By Bonnie Murdoch

Let’s face it, you are busy. Directives, assignments, projects, meetings, expectations and deadlines hover around you—and you struggle to get it all done and to fit it all in, let alone to find the time to take care of yourself along the way. Life has taken on the shape of constant movement and the stress of it all takes a toll on your mind and your body.

The net effect? Fatigue, decreased productivity, lack of focus, stress and disease. Taking a few moments each day to breathe deeply and stretch into your body, reduces stress and tension, stimulates circulation, focuses the mind and leaves you feeling better and better equipped to face the challenges of the day.

Try the following and see how you feel. Start now.

1. Neck rolls. Close your eyes. Take a deep breathe. Relax your shoulders. Gently lower your chin to your chest and feel the sensation of the back of your neck lengthening. Begin to slowly roll the neck in a circular movement, reaching your right ear toward your right shoulder, then tilting your head back, and reaching your left ear toward your left shoulder. Move slowly. Stop to experience the stretch in the front, back and sides of the neck as you explore your range of motion. Move in both directions.

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2. Chair twist. Place your feet flat on the floor with your knees stacking over your ankles. Sit up tall. Relax your shoulders. Take a deep breath in and, as you exhale, reach for the back of your chair and twist to the right. Close your eyes. As you inhale, feel the spine lengthening. As you exhale, peel your right shoulder open and twist through the torso. Explore the range of your twist for several breaths then switch sides.

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3. Ragdoll. Stand up. Separate your feet hip distance apart. Bend your knees. Slowly hinge at the hips and fold forward. Reach for the opposite elbows. Let the head hang heavy and release any tension in the neck. Feel the hamstrings, hip and spine beginning to lengthen as you relax into your breath.

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4. Wrist stretch. Lift the arms chest height and bring your forearms parallel to the floor. Place the backs of the hands together with the fingers pointed toward to the floor. Reach the backs of the hands toward one another and begin to drop the elbows until you feel a stretch in the top of the wrists. Breathe.

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5. Forearm lengthener. Place your palms on your desk with fingertips pointing toward your body. Take a deep breath in and, as you exhale, gently lean into the wrists and reach the palms of the hands  toward the desk.

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6. Standing pigeon. Stand at your desk with your feet flat on the floor. Lift the right knee up and place the shin on your desk parallel to the front edge. Inhale to lengthen your spine and, as you exhale, begin to lean the body forward until you feel a stretch in the outer right hip. Repeat on the left.

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7. Breathe. Close your eyes. Sit up tall. Begin to breathe deeply in and out of the nose. Relax your jaw and shoulders. Become aware of the sensation of your breath. Notice where it goes in your body. Feel its warmth. Allow your body to relax into the sensation of the breath moving through you.

It starts with an intention. Set yours and off you go.

Bonnie Murdoch has been practicing law for more than 15 years and yoga for almost 10. Three years ago, she reduced her hours at the law firm to open Lotus Yoga, a vinyasa flow yoga studio in Riverside/Avondale. She co-owns the studio with her good friend and fellow lawyer/yogi, Bethany Crawley. Bonnie believes in the power of yoga as a process to develop mindfulness, strengthen the body, cultivate balance and transcend boundaries. For more information regarding Lotus Yoga, visit www.lotusyogajax.com or email Bonnie at bonnie@lotusyogajax.com.

By Christy Crump

Think of a friend’s family pet. When you enter the home, you may find him lying in the corner of the living room. What is the likelihood of you walking across the room to pet him if he took no initiative to be noticed and seemingly was comfortable right where he was?

If he got up, however, waddled over and looked up at you, whined a little, and then rolled over next to your foot with his belly and all four paws in the air, what would you most likely do then? Most likely you would lean over and scratch his belly.

 Make an effort

When it comes to your business, you have these same options. As the owner, you can choose to merely do just what it takes to maintain your business or you can make an effort to go above and beyond and give 10% more than is requested, required, or expected of you to ultimately be successful. While most small business owners make that effort, can they say the same for the employees?

There are those employees that sit at their desk, do what their job description says and simply exist—never making an effort to get up and get noticed. If they do choose to simply exist, they will get an equal return—a paycheck with no advancement, no raise, and no extra benefits, which is of no real benefit to you or your business. So, how can you get your employees on the same page as you?

Motivate!

It will take a little motivation and letting them know upfront what you expect. Let them know that if they make an effort to get noticed and do more than required, you can reward them. It may not be monetary or even instantaneous, but they will be rewarded for their hard work and effort.

Far too often employers hear, “I don’t want to be promoted or move ahead. I want to do my job, get paid, and go home.” That attitude may have been viewed as job security in times past, but in today’s business world, you must stand out from the crowd in order to even be retained.

Years ago, loyalty and longevity with a company equaled guaranteed retention during staff cuts, but in this day and age above and beyond is the only way to stand a chance of sticking around.

Proactive vs. reactive

As being proactive and taking initiative are the best and fastest ways for employees to get noticed and are often leading factors in being considered for retention and career advancement, you as the employer need to hire those that already are proactive or train them to be.

The definition of proactive is doing things before they need to be done, rather than after the need is identified. When you are proactive, you are looking ahead. You make a conscious effort to pinpoint what you have coming up and begin preparing now for what lays ahead.

Initiative is the power or ability to begin and to follow through energetically with a plan or task. First, you are proactive. You look ahead at what needs to be done. Then, you take the initiative to do it.

The opposite of proactive is reactive. When you are faced with a situation you aren’t expecting, you go into reactive mode. When you kick into reactive mode, or emergency mode, your physical body tenses up, your blood pressure rises, your heart rate increases, and your mental state is both clouded and crowded. You are far too anxious to even think clearly.

Reactive mode causes detriment to your health, compromises the success of your work product, and stifles, or even ruins, your reputation. It is much more beneficial to everyone involved to stay in proactive mode as often as possible.

Managing up

In addition to being proactive and taking initiative, in today’s world employers need employees who are self-motivated, quick learners, detail-oriented, reliable, and dependable. In other words, employers need employees to master the skill of “managing up.”

One component to managing up effectively is to teach your employees to constantly ask themselves:

•What can I do to be of more value to my employer?

•What is he not getting from me that he needs or that would make his job easier and less stressful?

•What needs to be done?

•How can I do it or make sure it gets done?

Other components of managing up include:

Understanding the mission and structure of the organization. Ensure employees read the policy and procedure manual so they can gain insight into how every part of your organization contributes to the whole.

Setting goals. When the employee begins, set a goal for them to be successful and decide what that means to you in the overall scheme of the organization. Does it mean they learn a new skill, take on additional responsibility, or overcome a fear?

Setting expectations. Let each and every employee know what you expect of them. How can they go above and beyond if they don’t know what you expect? Have open communication with your employees, answer questions, and offer clarification.

Developing ideas. Provide employees the training and tools they need so they can develop and implement ideas that benefit you, your colleagues, and your office. When they come to you with an idea, offer them this list to consider:

•What is the opportunity for improvement?

•Is there a reason to change this task from the way it is currently performed?

•Can it be done faster or with less effort?

•Can it be done earlier to avoid a last minute emergency?

•Can it be done in a way that is easier for someone else involved in the process?

•Will changing it save money or enhance job performance?

•What roadblocks might I encounter and how can I remove them?

Want to get your belly scratched? Then ensure you have employees that get up from the dog blanket and make the effort to get noticed. Hire or train employees to be proactive, take initiative, manage up, problem solve, and implement positive change on behalf of your office or business. You will be rewarded.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~Aristotle

Christy Crump is president of Crump & Associates, a company that enhances human capital through a unique, proven approach to staff education and training that improves performance and increases efficiency and effectiveness. She can be reached at www.crumpandassociatesfl.com.

By Polly White

To paraphrase an old saying, employees are not your greatest asset—great employees are your greatest asset. Whether your organization is large or small, make sure you set the stage for their success by creating a positive first impression by implementing these five “musts”:

1. Have a plan. The difference between a worker who becomes productive quickly and one who languishes is often how well they are oriented to their new company. The first hours and days of an employee’s new career are the time when they become acquainted to the requirements and expectations of their job, the culture of the organization and where and how they fit into the company.

You can greatly increase the speed at which your employees become fully productive by having a personalized orientation plan in place for their onboarding. The plan should balance time spent learning about the organization and their coworkers’ responsibilities with his or her specific job duties.

It is not necessary that their first hours be spent filling out the myriad of employment-related forms. This may be convenient for HR, payroll or accounting, but does not create the best first impression. While the employee will eventually need to fill out certain forms, most federal and state requirements allow the new employee and your company several days to complete the task. Spending your first hours creating a friendly, comfortable and productive experience for the employee is a better use of time.

2. Have a place for your new employee to call their own. Whether the employee will have a desk, a locker, a workstation, or a peg on the wall, you should have it labeled, clean and stocked with all of the equipment the employee will need to do his or her job. Nothing says, “We really want you to be happy and productive” like a well-appointed workstation.

When desks and workstations are left empty for any length of time, two things happen. First, any useful equipment, office supplies or gadgets seem to walk away. Second, the empty desk becomes a dumping ground for stacks of papers, files and other debris. The day before the new employee is to arrive, take a few minutes to restock the workstation and clean off unnecessary clutter.

3. Introduce them to their co-workers. Most businesses provide new employees with the standard tour and introduction. While this is a step in the right direction, there are ways to increase the benefit to the organization. Spend at least part of the first day celebrating the arrival of the new employee.

Have coffee with everyone on the team, allowing time for socializing and rapport building. If possible, add a donut or other snack into the mix. There is nothing like food to help with bonding and creating great memories.

4. Choose carefully when involving others in the onboarding process. Watch out for the “curmudgeon buzzard”— the longer-term employee who feels obligated to swoop in on your new employee and explain to them in great detail why coming to work in your organization may be the biggest mistake of their career. They peck away of the employee’s confidence regaling their new colleague with stories of times when management was unfair or unkind to the rank-and-file.

The curmudgeon buzzard carries a great deal of baggage with them that must be unloaded on the unsuspecting newbie. They are only effective, however, if they can poison the new employee before he or she has fully formed his or her opinion of the company.

Keeping the buzzards away from your new hires during the first few hours or days of their employment will allow the new employee to form a favorable impression of your company—one that will be hard to change. Coach the new employees yourself or assign them to employees who will represent your company in its best light. The rewards will be long lasting.

5. Outline what the new employee needs to accomplish to succeed—then set them up for success. Finally, explain to your employee what you want them to accomplish in his or her first days on the job. Understanding exactly what you want them to do and how you will measure their success will increase the new employee’s confidence and the likelihood that you will get great performance.

Make sure the tasks you select are ones that 1) will be part of the employee’s routine assignments, and 2) are very doable. Remember, you want the employee to succeed in the early days so that they will be eager to take on the more difficult work that lies ahead.

Polly White is a principal at Whitestone Partners. She has more than 20 years of experience working with companies to improve the skills, behaviors and attitudes of their workforce. Her career has included roles in administration, human resources, curriculum and employee development. She is a noted author, speaker and instructor and has worked for companies ranging from small start-ups to Fortune 100 corporations. She can be reached through www.whitestonepartnersinc.com.

By Dr. Earl Eye

The dream of business success captures the imagination of aspiring and existing business owners everywhere. A vision of flowing profits, industry respect, thrilled customers, and a balanced life permeates your consciousness and keeps you motivated.

As an entrepreneur, time is your most valuable asset—yet it’s the only part of your existence you can’t leverage. You only have so much of it in your day and you can’t add more to those 24 hours, no matter what you do or what you pay.

You may think you’re doing your business a favor by sacrificing sleep, diet, and an exercise program, but the truth is you’re not. While it may seem counter intuitive, spending a little less time at the office and redirecting it toward optimizing your health may be just the ticket to achieving your professional aspirations.

Steps to optimal health

Three areas in which you can take some simple and time-conscious steps to optimize your health include:

•Sleep. When you’re tired, your ability to work productively and think clearly may suffer, which could lead to dangerous or costly mistakes and take a toll on your professional reputation.

Poor sleep can make it difficult to multi-task, make you slower to get your work done, and some people report it affects creative thinking and memory. Some ways to reduce insomnia include:

Taking melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep, and as you age, your body produces less and less. It doesn’t cause dependence or addiction and as a side benefit, it naturally increases your body’s growth hormone production.

Sleeping no more than seven hours. Most people need no more than seven and a half hours, but if you cut back to seven, you’ll have sounder sleep with fewer awakenings.

Getting up at the same time every morning. Your body rhythms are tied to the time you awaken, so it’s important to keep it constant. That means not oversleeping on weekends.

Getting into bed only when you’re sleepy. Spending time awake in bed can make you anxious and can lead you to associate your bed with anxiety. If you can’t drop off to sleep after 15 minutes, try slow deep breaths. If you reach 200 breaths go to another room and do something relaxing such as reading a book until you are sleepy.

•Nutrition. Nutrition isn’t about a single “perfect” diet. For thousands of years, human diets were simple: We ate what grew from the ground, fell from the trees, ran across our path or swam the waters.

The diet most synergistic with our Paleolithic-era ancestors: high in nutrient-dense foods (fruits, vegetables, lean meats and essential fats) and low in refined, overly processed foods, fats and simple carbohydrates.

To improve upon your eating habits, try:

Choosing natural foods. If it grows from the ground, falls from the trees, runs, flies, swims, it is an optimal choice. Best of all, natural foods such as fruits and veggies are most nutritional in the raw, making them quick and easy to prepare. If you must eat packaged foods, choose those that are minimally processed.

Eating once every three to four hours. Your metabolism is like an engine—the more often you give it fuel, the better it works. When you deprive your body of food, it shuts down to preserve energy. Good examples of some snacks to eat in between meals are nuts, cottage cheese, or jerky.

Taking supplements. Supplements are a quick and easy way to ensure your body is getting all of the necessary nutrients it needs to be healthy. Research is constantly demonstrating that truly therapeutic doses of vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidants—the amounts needed to reduce the risk for various diseases—are substantially higher than the RDAs.

•Exercise. All you need is 30 minutes a day to optimize your health. If you don’t know the first thing about exercising, hire a trainer once or twice to teach you the basics.

Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as practicing yoga or lifting some weights. Better yet, discover activities where you can get exercise and spend quality time with your partner, family or friends—such as tennis, hiking, or dancing.

Weight training is the best way to burn fat; it’s more effective for losing weight than aerobic activity because it burns calories while you’re exercising and at rest. Here’s the math: The body requires approximately 30-50 calories daily, per pound of muscle. When you add five pounds of lean muscle, you’ll burn an additional 150-250 calories every day, even on days you don’t exercise. This adds up to 15 to 26 pounds of fat loss every year.

Do some high intensity endurance exercises, which is at least 12-15 minutes of pushing your body to the limit of its capabilities. Interval training is the best way to get a rigorous workout quickly. Using a treadmill or elliptical, start at a low to moderate pace for one minute, then up your speed to an all-out sprint for 30 seconds, then back down to the moderate pace for one minute, and then back up to a sprint for another 30 seconds. Do this five times. An alternate would be using telephone poles. Sprint in between two, then walk between the next two, and repeat.

The most serious thing that could happen is the loss of your productivity—which ultimately not only affects you, but also your business, employees, family and loved ones.

It’s much better to work for seven hours a day at peak performance than for 10 hours a day at half-consciousness. Get on a good diet, a good workout plan, and get plenty of sleep. It’s fine to be off balance sometimes, but never forget the adage, “Sound body; sound mind.”

Dr. Earl Eye is an AMA certified age-management specialist at Cenegenics Jacksonville, a practice committed to helping patients maintain health and live well longer. He is an institute physician at Cenegenics’ corporate headquarters and is the CEO and CMO of Cenegenics Jacksonville. Dr. Eye is also board certified in critical care medicine, infectious diseases medicine, pulmonary medicine, and internal medicine. He can be reached at 904-674-0404, contact@cenegenicsjax.com, or through www.cenegenicsjax.com.

By John Geshay

Being a certified business coach who works with small business owners, it is not uncommon to hear from them that they  have little to no time to work on the “bigger picture” items of their business. They almost always say they were too busy addressing everyday product and or service issues and employee and customer requests to do it.

What can you do to get out of this day-to-day struggle you may constantly find yourself in? Two ways to get out of this struggle is to improve your business focus and delegate certain job responsibilities.

Enhance your business focus

From within the “Effectiveness” module of Brian Tracy’s coaching program, Tracy outlines a seven step exercise to help you improve your business focus:

Step 1: You must first identify your 10 most important goals. From your subcategory of “business goals,” list the top 10 and commit them to memory.

Step 2: Determine your current hourly rate. To do this, take your current annual income and divide by average annual hours worked. For instance, if current annual income is $150,000, and you worked 2,000 hours, then your current hourly rate = $75/hr.

Step 3: Identify your desired hourly rate. If your desired annual income is $250,000, then your desired hourly rate at 2,000 hours is $125/hr.

Step 4: For one week, keep a detailed list of how you spent your time. Use time sheets like those used by lawyers and accountants, logging your time in 10-minute or 15-minute segments. This may require a great deal of self-discipline as entrepreneurs think in terms of results not hours, however, stick with it. See this as an investment that can pay enormous dividends.

Step 5: Rank all of your activities and tasks on the list. Each evening of that week, carefully review your time sheet and mark each task you performed with a ranking of one to 10 (one being the highest value, 10 being the lowest) based on your evaluation of how important that activity was in contributing to the achievement of your 10 most important business goals.

Step 6: Now with the perspective of five days’ worth of tracking your activities, segment the list to include:

•Your 20%, high value activities (1′s and 2′s),

•Activities for which you would pay your current hourly rate (could be the 4’s to 7’s),

•Activities for which you would pay your desired hourly rate (can be a 1, or 2’s to 3’s), and

•Your low value activities (7’s to 10’s).

Step 7: Focus your own time on the 20%, high value activities. Moving forward, resolve to spend as much time as possible on your high value activities—the 20% that contribute most to the achievement of your most important business goals, and those for which you would be willing to pay someone your current or even your desired hourly rate to accomplish, and to delegate or eliminate as many of your low value (7 to 10) activities as possible.

Delegate, delegate, delegate!

Some business owners say they pride themselves on the fact they are copied on every email regarding their company, but much of that really comes from the fact they don’t think anyone could do the tasks as well as they can.

By not delegating, however, their own strategic business goals are not being accomplished because they have zero time to work on them. If you’re struggling with this same issue, don’t trust your team, feel you must control everything, and are not hitting your own goals, then commit to delegating.

From your lists of high and low value activities, select one activity or task that does not represent the highest and best use of your time but that is nevertheless important to the success of your business. While not everything goes overboard initially, just try one or two to start. Commit to delegating this activity or task to a person who is qualified to carry it out.

List the skills and experience necessary to efficiently and effectively carry out this activity or task and find someone who possesses them. Look around. Who in your group has shown these qualifications and might be available? The person may be a member of your staff, or they could also be a contractor to whom you could outsource.

Clearly define the activity or task you will delegate and describe in detail the results you expect when the delegated task has been successfully completed.  Provide a deadline for successful completion of the delegated activity or task, with benchmarks, or short-term results, by which you will measure the progress of the delegated activity or task.

Determine which resources will be required to efficiently and effectively carry out the delegated activity or task, and what the rewards and consequences will be for the person to whom you delegate the activity or task when he/she successfully or unsuccessfully completes it.

Improving continues

Continue to list your daily and weekly tasks, evaluate those tasks, and determine who might be the best fit to help you have more time for the bigger things in your business.

Improving your business focus and learning to delegate can help you have more time to focus on the “bigger picture” of your business and get you accomplishing your strategic business goals.

Now, go delegate and be successful!

John Geshay is a certified business coach and area developer with FocalPoint of Florida. He can be reached at 904-923-1246, jgeshay@focalpointcoaching.com, or through www.focalpointcoaching.com and www.linkedin.com/in/jgeshay.

By J.H. Hyun

Apple founder Steve Jobs, in his commencement address to Stanford University in 2005, made the following statement, which pretty much explained why he was so successful in his life:

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

What have you been doing lately? Where would that lead you? Are you living consistently with how you want to be remembered by your loved ones when you are no longer around?

Your life plan

Many of you are so busy living day-to-day, bouncing from one urgent issue to the next, that you have lost focus on your ultimate destination. You meander through the maze of your life without a clear focus and ultimate destination in mind.

Too many times you allow other people and events to dictate your priorities, your life goals and the life path you take. If you happen to be in this situation, here is a set of practical steps you can take to realign your actions with your ultimate goals.

Reflect on your life to date and prioritize your life. Invest sometime today to reflect on the most important people and commitments in your life. Take 10 minutes each morning before you start your day to properly plan and prioritize your activities for the day.

Make sure to work on the high priority items first and cross them off as you complete the tasks. Take one full day each year to reflect on the past year and to set your priorities for the upcoming year. We can get the most of our lives by not only appropriately choosing what we do, but just as important, what we choose not to do. Make sure to define your priorities clearly and take actions consistently.

Clearly define what you want out of your life. Would you ever hop into a taxi and expect the cab driver to tell you where you should go? Of course, the ultimate destination should be dictated by you. The driver is there to help you by choosing the right path and making the appropriate turns. Just as true, when it comes to your life journey, you should define your own set of goals and your final destination.

Be specific in defining your goals. Be a better spouse, be a more loving parent, get in shape, lose weight, work harder, be a better Christian, etc. aren’t specific enough. When you define your goals, double check to make sure you can measure your progress.

Replace your vague ambitions with clear goals: Spend 20 minutes each night reading to my son as he goes to bed. Join my neighbor in running around the park every Monday and Wednesday mornings at 6 a.m. Stop eating afternoon snacks at work and no fried food for the next 30 days. Take public transportation and pack my own lunch for the next three months to save enough for my wife’s birthday gift in January.

You will have much better chance of success with specific goals than admirable but ambiguous ones.

Make necessary readjustments—starting today! Your today is an accumulated result of your yesterdays—the planned and unplanned events that took place in your life, decisions you have made, people you have met and chose to associate with, actions you took, how you chose to invest your time, money and effort.

Likewise, your tomorrow is being shaped and determined by how you choose to spend today. For everyone, without an exception, we are where we are as a consequence of our past, and our future is being formed by how we choose to spend this very moment. Start today on achieving your ultimate dreams and goals!

Joong (“Joon”) H. Hyun is the author of recently released “Outswimming the Sharks: Overcoming Adversities, Naysayers, and Other Obstacles to Lead a Meaningful Life.” For the past two decades, Hyun has worked with various global Fortune 500 companies at the executive level before his current role as vice president of Global Business Processes for a multibillion-dollar U.S. based company. He can be reached through www.outswimmingthesharks.com.

By Myron Pincomb

I constantly observe and work with leaders that are building some of the most successfulcompanies and organizations and then watch as they suddenly “hit a wall.” What happened? How did individuals who have reached the top of their profession by doing all the right things suddenly slip and fall?

They were sucked into one of the myths of leadership success.

In my career I have had the opportunity to lead a variety of companies from very successful technology start-ups to seasoned organizations with over 600 veteran employees. I will be the first to admit that I have personally been sucked into each one of the four common myths of leadership success on multiple occasions.

Four myths

Leadership myth #1: Yesterday’s success. What got you here won’t keep you here. Many of us were taught in school to rely on best practices and proven techniques to build a successful team or business. The reality is that no two companies or two teams are exactly the same and best practices and proven techniques rarely work twice.

This “old” way of thinking is completely counterproductive to the culture of innovation needed to be successful in today’s digital economy where product life cycles and time to market are measured in hours rather than years.

Don’t get me wrong; we should always learn from the success and failures of others, but at the end of the day the formula for success with your team or business is most likely very unique from others.

How can you avoid the “Yesterday’s success” myth? First you must recognize it. “The punch that knocks you out is the one you didn’t see,” said the famous boxer Joe Frazier. Once you recognize that complacency and the “reliance on yesterday’s success” has crept into your organization, you need to really focus on growth and innovation. Growth equals change.

Continually ask: Is there a better way? The answer is always, “Yes!”

If you are really serious about growth and innovation, get someone from outside your organization who knows your business, give them all the details and let them give you a fresh perspective. Pay for outside consulting.

In today’s economy, the most successful leaders recognize that a culture of growth and innovation is paramount to success.

Leadership myth #2: We are the experts. The only way to close 100% of your leads is to give the customer exactly what they want. Many times the leadership team relies heavily on the feedback from the sales and marketing teams to shape the next promotion or product. The reality is that most of that feedback is shaped by personal agendas and biases that result in missed sales targets and upset leadership teams. Only your customer can truly define what they need.

How can you avoid the “We are the experts” myth? The next time you try to create a great new promotion or develop the next home run product, start with a trip to the customer’s office. After the customer shows you exactly what they need, go back to your team and make it happen.

I have also had a lot of success with focus groups, fish bowl sessions and product pilots. The key to success is getting your customer involved in the process long before the sales pitch takes place.

Leadership myth #3: I am a leader, not a product expert. It is impossible to effectively lead a team without extensive product knowledge. Without a doubt, I can say that nine out of 10 leaders I have worked with do not personally have the product knowledge needed to successfully lead their team.

Many of these same people tell me that their company does not have a formal training program because they only hire experienced professionals. The result is that many companies have a team of “experienced professionals” that know very little about the actual product and how it relates to the customer.

How can you avoid the “I am a leader, not a product expert” myth? Every member of the leadership team from the CEO on down the ladder should be required to complete extensive product training on an ongoing basis. I strongly believe this product training should also be extended to the leadership teams in human resources, accounting, finance and logistics. The only way to hire the perfect candidate for an open position is to know the product yourself.

Leadership myth #4: I am a manager, not an employee. An isolated leader is an ineffective leader. No matter how good you think you are greatness has never been accomplished alone. True leaders will never tell you that it is lonely at the top. If you are at the top and all alone, then no one is following you. Get off the mountain, and go find your team and connect.

Great leaders learn early in their career that the people they manage are the only appreciable asset with which they have to work. They also know that leadership has nothing to do with position or title; it has everything to do with your scope of influence.

How can you avoid the “I am a manager, not an employee” myth? An “open door policy” is not enough; walk the floor, connect with your team and understand their pain before you ask them to follow you. Remember that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Myron Pincomb is the CEO/president of The Pincomb Group. To learn more go to www.thepincombgroup.com or send an e-mail to Myron.pincomb@gmail.com.

By Nancy Andersen

The benefit for a business that encourages mentoring relationships among its employees isstraightforward: Mentoring prepares organizations for the future.

Whether as a formal program or informal arrangement, mentoring can provide the personal attention less-experienced professionals need to round out their technical and interpersonal skills, equipping them for later leadership positions within a growing company—perhaps even your own.

Mentoring relationships increase the pool of qualified candidates prepared to assume expanded roles. In addition, there is often an accompanying morale boost since this customized approach to employees’ career development gives them a greater sense of belonging within the organization. Knowing that someone cares about their success adds to their satisfaction, making mentoring a powerful retention tool.

A convincing argument

If your business doesn’t have the resources to create a formal mentoring program, how do you convince your best people to take time out of their busy schedules to become mentors? It’s not always an easy sell. More than half, 51%, of executives interviewed in a new Robert Half Management Resources survey (http://rhmr.mediaroom.com/mentoring) said they’ve never been mentors.

Still, that’s another half who have served as mentors, and they have a variety of stories to tell about why it’s a worthwhile experience—for their mentees, for themselves and for the company.

Mentors provide valuable guidance on decision-making and career management that mentees may not be able to obtain from other sources. But mentoring experiences also lay the groundwork for rewarding professional relationships that can last a lifetime. Ultimately, an employee’s decision to become a mentor may boil down to a sense that it’s just the right thing to do.

Of survey respondents who have served as mentors, 50% said they feel the greatest benefit is the satisfaction they gain from helping someone else. These professionals realize that the mark of a great mentor is an understanding that it’s not “all about you.”

The business environment of the last two years has been challenging to say the least. While mentors can’t address or control everything, they can do two important things—listen and offer advice. Many people are burned out and stressed out, and mentors can serve as an important sounding board. Many people might not have objective, trustworthy sources for guidance in their companies, at home or among their friends, so their mentors become a steady support system.

Mentors can offer advice on day-to-day and big picture situations ranging from handling an interpersonal conflict at work to adjusting when a new boss arrives to evaluating a potential job change. Mentors also can point mentees in the right career direction—where they can beef up their skills and networking efforts, for instance, to be more marketable. A mentee benefits from mentors’ years of work experience, the path they’ve taken and perhaps mistakes they’ve learned from.

Doing it for the greater good

It’s not unusual for people to feel hesitant about becoming a mentor. Despite their level of expertise, many professionals consider themselves hardly qualified to be an “expert” or advisor. The truth is, even if they have only a few years with a firm, they no doubt possess valuable knowledge that could help someone. Conversely, everyone at every career level can benefit from having mentors.

As a business owner or senior manager, you can provide guidance to employees you feel would make good mentors—or even to be a mentor yourself. A few things to consider:

•Your strengths. What are the most valuable things you’ve learned over the course of your career? Think about what you have to offer someone just starting out.

•Listen. The best mentors are often the best listeners. Understand your mentee’s situation and his or her greatest needs before you offer guidance. Sometimes the most valuable role you can play is that of a sounding board.

•Look beyond the newly hired. Professionals at all levels can benefit from having a mentor. Those trying to advance to the next level or looking to make a change might particularly welcome your advice.

•Be realistic. Given the realities of time pressures and impending deadlines in your role, it’s important to make clear to your mentee the amount of time you have to devote to the relationship. That way you can better define expectations and avoid potential disappointments.

Mentoring provides a triple advantage if it’s effectively designed: It benefits mentees, mentors and the company. The best mentors offer direct, candid feedback, but always maintain a positive attitude and provide constructive criticism. They also keep an open mind—they don’t allow their years of experience to cause them to respond negatively to new or different ideas or dismiss an employee’s concerns.

Nancy Andersen is the division director for Robert Half Management Resources in Jacksonville. Robert Half Management Resources is the world’s premier provider of senior-level accounting and finance professionals on a project and interim basis

SIDEBAR:

The greatest benefit of being a mentor

•Provides the internal satisfaction of helping someone else – 50%

•Offers you the opportunity to improve your leadership skills – 32%

•Helps you build your professional network – 9%

•Allows you to stay current on industry trends – 8%

•No benefit – 1%

Source: Robert Half Management Resources, 2011

By Snowden McFall

Cash flow, deadlines, and payroll—they can all create enormous stress and pressure for you. And as an entrepreneur, you are especially prone to burnout.

The American Psychological Association says 80% of all American workers feel burned out (not just stressed), and one-third of Americans say they are living with extreme stress.¹ Nearly 80% of all doctor visits are stress-related, with 43% of all adults having ill health because of stress.

So that raises the question, “How stressed out are you?” Check the boxes that apply to you:

• You come home regularly dead-tired with little or no energy.
• The concept of vacation is inconceivable to you- you have way too much to do to go away.
• You don’t have time to exercise regularly or participate in your favorite hobbies.
• You snap at your loved ones and friends fairly often.

If three of the above are true for you, you may be hovering near burnout.

What can you do to lower your stress levels?

1. Get more sleep. You need at least seven hours a night, (the minimum to prevent cancer according to the World Health Organization.) Less than seven hours means you are functioning at a cognitive disadvantage and are three times more susceptible to colds.

You are also likely to gain more weight and carry an extra 20 pounds. Your body is 30% less efficient at burning calories when it is sleep-deprived. Fortune Small Business reported that 13% of entrepreneurs have trouble getting to sleep every night. Do that long enough and you end up with high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

The solution: plan for good sleep. Go to bed earlier, do not check email before bed, do not take your phone or beeper to bed, do not watch TV in bed. Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleeping, making love, and resting.

2. Take vacations: Expedia found that 34% of Americans don’t go on vacation at all! What’s scary about that is for women aged 45-64, two weeks of vacation cut their incidence of heart attack in half, according to a study by Boston College!²

A study by Expedia found most people feel rested and rejuvenated after vacation, are more productive and more satisfied with their marriages. Think your business will suffer if you are out of touch for a week or two? Strategic Coach in Canada discovered that when his clients doubled their vacation days, they doubled their income.³

3. Drink water. Every cell in your body depends on water to function properly. Throughout the day, you lose about eight cups of water, which must be replenished. A 5% drop in body fluids will cause a 25% to 30% loss in energy; a 15% drop causes death. Often overlooked, water is vital to health, to life and to stress reduction.

Try to drink filtered clean water, relieved of toxins like mercury, chlorine, etc., that are often found in public water systems. Never drink water from a bottle that has been sitting in the hot sun all day—that can be a carcinogen. And caffeine drinks actually leach water from your system, so you need to drink more to replace those beverages.

To determine exactly the right amount for you, take your weight and divide it in half. That’s approximately how many ounces of water a day you need to drink. Try it, you’ll be amazed at the increase in energy.

4. Cultivate optimism. Optimists live seven years longer than pessimists, have better lung function and are far less likely to die young or from cancer. Optimists actually breathe easier. Several studies from National Institute of Health (NIH) and Yale demonstrate this.

Dr. Martin Sullivan of the University of Pennsylvania spent 20 years interviewing 350,000 executives and learned something fascinating—the top 10% performers think differently from others; they are all optimists! So if you want greater success, achievements, and profits in your business, become a more positive thinker.

Small business owners provide two-thirds of the jobs in the greater Jacksonville area. You can only continue to run a successful business if you take care of yourself and lower the stress levels of yourself and your staff. You’ll live longer, be healthier and your family will thank you, too.

Snowden McFall, is a professional speaker and author and co-author of five books, including “Fired Up!,” and “Stress Express! 15 Instant Stress Relievers.” An expert on stress, motivation and optimism/happiness, she can be reached at 904-940-7355 or through www.firedupnow.com.

1. “Stress in US Rises, Causes Health Problems,” The Scoop, The Meeting Professional, March 2008, p.442.
2. Brown, Sarah, “Clean Break,” Vogue, June 2003
3. Brown, Sarah, “Clean Break,” Vogue, June 2003

By Doug Wilder

Have you thought about going on the speaker circuit, but aren’t sure if it will be worth your time orstress? Whether you are just speaking up at a board meeting, presenting at a workshop, or giving the keynote speech at a convention, speaking in public can be good for you personally as well as professionally.

Good for personal development

Public speaking is good for personal development because enhances your leadership skills, boosts your confidence and courage, and actually becomes fun.

•Leadership skills. To lead is to inspire others into thought or action. People who speak publicly often acquire the ability to inspire and those leadership skills are carried over into normal non-speaking time.

Lesson 1: Create speeches that inspire and entertain. If you aren’t sure how to accomplish this, join a Toastmasters Club or ask someone to help you. Be bold. Sprinkle in heavy doses of character, wisdom and good cheer in your speeches. The more serious the topic; the greater the need for humor. As you inspire, be inspired.

•Confidence boost. Confidence is the belief that what you are doing is “right” and that you will be successful. By speaking in public you will find that you can and will rise to the occasion, and your worst fears are rarely realized. If you do not give up, you will continue to improve, and you will boost your confidence.

Lesson 2: Make it a practice to always say “yes” when asked to speak. Have courage. Face your fears and do it anyway. You will become more confident, and that confidence will help you on and off stage.

•Enjoyment. Speaking in front of groups can be quite enjoyable. As your confidence and courage increase, you will find your abilities and control increase and your stress will decrease.

Lesson 3: Choose to enjoy public speaking. You may need to fake it until you make it. Laugh at your mistakes. As Oscar Wilde said, “Life is too important to be taken seriously!”

Good for business development

Gerlach, Wilder, and Caplan

While eating lunch with two lawyers who do public speaking to enhance their business, they mentioned three ways they benefit from presenting at seminars: credibility, publicity, and direct business.

•Credibility. Howard Caplan, business lawyer (caplawfirm.com), said that public speaking brings him additional credibility. People can see and hear his expertise on Intellectual Property Rights, particularly when he is able to engage the audience in a discussion.

Caplan said, “For instance, at a recent Continuing Legal Education (CLE) class at which I co-presented with Patent Attorney Jo-Anne Yau, we welcomed dialogue and involved the audience.” Therefore the lawyers in the audience were more likely to see the presenting lawyers as subject matter experts and refer business to them.

Lesson 4: Keep track of the places you speak at so you can later furnish that credibility list when needed. Also, gather testimonials in a file.

•Publicity: Caplan said publicity is another reason public speaking is good for business development. “When the CLE classes were advertised, it was in essence an advertisement for me.”

Lesson 5: Before the event, ensure the event announcements are strategically circulated and that you are getting the publicity you want. If not, see what announcements you can create yourself. Don’t forget to use social media to spread the word. Let your clients and friends know what you are doing. After an event, you can tell everyone that you did it and perhaps something about it that might interest them.

•Direct business: Gregg Gerlach, an employment lawyer (harpergerlach.com) and the other lawyer at lunch, chimed in, “Public speaking is an integral part of our firm’s business development strategy. While we don’t solicit the audience to hire us, sometimes the attendees call for advice and do indeed hire us.

“Last week I was the main speaker at an HR conference where 65 supervisors were in attendance and listening to my ‘war stories’ about legal issues facing other supervisors. I have already received a phone call from one of the attendees wanting advice.”

Lesson 6: It is sometimes considered gauche to sell your services or products while speaking at an engagement. If you must, get permission first. For most speakers, just being a great speaker will entice some in the audience to want to do business with you. Be sure to leave something with your name and contact information with the audience so they may contact you later.

By applying the six lessons above, your public speaking will be good for your personal development and your business development. Speak up, and be prosperous and happy!

Doug Wilder is a speech coach with Wilder Business Success Inc., which  strives to create wilder success with less stress. He can be reached at 904-880-8877 or through www.WilderSuccess.com.