Life is like a box of chocolates... or a cup of coffee...

My mom has a knack for finding the most inspirational short videos and stories and sending them to me at the exact moment I need them (sometimes I don't know ...but she always does).

Our dogs Toby and Toby Jr (TJ) have taught me a lot about myself, life, business, and living a life that is full... of all the right things.... and putting your best foot forward.

Our mission at Team Toby is to improve lives by teaching kindness, acceptance and respect.  Whether it be in the boardroom, classroom, school yard or conference centre, my message as a professional speaker always stems from this foundation.... kindness, acceptance and respect.

Animals are so accepting...so unconditional...so non-judgmental. In the workplace when people can show up and be present in this way (accepting and non judgmental) the workplace culture shifts, in the right direction. Relationships and trust improve. Forgiveness happens. And the team can reach a new level of synergy.

My dogs have also taught me about simplicity.  One of my keynote presentations starts with "life is full of moments. Moments that define you. Moments that challenge you. Moments that stretch you. Moments that help you grow."  and ends with "How will spend your moments?"

Our Toby Jr (TJ) enjoying a moment in the park in Edmonton.

This beautiful short video sums up the importance of making your moments matter, enjoying life as you are experiencing it, and, the power of kindness.

A special shout out to my mom for somehow always just knowing the right thing to send at the right time.  Enjoy.
          http://www.flickspire.com/_videos/flash/LILC/LILC.swf

 As you move forward in your week, remember to ask yourself these questions:

1) How am I showing up in this moment?
2) Who am I being in this moment?
3) How will I spend my moments?

To find out more on this and related topics, our books and speaking, please visit us at www.TheOriginalTeamToby.com or www.CharmaineHammond.com 

Taming the Inner Critic to Bring Out More Joy

Today I am pleased to share a guest blog post from my colleague, Sheevaun Moran, who is also a fellow member of the Evolutionary Business Council http://ebcouncil.com/

 Taming the Inner Critic to Bring Out More Joy

Our world is filled with many words and many of those are actually critical. These critical thoughts and words are  brought down by our parents and their parents. These energies and thoughts live within us so much so that they manifest easily when someone is around us who is critical.

For many years I’ve heard from my clients that they want peace and joy. I always say that unless you have a model, on a regular basis, for joy and peace that you won’t get there. You will only wish and long for something that sounds good – too good to be true.

It is possible but you must fill your home, office, energy, life and all surroundings with things that bring you joy. You must be informed or inform yourself when you are out of alignment with the things that bring you joy.

There is a quote in my book Shotgun Shopping-Materializing What You Want Without Ever Shopping that says “Never bring into your home anything that you don’t absolutely love. If you do your mind will start having little pangs of doubt. It will be just like a slow leak in a tire that eventually will burst and create chaos.”

The same thing applies to having joy in your life. it is at your fingertips, if only you will allow it. Rather, it is on the tip of your tongue and all you need to do is allow it.

I learned many years ago from a mentor of mine that there’s joy around me and ready to jump in and take place at my whim. The word that he used when sharing this concept is “ananda”.

While this is not a common word today we are still affected by the energy of this word – ananda. Try it.

Sheevaun Moran is an author, keynote speaker, transformation expert and uses energy to help CEO’s and entrepreneurs achieve their dreams and goals. Fifteen years and thousands of clients are out there living their dreams as a result of Sheevaun’s work. She can be found at http://sheevaunmoran.com

Whoops- I so didn’t mean to say that!

How many times have you heard someone say “Whoops! I didn’t mean to say that!” or “Geesh, that didn’t come out the way I wanted. My bad!” or something along these lines.

As a speaker and an attendee of many tradeshows, events and meetings, you would not believe what I hear people say.  At a book event, I heard an exhibitor say “I only got an hour sleep as I was out partying all night- hope I don't wreak of alcohol” and another exhibitor at a conference who said “obviously they don’t know how to plan an event, no one is coming to my booth!” (saying this to a lady passing by who was helping the event organizer, which she found out later). YIKES!

When you are representing your business, your brand, or product, you must discern between what a conversation is for close friends you trust (and not in front of customers or event attendees) and what is for public consumption, and what is sometimes just better left unsaid or to yourself.  Your words leave lasting imprints in people's minds about your credibility, professionalism, and most importantly, how you do business!

After facilitating hundreds of dialogues between individuals through mediation and facilitation processes, I have watched people over and over again speak first, and think later. I have witnessed the judgments that get made and how words can hurt others, or your business. I love this quote by Earl Wilson…”If you wouldn't write it and sign it, don't say it.” As well, sarcasm is not always understood (or appreciated), be careful when and with whom you chose sarcasm. This is great advice for communicating, especially at events. The reality is – what you say often gets back to others.

Here are three tips to careful and mindful communication:

- Think before speaking (consider “is this comment appropriate for this particular person?”,

- Am I prepared to “back my words” if I needed to in future?

- Would I be comfortable putting what I am about to say in writing? If not, you may want to rephrase.

Bonus tip... ask yourself "why am I sharing this with the other person?"

Communication doesn't have to be perfect, but it does need to be mindful, otherwise you find yourself in lots of re-do situations.  And the re-do is always more uncomfortable than the first time around. Each communication is an opportunity to learn and refine your message.

What’s Your Leadership GPS?

At a recent Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Conference (AWE) I was speaking on the topic of Leadership GPS. My presentation included three distinct topics: understanding your strengths, knowing your leadership style, and getting out of your way (and capitalizing on your strengths).

In this workshop I defined Leadership GPS as Goals, Plans of Action and Success Indicators.

Some of the qualities in exceptional leaders include:

• Knowing your strengths and how to use them to help grow your business and advance your team
• Understanding that one’s strengths can become a deficit or challenge if you are not mindful and present
• Confident, clear communicators
• Have empathy
• Are able to say no, can make decisions and stand by them
• Strong leaders can forgive themselves and move forward, they are resilient
• They decide in advance (intentionally) how they want to show up in the world and as a leader (I call this framing your day)
• When the day goes off track, strong leaders are able to reframe their day and move forward
• They know their leadership style and adapt it to work more effectively with other
• They can ASK for help

Some of the many questions that came up in the round table discussions following the presentation were about a) giving up some “control”, b) work life balance, c) difficult conversations, d) building a team. In the coming blogs, I’ll focus on the answers to these questions.
When you think of a strong leader, what are the qualities that come to mind for you?

Does Persistence Really Pay?

According to Lori Raunask persistence does pay! Lori is the author of a great book Persistence Pays (see information below). And, I had the opportunity to interview Lori on my Conversations with Charmaine Radio Show. You can listen to Lori’s great tips on persistence, here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/05/02/guests-lori-raudnask-and-beverly-flaxington

Lori Raudnask, speaker, author and guest on Corporate Conversations with Charmaine Show.

Lori has exemplified her passion for life and supporting others through 35 years of volunteer/community service and countless business accomplishments and awards. She spent 11 years in the corporate world and 24 years as an entrepreneur so is an expert on the topic of persistence. Like me, Lori loves to be near water, she and her husband love boating (and I love sailing), and she enjoys writing.

In Lori’s book, Persistence Pays, she talks about the importance of having the right mindset, the skill set, breaking conditioning that holds you back, and taking action. Some tips to build healthy persistence into your life, from Lori are to:

• Appreciate the value you give to others and believe in yourself, your product or service – if you don’t believe, how can others believe?
• Focus on the benefits of your product or service.
•  Remove the “someday syndrome” from your life and step into action.
•  Have daily action by being very clear, focused and working on tangible action steps.
• Remember the importance of gratitude. Lori and I both begin our day in similar ways, she writes in her gratitude journal, and I start my day by saying “Tahnk you” then set my intentions for the day.

Lori is launching some new CDs about Mastering the Art of Networking and Beating Burnout for Women. Watch for these on her website.   To buy the book or find out more about Persistence Pays at:

 

 

Lori’s website is http://www.persistencepays.ca/.     Listen to the show here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/05/02/guests-lori-raudnask-and-beverly-flaxington

What Kind of Leader Are You? Part One.

John Maxwell: The Five Levels of Leadership book
 What a great read this book is! Maxwell says that leadership is a verb, an action, not a position! Leadership also deals with people and the dynamics in the organization, and the challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate the process of growth, learning and transformation. I really enjoyed reading this book; in fact, I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Then, I went back through again to consider how I could share his strategies with my corporate clients and reference in training programs.

John Maxwell defines the five levels of leadership as follows:

1. Positional Leadership which means that this is an entry level leader who is likely more focused on rights. People follow leaders at this level mainly because they have to.

2. Permission Leadership is the second level and here leaders are focusing on relationships. People follow leaders at this level because they want to.

3. Production Leadership is level three and the focus here is on results. People follow the leader because of what the leader has done or accomplished for the organizing.

4. People Development Leadership is the next level, much more difficult to reach this level. The focus is on people development and reproducing the leader. People follow these leaders because of what he/she has done for the people.

5. Level five, the most difficult and infrequently attained level is called Pinnacle Leadership. This is all about respect. People follow these leaders because of who the leader is the legacy that he/she has created and what you have done for the individuals.

What type of leader are you?  What level of leadership are you at currently?
If you were to take three actions to move you towards the next leadership level, what would those be, and why?

See Maxwell's valuable Leadership Tips in the Next Post.

To learn more about Maxwell’s book or to add this to your corporate reading library, visit:

Book Review: Life is a Contact Sport by Ken Kragen

Life is a Contact Sport was particularly enjoyable to read because I know Ken, in fact, he is my coach. After having seen Ken present at the 2011 eWomenNetwork Convention in Dallas, I knew this man had an incredible degree of knowledge that would serve the world. He has managed some of the world's most memorable entertainers, including Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton John, The Bee Gees, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers along with many others. He was the creator and organizer of "We Are the World", "Hands Across America", and Cisco System's "NetAid". Amazingly over 95% of the acts he managed have become stars, and 90% of the projects he created and spearheaded have achieved success (source: Kenkragen.com). Ken’s ability to create an experience, be memorable and work effectively with media is extremely important for businesses, entrepreneurs, speakers and authors to know more about.

What struck me the most in his presentation, and he talks about it in his book, is the Magic of Threes and creating a memorable experience. Right in the middle of Ken’s live presentation when he made this point, the doors to the ballroom burst open and a high school band marched through the doors, trumpets, drums, trombones, the works! You can guarantee when anyone in that room thinks of Ken, his presentation or message; they will not forget that experience.

In Life Is A Contact Sport, Ken talks about a ten point strategy that is key to success. The first being The Event Strategy. The Event Strategy involves holding several events in a short period of time. To simplify this Ken suggests taking a single event, then building other events and opportunities around it.

He also writes about the importance of optimism and enthusiasm and provides numerous examples of where his attitude and enthusiasm has created stronger business relationships, business deals, and event success. I particularly enjoyed Ken’s strategy of backwards thinking for forward motion- that is beginning with the end in mind, starting with the goal. This approach makes sense. When you start with the goal (and ending timelines in mind), you can create the plan and action steps with corresponding timelines. The benefit of this thinking backwards approach is that: a) you ensure that your plan is doable in the timeframe allotted; b) sometimes it is easier to think of the steps that got you to the goal instead of what you need to do to get to the goal. And, here’s the great part- you can figure out the gatekeepers that you need to get a “yes” from to progress further.

In Life Is A Contact Sport, Ken mentions the importance of giving and building relationships. This is critical. Building relationships is an effective form of marketing, but also in helping others achieve their goals and serving your purpose. I recommend this book for speakers, authors and businesses. This book will change how you think about your events, marketing and media strategies. Applying the Magic of Threes will multiply your success and the experience.

About Ken:

Ken is a graduate of Harvard Business School and his diverse career far transcends the music and entertainment. During the past few years, Kragen has devoted an increasing amount of his time to speaking, writing, coaching others as well as consulting work for leading corporations and many non-profit organizations. Ken Kragen has also produced a variety of film and television projects, ranging from the ground-breaking "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" on CBS to Kenny Rogers' "Gambler" movies, and numerous series, mini-series and films. Most recently, Kragen produced the "12 Dogs of Christmas" live action, full length feature film based on his daughter, Emma's, best-selling children's book. (www.12DogsofChristmas.com).

To find out more about Ken and to read Life Is a Contact Sport, visit:

Charmaine and Ken Kragen in Dallas at eWomenNetwork Convention July 2011