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How is Business Going to Start the Spring?
Greetings!
Just like spring ushers in the new, we have to have that attitude with our businesses. If you have been experiencing challenges, I encourage you to look at your business with the look of a new puppy or the blossom getting ready to bloom. Let start fresh with:
- Setting Goals: Have you set goals for this year yet? If so, do they have a measurable outcome? An expected achievement date? If not, we want to encourage you to set some goals to breakthrough in your business this year. There is some additional information in article below.
- Have you evaluated your business plan? What worked, What didn't work, what can you stop, what can you start?
- Have you expanded your network? Are you working your network? How often do you look for referral partners or referral sources instead of appealing to each prospective customer or client.
These are just a few pointers, if you would like more, please visit our blog or website. There are two great articles from Guest Writers at the bottom of this e-letter that will be well worth the read. |
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Upcoming Events
Building your Business to
Last, the Foundational Answers to Questions you need to ask.
May 14, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Courtyard Marriott in Oxnard
Continental Breakfast Served, $65 regular registration, $55 Early Bird. See Next Newsletter for Details
The Basics of
Marketing to the United States Government, Preparing for Government Contracts, the Secrets that Nobody tells you.
May 29, Orange County - Buena Park Radisson
Regular - $59, Early Bird - $49
Stay Tuned for Details
June 10 ABA OC
Government Marketing - 5 series workshop
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An article that makes us think about our priorities and the impact we have on our fellow human beings. Guest Editorial
Excerpt from: The Heart of a Teacher, by Paula Fox
He was in the first third grade class I taught at Saint
Mary's School in Morris, Minnesota. All 34 of my students were dear to me, but
Mark Eklund was one in a million. Very neat in appearance, he had that
happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional mischievousness
delightful.
Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and
again that talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so
much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him for
misbehaving."Thank you for correcting me, Sister!" I didn't know what
to make of it at first, but before long I became accustomed to hearing it many
times a day.
One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked
once too often, and then I made a novice teacher's mistake. I looked at Mark
and said,"If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth
shut!" It wasn't ten seconds later when Chuck blurted out,"Mark is
talking again." I hadn't asked any of the students to help me watch Mark,
but since I had stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to act on
it. I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked to my
desk, very deliberately opened my drawer and took out a roll of masking tape.
Without saying a word, I proceeded to Mark's desk, tore off two pieces of tape
and made a big X with them over his mouth. I then returned to the front of the
room. As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing, he winked at me. That did
it! I started laughing. The class cheered as I walked back to Mark's desk,
removed the tape, and shrugged my shoulders. His first words were,"Thank
you for correcting me, Sister."
At the end of the year, I was asked to teach junior-high
math. The years flew by, and before I knew it Mark was in my classroom again.
He was more handsome than ever and just as polite. Since he had to listen
carefully to my instruction in the"new math," he did not talk as much
in ninth grade as he had in third. One Friday, things just didn't feel right.
We had worked hard on a new concept all week, and I sensed that the students
were frowning, frustrated with themselves and edgy with one another. I had to
stop this crankiness before it got out of hand. So I asked them to list the
names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space
between each name. Then I told them to think of the nicest thing they could say
about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the
class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room,
each one handed me the papers. Charlie smiled. Mark said,"Thank you for
teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend." That Saturday, I wrote down the
name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone
else had said about that individual.
On Monday I gave each student his or her list. Before
long, the entire class was smiling."Really?" I heard whispered."I
never knew that meant anything to anyone! I didn't know others liked me so
much." No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I never knew if
they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter.
The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with
themselves and one another again.
That group of students moved on. Several years later,
after I returned from vacation, my parents met me at the airport. As we were
driving home, Mother asked me the usual questions about the trip, the weather,
my experiences in general. There was a lull in the conversation. Mother gave
Dad a sideways glance and simply said,"Dad?" My father cleared his
throat as he usually did before something important."The Eklunds called
last night," he began."Really?" I said."I haven't heard
from them in years. I wonder how Mark is." Dad responded
quietly."Mark was killed in Vietnam," he said."The funeral is
tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could attend." To this day
I can still point to the exact spot on I-494 where Dad told me about Mark.
I had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin
before. Mark looked so handsome, so mature. All I could think at that moment
was,"Mark, I would give all the masking tape in the world if only you
would talk to me." The church was packed with Mark's friends. Chuck's
sister sang"The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Why did it have to rain
on the day of the funeral? It was difficult enough at the graveside. The pastor
said the usual prayers, and the bugler played taps. One by one those who loved
Mark took a last walk by the coffin and sprinkled it with holy water. I was the
last one to bless the coffin. As I stood there, one of the soldiers who acted
as pallbearer came up to me."Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked.
I nodded as I continued to stare at the coffin."Mark talked about you a
lot," he said.
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates
headed to Chuck's farmhouse for lunch. Mark's mother and father were there,
obviously waiting for me."We want to show you something," his father
said, taking a wallet out of his pocket."They found this on Mark when he
was killed. We thought you might recognize it." Opening the billfold, he
carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been
taped, folded and refolded many times. I knew without looking that the papers
were the ones on which I had listed all the good things each of Mark's
classmates had said about him."Thank you so much for doing that,"
Mark's mother said."As you can see, Mark treasured it." Mark's
classmates started to gather around us. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and
said,"I still have my list. I keep it in the top drawer of my desk at
home." Chuck's wife said,"Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding
album.""I have mine too," Marilyn said."It's in my
diary." Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took
out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group."I carry
this with me at all times," Vicki said without batting an eyelash."I
think we all saved our lists." That's when I finally sat down and cried. I
cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we
forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.
So please, tell the people you love and care for that they are special and
important. Tell them, before it is too late.
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Article Headline
An excerpt from
Rock Solid Leadership
by Robin Crow
As we all know, enthusiasm is another primary key to
leadership. Everyone has heard stories about the enthusiasm and spirit of
Southwest Airlines, but over the last ten years I've had the opportunity to
view that airline from the inside out. My sister, Laura, works at the Dallas
corporate headquarters as an Employee Communication Publications Team
Leader...which really means she's a writer for the monthly news magazine.
Of course Employee Communication Publications Team Leader
does have a good ring to it. For years, Laura has told me stories about Herb
Kelleher, the founder and chairman of the board of Southwest. She talked about
how his enthusiasm has permeated the company with his eccentric but lovable and
very effective style of leadership.
Laura's office is just down the hall from Herb's. She
says it's not uncommon for him to see her, give her a hug and say, "I
simply don't know what this company would do without you." IMAGINE THAT.
Nothing could be more motivating. And she pays him back
with loyalty beyond compare. She could earn two or three times as much using
her journalism skills elsewhere, but she won't even consider it. That kind of
loyalty is priceless.
Once, when my travels took me through Dallas, Laura and I
went out for a Saturday dinner at a Mexican restaurant just a few miles from
the Southwest Airlines corporate headquarters. I asked if I could see where she
works. When we entered the building, which is home to over 3,000 employees, I
noticed over the elevator, etched in glass, was the Southwest Airlines mission
statement.
"The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to
the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth,
friendliness, individual pride and Company Spirit."
Nothing too unusual about that, except for the fact it
didn't even mention planes. Then, as I walked off the elevator onto the second
floor, I was overwhelmed by these endless hallways which were filled with
thousands of pictures. I wish you could have been there.
There were photos of employees at charity ballgames,
Christmas parties and company picnics. There were letters from celebrities and
business competitors. There were articles and clippings about Southwest as well
as posters and brochures from the early days when the airline was just getting
started.
HERE'S THE STORY
When Southwest Airlines built their headquarters about 15
years ago, they decided to fill their walls with photos and memorabilia.
President Colleen Barrett (known as the "heart" of the company) began
the tradition of asking employees to submit their own mementos to represent
their personal lives and their experiences at Southwest.
The result is basically an enormous company scrapbook. I
saw a cheerleading uniform, an old flight attendant uniform, and my favorite, a
crushed tuba (although it did make me think twice about checking my guitar as
luggage) - all matted and framed behind glass.
Each picture is a piece of what makes Southwest Airlines
one of the most extraordinary companies in the world. These halls went on
seemingly forever. Imagine, it's a five-story building and those photos are on
every level, floor to ceiling. There was one hallway completely devoted to
photos of employees and their pets.
It was like the Smithsonian of employee appreciation. But
as I started looking more closely at the photos, I noticed that most of them
included at least one picture with Herb hanging out with that employee at a
staff picnic or some other celebration - always laughing and having a great
time.
It became so obvious to me that Herb's enthusiasm and
spirit of celebration is at the core of what Southwest stands for as a company.
And let me tell you, at Southwest they know how to celebrate. They know the
importance of having fun at work.
Laura says that it's not uncommon to see a spontaneous
parade marching through headquarters in the middle of a busy workday, or to see
a department playing a game of hackey sack in the hallway or testing out their
long jump skills. As all this was sinking in I began to understand why
Southwest's mission statement focused in on "Customer Service, individual
pride and Company Spirit" over talking about airplanes. Southwest Airlines
is all about people serving people.
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Government Marketing and CFR is looking for Coaches
William Osgood, President, CEO of CFR & Associates |
Boy, a lot has been happening over the last year. It just seems like a blur, CFR had to create a new service - helping companies market to the government and then learn it better than anybody else. Difficult, but the service is helping many companies get government contracts.
We are looking for life coaches, business coaches who are ready to expand their business using our innovative Selection and Retention of Star Employees Program. This program will give them an opportunity to add an additional service to their service portfolio to grow their business. CFR is looking to create a Win, Win, Win relationship that is financially prosperous to each affiliation.
Email us here if you are interested with "Coaching Offer" in the Subject Line.
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