To Complain or Not to Complain that is the question?

        

        Do you know people who their first response to a situation, is to find a reason to complain about it?  Perhaps you have even had an occasion to complain about something? Did complaining solve or resolve the problem? There are some people who have mastered the art of chronically complaining or “whining”. These individuals seem to be happiest when happiest when they have something to complain about. If they are skills complainers then they know how manipulate other people to fix their problems. Effective leaders should discourage complaining and should encourage responsibility. Complaining promotes a sense of learned helplessness and victimization.

         Personally and professionally complaining creates a negative environment, is an unproductive use of time, and usually focuses on blaming people instead of addressing the issue or behavior. Complaining is habit forming and is highly contagious. It is problem-focused instead of solution-focused. Many people verbalize complaints instead of compliments because complaining requires less effort. Then there are those people who complain so well that they actually create a club, at least unofficially, and these clubs or clichés are better known as the Ain’t it Awful Club. Perhaps you have accidentally walked in on a meeting, in a break room, or after work when co-workers gather, or maybe even the meeting has been brought home. So what do leaders do to discourage infectious complaining? Read on!

First, as a leader, (by title or by desire) we have to promote and demonstrate full responsibility for our actions and for our words. This means eliminating blaming others for problems or situations we encounter. We have to develop a new habit for being accountable for our actions and our responses and break any old habits we may have of grumbling with members of the Ain’t it Awful Club. This approach reminds us we have choices. Taking responsibility promotes a more positive mindset. When people accept that they have a choice in a situation, they feel empowered and are more likely to make positive decisions that will move them forward instead of moving them backwards or worse yet allowing them to get stuck.

                Next, be willing to teach others how to take responsibility for situations, by encouraging them to see what they could have done to change the situation. This discourages people from falling victim to life and encourages them to take part in it. Remember most people learn by doing, but are often afraid to take the first step, so they need to see someone else who is willing to try it, and observe how this works. So take the lead today! Let go of the old habit of complaining, replace it with verbalizing and demonstrating responsibility for the situations that you encounter. Once this is accepted our attitude and outlook helps us to build a whole and happy life. When we change the way we think we can change our life.

                Finally, notice the difference this approach makes in your day. Energy is increased and a more positive environment moves us forward. Forgive yourself and others when complaining creeps back into life just pick up and start again. Promote clarity in your communication so that you ask for what you want realizing that no is as much of an answer as yes. Once you start taking responsibility you will discover that most complaints are the results of people not getting what they want. However, the problem is what was wanted was never requested or vocalized; instead complaining began because people didn’t get what they wanted.

                I recently shared a story, where I was unloading my car to do a program, while I took one load of materials into the building, another car pulled into the space behind my car. This vehicle was so close to the trunk of my car that I could barely get my knees between the two vehicles. The complaint part is obvious to most, as I could complain about how close the car got to mine, but the bottom-line was complaining wouldn’t do anything. It wouldn’t change the distance between the cars, it wouldn’t make the driver of the other car move. Complaining to the driver, if I knew who the driver was, could start an argument (and arguing wouldn’t move the car) it also wouldn’t help me keep a positive attitude. By taking responsibility, I remembered that I had a choice to get into my vehicle and at least move it forward a few inches, so that I could comfortably fit between the two vehicles and unload, or I could move it to a new location if needed. What if I had complained about this before, or during the program and then discovered that the owner of the car was in the audience? Think about it! The person parking behind me, didn’t know I had a large item to get out of my trunk, they were just making sure their trunk didn’t get hit. This event was not about me, and complaining would have made it feel more personal than it ever was, so why go there!

If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it.  Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one. Cavett Robert

 

Learning Requires Developing Strong Anchors

Have you ever wondered why learning some tasks are more difficult than others. While there are many dynamics that influence our ability to learn, one dynamic that we need to understand is how to anchor new knowledge. Remember when you were in elementary school and the first week of school seemed like a total waste; because all the teacher did was review what you learned last year. The teacher was actually setting an anchor for learning. What happens in the corporate setting is people often forget to set an anchor for learning and the results are people resist the learning making what is to be learned more challenging than it needs to be. Whether you are a trainer, a parent or a person just trying to help someone learn a new skill, never underestimate the power of beginning the instruction by establishing a strong anchor attach the skill to be learned with a skill that has already been successfully learned.  

The terms training and development are often used interchangeably, when the skills they provide are very different. Professionally speaking, most trainers are really developers, but since that industries rarely understand the difference, we identify ourselves as trainers. The process of training refers to providing learning for a precise skill or task that will be applied to a similar task. For example, when the Mature Generation of employees (born before 1948) were introduced to computers Instructors anchored the learning by letting the trainees already know they were familiar with the keyboard. Obviously, the tablet and I phone use the same approach. The training sets the anchor for the learning because once a skill is learned all the learner has to do is apply the skill to a new device, then practice it to keep the skill fluent.

Development is about learning a general skill in order to better perform it a higher level. Recently I instructed a course on Generational and Cultural Diversity for an international client. While the instruction needed to be taught with some generalities of information, the attendees were reminded that they would need to apply the information more specifically to the employees they supervised. Transferring knowledge back to their specific setting will make the training come to life. If participants don’t ask questions or don’t have a way to follow up when questions arise, this can create a gap in their ability to successfully transfer learning. The goal with any instruction is to with help learners narrow the gap in transferring knowledge from one setting to another.

Development is most successful when the learning is anchored to past knowledge or experience. Have you ever attended a seminar and the instructor facilitating the program provided you with some great new ideas? So you leave the program motivated and willing to apply this knowledge, but a few days later, you are still doing the same old things the same old way. The problem is not that you are losing your memory! The problem is that the instructor didn't set the anchor for the learning. Instructors need to determine what people in the audience already know, so that they can help each person anchor their knowledge to something they have already learned. Audience participation, or surveys before the seminar can give the instructor information that will help the participants find ways to anchor new concepts to former information.

In addition to setting the anchor for learning, the next best anchor is repetition, tell them what skill they are developing, develop the skill with practice, and then have them reflect on ways they will apply this newly developed skill in the work setting. Good anchors are also set with credibility in the instructor. Instructors should be able to dive deep into the industries needs, because once employees have developed a rapport with an instructor, then learning becomes faster and easier. Each new instructor has to establish credibility with employees and learn what the employees need, this takes away valuable learning time. So, the next time you get ready to learn something new determine if you need training or developing. If the skill requires training, then repetition is the anchor you need. If skill requires developing, then anchor the information on past knowledge or experience so that it can be transferred to the new setting.

As a rock climber, my anchors are very important to me for my safety. As a trainer facilitating learning, setting anchors for my audience members to develop skills is just as important. Remember we all learn and retain information differently. Research by D.G. Treichler in Audio-Visual Communications found students learn:

10% of what they read;

20% of what y they hear;

30% of what they see;

50% of what they see and hear;

70% of what they discuss with people, whose opinions they value;

80% of what they personally experience; and

90% of what they teach to other people.

As Confucius said: "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I experience and I understand."

Make learning an interactive and fun experience!

Know Your True Colors Wherever You Are

Have you traveled to places that seem to live life a little calmer, where service is provided with exceptional kindness and courtesy not because of affluence, but because it is genuinely given. Traveling allows us to realize the habits we have, as well as how we respond and adapt our expectations and behaviors to our surroundings. When I am work mode, I am very focused on getting tasks completed,  it is often hard for others to believe that I know how to really relax. However, give me the chance to do the hobbies I love, skydiving, hiking, climbing, rafting etc., and there is no doubt I can quickly adapt to a different lifestyle. However, just as a chameleon changes color to fit into their surrounding people also change to fit their surroundings. While there are many healthy business advantages to being adaptable, it is important that we don’t forget that we can choose what qualities we want to absorb. If we need energy a person who is focused and driven can help us to get on board with completing a task.  However, if a person is angry then we would not want to absorb that emotion, but if we aren’t  careful we can catch negativity as easily as we catch productivity. Perhaps you have met people who tend to over stimulate others, whose very presence can result in creating chaos. While these individuals may be able to stay focused and be productive, their actions often leave a trail of people suddenly misdirected or derailed because of their actions..

Remember that one persons emergency or since of urgency doesn't have to adopted by you if it will take
your focus off the task that needs to be done. Second, keep a personal check on how you begin to respond to people who take you off focus. It is very likely that it creates a since of confusion and even a since of anger. These are all signs that a crisis is taking place for you. Take a personal inventory of when your personality and work behaviors are changing, ask yourself if the increased stimulation will make you more objective and better at doing your job. Decide if your current response is how you want to respond. If you are responding in a way that is unproductive, then make a conscious effort to stop and step back so that you can take more responsibility for your actions. We all work, think and achieve goals at different paces, that is what makes us unique. We can even work with people that work and think faster than we
do, but we have to keep in touch with who we are and what it takes to for us to get our jobs done. Being functional in the presence of someone who is in overdrive is often challenging, especially if that individual has any level of authority over you. However, we are still only responsible for our actions and reactions.


So, if you need a moment to digest information let the person know that, before you commit or respond. I have found that so many times it has allowed me gain their respect, because I took the time to make sure I could meet their needs and was more than just a yes person along the line. As we learn to adapt to different people and different environments, we have the opportunity to learn more about ourselves. When I travel, it is often fun to let myself be the chameleon, so that I can understand why people in different places work and respond in certain ways, but I also remember to be true to myself and thus I know when and how to let my true colors return.   
Quotes:
"Opportunities for personal growth often comes to us disguised as either work or things in life we don't like.  Be careful not to miss the chance to grow."
 C. Krosky

"I sometimes have to force myself to see what I can learn when a situation or person presents something that makes me uncomfortable. It is often in these moments that I learn the most about myself and the world that I live in."
C. Krosky

Reward Requires Action

(The last two issues of the Newsletter covered Part 1: "The Dilemma in Today's Corporate World: To Manage or to Lead that is the Question", Part 2: "The Role of Recognizing in Leading.": This series presented the first two parts of the concept of using the 3-R's of Leadership. Today is Part 3 of the three  "R's" - "Reward."

Everyone enjoys getting a reward for work that they produce or for actions that they share. People may work for the reward of a paycheck or for the self-fulfilling reward that comes from a job well done. Rewards can be a variety of different things to different people, but whatever rewards are they mean nothing if they are withheld. As a motivational speaker, I believe in rewarding my audience for attending and I reward anyone who participates in activities in the program. The result of this action is that more people volunteer, my programs are more successful, and the audience is more willing to learn because everyone's actions are being rewarded.

      Rewards simply put are something that someone considers to have value, it is not necessarily of a costly value. Have you ever been given a reward and while you know it didn't cost someone a great deal, the reward itself was invaluable. Some of the rewards I have enjoyed the most probably cost businesses the least. One was a special parking spot that designated me as the employee of the year, Other rewards were, an add in the newspaper with my photo stating that I had been nominated as Humanitarian of the Year, my name in the company newsletter for completing a project, a free ticket for a drawing,  or a special card. 

      If we are creative in how we reward the people we work with and for, then our rewards are very likely going to be something they enjoy. If your not sure what they would like for a reward then ask! Remember that rewards reinforce a desired behavior. Therefore, if I reward your hard work with a little time off or a special parking space, then I have reinforced your willingness to go the extra mile again. Remember there is usually very little traffic on the extra mile highway. Therefore, it is vital that we reward those who are willing to travel that road. We get more of the behaviors that we reward, because we reinforce that behavior. Remember that if everyone in the world is not as motivated as we are and there are many reasons for this. Because some people lack motivation, it is our task and challenge to help reward them and motivate them to participate. Without getting into a psychology lesson let me share that I have used this approach in every area of my life and career. I seek rewards that have value to the recipient, often I ask them what they would like, and sometimes I try out new ideas someone outside our area has thought of. 

Exercise:      

Rewards should be used in all areas of our life. At home, we should reward those we love including ourselves. However, remember that rewards require actions. Good intentions often fall short, because they fail to get done. Most rewards take 10 minutes or less to complete. (I use the 10-minute rule - for more information on applying the 10-minute rule contact us.) Keep a variety of either humorous sticky notes, special cards, or stickers with you at all times - pick them up when you are out on another errand. Then when someone does something a stop and grab a note, sticky note or sticker and immediately go reward that person for what they have done. It isn’t the sticky notes that make the people feel appreciated it is the acknowledgement and the fact that someone took the time to personally acknowledge them. With technology, we lose some of the personal touch by only texting or emailing, a call and a handwritten note show that you put forth extra effort. Whom can you appreciate today! Keep your eyes and ears open and you may be discover there are more opportunities than you may have first thought.

Quote:

REWARD is self-explanatory it means
Realizing Everyone's Worth and Assuring Recognition is Delivered. By C. Krosky

The Role of Recognizing in Leading

Part II from April 22 "The Dilemma in Today's Corporate World: To Manage or to Lead that is the Question “The concept of using the 3-R's of Leadership was introduced and Role Modeling was the focus
in that issue.)

Recognizing has two components: 1) the ability to express that we care and value individuals and 2) the ability to recognize positive traits or qualities, so that we may motivate others. Leaders that care are practicing the skill of recognizing others as being a valuable person or asset to their lives. This type of leadership often requires the development and improvement of personal or "soft" skills. There needs to be a comfort level with this type of recognition as it needs to feel sincere, yet professional. These more personal skills when exhibited to employee, coworkers, customers, and even family allow us to show that we care about these individuals. After all we should care, these are either people. Because if they are employees we have  hired, or that we believe enough in them to trust our business reputation on  the work that they will perform, and if they are our family, we should care  because we love them. Research shows that most people work harder if they feel the people they are appreciated and cared about by the people they work with. These people are more tolerant when times are challenging. They are the positive publicity in the community and on social media. business. Regardless of what generation or culture a person belongs to feeling appreciated increases respect, productivity, and tolerance when times are tough

On April 22 the blog focused on being a role model as a leader. Do the things you want others to do. If you want people to speak to you in the morning then speak to them in the morning, don’t wait for them to do this first. If you want people to go above and beyond then be sure you walk down the extra mile highway, set the example. This basic step opens the door for increased ability to recognize others as people. The second part to recognizing others is to see that they have positive  traits and qualities. Leading is about empowering people to use their skills so that they excel. Involve employees in sharing ideas and encourage them to  share ideas before you ask. We can help empower employees by making sure that  the right employ is matched to the right job. Ask employees what they like to  do, what skills they already know they have, and what skills they want to  develop. Look for opportunities to match them with tasks that match their  ability and stretch their ability. Then practice verbal recognition for their  efforts and for their talents. When we recognize talents and give people the  potential to grow, we are encouraging professional and personal growth. Both  of which pay off for the business and the person. This simple and yet readily  available tool of recognizing people is often based by. How often do you  practice recognizing people you see on a daily basis?

An Exercise for increasing recognition.
Place 5 pennies in one pocket. Throughout the day look for ways to recognize  people for tasks well done, or for showing that they care. When you recognize someone, move a penny from one pocket to the opposite pocket. Each time you walk, these penny will be a gentle reminder of how many times you have recognized people. If you are able to switch all five before the end of the day, then begin moving them back to the other pocket. Some people make it a practice to move them two twice a day, so that they will have recognized the
work and effort of others at least 10 times during the day. The cost of this is 5 cents, the payoff is a great deal more.

I once had a client, look at me and plainly state that they didn't think that they would be able to move one penny, because their employees rarely did anything extraordinary. I reminded them recognizing employees sometimes begins with recognizing them for the little things, like showing up. How far behind would things get if the employee wasn't there for a day or a week. Recognize even the little things that are going on. Showing up may seem little, but imagine how difficult a day would be if everyone called out sick.

Quote: "A good leader understands that recognizing the strengths of those they work with is their key role. For recognition creates motivation and motivation instills dedication." C. Krosky

"The worker must t feel that he is recognized in accordance with his contribution to success. If he does not have that feeling o f self-respect and the respect of others because of his skill, he will think he is being
'played for a sucker' if he increases his output so the owners can have more
profit." James F. Lincoln.
Thank You and Have a Great Day!

The Dilemma in Today's Corporate World: To Manage or to Lead that is the Question

      We live in a world of knowledge. We know that there advantages to using synergy and teams in developing our business and in accelerating our personal and professional potentials. So why would anyone want to be a Manager instead of a Leader (or Coordinator).  The definition of a manager is a person who's job it is to control movement or behavior. While, leaders are defined as people who guide others. According to the definition "managing" could make work easier, if we really had the power to control the actions of others, but the reality is we don't! Leading people requires more self-control and encourages personal and professional growth for all.
      The best way to lead is to use a model I call the 3-R's of Leadership: 1) Role Model, 2) Recognize, and 3) Reward.
As leaders, we must serve as role models for everyone we work with. If we want people to greet us with a smile, then we must greet them with a smile. If we want them to speak to us, then we must speak to them. If we are in a leadership position or hope to be in that position, then we must model our best behavior 100% of the time. Remember the role models that we had growing up; we watched them even when they didn't know our eyes and ears were on them. And based on what we saw and heard we began to model ourselves after them. If people you are working with are not where you would like them to be then look at what you can do to be a better role model for them. The benefit is this approach is that it increases our accountability for our own actions. In addition, everyone who takes on the Role Model approach at work is making a statement about his/her self, because where we work and how we work defines who we are.  Leaders understand the leadership is a serving relationship and that role modeling is only one step in developing relationships. The benefit of leading is twofold: 1) it helps us to serve and guide  those around us, and 2) it has a self-serving benefit in that it increases our personal awareness and encourages us to always do better. We are all leaders in our own world. Today begin improving yourself and your world by being more aware of how you are as a Role Model. (The next two newsletters will focus on Recognition and Reward.)

Quote:    "Leading means you have the ability to serve people in a special way.” C. Krosky

The Essence of Leadership
"I observe that there are two entirely different theories according to which individual men seek to get on in the world. One theory leads a man to pull down everybody around him in order to climb up on them to a higher place. The other leads a man to help everybody around him in order that he may go up with them."  By  Elihu Root

Power of Positive Projection: The Triple Your Success with the PPP Plan

    The power of positive projection allows us to examine our goals, strengthen, and increase our success rate and to maintain our success momentum. We all have different roles, some days I am providing Executive coaching to clients, or helping a board develop strategic goals other times I am providing a keynote or doing training. Building this business wasn’t about just building a job, it was about building a life that worked with my career. I am in the business of speaking and coaching, so that lives may be improved. These are simple statements, yet powerful in the message they give me. The order of the wording reminds me that success is dependent on managing both my life and the speaking business. Remember in English class when we learned about modifiers, what we didn’t learn is that how we modify or say what we do has projective power. To be successful in projecting positive thoughts we have to state first what we are doing, then why we are doing it. Large businesses understand this on a corporate level; employees often don’t know how to apply the message and small business owners can lose sight of the order. This is why a mission statement or vision statement that is easy to repeat has such value for any organization. It gives life to the business and allows the employees to embrace and own it. For example: Walt Disney’s “Making dreams come true.” A cast member (employee) can see a family struggling to find a location and can help guide them, making them happy as they aren’t wasting time trying to find where to view a parade.  

 One area that we all can benefit practicing the power of positive projection in is in our personal lives. Those of you who have heard me speak know that one of my life goals is for my life to outlive me, which means that I seek to be better tomorrow than I am today and to make a positive difference in someone’s life. I want to live a life without regrets, that means being true to the people in my life and to myself, by embracing every moment I can and living life to its fullest. In order to do this successfully I have applied the triple P program of business to my life. As you examine the steps below, understand that plans may require adjusting as tremendous life changes or unexpected events happen.

 Plan - The first step is to create a business plan (for living or for business) it should incorporate: 1) goals for personal growth and achievements, 2) financial goals, for making it happen, 3) plans and directions for taking the first steps, 4) smaller goals to check on quarterly to determine if you are on track, and 5) congruency between your life and business plan. The whole plan is based on positive projections that generate success. Plans are meant to have some level of flexibility as there will be unexpected obstacles.

For Positive projection to have real power, share your written business or life plan with someone who believes in you. This could be a life coach or a good friend. Get this person involved by getting their input and support so that they can help keep you on track. Finally, apply a business strategy of checking on the status of your plan regularly, either every quarter or monthly; apply this same accountability to life plans. In my life plan, I check on some items daily and other items monthly to make sure I am on track.

The most successful months I have had were when I stayed in tune with my plan, my business grew, and I grew. No matter what you do or where you want to go, you can’t get there without starting. Traveling out of the country, we encounter some inevitable questions asked by the agents in customs. "Where are you from? Where are you going? What are you brining with you?" So think of the answers to those questions as they relate to your business and life, as the answers will help you move toward success. It is hard to get ahead when we are only looking backwards at where we have been.

Quote: "Success is a matter of mind, if you mind what matters you are successful."
C. Krosky

Because people frequently ask, when one of my programs is open to the public, I wanted to share that on April 21, 2013 I will be speaking at Stuart Congregational Church, in Stuart, FL providing the message on Leaving a Legacy. http://www.stuartcongregational.com/

Seize the Day by Seizing Every Opportunity to Learn

We quickly realize that in order to succeed in life we must be willing to learn. The first step to success begins with surrounding ourselves with people who seek to grow and improve themselves. Perhaps this is where the concept of the professional student originated. We are all students of life, some just stay on campus and others move further into the world. Wherever we are, we must realize that every interaction we have during the day provides us with an opportunity to learn more. Whatever role we find ourselves in we must never be satisfied with "just doing enough." or "just knowing enough to get by." We must be aware of thoughts and actions that limit our potential. This can even include avoiding people fail to see the good in us or people who seek only to complain and never identify the solution to the problem. These individuals are wearing blinders and don't even know where to go to begin to grow.

It is easy to surround ourselves with people who see the world the same we do, we laugh at the same jokes, vote for the same political party, and share the same ideas. But, when everyone around us is "just like us" we can grow too comfortable,  and we don’t challenge ourselves to see other views to grasp for personal and professional growth, as a result we live in our secure world but this means our world is shrinking and so is our potential and so are our ideas.  

          If we are going to progress in life and at work, we need to associate with people who are already a step ahead, or who are at least headed in a forward direction instead of  idling in neutral. Our development depends on crossing paths with people who challenge and stretch us to reach new limits. Seize the opportunity to surround yourself with people that want to succeed, so that you may better understand how much you can grow or how much you have already grown.

Each sunrise brings us a new chance to be more than we were the day before. Life is our school, as we should all seek to be professional students. Realize that every person you meet is a new teacher bringing you new views and information. Seize the day and seize every opportunity to learn as each day brings us knowledge and wisdom.

QUOTES

"I will seek to be better tomorrow than I am today so that I will know that I took the opportunity to grow." C. Krosky

"Always seek to learn everything that the other person knows so that you may begin to reach their height." (my Father) W. E. Stewart

Lessons Learned In Life

Growing up it seemed that those who didn't believe in me were more vocal than those who believed in me. Luckily, the few who believed in me gave me hope and each new day gave me strength to try to be do better than I did the day before. I am thankful for the people who believed in my potential and I feel sorry for those who only saw limits for what they thought I could do. Believe in yourself and in others and share those positive beliefs daily, as it is gives us the nutrients we need to grow. 

The Price of Profit and Success

It is in our nature to want to be successful personally as well as professionally. Yet there can be a price to pay for profit. Individuals are often willing to pay the price for success by investing time, energy, and even money into developing their success. However, time energy and money are only three elements that can create success.

Whether you seek to be successful personally or professionally be ready to look at the cost of success, as well as the profit. Parents who want to be great parents often do so at the cost of a marriage or relationship, Business professionals seeking success within corporations may pay the price by losing relationships or even losing sight of their personal values. Such cost may be more than you are willing to pay.

However, the good news is that if you seek success you can achieve it without it costing you! For some people the price for success means facing their fears and being willing to profit from personal growth. As a personal coach, I am fortunate to work with individuals all over the world who have decided they are willing to look at various areas of their life and see how they can grow. While they pay the price in time and energy to examine areas that often they have often avoided, they profit when they overcome a barrier that was keeping them from succeeding. One example is overcoming the self-doubt that you can succeed or hesitation that prevents you from making the next cold call or reaching out to the next customer. The biggest price we must pay for success is facing ourselves and the obstacles that we put in front of us which prevent us from profiting. The other price we must pay to be profitable is a willingness to surround ourselves with people who believe in our ideas and goals. If your business has, a goal to increase sales it is obvious you would want employees who support that goal, who believe in it and who want to achieve it. Therefore, it makes sense that when we set a personal goal, we should surround ourselves with supporters of that goal, people who believe in us and who will encourage us to succeed.

One price for success is that we must have congruency in our goals personally and professionally. This means defining success with our values firmly planted in how we will achieve success. If we desire financial security for our business and our personal values include honesty, then our definition for success will be directed to "honestly creating a business that has financial security."

The second price for success is developing an understanding that giving generates success. The element of giving is often one of the riskiest components that successful people experience. It forces us to look at how we trust others, how we encourage and invite other people to learn with us and from us. This concept feels foreign to many people, because certain generations, certain cultures were taught that when we shared we were empowering others to be our competition. It was indoctrinated that to succeed we must keep information to ourselves. To not share but to look out for number one. This mentality causes us to leave in fear and it squelches our creativity or ability to increase productivity. Furthermore, those who learned that knowledge is power fear sharing and when they do, they do what I call “selective sharing.” Educational systems don’t have room for more than one valedictorian. While more educators are encouraging the benefits of study groups, there is still competition for grades that will get students accepted into a college that only has X number of slots. In order to get a better position at work or to be seen as a person who deserves a promotion, work force in order to get the better position, competition drives the engines. The price for success no longer has to be loneliness or isolation.

Last but most important the third price for success is that of learning. Learning is an ongoing process that requires that we shed our egos and realize that there is always something to learn and more to experience. So invest in your success today. Define success congruently with personal and professional goals. Seek opportunities to give to others as you grow more successful and self assured this will become easier to do. Then reinvest in yourself with courses, tapes, coaches, or whatever it takes to help you learn and examine how to continually improve.

Quote: “The price for success can be minimal and the profit great if we approach success correctly.” C. Krosky, CSP, LCSW

Handling Change

In today's world, change is our one constant. How many changes have you encountered at work in the last two weeks? Have you also encountered some changes at home or on the way home? (If you are like me, I encounter changes driving home with roads under construction. HA!) As leaders at home or at work there is always someone looking to us for leadership in the face of change. People watch us to see how we respond to changes. Personally or professionally, people are looking for someone to lead them successfully through the many changes that they are encountering in life. As leaders, we have the ability to help others see that embracing change and seeing it as an opportunity can immediately relay an energetic and positive approach which can set the tone for success. When any of us face change, there are natural responses that everyone experiences. However, the length of time that a person experiences these emotions will vary based on their past and their present change hardy experiences or approach. When first presented with a change at work there may be a grimace or sigh. This initial reaction is the first stage of experiencing change. In the change cycle, this is fear. The level of fear or intensity of fear varies from person to person and is usually based on our prior experiences. All of us experience the fear or anxiety stage even if it is for a brief moment in time; we take that deep breath, grit the teeth, or squint our eyes as we contemplate how this change will directly influence us. Ironically, it is because of the discomfort presented by fearful or anxious emotions that cause people to move out of this stage. Embracing change can be scary especially when everything around us seems to be in a constant stage of change. No one area of our life is safe from change. This creates an overload for many and in order to adapt they find one area of their life where they can create a constant. Sometimes this need for continuity may be how they spend their free time, or where they spend their leisure time, the types of foods they eat or the routine they have with others. Embracing change is easier to do when we are secure and for some people they need one area of their life that they can keep secure. However, there are still those people who keep doing the same level of work and expect different results. If we keep doing what we have always done then we will continue to get what we have always gotten. To expect anything different is insane. Change offers us the opportunity to reach higher to stretch more to step out of our comfort zone and to reach for a new level of delight. To improve in life we must look forward and move forward. Improving is much easier to do when we look ahead at our new goal rather than driving forward with our eyes focused on the rear view mirror.