Reasons Why Poor Employee Performance May be YOUR Fault (Part I)

May 26th, 2011

I have recently met with three different companies who are interested in Executive Brilliance’s services and they ALL had almost identical needs and challenges. Top executives at each of these companies expressed the need for assistance in closing the gap between what management expected and how employees were performing. They need their people to step up their game and be more proactive in business development or for their managers to develop employees within their departments. This is especially important as the economy is beginning to improve.

This challenge of aligning expectations and achieving results is so common and pervasive; I thought it might be beneficial to discuss them as YOU are probably experiencing them as well. What we find at Executive Brilliance is most organizations make the same mistakes over and over again and are unaware of what they are doing – they simply know they are not achieving the business results they desire. I’ll start with one common mistake today (along with the solution) and address two more next week. Read more »

Is There Grace in Your Race?

May 20th, 2011

My husband and I recently went to Vegas for our 25th anniversary. Talk about sensory overload! I’m still decompressing! The lights, the glitter, the shows, and the hookers. Hundreds of slot machines in every hotel, delectable food, street shows. It was ALL there ALL the time – 24/7.

We enjoyed our trip very much but were thrilled to return to our nice, quiet neighborhood and our routine.

As I saw all the fast paced, frenetic, non-stop activity it reminded me that this is how many of us lead our lives. We measure success by how full our calendar is or the number of speaking engagements we have. We feel good about ourselves when we see the number of commas in our check book or we think about the size and number of our homes. The only problem is that these are faulty metrics when it comes to measuring a fulfilled and satisfying life. Read more »

The Gift of Massage

May 18th, 2011

I received a massage today and it is always wonderfully relaxing – but it was even more so today. I go to Body of Health (www.bodyofhealthandlife.com) where Jenny Renter has worked with me/on me for years. She is extremely gifted as a massage therapist, she knows the human body, she is skilled at different types of massage and she receives regular training to improve her skill. While all of this knowledge is important, it is just being in Jenny’s presence that makes a distinctive difference! Jenny has a calming demeanor, she remembers my preferences and has the lighting in the room just like I like it.  Jenny treats me like I am the most important person to her the entire time I am with her. She always asks how I’m doing, often has recommendations for foods, various health professionals and what I can do to better care for myself. She even asks about family or various things or events in my life. Read more »

Your Body Talks – Do You Know What It’s Saying?

May 12th, 2011

Recently my husband and I saw the Blue Man Group in Las Vegas. The show was absolutely fascinating and totally entertaining from beginning to end! It was hard for me to watch the show while wondering what all that blue ‘stuff’ was on their heads, how they thought up the different activities they do, wondering if we were going to get splattered with paint, and trying to figure out how they come off stage and walk on the chairs of the audience. I was totally enamored with the entire performance.

What was most fascinating to me was how they communicated so clearly without ever saying a word. There were sounds from the different instruments and their drums but not a single word was spoken for two hours! They did, however, speak clearly with their expressions and movements. Not only did they communicate with each other but when they invited a woman from the audience to come up and participate she knew what to do without ANY verbal words being spoken.

”What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

This was tangible evidence of how our bodies, eyes, facial expressions and movements speak volumes about us. A study at UCLA revealed 93% Read more »

Shoes, Pink Hair, and Your Perspective on Life

May 9th, 2011

I recently heard a story of two business partners who had designed a unique type of tennis shoe. They invested millions in the design, the factory, the manufacturing and the marketing of these shoes. They were filled with excitement because they knew that success beyond their wildest dreams was right around the corner for them!

They had identified a particular area in Africa to launch this business. One of the partners traveled there to explore the market and was horrified by what he found. He called his business partner and said “I have terrible news. People are everywhere and NOT A SINGLE PERSON IS WEARING SHOES! We’re sunk.” To which his business partner responded — “It’s the perfect market — everyone NEEDS shoes!”

How many times do we see a similar scenario play out in our life and work? The exact same situation can be described very differently from the perspective of two different people. They say the least reliable source to describe an accident is an eye witness. Why is that? How can five of us see the same accident and report it very differently? Read more »

What Are You Focusing On?

May 5th, 2011

Did you know we have 60,000 thoughts a day? The problem is we have the SAME 60,000 thoughts every day. So whatever you are thinking today will be the same thoughts you will experience tomorrow.

When I ask clients what it is that they want I am often met with a deafening silence. However, when I ask them what they DO NOT want, it suddenly becomes difficult to get them stop talking! They don’t want bad employees, they don’t want to be overweight, they don’t want to worry about money or retirement, they don’t want to work long hours and they don’t want an empty or vacant marriage! The list goes on and on. Guess what? What you focus on truly expands. That’s why I encourage clients to focus on what they WANT and not on WHAT THEY DON’T WANT!

Here are three simple ways you can focus on the positive and minimize the negative in your life: Read more »

Three Ways to Turn “Blah” into Brilliance

April 29th, 2011

Have you had one of those days that you should have just stayed in bed or took a play day?  I recently had one of those days.  Phone calls were not being answered, voice mail was not being checked, and typos and misspelled words were everywhere! I was just feeling ‘blah’. So rather than continuing to fight it – I took a nap.

I definitely felt better once I woke up, but things still weren’t flowing for me. So I decided to write about No Flow days.  What do you do when the flow is clogged, you feel dull and listless instead of full of life and brilliance?

Some people will try and ‘power’ through it. However, my recommendation is to ”be easy” and let it pass. Pushing through it will many times make it worse. So back off, relax, and start over tomorrow.

Here are some suggestions you can apply when life seems to stand still or (heaven forbid) moves in reverse! Read more »

Three Leadership Lessons we Can Learn from a Fairy Tale Wedding

April 26th, 2011

The Royal Wedding is only days away and is all the buzz. There are Specials about it almost every day on all the networks.  What will Kate wear?  Why isn’t William going to wear a ring? Who is designing and making the wedding gown?  Oh, the fun and thrill of the dream of living happily ever after!

So what’s the rationale behind all the buzz of the Prince finding his Princess – and more importantly the future King and Queen?  And what does all this have to do with Inspirational Leadership.  The following are three ponderings to consider ….

Fantasies Can Stretch Us

We long for the happily ever after. We dream of finding the perfect mate to share our life with.  We are thrilled by the temporary distraction of an event that takes us out of the ‘daily grind’ and may even help us to dream a bigger dream for our own lives. Doesn’t a part of us want to believe that dreams really do come true, that there just may be a fairy in the bush, or we can hold a moonbeam in our hands? Read more »

The Sheen or Shine Factor

April 18th, 2011

What can Tiger Woods and Charlie Sheen teach us about leadership and life?

executive brilliance lighthouseThey are both highly skilled and competent at their craft. Until November 2009 Tiger Woods epitomized impeccable discipline, honor and integrity, and unquestionable dedication to excellence. Thanksgiving night his life and reputation came crashing down literally and figuratively. He admitted his transgressions, promised to do and be better. Eighteen months later he is still trying to find his game in golf and life and redeem his name and openly admits it’s an ongoing process.

Charlie Sheen, in contrast wears his dysfunction with pride, loudly proclaims his narcissistic superiority and continues his self destructive path. Sheen and Woods are two people with very similar downfalls that resulted in massive negative publicity and exposure of human frailties. Yet, their responses are very different. Read more »

Butterfly Brilliance – Three Questions that can Transform Your Life

April 15th, 2011

brilliant-butterflyI love Spring! Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, a brisk walk calls all of us to come out and play.  I love new beginnings – and we have them year round.  Fall is about luscious golds, reds and cooler temperatures. The first of every year is about a brand new unblemished calendar that awaits our design.

But the Spring, to me, is especially invigorating. Spring is so hopeful – what was dead, blank and barren is now budding with new life in the form of buds, birds and butterflies. I married in the Spring, we had our son in the Spring, I have often started new jobs or projects in the Spring.  Maybe it’s hormonal – but whatever the reason I love Spring and feel especially alive and like it’s time to step up and out in new and bolder ways! Read more »