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Maryanne's Schedule
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Beating the Bad Economy Blues
May 7
Chicago, IL
Living the Law of Attraction
May 8
Charlottesville, VA
Career
Success
May 15
Weyers Cave, VA
Happiness Generator
May 22
Weyers Cave, VA
Coping With
Chaos
May 29
Weyers Cave, VA
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OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
· Becoming a Champion of Change
· Best Practices for Successful Outsourcing
· 5-S Comes to Joe's Pizzeria
· How to Make Training FUN
· Inventory Accuracy - Why Cycle Counting Doesn't Work
· The Role of Logistics in Global Supply Chains
· Warehousing Best Practices
SALES AND MARKETING
· The Care and Feeding of Happy Customers
· Selling Ain't Telling
· Selling Yourself - Mental Apparel for Career Success
PERSONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT
· Beating the Bad Economy Blues
· The Happiness Generator
· How to Deal With Negative People
· Living the Law of Attraction
· Purpleocity
MOTIVATIONAL PRESENTATIONS
· The Dash
· Giving or Getting?
LIFE BALANCING FOR WOMEN
· Caregivers Need Care Too
· Simple Abundance Close to Home
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Links to events where Maryanne is presenting:
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| Dear Friends,
The current economic crisis is causing high levels of stress on our workforce. Students in my operations management courses are reporting anxiety over their own career security and the pressure of increased workloads, as their employers continue to downsize and restructure.
This month we'll discuss how to develop leadership skills that will help and your co-workers cope.
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Tough Times Require Tough Leaders
There's no doubt about it, the downturn in the economy has the corporate world reeling. The cutbacks and layoffs are taking their toll on the American workforce. Along with the economic recession, I'm beginning to notice a mental recession within the companies I visit. To me, this is more concerning than the financial recession we are facing!
As leaders, it is crucial that we monitor the morale levels or the "pulse" of our workforce. It is vital to the success of the organization that we keep our employees and ourselves focused on providing value to our customers. Maintaining a competitive advantage was never more crucial to our survival than it is now, yet far too many companies are so focused on cutting costs, that the customer seems to be forgotten!
How do the savvy leaders keep their employees focused on the customer? They start by engaging workers in conversations about their personal concerns and fears. They address the elephant in the room and give as much information as they can about the company's financial health and future plans. They answer questions directly and keep their employees busy with specific and meaningful work. They educate and train workers and use slow periods for continuous improvement activities.
While the average person is running for cover and concerning themselves with their own future, the leaders are giving their personal time and attention to others. At work, at home, and within the community, the real leaders of our time are looking for the ways and means to lift others out of the doldrums. It isn't about skill or money, it's about caring for the welfare of someone else.
This month, take the time and effort to be a leader to those around you. If your bank account is shrinking, if your future is looking a little less secure, think about how distressing this is for others. Think about the effect the downturn is having on young families and on the elderly, who are living on fixed incomes. Do something for someone who can do nothing for you in return. You'll be surprised at how good it makes you feel!
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Transitioning to Lead
Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP, CPAE
One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a leader is the personal transition required along the way. The transition itself often arrives unannounced and unheralded. Not expecting it, many of us are woefully unprepared for its professional reality and personal impact. Consider the following five points of transition all leaders must be aware of and prepared to act upon.
Performance - Most of us earned our various formal leadership positions based on our past performance records. Simply stated, we were expert technicians, highly skilled in managing and manipulating resources (i.e., money, material, and/or machinery) for the good of the organization. Our reward? The responsibility to lead others.
However, upon accepting the mantle of leadership, we quickly learned our ability to manage resources wasn't as important as before. Now we must lead people. We learned the key to leadership is not the ability to do everything ourselves, but rather the ability to get things done through other people. The transition begins.
Exposure - Before becoming an acknowledged leader, most would agree it was fairly easy to blend into the crowd. Now the crowd follows you, seeking direction as to what to do and, occasionally, what to think. From this point forward, the leader's attitude and actions are continuously in the spotlight. And make no mistake about it, the spotlight can be bright, hot, and unyielding. Leaders are role models. (Like it or not, leaders should be aware that the attitude and behavior of their followers, good or bad, is usually a mirror image of their own attitude or behavior.)
Attitude - Webster defines attitude as "a mental position with regard to a fact..." The fact is, as leaders, we are ultimately responsible for the performance of our followers. Now what's your mental position? Allow me to suggest one. Try thinking of leadership not as a position, but rather as an opportunity to serve the needs of your followers, much like you would a customer. Your service to them offers a model of what they should do for their customers. In every instance, consciously work to meet and exceed your followers' expectations of you.
Knowledge - The most effective leaders are the ones who realize diplomas, certificates, or years of service don't mean much when it comes to leading. Followers don't really care how much their leader knows; they care about how much their leader understands relative to their wants and needs. Work to understand your followers and the act of leading becomes much more obvious.
Skills - Skills differ from knowledge. The focus shifts from understanding to application. Here are three specific skills today's leaders need to develop and apply:
Coaching...to train intensively
Counseling...to provide professional advice
Empowering...to grant official power
If you have these skills now, use them. If you don't have these skills, for the sake of your followers and yourself, begin now to develop them.
Transition is not always easy. But, the positions of leadership we occupy require us to do all we can to adequately prepare ourselves for this awesome responsibility. Your followers are wondering, "Are you willing to work to become what we need you to be?" They hope so and so do I.
Phil's website: www.vanhooser.com
Phil's email: phil@vanhooser.com
Office: 270-365-1536
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Build an extraordinary life of success...
Living the Law of Attraction
Workshop - May 8, 2009
Charlottesville, Virginia
Þ Clarify your purpose and the intentions that drive your success.
Þ Automatically raise your physical, emotional, and mental energy.
Þ Identify the actions necessary to activate your dreams and goals.
This interactive, hands-on workshop is a life-changing event. Act NOW and Save BIG!
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Mental Apparel is committed to lifting others to their highest potential through education, motivation, and inspiration! Let us help you!
Sincerely, |
Maryanne Ross
Mental Apparel
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