Your Guide to Getting More Word of Mouth Referrals
by Kevin Stirtz

When I work with business owners I always ask them where their customers come from. The number one response to my question is:

"Most of our business comes from word of mouth."

Call me a skeptic but I don't believe it.

Over 90% of the people I work with tell me this. It's consistent across all types of businesses and all stages of businesses. It doesn't matter whether they're a new business or an old business. They could be profitable or struggling.

They almost all say the same thing.
This leads me to believe that some people are living in fantasyland when it comes to their marketing. This can be a dangerous place to live when you're trying to build a successful business.

I think the reason I hear this so much is because it's what people want to believe. We all want to think our service or reputation or product is so great that people will line up at our door. It's the old "if you build it they will come" idea.

But it's not true. In most businesses, no matter how great you "build it" they will not come. At least they won't come to you until they know about you.

That's where effective marketing comes in.
Sure, word of mouth is a desirable way to get new customers. But too many business owners forget that word of mouth doesn't just appear out of thin air.

You have to create it. And there are just two ways to create it.
You use marketing tools to tell people who you are and what you do.
You deliver a "wow" experience for your customers so they tell others.
A good marketing campaign will create word of mouth. In fact, most word of mouth is created or amplified by effective marketing. (When I say "marketing" I mean anything you do to get the word out. It could be advertising, public relations, special events, salespeople, direct mail, etc.)

Some companies are so good they deliver "wow" experiences to their customers. This produces great word of mouth marketing for them. And they deserve it because "wow" does not happen very often.

It certainly does not happen in 90% of the businesses. If that many businesses gave us a "wow" experience, we wouldn't consider it a "wow" anymore so we wouldn't talk to our friends about it.
A big mistake people make is to separate their marketing tools and treat them like they're completely independent. They think word of mouth marketing happens independently of other marketing.

But it's not like that.
The most effective marketing uses a combination of tools to deliver your message. It's the combination and variety that gives your message greater impact.
So, as you think about how to get new customers, don't kid yourself that most of them come from word of mouth. They probably don't.
Instead, think about your marketing this way:
Decide who you want to reach.
Create a message they will respond to.
Find multiple, complementary ways to deliver your message to them.
Plan to deliver the message multiple times to the same people. E. Budget for the long-term for best results.
Do your marketing well to create effective word of mouth marketing for your business. Then "wow" those new customers and you'll create even more.

Kevin Stirtz has developed a unique concept called "Blow Up Your Business." He speaks to groups of professionals and business owners who want to attract more customers and put more money in their pocket. Kevin can be reached at http://www.KevinStirtz.com or 952-212-4681.

The Seven Pitfalls of Business Failure and How to Avoid Them
by Patricia Schaefer

The latest statistics from the Small Business Administration (SBA) show that "two-thirds of new employer establishments survive at lease two years, and 44 percent survive at least four years." This is a far cry from the previous long-held belief that 50 percent of businesses fail in the first year and 95 percent fail within five years.

Brian Head, Economist with the SBA Office of Advocacy, noted that the latest statistics are a much more accurate assessment of new business success rates, and that "as a general rule of thumb, new employer businesses have a 50/50 chance of surviving for five years or more."

Better success rates notwithstanding, a significant percentage of new businesses do fail. Expert opinions abound about what a business owner should and shouldn't do to keep a new business afloat in the perilous waters of the entrepreneurial sea.

There are, however, key factors that -- if not avoided -- will be certain to weigh down a business and possibly sink it forevermore.

1. You start your business for the wrong reasons.
Would the sole reason you would be starting your own business be that you would want to make a lot of money? Do you think that if you had your own business that you'd have more time with your family? Or maybe that you wouldn't have to answer to anyone else? If so, you'd better think again.
On the other hand, if you start your business for these reasons, you'll have a better chance at entrepreneurial success:
You have a passion and love for what you'll be doing, and strongly believe -- based on educated study and investigation -- that your product or service would fulfill a real need in the marketplace.
You are physically fit and possess the needed mental stamina to withstand potential challenges. Often overlooked, less-than-robust health has been responsible for more than a few bankruptcies.
You have drive, determination, patience and a positive attitude. When others throw in the towel, you are more determined than ever.
Failures don't defeat you. You learn from your mistakes, and use these lessons to succeed the next time around. Head, SBA economist, noted that studies of successful business owners showed they attributed much of their success to "building on earlier failures;" on using failures as a "learning process."
You thrive on independence, and are skilled at taking charge when a creative or intelligent solution is needed. This is especially important when under strict time constraints.
You like -- if not love -- your fellow man, and show this in your honesty, integrity, and interactions with others. You get along with and can deal with all different types of individuals.

2. Poor Management
Many a report on business failures cites poor management as the number one reason for failure. New business owners frequently lack relevant business and management expertise in areas such as finance, purchasing, selling, production, and hiring and managing employees. Unless they recognize what they don't do well, and seek help, business owners may soon face disaster. They must also be educated and alert to fraud, and put into place measures to avoid it.
Neglect of a business can also be its downfall. Care must be taken to regularly study, organize, plan and control all activities of its operations. This includes the continuing study of market research and customer data, an area which may be more prone to disregard once a business has been established.
A successful manager is also a good leader who creates a work climate that encourages productivity. He or she has a skill at hiring competent people, training them and is able to delegate. A good leader is also skilled at strategic thinking, able to make a vision a reality, and able to confront change, make transitions, and envision new possibilities for the future.

3. Insufficient Capital
A common fatal mistake for many failed businesses is having insufficient operating funds. Business owners underestimate how much money is needed and they are forced to close before they even have had a fair chance to succeed. They also may have an unrealistic expectation of incoming revenues from sales.
It is imperative to ascertain how much money your business will require; not only the costs of starting, but the costs of staying in business. It is important to take into consideration that many businesses take a year or two to get going. This means you will need enough funds to cover all costs until sales can eventually pay for these costs.

4. Location, Location, Location
Your college professor was right -- location is critical to the success of your business. Whereas a good location may enable a struggling business to ultimately survive and thrive, a bad location could spell disaster to even the best-managed enterprise.
Some factors to consider:
Where your customers are
Traffic, accessibility, parking and lighting
Location of competitors
Condition and safety of building
Local incentive programs for business start-ups in specific targeted areas
The history, community flavor and receptiveness to a new business at a prospective site

5. Lack of Planning
Anyone who has ever been in charge of a successful major event knows that were it not for their careful, methodical, strategic planning -- and hard work -- success would not have followed. The same could be said of most business successes.
It is critical for all businesses to have a business plan. Many small businesses fail because of fundamental shortcomings in their business planning. It must be realistic and based on accurate, current information and educated projections for the future.

Components may include:
Description of the business, vision, goals, and keys to success
Work force needs
Potential problems and solutions
Financial: capital equipment and supply list, balance sheet, income statement and cash flow analysis, sales and expense forecast
Analysis of competition
Marketing, advertising and promotional activities
Budgeting and managing company growth
In addition, most bankers request a business plan if you are seeking to secure addition capital for your company.

6. Overexpansion
A leading cause of business failure, overexpansion often happens when business owners confuse success with how fast they can expand their business. A focus on slow and steady growth is optimum. Many a bankruptcy has been caused by rapidly expanding companies.

At the same time, you do not want to repress growth. Once you have an established solid customer base and a good cash flow, let your success help you set the right measured pace. Some indications that an expansion may be warranted include the inability to fill customer needs in a timely basis, and employees having difficulty keeping up with production demands.
If expansion is warranted after careful review, research and analysis, identify what and who you need to add in order for your business to grow. Then with the right systems and people in place, you can focus on the growth of your business, not on doing everything in it yourself.

7. No Website
Simply put, if you have a business today, you need a website. Period.
In the U.S. alone, the number of internet users (about 70 percent of the population) and e-commerce sales (about 70 billion in 2004, according to the Census Bureau) continue to rise and are expected to increase with each passing year. In 2004, the U.S. led the world in internet usage.
At the very least, every business should have a professional looking and well-designed website that enables users to easily find out about their business and how to avail themselves of their products and services. Later, additional ways to generate revenue on the website can be added; i.e., selling ad space, drop-shipping products, or recommending affiliate products.
Remember, if you don't have a website, you'll most likely be losing business to those that do. And make sure that website makes your business look good, not bad -- you want to increase revenues, not decrease them.

When it comes to the success of any new business, you -- the business owner -- are ultimately the "secret" to your success. For many successful business owners, failure was never an option. Armed with drive, determination, and a positive mindset, these individuals view any setback as only an opportunity to learn and grow. Most self-made millionaires possess average intelligence. What sets them apart is their openness to new knowledge and their willingness to learn whatever it takes to succeed.

Copyright 2006, Attard Communications, Inc.

Do Your Goals Have Enough Gravity?
Thursday, February 2, 2006NOTE:

Big goals are not only more fun and exciting; they carry more weight than small ones. Ambitious, serious, “weighty goals” have attraction power.
They attract others into the process and magnetize ideas and resources. Big goals pull you along. They pull you through the difficult times and help you remain diligent. They inspire you to greater innovation and effective action.

I’m not a scientist, but from what I understand, the bigger the mass, the greater the gravity. Larger planets like Jupiter have more gravitational pull than Earth because of their greater mass.

And so it is with our goals and dreams. The bigger they are, the more they tend to attract what’s needed for their fulfillment.

And it’s not just the SIZE of the goal that matters. It’s how important it is—how badly you want it. Your passion and your desire infuse your goals with magnetism.
An inspiring goal that benefits many will grow in size and weight. And the greater the good, the bigger the goal.

Let’s say you have a goal to improve your credit rating. It’s not that big of a goal, but it’s a worthy one. Your credit report impacts your ability to obtain loans—even your job opportunities. But when you realize that a higher credit rating could save tens of thousands of dollars because of lower mortgage rates, it becomes a much more important goal. It gains weight because you see how it affects the livelihood of you and your family. It’s emotionally charged.

What about starting a business? You’ve always wanted to own your own enterprise. Another good goal.

But when you have a VISION for your business, when you write a business plan and launch the enterprise, your goal becomes serious. Everything and everybody pays attention to it. It begins to draw to it all that’s needed to bring it to fruition.

We are unlimited in what we can choose to achieve. But our time IS limited. We must think carefully about what we really want and why we want it. This way, we can choose wisely and invest our time and energy in goals worthy of our best efforts.

When we do this, we become aligned with our goals. By choosing and working toward weighty, worthy goals, we allow their magnetism to work in our favor. They’re easier and more fun to achieve. There’s less frustration and faster progress.

Make sure your goals have gravity.

Related Articles:
Hitting Some Out of the Park: The Excitement of Personal Home Runshttp://www.successnet.org/articles/angier-homerun.htm
Staying On Trackhttp://www.successnet.org/articles/angier-stayontrack.htm
What’s Steering Your Ship?http://www.successnet.org/articles/angier-rudder.htm
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Quote du jour“Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen: even so does inaction sap the rigors of the mind.” —Leonardo da Vinci
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Building Your Husband's Self-Esteem
by Barbara Rainey

Our children and I once watched a new shopping center go up near our home. Initially, progress was rapid; the lot was cleared and the concrete pads were poured in one week. Then the walls went up, quickly followed by the framing for the roof.

But one day, we turned the corner and slowed our van in disbelief. The entire structure had collapsed! The wooden roof trusses lay flat in neat rows, surrounded by the remains of the crumbled brick walls. It appeared that there had been an explosion.

Puzzled, we asked what had happened and learned that the carpenters had failed to secure and brace the new structure properly. The building's roof, held in place only by two boards, had collapsed under the weight of two carpenters.

As I reflected with amazement on the need for support in the building's structure, I saw a parallel in our marriage. The roof is like my husband's self-esteem.

Ephesians 5:23 teaches that the husband is "the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church." When we first married, I committed to being under the roof of Dennis' protection. He had all the structural basics, but he was brand-new at being my protector. Like that roof, he appeared to be solidly in place, but he needed me to help secure him—to brace him by believing in him.

Fortunately, I did come alongside him. Through the years, the weight of life's pressures has sometimes shaken him, but he has remained solidly over me as my roof, my protector. Today, although still not perfectly secure, my husband's structural integrity is much more stable. He tells me that I have had a major part in helping him to feel more sure of himself as a man and as a husband.

Likewise, you can strengthen your husband's self-esteem. But first you must recognize where he needs bolstering. Many women today are so caught up in finding their own identity that they, like the carpenters who were building the shopping center, make assumptions about their husband's self-confidence and security. Your mate may be full-grown on the outside, but inside he undoubtedly feels some insecurity. He's not so sure how to be a man in this world where women have growing independence and society is changing the traditional rules of relationships.


Seek to Understand

The book of Proverbs is probably my favorite in the Bible because it contains such practical wisdom about everyday life. One of its main themes is the value of developing understanding. Consider each of these verses on understanding:

· Incline your heart to understanding (Proverbs 2:2).
· Understanding will watch over you (2:11).
· Call understanding your intimate friend (7:4).
· A man [or woman] of understanding walks straight (15:21).
· Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it (16:22).

At a Weekend to Remember® marriage conference I talked to more than a dozen women who were experiencing problems in their marriages. One woman resented her husband's schedule. Another disagreed with her husband regarding how to discipline their children. A third was a young woman whose mate was jealous of the time she spent with her sister.

My advice to these women was basically the same: Seek to understand why your husband is feeling or acting this way. Focus on him, not on the negative circumstances and how you are affected. Is he communicating by his actions some deep needs for affirmation, commitment, or loyalty?

Also, give him your complete acceptance, even if you don't totally understand him. It may be necessary to ask God to help you accept your husband, for it may not be easy to live with your situation.

Why is acceptance so important to a man? Because without it, he will feel that you are pressuring him to become something he's not. With it, he will sense that you love him for who he is today and not for what you hope he will become.


Understanding His Need for Work

One area of struggle for many wives is her husband's job and the pressures it imposes on him and everyone around him.

Man was given the responsibility by God to toil, sweat, and gain from the labor of his hands. His work gives him a sense of significance and importance in the world as he sees his efforts affecting life for good in the present and the future.

But this drive for significance sometimes pushes a man to extremes. In his effort to gain a sense of well-being and significance, he often becomes enslaved to his job. Attempting to gain importance through wealth or position, he makes his work his god. For hundreds of years, men have confused their net worth with their self-worth.

On the other hand, a man who is out of work lacks true self-respect. In this age of workaholism, losing a job is a traumatic blow to a man's esteem. It strikes at the core of his dignity. A man who doesn't work can't enjoy the satisfaction of a solid day's productivity.

Your husband needs you to help him keep these two extremes in balance. He needs you to praise him for his work, but not to push him to gain too much too quickly. When a man loses or quits his job, his self-esteem can sink. During these times, he needs you to stand beside him and encourage his efforts at finding employment. Men need to work.


Understanding His Sexual Needs

Another sphere in which we wives, for the most part, do not really understand our husbands is in how his self-image is vitally linked to his sexuality. Sometimes we women judge our husbands' sexual needs by our own.

Many wives express that they are offended because their husbands are such sexual creatures. This attitude communicates rejection to a man. To ignore his sexual needs, to resist his initiation of sex, or merely to tolerate his advances is to tear at the heart of his self-esteem.

Jill Renich points this out in her book, To Have and to Hold. She states that for a man, "Sex is the most meaningful demonstration of love and self-worth. It is a part of his own deepest person."

The truth is, the typical man worries about his sexual performance, his wife's enjoyment, and his ability to satisfy her. He worries about the future and all those tales he has heard about losing his ability to make love. These worries are signs of a low self-confidence. Thus, a man who feels like a failure in the marriage bed will seldom have the deep, abiding self-respect for which he longs.

But, as Jill Renich writes, "To receive him with joy, and to share sexual pleasure, builds into him a sense of being worthy, desirable, and acceptable."

What if, on the other hand, your husband expresses little sexual need? Are you naively content because that means less risk for you? Or are you accepting or even resentful of his indifference without seeking to understand why?

Your husband may lack interest in his sexual relationship with you for one of several reasons:

· He may be too busy. Many workaholics have nothing left over for home.
· He may be burying his sex drive, along with many other emotions. (You or a good Christian counselor need to begin to help him open up.)
· He may be experiencing depression, which takes away other basic drives as well.
· He may be deeply afraid of further rejection if you have in any way communicated rejection in the past.
· Unfortunately, he may be involved with another woman.

Women are generally security-minded, but too often a woman's need for security leads her into a sexual rut. Her husband may not say much, so she assumes that he is satisfied too. But he may not be. Beware of complacency. Be willing to make some personal sacrifices to protect your marriage.

Great sacrifice communicates great love. Freely giving of yourself to your mate will make you a magnet to him, drawing him home, keeping him safe. The wife who really loves her husband will choose to take risks to please her man.

As you spend time together physically, be sure to reassure your husband verbally of your unconditional acceptance of him, especially if he is insecure in this area. Tell him that you like his body and that his imperfections and mistakes don't matter to you. His confidence will grow if you allow him the freedom to be himself and to be imperfect.


Understanding His Need for Respect

Part of God's specific instruction to wives is found in Ephesians 5:33 (ESV): "Let the wife see to it that she respects her husband." In the Amplified Bible, this verse reads, "And let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband--that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly."

Why does God focus on this quality of respect? Why didn't He select other positive and necessary traits, such as kindness, sympathy, and forgiveness? Why didn't he emphasize love?

I believe that God, as the designer of men, knew that they would be built up as they are respected by their wives. When a wife respects her husband, he feels it, is supported by it, and is strengthened from it. A man needs respect like a woman needs love.

Your husband wants and needs to make a contribution in life that is worthy of another's respect. He needs to know that you feel he is important. Without your respect, he can't respect himself. You are his mirror. When you express your respect, he feels valuable and esteemed.

Perhaps you are thinking, But I see little, if anything, to respect. Perhaps you are like the young mother I know whose husband drank heavily and spent little time with the children. She had a difficult time viewing him with respect and honor. A deliberate change of focus from his weaknesses to his few strengths enabled her to begin to see her mate in a positive light. Gaining a better perspective may aid you in esteeming your husband too.

Philippians 4:8 tells us: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Pay attention to your husband's admirable qualities rather than the negative ones. You can then offer him the respect that will build his self-esteem.


It Takes Years for Him to Become a Man

Months after that small shopping center near our home collapsed, it was finally completed. The builders made changes and structural modifications. Some were external, obvious to us as we passed by, while others were internal and couldn't be seen.

Your husband, like that shopping center, is still under construction. His self-esteem will take time, modifications, and improvements. Internally, your attitude of acceptance, respect, and adaptation are all essential to his structural integrity. Your external behavior matters, too, because your words and actions can help to construct a secure man.

Remember, it takes years for a man to become a strong husband. Be patient with him. Put aside your high expectations of how a perfect husband would lead his family spiritually, or behave socially, or perform intellectually. Keep your hope in God, not in your man. Then you will not be disappointed.


Adapted from Building Your Mate's Self Esteem by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Copyright © 1995 by Dennis Rainey. Used with permission.



About the Author:
Barbara Rainey has co-authored several best-selling books with her husband, Dennis Rainey, president of FamilyLife. Their books include Moments Together for Couples, Building Your Mate's Self-Esteem, and Rekindling the Romance. The Raineys have six children and eight grandchildren.

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.
Helen Keller

10 Smart Choices that will Improve Your Financial Foundation

1. IDENTIFY PAST CHOICES THAT HAVE LED TO FINANCIAL FRUSTRATION OR STRESS - AND STOP MAKING THOSE CHOICES, STARTING TODAY.
One of the most important choices you can make with your money is to learn from your past choices. Use failure and frustration as a learning tool for future success.

2. PAY OFF CREDIT CARDS BEFORE OTHER DEBT.
High balances on revolving debt, such as credit card debt, negatively impact your credit score more than loans that are scheduled to be paid off in a set number of months or years such as a car loan, student loan or mortgage. One of the fastest ways to improve your credit is to pay down or pay off your credit cards.

3. STOP USING YOUR CREDIT CARDS UNLESS YOU CAN TRUST YOURSELF TO PAY THEM IN FULL EACH MONTH.The average American household carries more than $8,000 in credit card debt with no hope of paying it off in the next 60 days, according to the most recent statistics. Make a decision to live within your means, using the money you have rather than money you have to borrow.

4. CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE IF NECESSARY.
Sometimes building a strong financial foundation requires sacrifice. If you need to "downsize" your lifestyle so that you can become more financially strong, do it! When you have a purpose and vision, and understand the importance of a firm financial foundation, it is empowering to make tough choices such as keeping your old car for a while longer, waiting to buy a bigger house, or curbing the shopping sprees while you save to buy your own home.

5. GET INSURANCE (health, life, home or renters, auto, and disability) THAT YOU FEEL CONFIDENT WILL MEET YOUR NEEDS IN THE EVENT YOU NEED TO USE IT.
No one ever expects a crisis, but it is comforting to know that in the event of one, your finances won't be completely destroyed. An illness, fire, or accident is stressful enough. Make sure you are covered in the event of unfortunate circumstances.

6. ESTABLISH A FINANCIAL CUSHION OF SIX TO 12 MONTHS OF EXPENSES.
Make this a priority goal and begin saving towards it, even if it takes you five years or more to reach your goal. Knowing that financial ruin is not a couple of paychecks away is a very empowering feeling. It will often keep you from making decisions out of fear and empower you to make decisions based on your purpose and vision.

7. INVEST TIME IN YOUR OWN FINANCIAL EDUCATION.
One of the main causes of financial problems is what I call "financial illiteracy." Some companies make a great deal of money off of the financial ignorance of otherwise intelligent people. Spend two hours or more per month learning about wealth building, debt elimination, investing, and real estate. Read books or articles. Attend a seminar. Learn from those who handle their money well. The more financially literate you become, the better off you will be.

8. REFUSE TO BE AN EMOTIONAL SPENDER.
Have you ever spent money on your children out of guilt? Or in an effort to win the affection or admiration of others? Do you shop when you are feeling down? Do you buy things you can't afford because they make you feel better about yourself? Have you co-signed on credit cards or loans even though your intuition told you not to? If so, you have engaged in "emotional spending," an expensive habit. Recognize your propensity to spend emotionally and make a decision to change your behavior. Wait 72 hours before making a decision about an impulse purchase. Question your motives before spending money. And make sure you spend your money in a way that reflects your vision and purpose.

9. HAVE A VISION. SET GOALS!
Last week, I challenged you to create a vision for the five key areas of your life. One of those areas is your finances. One of the reasons it is important to have a vision is because it serves as a reference point for where you are headed. When you are building towards something specific, it is easier to tell when you get off track. If you have no vision or goals, you often don't even realize you are on the wrong path until something goes terribly wrong!

10. PUT MONEY INTO PROPER PERSPECTIVE.
Having money can certainly make life easier, more convenient and less stressful. But always remember this: If your biggest problems are money-related, consider yourself VERY blessed. Money problems can be fixed. There are other more important things in your life - your relationship with God and the people you care about, your health and your integrity, to name a few. Don't allow financial frustrations to ruin your relationships, cause you to be angry with God, do things that compromise your integrity, or stress you out to the point of causing high blood pressure, panic attacks or other health problems. Count your blessings and remember that life's richest rewards will never be found in material things.

My challenge to you this week: Re-read these 10 smart choices. Then decide what changes you need to make to build a stronger financial foundation for your life. Write them down and take action!

All Life Wishes to Reward Its Benefactors
by Jim Rohn
(Excerpted from the 1999 Weekend Seminar CD series)

Parents, leaders, employers, teachers and volunteers have you discovered one of the great positive mysteries of life? Here it is - All life seems to wish to reward its benefactors.

If you become the benefactor, you will receive these incredible rewards. If you are the benefactor to the garden, the flowers seem to bloom and say, "Look at me. Look how bright and beautiful I am because you took care of me. I wish to reward you by being beautiful, lovely, spectacular."

Your own children, if you become their benefactor, they want to reward you with their progress. I taught my daughters how to swim. And my daughters would say, as they were about to dive, "Daddy, daddy watch, watch, look, look, watch" as if to say; "look what you have created here, you've spent the time with me and now look at me. This is the payoff. Watch me dive." I was their benefactor.

I have found that all life wishes to respond to the benefactor. The ones who give their time, give their effort, give their patience, give their ideas, the benefit of their experience. Whatever has benefited from that, wishes to respond. The crop wishes to grow. The child wishes to show you how much progress they've made.

And remember that whatever you move towards tends to move towards you. Just as when you move toward education, and education starts to seek you out. Or when you move toward progress and progress seems to want to now embrace you. You will find that, just as predictably, as you move towards helping those in your care they will wish to repay you with their own success and accomplishments.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

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Vitamins for the Mind
by Jim Rohn

PLANNING
I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.

The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don't have it well designed.

The guy says, "When you work where I work, by the time you get home, it's late. You've got to have a bite to eat, watch a little TV, relax and get to bed. You can't sit up half the night planning, planning, planning." And he's the same guy who is behind on his car payment!

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Seven Self-Motivators
by Brian Tracy
(excerpted from the Success Mastery Academy)

Here are seven Self-Motivator reminders for you to review on a regular basis.

#1 - Get Serious.
Make a decision to go all the way to the top. Up to now you've thought about it. Up to now, it's passed your mind. Many of you made the decision, and you've made up your mind to go all the way to the top, and your lives have taken off. It's the most extraordinary thing. Your life is one, like in the shadow going up the dark side of the hill until the moment you decide that "By gum, I'm gong to be the best at what I do. I'm going to be in the top 10 percent." And suddenly you rose into the sunshine, and your life is forever after different - wonderful. Get serious. Don't fool around anymore.

#2 - Identify Your Limiting Step to Sales Success.
What's your limiting step? What's the one skill area that's holding you back? What's the skill? What's the quality? What's the action? Ask other people. Find out what you need to become good at. Sometimes it may be only one skill. If you became really, really good on the telephone, you could maybe double your prospecting effectiveness and double your sales. If you became very, very good at getting the order at the end from qualified prospects, you could double your sales. If you became very, very good at managing your time to really, really manage your time well, you may be able to double your face time and double your income. Find out what's holding you back. What is the critical limiting step that's determining your success today?

#3 - Get Around the Right People.
Who are the right people? The right people are the people in this room. Get around winners. Get around positive people. Get around people with goals and plans, people who are going somewhere with their lives and have high aspirations. Get around eagles. As Zig says, "You can't scratch with the turkeys if you want to fly with the eagles." And get away from negative people. Get away from toxic people that complain and whine and moan all the time. Who needs them? Life is too short.

#4 - Take Excellent Care of Your Health.
Take excellent care of your physical health. That means good diet, good exercise. Everybody knows they should eat better foods, get regular exercise and especially lots of rest. That's very important. If you're going to work hard 5 days a week, go to bed early 5 days a week. Get a good night's sleep. Be fully rested, and tonight get really rested. You don't have to watch the Letterman Show...

#5 - Positive Visualization.
See yourself as the very best in your field. Remember, all improvement in your life begins with an improvement in your mental pictures. Visualize yourself, see yourself as the best continually. You are the best. Isn't that right? So therefore, see yourself as the best.

#6 - Positive Self-Talk.
Talk to yourself positively all the time. Control your inner dialogue. And what do you say to yourself? Say, "I'm the best." Say it. Say I'm the best. I like myself. I can do it. I love my work. Yes, that's how you talk to yourself. And the more you say it to yourself...someone may say, "Well, what if you say those things to yourself and you don't believe them. Isn't that lying to yourself?" No, that's not lying to yourself. It's telling the truth in advance. Because it doesn't matter where you're coming from - all that matters is where you're going. Talk to yourself the way you want to be, not the way you just happen to be at this moment. Remember, you may have gotten where you are today largely by accident. But where you're going in the future is purely by design.

#7 - Positive Action.
Get going. Move fast. Develop a sense of urgency. A sense of urgency is the one thing that you can develop that will separate you from everyone else in your field. Develop a bias for action. When you get a good idea, do it now. Only 2% of people in our society have a bias for action. And if you're already in the top 10%, you can move yourself in the top 2% by resolving that whenever you have an idea or something, do it now. And the faster you move, the better you get. And the better you get, the more you like yourself. And the more you like yourself, the higher your self-esteem is. And the higher your self-esteem is, the greater your self-discipline. And the more you persist, then you ultimately become unstoppable.Remember, You're the best!

Brian Tracy

"The books that help you most are those which make you think the most. A great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty."
--Theodore Parker

Road Map for the Path to Strategic Culture Change
By Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller

Change Is Not Optional.
Many of today's organizations face the ultimate choice- change or die. Few organizations are prepared for the magnitude of change that will be required of them if they are to survive and thrive in the next 20 years. Fewer still understand the nature of the change.

Most of today's organizations were built to conform to the classical 20th century factory model, not based on the 21st century need for customization, flexibility, speed and responsiveness. Driven by the ongoing information-age revolution, the nature of change itself has changed. No longer is incremental change good enough. Rapid and dramatic change is the order of the day. Not simply constant change, but a need for an ever accelerating rate of change. To survive and thrive, organizations must remodel themselves for an environment of constant, transformational change. Under the new conditions, companies that do not innovate will evaporate. Organizations have no choice but to take giant leaps from the old realities to new ones. But how do they make the leap to this new reality?

Creating the Imperative for Culture Change. It is not enough to hear the organization proclaim that the new ways will be more productive and more successful. They must also understand that the old ways will no longer lead to even marginal success; in fact, the old ways are counter to success and the people who persist in the old ways will find themselves with no place in the evolving organization. Critical to a successful culture change is developing a compelling imperative for change that engages and enrolls the members of the organization. It must be potent enough to signal to the organization that this is not business as usual or another program of the month but a complete overhaul of the way we do business. And, actions must speak louder than words for this to send a signal that indeed it is time for significant change.

"What will it look like?" - Leading from the Old to the New. Culture change efforts must be comprehensive and systemic. The organization's leaders need to be driving the transformation from the "FROM" state to the "TO" state vision of the new culture.

Culture-Change trends
Many organizations are finding the old policies, rules and procedures no longer work, and they have to change to a new way of doing business.

From:
Industrial Revolution Model
Slow/Resistant to change
Rigid hierarchy
Command and Control Leadership
Top-down information flow on a need-to-know basis
Individual efforts rewarded
Internal competition
Turf/silos
Peoples seen as replaceable cogs and primarily as a cost
Variety of viewpoints seen as disruptive

To:

Information and Customer Model
Adaptable to ever accelerating change
Flexible Structures
Leader as Enabler/Facilitator and everyone takes leadership
Two-way information flow
Teamwork rewarded
Status Quo is the competition
Collaboration across, down, up organization
People seen as critical asset and non-renewal resources
Diversity of perspectives and experience essential for success

An organization-wide culture-change effort requires a new set of leadership capabilities and characteristics. Fundamental to such change are leaders who hold a vision of the need for a new way of doing business and can create an environment that supports this new way of doing business. Such leaders and managers have to be willing to take risks and try new things, must be adaptable, curious, act with integrity, learn rapidly, and be able to engage with people from an increasingly wide range of cultures and identity groups.

This systemic level of organization-wide culture change cannot be undertaken lightly - and for all too many people it may appear at first as "another program of the month" or a reactive approach to serious organizational and business challenges. A culture change effort requires a comprehensive systemic approach over a period of years. It is not a quick fix. It requires committed leadership, strategy, execution, follow through and an informed workforce: constant communication and interactions with the people of the organization.

Developmental Stages of Culture Change
As in any process of learning, there are developmental stages through which the people of an organization, individually and collectively, must pass as they resist, learn, accept, practice and live the new culture (or leave). There is a natural order and progression to these developmental stages. Just as a child must crawl before it walks, then runs, then borrows the family car, an organization cannot expect to jump directly from the old state to the new state. The Road Map for Strategic Culture Change: from "Status Quo" to "New Way of life" Model provides a framework that can be valuable for identifying and understanding the need for different leadership strategies at different developmental stages:
(a) what to expect at each stage,
(b) what to communicate to the organization,
(c) what behaviors and attitudes are required of the leaders, and
(d) what organization-wide actions and structural changes are needed. "

Stage 1: Business as usual - the status Quo

The organization actively pursues and maintains the norms and values of the current culture and approach to business. They are explicitly written into the rules, practices and procedures. The organization may in fact be resistant to change and/or rigidly upholding the past as the key to success for the future. People are hired who fit the mold of the past. Challenges to the current way of doing business are explained away and individuals are blamed for their lack of understanding. People with new and different ideas are not wanted and are explicitly required to leave and/or are isolated or marginalized. The goal is to maintain the status quo- even if the organization talks about the need for change. Managers are rewarded for delivering results as they have always done it in the past, and most people would describe the organizational culture as conflict-and risk-adverse.

Stage 2: Program of the Month
There is more talk of change as the organization begins to move down the path; however the rules protecting and perpetuating the norms and values of the culture are still required for success. While there is some discussion of the need for change, people who think or act differently are clearly not valued or supported. New programs and initiatives are rolled out, and individuals participate without any real follow up, impact or change in organizational requirements and behaviors. Many individuals learn how to say the "right" new words, but the old behaviors continue to prevail and be rewarded. People see proposed change efforts as a succession of "Programs of the Month" - and hold their breaths as each new initiative rolls past. There is no broad-based understanding of an imperative for change.

Stage 3: Isolated Pockets of Change
As the organization proceeds down the path to strategic culture change there begins to be a few isolated pockets of the organization that are beginning to embrace change. The organization in this phase sees culture change as separate from the business and "nice to do" rather than mission critical. The organization tolerates different approaches in pockets, but has no or little commitment to organization-wide implementation. The champions of change often will undertake culture change efforts in their own divisions but this is seen as highly risky. If they are successful, their actions may be rewarded. However, if for some reason their "experiment" fails, they pay a major price. Change is piece meal: a new policy here, a special arrangement there. There are signs and inklings of the need for change - but much of it has to happen clandestinely. Individuals are still expected to perform in the "old ways" but can also create some new ways of doing business as an experimental out-of-the-box idea. Individuals who are champions of the new ways of doing business are often defined as outside the organization norm - mavericks. These Champions spend a lot of their energy trying to convince the organization of the need for change, which tends to make their task even more difficult. Sometimes, the organization at some level knows that actions are needed, however it does not yet feel safe in moving the entire enterprise in that direction. It hedges its bets. Stage 4: Building MomentumAt this phase of the roadmap there is a growing understanding that there is a need for significant change. As the organization works to create and build greater momentum for that change a clearer organizational imperative of the need to change and an articulated vision of the future -driven by the business plan - has been established. It is at this point that the organization and its leaders recognize and internalize that the organization cannot achieve its goals, direction and mission with the current culture and processes. The organization begins to see the success of the isolated pockets and begins to implement many of those successful practices throughout the organization. This is a key transition point: the old rules and processes no longer work, but the new rules, requirements and rewards have not all been established.

The transition period feels fragile and chaotic. For many people who have been a part of the old culture and want to go back to the "good old days" the change feels as if things are moving too fast; other individuals who are steeped in the old culture might be looking in the rear view mirror and reflecting on how far things have come and how different the organization is from what it used to be. For those individuals who are eager for the new culture and new way of doing business it feels as if change is moving much too slowly - that change has not happened fast enough - as they look ahead through the windshield their measure is how much further the organization must go to achieve a new way of doing business. These perspectives are often at odds with each other and create great instability as the level of commitment of the organization and its leaders to real change is still unclear. Complaints and conflicts may actually increase as people feel freer to express their ideas and speak up about what they need if they are to do their best work. During these unsettled times, many people may question the importance of the culture change. This is a stage at which many organizations engaged in culture change work get stuck, want to turn back, or scale back the effort. It is the stage at which leaders of both the "old" culture and the "new" culture factions are most at risk. And yet, if successfully managed this stage provides the momentum and positioning for real change to begin to take root. The key work in this stage is for leaders to be clear in setting new expectations and goals and working steadfastly informed by the new vision.

Stage 5: The tipping Point
At this stage, there is no longer a question of the Organizational Imperative for the new culture. The people of the organization understand it and have begun in some areas of the organization to internalize it as critical for business success. People are seen as assets that need to be protected, developed and invested wisely. Complaints and conflicts about undesirable and unacceptable "old culture" behaviors are still on the increase as more people feel the safety offered by the new culture and are willing to speak up. The full range of new leadership skills, organizational competencies and day-to-day behaviors are still being learned and developed to support the culture change and the new organizational direction. New management and human resource systems enable people to do their best work; engagement of the workforce is seen as critical to infuse new ideas and thinking; flexible work processes enable the organization to be nimble and respond to changes in the marketplace. People are hired and developed with the new organizational competencies and capabilities in mind. A new level of accountability and performance is expected of people. Those who are not willing to change are nurtured out of the organization or developed to align better with the organizational needs. At this point the organization is reaching a tipping point for change (Gladwell, 2000) in that there is a critical mass of individuals who support the change and exhibit the necessary behaviors required of the new culture. Those individuals who are still hoping for the return of the "good old days" become more and more outliers and are getting critical feedback of the requirement to change their behaviors and/or are nurtured out of the organization. There is a sense at this stage that there is no turning back and people see daily examples of the commitment of leaders to the new culture and the payoff in performance that the new culture supports.

Stage 6: Living the Change: A Way of life

At this stage the new culture is a way of life. And given the need for continuous improvement it now has the capabilities to adapt to change - knowing that this stage is not one that is static. The competencies and capabilities needed for success have dramatically changed and the organization has restructured not only its business but its relationship with the people of the organization. The organization aggressively seeks out, includes and capitalizes on the full range of perspectives, opinions and skills offered by its people. It is committed to and geared for constant change, continuous improvement, and a search for 360- degree vision. People have a sense of belonging, and feel recognized and appreciated for their contributions. Individuals and teams identify with and freely offer more of their discretionary energy to the organizational mission and goals. The new culture becomes so much a way of life that it appears seamless as it enables individuals and teams to come together in new ways so they deliver greater results.

The Old Ways Die Hard.
The progression from Industrial-era Status Quo to a people-centered Work Culture as a new way of life is a long-term developmental process. Unlike the human developmental process, however, there is no inevitability in the progression for organizations. Left to their own devices, children will grow up. An organization, on the other hand, will tend to remain the same for as long as it can.

When an organization undertakes an effort to change its culture there will be resistance every step of the way. Every aspect of change, every incidence of conflict, every moment of learning curve awkwardness will be fodder for comment. Leaders will have to be prepared to weather the doubts and criticisms, and to be cheer-leaders for the continuing effort. Publicly recognizing and rewarding those who successfully demonstrate new-culture behaviors will help counteract the critics. Leaders must remain highly visible and committed to the culture-change effort, especially during the times of awkwardness and conflict.

The major challenge facing the leaders of organizations committed to culture change is creating a sustainable strategy, and then sustaining the effort. On a global scale, change is inevitable. At the organizational level, change is a matter of survival - those that do not or cannot change will be replaced by new organizations built on newer models. To reshape a current organization and position it for the future's waves of change will require the conscious, sustained effort of committed, visionary leaders who are willing to take risks and able to navigate through the turbulence while hanging in there for the long haul and a workforce willing to take a exciting and challenging ride that can have high payoff for all.

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About the Authors:Judith H. Katz, Ed.D. Fueled by her passion for addressing systemic oppression, Judith brings more than 25 years of experience to her work in strategic culture change. Known for her boundless energy and sharp analytical mind, her work is an extension of her lifelong commitment to championing inclusion and eliminating barriers to culture change. Judith has created outstanding partnerships with dozens of organizations, including many Fortune 100 companies. She helps clients achieve long-term sustainable change by connecting business strategies to efforts to leverage diversity and create a culture of inclusion. Judith began her career in academia, earning a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts in 1976. She has been on the faculties of both the University of Oklahoma (tenured associate professor) and San Diego State University. She became a partner in The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc., in 1985 and currently serves as Executive Vice President. Judith is a dynamic speaker and internationally known author. The 25th anniversary of her landmark book, White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training (University of Oklahoma Press, 1978, 2003) has been celebrated with the publication of a revised edition. Her courageous autobiographical work, No Fairy Godmothers, No Magic Wands: The Healing Process After Rape (1984) is widely used in assisting rape survivors in the recovery process. She is co-editor of The Promise of Diversity (McGraw-Hill, 1994) and co-author, with Frederick A. Miller, of The Inclusion Breakthrough: Unleashing the Real Power of Diversity (Berrett-Koehler, 2002). Judith has also published over 50 articles on issues related to change management, the development of high performing inclusive organizations, and oppression and diversity. Judith serves on the boards of directors for Social Venture Network and The Group for Cultural Documentation. She is also a member of the Diversity Collegium, a think tank of renowned diversity professionals in the United States. Judith is the recipient of the 2003 DTUI Cultural Competency Professional Award and the 2004 American College Personnel Association Voice of Inclusion Medallion. Frederick A. Miller is the CEO and Lead Client Strategist of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. A pioneer and leading authority on creating cultures of inclusion that are high performing and enable each person to do their best work, he was noted in The Age of Heretics (Currency Doubleday, 1996) as one of the forerunners of corporate change. In his 30 plus years of experience he has worked with numerous CEOs and senior level executives from such renowned companies as Mobil, Dupont, Toyota, Foxwoods Casino, Eileen Fisher, Wild Planet Toys, Northeast Utilities, United Airlines, McArthur Foundation, City of San Diego, and Apple Computers. Fred has also been involved with many Founders as they transition from a "foundercentric" culture to one of a professional management staff. He was involved with this transition at Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc., where he was on the board of directors for eight years. In 1972, as a manager with Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (now CIGNA), Fred helped pioneer one of the nation's first corporate diversity and inclusion efforts. He joined Kaleel Jamison and KJCG in 1979. He was President and CEO of KJCG from 1985 to 2004 and has been CEO and Lead Client Strategist since 2004. Fred is particularly respected for his ability to examine a system, issue, or culture (small group, community, or organization) at multiple levels and quickly translate his observations into a customized, strategic vision and change-oriented action. Fred is currently on the board of directors for Day & Zimmerman, a $1.5 billion family-owned business; Seton Health Systems; and The Sage Colleges. He is a member of the Social Venture Network (SVN), where he and Judith H. Katz, Executive Vice-President at KJCG, have worked with socially responsible organizations as they build a culture in which they can live their values and accomplish their mission. He is a former board member of National Training Labs (NTL Institute), American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), and the Organization Development Network (ODN). Fred is co-author, with Judith H. Katz, of The Inclusion Breakthrough: Unleashing the Real Power of Diversity (Berrett-Koehler, 2002), and Managing Editor of The Promise of Diversity (McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing, 1994). He has been published in Chief Learning Officer, OD Practitioner, HR Professional, and Executive Excellence. He is also a regular speaker at national conferences. Fred received the Outstanding Service Award from the National ODN in 2000. A native Philadelphian, he is a political science graduate of Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. References and notesNote: The Roadmap to Culture Change is based on KJCG's work in leveraging diversity and inclusion and specifically -Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller, "Cultural Diversity as a Developmental Process: The Path from a Monocultural Club to Inclusive Organization". In W. Pfeiffer (Ed.) 1995 Annual. San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer and Co, 267- 281. Malcolm Gladwell (2000) The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference. Time Warner Copyright © 2005 Written by Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller. The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No duplication without the written permission of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. 518.271.7000. www.kjcg.com. Published in ODN Seasonings Magazine-March 2005.

Leadership Q&A with Arlene Scott, Ph.D.


Link&Learn: Arlene, as someone who has worked in the leadership field for over 20 years, what sets a successful leader apart in today's challenging business environment?

Arlene Scott: Complex, fast-cycle change requires a 21st century leader
to be able to capture the hearts and minds of people,
creating alignment for the future direction of the organization.
When results require people working together, relationship-building skills, often seen as "soft," quickly translate to measurable business outcomes. Whether you are making contact with one person or with a group, the challenges include: building trust quickly, creating a shared understanding of the compelling reasons for change, and painting a picture of the desired future together. With people working with people in ever changing paradigms, the successful leader builds relationships with attention to influencing both mindset and behavior in order to get results.


Link&Learn: What made you realize the significance of relationship building?

Arlene Scott: What is critical for any organization moving forward is alignment; relationship-building improves alignment.
People have different views and perspectives which often cause tension and distance. When change requires people to change their habits, we often see resistance.
It is only by exploring the resistance together (rather than pushing back) that people can get issues on the table.
You may be thinking, "What does relationship-building have to do with getting alignment?"
An example of complex change is shifting to an enterprise IT system. People need to shift their way of doing things to a corporate standard. Losses for these people include job changes and habits that are comfortable.
Getting people to talk through the rationale for changes and the losses is a key step for facilitating the change process. When people have relationships and trust, these conversations go better, saving time and increasing commitment (rather than sabotage).
You have to slow down the process to reach shared understanding -- and then are able to speed up the change implementation.


Link&Learn: From what you just said, building this skill should be a top priority for most organizations. How do you convince Senior Leadership Teams - or build a business case -- for the need to train employees on relationship building?

Arlene Scott: Generating revenues and increasing profitability both require effective interaction with others-externally, to retain and develop customers, and internally, to create congruent business goals, which requires working through differences with others and building agreements and common understandings.
You get senior executives' attention only in the context of critical business outcomes. Otherwise, when you talk about the people skills and relationships, they roll their eyes.
Start by talking about the business goals and then ask, "What keeps you up at night?" The executive response is most often related to difficulties in getting people aligned, particularly across boundaries.
Relationship skills become important in the context of the business goal. More recently the research on emotional intelligence validates the connection between relational competence and business outcomes. Currently, there is more willingness to accept the validity of relationships skills as a critical success factor.

Link&Learn: You have developed a program to this end (which you are currently partnering with Linkage, Inc. on) tell us a little about it.

Arlene Scott: The program is organized and designed to help people build trust and credibility. The most effective, and the fastest way to learn business-applicable relationship intelligence is in experience-based workshops. Self-awareness increases real-time. You learn about the impact you have on other people: what you do that influences effectively and what you do that doesn't work well. Examples of issues and how the program helps participants become more effective include:
Learning to speak up in a way that others do not experience as dominating
Realizing the need to be more forceful in getting across one's viewpoint, rather than being laid-back and having less impact
Dealing better with differences. Relationship building skills help you to manage differences without damaging relationships.

Link&Learn: I understand that you have an innovative way of getting these skills across that you call Interactive Skill Groups. Please explain how your Interactive Skill Groups work and what sets it apart from other training activities?

Arlene Scott: Historically the way people tended to work through relationship building skills was to be very clear about the steps and behaviors that people needed to relate more effectively. People would role play or get videotaped or just talk. Since the situation was artificial and strictly structured around the role-play and video feedback or remembered situations, people would get clear about a behavior they needed to practice, but they tended to find it difficult to apply learnings to on-the-job situations. In contrast, the Interactive Skill Group methodology we have developed is real-time. It is people relating to each other and receiving in-the-moment feedback. Participants express themselves and get feedback in a live 360-degree process, which quickly clarifies for each group member his or her impact on others. Real-time feedback is a catalyst for more effective post- program application in the workplace. Experience-based learning helps participants change rapidly.

Link&Learn: So your sense is that participants will receive not only tools and new models to understand how to build better relationships, but also receive real time practice.

Arlene Scott: Yes. The live learning experience supported by models and tools with a real-time practice helps participants experience what they do effectively and what they need to practice. It leaves them with a level of awareness and expanded capability. More importantly, it is also fun, engaging, and interactive. A real-time camaraderie comes out between and among participants -- it is not a role play, it is real people relating to each other, trying to build their relationships skills and in the process there is clearly a shift in the level of connection that people have with each other real-time. If people who work together participate together in the program, they walk away with their relationships enhanced. This unusual learning approach will change a company faster than any other. This type of workshop reaches into the hearts and minds of the people leading the company, and asks them to cut through the deadwood in their own leadership behavior. It demands openness and honesty in ways that are unusual to some organizations, and are extremely powerful. But it does so in a way which preserves safety for the participants.

Link&Learn: What drives your passion around teaching others how to build better relationships?

Arlene Scott: Part of what drives me is the possibility of building organizations where people feel a sense of belonging. This connection with other people serves as a foundation for being personally more satisfied and motivated, which, based on my own experience, is strongly related to performance excellence and business outcomes.


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Arlene Scott currently leads Linkage's Strategic Change Practice. She works with CEOs and executive teams to optimize their individual and collective capacity to lead their organizations amidst rapidly changing business environments. With more than twenty years experience, Arlene collaborates with clients to ensure the successful integration of new business strategy, the design and execution of structure, culture, work processes, and human capital systems that promote organization growth and performance.

“Failure is a part of success. There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life. But failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it.”
– Hank Aaron, baseball player