Tag Archives: attitude

Harbouring hurt hijacks..

There’s plenty I don’t understand. Maybe because I am a slow learner.  I learn by doing.  I watch, I take notes (mental or otherwise) and have to put something into practice, then I remember.  Our minds filter out what we don’t need, or what we do not want to remember and may sometimes blind us to what is obvious, which brings me on to the hidden signs of communication.  Sometimes we can be so strong in our belief about something, that perhaps something has a great value to someone else, or an organisation.   The truth is, it may well do yet we get so caught up in what we believe is right, we can lose perspective and  find it hard to know when to pull out or let something go and there’s a tendency to hold on to a little, teeny weeny bit of a resentment if things don’t go the way we feel they should. [quote align=”left” color=”#999999″]Harbouring hurt hijacks our ability to move on[/quote]
Just because we think something has merit and is of value, the time may not be right. We might lose sight of the bigger pictur and then take umbrage, carrying hurt and resentment which distracts us from re-channelling useful energy to something else, where the effort will reap dividends.  So on this bright blue Dublin spring morning, my promise to myself is to find just one ‘teeny weeny’ to let go of. Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

Just let it go..

With just three days to go, I moved in. There really is no place like home. Tired. Exhausted. Happy.  Renovations complete. Beautiful job. Fantastic team. Great Builders.  As for people who caused me two years of grief during the whole building process….. It’s time to let it go…

What I’ve learnt is there are some people you cannot talk to, no matter how hard you try. No matter how hard you do the right thing.  If they’re not listening, you’re wasting your time.  Being a Coach and Trainer, there are very few people I come across whose ‘language’ I can’t speak.  Without a doubt there are some peoplewho are easier than others and with whom conversation flows more naturally. There are few though, who are truly unpleasant, difficult and who have serious issues with … everyone and anyone they encounter.  It’s only human to try and get on with others. But sometimes, you’ve just got to let it go.

The truth is how someone behaves says far more about them. So, as Christmas came and went, so did my anger and fruastration.  There are too many other things I can do something about, than waste any more time on things that are past.  Here’s to what comes next

Cleaning for the Cleaner?

Obsessive? Never …

Long gone are the days of having the luxury of having a cleaner and that’s a good thing.  It’s good in that there’s pleasure to be taken in a simple job well done and giving it due time and attention. What I’ve come to re-appreciate is that I like an orderly home. I like to work with a clear space around me.  When I do, I can channel my energy into good work.  So why, when working away from home for a week, did I take so much stuff with me that I crowded my space and as a result, no concrete work at the laptop was done!  Instead, I took off to the great outdoors. What it did was to remind me of what’s important.  In getting outside to clear my head, I found myself surrounded by the staggering beauty of Valentia Island, off season.  Where the landscape is overwhelmingly beautiful.  Where I realised the value of simple being…  One of those lightbulb moments.  With the recognition of being happy in my own company – cats being the exception at the time – I was able to piece together a new workshop I’d been conceptualising.  Result, albeit inadvertently achieved.

As for the connection with cleaning for the cleaner, well, apart from the obsessive nature of having done that often in a previous life, house-sitting calls for a different skill-set.  Apart from the care you lavish on someone else’s home and their pets. you are there to care, simply care, for their home.   And most importantly, it is remembering to make sure everything is back in its place and there is no sign that you were ever there! The power of focus, not allowing an obsessive nature to take over and just letting things be.  Whether it is letting a cleaner do what they are meant to do or leaving someone’s home the way they left it.

‘Sure… ‘ as we say in Ireland, ‘I knew that anyway.’…

Love your day !!

 

Why is business eluding you?

Why aren’t you getting more business?

This is probably one of the most difficult questions to answer… honestly.  We all make excuses and hindsight can be a great way to justify why something didn’t happen the way we wanted it to.  Hindsight too can be valuable.  Better still is to have ‘Invaluable Insights’ and by that I mean really looking at how things could have gone better and practical ways to re-visit something.  Particularly with a client who has chosen someone else to do business with. Maybe you just weren’t speaking their language.  Maybe it wasn’t about the price.  Maybe they just didn’t trust you enough to risk their reputation with you. Is your client relationship strong enough to ask WHY?

janie-saysTrust can underpin or undermine every relationship

Want to work on getting better business?  Click for details of my next 221:121 Workshop “Building Trust, Sustainable Sales and Customer Loyalty”. 

 

would you push for promotion?

A recent study showed 4 out of 8 men would NOT push themselves forward for a job promotion for which they were more or less able to do, compared with 6 out of 8 women.  Combine this with the way in which women consistently under-estimate their skills and small wonder that there are so few women in leadership roles.  Time are changing, however, it is still food for thought…….

Time to re-assess?

Every now and then, I take a good hard look at what I’ve been doing, how productive I’ve been and most important of all, how satisfied I am with what I have spent my time on.

Too many things have happened in recent years in my little life and the clock’s ticking.  There’s only now and time spent is time gone.   So, if you feel like this goldfish (what a great image I saw on a card recently), then you owe it to yourself, to take time out and get re-focused. Get a grip on your life, do what you have to do to make each day matter more.  The clock’s ticking and good things beckon…

all a question of perspective

why what you do matters

One of the women on a recent workshop was recovering from a serious brain injury.  Everyone has their story and though we were not party to hers, by the end of the morning, this woman who I’ll call Sarah, I believe had found her purpose.  This was one of my ‘Communicate with Greater Confidence’ workshops geared to providing understanding of how we communicate with others, the learning process, understanding personality types, how to connect.  Sarah has a gift and I believe that morning, through speaking from the heart, she came to realise through her own learning of how to deal with brain trauma, she could help others through public speaking. Helping others to cope with brain trauma and not be afraid.  Every time I teach, I learn.   I love what I do.  In giving someone the confidence to stand up and speak out, to shine a light on their potential and light that spark, I get a huge buzz.  Sarah’s accident was no accident, I feel it happened for a reason, so that she may now really live.

when not enough is more …

At a service of thanksgiving for organ donors and recipients, I was reminded of how much I have.  A young mother whose son took his life stood before a large congregation, a family who seemed to have everything.  A family whose lives were unexpectedly changed forever. At a time when she was grieving the most, she gave the most precious gift of all, that of life to at least 8 people.  Leaving the Cathedral, you could see it was hard for people to know quite what to say as they passed ‘Donor Families’, identifiable by the camelia called ‘Donation’, each carried, given as a small token of recognition. An exchange of gentle smiles, no words needed. My strong sister is alive today because of such self-less generosity and for that I am forever grateful and value every moment that I can share with her, hard when we live on opposite sides of the world.  Technology is a poor substitute for human connection but it does help to bridge that gap.

It’s human nature to give out.  Take the top three complaints people have: lack of time, lack of money,  poor work/ life balance.  All of which we have the power to change, if we really wish.  And where circumstances do not permit significant change as quickly as we might  like, we can still affect the outcome of each and every situation through the way in which we communicate.  Through listening instead of simply hearing. Through helping others by freely sharing our knowledge. Being supportive through our own words and as importantly, being compassionate and non-judgemental, for what we see is not always the whole picture.  The mother whose child cried throughout the service probably had no-one to take the baby for her.  As an organ recipient, she needed to be there to give thanks too.

janie-saysThere’s a reason we have two ears, two eyes and one mouth…..

 

So you think you don’t Sell?

Most of us don’t like to see ourselves as sales people, yet we all sell, all of the time, we just don’t realise it.  So here are a few PSST’s (that’s Professional Self Smarter Tips) as a quck reminder of what’s important for us all to remember….. and not just the person responsible for closing that sale….

Attitude Matters EVERYONE  is an ambassador for their company. For business leaders, creating the right environment for people to work in is only part of the brief, creating the right ‘culture’ and embodiment of this through the attitude conveyed is what keeps a company top of the list and one that people are proud to be part of. 

Professional Self Smarter Tip

Professional Self Smarter Tip

 

How We Make People Feel Matters… 

remember People tend to do business with people they like.  The most important reason someone does business with you, is because of YOU.  Then you have to give them a good reason, what’s in it for THEM.  The sales process is NOT about YOU. So check it out. Have you got what they WANT, if you have then the rest is down to you.  Why choose YOU?  Think about it, what sets you apart, what can you do that makes their buying and post sales experience better than anyone else can provide.  Build that loyalty, over-deliver and you’ll deserve their business.  Fall short and someone else will fill that gap…. Fast.

 

FACT:  You are only as good as the service you give your customers.Delivering a good service is only part of the unspoken Rule of Engagement. Ask yourself each time, whatever your role, how can I do this even better. Master the art of improvement and take control over the outcome.

FACT:  You Need to Reflect after your Sales Pitch .If you’ve done your pitch and they’re not willing to commit, there’s every likelihood, you’ve not convinced them you’re the right choice. Perhaps there is some fear or risk attached to your customer making that commitment. Some people don’t like to say no or perhaps, the person you’ve just presented to is NOT the decision maker.

Price, lack of trust or confidence, unsuitability of what you’re offering are all possible reasons for not buying from you.  All possible reasons that you could, if you had been listening or asking the right questions, have known before the end of your presentation. The real questions after an unsuccessful pitch are…….. Did I establish any level of rapport? Did I know what this customer is expecting out of my pitch? Did I ask enough to establish what their motive for buying and degree of urgency to buy before pitching? Did I make a real value proposal in light of this knowledge? If someone wants to think about your proposition, it’s usually because they want a better price, are not the decision maker, or think they can get a better deal elsewhere. IF you find yourself in this position and they want more time to ‘think about it’, ask how long do they think they need and agree a date to revisit. Ask too, what else can you do to help them decide. Assuming your product is what they want, remember, You need to be liked and trusted to secure the sale.

FACT:  The sale is only the beginning of the Relationship

Make the most of your day,  Janie