One Step for Success

You can often tell how much influence leaders have by the way their teams perform when they are out of the office. When the boss is gone, are team members just as hard-working and productive as when she or he is in? Another indication of a leader’s level of...

What is your favorite brand?  Whether Nike, Apple, Starbucks or another product come to mind, these companies understand that success is achieved through consistency, which drives brand loyalty. Is your brand consistent Monday to Monday™ or do you keep your...

  You can’t influence if you continuously show up late and unprepared.  My father engrained in my sisters and me, “Show up on time and you will be in the top 1%.”  That’s it!  Showing up on time and prepared isn’t rocket science or painful.  Many people stroll...

  If you’re ready to grow your influence, you’re going to have to change your perspective. You’ll need to start seeing yourself as others see you. Then you can identify specific areas you’d like to change and make a plan to do just that. It’s important not do...

“Hello, my name is…, I work for…, “We are here today to talk about…” These are the ultimate opening lines that will invite your listeners to check out of their technical gadgets and check into what you’re saying. Avoid being the person who opens their meetings,...

…Your listeners are using their electronic devices while you are talking. Do you find yourself competing with technical gadgets? When you and your message are not interesting or when you’re not directly connecting with your audience, you in effect give your...

The big a-ha moment happened during a mentoring session with a leader from a large pharmaceutical company: “I get it! A presentation is really an extension of a conversation.” For those of you who have worked with us, you’ve heard us express many times that when...

If you remember nothing else from my biweekly blogs, remember this one point: When it comes to influence, every single interaction – even the virtual ones – matters. Every presentation, conversation, impromptu meeting, email, text, picture, video, post or even a...

Are you where you want to be? Have you improved your verbal and non-verbal communication from where you began lastyear? Are you influential Monday to Monday? Influence is a choice and there are no “quick fixes.”  If you hold yourself accountable by seeking feedback...

Managing questions-and-answers is the real test of your knowledge, credibility and confidence.  Yet most individuals get too comfortable during Q&A, thinking the most difficult part of their conversation – presentation, sales pitch or high-stakes meeting –...

Most people recognize that feedback is essential to development, yet we tend not to welcome it. Perhaps we’d rather avoid what we may hear. Receiving feedback tends to make us feel vulnerable. We are afraid that our faults – and we all have them – will be exposed....

If you want to avoid jeopardizing your influence, you need to eliminate these phrases, which I hear every week during client calls, meetings and presentations. I’ll try.  What you’re really saying is, “I’m not going to get this done.”  A “yes” or “no” response...

Over the past 12 years I’ve been blessed to mentor powerful leaders across a variety of industries. I’m not sure if they realize how much I have learned from them. One of the many pearls of wisdom they have shared is in answering, “What skills are critical to your...

Lack of Follow-Through.Commit to the 24-hour rule. Respond to emails and phone messages within 24 hours. Even if you don’t have the answer or information requested, let the sender know you’re working on the action request. Follow through on your word. Don’t make...

“We are not just our behavior. We are the person managing our behavior.” ~ Ken Blanchard, Ph.D. When was the last time you asked someone to give you feedback?  The response you received may have sounded something like, “Nice job. You did well.”  You’ve been told...

An influential communicator is consistent with how they deliver a message as well as the words they speak during ALL situations Monday to Monday. We need to be consistent to be trusted. When you’re consistent through your words and actions, your reputation builds...

Miscommunication can cost an organization 25 percent to 40 percent of its annual budget.(Linchpin Learning Manchester Companies)  A business with 100 employees spends an average downtime of 17 hours a week clarifying communications, translating to an annual cost of...

When you Google “visual aids,” the definition is not “your notes.” Yet how many times have you observed in agony a PowerPoint deck that resembles a textbook? According to Carmine Gallo in his book, Talk Like Ted, The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top...

“I always believed that the more I said, the more knowledgeable I was perceived … until I heard myself on a video playback,” confessed a recent session participant. One of the unique characteristics of an influential communicator is an ability to adapt a message on...

Many of us take for granted our image and reputation, which can be built up or jeopardized through technology.  Participating in a Skype call is just as important as presenting live to a group. By avoiding the following five pitfalls, you improve your relationship...

The majority of us get caught up in our own head, getting trapped in the negative talk that takes control of our conversations. “What if I don’t know what to say?” “What if I forget what to say?” “What if I say something wrong?” Overcome your “what ifs?” Trust your...

Our words will either impact or distract our listeners from taking action on what we have to say. Having influence Monday to Monday requires more than simply showing up and having a conversation. The level of influence my team and I teach requires one to be...

Three Steps for Following Through Even When You Don’t Have Time “I don’t have time to respond.” “We are in the midst of a demanding project.” “Your email message must have gotten trapped in my spam file.” Whatever your excuses are, others’ trust, confidence and...

We are all guilty. We shoot off email after email when a face-to-face or phone conversation in some situations would save time and have greater influence. Think about how many times you hit “reply” or “forward” today. Now calculate how much time was wasted going...

An influence skill I am continually coaching our clients on is how to use the pause. In an attempt to explain why they don’t pause, clients frequently use this excuse, “If I pause, it will take me too long to get to the point.” The opposite is true. Pausing saves...

Take a piece of paper and write down two adjectives that best describe how you want to be perceived, no matter whom you’re communicating with or through which communication medium. Whether you identified confident, credible or trustworthy, it’s all or nothing. You...

What Is the Cost for Not Communicating Effectively? How appropriate that June is effective communication month as we are halfway through the year.  What have you done this year to enhance your ability to communicate with impact and influence?  Do you know the cost...