All posts by whiteboardconsulting

Organic Networking

A Love Hate Relationship

Half of you are saying “Yay networking!” The other half are in between a groan and a yelp “Ugh networking!”. Over the past year we’ve done our share of networking, from formal networking referral groups like Business Networking International to what I like to call “Organic Networking”.

Formal networking environments can be really nerve wracking. You’ve got to know your elevator speech, be able to talk about your business confidently, go up and talk to people you don’t know and who may not be interested in your business! And trust us, this kind of networking is a necessary type of any business.

What if you could augment the formal stuff with something a little more….“organic”? Learn three simple tips to making connections easily. This kind of networking helps to make you a trusted advisor. A role that we have often developed with all our clients and a role that keeps our business strong.

Organic Networking is as easy as 1,2, 3…

So my method of networking is based on some highly reputable business methodologies.
The Bridget Jones Diary School of Networking. So you find yourself running into a friend while at a business meeting. I jump right into Bridget mode:

“Hi Emily! This is Peter, Peter is a rocket scientist and was responsible for the latestNASA mission. I met him last year at a client dinner. Peter, this is Emily, my best friend since grade school, she works at a Rocket fuel company. You two probably have alot in common that I know nothing about!!”

Pardon the silly example, but 90% of the time, I’ve managed to introduce the two people in such a way that they either have a similar career, hobby, or something else. It gets them chatting. Often this leads to a future friendship, networking opportunity, or even a job opportunity, and makes me a reputable connector. This might not yield an opportunity for me personally, but it often does!

Here are three areas to search for a connection:

1. Personal: Is there a personal connection you can make? Friends or family perhaps?
2. Work: Do they have mutual business interests? The same company, industry, supplier etc?
3. Hobbies: Do they have any mutual extra curriculars? Are they both runners? Do they go to the same gym?

With these in mind, I’ve had great success in putting the right people together, and became known as that person who can always find the connection. So what? Well, it helps to build a bit of a “trusted advisor” role for me. People trust the people I make connections with, and I dont’ make referrals where I cannot personally vouch for the services I’ve received.

The next time you are dreading a networking event, or run into someone at a party – turn it into ORGANIC NETWORKING, and think of the connection you can make: personally, career wise, or with a common hobby. (Click To Tweet.)

What experience do you have in Organic Networking? Give us a shout via Twitter @whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us at info@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

Tweets by @WhiteboardCons

Until next week!
Nicole

Tell Me the Story

Once upon a time there was a business analyst named Joe who had worked for days and weeks on a project. He knew the project inside out and backwards, had interviewed stakeholders, collected data, and had a few solutions in mind. After analyzing all the choices, he decided on the best option and went in to see his boss Anna.

After telling Anna what he planned to do, Joe was floored when she looked at him in astonishment and said, “You want me to approve this? I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

This story did not end happily ever after. What did Joe do wrong?

Sometimes It’s OK to Assume

Joe has lived and breathed this project since the beginning; since Chapter 1, if you will. He’s now well into the second half of the book, approaching the denouement, and has dropped Anna right into the middle of the book, expecting her to be up to speed and to mirror his enthusiasm.

Anna, on the other hand, hasn’t even cracked the cover of this story, and quite frankly isn’t sure she wants to read it.

It’s really important that you assume ignorance when making a pitch or selling an idea. This doesn’t mean that you condescend to your audience or go into too much detail. Rather, it means that you take care to explain the critical elements of the plot before getting into the details of the ending.

If it turns out the listener is aware of the background then you’ll know from verbal or visual cues, and you can then safely cut to the chase.

Be a Great Storyteller

There are a few things that you can do to tell the story and improve your chances in any business pitch, whether it’s to a bank, your boss, or a committee.

  1. Summarize the backstory. Take a few minutes to talk about the bones of the story. How long have you been working on this idea? What are some alternative solutions? Who have you spoken with? What has been the general reaction to your ideas?
  2. Be factual. Don’t interject your bias or opinions when sharing the backstory. Be clear about what has happened, when, and how.
  3. Use data! Data, data, data. (We’ve talked about data’s importance before. Click here to read more.) Data is the key to your pitch, and if you can present it visually, all the better. Remember, the brain processes pictures much more quickly than words. There’s a reason that Infographics have become so popular!
  4. Watch the body language. You’re probably aware of your own body language (at least we hope so), but did you know that your audience’s body language is critical to your success too? Watch for signs that your pace is off (flipping ahead in the materials), that they already know what you’re saying (nodding and looking at their watch), or that they might be looking for more detail (furrowed brows).
  5. Be succinct. The story is important, but if you go on too long, you’ll lose your audience. The trick is in the balance between detail and brevity.

Remember: when making a pitch, don’t drop the audience in the middle of the story. Take them on your journey to help them see that your work is solid and your idea is a winner. Click to Tweet

What experience do you have in telling (and selling) your story? Give us a shout via Twitter @whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us atinfo@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

Tweets by @WhiteboardCons

Until next week!
Ruth

No more pointless meetings please!

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind at Whiteboard Consulting, requiring serious time management skills. First, we’ve been delivering our Process Improvement, Project Management, and Data Analysis courses for one of our clients. We’ve also been helping another client with General Management activities. And perhaps most importantly it’s birthday month for us (Ruth celebrated her birthday on Sunday and mine is on Thursday… Happy Birthday to us!) Let me tell you, all that requires some serious time management skills. (Interested in our curriculum for your business? Check out our Whiteboard University series we will be offering to the public this summer!)

So today I thought I would focus on project management and provide you with some tips to help manage your time and energy in the most efficient way possible.

In some organizations project management can be a highly developed function with an entire Project Management Office facilitating the organization of projects and timelines. However, other organizations might not be ready for this rigorous approach, so we’ve developed some simple “entry level” tips for using project management techniques to be Better, Faster and Cheaper. Let’s review the basics first.

What is a project anyway?

“A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product service, or result. It is NOT an activity undertaken as part of regular operational business.” (Click to Tweet.)

It follows that anything that you don’t do over and over again is a project, and can benefit from basic project management skills.

The cool thing is that some of those tips can help you time manage just about anything! What about using some project management basics to have more effective meetings, for example?

Have you ever been to a meeting where you are going over what happened at the last meeting? Or where no one completed the tasks that were supposedly agreed upon? Or where things just never seem to happen to any timeline?

Three Project Management Steps that Can Also End Pointless Meetings

1. Have a plan.

Always have an agenda for a meeting so people are prepared, and you don’t waste the meeting time realizing no one brought the necessary information to the table to make a decision. If possible take minutes so that anyone missing can catch up at the future meeting without needing to rehash this week’s content at next week’s meeting.

2. Hold people accountable.

Included with your agenda and minutes, have an action list that clearly outlines who is responsible for a task and when it is due. Review this action list at every meeting to hold people accountable for their tasks. If you are super keen, add an issues/decision log as well so that as new team members join the regular meetings, they are up to speed on things that have already been discussed and decided on. This helps nip “What if we do it this way” conversations in the bud.

3. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Ugh. So cliche, but so true. Communicate the agenda, minutes, and lists in a few different ways. Send them by email for those who want to read and digest on their own and ask questions later, and also read them aloud in the meeting. Everyone digests information differently, and this allows everyone to be involved at their own level. They key thing here, is to not let up. Don’t let minutes and agendas fall to the wayside because everything seems to be going well. That is precisley the time to persevere and be tenacious and keep prodding along.

These simple tips can help make meetings Better.Faster.Cheaper. People will be prepared, not need to re-hash conversations, discussions, and decisions, and you can get things done on time! Sounds easy right? I get it. Doing this stuff is a royal pain – but, I promise that the effort put in is far less painful than that of never moving forward.

Want a quick and easy template for agendas,minutes, and action lists? Just send us a note and we’ll send you a template for one that makes the whole process a snap. Give us a shout via Twitter @whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us atinfo@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

Tweets by @WhiteboardCons

Until next week,
Nicole

What’s the Plan, Stan? Part II

Back in December I wrote an article about how important planning is if you’re collecting data to boost your business case. (Click here to read it.) A week later, Nicole wrote about the basics ofplanning a project implementation. In both posts we stressed the importance of a well-thought-out plan to ensuring the success of whatever it is you’re trying to do.

This week I’d like to talk about an even more important plan, especially if you’re a small business owner – the business plan.

Do you have one? Do you need one? Read on.

Yes, you need one.

“But Ruth,” you’re thinking, “my business is up and running and all is going well. You only need a business plan when you’re asking for money from someone.”

If that’s what you’re thinking, then you’re half right. Whenever you are seeking funding from a reliable source (bank, grant, etc), you absolutely need a business plan. In fact, they will probably have a template you will need to follow.

But guess what? You need one even if you’re NOT looking for money for someone. Take a look at the following questions:

  1. Do you have a specific strategy for the next 12 months, with documented activities and timelines?
  2. Do you have measurements that show your results for the last year and have targets and projected results for the next year?
  3. Have you assessed all the risks and opportunities in your market?

If you answered no to any of those questions, then you need a plan.

Business Plans Come in All Shapes and Sizes

I’ve been following the career plans of one of my nieces for the last few years, and am really impressed with the process she’s put together – whether she knows it or not, she’s using a business plan, with her career as her “business”. She’s planning on being a speech pathologist, and has been mapping out the things she needs to put in place in order to get into the Masters program that she wants. She will need specific courses, mentoring, volunteering, job experience, and of course, good grades.

If you think of your business as your career, (which is what it is, actually) you should put the same care into your plans for its success. And that means, a business plan.

Do you need a full blown 50-page document? No, not unless you’re approaching a financial institution for funding. But you do need specific things documented, and then you need to review them on a regular basis and make sure you’re on track. At a minimum, you should have a 12-month strategic plan with key performance indicators and action items. Otherwise, you’re just winging it, and that’s not something you should feel comfortable doing with your business. Click to Tweet As Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you may end up somewhere else.”

Don’t like doing this kind of stuff? We do. And we can help. Give us a shout via Twitter @whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us at info@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

Tweets by @WhiteboardCons

Until next week!
Ruth

What is Six Sigma?

It seems like everyone likes to jump on a particular certification flavour of the month. Today I thought I’d give you the coles notes summary of 3 major ones.

What is Six Sigma?

Depending on the “Hot” certification or degree, people tend to rush out to get their MBAs, Project Management Certifications (PMP), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Management Accountant (CMA) – the list is endless. Now there are contract management certifications, risk management certifications, appreciative inquiry – you name it, there’s a course for it.

Being in the process improvement industry, there are a few out there that people often ask us about. Today I thought I’d tell you a little about each of them.

Lean, Six Sigma, MTM – OH MY!

So let’s do a quick crash course on these three types of certifications:

Lean

Description: Lean focuses on elimination of waste. The 7 wastes in Lean are:

1. Defects
2. Overproduction
3. Transportation
4. Waiting
5. Inventory
6. Motion
7. Processing

Eliminating non-value added activities and reducing wastes are the key process improvement strategies.

Cost & Time to certify: ~2-6 days, $3-8k per person (depending on certification level)

Six Sigma

Description: Six Sigma is focused on identifying and reducing defects and errors in processes. This methodology focuses largely on statistics and rigorous infrastructure for both people and project management to achieve process improvement.

Cost & Time to certify: ~5-20 days, $5-20k per person (depending on certification level)

Method Time Measurement (MTM)

Description: MTM is a procedure based methodology for improving methods and standard time for repeatable processes. It involves identifying, classifying, and describing the motions used or required to perform a given operation and assigning pre-determined time standards to these motions.

Cost & Time to certify: ~5 days, $3,600 per person (depends on type)

So what if I don’t have time or that kind of money?

Well, that’s when you might want to consider hiring a consultant 🙂 Our methodology, (ALERT:shameless self promotion) The Whiteboard Way, combines the best tools and methodologies from each of these, while also adding an appreciative inquiry lens to achieve the positive results (ie. culture shift, or simply Better.Faster.Cheaper). We are rigorous in our approach, but make it simple enough that it doesn’t overwhelm or scare people who need to use it.

The methods above, project management expertise, and a creative and sensible approach are the best way to attack your business conundrums. No one organization or business is the same, and therefore you should seek customized solution for your business that aligns with your business culture. So, if your culture isn’t already data driven, Six Sigma, as an example, is going to be incredibly overwhelming. Sending everyone for thousands of dollars in training is not going to yield great results until the culture and processes support data and its management to get everyone started.

There are a million different books including Six Sigma for Dummies or Six Sigma for Everyone (I used this one during my MBA) that you can use to simply guide you along the way.

Do you have any stories about process improvement training that went really well (or really poorly) at an organization? Tell us more!

@whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us at info@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

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Until next week,
Nicole

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Amazing how those important dates creep up on you… It’s hard to believe it, but yesterday (March 28th) was Whiteboard Consulting Group’s one-year anniversary.

And what a year it’s been. In that time we’ve developed 8 courses, trained over 500 people, worked with clients ranging from a one-person show to multi-national corporations, and expanded our network of contacts dramatically via Social Media and referrals.

We also added to our own credentials by beginning certification training in Appreciative Inquiry methodology. Oh, and that’s all in addition to the usual start-up activities that any small business goes through.

How are we doing?

Awesome, thanks for asking! There is nothing better than feeling in charge of your destiny, having the flexibility to modify your work hours so that you actually have a work-life balance, and of course being able to choose your clients!

We work with amazing people in a variety of industries, and we learn something new (or two or three things, to be honest) every day. Just ask us about things like magenta flashes, breadcrumbs, and situational leadership.

So What’s Next?

Well, it’s a year of continued growth for us. We’re happily busy through July, and then hope to take some time off to enjoy the summer. We also plan on offering our courses (affectionately named “Whiteboard University”) to the public this summer, finalizing Appreciative Inquiry Certification, and continuing to grow our business.

We also enjoy writing this blog each week, and are planning to create a series of eBooks to spread the ideas of being Better, Faster, and Cheaper.

We would love to hear from you on topics that would be of interest to you. Whether you’re a small business owner or an employee within a larger organization, you can have influence on people and processes around you, and we can help you start that journey.

Let us know what topics you’d like us to cover via Twitter @whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us atinfo@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

Tweets by @WhiteboardCons

Until next week!
Ruth

So what if it is a flavour of the month?

Change, Business Cycles, and Ice Cream.

Ruth and I were visiting with clients yesterday who are working on developing a culture of continuous process improvement in their organization. This high tech organization is busy, and being in the technology and entertainment industry puts them at the whim of their competitors and Hollywood.

With all these ongoing market pressures and demands, how do you make time to do continuous improvement projects? Who has time to devote to improving processes when you are spending all your time actually running those processes?

Many of the employees at the organization would ask us, “How are you going to make sure this isn’t the flavour of the month?”. We would start our spiel about how this is important to the organization, and management is in full support, there is budget allocated to the program, and so on and so forth. But really, what could we do to make sure this initiative was carrying on long after we’d moved on to our next client?

So what if it is flavour of the month? It’s Chocolate, and it’s good.

It got us thinking that every business goes through cycles of change – every 5-7 years in fact.. And while the initiative we are supporting is there now, that doesn’t mean it will be there in 5 years.

Does that mean we’re switching to Vanilla?

Does that mean that your continuous improvement culture shift is a bust? Not necessarily. It does mean that over time, a program may twist, pull, stretch (just like TAFFY) and morph into another entity altogether. But that doesn’t mean it is a failure.

Have you sensed lack of commitment from your team about an initiative? Are they in a bit of denial thinking this isn’t going to happen? If so, read on…

3 Tips to Build Commitment to your Flavour of the Month….

  1. Link your initiative to a broader organizational objective. Instead of your continuous process improvement initiative standing on its own,can you link the messaging of continuous improvement to a new technology, a new regulatory policy, or company standards. Think of Paul O’Neill the former CEO of Alcoa. Although Alcoa already outperformed most U.S. manufacturers on safety, O’Neill believed that to be a world-class company, it first had to become the safest. (click for more info)
  2. Link your initiative to other processess that are wholly ingrained in your culture. (Click to Tweet) Link your continuous improvement program to the strategic planning functions of your organization. Rather than process improvement initiatives being outside of your operational and strategic short and long term planning, make them a core part of that planning process
  3. Use my SQUISH method for change (Communicate, Role Model, Feedback). (Google it I dare you.) Communicate often about your initiative and its linkages to organizational objectives and long term strategy. Role model the behaviour you want to see. If you want Continuous Improvement Projects done – follow up on status, and don’t push off because the next big ice cream flavour is running through the organization. Provide feedback – positive and constructive to keep people motivated and moving along.

Tell us about your successful continuous improvement initiatives on Twitter @whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us at info@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

Tweets by @WhiteboardCons

Until next week!
Nicole

Speaking of Which…

At Whiteboard Consulting we love to talk. (Those of you who know us are shocked, I’m sure.) It makes sense, then, that a good chunk of what we do for clients is to facilitate workshops and offer training on a number of business improvement topics.

This week I taught a two-day workshop in Sault Ste. Marie. The students were really engaged, and we had a lot of laughs during the course. At the end of the second day I got a lot of positive feedback and it really energized me! This is why I love this part of my job – it’s incredibly rewarding.

Not excited about public speaking? That’s ok. Many people ask us, “How do you do it? You just get up there and talk without any notes! And you make it interesting! I could never do that.”

Sure you can. The key to great public speaking? Knowing the material & engaging the audience – skills you can learn with a little effort. Click to Tweet

Practice Makes Perfect

It’s an old adage, but it’s true. I’ve been developing and training material for about 15 years now. I’ve presented materials for the Conference Board of Canada, the American Society for Quality, the Public Service of Uganda, and Showcase Ontario, to name a few. I’ve taught countless courses on a variety of topics, and the one thing I do every single time, is practice.

Here’s a little checklist for you to help you practice effectively:

  1. Read through the material – no distractions, no notes… just read.
  2. Read through again – this time, make notes in the margins or use a highlighter.
  3. Develop a set of speaking notes – you can use index cards or regular paper for this. The idea is to have something you can hold in your hand while speaking. Eventually you won’t need this, but for rookies it’s calming to have something to hold, and it gives your hands something to do.
  4. Present the materials to an empty room. Several times.
  5. Time yourself. Keep presenting to the empty room until you can complete the presentation in the allotted time.
  6. If you can, present the materials to a trusted friend or colleague. Get your nerves and giggles out on them.
  7. Get up early the day of the presentation and present again. By this time you should only be glancing at your notes. Instead, you’re speaking in a conversational tone instead of reading material – this is HUGELY successful with the audience.

Make ‘em Laugh

Now I’m not implying you need to be a comedian. Nor do you need the audience actually laughing! But if you can get them to smile, nod, look you in the eye and follow you as you move around the room or across the stage, you’ve hooked them!

The trick is to model the behavior you’d like to see.

  1. Move around! That doesn’t mean shift from foot to foot or pace manically back and forth – it means walk across the stage, stop and speak. Then walk somewhere else. Or if in a room with a bunch of tables, walk amongst the tables as you speak. Change the back of the room to the front of the room by speaking back there – it changes your audience’s perspective and wakes them up a bit.
  2. Smile! Not all the time – then you’d just look weird. Pause, smile, carry on.
  3. Look at different people in the eye for a few seconds at a time. If that makes you nervous, speak to the back of the room for a couple of moments until you get into your groove. Everyone will think you’re looking at someone back there.
  4. Speak in a confident tone. Don’t yell, and don’t whisper. You want to sound conversational (and all the practicing you did will ensure this!).

Finally, if you make a mistake, admit it, laugh about it, and carry on. It makes you human, and people like that.

What works for you in these situations? Have you got a Public Speaking success story you’d like to share? Tell us about it on Twitter@whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us at info@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

Tweets by @WhiteboardCons

Until next week!
Ruth

Say it, but Say it Nicely

This week we had the pleasure of delivering a coaching course to one of our favourite clients. We were lucky to have a fantastic simulation actor from playsThatwork and we facilitated the simulator and a participant in the course through a coaching session.

Discover.Feedback.Difficult Conversations.

Our Coaching Methodology relies on three themes:

1. Discover: Build relationships through kindness and curiosity (leaving no room for anger and resentment) through open questions.
2. Feedback: Give constructive and positive feedback clearly and often, always asking for permission (May I offer you some feedback?)
3. Difficult Conversations: Prepare for these conversations, open with mutual objectives, deepen your understanding, and solve the problem together!

Today I’d like to focus on number two. A colleague of mine found this note in an old archived folder of work stapled onto a report, and when I left my last job, my team had it framed for me because I thought it was so funny.
In our fast paced electronic world, we’re often giving feedback on documents, presentations, or deliverables. How can we do it best in writing when we can’t express or read facial expressions and body language? How can you discover more information from the person you are giving feedback to, so that you understand their intentions?

Have you ever received written feedback that sounds like this?

Dear Barb,
Thanks for your document. See my feedback below:

  • Please change page three, remove capitals, change spacing and remove bullet.
  • WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “ATMOSPHERE FOR FEEDBACK”? I DON’T UNDERSTAND?
  • Why did you include section 6.4.2? I thought we agreed not to.
  • I changed the entire second paragraph so it reads more easily.
    Thanks,
    Sarah

Wow. How do you think Barb feels after she slaved over the document for 3 days, over the weekend?

Want to learn how to give better written feedback? Read on!

It’s all in the subtext…

Here are some tips for giving written feedback.

1. Ask for permission.
Even in an email! People read emails in their voice or your voice in their head! It sets the stage for the person to get feedback and brings their guard down.

2. Reward and Recognition.
Thank them for their efforts, recognize the amount of time they may have taken to do this, or the limited amount of time they had to create the product. Don’t assume what you don’t know. Ask questions. Wow, this looks like a lot of work, how long did this take you?

3. Be clear and clarify.
Say WHY you think the changes might be needed. Ask their thoughts on how the new wording you have recommended will be ‘heard’. Give advice and counsel, not just “DO SOMETHING”. Guide them with clear expectations.

4. Don’t use all CAPS.
It sounds like you are yelling. We all know this now. Stop forgetting.

You’ve all seen people crowded in front of a computer saying “Wow, she said that? You worked so hard? Why is she being so nitpicky”. Fix it. Be a coach and a leader and give feedback so people can learn and grow and feel valued.

Tell us how it works on Twitter @whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper or email us at info@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging.

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Until next week!
Nicole

Follow the Leader!

Follow the Leader

We often are asked about the topic of leadership.

What makes a great leader? Does a leader need to be slightly nuts? Dictatorial? A dreamer? What’s the difference between a leader of people and a leader of an organization? What about coaching? Do you have to be a coach to be a leader?

Well, far be it from us to pretend we have all the answers to these questions. We always have opinions, however, and are happy to offer them when asked. So here goes.

First, a Definition…

Our definition of leadership is: the quality that allows a person to develop and inspire a group of people to achieve a common goal.Click to tweet

Let’s take a look at that: first, we talk about the ability to develop others. It takes a certain amount of “social intelligence” to be able to interact with a group or an individual, see the potential in them, engage them in genuine conversation, discover what makes them tick, and then boil all that information into a development plan.

A great leader is therefore also a great coach. He or she takes the time to know and understand a person and/or team’s history, and spends the time working with them to help them achieve their goals (and ultimately the common goals of the team or organization). It’s a process of helping others with self discovery so that they just know the right thing to do, rather than having to tell them what to do.

Can you be a leader and not coach, develop, or inspire? I suppose so. There are many historical examples of leaders who were successful to some degree. But to what end? Often they lead through fear or intimidation, which can be effective – in the short term. (Think Stalin or Hitler.) I wouldn’t call these “great” leaders.

Nutty Dreamer? Or Inspirer?

We believe that an amazing leader is also one who inspires people to do or be their best. The individual or team simply wants to please him or her, no matter what it takes.

The person who has that je ne sais quoi, that element of inspiration, is one who is born to lead. Whether you’re a new hire, a mid-level manager, a CEO, a kids’ soccer coach, or a school council president – if you are able to inspire others through your passion, your vision, your positive behaviours and your confidence, you will be a leader of one or of many.

Sometimes inspiration and passion can appear over the top and label a person as a “nutty dreamer”. Look at Steve Jobs (I highly recommend his biography, by the way). People often thought he was nuts, and his leadership style left quite a bit to be desired (I wouldn’t use him as a role model for coaching.) But he was truly inspirational and his employees stayed with him through thick and thin. Well, most of them, anyway.

We prefer not to use the word “nuts” – instead, we like to say you need to be a risk taker, putting yourself out on a limb to do the right thing, stand up for the person or the team, and lead by example.

What great leaders do you know? Do they coach? Inspire? Take risks? Do people naturally flock to them and want to be successful for them?

Let us know and share with us at info@whiteboardconsulting.ca/staging or @whiteboardcons using #betterfastercheaper.

Until next time,

Ruth.

PS: don’t forget that we’re looking for positive business stories to be the focus of our blog (hey that’s like free advertising). Send us one and we’ll send you a business book on a topic of your interest (value of up to $40). Click to Tweet! Sounds like a deal. Best positive story wins! Be descriptive. Tell us the story. Set the stage. Introduce the characters. This is your chance to be business-ey and creative.

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