The Engaging Brand

10 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

...not that I am planning to soon! But if I am going to leave a legacy that I am proud of I need to get working....here are mine..what are yours? Feel free to post about them and let me know the link!

1. Create a communication pill that energises leaders to present great stories which inspire their people.
2. Establish a company called rentakillthe*!"*. People will be able to hire our team to enter the building and fumigate against both !*!* and the fear of "losing control of the message"
3. Get everyone to buy into my return on people employed rather than non human captial. You see the accountant in me will never go away.
4. Invent a sieve that implants in your brain...you read, you listen and the sieve filters all irrelevant data leaving you with the knowledge you need to make a decision.
5. Invent leadership contact lenses that see reality in one eye and the future in the other.
6. Partner with Google, so that I can type in my talent requirements and they give me back the best talent on the web and who are available for hire.
7. Design auto editing tool for podcast production - removes all background noise, Skype blips, stuttering, hmm's and argh's  - and my stupid questions! All at a click of a button.
8. Have law passed to ensure no meetings (You knew that was coming didn't you!) can be about covering your back, delaying a decision, getting the company to pay for your lunch or even to make you look busy or important.
9. Develop a hope vaccine that every child takes in the world. This vaccine will prevent them from losing the creativity, playfulness, confidence, storytelling ability, and questioning mind once they turn into an adult

Oops I did say 10 .....

• Get Judi Dench to come on The Engaging Brand podcast...I know!...but it is my dream and I will not give up, ever, ever, ever :)

Dare to dream ? Or dare not to dream..that is the question!

I have always been a dreamer but not in the sense of thinking and never doing, no I hate that...I like to dream and then do it, so I can get on with the next dream, and the next dream. Guess the Piscean!

But whatever you call them goals, dreams, aspirations they are important to consumers and employees alike, and most importantly yourself.
D= Dare to dream..there are those who fear to dare because they might not make it - they are right..they won't make it because they fear failure and stop taking that first step. I fear not trying and never knowing if I would have made it much, much more....
R= Reality now seems so much better when you have a dream for tomorrow. You can cope with the reality because you are creating your own reality for the future.
E= Excitement. Those dreams create an energy inside that gives you the motivation to go through the hard work today....would I go on the treadmill each day if I didn't dream of losing this belly....though some dreams are tougher than others!
A = Actions. If you know where you want to go, it is easier to take actions to get there!
M = Make it happen. Dreams stay dreams without action, there is only one person that can make that dream come true for you....don't know who it is? Then reach for that mirror and smile at who you see..not an ordinary person but a dreammaker!

When a problem is not a problem

The definition of a problem from The Free Dictionary

1. A question to be considered, solved, or answered

2. A situation, matter, or person that presents perplexity or difficulty

3. A misgiving, objection, or complaint:

(1) and (2) are exciting, they are challenges, they assume that there is an answer, albeit an answer that will not be easy to find! However, many people at work use the word 'problem' more like (3) They reach for the headache tablets, sigh heavily and look depressed.

I have found that how you approach problems, can significantly affect the success of finding the solution. If you see the opportunity of providing value, of a great way of bringing people together, of finding that solution so you can all celebrate 'your greatness' then you are more likely to motivate those around you to create that vision of success.

I love problems, they give you the opportunity to show your talent and that of those around you....they provide that chance to think differently, to change the business for the better. Even better you need creative people, logical people, doers, thinkers - it is a chance to use an array of people with very different talents - all those talents working together for the same aim, a solution.

Problems are not problems - it is the negative reaction to the issue that is actually the problem!

Something to think upon today...

In the UK we have not had the best weather - to say the least. However, the sun has been shining the last week...

....strange how when the sun shines, the lawn grows rapidly.

True in business as well....

.... when there is sunshine round the office, the ideas and motivation grow rapidly.

Leadership Tips for Summer

In the UK we finally have some summer - the sun is shining and of course we are now complaining it is too hot! I was a believer that you can use summer to engage people, to help communication and motivation across your team.

S= Schedule team meetings outside - even have a picnic for lunch.
U= Understand that people are in holiday mode. Use holidays to engage in conversation, use them to share stories. For instance in team sessions I would ask - what was the best customer service tip you got from your holiday?
M= Make one to one coaching sessions outside - take them to a park, or outside in the grounds. It adds to the conversational tone, due to the informality.
M= Motivate by showing your understanding - when it is hot, get some cool drinks in for the team, buy some fruit to share...or get some ice creams as a treat.
E= Explore flexible working. Would or could people come in a little earlier and leave a little earlier? Can you alternate to allow people to enjoy the sun....it shows that you value the work/life balance..it shows that you recognise that people have lives outside of work.
R= Run some competitions like worst holiday snap, or give each people a mascot and see who can take the most impressive photo whilst on holiday - be it the mascot at a world moument, an exotic place, with a famous person. This kind of competition gets people sharing, laughing, enjoying the team spirit.

The Value of Recognition

I often write about valuing people, about recognising people's efforts. This last week through the nomination for the Podcast Awards, I have felt the emotions first hand. Since founding The Engaging Brand I have often worked alone, and I have missed the warmth of a thank you, smiling face, a group hug! When you nominated my podcast, I felt the warmth....I felt as though the community was giving me a hug.

What effect has that had on me?
1) I have had a tough travel week but I have never felt so motivated - tiredness has not even entered my head! You have energised me.
2) When my car got bumped, I reacted in a really positive way because I was in a positive frame of mind. Yes I was initially annoyed but then I realised that there was nothing I could do about it, I just had to get on and deal with it.
3) I have smiled a lot...which has increased my feeling of well being.
4) Key is that I know that I won't win, not against the bigger shows with bigger audiences....that is not a problem because the nomination was the hug, the sign of feeling valued....I realised that often the happiness is not in the winning but in the recognition from peers.

You know we have such huge power as leaders, managers...we influence other people's happiness so much.  When you understand the power, when you understand the joy of making someone's day by smiling, by thanking, by recognising....then you are on the way to being a leader of people. Thank you for making this week so special for me.

What motivates you?

I was asked by an e-mail what motivates me, what gives me my energy?

It made me think because although I work with others on motivation, you don't always think about it from your own point of view. Then I realised that the word I would use is fear....sounds strange but I am motivated because of the following

• Fear of not giving value to others
• Fear of not living each moment to its greatest potential
• Fear of not giving back to the world that has been so good to me
• Fear of not helping others achieve their potential
• Fear of going to the grave with information that I haven't shared
• Fear of not creating legacy I can be proud of....

What motivates you? What is the driving force in your life? Fear can be a destructive quality however, fear in this sense is controlled and targeted towards good, used to create the adrenaline that will allow me to achieve my life's goals.

13 Reasons to Create your Own Luck Today

Friday the 13th - unlucky for some. Well, there are ways that you can create a greater chance of being "lucky"

1. The more you practice the luckier you get - practice your management skills each day.
2. Before you think you are unlucky, learn from what happened and develop your skills to ensure that you are not "unlucky" again.
3. Don't leave it to luck for others to notice your contribution - ensure you report your success against your objectives to your boss monthly.
4. If you are honest - are those people lucky or have they worked long and hard to create the success?
5. Be focused on where you want your "luck" to occur - then concentrate on making it happen.
6. Be positive - positive attracts people, the more you attract the greater the chance of creating a talented network.
7. Create your own luck by volunteering for those projects that you can add value to...
8. See the good in events, there is always a positive in what happened if you look carefully enough - even that you have just learned that it doesn't work!
9. It is not what you say, it is what you do - remember things do not come to those who wait - take action, be confident to do it rather than talk about what "you would do if only..."
10. Picture the outcome that you want, create a picture in your head of how you will feel when you have achieved it - the more you create the picture, the more you will work towards making it a reality.
11. Remember every person makes mistakes - mistake happen, that is just life! Dad always said "The only difference is that successful people, learn from them and don't make the same mistake twice"
12. To reduce reliance on luck, be clear about what you want, be clear of your ambitions, values, aspirations - once clear you can create actions that will deliver the results.
13. REMEMBER NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE ALREADY LUCKY, YOU WERE GIVEN A WONDERFUL LIFE TO LIVE - DON'T WASTE IT.

How to see opportunity

My dad always used to say why look at the negative that will make you feel miserable, find a positive it will always feel better...so a little story

.....about 2 marketing scouts who to go to Africa to look at the prospects of selling shoes. The first marketeer sends an e-mail back to HQ saying "It's hopeless, no one wears shoes".
The second marketeer sends an e-mail saying "Fantastic, you won't believe it what a fantastic opportunity this is....no one has any shoes !

When faced with a problem turn it round - look for the opportunity and encourage your team to do that as well. For every problem there needs to be a solution, for every problem there is an opportunity to shine, to deliver a solution, to move a little closer to that success.

Thinking Blogger Awards

Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry is a great contributor to this blog and I was delighted to see that she had nominated The Engaging Brand for the Thinking Blogger Awards.  Thank you Joanna and glad that my blog helps even in a small way. I think that a strength of blogging, the fact that you can share your views so easily and find inspiration each day. Here are Joanna's nominations

 

1. Roger von Oech at Creative Think, whose questions, prompts and challenges get you thinking creatively

2. Anna Farmery at The Engaging Brand, who gets you thinking about leadership - of teams but also of yourself - in a very natural way, using stories and anecdotes from everyday life

3. Hilda Carroll at Living Out Loud, who gets us thinking about our ability to be happy right now.

4. Liz Strauss at Successful Blog who gets me thinking about how to use great questions to stimulate conversation, and to help us to get to know who we are

5. Rosa Say at Managing with Aloha, who has started me thinking about the values of aloha and how to apply them in my life.  The start of an amazing journey of discovery.

If you don't already know these blogs why not dip into them and give them try.  I am know challenged to share further blogs that challenge me and this is hard as I am an avid blog reader and find so many people such great inspiration, but here are 5 further blogs that I believe are well worth subscribing to

1. Converstation Agent by Valeria Maltoni
2. Christine Kanes Blog
3. Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim
4. Senia - Positive Psychology
5. The Chief Happiness Officer by Alex Kjerulf

Obviously there are many others - some named already - but I always find the above blogs thought provoking. Enjoy.

Here are the participation rules for the Thinking Blogger Award:

    1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
    2. Link back to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
    3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award'

Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry is a great contributor to this blog and I was delighted to see that she had nominated The Engaging Brand for the Thinking Blogger Awards.  Thank you Joanna and glad that my blog helps even in a small way. I think that a strength of blogging, the fact that you can share your views so easily and find inspiration each day. Here are Joanna's nominations

 

1. Roger von Oech at Creative Think, whose questions, prompts and challenges get you thinking creatively

2. Anna Farmery at The Engaging Brand, who gets you thinking about leadership - of teams but also of yourself - in a very natural way, using stories and anecdotes from everyday life

3. Hilda Carroll at Living Out Loud, who gets us thinking about our ability to be happy right now.

4. Liz Strauss at Successful Blog who gets me thinking about how to use great questions to stimulate conversation, and to help us to get to know who we are

5. Rosa Say at Managing with Aloha, who has started me thinking about the values of aloha and how to apply them in my life.  The start of an amazing journey of discovery.

If you don't already know these blogs why not dip into them and give them try.  I am know challenged to share further blogs that challenge me and this is hard as I am an avid blog reader and find so many people such great inspiration, but here are 5 further blogs that I believe are well worth subscribing to

1. Converstation Agent by Valeria Maltoni
2. Christine Kanes Blog
3. Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim
4. Senia - Positive Psychology
5. The Chief Happiness Officer by Alex Kjerulf

Obviously there are many others - some named already - but I always find the above blogs thought provoking. Enjoy.

Here are the participation rules for the Thinking Blogger Award:

    1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
    2. Link back to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
    3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award'