The Heart and Soul of Leadership

 Things are changing in the world of leadership.

Business and leadership success is really a journey, not so much a destination. Companies and leaders that are looking at their team, relationships, process, systems and values are further ahead than those who simply look at the bottom line. Leadership and success is more than the bottom line.

Dr. Jo Anne White was my guest on a recent Conversations  with Charmaine Radio Show. She is an international author and speaker, a Professional Coach who specializes in transformation and innovation. Jo Anne has worked with many businesses to get to the heart of what really matters most in organizations, and in people. She has been using The Success Principles to enrich the lives and business of her clients. She is also an author in the book Mastering the Art of Success.  She is known as the "Success Doc".   

Jo Anne White- speaker, author and success coach

When talking about the Heart and Soul of Leadership (also a chapter in her book), Jo Anne talked about the model she created around leadership...the ROAST model (J. White):

R- Relationships

O- Ownership

A- Application

S- Stewardship

T- Trust and Truth

I love the model she created... it is easy to remember, makes sense and captures some of the most important aspects and actions of a leader.  You can listen to Jo Anne share her tips around the ROAST model as well as our discussions about succession planning, values in the workplace and the process of putting more heart and soul into the workplace. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2013/01/09/leadership-gap-analysis-series-and-guest-dr-jo-anne-white

Do you remember your first leadership position or role?

What were the challenges that immediately faced you as you transitioned to this new position and set of responsibilities?

Perhaps they were the ones Jo Anne talked about...responsibility, building a healthy workplace culture, encouraging diversity and innovation, creating succession plans, living up to the values of the organization.

I recall a team I worked with where one of the leaders did not want the leadership position. I had been contracted to facilitate a team building process for this team who was experiencing struggles with performance, meeting deadlines, and communicating effectively.  During the pre meeting interviews I conducted separately with each team member, the leader said "Charmaine, I never wanted this position.  The job came up, management had to fill the role, and I was the most senior guy." This leader I'll call Dave went on to explain that his most painful learning, and biggest challenge was the transition from "being one of the guys" to "leading the guys."  The company did not assist with the transition and the support and development he needed in leadership, planning and supervision was not provided. When I began working with the team, he was tired, and emotionally drained. When I interviewed the team members, they talked about the challenges in seeing their "friend" in a leadership role. In many ways they felt they were not supporting Dave as much as they could, and the new boundaries in the relationship were not clear.  When I began the group team building process, and worked with them to develop a team agenda, this provided the team not only with a sense of direction, but also the boundaries and clarity that each person privately said they needed.

What can you do to bring more trust, clarity around expectations and roles, innovation, integral relationships and leadership to your team?

Listen to internet radio with Conversations with Charmaine on Blog Talk Radio

I also had the pleasure of being interviewed on Jo Anne's radio Show.  Here is a link to the show where Jo Anne interviewed me, you can listen to the show at: http://www.drjoannewhite.com/charmaine-hammond-lessons-of-life-love-and-purpose-taught-by-a-dog/  I would welcome hearing your thoughts and perspectives on the conversation we had about how animals can be teachers in leadership.

To order your copy of Mastering the Art of Success and read more from Jo Anne, visit:

Succeeding in Business- Big Business Results

Simon Jordan is a fellow member of the Evolutionary Business Council, a marketing expert, and phenomenal radio host.  One theme that has run through his business career is that of taking massive action to achieve big results.  He is the host of Simon Jordan TV, and the author of How to Sky Rocket Your Business.

Synergy, connections, collaboration, getting back to basics are all things that will shift the planet, and the workplace. Simon talked about how these qualities are fundamental in his latest initiative One Planet One Place   www.oneplanetoneplace.com  One Planet One Place is a community, and in many ways is a virtual community.  The world is changing. Relationships can be established quickly and easily through social media and other technological platforms. Businesses can create powerful collaborations with others around the world. Collaboration instead of competition is the emerging mindset for many businesses, and I can say that the corporate clients I work with who come from collaboration, not competition are very successful.

Here are some questions to think about this week as you plan to create big business results:

1) Who do you know?
2) Who do you enjoy working with .... there is synergy?
3) What collaborations have you done that could be re-established?
4) How are you maintaining connections and relationships with others in the business world?
5) Where are you moving back to the basics?


Listen to our conversations on the Conversation with Charmaine radio show at:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/11/14/leadership-gap-analysis-series-and-guest-simon-jordan

Listen to internet radio with Conversations with Charmaine on Blog Talk Radio

Are you the NEW NORMAL?

Are you the NEW NORMAL?


There is a new normal in sales, and to be successful, we must know that exactly that is. The old way was cold calls and calling 25 people a day. Now, it is more important to have quality contacts, and 1:1 conversations. Relationships are key! Clients find us now more than they used to. So, businesses must ensure that they have a credible, professional presence.

Colleen Francis was my guest on Corporate Conversations with Charmaine Radio, she  is driven by sales…and results. A successful sales professional for more than 20 years, Colleen has studied the habits of the top sales performers to complement conventional sales wisdom with proven sales strategies that get results in today’s tough economy. The reason Colleen’s clients call on her time and time again is that she gets results!
(you can listen to the show here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/09/12/favorite-moments-and-guest-colleen-francis

  In Colleens’ blog she said it is important to rid ourselves of the sales trash. Cold calls are only about 3% of the business whereas 97% of the sales will come from relationships and continued contacts with clients.  The old sales scripts no longer work, we are in a different era. People want authenticity and relationships, and as Colleen says, credible, current and compelling testimonials.

Some key tips to sales from Colleen include:

- Call people who have been on your website and have signed up for your products or newsletters. Stay in touch with them. Keep the conversation going with them, build relationships.

- Remember it is a slow drip. Building relationships takes time. Most people give up just before the sale is made.  Hang in there.

- Decision makers appreciate rich content and value. Do case studies, content rich articles, let them know when you are in their community, remember them at holidays.

- Stay in touch every 30 days! Yes every 30 days. This can be through newsletters, email, calls, articles, seeding, etc.

With respect to the sales conversation, remember it is a two way conversation. Talk less. Ask a lot of questions to the client, Colleen suggests these questions:

- What are your objectives?

- What is the goal (e.g. of the training, the meeting, the event)?

- What do you hope will be different aft this?

- What do you want people to remember after the event?

Then explore the different ways that their needs can be accomplished. Many experts and business owners are too anxious to tell the client all they can do (without knowing what the client truly needs) and then the client feels “sold to.”



Colleen’s favorite question is to ask yourself (not the client) HOW IS THIS IMPROVING THE CLIENT’S SITUATION/CONDITION?  We must always add value for the client....what are the ways that you add value, stay in touch and build long lasting relationships with your clients?  What are you learning and finding works well in the new normal of sales?



Find out more about Colleen at www.engageselling.com


Listen to our radio interview at and Colleen's great tips about getting exceptional business testimonials:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/09/12/favorite-moments-and-guest-colleen-francis

Warren MacDonald is an incredible change agent, with an inspiring story....one of patience, persistence, hope and overcoming fear and obstacles to climb mountains (literally).

Warren MacDonald- professional speaker, author and transformational leader!

Warren Macdonald's life's boundaries were redefined in April 1997 in an accident on North Queensland's (Australia) Hinchinbrook Island. Climbing to the Island's tallest peak, he became trapped beneath a one-ton slab boulder in a freak rock fall. Two days later he was rescued, only to undergo the amputation of both legs at mid thigh.  Just ten months later, he climbed Tasmania's Cradle Mountain. 

Warren discovered that he had choice, not necessarily in what happened to him, but to how he coped and accepted his new reality.. he decided that being beaten by life’s circumstances and being a victim paralyzed by fear was not a choice for him, so he chose to change his perspective and live life as a survivor.

In the coming days, he realized how many huge life changes would need to be made however, he reclaimed his life and moved on. He learned to ask for help. He learned patience, perseverance, and not to be afraid of change. All great lessons for organizations and the teams that work so hard to fulfill a company mission. If you don’t view change as an opportunity, you lose your power, said Warren. The process of dealing with change really involves three steps, according to MacDonald: Acceptance, Responsibility and Crisis. When you create challenges for yourself, your team, you push through the discomfort to success.

Warren’s tips for leaders , business owners and team members around dealing with change included:

- Asking for help

- Having a common goal that s clearly defined

- Leaders inviting perspective shifts to embrace change instead of fear it



Asking questions is a great way to find out where a team is at. Warren suggested that leaders question their mission and actions. Here are a few questions to get you started.

- Why do we do what we do?

- Why does our business/service/product, etc. matter?

- What are we doing and why?

- Where are we going?

Then check in on actions and results. Are they congruent to the answers for the above questions. We are in an important time. What really matters in teams? Here is what Warren and I have both seen as important:

- Transparency

- Engagement

- A mission outside of work

Warren gave an example of one team who volunteered a shift at the local soup kitchen. Another assembled a bunch of bikes without knowing why, until a crowd of young children from a local organization burst through the doors. What a great way for a team to be connected together and to be connected to a purpose or mission outside of the work functions.  You can listen to Warren share this and other stories on our interview  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/06/20/guests-jill-lublin-and-warren-macdonald


Feel free to share the link with your colleagues and in your team. A great message worth sharing.

Also, check out Warren’s book at


Follow me at: www.hammondgroup.biz

How BIG is Your Team Dreaming?

The word “dream” is one we don’t typically hear in corporate vocabulary. We are more likely to use the word goal and vision. What if we asked our team “what is your dream for the clients we serve?” or “what is your dream for this team?” or, “if nothing could get in the way, what is your dream for this company?” I wonder if the responses would be different?

These were some of the questions that arose during my conversation with Debbi Dachinger on my Conversations with Charmaine show. You can listen to my interview with Debbi here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/05/23/guests-maria-gamb-and-debbi-dachinger


Debbi is an expert and author on the topic of Daring to Dream, and is the radio host of Dare to Dream Radio, which has more than four million listeners. I have had the opportunity to be a guest on her show two times.

“Dreams are everything!” said Debbi. Dreams can catapult a team and business into new levels of success because of the synergy that is created when team members talk about their vision, what could be, and what they are passionate about.

I shared a few examples with Debbi. One team I worked with had hired me to facilitate the community vision and team strategic plan. I used a vision board activity for the team to create their visual image of their community vision and their hopes for how their clients would be impacted by their service delivery. This exercise created great synergy, after they got used to the idea this facilitator was not using the “typical” planning exercises. The community was so powerful that the team presented their vision board to their Council and posted it in their staff room. Several years after this project, their vision board was still hanging in the staff room, even though some of the members on their team had since moved onto other organizations, their vision still remained. Debbi also suggested a Victory Board, where teams display and record their team and business accomplishments, wins and successes. This is a very powerful tool as well as often the team is disconnected with the successes and accomplishments that have happened in the rest of the organization or company. As well, a Victory Board creates a way of charting and tracking corporate history.

Check out Debbi’s book here, there are great tips to move individuals and teams into creating big dreams and goals, to move beyond the barriers that get in the way of success, and how to dream big. I was thrilled to be able to provide an endorsement for the book, it is a great read!


Debbi suggested that teams take stock of their dreams and goals, explore what is getting in the way (habits, history, resistance, etc.), and that leaders also check in with their dreams, are you dreaming big enough? Many people play small, they stay with small dreams, goals that are comfortable. The challenge with that is you stay in your comfort zone. Successful people seem to possess some of the same qualities, they regularly get out of their comfort zone, they trust- themselves and others, they are resilient, and stretch their dreams from comfortable to uncomfortable.

So as you get ready for June, half way through 2012, why not take a moment to check in with your dreams and goals... are you thinking big enough?  How can you expand your dreams a little more? Who can you share them with? What action can you take?

Next week, join us for Conversations with Charmaine radio (Wed May 30, 2012 at 1 pm MST) as I interview Marci Shimoff NYT bestselling author of many books, including: Love for No Reason and Happy for No Reason, she is the coauthor of six of the top-selling titles in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and a featured teacher in the international movie and book sensation The Secret.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/05/30/guests-victoria-labalme-and-marci-shimoff

To learn more about Marci and her awesome books, visit:

                          

From Six Dollars to Six Figures!

When April Morris heard the words “your annual raise is fifty cents per hour” her life was changed forever. She immediately went into action to find a way to a better lifestyle and began studying millionaires. She read more than 80 books about business and went from $6 per hour to earning six figures in business! From studying successful business owners and leaders, April discovered that they had similar success markers. She learned the art of viral marketing starting first with her direct sphere of influence (friends, family, colleagues, community members, etc.) and had a launch party for her product Thin Gloss. And, she ASKed for leads and referrals. The key here is that she was very specific and focused in her ask for the referral (you can hear an example in the recording below).

April stressed the importance of always giving clients and prospects value, and being innovative. One example of this is to survey your clients needs. Ask the clients what they like and what they’d like to change about your product or service, or what their biggest struggle is. Then ensure that your product or service addresses the needs.  


Many of you have heard about the television show The Shark Tank (which I love to watch), April was on the show in April 2010. She talked about the surprising learnings from the experience, and what changes she made immediately to her business model, web page, and offering a bonus with her product. This dramatically increased her sales.

You can listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/05/09/guests-april-morris-and-carrie-greene

“Be open to change” said April, the types and approaches in marketing have changed a lot, and leaders and businesses must be open to doing business differently. Push marketing no longer works, instead, you need to develop relationships, offer value and market to your target audience in strategic ways that address their issues or solve their problems.

April shared a tip from her mentor that I think is brilliant “only go where you are celebrated, not tolerated.” WOW! What an insightful way to help us determine what we say “yes” to and what we say “no” to.

You can find out more about April at http://www.aprilmorris.com/


April Morris Bio: “Your annual raise is fifty cents per hour”. Those words changed April Morris’ life forever. Determined to find a way out of a poverty-like lifestyle for her family, she began studying millionaires, attended seminars and read 80+ business books. She went from earning $6 per hour to Six Figures. This led her to leaving the security of a job and launching her first product- THINgloss® in 2008. Not having any money for marketing and advertising didn’t stop her. Instead, she created and launched a viral marketing campaign that attracted publicity, new customers and cash flow. Today, April is a popular speaker and Founder of the “Product Innovation Academy” where she teaches entrepreneurs innovation, viral marketing strategies & sales psychology. www.aprilmorris.com