The Toronto Star has declared that the recession is officially over. Really? Whether the financial wizards at the Star are right or not, every new day brings more signs of people and routines returning to their pre-recession normal. As the financial dust is settling, the big question on everyone's mind is, of course, will the buying public adopt a new, more rational, sane approach to lifestyle purchases and debt, or will they resume their forty-year spending spree?
The recession has been tough on millions of people: lost jobs, foreclosed homes and retirement dreams have vanished. It's also been devastating for thousands of companies, and sobering, to say the least, for governments on both sides of the American border and abroad.
The big question is really this - have we learned anything from the events of the recent past? Will individuals, companies and governments change their ways? And, can we collectively learn from our mistakes? Conventional wisdom says, 'those who change best are those who must'. So, do we really need to change our ways, now that many are going back to work, credit is being extended and the fear mongers on CNN has moved on to other 'Breaking News'?
My hope is that we all transform our recessionary experiences into lessons learned. To do that we are going to need to:
Stop/Reflect: What's happened for you and to you in the past few months? Ask yourself, what's clear to me now that was hard to see a year ago? We hold more power than we're generally willing to own up to. How many times has your personal or professional history repeated itself? What part have you played in the creation of, or participation in, the recent economic storm, and what part could you play now to move yourself, your team or community forward?
Claim Your Victories: What's worked for you this past year, in spite of the circumstances? What have you done well? And, who and what helped you get through this mess? If you've weathered the past year and are still standing - then high-fives all-round! And don't - as my uncle used to say- forget to, dance with the ones who brung ya. Give a shout out to all your friends, family and colleagues that have helped you keep your stick on the ice.
Draw Some Lines: Learning from the past means bringing what you know now into your future. For a whole lot of folks, that's going to mean drawing a line in the sand and learning to live within their means and making better buying and business decisions from here on. For companies it may mean watching more carefully for 'moving cheese'. In the now famous fable, "Who Moved My Cheese?", Hem & Haw were caught off guard when their supply of cheese vanished bit by delicious bit. Maybe you were too.
So, right now - write down three things you will stop doing and three you will start doing that can ensure that those 'predictable surprises' are kept to a minimum!
Don't waste a good crisis! Make some decisions about how you want your life and career to be - then call me, and together we'll make sure you don't back over your new line.
What's Your Legacy?
Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've no-doubt heard that, the 'King of Pop' has died. The tributes, memorials and media specials of the past week have shone a spotlight on a music-loving world, processing the loss of a favorite son.
It's been interesting to watch this mass farewell unfold. Like Elvis and Princes Diana before him, the life story of Michael Jackson is, minute-by-minute, morphing from being a tale of an undeniably talented, but bizarre man, into an account of an iconic star - a King. His life story is being re-written right before our TV watching, YouTube surfing eyes. Negative facts and events are being minimized, while recording achievements and triumphs are being highlighted and re-run, over and over. The Jackson family spin-doctors are hard at work and the result is a stunning demonstration of a legacy in the making.
With any change comes loss; and when the final curtain falls on a major celebrity, whether one of your favorites or not, you may find yourself feeling a sense of sadness, remembering the 'good old days'; replaying happier times.
Michael Jackson's music helped define a generation. He's a youngish Boomer who blasted on to the music scene in the 70's and deepened his star power in the 80's. He changed a generation's music landscape and now he's gone. Forever silenced. He was planning a comeback tour - no one will ever know if he actually could have 'come-back' or not. The question on everyone's lips now is - what will his legacy be? When the dust settles and the collective tears have dried, how will he be remembered?
Maybe you're a Boomer too. If so, you likely 'burst' onto the working scene in the late 60's or 70's. You may have rocketed to the top of your professional game in the 80's and 90's and now you may be easing out of the work force, or at least beginning to think about it.
Let me ask you - what will your legacy be? How will your clients and colleagues remember you? What contributions have you made to your workplace, industry or profession? And, how will your community, family and friends remember your work - and you?
Whether you plan on working only till RSP values return, or you adhere to the, retirement over my dead body philosophy, it's not too late to do something to create your own lasting legacy.
You can start today to:
Mentor younger colleagues. Those less experienced, newer folks at work need your encouragement, your support and the occasional nugget of wisdom that only age and experience can supply. Who can you take under your wing?
Document key company history and knowledge. You may be the only guy or gal left from when the company was first formed, or first went public, and you may be among only a handful of people who fully understand the rationale behind key decisions made, decisions that still affect business success today. What do you know that you need to get down on paper?
Look for opportunities to demonstrate core values. The new generation of employees is hungry for meaning and significance at work. What values have you stood for in your working career? Why are they important and who needs to see you 'walk the talk' now?
Think about it. Where do you, and your contributions, fit in the fabric of your company, industry or profession? Then do more than think about it - actively engage in legacy leaving activities. Get busy ensuring that your work outlasts your presence. Who knows, maybe your picture will be blasted across the company intranet on your last day. Hey - it could happen!
It's been interesting to watch this mass farewell unfold. Like Elvis and Princes Diana before him, the life story of Michael Jackson is, minute-by-minute, morphing from being a tale of an undeniably talented, but bizarre man, into an account of an iconic star - a King. His life story is being re-written right before our TV watching, YouTube surfing eyes. Negative facts and events are being minimized, while recording achievements and triumphs are being highlighted and re-run, over and over. The Jackson family spin-doctors are hard at work and the result is a stunning demonstration of a legacy in the making.
With any change comes loss; and when the final curtain falls on a major celebrity, whether one of your favorites or not, you may find yourself feeling a sense of sadness, remembering the 'good old days'; replaying happier times.
Michael Jackson's music helped define a generation. He's a youngish Boomer who blasted on to the music scene in the 70's and deepened his star power in the 80's. He changed a generation's music landscape and now he's gone. Forever silenced. He was planning a comeback tour - no one will ever know if he actually could have 'come-back' or not. The question on everyone's lips now is - what will his legacy be? When the dust settles and the collective tears have dried, how will he be remembered?
Maybe you're a Boomer too. If so, you likely 'burst' onto the working scene in the late 60's or 70's. You may have rocketed to the top of your professional game in the 80's and 90's and now you may be easing out of the work force, or at least beginning to think about it.
Let me ask you - what will your legacy be? How will your clients and colleagues remember you? What contributions have you made to your workplace, industry or profession? And, how will your community, family and friends remember your work - and you?
Whether you plan on working only till RSP values return, or you adhere to the, retirement over my dead body philosophy, it's not too late to do something to create your own lasting legacy.
You can start today to:
Mentor younger colleagues. Those less experienced, newer folks at work need your encouragement, your support and the occasional nugget of wisdom that only age and experience can supply. Who can you take under your wing?
Document key company history and knowledge. You may be the only guy or gal left from when the company was first formed, or first went public, and you may be among only a handful of people who fully understand the rationale behind key decisions made, decisions that still affect business success today. What do you know that you need to get down on paper?
Look for opportunities to demonstrate core values. The new generation of employees is hungry for meaning and significance at work. What values have you stood for in your working career? Why are they important and who needs to see you 'walk the talk' now?
Think about it. Where do you, and your contributions, fit in the fabric of your company, industry or profession? Then do more than think about it - actively engage in legacy leaving activities. Get busy ensuring that your work outlasts your presence. Who knows, maybe your picture will be blasted across the company intranet on your last day. Hey - it could happen!
What's Changing For You?
I don't usually say much about what's happening for me personally in this ezine, but it's been an exciting few weeks for me - and I'm just itching to tell you all about what's changing in my world.
I was recently selected to be the Chapter Chair for the Women President's Organization's two Toronto groups. The WPO, headquartered in New York and boasting 86 chapters world-wide, is a non-profit membership organization for women presidents of multimillion-dollar companies.. My role as Chapter Chair is to meet monthly with these fabulous women and facilitate, or 'coax the genius' out of the group; my task is to help them grow their businesses to the next level. I'm pumped about this opportunity. These gals are savvy business women and I'm looking forward to spending time with them and creating high-value interactions for their meetings. I'm anticipating that, while I guide their round-tables, I'll have my own thinking challenged as well!
My next Big News is that I've been awarded the National Speaker's Associations' highest earned designation - Certified Speaking Professional! I've been working towards this goal for the past five years, and on July 19th in Phoenix, Arizona I'll walk across the main stage and grasp it in my hot little hand! Less than 10% of the nearly 5500 Professional Speakers in the association have achieved this level and I'm honoured to be receiving it.
Lastly, and this is the part that involves you-all - I've been listening to you. In response to your requests for services to make personal- change more successfully - we're spinning off a new web site in the fall, designed to help you do just that! The site will provide you with a truck-load of resources and allow you to join with other 'Changers' to learn more about the nuts-n-bolts of transforming, and give you an opportunity to buddy- up with others, to change what you thought you couldn't. Oh, and there's even going to be a Biggest Changer Challenge! So, stay tuned, we'll be telling you more about this exciting venture over the next few months.
Ok, so enough about me. What's changing in your world? They say that, "a change is as good as a rest", and I'm a believer. With my recent changes I've been infused with a new sense of excitement and energy.
So, what could you change that could re-boot your enthusiasm? What behaviour, habit or way of thinking and/or responding could you transform that would juice up your career or personal life? Think about it - then get busy doing it! If you want a personal guide to help you, check out my "Just Change It!" book and the accompanying Workbook. They have been designed to walk a would-be changer step-by-step through any change, personal or professional. If you get started today - where could you be by this time next month?
I was recently selected to be the Chapter Chair for the Women President's Organization's two Toronto groups. The WPO, headquartered in New York and boasting 86 chapters world-wide, is a non-profit membership organization for women presidents of multimillion-dollar companies.. My role as Chapter Chair is to meet monthly with these fabulous women and facilitate, or 'coax the genius' out of the group; my task is to help them grow their businesses to the next level. I'm pumped about this opportunity. These gals are savvy business women and I'm looking forward to spending time with them and creating high-value interactions for their meetings. I'm anticipating that, while I guide their round-tables, I'll have my own thinking challenged as well!
My next Big News is that I've been awarded the National Speaker's Associations' highest earned designation - Certified Speaking Professional! I've been working towards this goal for the past five years, and on July 19th in Phoenix, Arizona I'll walk across the main stage and grasp it in my hot little hand! Less than 10% of the nearly 5500 Professional Speakers in the association have achieved this level and I'm honoured to be receiving it.
Lastly, and this is the part that involves you-all - I've been listening to you. In response to your requests for services to make personal- change more successfully - we're spinning off a new web site in the fall, designed to help you do just that! The site will provide you with a truck-load of resources and allow you to join with other 'Changers' to learn more about the nuts-n-bolts of transforming, and give you an opportunity to buddy- up with others, to change what you thought you couldn't. Oh, and there's even going to be a Biggest Changer Challenge! So, stay tuned, we'll be telling you more about this exciting venture over the next few months.
Ok, so enough about me. What's changing in your world? They say that, "a change is as good as a rest", and I'm a believer. With my recent changes I've been infused with a new sense of excitement and energy.
So, what could you change that could re-boot your enthusiasm? What behaviour, habit or way of thinking and/or responding could you transform that would juice up your career or personal life? Think about it - then get busy doing it! If you want a personal guide to help you, check out my "Just Change It!" book and the accompanying Workbook. They have been designed to walk a would-be changer step-by-step through any change, personal or professional. If you get started today - where could you be by this time next month?
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