What a Week!

Last week was a whirlwind, but all in all, a good one. I was on the road to Ft. Wayne IN for a 2-day conference and then back to Lombard IL for another 2-day conference, both sponsored by the Christian & Missionary Alliance - Midwest District. At both conferences I had the privilege and opportunity to present another, even more-compressed version of my Conversational Leadership program. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago the folks at Ronald McDonald House Charities Int'l Conference really enjoyed the workshop. More importantly, a number of them commented that they were heading back to the office with tools they could begin using immediately.

This last week the pastors and ministry leaders who attended the conferences had some very similar comments. They were also able to identify, very clearly, how the principles I shared could impact their relationships at work and at home. I am very encouraged that people are walking away from these events with real-life tools they can use right now. That is incredibly important to me. I want all my listeners/trainees to walk away with immediate value and with resources that will bring them value over time.

This Wednesday I get another opportunity to compress the program even further. I will be doing a 30-min. webcast at 2pm CDT for an organization called Stratos Four, a digital media company based out of Cedar Rapids, IA. I hope you can join us. Click here to register for the event. I would love to have you there!

I think I have learned a valuable lesson over the last few weeks. If we are delivering something of real, innate value to our customers, then the amount of time we have does not limit our ability to bring value. It does limit the amount of value we can deliver in that space of time, but our ability to deliver value is not eliminated just because we don't have a multitude of hours.

This reminded me of a brief encounter I had with another client where, in a matter of 5 minutes, I had communicated the bottom line of this program. He walked away with three solid nuggets he could apply right away. That was tremendously encouraging.

So, what do you have to offer those in your sphere that is of real value? How could you slice and dice it, while retaining it's essence, that would allow you to deliver it in smaller, or larger chunks, without diluting the bottom-line for the customer? Stretch your thinking on this one and you will be surprised what you come up with.

Seize the day!
http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/
http://www.alliantleadership.com/
www.twitter.com/joedenner

When Do I Get To Do That Again?

Last week I shared with you the great news I received in the feedback that Ronald McDonald House Charities gave me after I spoke at their conference. While I certainly enjoyed getting such positive feedback, I have to say that as I reflected back on the whole experience I enjoyed something else much more - actually giving the presentation.



Not everything about the experience was wonderful though:

• The initial preparation for the event was somewhat tedious. I had to take 16 hours of material and consolidate it down to 3 hrs. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't a lot of fun.
• Putting together the PowerPoint presentation wasn't my favorite part either. I can get the content into the slides, but making them look good and giving them some creative flair is also not one of my strenghts.
• The 30-minutes just prior to the workshop were a little stressful too. As people began entering the room and choosing their seats I introduced myself and tried to make some small talk. Some of you may be saying, "That would have been the best part." Not me. Meeting new people is tough for me. I tend to be shy and feel awkward in those early moments.

But...when the program started and I launched into the presentation it was like I entered a different realm. It felt great, looked great and sounded great...and I was loving every minute of it. It is what Michael Jordan used to call "the zone." It was that place where he felt like he couldn't miss (and usually didn't). In baseball hitters who are in "the zone" say that it's like the ball is coming at them in slow motion and the ball looks as if it were the size of a softball.

When it was all over there was this feeling of, "When do I get to do that again!?!?" I was full of energy and excitement. I was ready for the next class, though there wasn't one. Reality set in and I was back to "normal." I share this with you because this is how it looks and feels when we are operating in an area of strength - success and satisfaction (consistently). If you have been reading my posts for the last year you will know that is an area of passion for me - supporting other people in identifying and developing their natural talents into functional strenghts.

That experience I had is one I want others to experience for themselves again and again. So, I ask you, When was the last time you said, "When do I get to do that again?" Other questions to ask yourself are:

• When is the last time I completely lost all track of time when doing something?
• What are the 10-15 things in my life that I have accomplished that have given me the greatest amount of satisfaction?
• What, when I am engaged in it, actual returns energy to me, instead of drains it from me?

Ask yourself some of these questions. It will help move you toward your areas of talent and strength. If you are serious about taking the next step you can take some assessments that will do a better job of nailing down the specific areas of your talents. Read my previous post called, "Anybody Got a Match?" to see more about a specific tool I recommend that is readily available and very inexpensive.

Seize the day!!
http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/
http://www.alliantleadership.com/
www.twitter.com/joedenner

Sharing the Good News

I recently spoke at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Int'l Conference. It was a great privilege to be involved in an event of that magnitude. I was asked to do a compressed version of my program called, "Conversational Leadership." I normally deliver this material over 16 hours. At the RMHC conference I only had 3 hours. That was a challenge.

A few days ago I received the official feedback from the event coordinator...and I was thrilled. I had really enjoyed the event, and felt in my gut that it had gone well. However, I never expected to get such overwhelmingly positive feedback.

I thought I would share some of it with you so you could celebrate with me:

"We engaged Joe Denner from Alliant Leadership as a speaker for our 2009 International Conference. With over 800 attendees and more than 50 educational sessions, Joe’s workshop was consistently rated as one of the BEST. He is a great speaker and powerful influencer, capable of equipping organizational leaders with the tools they need."
Donell B. – Event Coordinator
Ronald McDonald House Charities Int’l

"Thanks Joe! Your presentation provided me with valuable information that I have already started applying in the workplace. I hope you’ll be back in 2011 with an advanced conversational leadership session. Thank you!"
Eric S.
RMHC Phoenix

Comments from other participants:
· Wow! I’m excited to get back and use these tools. Joe knew his topic and didn’t rely on slides, which is so important in keeping people focused and engaged.
· Fantastic – best session so far. Excellent presenter – great pace – addressed individual questions
· Too short – best session yet!
· One of the best sessions – can apply to all areas of life but he applied to RMHC
· Please have him come back!
· Outstanding – equipped me with the tools to have the one-on-one
· A great influencer – very easy to listen to – presentation moved at a nice pace
· Would be a great addition to Executive Training

I am very thankful to the Lord for enabling me to deliver this kind of value to my clients.

Take time to celebrate. So many of us don't. If you have received any positive feedback lately, please share it with me. I would love to celebrate with you!!

Seize the day!

http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/

http://www.alliantleadership.com/

www.twitter.com/joedenner

Thriving in Your Environment

What kind of environment do you thrive in? I think most of the time when individuals are looking for a job they are looking primarily at the role they will play, the responsibilities they will carry and the compensation package that comes with it.

In my previous posts I have written regularly about the importance of identifying, building and then leveraging your personal talents and strenghts for maximun success. Today, I would like to challenge you to consider, in addition to all of this, the environment in which you work.

In most cases the environment in which you work will have as much impact on your level of satisfaction as the duties and responsibilities. Certainly the people you work with and especially the person you directly report to are important. But, it goes beyond that.

Let me give you an example. In Gallup's StrengthsFinder language one of my talent themes is Learner. In very simplified terms this means that I absolutely love to learn. One clear ramification for me is I thrive in dynamic work environments because I am constantly being challenged to learn new things quickly. A stagnant or slow moving environment, or one in which I am doing the same thing day in and day out, would become stifling and boring for me.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to assess your current or future environment and its fit for you:

• Do I like the people I work with?
• Do I like my supervisor?
• Do my personal core values align with the values of the organization?
• What is the pace of work?
• Are the policies & rules rigid or pretty flexible?

Have a great weekend.

Seize the day!

www.joedenner.blogspot.com

www.alliantleadership.com

www.twitter.com/joedenner

Getting Things Done

I am very passionate about supporting people in their personal and professional growth and in their efforts to get more of what they want and less of what they don't. My work is all about results, personally and practically. So, I was very intrigued when I received an email from a colleague recently that talked about results.

Research conducted by the American Society for Training and Development in 2004 to measure the likelihood of completing a goal and effecting change as a result, found the following:

Percent likelihood that change will happen after:

Hearing an idea……………………………………………………..................10%
Consciously deciding to adopt an idea………………........................25%
Deciding when you will do it.................................................…..40%
Planning how you will do it……………………………….......................50%
Committing to someone else that you’ll do it…………….................65%
Have an accountability appt w/ the person you committed to....95%

Amazing, but true. I see this all the time with my clients.

So, what is it that you really want to get done? To whom have you committed and when are you meeting with them to tell them how it went?

Seize the day!
http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/
http://www.alliantleadership.com/
www.twitter.com/joedenner

The Soft Zone

Some CEO's and other top executives tend to shy away from conversations about what are called "soft skills." They like to talk about the tangibles of strategy, vision and execution. But, you cannot get away from the critical role that those soft skills play in the success of an organization.

In their book, The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz reference observations from Gallup by noting that:

No single factor more clearly predicts the productivity of an employee than his relationship with his direct supervisor. More specifically...the key drivers of productivity for employees include whether they feel cared for by a supervisor or someone at work; whether they [have] received recognition or praise during the past seven days; and whether someone at work regularly encourages their development. (Loehr and Schwartz, p. 75)

So, whether you like using the soft skills or not, you need to find a way to work them into your repertoire. If this is an area where you are weak, another wise move would be to have at least one person in your top circle of leaders who is really good at this stuff.

I will admit that early on in my career this was an area where I was severely lacking. Over time, and with consistent effort, I significantly improved in this area. I am still viewed as a fairly serious and probably somewhat aloof person in my leadership style. But, the effect of the growth that I experienced was stronger and stronger teams, especially marked by dedication, loyalty and productivity.

Where can you apply some soft skills today? Who on your team needs to know that you care? How can you invest in your relationship with them?

If you are interested in growing in this area I would encourage you to contact me about a program I offer called, "Conversational Leadership. Download my color brochure and Fact Sheet for more info. One of my former trainees referred to it as "the best real-time training" he'd ever experienced.

Seize the day!
www.joedenner.blogspot.com
www.alliantleadership.com
www.twitter.com/joedenner

The Cycle of Trust

In my newsletter that is going out in less than 24 hours I talk about why it is so important to build trust if you want to be a leader - i.e. a person of significant influence. In the newsletter I make reference to a concept I learned years ago called the Cycle of Trust.

The Cycle of Trust is a simple, but powerful concept. Basically, it states that we tend to trust people we perceive trust us and tend not to trust people we perceive do not trust us. Part of the concept rests on the fact that we tend to communicate our trust (or lack of it) in many non-verbal and subconscious ways that other people pick up on. So, even if we try to hide it, we give off "vibes" that we don't trust someone and they are able to pick up on that and it creates a sense of mistrust toward us...and the cycle goes on. On the surface it seems almost too simple. When I first learned about it during some management training I was skeptical, so I decided to experiment with it.

At the time there was another manager that I didn't trust at all... not at all. And, I was pretty sure they didn't trust me either. So, I began to intentionally work on trusting them. I made specific efforts to give them the benefit of the doubt in situations where the facts weren't clear and gave them outward support that I hadn't previously. Slowly, I noticed my attitude toward them changing for the better. I really began to believe in and trust them more readily. Surprisingly, I began to notice their attitude changing toward me. Long story short, our relationship was radically affected. We became friends and worked very well together for years.

Who can you apply the dynamics of the cycle of trust with? When will you start? If you do your part, you too will be amazed at what can happen.

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Seize the day!

http://www.joedenner.blogspot.com/

http://www.alliantleadership.com/