speech follow-up - discovering your strengths
Last week I spoke at the Joint National Conference for ASWA/AWSCPA (women accountants and CPAs.) My topic was Making it Happen - Secrets to Generating Results. Between 60 - 70 women joined me to work on their goals and focus for 2009. It was an energizing and fun experience at The Fairmont in Dallas. What a great group of women!
If you were there, I promised you I would post a few things here for you to refer to:
1. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath and you can purchase it at Amazon. Only purchase a new book to make sure you get an access code for the online assessment. The original book, Now Discover Your Strengths, is by Marcus Buckingham. The 2.0 version is slightly updated. Immediately after you take the online assessment you will receive a report listing your top five strengths. The book is then helpful in understanding what those strengths mean, ideas for action and how to work with others with their strengths.
2. Mindmeister is a collaborative online mind mapping tool. I have not used it yet, however, it looks like a great tool. I still use low-tech pen and paper for my mind maps although I love the collaborative online tool so I think I need to dream up a project to try it out.
I also promised you a digital version of my Main Objective Goal-setting sheet. If I have your email address I will send it to you. Otherwise if you are reading this blog and would like a copy, please email me through my contact page on my web site: http://kathygarland.com/contact.html.
This blog is written by Kathy Garland, Kathy Garland International, a company whose programs reveal the soul of women leaders to enhance their wealth, balance and freedom. www.kathygarland.com
how you affect others
As a leader, your behavior is a model and an example for your employees. Today I saw a great example of how behavior affects our children as well.
One of my friends, Minette Riordan, is the owner of North Texas Kids and she brought me in to lead a strategic planning session for her company. Because she is so committed to family there were a few children close by, with plenty of activities to keep them busy.
All day we brainstormed, prioritized, clarified and created focus for the future. During this time the kids were present, but very respectful of our work.
After we finished our day, we were surprised to see that the kids emerged with business plans. They were inspired by our work and modeled our actions. You may not think that what you do or say affects people, however, when you are in a leadership position, you affect people whether you notice it or not. As we saw today, children are also influenced by what we do.
What leadership qualities do you want your employees to have? What leadership qualities do you see in your children? Those are the ones you must live to build strong leaders with the focus and talent to reach company goals.
Read Minette’s blog post at http://northtexaskids.blogspot.com/ about her experience today.
This blog is written by Kathy Garland, Kathy Garland International, a company whose programs reveal the soul of women leaders to enhance their wealth, balance and freedom. www.kathygarland.com
Planning for Success
Today I am finalizing my preparations for my annual planning retreat for women leaders, which starts tomorrow. We spend a weekend planning for 2009. I’m writing this post today to remind you that it’s essential for you to spend time planning strategies and tactics to grow your business.
Women can get emotionally attached to their business. I’ve had many clients tell me about their business, "It’s my baby." Of course, it’s important to have a strong commitment to your business like you do to your children, however, a business needs to have a life of its own. Just as we raise our kids to be independent and self-reliant, so too, do we need to set up our business for success and to run without us.
There are several reasons this is important. One is to make sure you have enough balance and freedom to live as you want and not be shackled to your business. The first step to do this is to increase the financial health of the business to increase your wealth, which contributes to your balance and freedom.
A recent article in the Dallas Morning News presented some shocking statistics about the financial health of women:
- More than half of working women reported in a recent national survey that they can afford to save nothing for retirement.
- The median annual income for retired women is less than two-thirds that of retired men, partly because women have less income from pensions or retirement accounts.
- Women tend to take money out of retirement funds to pay for college and weddings for their kids, leaving them without enough to take care of themselves in retirement.
Please plan for your personal financial future as well as the future of your business. You can learn more at http://www.dallasnews.com/business/personalfinance/ or search for the article by the title: Women are more likely to outlive their savings.
This blog is written by Kathy Garland, Kathy Garland International, a company whose programs reveal the soul of women leaders to enhance their wealth, balance and freedom. www.kathygarland.com
Problem-solving tip
Last week, I started working with a new client who was so stressed and overwhelmed with business decisions, it was almost paralyzing her from doing anything. Have you been in a similar situation? There so many problems you don’t know where to start.
Chances are you are not taking care of yourself. When I worked with a team of designers, they knew that the secret to creativity and problem-solving is to have a balance of work and play. Just when we’d think they would need to focus the most on solving a design problem for a client, they would be laughing and having fun.
They always came up with brilliant solutions. What designers know about creativity and problem-solving, is to work on a project and then let it go for awhile so the subconscious mind can work on the problem.
Give yourself time to play, get a massage, go for a walk, laugh with colleagues when you are working on big projects with important deadlines. You’ll think more clearly and develop better solutions.
It can be as simple as having a few toys in your desk. At the grocery checkout over the weekend, I picked up a clear rubber ball with beautiful glitter inside it. It’s fun to bounce it and turn it over and watch the glitter sparkle in the sunlight. Such a little thing, but it helps relieve stress.
Play doesn’t have to take much time. I encourage you to play and have fun every day. You’ll love the results.
using experts
This past summer, I had a little more trouble than usual keeping our pool chemicals in balance. I started taking water samples to our local pool supply store and found that I had not been using the right chemicals in the right proportions in some cases. For the last five years, I thought I was doing it right. Now I regularly take water samples. It’s so easy and my pool is in better shape.
I’ve observed that I, along with many other women, have a tendency to want to solve problems on our own and don’t ask for expert advice when we need it. If you have an area of business or life that is causing you the same frustrations over and over again, it’s probably time for you to call in an expert. You’ll sleep better and be more productive.
On a personal note, my daughter is getting married this fall. I was listening to some old CDs the other day and ran across the song from Phil Collins, "You’ll be in my heart." The lyrics, "From this day on, now and forever more…" caused a rush of tears (I get teary-eyed when I see TV weddings for heaven’s sake!) I told her that she should probably choose some rap songs for her wedding so I won’t become a complete puddle!
a woman who changed the world
Today, I invite you to read Roy Williams Monday Morning Memo titled Sailing the Sea of Japan: http://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/?ShowMe=Home about Elizabeth Vining who tutored the Crown Prince of Japan, Akihito. Her teaching and inspiration led him to think differently and change 2,600 years of tradition in Japan. When he became Japan’s ruler, Emperor Akihito opened the minds of the Japanese people and made it possible for Edward Deming to come in and revolutionize Japanese manufacturing. It’s a fascinating story of a woman leader and I encourage you to read the memo through the link above.
my fearless photo
I want to share something with you that is fun for me. Recently at the eWomenNetwork conference, www.ewomennetwork.com, I had this photo taken by Mary Ann Halpin, http://www.maryannhalpin.com. She is the photographer for Fearless Women by Nancy Alspaugh and Marilyn Kentz, which is a beautiful book that tells the story of midlife women, including Cybill Shepherd, Larraine Newman, Joni Mitchell, Joan Lunden and 46 other women who feel they are at their best at midlife. Mary Ann photographed them holding a sword in a pose that is meaningful to them. She set up a studio at the conference so she could photograph us with a sword like the women in the book. I was one of the lucky ones to be able to get on her schedule before it filled up.
My Fearless Photo by Mary Ann Halpin
If you look closely, you can see the sword in my right hand. People that know me well say the photo captures my essence. There is something transformational about the power of a sword and being photographed with it. Cut through whatever gets in your way, slice through beliefs that you are less than what God planned for you. Stand confidently in the present, knowing the future brings joy and success with courage and focus.
Holding this sword and connecting to the power of courage brought out the best of all of us who had our photos made.
Thank you for reading my blog and I encourage you to share this with another woman leader in your life.
office productivity
Today is Labor Day so I thought I’d write a post on office productivity to make work easier. This morning, I found the most wonderful new three-hole punch for my office. It is such a small thing, however I just breezed through punching a 100-page manual. Paper punching hasn’t been this easy since I was in corporate and either had help or we had an electronic punch. Seems silly, but I am ecstatic over this small leap in office productivity.
The name of the paper punch is called ProPunch by Paper Pro and the packaging states that the product is the single greatest development in the history of punching. For the small office I agree. All you need to do is use one finger to push the lever, not struggle with standing up and mashing through your pages. It’s only $30 at Office Max.
The reason I am sharing this with you because the tools you use can help you make a huge leap in your productivity. Here is a list, that when updated, can help you increase your efficiency.
1. Does your phone support your needs?
2. What about your desk setup and keyboard?
3. Do you have enough light in your office?
4. Are the tools and materials you use for your work close to your desk?
Just as you organize your kitchen to make cooking easy, you can look at your office to see what additional tools you need and how the arrangement of your office furniture and materials makes it easy to work.
Sometimes the smallest change can make a huge difference.
On September 10, I am starting a new Mastermind Series for The Power of Your Pen, which I have taught for the last several years. You can make huge leaps in your results, your productivity and your peace of mind by joining this program. All the information and registration link is on my The Power of Your Pen Mastermind Series web page.
Take time to plan
Do you take time to plan your goals and how you will achieve them? Do you write down your goals each year?
Taking time to plan and focus on what you want to accomplish and how you want your business or your career to grow dramatically increases your chance of reaching your goals. Brian Tracy says that every minute you spend planning saves you 10-20 minutes later.
Not only are goals important, but also taking time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished in the current year and deciding what you need to stop doing gives you focus, power and energy.
My commitment to you is to provide programs to enhance your brand and your leadership skills. One strategy to keep focused is to take time to plan goals and strategies for the upcoming year. This October, I will be leading my fifth leadership and planning retreat for women.
If getting away from the hectic pace of your life, focusing on what you want and spending a weekend with a powerful group of women leaders is appealing to you, I invite you to visit my Annual Leadership Retreat Blog to see how you will benefit by attending.
You can view two video testimonials from women who attended the Annual Leadership Retreat in October 2007 who are coming back this year:
For more details, read the May 2 post on my Annual Leadership Retreat Blog. You can also visit my website or call me at 972.529.6744.
Give yourself the gift of time to plan, think, reflect on what you want to accomplish in 2009.
do you have a superstar on your team?
Are you watching the Olympics? Superstars like medal winners Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt make the Olympics exciting to watch. They appear to be super-human in their talents. Watching Phelps and Bolt compete in a field is amazing. Their extraordinary talent spurs everyone else in the race to push harder and turn in their top performance.
It’s the same with your team. Do you have employees that excel? Those that perform above the rest set the standard and encourage everyone else to work harder and ideally improve team results.