As a business trainer, one of the greatest parts of my job is when I see those around me begin to grow in their careers and in their personal lives. To actually be able to be a part of their growth process and see a person begin to bloom like a beautiful rose, almost effortlessly, is one of life’s greatest joys.

Tara Schmakel

Today, one of my great friends, Tara Schmakel, will launch a new business venture–Entrepreneurial Excellence Business Forums. Tara and Frank De Raffele Jr., founder of the organization, are working together to bring the Entrepreneurial Excellence Business Forums to Minneapolis, Minnesota as an outlet for business owners to build quality relationships, gain applicable knowledge, and have a like-minded community of support.

Tara, is also the owner of the Workroom at Tara’s.  She has been sewing since a little girl with her Mother and Grandmother. After doing various needle arts for business and pleasure, she settled on sewing for the home. Her creative sewing abilities have gained her work the honor of being  displayed in ASID showcase homes, on HGTV and published in Better Homes and Gardens magazines and books, Midwest Home and Mpls./St. Paul Magazine.

As if she doesn’t have enough to do, Tara is also a BNI Director in Minneapolis. She has been working with small business owners since 2007 helping them learn to grow their business through a structured word-of-mouth marketing and referral process. In BNI, Tara is also being mentored by the organization’s founder, Dr. Ivan Misner, in The Author’s Mentoring Program where Tara is learning to better promote her business with her writing skills. The Once Timid Networker is a blog Tara has created which talks about how she was at one time a very timid networker, afraid to approach, squeemish at the thought of meeting new people. And, now she has blossomed like a rose and become one of the leaders of networking, not only in Minneapolis, but throughout the United States. Tara, has contacts around the world that she works with, consults, and helps as they work to take their businesses to new levels.

During the last three years Tara realized how much she loves helping others to achieve their goals.  The training she has done for BNI along with the one-to-one coaching she has done for small business owners in the Minneapolis area, allowed her to see not just what she enjoyed, but had a true talent for. So now, The Once Timid Networker, takes one more step forward in her business career by joining forces with Frank De Raffele, Jr., an international speaker and founder of Entrepreneurial Excellence, a weekly syndicated radio show that focuses on helping business owners by  giving them the information and educational tools they need to grow and run a more successful business.

“Tara is now taking her small business coaching and training to a different level.  As a Licensed Associate with Entrepreneurial Excellence and an Executive Chair of the Entrepreneurial Excellence Business Forums – Minneapolis, she will be able to bring world class personal and professional development to the small business  owner,” De Raffele said.

This blog post is my way of sending my best wishes to Tara in her new business venture. I am happy to call her a business associate and friend. You can view my YouTube Video “The Once Timid Networker Is A Rock Star” I created for her and then feel free to leave your congratulations notes to her in the comments section. And please feel free to share this posting, retweet the posting and share the YouTube video so we can help her promote her new business…..that’s what we networkers do best, right?

Cheers Tara. Wishing only the best for you!

Finding employees with good character is paramount to building a solid team. Obviously, conducting a thorough interview will assist you in gaining perspective on the applicant’s character…..as well as a thorough background check and checking references.

But have you ever considered accessing social media to help you find employees with good character…..or avoid applicants that seem to be lacking good character?

Since I do not profess to be an expert in the field of social media, I am going to point out a few practices I have noticed the “pros” use to determine if they want to have a working relationship with certain people. You can use the same information to study the habits of your applicants and see what type of messages they send out to the digital world.

Once someone accepts you as a “friend” or a contact within various social media sites, you have the opportunity to access their personal and/or professional profile. Here you will find their education, marital status, children, city of residence, place of employment and previous employers, awards they received, business recommendations, etc. Can you imagine someone giving you such a vast amount of information face to face? It would take months, even years, for you to learn most of the information about someone that you can learn by reading the various profiles throughout various social media sites! Now, don’t get me wrong, you should never base employment solely on online profiles; however, you could certainly learn many interesting characteristics of an applicant via the social media networking sites. Imagine the value of finding that an applicant is a coach for a hometown soccer team. You can tap into his team building skills he must have to be a coach to help you train members of your business team.

Here are some examples I have found from viewing various member profiles:

1)  “Just reread Bob Burg’s book “The Go-Giver.” You might want to read it too!” S. Rooks

If you are familiar with Bob Burg’s “The Go-Giver” you understand that the book is about building relationships by putting the other guy first…..be it a colleague, competitor, customer, friend, or family member. By observing that Rooks is reading a book which is focused on “giving” rather than “taking” it gives me some sense of satisfaction, as an employer, that Rooks would find the philosophy of “giving” to be a valuable characteristic to have in her personal and/or business world. That’s a great team building characteristic.

2)  “Assistant Director for one of the largest regions in the largest world-wide networking organization.” B. Anderson

By reading Anderson’s profile on LinkedIn you find that she owns OrgTrack, a web development firm. But, the posting above also shows that she holds a position with a networking organization, BNI, which focuses on building your business through referrals. Having knowledge of this could help you realize that Anderson understands relationship marketing and that she has close business relationships with other business professionals throughout the world. It could prove to be a valuable asset to your business to employee someone that is connected with other businesses world-wide!

3) “Developed a training program for other Terminal Engineers—to improve safety, reliability, and productivity.” M. Chitwood

Chitwood is the franchise owner of BNI North Alabama, a referral-based marketing company, but her profile on one of the social media sites notes that she developed a training program for a major oil company. This information would give great insight on her abilities to help you build your team through developing team building and training programs.

As you can see with these three brief notations, information from social media sites can prove to be of great value when choosing people to add to your team.

Instant information, like it or not, is here to stay. Those of you who haven’t joined in yet, better double-time and play catch up because online information will only become more and more ever-changing. Special Consideration: My recommendation is to consume as much information as you can about each of your applicants and employees via the profile sections in the various social media sites. Imagine the value of finding that an applicant is a coach for a hometown soccer team. You can tap into their team building skills to help you train members of your business team.

Being a member of social media sites, gives you the opportunity to observe an applicants’ online personality. Interviews can be nerve-wrecking to certain personality type people. Using social media gives you the platform to have small talk with someone and possibly get to know the person on a completely different level. You learn about their family, their interests, even the sports team they pull for.

SueHenryTalks, Workshop & Training Diva,  is the most knowledgeable expert on social media that I have had the pleasure of working with. Sue has been a mentor of mine for several years and she’s a no-nonsense trainer who displays a controlled, yet fun learning environment. If you would like to learn social media etiquette and understand how to build your business through the use of social media, I highly recommend you contact Sue.

The following article is a guest posting by Tara Schmakel, Assistant Director, BNI Minnesota, and author of “The ONCE Timid Networker” blog. 

It’s spring and you’re heading to the pool for the first time of the season. It’s finally warm out. No, it’s downright hot! All you can think about is getting cool in the pool! You know it will be refreshing, you will be with friends or family that you have been looking forward to spending time with and you may even lose that glow in the dark look that you’ve been sporting all winter! You’re ready to get in, but before you do, you test the waters with your toe… IT’S FREEZING. You know that you want to get in, but you can’t just “jump in” like everyone is hollering out to you. So you go back on the deck to psych yourself up!

To a lot of people networking is just like getting into that pool for the first time. It’s too cold and instead of just jumping in, they retreat for another time or until they are ready.

So what can a person do to ease into networking? Three things will help:

1. Think positive- If you think the pool is too cold, it will be. If you think the event will be intimidating, it will be. Tell yourself how great it will be and how good it will feel to have the sense of accomplishment! Just like you psych yourself to get into the pool, you can psych yourself for the event!

2. Dress for success- There are certain items of clothing that are suitable for swimming. It would be challenging to go for a dip if you were wearing a snowmobile suit. It could actually hinder your progress and weigh you down and you could even drown. If you are wearing something inappropriate for networking, you can also take a dive. Dressing according to your business is always a good idea, but many find it helpful to dress it up a notch. They find that little extra, gives them confidence, not to mention an edge over their competition. Also, don’t forget your smile. The most important accessory you could put on!

3. Be prepared- To swim in a pool, you need to have the water ready. To network at an event, you need to have your words ready. Practice what to say when someone asks you what you do. Memorize a phrase or two that will just roll off your tongue. Once you are comfortable and a person is truly interested in what you do, you will find it easy to speak from the heart. You will also find it helpful to have business cards and your calendar along!

By practicing these tips and making them your own, it will become easier to attend a function, just like easing into the pool a little at a time. However, you may find you reach a certain level of comfort that you decide to just go all the way in. Whether you become numb to the effects of your mind or just reach a level of comfort, the result will be refreshing and satisfying and you may even build some relationships and get some business!

To view more of Tara’s blog postings on how to be an effective networker visit her blog “The ONCE Timid Networker.”

Company character is at risk every day. Your business is being judged by your customers, your suppliers, your employees and your competitors. As a leader, you have to be on your game at all times.

One thing you need to understand as a business manager is that your employees are your brand. Showing that you care for your employees is the ultimate message you will send about the character of yourself and the company. Remember, the character message you send to your employees is the same message your employees will portray to your customers. How can company leaders expect their employees to care for the customers if they don’t feel cared for themselves? Note: your employees are your brand!

Research indicates that a focus on ethics, values, and character in the workplace can have significant impact on key business metrics such as improved customer service, reduced liability costs, improved employee retention, and increased productivity…..all the things your supervisor will be rating you on.

As a changing economy begins to reinvent the world of business, decision makers don’t have time to ponder and contemplate about the moral implications of every action they take. Being ethical must be instinctive, and that is where character comes into play. As businesses struggle with the strategic need to attract and maintain an effective workforce, character provides the foundation for credible and trustworthy business relationships.

Understanding the power behind projecting high standards and ethics in your business is the missing link to Building World-Class Teams. All companies create mission statements and vision statements that encompass the character of the company and revel in its importance. But, once the employees leave employee orientation, does the character of the company retain any importance in the day-to-day operation of the business? 

If you want to build your business from the inside out…..walk the talk! Instill in your employees the high standards you promise your customers by training your employees on the values of the organization. But remember, this concept starts from the top and works it way down to the line employees. If your executive team is focused on displaying a high quality of character, you can guarantee your employees will perceive and emulate the value as well.

Are you looking for more avenues to make your business stand out from the competiton?

Many businesses look at discounts, special sales, free gifts and other gimmicks to draw in new customers. These are all great ideas, but do they actually offer results to your bottom line? Sadly fewer and fewer businesses are focusing on “retaining” their current customer base and turning them into loyal customers and clients.

If you want to beat out your competition here two words you should focus on: Customer Service. And, customer service begins and ends with having a team of employees that will promote the company in a positive light, serve the customer and ask them to return on a consistent basis while at the same time…..referring your business to their family, friends, and contacts.

If you really want to beat your competition in today’s recessed market, focus on “Building World-Class Teams” and you will not only learn how to retain your employees; but, you will have happy employees helping you promote the high character of your company to your clients which will yeild high results by retaining your current client base.

Leaders can not expect their employees to display good character if they are not capable of displaying the same values within the workplace. You’ve worked hard to become a leader, but now you need to continue those efforts by demonstrating to your employees the character you want displayed and represented by your company. Always remember that character builds the business and the company’s fate relies on not only understanding good character traits, but having the ability to display good character and teach what characteristics build successful teams.

1. Providing your employees with thorough training/orientation will begin the process of teaching the character of the company. Don’t expect your employees to join your organization and immediately understand your corporate character…..teach them. Teaching the history of the company and the morals that the company was founded upon will help the employees have a clear vision of the expectations you have for them.
2. Creating and maintaining an open door policy with your employees is one of the greatest virtues a company can have. Many companies say they have an open door policy, but few actually promote the policy. One of the best ways a company can display good character to its employees is to actively promote the open door policy and always listen for ways to build employee morale, improve work environments, and increase productivity. Sure, you’re going to hear things that you don’t want to hear about yourself as a manager and company policies. But, listening to your employees instead of trying to talk over your employees is a sure fire way to display the character of management and the company. This doesn’t mean you have to always agree with your team members…..just listen and show them that you respect their opinions and are willing to consider their input to create a better workplace for all concerned.
3. Assigning new employees a mentor will help maintain good character within the workplace. When new employees enter your company, it is vital that they meet and connect with those who display a positive attitude. Nothing can undermine your company’s character quicker than negative employees. They will greatly impact the belief system of the new employee. Mentors provide business leaders with a tool to ensure that new employees have the best work environment to begin developing their own character within the organization.

If you are looking for more ways to build a solid team in your business, you can download a copy of my free eBook “Building World-Class Teams.” You can  start today edging out your competition simply by making your employees understand they are a valued resource in your company.

The following article is a reprint of a recent article written by Tim Houston, author, speaker, coach and BNI Area Director.

As an author, his work appeared in The New York Times Best Seller and multiple #1 Best Seller,  Masters of Sales, the latest book written by New York Times & Wall Street Journal authors, Dr. Ivan Misner and Don Morgan. His articles on the topic of business networking and word-of-mouth marketing have been translated and published in magazines, newspapers and blogs around the world  His first book, Level Up Networking: Produce, Profit and Prosper From Your Everyday Business Relationships, will  debut in 2010. For more information on working with Tim, visit his website at http://www.tmhouston.com.

About a year ago, I went to a local networking group. They were excited to have a new plumber in their group, (I’ll call him Artie). In talking to Artie, I found out that his business was a two man operation; he and his brother managed the business, did the technical work on each job and also did the marketing for the business. He was happy to be a part of the group which also had a general contractor, and electrician and a painter – all people who shared a similar client base As the meeting progressed, I watched this plumber get, at least, 6 referrals that day. He was very happy to be getting the referrals.

Tim Houston

Two months later, I visited the group and Artie announced that would be his final meeting. People were surprised and shocked to hear it. He explained that he was getting too many referrals - more than he and his brother could handle! It did not leave a good impression with most people as they interpreted this to mean that all he wanted to do was score a “quick hit” and move on.

Later that day, I called Artie I asked if I could speak to him about his decision. As we spoke, I told Artie that one of the biggest challenges for networkers who have a small operation – regardless of their profession – is that they can find themselves overwhelmed with receiving too many referrals. In their haste, too many make the fatal mistake of telling everyone to stop giving them referrals. They ultimately end up at a time in the future with little or no business because people assume that they no longer want referrals. In the worst case, they cut themselves off from their referral sources.

Being Artie was a plumber, I used the analogy that, just like in plumbing, you need to learn how to control the flow of referrals I explained that even in networking, just as in plumbing, there are certain “valves” or “taps” that are used with “knobs” that adjust how fast or slow the referrals will flow.

• Tell your network when to give you referrals: One October morning, George Alonso, a decorative artist and designer (www.ofhandandsoul.com) told the members of his weekly networking meeting that A good referral for him would be “a person who is looking for a decorative mural in their home or business – anytime after February!” He explained that he had too many jobs to handle at the moment but he was booking jobs for February. George knew that he had to let his network know that he still wanted referrals – just not the kind that needed his services right now. He was still keeping his pipeline full so that he didn’t experience a referral shortage once the jobs he was currently working on were completed.
• Refer your “overflow” work to someone else in your profession that you trust: If you find yourself with too many referrals, before turning away the business, talk to both the source and the person being referred and let them know that although you can’t handle the work now, you know someone else in your profession who could. Make sure that you introduce the prospect to your collaborator, and ask to stay involved with the progress. The impression you will make on both the source of the referral and the prospect will help you in the long-run. Also, your collaborator will likely remember you when they’re experiencing overflow and want to refer work to you.

• Prevent Back-flow: Back-flow occurs when there’s a drop of pressure and contaminated water begins to flow from the ground or a storage system into the clean water system of the building or water supply. In plumbing, there are devices known as “check valves” which prevent this from happening. Artie thought that if he stopped the flow of referrals at the source, (i.e. if he quit) , it would provide him with the breathing room he needed to catch up. Then he, said, he can go back to networking. I told him he was actually creating back-flow. In Networking, negative word-of-mouth results in back-flow. Too often this will occur when someone takes on a job that they cannot handle, causing problems, delays, and headaches, resulting in ill-will for all involved. It also occurs when people are perceiving that the person only cares about themselves. In Artie’s case, he got a lot of referrals and the people in his networking group saw his quitting as giving up on them. They became “contaminated” with the notion that all Artie wanted was to take from the table and give anything in return. I suggested that one way he could install a “check valve” to prevent the back-flow was to give referrals to others and to introduce them to potential referral partners and sources for their respective businesses.

 I am pleased to be able to re-print the following article testifying to the benefits of building relationships to help grow your business. LuAnn is a collegue of mine in BNI, the world’s largest networking organization. I hope you enjoy reading her story and it inspires you to extend your hand and welcome new business relationships.

The Butterfly Effect As Reflected in My BNI Story

By LuAnn Buechler

Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect, and how one thing leads to another in the world of referrals? Well here is my BNI Story, a perfect example of the Butterfly Effect in action.

I was invited to BNI by a young man that grew up in my neighborhood and played with my little brother. His name is Craig Oslund. Craig and I got reacquainted at a Chamber After Hours event where I was promoting my new business in 2005. He invited me to visit his BNI meeting. I jumped at the chance to network with another group of professionals. I joined immediately and became the education coordinator the second week of my membership. After all teaching others is a great way to learn the organization for yourself; and it worked.

I fell in love with the organization and its philosophy of Givers Gain. The more I learned, the more I knew I was in it for the long term. So, I set my sights on becoming a BNI Director. A mere inquiry made to Sue Henry, Area Director, in Southern Minnesota about just what it would take to get there put me on the fast track to become a BNI Director within a year of joining.

This of course, allowed me the opportunity to meet Nancy Giacomuzzi, Executive Director of BNI Minnesota, among many other amazing people. Beth Anderson, who you may have read about in another story we wrote regarding visibility, credibility, and profitability was just one of those people. As I gained visibility in the organization and worked with other directors in the region we gained credibility with one another, only to realize after four years that we had complimentary skills and similar goals. Beth and I are now partners in creating networking events.

It was Nancy G. however, who made the most significant impact on my butterfly spreading its wings. In recognition of a job well done, I was given the honor of picking up Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder and Chairman of the Board for BNI, at the airport on a visit to Minnesota. I was to get him checked in at the hotel and bring him over to the party at Nancy’s house promptly at 6pm. This gave us over an hour of free time to get to know each other before the party. Being the man that he is, he asked me all about my business and what a good referral is for me. Nearly a year later, I received a referral from him to the Transformational Leadership Council; the most amazing organization of transformational leaders and fascinating people, for whom I have the privilege of working with on their annual events.

Strengthening the relationship and gaining credibility with Dr. Misner through these events, coupled with the strong relationship he already had with Beth Anderson, allowed us to ask him to participate in and support our International Networking Conference. PMC Events, Get Connected Conferences are now a strategic partner of BNI, which has created the mutually beneficial relationship Ivan speaks of as profitability.

Dr. Misner since then has introduced several TLC Members to BNI as keynote speakers for our director conferences. From this we struck up a strategic partnership with Lisa Nichols, the bestselling author of “No Matter What”. Having built credibility through both the organizations and these relationships, we were able to create a Get Connected Conference in Minneapolis that featured three TLC members along with Lisa Nichols. It was an extraordinary day of education and inspiration.

At our first annual International Networking Conference: Get Connected 2009, I was able to spend time with another BNI Director and author of “Remember the Ice and other Paradigm Shifts”; Bob Nicoll, with whom, I am now co-authoring a book on customer service using empowering word choice. He and six other speakers from that Get Connected Conference approached me at the 2009 International BNI Conference, with a proposal to help manage seminars for them all over the country to help increase their exposure. Yet, another mutually beneficial relationship that grew out of networking and supporting one another.

The butterfly effect from building these relationships through networking exposure continues to amaze me. The process has moved my career along exponentially, expanding my reach beyond my wildest dreams. Yet, the simplest of connections that I make every day, from which who knows what maybe the long lasting implications for others, continue to drive me and excite me. It even gives me goose bumps when I know that the people I have connected are destined to do great things together.

And it’s all because Craig Oslund invited me to a BNI Meeting in September of 2005. Today, Craig is a BNI Ambassador on my team here in Southern Minnesota supporting the overall growth of BNI in everything he does every day; truly living the Givers Gain philosophy as Dr. Misner, our leader does.

What is your butterfly effect? What allowed you to get where you are right now, today? Think about it.

If you wish to expand your network and exponentially grow your business relationships, check out http://www.GetConnected2010.com. Get Connected to the Butterfly Effect that will fulfill your destiny……

Get Connected 2010, International Networking Conference is presented by PMC Events.

LuAnn Buechler is an Assistant Director for Southern Minnesota BNI and operates her own business as a Professional Meeting Consultant providing business education, consulting and meeting planning services. LuAnn has a 25 year history in the Hospitality Industry working for companies such as Hyatt Hotels, Marriott and the Mayo Clinic. LuAnn, is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin Stout. LuAnn got her business started by joining BNI and knew immediately that word-of-mouth marketing was the way to grow her business. Other than a website, it is the only way she chooses to market her business and her key to success is…Relationships, Relationships, Relationships!

LuAnn presents on her personal experiences, and training through BNI that has helped her to become a successful entrepreneur in her own right.

If you enjoyed LuAnn’s success story, follow the link below and leave her a comment on her Ezine Articles page.

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If your business, or a department within your business, is suffering from lack of teamwork, it is inevitable that a change is needed for your business to survive and be profitable.

Even though on the outside it may seem that all of the parts are working, it is probably evident to you that it is not working like a well-oiled machine. Companies become stagnant, lack of productivity prevails, employee morale suffers and eventually profits plummet. It’s time for a change!

 But change is often met by employees with great resistance and usually with the mindset that they refuse to change because “everything is working just fine the way it is.” Or is it?

Explaining to your teams that change is something that is needed to help the entire company succeed is usually a difficult task for company leaders. And, if you’re the company owner, it’s sometimes even difficult to get the buy-in from your leaders. Few of us are comfortable when we hear that a change is in our future. We have created our own comfort zones and usually dig our heels in playing the blame game as to why the company is not as successful as it should be.

One of the greatest challenges you can experience as a business leader is having your teams agree that a change is necessary…..each and every person must participate for the change to be effective, complete and whole.

Jerald M. Jellison, Ph.D, points out in his book “Managing The Dynamics Of Change” some very innovative methods for getting team members to understand how allowing change within the work place can easily ramp up employee performance and result in higher morale and ultimately more profits for the company. “If you’ve managed during a merger, downsizing, reorganization, outsourcing, or tried to set up new processes and procedures, you know that the greatest challenge is dealing with the human dimensions of change,” Jellison writes.

Somewhere along the way, teams lose their focus. They lose the meaning of camaraderie and forget how much easier it is to work as a team rather than struggling individually. Teams balk at change because they think it means more work on their individual self. However, they tend to forget that working as a team can be more organized and members can focus on their individual strengths to help the team move forward toward success.

In Jellison’s book, “Managing the Dynamics Of Change” he shows us how change undergoes a 5 stage process by using the J Curve principle:

Stage 1: The Plateau

Stage 2: The Cliff

Stage 3: The Valley

Stage 4: The Ascent

Stage 5: The Mountaintop

Most team members fear change because they think since there is a possibility that something can go wrong…..it will definitely go wrong…..that’s part of the change. Things will get worse before it gets better. But, you must go through these steps to get to “The Mountaintop” of a successful business.

In Stage 1 of Change, The Plateau, team members will be made aware that change is inevitable and you are expecting their participation. You can expect much discontent and anguish during this time. But, most of all, because everyone is waiting on the change instead of helping make the change…..nothing new will happen. For a short time, during The Plateau stage, you will find that really nothing seems different. You will see the same bad habits, the same employee cliques, the same lack of enthusiasm for change. Everyone is anticipating and fearful of The Cliff stage but everyone is avoiding being the first one to step off The Cliff!

Stage 2 is where everyone starts to feel the symptoms they had been anticipating and fearing…..The Cliff…..the place where productivity drops, morale seems to bottom out. Everyone is saying “I told you so. This will never work. Look how much worse things are!” Stage 2 is the level where team members start attempting to go back to the old way of doing things because it was easier and seemed to have a pattern of success for them. Old habits die hard and this is the stage you bury those old bad habits. Team members comfort level will drop as they try new processes, work with new tools, report to new supervisors…..this is expected and a component of the process. The stress level seems almost too much to take to your team members. And then, Stage 3 begins to emerge!

In Stage 3 of Change, The Valley, team members begin to notice that even though job performance is still declining, the decline is not as rapid. The changes are still occurring, but everyone is beginning to adapt and the changes don’t seem so prolific…..they are more tolerable of the new change! It is in this stage that team members begin to understand the new programs you’ve initiated, they begin to recognize that the change does not affect their comfort zone as much as they had expected. But most importantly, they realize that the change is really beginning to become easier, employee morale is improving and the team is beginning to work together toward the common goal. “The Valley” stage is where it is vital that you as the leader begin to praise your team. Let them know YOU see a difference and that things will continue to get better and easier. Full participation from the leader is required in this stage to make the team members realize their participation in this stage is beginning to pay off. Keep your team motivated in this stage and you will soon advance to “The Ascent.”

Stage 4 of Change “The Ascent” is when you and your team members begin to experience the pay off. You begin to notice a change for the better. In the J Curve, you begin to start climbing toward the top and everyone begins to notice the successes of the changes you have implemented. As performance improves, employee morale begins to climb the J Curve. You will begin to sense a feeling of teamwork between your employees again. They will begin to realize that the change has actually started to not only make their jobs easier as they work together in a more structured environment, but they will begin to display a sense of pride for their accomplishments. And, as team members begin to enjoy their new found job descriptions, they will also begin to herald the leader for bringing on the change for their successes. In my opinion, the best part of this stage is when the team members begin to promote the change themselves. Now you have a team working together for the success of the changes. Once they hit this level of change, you will begin to notice they will start talking about how beneficial the changes are to the entire team. That’s when you know you’re ready to progress to the next stage: “The Mountaintop.”

“The Mountaintop” is the fifth stage of change…..the pinnacle of success. In Stage 5 the team members will begin to experiment with their own successes and be willing to stretch their imaginations for new ways to make the changes even more abundant. They will rejoice in how easy the changes have made their day-to-day life and wonder why they didn’t do this change earlier. Productivity will begin to surge and team members will be working together as one team with a new sense of excitement for building the company. Just as when you’ve reached the mountain top on a long, rigorous hike, once you make it to the top, nothing is more exhilarating than knowing you accomplished your goal. Stand at the top of the mountain alongside your team members and shout as your successes echo in the valleys below. You’ve earned it!

Change is inevitable in all companies whether it’s due to an economic downturn, company relocation, a new CEO, or a company sellout. But, if you follow the 5 Stages of Change and learn to manage the dynamics of change, as pointed out by Jerald M. Jellison, you will realize that change always has a workable solution. But you, the leader, must be willing to take the most uncomfortable steps and guide your team one step at a time from The Plateau to The Mountaintop.

Some people wonder why certain businesses are barely hanging on by a thread while other businesses are prospering. It’s all about the relationships you create that will help you build your business and the commitment to those relationships will help your business excel even during economic turmoil.

You hear it all the time, “I don’t have time to join that networking group” or “The Chamber never seems to work for me” or better yet “That’s just another social club wanting money.”

Madison, Alabama BNI Networkers

Being involved in networking organizations will help you build your base of contacts, but it will never turn those contacts into contracts without you making the effort to build on the relationships you encounter at the networking events. Networking events provide you with the arena to get to know, like and trust fellow networkers.

What does it take to build a relationship? How about your personal relationship…..have you ever been in a personal relationship and you showed up when you felt like it, brought nothing to the relationship, just showed up for a free meal, or better yet made the date but then had nothing to contribute to the conversation? And how did that work out for you?

Building profitable relationships in networking is much like building a personal relationship. You must be willing to be honest, caring, and giving and have no expectations for a return on your investment. Once people realize you are participating with no agenda, they will begin to build trust with you. They will be open to your ideas and your purpose for the relationship.

Participating in a Chamber of Commerce networking event most definitely does work, but you have to realize that you can’t go to the event with the intention of “getting business.” If you are honest with yourself and go to the Chamber event to build relationships and get some visibility for yourself and your business, the people will begin to like you. It will become evident that you are there to help others, not take from them. The more people see you, they more they being to trust you…..especially if you are seen with people they already trust.

Once you have created an opportunity for event participants to like you and trust you, they will begin to want to do business with you. Why? People want to do business with people they know, like and trust. It’s really just a common sense practice if you think about it. Why would you ever go to the internet to google a carpet cleaner when you have began to build a relationship with the local carpet cleaner that attends many of the same networking events that you do? You wouldn’t!

Now that you have seen the carpet cleaner on several occasions and been introduced to them by a mutual friend, and had the opportunity to get to know them in a “non-sales environment” you have been afforded the opportunity to begin building a relationship that will build your trust for them and their business.

Networking creates opportunities to begin fostering business relationships. And, that’s why you need to attend them…..not to hand out hundreds of business cards and beg for their business. But remember, building a relationship takes time, so don’t attend expectation immediate results or you will leave saying, “Those Chamber events never work.”

So, the next time you think that attending a networking event is not worth your time, think about the potential business relationships that you are about to cheat yourself from. And then, go ahead, go home and google a stranger to do business with!

Once again, how’s that working out for you?

After a 13 day journey, the Space Shuttle Atlantis safely landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on May 24, 2009, at 11:39 a.m. EDT following a successful final flight mission to repair the Hubble Telescope.

Before leaving Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Commander Scott Altman made a brief statement regarding how happy all of the astronauts were to be back on earth. Thanking everyone involved in the mission for assisting in getting the crew returned home safely, Altman said, “At last! I didn’t realize it was going to be so hard getting back to the Earth. Landing here just felt great to everybody. We’re all thrilled to have the mission complete and it was a testament to the teamwork and cooperation of folks all across the country,” Altman continued.

Atlantis Lands In California

Altman was pointing out the exceptional teamwork involved primarily due to the fact that the focus of the mission was to repair and upgrade the Hubble Telescope and expand its range and life for another five years. Many details were covered to ensure that repairing the Hubble was successful which enabled scientists around the world to have a better view of the universe.

Atlantis was originally set to land at Cape Canaveral in Florida, but due to bad weather and cross winds from earlier storms, touchdown of the Space Shuttle was delayed and re-routed to California. Called a successful trip after traveling almost 5.3 million miles at the speed of 18,000 miles per hour at times, the mission was named a success due to exceptional teamwork of all involved.

Teamwork is the essential key to success for any organization or business. But yet, it’s usually at the bottom of the list of business owners and managers when mapping out the road to the company’s success. Most of us realize how much work is required on our behalf to succeed at a particular project, but we tend to forget that there are many components, outside of our own input, for that success to be achieved. There are many ideas, many concepts, many experiments and many failures needed to find triumph in any business venture.

Think about the Atlantis Space Shuttle, from the astronauts, to the engineers at Mission Control, to the people who stocked the tools and supplies on board the Atlantis, all played their part in a successful mission. Imagine how important of a role it is for the person installing the landing gear on the Atlantis to make sure they do their job efficiently and without flaw. What may be almost an oversight for most of us, the opening of the parachutes at touchdown, plays an essential role in the success of the Shuttle’s landing.

No matter what the job or how small the detail may seem to appear, every last job plays an essential role in the success of the mission. Whether you are flying into space or opening a new business, teamwork is essential for success. Everyone has a role to play and everyone must assume the responsibility to completely fulfill their role. One small breakdown in the system, and the mission could be a disaster, or at best a disappointment.

Building  a successful team has three primary components:                      

• 1) Build a strong team foundation
• 2) Create the system by creating the vision
• 3) Implement the system by celebrating the success of the team

The astronauts are the stars of each and every mission, but remember as Commander Altman pointed out, it took the entire team to complete a successful mission. In your business, no matter how large or small the project, the entire team has to be on board for the success of your project.

And remember, once the mission is final, don’t forget to celebrate your successes with your team!