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Author: C-Suite Network Concierge

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Culture Entrepreneurship Personal Development Women In Business

How COVID is Changing the Fashion Industry

The pandemic taught us that we could live with a lot less. The overindulgence of items we surrounded ourselves with seemed frivolous and more like a form of gluttony from mindless purchasing. Many of our closets looked like a smorgasbord where we got our money’s worth from an all-you-can-eat buffet.   

 

We found ourselves cleaning out every nook and cranny we could find in our homes, including our often-overstuffed closets. Second-hand clothing stores had a tough time keeping up with the inundation of items coming into their stores. However, this robust inventory was a Godsend to those who felt financially crushed by the pandemic. The added stock was also the perfect storm for those who are ever so mindful of conserving resources and their role in social responsibility.    

   

Enter 2022. The office dress code is dead. Or dead in the way we once knew it.  

   

Gone are the days of having a work wardrobe and a casual wardrobe. The lines are now blurred. According to LinkedIn’s newsletter 29 Big Ideas That Will Change Our World in 2022, the 4-day workweek is ramping up. This shorter workweek gives us less time to wear our more formal business attire. The hybrid workplace is also here to stay.  

  

What we will see in 2022 will be multi-functional clothing—the demand for a practical, sustainable, and flexible wardrobe. The consumer will insist on attire that can take them from dropping off their kids at school, heading to the office – whether work-from-home or otherwise, lunch with a friend or business associate, back to work, running errands, or off to an event and back home. 

   

As such, fabric suppliers will see an increased demand for quality fabrics that are durable and comfortable, as noted on page 13 of The State of Fashion 2022 by The Business of Fashion and The McKinsey & Company. Capsule wardrobes, coined in the 1970s by Susie Faux and made popular by Donna Karan in 1985, will gain momentum as we embrace living the less is more lifestyle.  

 

In 2019 and 2020, we found ourselves looking for comfort, and we sought this through the fabrication of our clothing. The comfortable clothing we wore seemed to act as a soothing blanket in which we wrapped ourselves. While we were heading toward the casualization of wardrobe before the pandemic, what may surprise you is that many are ready for a restart. After living 9+ months in athleisure, many are craving something new. Liken it to nine months of wearing maternity clothes. There is joy in putting on regular clothing once again. The State of Fashion 2022 report found workwear such as blouses and suits now on the rise. Occasion dressing is also on the rise as we step back into attending events such as weddings, ceremonies, and galas.   

 

Businesses will need to weigh their dress codes’ effect on culture and brand. Some will adhere to the dress code of the past. According to the State of Fashion 2022 report, “… a growing number of consumers are likely to allocate more of their wallet share to investment pieces and versatile items, even as inexpensive items and impulse purchases remain an important part of the wardrobe mix for many in 2022.” Other businesses will embrace leniency in their dress code, entrusting their employees to make smart choices for their workday. There is never a one-size-fits-all.  

 

Sustainability will stay top of mind for both the consumer and fashion brands. Brands must find ways to ensure consumers’ items are environmentally safe and produced in ethical working conditions. Using technology such as QR codes on tags that allow the consumer to learn more about the sustainability of an item is already rising in popularity.   

 

Many people turned to thrift stores during the pandemic for financial reasons and explored rental clothing companies. I predict shopping thrift stores and renting clothing will gain significant market share.   

 

From Burberry to Banana Republic, fashion brands are racing to the rental market by creating subscription models. There is a significant opportunity for entrepreneurs in this market segment. For example, newcomer Preserve brings South Asian fashion to consumers through its rental model.   

 

People crave community and realize just how important it is to them now. We will see a return of boutique shops where locals will support the community that took care of them during the pandemic. Local shopping also offers a way to get items immediately. Small businesses will need to focus on creating experiences such as live video chats, in-store or online personal shopping, and same-day delivery and returns to and from your front door.   

 

Boutiques offer a sense of atypical clothing that consumers now crave. Like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon, we are rebirthing our wardrobes with fun and colorful items. A wardrobe that stimulates us and brings a sense of inspiration. As seen with the rise in awareness of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, self-expression is making its way to the forefront. We long for ways to express ourselves honestly. One way to do this is through our appearance.   

 

Shopping online will also continue to rise. With this, the demand for innovative technology experiences will come into play, such as virtual try-ons using AI.   

 

I predict 2022 will be the bridge year from traditional business wear and strict dress codes to multi-purpose attire that exudes individual expression. When we consider purchasing new clothing, we will ask ourselves three questions: is it sustainable, multi-functional, and expressive. Dressing to express will far outweigh dressing to impress. 

 

Want to your personal image or your company’s dress standards to meet the value of your brand, contact me at sheila@imagepowerplay.com or 605.310.7166 to schedule a 30-minute call to discuss how we can work together to grow your influence through my return on image® services. To learn more, visit: www.imagepowerplay.com.  

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Building the Brand of You

From my view of the world, I believe everyone is here to serve a larger purpose. That purpose is woven into our innate gifts, fueled by our fiery passions, and manifested in the intentional choices we make. It is our brilliance. To me, the content we create is the expression of that brilliance, and my personal mission is to inspire others to maximize their expressions for the greatest possible success.

Strategic content utilization has been a part of my professional career for many years. As a speaker, author, and podcaster, I have been a creator of my own original content based on my expertise in mindful performance. As a coach, I help others crystallize their ideas and insights to their essence so that they can systematically develop platforms, products, and performances around it. And as the Head of Thought Leadership for the C-Suite Network, I get to work with amazing experts from across the globe who want to optimize their content to scale their businesses and have greater influence.

In this role, I am honored to work alongside Chairman Jeffrey Hayzlett in our premier community of world-class thought leaders, Thought Council, within the C-Suite Network. Jeffrey says, “Sell you, sell the company; sell the company, sell you.” This is the basis of The Brand of You strategy and impacts EVERY executive who desires greater influence and impact.

As a community builder for the network, I talk to hundreds of executives and thought leaders about their business goals and how they can use their content more effectively. While every business challenge is unique to the organization, leader, industry, and offering, there are three universal reasons I have seen that have prevented otherwise wildly talented professionals from effectively leveraging their content:

  1. They lack clarity. Just because they are brilliant doesn’t mean they have the time or talent to create a thoughtful, relevant strategic plan that clearly articulates that brilliance or identifies the highest priority tactics that will help them reach the ideal audience and meet their goals.
  2. They are overwhelmed. Even if they DO have a clearly articulated plan of attack, they don’t have the time or talent to get it all done. Creating a compelling content marketing strategy isn’t their nemesis — the practical implementation of one is.
  3. They don’t know what they don’t know. The smartest people do one thing consistently: They get in the room with OTHER smart people who help illuminate blind spots, share best practices, and generate expansive opportunities. Chapter 10 of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich outlines the magic that happens when two or more like-minded people get together in pursuit of a common goal. Conscious collaboration works.

As a contextual modeler, I have broken down the complex landscape of content marketing into three core steps to leveraging one’s valuable intellectual property — and how the C-Suite Network professional community and media platforms can help:

Clarify your brilliance by participating in psychologically safe mastermind groups like the C-Suite Network premier communities of Thought Council and The Hero Club for breakthrough hot seats, trusted advisory coaching, and open sharing of best practices and tools that save precious time and money.

Amplify your brilliance across the four ways people take in content — they read, listen, watch, and interact. Find them where they are at, whether it’s a relevant article on the C-Suite Network Advisors platform, a podcast interview on C-Suite Radio, an episode of your own TV show on C-Suite TV, or at a C-Suite Network member mixer where you get to share or offer up a give (like a link to your latest piece of content!) Further enhance your amplification efforts with PR, social media content curation, SEO, targeted lead generation, and other value-soaked services offered by C-Suite Network Professional Services.

Monetize your brilliance by creating distinct, easy-to-understand business models ideally messaged and value-matched to the perfect audience, all of which are built upon each other to maximize efficiencies. Put a comprehensive plan in place to have your audience walk through a journey with you and your content, from establishing you as an industry leader to optimizing your web presence to establishing a high-conversion funnel to creating a movement around your mission. Crawl. Walk. Run. Soar!

Taking these steps will undoubtedly enable your content to make a bigger impact. True scalability, however, only happens when our growth efforts are based on not only the PLATFORMS we place our content on but also, just as importantly, the PEOPLE we connect with.

Whether it’s C-Suite Radio hosts sharing podcast interview opportunities, C-Suite Network Executive Leaders introducing each other for lucrative sponsorships at marquis media events, or Thought Council members creating synergistic PARTNERSHIPS that create success for all, it’s the power of the mastermind at work. And it’s the best part of my job.

Platforms.

People.

Partnerships.

It is the weaving of these three core aspects of our content-driven connection economy that creates a powerful Brand of You that will be seen — and activated.

 

Theresa Rose leads the Thought Leadership communities in the C-Suite Network and is passionate about helping others leverage their gifts and talents for maximum impact. For more information on Theresa’s work as a thought leader, community builder, and content crystallizer, visit TheresaRose.com.

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Top Traits of a Hero Leader: Navigating the 7 Cs

In life and business, we can run into some pretty rough waters. Regardless of the many challenges that executives face across all industries, sectors, and markets, there are certain characteristics that top c-suite leaders possess during this rapidly-evolving time. They demonstrate a unique blend of operational excellence and “Hero Intensity,” a powerful leadership framework based on core values that C-Suite Network Chairman Jeffrey Hayzlett shares in his award-winning bestselling book, The Hero Factor: How Great Leaders Transform Organizations and Create Winning Cultures.

Here are seven characteristics consistently demonstrated across The Hero Club’s membership, a trusted council of values-driven, growth-focused CEOs, Founders, and Investors within the C-Suite Network.

Hero Leaders are:

  1. Committed. They are driven by a mission to make a bigger impact with their success, going well beyond the gold-plated plaques in the reception area. They aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves, and their active, powerful presence galvanizes their teams around a larger purpose.
  2. Community-Driven. They want to give back to their circles of influence, whether they are the cities in which their businesses operate, the industries they serve, the causes they support, or the peer-to-peer councils in which they engage.
  3. Connected. They know that relationships are the lifeblood of growth in all areas. They, therefore, intentionally look for experiences that foster meaningful interactions, such as our intimate Hero Club Hour Chats or our 1-1 prioritization and alignment sessions.
  4. Compassionate. They are rooted in values that heighten people AND profits, knowing that acting from a place of empathy not only feels better but also elicits greater bottom-line results.
  5. Competent. They are strategic leaders who want to scale their businesses by receiving expert insights, time-saving tools, and relevant professional development designed to sharpen the saw.
  6. Confident. They demonstrate courage and presence by transparently sharing their challenges and opportunities in trusted spaces, such as in one of our hot seats in The Hero Club Forum, to address key business issues and get support from others who have been there before.
  7. Collaborative. They know that true impact never happens in a vacuum — it only happens in partnership. They look for ways to share in their success at every turn, knowing that it will fuel future growth.

I have a feeling that if you were to ask one of our Hero Club members about this list, they may shy away from the spotlight and draw more attention to the organizations they serve. True Hero Leaders are humble. However, every day they aspire to embody these critical characteristics and, more importantly, act upon them — whether anyone ever notices it or not.

If you’d like to learn more about The Hero Club, click here to schedule a conversation!

Theresa Rose serves as the VP of Thought Leadership for the C-Suite Network, partnering with Executive Leaders on clarifying, amplifying, and monetizing their brilliance. In addition, Theresa is a funny, inspiring blast of mojo who lights up the stage, the page, the podcast, and the screen as an electrifying keynote speaker, standup comedian, content crystallizer, and performance coach. Her latest book, Mindful Performance: How to Powerfully Impact Profitability, Productivity, and Purpose, has been featured on C-Suite TV’s Best Seller TV and is a how-to book that tackles our biggest challenges so we can intentionally make more time, get more done, earn more money, and have more fun. For more information, visit TheresaRose.com.

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Top Ten Mistakes People Make When Networking Virtually

We’ve all seen them…those good-intentioned yet overzealous rookies who haven’t quite gotten the hang of the digital networking event. They make little and big mistakes that blow their chances to leverage the connections they could have made, opting instead to waste the opportunity by blatantly chasing the lead.

 

This transformative digital world in which we live offers a unique, yet delicately balanced opportunity – even an advantage if handled properly. (In the C-Suite Network, we host a variety of digital events — connection points — designed to foster meaningful conversations.)

 

But going the wrong way can be disastrous in terms of that first impression being a lasting one.

 

As a Community Builder and head of Thought Leadership for the C-Suite Network, I participate in meaningful peer-to-peer networking with high-caliber professionals in a variety of digital settings every single day — some are formal interviews with top c-suite leaders while others are specialty roundtables or casual water-to-whiskey mixers that promote social connection. In any case, there are a few oops, uh-ohs, and nopes that you’ll want to avoid if you want to take full advantage of your next digital hangout.

 

Top Ten Mistakes People Make When Networking Virtually

 

10. They endlessly spam-bomb the chat with their contact information and no context. Guess what? The only memorable impression you are leaving is one of you being an ass.

9. They never make meaningful contributions to the discussions, either in chat or over audio, instead opting to deliver yet again a boring, canned elevator speech. What’s that noise? It’s the sound of an entire Zoom room snoring through yet another totally unnecessary pitchfest.

8. They spend all of their time talking about themselves in standard business clichés, and zero time listening to what customers actually need and how their solutions can provide real value to them. We don’t care if your “ducks are in a row,” or if “comparing apples to apples represents the lowest hanging fruit” – we want to know if what you provide can help my business – no more, no less!

7. They are rude, plain, and simple. They take a call on their phone while others are sharing. They don’t put themselves on video in smaller breakouts or 1-1s even when others are on. They don’t listen. These people are wastes of perfectly good rectangles.

6. Their LinkedIn profile and presence are not aligned with what they presented. The company name is not the same. Their headline is vague. There isn’t a photo. Don’t ruin your chances by making your LinkedIn visitors want to quickly check out before even hearing your message.

5. They have a horrible website that hasn’t been updated since The Office went off the air. (The U.K. version, no less.) Seriously. Don’t wonder why you can’t get business if your website is older than your social media intern.

4. They have broken links on their social and advisor profiles. Nothing says “meh” more than links that go nowhere. It only takes one to send an interested party packing.

3. They will forget to give a call to action! It doesn’t do any good to make a good first impression if you don’t immediately follow it up with a good first call to action.

2. They don’t have any original content that showcases their expertise. They aren’t writing any articles. They don’t have a podcast. There aren’t any quality video clips. How do your future customers know of your brilliance and authority beyond you telling them in a networking meeting? Can you SHOW them easily? And can they SHARE it with other decision-makers?

1. They don’t offer a Give with their Ask. They don’t come from a spirit of service. They only take. True success only comes from a commitment to reciprocity.

 

The quality of a network is only as strong as the caliber of the people in the room and the spirit of collaboration that permeates its culture. (Based on my studies of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, I think of success as an equation: Economics + Energetics = Exponential Growth.)

 

When we get into the right headspace —and heartspace — for meaningful connection, we have more relevant conversations and see each other as people, not prospects. And through that lens of possibility, anything can happen.

 

 

Theresa Rose is a badass businesswoman and an energizing, inspiring force of nature who is passionate about helping others shine their brilliance. Theresa is the head of Thought Leadership for the C-Suite Network and author of Mindful Performance: How to Powerfully Impact Profitability, Productivity, and Purpose. She was a Featured Author on C-Suite TV’s Best Seller TV and is a Radio Host of Mindful Performance on C-Suite Radio. Theresa won Most Enthusiastic in 2nd grade and Most Valuable Cheerleader in Junior High, so you know she comes by her contagious energy honestly.

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Think and Grow Rich During the Pandemic

 

I’ve been familiar with Napoleon Hill’s seminal work on success attainment, Think and Grow Rich, since I was five years old.

My single mother was a “solopreneur” back when the word didn’t exist. Mom was my first thought leader, infusing me with the importance of a positive mindset coupled with disciplined work practices as she worked her highly-successful direct sales business. (Yes, she did win a Pink Cadillac. Many of them over the decades.) While she had an entire library of personal enrichment and career development resources, including a million Zig Ziglar cassettes, one of her favorite resources was a 1960 weathered copy of Think and Grow Rich, $1.99. It sat on her nightstand for thirty years and was a consistent source of insight and inspiration for her throughout her professional life.

While the book contains vast insights on the power of our minds, I am seeing most clearly the impact of executing the principles found in Chapter 10: The Power of The Master Mind, as it pertains to our current challenging times.

As head of the Thought Leadership practice in the C-Suite Network, I get to see first-hand the transformations that take place when a group of two or more people work in harmony for a unified purpose, or what Hill would have described as The Master Mind. (In the C-Suite Network we call them Councils, one of which I am fortunate enough to lead, the Thought Council, a community of world-class thought leaders committed to collaboration and growth.)

People often ask, what IS a Master Mind anyway?

I built a thought leadership practice on helping others crystallize their content and have crystallized into its most essential components what I have gleaned from studying and participating in Masterminds over the years:

Economics + Energetics = Exponential Growth

First, you need the Economics. There needs to be products and services offered. Business conducted. Partners identified. Deals done. Money made.

Second – and equally importantly – there needs to be Energetics that amplify the Economics. There must be a genuine spirit of unity, generosity, and collaboration interwoven in the business landscape. Members of well-led Master Mind communities know that they can show up fully, transparently, and vulnerably. They come to the table with strength, support, and a spirit of generosity. Most importantly, they can drop the armor and be REAL, knowing on a deep intrinsic level that they are psychologically safe with their peers.

When the Economics and the Energetics are in ample supply, Exponential Growth inevitably occurs. Doors open that would otherwise not. Cross-promotion opportunities are identified. Connections are made.

Magic happens.

As we intentionally create abundance for our businesses and contentment in our personal lives in the Age of Coronavirus, it is important not to lose sight of this simple success equation that captures the essence of what makes us all Think and Grow Rich. Seek out a ripe economic landscape with positive, confident, collaborative people who not only understand this core principle but also have the spirit in which to execute it. When you do, you’ll soon find yourself scaling up and adding zeroes at the end.

  —–

Theresa Rose lights up the stage, the page, and the screen as an electrifying keynote speaker, standup comedian, content crystallizer, and performance coach who specializes in helping others show up more fully at work, at home, and all day long. Her latest book, Mindful Performance: How to Powerfully Impact Profitability, Productivity, and Purpose, is a how-to book that tackles our biggest challenges so we can intentionally make more time, get more done, earn more money, and have more fun. For more information, visit TheresaRose.com.

 

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Can Podcasting Make Money?

Thanks to the pandemic, we are spending more time than ever before looking at our screens, whether it’s on Zoom for our work meetings, news sites to keep us updated on the latest happenings, or social media for our connections and entertainment. This overemphasis on visual content gives business leaders an opportunity to sell their offerings or share their thought leadership through a different sensory experience.

Enter the monetized podcast.

According to Edison Research, 3.32% of Americans — 90 million people – listen to podcasts each month, with an impressive 74% of podcast users listening to learn something new. This is a perfect opportunity for great businesses and influencers to enter into the hearts and minds of their audiences – and future customers – through the doorway of their ears.

So what are a few of the ways one can make money in this exploding medium? As VP of Thought Leadership of the C-Suite Network and business podcaster myself, I can share how some of the brightest strategic minds have made money with audio content.

  • Sponsorship – Find companies that would love to have their brand affiliated with your podcast. If you are producing a show on health and wellness, secure a sponsorship with a growing company in the industry who will pay you $X every month for the privilege of having you announce them on your show in the introduction, during breaks, and the exit. You can have their information available in the show notes and create co-branded cover art. There are marketing departments that would gladly pay for this type of visibility for the right fit.
  • Attraction – Invite your future customers to be on your podcast! Oftentimes buyers will gladly accept a professional invitation to be a guest on a podcast before they will take your sales call. After they have an outstanding experience with you on your podcast, they are the warmest they will ever be to you. That is when you casually mention you can also help them with (insert revenue-generating product or service here).
  • Conversion – Do you have warm leads that you need to nudge over the finish line into booked business? Have them on one of your future episodes to share their valuable insights. This tactic has two powerful results: 1) your future customers will appreciate being recognized for their contributions and expertise, and 2) the Law of Reciprocity will kick in. This law states that, when someone does something nice for us, our natural, unconscious inclination is to want to reciprocate in kind. Karma is good. And it sells.
  • Upsell – Sometimes the best place to make money is with those we’ve already done business with before. If you have a customer you haven’t serviced in a long time, having them on your podcast is a perfect reason to get them back in your professional orbit in a meaningful way. You likely won’t turn all of those invitations into revenue for other lines of business, but you will for some of them. And some is better than none.
  • Collaboration – There are often unexpected forms of income that result when we strategically engage with others. Having talented colleagues on your podcast – or you on theirs – opens doors for exciting partnerships that could form as a result of your creative collaboration. At bare minimum, you have established another referral source for your business, and, depending on the person’s assets and vision, you could create a brand new lucrative venture or an affiliate marketing program!
  • Donation – Ask your listeners to pay you! Platforms like Patreon do the legwork for you and give you the structure for your fans to fund your podcast with a few simple clicks on their phones.
  • Advertising – This is the Holy Grail of podcasting that so many hosts chase after. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, marketers will spend $1billion on podcast advertising every year. However, the downside is that most podcasts don’t get enough downloads to earn anything more than an upgrade to one’s weekly coffee order. (The average podcast has 141 downloads in the first thirty days.) For those who do see show downloads in the thousands, be sure to partner with a platform that offers an attractive CPM rate. You could get a big check cut for you every month simply by doing what you love.

If you are a content provider for business, consider becoming an Executive Leader with Contributing Media Services from the C-Suite Network. In addition to having your show hosted on C-Suite Radio, the world’s largest business podcast network with an impressive advertising revenue-share offering, you’ll also get two of the keys to successful monetization of any content: credibility and community.

As a C-Suite Radio Host, you’ll be affiliated with a powerful network that will open doors to prospective guests that would otherwise not be made available to you when you are going it alone. It will also give you a stronger position when selling sponsorships. Most importantly, you’ll have access to a vast network of vetted business executives with whom you can share your show. Nothing is more impactful than a genuine connection with other professionals of like mind. The podcast downloads will naturally follow.

The short answer to the question, “Can podcasting make money?” is a resounding YES, especially when one puts strategic thought into the implementation instead of merely clicking the Record button.

#podcasting #business #revenue #thoughtleadership #csuitenetwork #csuite #advertising #collaboration #content #marketing

Categories
Growth Personal Development

5 Peak Performance Skills You Need to Thrive in the C-Suite

Serious times call for serious leadership.

And sometimes that leadership starts on the gridiron.

Jeffrey Hayzlett, Primetime TV and Podcast Host, Chairman of the C-Suite Network, and former rugby player, recently interviewed two former NFL players-turned-thought leaders, Bret Lockett and Tom Flick, for a C-Suite Network Digital Discussion on Success Through Transition. It was a lively conversation where they delved into the key characteristics of peak performance found in professional sports and how they relate to top performances in business. (Jeffrey and Bret compared 40-yard dash speeds! Spoiler Alert: Bret’s was slightly faster. Bret measured his with a stopwatch; and, by his own admission, Jeffrey measured his with a calendar!)

While the discussion contained a multitude of teachings from these incredibly-insightful leaders as well as highly-inspiring anecdotes from the football field, here are the top five skills that forward-thinking leaders need to incorporate NOW to cultivate peak performance in their organizations. And in themselves.

  1. Create a Culture of Accountability. Bret shared stories about his time with the winning team, the New England Patriots, and how every single player on the team was challenged to do their job and do it to the best of their abilities. In order to create that culture, transparent conversations were required among the entire team. If you want to take it to the next level, authentic communications across the organization are key.

  2. Have a Growth Mindset. Bret described how he has extensively studied the psychology of peak performers, and while there are several common characteristics that are present, it is the ability to expand beyond limited, fixed thinking that enables players to have sustained levels of success consistently over decades.

  3. Speak with a Leader’s Voice. Tom shared that true leaders who move with speed and agility, possess vision and strategy, motivate action, create buy-in, and inspire people actually speak differently than mere managers. Through their words, they rise above adversity, talk courageously about creating better futures, commit to learning, and demonstrate humility. They think more of others than they think of themselves, and their communication style reflects it.

  4. Engage the Heart. “Feelings are actually more influential than thought when it comes to affecting change,” Tom said. When leaders appeal to the head AND heart, they are inviting their teams to participate in a Great Adventure that invites everyone to take the journey TOGETHER. By engaging your team on an emotional level, it combats the danger of complacency, the “sleepy steadfast contentment with the status quo”.

  5. Mute the Inner Voices. Any great player — and any great leader — need to let go of those needling thoughts that may make them second-guess their abilities when it’s go-time. As Jeffrey said, “The great leaders I know have a really good sense of who they are in themselves.” That self-awareness is critical when leading an organization through big transitions like the ones we are all living through.

Successful leadership requires cultivating a highly-engaged, mission-aligned team that holds the highest of standards for themselves and can tackle ANY adversity presented to them. Will your team get up for the next play after they get their bells rung on the last tackle? Will they show grit that differentiates themselves between the victors and the defeated? Do they play for the team or just showboat for themselves?

Having a peak performance team is no longer just a nice-to-have. The competition is too fierce,  the digital landscape is too vast, and the pace is too quick to have a team of mediocrity. This becomes the dangerous terrain where organizations are, as Tom mentioned, “overmanaged and underled”. Jeffrey further reinforced the importance of strong leadership as all of us navigate this perfect storm of Covid-19, an economic downturn, and horrific racial injustice: “days have become weeks, weeks have become months, and months have become years.” In that accelerated climate, only top performers demonstrating a balance of mental toughness and true accountability will make the grade.

If you are interested in gaining more insights like those found in the C-Suite Network Digital Discussions, you are welcome to join the conversation as an Executive Leader! As a thought leader and podcast host of Mindful Performance on C-Suite Radio, I LOVE discovering how top leaders in business deliver their best performances at work, at home, and all day long. Bret, Tom, and Jeffrey provided inspiration and insights that will help me raise my own game!

#peakperformance #csuite #csuitenetwork #thoughtleadership #leadership #coaching #bestpractices #engagement

Categories
Growth Personal Development

The Content Creator’s Golden Rule: Write Once, Repurpose Twice (or More)

As an entrepreneur and content creator, I am always on the lookout on how I can maximize my brilliance with minimum effort. There’s just too many other priorities pulling at me to have to come up with original, relevant, value-soaked content every dang day.

Here’s what I always recommend to my coaching clients who want to monetize their intellectual property as a speaker, author, coach, consultant, trainer, or advisor:

WRITE ONCE, REPURPOSE TWICE…OR TWENTY TIMES.

What do I mean by that? As thought leaders, we should be doing some really deep thinking about what our unique expertise really is and what nuggets of awesome are contained within it. We need to spend the appropriate amount of time on the front end to clearly identify what we know that has practical value to others and how we can CRAFT THAT BRILLIANCE such that it can be used over and over again. Only when we put some careful thought into our expertise can we create a powerful brand, reputation, and credibility that will grow our thought leadership practices.

When I wrote my last book, Mindful Performance: How to Powerfully Impact Profitability, Productivity, and Purpose, I intentionally created a thought leadership contextual model, book structure, and even tweetable graphics so I could leverage my expertise well beyond what was on the page. I brainstormed at a writing retreat for a week using flip charts, markers, and post-it notes to get rock-solid on what I knew and how I can help others utilize that knowledge to improve their performances at work, at home, and all day long. Yes, it was grueling. And painful. And confusing. And frustrating. And oh-so-worth-it. Because now, I don’t have to think about what content I need to share. It’s already there in gorgeous black and white for me to tap into any day, any time, for anyone.

All of the guesswork — “what should I be sharing now?”, “what should I be speaking on?”, or “what do I want to be known for?” (with the corresponding wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth) — is gone.

Imagine creating a single platform of knowledge that easily allows you to write the following brand-building content easily and effortlessly:

  • Website copy
  • Presentation titles and descriptions
  • Proposals for speaking, consulting, and coaching
  • Training curriculum
  • Articles for clients’ newsletters
  • Social media posts, tweets, and graphics
  • Video tutorials
  • Podcast show agendas and notes
  • Handouts, one-sheets, business cards, and anything else you want your customers to see and act upon

When you put in the extra legwork (and mindwork!) initially  — just like a skilled carpenter will measure twice and cut once — you will find that creating your valuable content becomes easy and fun! It’s already written for you. All you need to do is tap into it.

And when you layer the world with your brilliance in this thoughtful way, you will make a strong enough impression to get noticed by your buyers. You’ll be seen as a true expert because everything you share is based on careful consideration. And, best of all, you’ll make more money in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Take that time to write your valuable content down ONCE so you can repurpose it over and over again.

It’s worth it.

Categories
Culture Economics Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Personal Development Sales Women In Business

In order to achieve your best, you must put a human on Mars

That is what Elon Musk is doing.

What about you?

Setting seemingly unattainable goals is the best way to succeed, stay focused, and execute in business living happily and fulfilled. Jim Collins, in his book co-authored with Jerry I. Porras, Built to Last, posed the idea of a BHAG. Establishing a Big Hairy Audacious Goal that visionary companies used to inspire bold missions as powerful ways to stimulate progress. The thinking behind such an approach is that to generate exceptional focused growth, a “moon shot” goal is needed. The manned lunar mission led to countless innovations in manufacturing, technology, computing, and human physiological support and nutrition resulted from this endeavor.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”

– Norman Vincent Peal

The NASA space program and the Kennedy mission demonstrated that great feats can come of extraordinary dreams. But of course, most businesses don’t have the entire financial might of the US government behind them when they start out.

 

What about other businesses?

In 2001, Elon Musk had the idea to colonize Mars and by 2007 he was stating it publicly. Within a few years, SpaceX was created, and the path was set. Today, Musk believes this will be a reality in 2026. Innovation and evolution have occurred along the way. With one of the most important being a reusable rocket which enables huge financial and technical advantages to allow multiple launches and easier commercialization of space travel. This created a funding mechanism to keep the program moving forward. Other advancements in solar energy, battery storage, tunnel boring technology, and electric vehicles across all his companies were either borne out of the big vision or supported it. Along the way, the impact of Musk’s big thinking has inspired competition, innovation, and cultural change.

When Steve Jobs rejoined Apple in 1997, he put the focus squarely on an ideal. That was “to build an enduring company that prioritized people”. Given the excess of the late nineties and rising stock market bubble, the focus on people-not-profit was aspirational. In the following decades, Apple would make user enjoyment and design the focus while they delivered some of the biggest evolutions in modern consumer electronic history. They literally changed industries from computer chip improvements by suppliers and operating systems, to hardware design and industry disruptions including music and cameras. Bill Gates and Paul Allen had the vision to “put a personal computer on every desk and in every home”, well it worked. Had they really understood the acceleration of their goal, they might have said: “to put a computer in every pocket”. Microsoft along with its competitors and suppliers ensured it. By creating the simple software that interfaced with average human and business users, computers quickly became ubiquitous. In time, size was reduced, and capability was vastly improved. The computational power of technology that once occupied entire floors in buildings now rests in the palm of our hand.

Be SMART

Putting a human on Mars seems like a goal for Elon Musk, but not everyone. Maybe your big goal isn’t quite that size, but it must stretch you beyond today. Of course, you might have been taught that goals should be “SMART” (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely). In fact, the principle seems to imply that goals should always be within reach. Inherently that approach wilts in the face of such audacious goals as described above. Maybe it is semantics and we’re really discussing dreams versus goals. Every dream or massive goal can be smashed into hundreds, thousands, or even millions of small “smart” goals that when achieved incrementally, produce an exponential impact. These pieces become the road map – or business plan – to reach that dream.

With what I call a “BFG” (Big F’n Goal) you can see the future through your future self’s eyes, and you are not constrained by the financial, geographic, or technical realities of today. What is needed to accomplish the goal, but doesn’t exist today can be invented or created in time. All dreams can be deconstructed and built step by step.

 

A cosmic ripple

Now, I am looking to make a cosmic ripple effect. I once set a goal to help direct $1 million to charity every year. Creating a business platform, assembling the right people and processes to deliver just that we exceeded $12.5 million in just six years! That Big F’n Goal changed my life and legacy. Today, we look beyond that to a new one-for-two-billion challenge by creating a billion dollars of wealth and a billion dollars of charitable impact. We know there is a multiplier, and it will just take a spark to ignite the imagination and vision releasing the energy of one hundred special, impact-minded entrepreneurs, and business owners to commit to their own Grow Get Give process to make that a reality.

We might not be going to Mars, but our impact will be inter-stellar.

LEGACY

Big goals can be accomplished one step at a time or all at once. When contemplating my legacy, I realized I didn’t want to wait. I had to ask myself the question, “What will give me the greatest possible reach to be that spark to energize others?” It is going to take an engaged community of a thousand, impact-minded, thought leaders and business owners, and we need just one hundred of the right entrepreneurs in our Grow Get Give Coaching family to light this match.

 

I asked, “How will they find me?” I could continue growing one or a few at a time years, trying to rise above the digital noise, but if I could reach millions of people at once, we could accelerate this. That is when I decided to join the biggest platform available today. In January I agreed to join creator Christopher Lavoie and The Social Movement TV Series as a producer.

We are assembling innovators, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to share their genius, giving them just “4 days to save the world”. If you think you have what it takes to tackle the world’s greatest problems and want to learn how this will elevate your personal, professional, and brand currency, just watch this trailer and schedule a time to speak with me.

https://socialmovement.tv/schedule-producer4/

Categories
Entrepreneurship Management Personal Development

Water for the Weary – Why Every Business Needs Support from a Consultant

A few years ago, I overheard some of my colleagues discussing their weekend plans to volunteer at a marathon.  As I listened to the discussion I became intrigued because I was unfamiliar with this type of volunteerism and on the surface I didn’t understand why it was needed.  As the conversation developed my colleagues shared the challenges of long distance running; there was a consensus that support throughout the race—not just at the beginning and end– would make each runner more likely to complete the journey.

Having never participated in a marathon, I sought to understand.  I was compelled to ask the one question that came to my mind after hearing them deliberate, which was “Why do you need support throughout the race?”  The group looked at each other as if they were trying to decide who should take the question.  After a long awkward silence, I further developed the question.  “I mean, isn’t it your race to run?  I thought you spend months preparing for it…  Shouldn’t your adrenaline carry you through?”  My naivety was rooted in my disdain for long distance running.

I played football for more than 15 years and it seemed like every time the team did something wrong our coaches made us run long distances as punishment.   These folks were volunteering to run for hours without getting any admiration from most of their peers or the potential to make millions of dollars as a professional.  Finally, the strongest runner in the group looked at me and said, “We all need a cup of water on our journey.  It is helpful to know that someone understands what we are going through and can point us in the right direction when we are getting weary.”  I completely understood this concept, as it is the basis for my view of why only 2 out of every 10 businesses last more than 10 years.

Business owners and executives often become so busy fighting the fires of daily operations that they rarely spend time working on their business.  They get caught up in the whirlwind of right now instead of spending the necessary time looking at what is most important.  These decisions are often the catalyst for what causes the beginning of the end.  When is the last time you worked on a strategic plan or took the time to write out an updated plan for your business?

Leaders who have worked in large companies and experienced the impact consultants and coaches can deliver to their organization are often challenged to find the resources to cover the costs to engage many of those same coaches when they transfer to smaller companies or become entrepreneurs because they have other competing priorities.  For the group of owners who have never had a positive consulting or coaching experience, they often have a hard time understanding the value proposition because they may not understand how to use coaching services, or they aren’t aware of how these services can improve business.

We find this to be most common for enterprises that generate revenues between $750,000 and $5MM annually.  This is where organizations begin to have formal policies and decision making is distributed to more than the top one or two people within the organization.  Because of these dynamics, we see this as a time where development of strong leadership and a focus on having a healthy culture are essential to the ongoing growth and success of the company.  While many owners believe they can handle these issues, the reality is very few are equipped to operate the business daily and handle the strategic functions concurrently. Consultants and coaches can offer invaluable support to them and other top leaders of an organization as they run through the woods and the stretches of roads where no one else is standing with signs or cheering.  This specially skilled group of people point you in the right direction when you are at a crossroads and unsure of which direction to go, or to offer you a cup of water to replenish some of the nutrients you lost since you left the starting blocks.

Unfortunately, most business owners ignore these opportunities for support thinking they can run the marathon on their own.  This choice often results in them condemning their organizations to stagnation, regression or failure.  The costs of the external support may be far more attractive than the loss of business, dollars, and efficiency often experienced when handled completely internally.

If you have ever found yourself stuck in a rut, you likely did not notice that your behaviors or thinking possibly stagnated your productivity.  You repeated past successful behaviors and awaited a positive outcome, only to be disappointed.  You may wonder how you got there, and how to make an effective change. Remember the struggles you faced in making that change; you implemented new behaviors and processes and performed them daily with little to no immediate evidence that your efforts were successful.  During this period, you constantly sought feedback as proof that others noticed. In business, top leaders rarely have that luxury because they feel isolated by their staff and clients during change. This doesn’t negate the need it only amplifies the importance of having someone to help keep you on track to your new future state.  The question I have for you is who is there to offer you a cup of water when you are weary?

Myers Development Group, LLC assists companies with their business needs.  Our organization is committed to delivering results and not just being busy with activities.  Our team offers business strategy and organizational development to small businesses who are looking for that competitive advantage.

Organizational Development

  • Leadership Development
  • Executive Coaching and Career Coaching
  • Process improvement initiatives
  • Cultural Assessment and Alignment

Business Strategy

  • Support writing proposals, and participate in client presentation
  • Support existing client relationship management, create new client lists and initiate contact
  • Cultivate relationships with strategic partners
  • Perform gap assessments between client needs and internal resources
  • Review existing contracts and facilitate creation of additional tasks orders being awarded
  • Support strategic planning sessions with market research and analysis
  • Lead strategic internal projects for office managers and executives