Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This show was recorded in the Spring and represented my 2 year anniversary with Bill and Connie!  On this show we reviewed the Clear the Clutter Challenge, talked about staying connected to your values and then a surprising shift in the second half.

In the first half, the clutter discussion linked back to what are your values?  I used an example from the LIFE 301 Workshop of a top 10 value of mine is adventure and how my life reflects that.  The issue of emotional needs, life balance and how important it is to have clarity when life is full of change and upheaval.

On the break, a young woman called in about clearing out the storage unit of her recently deceased mom.  We talked about how to attach stories to “stuff”. We tend to forget life is about people, not about stuff, and the gal who called in during the show gave us a great opportunity to reflect on that.

Hope you enjoy this episode and so glad we got the podcast up and running – subscribe now!

Your Coach,

Shandel

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

“We are educated far beyond our level of obedience.” Humbled by that great quote, I am re-reading a few business classics this summer. As I finish up Built to Last, I am compelled to try to inspire you yet again to revisit The WHY: The why of your team, your organization, your family, your life. Why are you here? Why do others want to follow you, or are attracted to buy from you? Why are you unique and special?

Give yourself a gift and for a moment think like a great company. Discover what lies deep within, name it and then lead with your why. While the what is strategized and created, the why must be discovered and brought forth — in other words, it is already in there.

Why and What and How

True Life Coaching, Inc. celebrates ten years in business next month, and I can say our why has never changed. In sharp contrast, the WHAT and the HOW are evolving continuously and our growth requires that kind of agility. In fact, right now a snapshot of our clients demonstrates the power of why.

Currently on our roster are two companies in the fifth generation of ownership. Both are in transition of top level leadership. They are in the middle of huge change of the what and how but what keeps them grounded is their unchanging why. Cemented into the culture is their enduring purpose and vision statement which includes well defined life-time values. The clear foundation of values and purpose statement allows for agility and change as markets change and business models morph. It is super fun to watch the changes emerge from the new leadership that their great-grandfathers and beyond would have smiled upon!

At the same time, I am in the throes of two startups who are growing spooky fast and the entrepreneurs are right smack dab in the middle of the what! It is super exciting. One company is choosing to invest in the painstaking process of discovering their big why, define the culture and strategy while differentiating themselves from the competition. The six-month result is they are on track to make nearly 2X their projections, doing it with fewer people, and all loving their work again!

The other startup unfortunately is still in the weeds. Their urgency and utilitarian blinds them to only work on the what. They are settling for good as they believe their own story and their strength has morphed to a blindspot. Unlike the others, this leader is unwilling to take a moment to invest in the why and the process of what and how…. believing they can lead with their drive and personality alone. The result is an indeed a bottom line accomplishment of the what with a high emotional drain to other team players not to mention the lost opportunity costs. Very sad.

Why Does It Matter?

As a leader, be it your company, family or life, you can be not just good, but GREAT! You ARE great you just have to discover the words to uncover it. Why do you do get out of bed in the morning? Can you articulate what you are uniquely good at and why you are so excited about living your life? Why do people follow you and want to be on your team? Why do people believe what you say and want to help you fulfill your vision? Why do those who report to you enjoy serving you? Why does it matter? Why do you matter?

Well, as your coach, I say you matter because you have something very distinctive and special to contribute to this world before you leave it. You have an important purpose that has something to do with the unique value you bring you bring to others. Your why is very important to me and to the rest of the people in your sphere of influence. TLC can help your define the culture for your team and organization and all — but I want you to want to define the why for you and then live confidently from it.

It matters because you matter!

YOUR COACH,

Shandel

Elizabeth Lie is the CEO of ELKI Corp, and her energy is a sheer inspiration to all in her path.  She came to TLC hungry to learn more about leadership and how to maximize her people according to her strengths and theirs. Sure, the nine months we worked together yielded some cool stats to the company’s bottom line, but mostly this vivacious spirit soared to new heights in life and I enjoyed the ride as much as she did! She gets the WHY and is living it!  I can’t wait to join her to visit the Health Center she built in Uganda, or in some other wonderful cause she is going to pour her life into. You will enjoy her!

Here’s Elizabeth…

I often say I must have the best job in the world! I own a Gourmet Foods Import and Distribution company and last week I had the tough job of taste-testing cookies and alfredo sauces. Doesn’t get much better than that! (Now to the gym!) Each day in business is exciting! Even through challenges, I’m thankful every day that I get to do what I love and that I have the opportunity to be the best boss and leader I can be.  I would like to take a moment to share with you a couple things I believe have made me a better leader, boss and person, particularly this year.

In all of our lives, we have things that drive us, motivate and make us feel energized. Then there are things that deplete us and take our energy away. Think about this for a minute. Over the last week, think about things you were involved with or conversations you had that depleted you. Now think about those things that made you smile, gave you energy, put a new bounce in your step or an idea in your mind. This year, for me I realized how important it is to consistently seek out things that energize, motivate and inspire me to be the best person I can possibly be.

You know when you get around people with an achiever mentality and there is something that’s just exciting and alive in them? What I realized a few years ago was that in order to feel alive and full of energy and excitement, I needed to live my potential, better than average, in the things that really mattered to me. To live a life of turning average into great! I care about staying in great shape so I signed up for a Pilates class. I care about being a great boss, so I make sure to consistently learn and actively work to do better and be better.  I also care about giving to those in need, so I contacted an incredible organization which I stand behind whole heartily, and now I’m involved in several projects with them around the world. There is something that happens inside when you become a person who strives to turn average into great! This is the person I want to be.

A year ago I had the opportunity to do a project in Uganda, in an area where people were in great need. This was an incredible experience, and it taught me something well beyond just feeling great about giving to others, which was beyond exciting. I realized how important it is to consistently have something in the “near” future that involves helping people, giving, achieving goals and / or doing something truly important. It’s so easy to get caught up in our own bubble, but there is something awesome that takes place inside when you know you’re doing things much bigger than YOU.  It doesn’t have to be across the world. It can be helping out a friend, creating athletic goals and going after it, or anything that stretches you and takes you to a new level, whatever that may be for you.

Have you ever heard someone tell a story that started something like this? “The time I did that marathon at my fastest time…..back in 1984…..”  I don’t ever want to become a person who just remembers back to something great. I ALWAYS want “great” in my future. Striving for new achievements, new ways to make a difference, the “new story,” that’s what I want. Keep this drive alive and you’ll become the leader you were truly meant to be.

Elizabeth Lie

When I was 19 and in my second year of college, I got a surprise call to be the leader of a group of high school kids. It required me to move away from my rockin’ college experience. I would have to report to a board. I was way too young and inexperienced, and I resisted at first. The whole thing was a huge risk and a complete unknown.

But just as the phone rang unexpectedly, so my heart was moved unexpectedly toward these kids. I will never regret saying yes. More important than the leadership role I played, I learned the fulfillment of saying yes when the decision is a matter of calling versus only the next logical career move. I found purpose in the work, rather than working for some other vague purpose.

I worked with teenagers for the next 10 years (which totally prepared me to work with entrepreneurs, LOL!) Then on August 17, 2000, I attended the NYC Entrepreneurs Organization University. One of the workshops was on why as entrepreneurs we needed a coach. Right there, at 2 pm in Times Square, I knew I was supposed to be a coach.  I heard another call. True Life Coaching was born. I will never regret the call to help entrepreneurs say yes to intentional leadership, to success, to their own calling.

A PRIVILEGE, NOT AN OBLIGATION

What is your calling? I want you to slow down for five minutes, get real quiet and ask yourself that question. Usually the answer is right under your nose.

You may need help to see it. Perhaps you are missing it, thinking you need to look for it way “out there.” Perhaps you have numbed yourself, focusing a self-gratifying ego on being what you think others think is great or significant.

I believe that leadership is a calling, not a job. Those of us who have answered yes to the call to lead people have found a piece of our purpose in life. It’s a privilege to lead, not a right or obligation. It’s an honor to serve those under you and a call to lead them to great things.  We aren’t just execs with people underneath us on an org chart who are basically a means to an end. If you’re like that, your business books may tell you you’re supposed to care, but truth be told your direct reports are a nuisance.

That is a job. Merely a job. Even if you’re the business owner, the director or the CEO.

SIMPLE, NOT EASY

Seriously, life is too short to just keep working at a job. If you have people for whom you are responsible for, then, like it or not, you are a leader and those people need you to care truly care for them. They are your calling. (That includes the little ones at home.) They need you to be intentional and confident in your calling.

It’s noble and big, but is not difficult. It’s simple, actually; it’s just not easy.

In the MVP story this month is my inspiration for writing about the call to lead well. I have been working for three years with a client on intentional leadership as we develop their team. Last month, the general manager died unexpectantly, leaving a team of people without a leader, a family without a dad, and a town without a hero.

Answer the call because you don’t know how long the call will last.

I would love to hear your comments below and if you would like to subscribe to our newsletter check it out.

Lead Intentionally,

Shandel

I have featured Ron and Stephanie Horton and their Les Schwab/Horton Tire Center team in a previous MVP write up. Way back at the end of 2007, one of the first steps I took with them was to help them define their personal purpose and why they wanted to be in business. They both articulated that it was to raise up the younger generation with values and vision. They have done that, and last month we saw it in a very painful way, when the team had to deal with losing their amazing leader, Larry Gonsalves. Please read the beautiful way Stephanie tells the story. All of us need to understand the urgency to answer the call and lead our lives with purpose. Larry, we love you. Thank you for answering the call, training up the these young men, and living your life with purpose. Your coach is proud.

Here’s Stephanie…

On April 17, 2010, we lost our dear friend, employee of nearly 15 years, and the leader of our team, Larry Gonsalves. At the age of 47, Larry suffered a fatal stroke, leaving his family, friends and all of us at Horton Tire Center/Les Schwab Tires in Quincy, California, deep in shock. A sign at his memorial service, which nearly 500 people attended, said, “God needed the best tire man and Larry came running.”

When Larry came to work for us back in 1995, we had no idea the impact he would make in our business and community, nor did we know the mentor he would become to all the young men who worked for us. His energy and friendly approach endeared him to all our customers. His focus on being the best, touched each employee who ever worked with him. My husband, Ron, stated at Larry’s memorial service, “I had thought I was the face of Les Schwab Tires in Quincy, but it was actually a 5’7″ black man name Larry, for this I am very proud.”

We and our employees had our first annual team-building session with Shandel Slaten in February of 2008. Each year we have learned new ways to develop in all the areas of our lives, and Larry was always the example to our crew of how what we were learning needed to be applied. For example, last July, while Ron and I were on vacation, a conflict arose between two of our guys. The first thing Larry did was to take them to our meeting room. On its walls hang all the team-building tips, wheels, our vision, and our own mission statement, etc. Larry reminded them of the commitments we had made to each other, and how we had promised to resolve conflicts. This was truly his active leadership taking form.

Our most recent team meeting in February this year was on the topic of leadership. Of all topics to address just two months before we were to lose Larry, this one would be the most crucial session to get us through this sad time. I went over Larry’s notes from that meeting, and he had noted his desire to be the best leader he could be to each of our guys. And now, looking back over the last few years of our team meetings with Shandel, our crew received the tools needed in their lives to take on our current challenge: becoming leaders themselves in the example of Larry.

The fact of the matter is, we are just a small tire store in a small town with a crew of now 11 people. But, the impact taking place within our small crew – of knowing our purpose through tragic humility – is further reaching than we could have ever imagined. The bond that now exists has become our culture. Being motivated by pure honesty one to another, by the accountability we require of one another, and by the intolerance of complacency, these are now a driving force of their own.

While Larry is no longer physically here with us, his legacy and work ethic lives on, touching us daily, motivating each one, knowing we have a great responsibility to continue living our vision, which is; “To provide a remarkable experience for every customer, employee and vendor.”

We miss you, Larry.

-Stephanie Horton

Thank you, Stephanie, for an amazing story.  Please leave your comments here.

With all the Easter bunnies and lambs running around this week, I want to stop and ask you wonderful leaders, “Do you know the condition of your flock?”

I hold that old shepherd’s question as a mandate for leaders, and ‘tis the season to ask you for a progress report. So go get your chocolate rabbit and a cup of coffee, and let’s talk.

Spring Cleaning

First, let’s talk conditions (state of health or way of being). Conditions of the market seem to be improving. Most of my clients are seeing hope on the horizon, and, though cautious, there is an urgency to reach profitability! It’s spring, and spring brings anticipation of growth, so why not on Q2 earnings? It is also a time to be very real and honest about the state of health of your staff and workers. Do a little spring cleaning and take inventory on the condition and loyalty of your team to see if they are ready to grow with you.

It is my prediction that over the next two years, we will experience a season of reality for leaders. Unfortunately, those who have focused only on their personal survival and have neglected to serve the needs of their employees are going to pay a long-term price. In fact, their people are already coming forth and investigating how to land jobs in well-run companies. On the other han d, there’s good news for those of you who have lived your values and worked on sustaining your culture-for you are going to reap the rewards, and that is awesome!

Here are a few questions to challenge you in your care and leadership of your people.

* How often do you call your direct reports to check in, especially when things are going good?

* Do you praise good work proactively and show sincere gratitude where it is due?

* Are you guilty of only reaching out and connecting when you need the next thing done or to correct behavior?

* Ask yourself: Do I know the true condition of my people or do I live in a world of my own assumptions?

* What level of loyalty and commitment do you give to your staff versus expect of them to give to you and the cause?

Investing in Human Capital

In organizations where there is a high-task orientation, often the human capital management is of lowest priority, if even a budget line item at all. Are you a High Task/High Utilitarian? If so, it may be difficult for you to naturally slow down and see your work force not only as task-doers but as human beings. Sure, you may remember to call someone who is doing a good job, but only because you are thinking of the next thing you need done.

We want loyal, committed servants, while we emotionally withhold and make little to no investment, expecting whatever in return. Then let’s not be surprised at the burn rate of talent, silent turn-over, and ever increasing human resource costs.

Here’s a little challenge for this week. Purposefully find people doing things right, and simply tell them.

Well-Cared-For People

If you struggle in this area, be honest and get help. Work on your interpersonal skills and personal effectiveness immediately. If you don’t, when a person no longer serves a useful purpose for you, what are you going to do? How will you adequately care for that person without enabling them? If you’re not careful, you’ll just move on, leaving that person to fill in your lack of care with their own story.

It doesn’t have to be that way when we know the condition of our people, live by our values, and infuse loyalty into the culture.

What does this have to do with the bottom line? Everything, if we are talking sustainable growth models. Vision is not enough if you do not have the people who are carrying out your corporate mission from a well-cared-for condition. By the way, you can always tell how well-cared-for a staff is by how well they care for their customers. Think about it.

You can do it. It just takes awareness, and for some, a kick-in-the-booty reminder. This month I am launching a new leadership skills course , so if you want to do something about it – why not start today?

Would love to hear what one step you are going to do this week to know better the condition of your flock.  Let me know here.

Happy Easter!

Shandel

Subscribe to the Podcast via itunes store

Fun show this week as we talked about Family Shockers and the great need of vision, trust, and communication.  We are always looking to answer your questions so leave them in a comment or send us an email.

Remember when in doubt – be real, be authentic, be true to who you were designed to be!

We are taking registrations now for our April Life 301 classes.  This workshop is one I recommend to every person who desires to take their life to the next level and life with intentionality.  When will you take the necessary steps to live your best life now?

If you are looking to make a change in your career or take it to the next level – check out our brand new class – pilot pricing for our April class!

CAREER DISCOVERY:  For those who feel stuck, confused, frustrated, or just plain lost in their careers – and you don’t even know why – this class is designed to help analyze what’s going on “under the hood.”  This class will not tell you which career to embark on, but instead is designed to help you to explore your core values, passions, motivators, definition of rewards and goals, and to help you to discover what career fulfillment looks like for you.  Also covered are the common misconceptions and assumptions around career fields, fulfillment, and direction.

Class Includes: 3 one-hour group sessions (by phone), audio mp3, e-book, teaching by Shandel, and PIAV discovery process workbook.
Price: $175 for this pilot class – sign up here

I love being your coach!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

A Special Thanks to Anne Marie Faiola, CEO of Brambleberry, for writing up such a great recap of the Women’s Leadership Summit 2010

Six weeks ago, my friend and mentor Shandel Slaten called me up and said “You know, I have this idea. Tell me if you think it’s crazy. I just won Coach of the Year. One of the bennies for winning that was that I could offer this awesome personality and values profile at a discount for just one month. I love helping people and I want to help as many people as possible. What do you think about the idea of me putting on a Women’s Leadership Summit?” I was on board. Until she said her next line: “… in six weeks.”

I’ve planned business retreats, ran a conference for 100 entrepreneurs on Rosario and been involved with other weekend events and planning on in 6 weeks seemed a little aggressive. But, if anyone could do it, it was Shandel. “I’m in!” I told her.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being in the audience with 130 other women as we explored what our natural personality types are and what motivates us to get up in the morning. I’ve taken these tests with True Life Coaching (Shandel’s company) before and have brought her up to Bellingham to coach my entire team. The tests are incredibly interesting, valuable and helpful for living a life with purpose.

Molly Wilmot from Pinks Original Bakery spoke about starting Pinks (formerly Mostly Muffins) and about her biggest lessons growing a business. My take aways from her talk were:

1. Always tell the truth. If you speak from the heart and put honesty first, you don’t need a PR company and you never need to spin anything.

2. Believe in yourself. Molly never believed in the early years that she would fail. It didn’t cross her mind. She just put one foot in front of the other and did what came naturally.

I was honored to speak at the event. I told the Bramble Berry story (starting out in my house with $15,000 on a credit card and no business experience) and went over some keys for Bramble Berry’s successful business journey.

1. Goals matter. Set goals. Make a roadmap. Follow the roadmap. No excuses.

2. Surround yourself with a strong support network – family, friends, employees, life and business coaches, Mastermind Groups, Accountability Groups – to have a better chance at succeeding.

3. Continual learning. Devour books. Read and learn from the best business minds possible to grow yourself as a person and as a leader of integrity within your family and your company.

The event was incredibly rewarding and I was grateful to be a part of it. Thank you to True Life Coaching for facilitating it.

And, if you’re interested in taking that next step in your personal life? Shandel is doing a Life 301 course (via phone) to help you determine your life’s purpose and dig down and figure out what your values are. I’ve taken it and the course was incredible. It helped me define what my values were so I could start to design my life with those values in mind. Four years later, I’m still finding value in the phone training course I took from Shandel.

What an amazing day with 130 women at the 2010 Women’s Leadership Summit!  There is a lot of video and information to follow, so stay tuned for more tools to come your way.  In the meantime,  we are forming groups to meet the ongoing needs of leaders!

If you were not part of this amazing group of women it is not too late to jump in and begin the process of growth.  Feel free to join the group now as these classes are open to all people.

Life 301 starts mid April.  Register now for Thursday at noon class.

True Life Leadership Development starts April 14th as well at 10am for any leader looking to take their skills to the next level.

Peer Accountability Groups - start beginning of May if you are interested we are forming groups now.

Summit attendees -- just emailed you so if you did not get it check your spam with your special discount link.

Watch for more information coming your way!  Subscribe today!

Your Coach,