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High-Performance Driving Lessons

When you are in the presence of someone who is masterfully doing what they were born to do, it’s a beautiful and memorable thing. I’ve watched artists and musicians, chefs and athletes, speakers and trainers perform in ways that I can only describe as divinely inspired, and one of those times was watching my good friend and fellow trainer, Ian …

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Transform Your Meetings With Questions

A few years ago, I observed the most “by-the-book”, point-perfect morning meeting in a client office I had ever seen in all my years of consulting. Everyone was there on time with big smiles, bright “Good Morning’s!” and upbeat attitudes all around. Every patient chart had been reviewed the day before using the chart checklist I had given them. They …

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Habit Stacking

And now… back to our regular programming! Before Christmas, I had been sharing in my Monday Morning Stretches ways to support one of my favorite quotes:  Change your story, change your life. I’d like to give you another one today. It’s called habit stacking. The phrase “habit stacking” was first used by S.J. Scott in his book, Habit Stacking:  Small …

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Whose agenda is it, anyway?

I just taught my 57th Transformational Trainers Workshop and for most of them, the attendees have been independent trainers, consultants, workshop leaders, and speakers who wanted to get more engagement, buy-in, and interaction with their trainees. But in the last few years, we’ve noticed a trend. More and more, our attendees are comprised of small business/practice owners, managers, and team …

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Quick Decisions

There are moments when, right or wrong, we must act decisively and swiftly. No wiggle room. No time to ponder and kick around ideas. No vacillating. Only action. Two days ago, I was faced with a moment such as this:  A rattlesnake was in my laundry room. If my hands hadn’t been shaking so badly, I would have a picture …

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Stop the Boredom – Part 2

In our last few MMS’s, we’ve discussed how to use an integrated meeting structure to support the realization of your company vision.  The structure we’ve suggested looks like this: Annual Calibration Retreat Quarterly Strategic Meetings Monthly Growth Meetings (for entire team) Weekly Leadership Check-Ins Daily Focus Meetings Individual Employee Growth Conferences Courageous Conversations (as needed) In this MMS, I’m going …

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Two More Important Meetings

Last week, I outlined a small business/practice meeting structure that included five different types of meetings to support your growth and the realization of your long-term vision. But, I forgot to mention two others that are equally important: Growth Conferences and Courageous Conversations. Both of these meetings are focused on developing your people, but they have two big distinctions. Courageous …

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Stop the Boredom!

Sick of team meetings that are boring at best, contentious at worst?  Or, do you discuss a lot of subjects as a team without anything ever actually changing? Maybe you frequently experience a lack of engagement or participation? Too many meetings? Not enough? What’s the answer? At LionSpeak, we think meetings are an essential part of the communication strategy for …

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The Gift of Feedback

One of the pleasures of getting older is the joy of having grandchildren. I’ve been blessed (so far) with seven inherited Grand Delights (as we refer to them) from Tom’s children with an 8th baby girl on the way in April. The current youngest, 10-month-old Jake, lives close enough that on most Tuesdays we get the privilege of caring for him while his …

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How Much Are You Worth?

How much should you be paid? How much are you worth? What should that pay be based on? Longevity in your position? Years in the industry? Your level of education? The ability to demonstrate your skills with measurable results? Here’s an important, alternative question: How much are you worth on the open employment market right now? If you went out today and interviewed for a new …