From Idea to Author Has Been Released

Yes, I know it's been a while since my last post, but I've had my head down and been focused on getting the book completed and ready for printing. Hooray!! Finally, the book has been released. The books have finally arrived and are being shipped today. Over the past few months we have been through numerous revisions, redesigns and delays. However, From Idea to Author: How to Become Successfully Published is finally available. This has been a great learning experience and it would not have worked as well without the help of some great people. Thanks to everyone for their support and assistance. Larry, you provided the perfect final touches.

Visit the From Idea to Author: How to Become Successfully Published website at http://www.ideatoauthor.com/ .

Keep The Ideas Flowing

Like Diamonds In The Rough
Ever seen a rough diamond? They appear to be a bit interesting. They stir a bit of curiosity, but on the surface, may not appear to be such a big deal. The beauty of the stone is not truly apparent until after someone takes the time to clean and polish it. Then it begins to show more promise. When the diamond is expertly cut, the true beauty and brilliance of the stone is revealed.

Ideas can be compared to rough diamonds. On the surface, some ideas may not appear to have much value, could be discounted or overlooked. However, when the right person looks at the idea, takes time to consider it, and sees beyond the surface, the true brilliance can be revealed.

Ideas Have Many Sources
In an organization, ideas are born out of personal experiences, business experiences, accidents, mistakes, customer interactions, product returns, miscommunications and in numerous other unpredictable ways. The number of ideas produced each day are countless. The number that actually reach the ear of management are few. Why? Oftentimes, due to fear of being considered foolish, misguided, disruptive, a dreamer, a complainer, fiscally irresponsible or unrealistic.

It's important to create an environment where ideas are welcomed and encouraged. Provide opportunities for staff to make suggestions. Know that many products and discoveries were born out of mistakes or miscalculations. Acknowledge and reward suggestions made by anyone. Most importantly, be careful not to kill good ideas or individual's spirits. To keep ideas flowing, avoid doing the following:

• Ignore the idea. Dead silence is a sure killer of an idea
• Laugh it off. By reacting to an idea as if it is a joke, you discount the individual
• Respond with, "Oh, we've tried that before." It makes the idea generator feel out of the loop
• Modifying the idea. Saying it is a good idea, and proceeding to change it, says you really didn't think is was such a good idea after all
• Personally attacking the idea originator. Once recovered, they surely will not come your way again
• Doubt the originator is the owner of the idea. "Did you come up with that all by yourself?"
• Multiple postponements of a decision on the idea. If it's such a good idea, why is it not important enough to address in a timely manner?

Develop An Idea Processing System
If you don't already have a plan /vpolicy in place for processing ideas, why not establish one. What does your organization do with customer or employee ideas? How do you manage them, give credit, reward, and encourage creativity? In what ways do you encourage idea generation and sharing in your department? What recognition systems are in place to reward generators of useful, money saving, or profit generating ideas?

Take the time to look at your organization. If staff aren't generating and sharing ideas, find out why. Once you know the why, use this information to facilitate the transformation of your organization. You can do this by encouraging idea generation, taking action, implementing ideas, recognizing originators and providing originator rewards. Not all ideas will be winners, but encourage their continued flow. Who knows when a diamond will be discovered, disguised as a dirty stone.

Use the Recession, Gain an Advantage

Some time ago, I read the dip, by Seth Godin. Recently, during conversation, a friend suggested that I revisit the book. So, I picked up my copy and started reading parts of it again. I found much of it seemed new to me and far more relevant than it had before.

the dip is about knowing the difference between when to ride out the low points (the dip) and keep working toward your goal and when you're in what Godin calls a "Cul-e-Sac" (a place where you're stuck and no matter what you do, you can't improve your state). During a recession, many people begin to jump ship. Businesses begin to suffer from fewer sales, less production, fewer shipments, less foot traffic, etc. The affect is a hit to the bottom-line. Many businesses close up shop.

However, the dip is a time when businesses should get creative and look for opportunities. A time when leaders, managers, supervisors or business owners should take a deep breath and spend some time examining the ways in which they can create a more effective, focused, efficient, specialized business, department or team. Too often, we try to increase revenues by spreading ourselves and our teams too thin. We try to cover too much or too many markets.

If instead, we were to focus our energies on fewer tasks, products, customer segments or markets, the concerted effort and focus would have a greater impact. Therefore, it would more likely have a more beneficial result. It's the dispersed effort and the eventual quitting, that keeps us from being successful during a recession. Many successful businesses, unable or unwilling to push themselves through the dip, quit. Prior to the recession, those same businesses may have been close to realizing the level of success they were seeking.

Push yourself, your team or your business through the dip. Here are some ways to help you do that:

• First be sure you are in a dip and not a Cul-de-Sac. If there is no possible way to improve the situation, it's time to quit and move on. Quitting is not failure. Quitting allows you to redirect your resources (time, energy, money, ideas, people). Quit products, services or features. Don't quit markets, strategies or a niche.
• Look at your organization, department or team. How are you managing your resources (people, dollars, time, etc.)? To push through the dip, you'll need to examine your resources and be sure they aren't spread too thin or underutilized. Review your team and be sure you're effectively using their talents, skills and interests. There may be diamonds in the rough. Pluck them out, polish them and let them sparkle.
• Use the slow times to work on being better, faster, smarter, leaner or more specialized than your competitors.
• Market better. During a recession many organizations cut their marketing budgets. While they're cutting, you fill the marketing gaps their cuts have left behind. Your name will be seen more times and make more impressions than the competition.
• Since 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of the market. Determine who your 20% are and focus your resources on them.

Pushing through the dip makes you, your team and your organization stronger, wiser, quicker, resilient and confident you can do it again (if necessary).

Kennette Reed
http://www.kennettereed.com/

What's Wrong With Hope?

Throughout most of the past nine months, we've heard a lot about hope. From Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" to both Democratic Presidential candidates inclusion of "Change" in their campaign slogans, to the popularity of Joel Osteen. However, despite the many voices of encouragement and visions of a better and brighter future, there are probably just as many voices shouting words of skepticism, discouragement and heresy.

Why do people feel offering "Hope" to those who may have previously had none is "false hope"? If you encourage others to imagine a future which includes what they wish for and dream of, is this wrong? If I have the "audacity" to hope for more than what is, to dream of all that could be or to envision what has never been, what's wrong with that? What's wrong with believing turning hope into reality is possible and working to make it so?

"Hope" is what encouraged Europeans to make the journey to The New World. "Hope" is what kept Africans believing they'd one day be able to escape the inhumane treatment of slavery. An end to military conflicts, a chief executive with concern for the "everyday person", job security and better education are what many voters "Hope" for. Yet, there are the naysayers who issue their discouragements with statements like, "Be realistic" or "You can't have change for change's sake".

There's much that is broken and needs to be fixed. There's much that isn't broken, but should be fixed anyway. There's also much that is great and wonderful. Here's the thing. We'll never know how much we are capable of or how great we can be until we stretch beyond what's comfortable. As individuals, as families, as organizations, as Americans, let's become more hopeful and look for ways to go beyond where we are. Let's imagine who and what we can be. Let's "Hope" for the opportunity to keep growing and learning everyday.

May all your todays and tomorrows be filled with "Hope".

Kennette Reed
http://www.resiliencecoach.com/

Stand Tall

"You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."
Rosalyn Carter

Stand Tall

One of the biggest challenges we face is hanging in there when life doesn't go as we expected. Too often, we give up when we're closer to reaching our goals than we realize. When you feel like giving up, Stand Tall. When fear knots your stomach, Stand Tall. When others tell you it can't be done, Stand Tall. Persevere. When the going gets tough, Stand Tall for what you believe in. Stand Tall in the face of adversity.

Regardless of appearances, stay focused on where you want to go. It doesn't matter where you are now, where you've been or what other think about who you are. Keep the finish line in your mind's eye. If you should start to lose sight of your vision, direction or goal, here are some ways you can Stand Tall:

• Stay true to who you are, not what others want you to be.
• Do what's right, regardless of whether it's politically correct, or the "in" thing to do.
• Be kind to others, even when they may not have offered you the same courtesy.
• Take a risk, even if the outcome is uncertain. This "stepping out on faith" may be just what your spirit needs.
• Find ways to become more self-sufficient. Doing this may be uncomfortable, but you will stimulate personal growth and creativity.

Go for your dreams. Do something everyday that draws you closer to the life you dream about.

What are you waiting for? Beginning now, find more opportunities to Stand Tall, Get Tough, & Be All You Were Meant To Be. It all starts with a choice. You are the only one who gets to choose for you. Go ahead, choose your dreams and Stand Tall!

Kennette Reed

Work What You've Got

"Na na work what you got

I'm talking bout things that I know

Na na work what you got

It's okay show yourself some love

Na na work what you got

Don't worry bout who's saying what

It's gonna be fine

Work what you got"
Sung by, Mary J. Blige
From the album, "Growing Pains"

There Is Only One You
Each of us is unique and special. It is this external and internal diversity that makes the world interesting. Learning to appreciate our individual differences, moves us toward finding ways to best utilize them.

Not looking like some of the people in magazines or on television, makes us no less interesting or beautiful. The very attributes we dislike can be "worked" to our advantage. I've heard people say they dislike their:

• Freckles
• Height
• Hair color
• Larger than average size feet
• Weight
• Job
• Poor vision (and the need for glasses)

It's possible to change, enhance or eliminate some of the above, but you can also "play the hand you've been dealt".

Work What You've Got
If you've got it, find a way to make it work for you. Work what you've got. Use your freckles, height, hair color, size, glasses or job to your best advantage. Show the world you can proudly dress your tall frame, work you hair color so it looks like a crown of glory or find a store that sells stylish shoes for the above average shoe size.
If you're not loving your job, until you make a change, work what you've got. Choose projects you find interesting and use them to help you shine. If you can't choose your own projects, do an outstanding job with the projects you're given.

It's not just about making lemonade when you're given lemons. It's about "working" whatever you are working with. Can't afford that new car you want? Then work the old one. Make it the best looking older car on the road.
Want to get rid of a few pounds? In the meantime, work the body you've got. Dress your best and look fabulous, regardless of your size.

It's about knowing "it's all good". Show the world you appreciate all that you are and all that you have, regardless of the opinions or thoughts of others. Go ahead, Work What You've Got!

If you're uncertain as to how to work what you've got, give me a call. We can work on it together. With my support, you'll begin appreciating and working what you've got in no time. Don't wait. Use this link to review and complete our Coaching Intake Form or phone me today at: 510-352-2121 or 678-344-6373.

Kennette Reed

Managing Performance, Not Personalities

Yesterday, I conducted a training with participants from multiple companies. The training was the first part of a series of Leadership Academy classes. During the early part of the class, one of the participants expressed her confusion. The instruction was contradicting the directives her company's HR department had issued to all managers.

She went on to say, she'd just been instructed by HR to only evaluate people based on performance. All supervisors and managers had been told they should no longer deal with people on a personal level or try to build relationships. Supervisor and managers were to only speak with employees about their performance and keep conversations strictly about business. Individual differences were not to be considered and should not be part of the evaluation process.

Since this portion of the class was titled, Communicating With Employees, there was obviously some conflict between effective communications techniques and the instruction HR was giving. How do you effectively communicate with someone without taking the time to learn:

• Who they are
• What's important to them
• Their personal style

How can you motivate someone if you don't know:

• What their goals are
• Their work style
• What they value

This information can only be obtained through conversation, relationship building and over time. Building a better understanding of the individual and utilizing that information to support them is how supervisor and managers help others reach higher levels of performance.

Look at those who are considered to be the most successful leaders. They have been successful because of their ability to:

• Bring out the best in people
• Manage personalities to effectively meet departmental, organizational and personal goals

The only way to discover people's best is to learn who the individual truly is. You discover:

• What strengths do they bring?
• What are their goals / aspirations?
• How can their strenghts, skills and experiences best benefit both the organization, the department and the individual?

We bring all of who we are to our work. Those who manage must learn that the most challenging part of the job is the people piece. Learning to manage different personalities, styles and levels of understanding will provide the most frustration, reward and personal growth. If managers are not allowed to learn who we are and use that information to benefit both the organization and the individual, everyone will miss valuable learning and growth opportunities. If we strip away opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of the individual, we might as well have an office filled with robots.

How successful would any organization be if it were staffed with emotionless, computer programmed robots? Have you called tech support lately, and spoken with an off-shore representative who's trying to hide their accent, has changed their name to an American sounding name, obviously doesn't have a clue what your issue is or how to assist you and continues to provide scripted responses? How frustrating has that experience been? That's how successful an office would be, if it were devoid of personalities.

What do you think? Should personalities come into play? Is it possible to effectively manage without taking personalities into consideration?

Kennette Reed