursday 1^st May 12:00 – 2:00pm with Sally Hudson at the Castlefield Rooms, Castlefield, M3 4 LZ.

Book and pay for your place here.

Look forward to meeting you. Please do come and say hello, particularly if it is your first time networking.

If you’ve got any tips to share please leave a comment.