Leadershipbydesign
News From LBD
November 2010 Vol 2 Issue 11
The Thanksgiving Story-

    In 1620, 120 people boarded two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, for the "New World".  After 64 days of a difficult journey the Mayflower was to be the only ship to reach the "New World" and the number of people had been greatly reduced. They arrived in poor health and too late to plant and harvest a crop. Despite facing many difficulties, they learned a very important lesson which has become a heritage to many of us today - Thanksgiving.


    By the end of that winter only a quarter of their number remained.  Their shelter had not been enough to protect them from the harsh weather conditions and a number of times they had suffered attacks from the natives of the land. It was at the end of this dark, cold winter that the few colonists that

remained met to review their circumstances, which looked very grim. One of them took a  leadership role and encouraged the rest by saying, "Yes, things are bad. We can hang our heads and say, 'Oh woe for us', or we can have the attitude that we made a decision, we are here. Let's look for some good things and let's make the best of what we have. Let's be thankful, let's be joyful and let's make this grand adventure work."


    They agreed and came up with a list of things they could be grateful for. Instead of focusing on the negative these Pilgrim Fathers learned it was all about attitude. They celebrated, with a feast each year after the fall harvest, to be thankful and to focus on the positives.


    Perhaps this is a lesson for all of us. Focus on the positive; set goals and give thanks no matter what circumstances we face. Instead of grumbling and complaining we should be thankful for those blessings that we do have. 

 

    Make your Thanksgiving a celebration of life's grand adventure!

 

 

What Leaders are Reading

 

People Buy You by Jeb Blount - With all the focus on technology to sales processes to selling skills, Jeb challenges the reader to think differently about the decision making process. He actually devoted 8 pages to this often overlooked skill ... smiling. Another gem is the greatest competitor anyone has is not the other guy or business, but the Status Quo.

Quiet Leadership by David Rock - A leader's job "should be to help people make their own connections." Rock asserts-a commonsense message in this guide for executives and managers who want to improve employee performance.

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OF THE MONTH


What's in a Question?
 
Quite possibly your next sale! What comes out of your mouth more often, a declarative statement or a question? Declarative statements can come off flat, and can leave your prospect cold and uncaring. Don't you really want them warmed up to you and interested?

Think for a second about some catchy questions you've heard that really left an impression. How about Regis Philbin and "Is that your final answer?" Good question, even though it's closed-ended. Why? Because it gets you to think more, then if he would have just declared, "You need to make a decision now." Another good one credit card marketers have exploited, "What's in your wallet?" MUCH better than "Sign up for our credit card." Bottom line ... using questions gets people thinking!

So, are you leaving people cold because you're telling instead of asking? How can you rephrase what you say to get people thinking and interacting with you instead of keeping their mental arms crossed?

For additional information contact LBD.
John Branstad
John Branstad

Quote of the Month

"Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever."
John Branstad
www.leadershipbydesign.org
763-213-5267