An Attitude of Gratitude

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”   Ralph Waldo Emerson

In other words, for your wellness and highest good, and for the good of all, start and end each day with a grateful heart. It makes such a difference in raising your energy level, along with that of the person or thing you are thankful for. It truly brings blessings to the world.

A great gratitude “tool” is keeping a gratitude journal. Just before going to sleep, write, say three things or events you are grateful for that day. Then while you sleep, your subconscious and your brain will be focusing on those positive thoughts, rather than negative ones. When you wake up in the morning, probably after a good night’s sleep, thanks to your gratitude, thank your bed for having provided you with a cosy resting place for the night, and whatever else you would like to give thanks to, so as to start your day in the positive energy of gratitude.

Everything in this world is comprised of energy and you receive according to the frequency you transmit. So, when you are grateful, you create opportunities for things to come your way for which you can be grateful. Studies have shown that people who adopt an attitude of gratitude tend to be happier and healthier. In turn, happier and healthier people are attracted into your life, with whom you have deeper relationships.

There are so many things to be thankful for, and while you are focusing on these things you mind will not allow you to look for the things that you feel like you may be lacking. Negative thoughts withdraw to the background and eventually don’t come up on your radar.

This is encouraging when considering the end of year holiday season. At this time, we see much beauty and evidence of things for which to be grateful. However, the holiday can be stressful, exhausting and lonely for many people. For those who exercise gratitude on a regular basis, it can be a positive period.

We’ve seen how gratitude makes you happier and healthier, which in turn affects the central nervous system. As a result, you become more peaceful, reacting less to situations and people. You get on better with others, having closer and deeper relationships. It is evident how this would lead to a more pleasurable end of year holiday.

To conclude, let’s consider the words of John F. Kennedy:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." This is a positive mantra for not only the holiday season but all year long.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is the founder of the Peak Performance Group, a leadership and team development company.  He is also the author of Roll Up Your Sleeves & Get To Work.  He helps people design a life strategy for success. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or Rick@MyPotentialPlus.com

The Secret To Everything

The secret to everything!

Now that the holidays are gone, it’s a good time to look back, see all the things we can be thankful for and focus on the meaning of giving thanks and how it can affect your life. It is a simple word that can change your day in an instant. It can make your day better when you hear it from the lady you help to carry her grocery bags, or when you say it with a smile as someone holds a door for you.

This feeling is a part of human nature, and it is so common that it is often simply ignored. It can be said mechanically without even thinking about its importance. However, a thank you should never be said mechanically, but it should be said from the heart. In the same way, it should not be taken for granted, something that you know should be said, but as something that has been given with the purest intentions. This is a powerful feeling that should be taken into account many times during your everyday life.

Besides the everyday life, a thank you is often said at the workplace. It has the purpose to help employees bond and to help employers express their gratitude. However, there are many companies where people do not understand the true meaning of a real thank you, and therefore many problems start to appear. These companies forget the importance of these two simple words. This begins a slow decline in motivation and employee satisfaction. Turning this around can happen with an acceptance of this simple gesture.  This way they will have more chances to stand out from the competition and ultimately find success. After all, employees need to work in a peaceful environment where they can reach their full potential.

If you own a company, you should try this as soon as possible. You will see that you can easily change the external perception about the workplace you have to offer. An honest thank you causes zero harm, but it will show appreciation and help you motivate your employees. This, in turn, provides an environment where they can perform a better quality job. The most effective way is to apply the power of example. This means that you will have to express your gratitude each time it is warranted or whenever you feel that it is necessary. This, in turn, people will feel appreciated and that their work makes a difference, which keeps them motivated and they will put more into the job. As you can see, this does not require much time or effort, and it drives the organization to become more successful.

Once a person hears a thank you said from the heart, he/she will have a different view regarding the world. After all, people appreciate when someone recognizes their effort. There are many who believe that money represents the gratitude of a company, but this is not true. Money does not have anything in common with the deep emotions transmitted with the help of a true thank you said from the heart. Who will you thank today?

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author of Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as an expert on developing leaders and designing strategy for companies. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or rick@MyPotentialPlus.com  www.MyPotentialPlus.com 

The BALD TRUTH: SH!#% or get off the pot!

Are You Using Protection? Part 2

&@%# or get off the pot!

Last month I promised that I would address each of the three major challenges that business leaders fail to protect themselves from and will kill a business.

In part one we talked about the three killers of a business.  Number one is lack of cash flow.  Well by now I hope you have taken this to heart and begun to watch and manage your cash flow a little better.  This month we will talk about the number two killer of a business, POOR LEADERSHIP.

Leadership

“Leadership is the art of getting someone to do something you want done because they want to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

 How can you get others to do what needs to get done and make sure they are doing it gladly and with enthusiasm?  The answer is very simple.  Have a vision and make it part of your culture. A vision and direction is critical to get your business moving and to assure it stays on the right direction.  People will follow a clear vision that is shared and engages them.  Leaders use the vision to inspire the people they lead.

Too often business owners rely on systems or franchise models to assure success.  While these are important, they will not assure that the business will grow, thrive and prosper.  There is only one thing that will assure success.  The people in an organization know and buy into the vision of the organization.  Making sure that the most important asset, the people, are lead, directed and properly motivated will assure that the right things get done.

Leaders come in three types:

1.            Enhancer

Enhancers are confident, respected and responsible. They contribute more to the organization and the people they lead than is expected. They are positive and people are excited to be around them and work with them.

2.            Neutralizers

Typically better at managing things than with leading people. They typically have teams that do what is expected but little more. Most are neutral about them as a leader and have a apathetic workplace.

3.         Diminishers

These leaders lack confidence and the ability to galvanize people. Diminishers take more from the organization than they give.  The people who report to them are on guard and cautious when dealing with the diminisher.  There is usually a morale issue surrounding this leader.

Now that I’ve described the types of leaders, take a hard look at your own leadership style and decide which one you are and which one you want to be. The choice is yours. What behaviors do you want to exhibit to your team?  How about in your organization?  It comes down to choosing to lead from a position of personal power verses rank or title.  Go back to the Eisenhower quote and ask yourself this…Are your people doing what they are doing because they want to do it or because they have to do it?  Your style makes the difference.  Choose your style from today forward.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author of Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as an expert on developing leaders and personal growth. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 orwww.CoachRickKolster.com

The BALD TRUTH - 18 ways you are making your life harder

"Life is not complex.  We are complex.  Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.”
―Oscar Wilde

When we were young life was easier, right?  I know sometimes it seems that way.  But the truth is life still is easy.  It always will be.  The only difference is we’re older, and the older we get, the harder we make things for ourselves.

You see, when we were young we saw the world through simple, hopeful eyes.  We knew what we wanted and we had no biases or concealed agendas.  We liked people who smiled.  We avoided people who frowned.  We ate when we were hungry, drank when we were thirsty, and slept when we were tired.

As we grew older our minds became gradually disillusioned by negative external influences.  At some point we began to hesitate and question our instincts.  When a new obstacle or growing pain arose, we stumbled and fell down.  This happened several times.  Eventually we decided we didn’t want to fall again, but rather than solving the problem that caused us to fall, we avoided it all together.

As a result, we ate comfort food and drank alcohol to numb our wounds and fill our voids.  We worked late nights on purpose to avoid unresolved conflicts at home.  We started holding grudges, playing mind games, and subtly deceiving others and ourselves to get ahead.  And when it didn’t work out, we lived above our means, used lies to cover up lies, and ate and drank some more just to make ourselves feel better again.

Over the course of time, we made our lives harder and harder, and we started losing touch with who we really are and what we really need.

If you’re nodding your head, here are some ways you’re likely making your life harder than it has to be, and some ideas on simplifying things:

1. You look to everyone else for the answers only you can give yourself. – For much of our lives – especially at the beginning – we get told what do, how to think, what looks good, what “success” is, etc.  You don’t have to buy into any of it anymore.  Feel free to peel back the layers.  Think for yourself.  Listen to your Self.  Break the mold.  When you stop doing what everybody else wants you to do and start following your own intuition, you will find exactly what you are looking for.

2. You let others make you feel guilty for living your life. – As long as you’re not hurting anyone else, keep living your life YOUR way.  Sometimes we get lost in trying to live for someone else, trying to meet their expectations, and doing things just to impress them.  Take a moment and think about it.  Are you doing things because you truly believe in them?  Remember your own goals.  Live, do and love so that you are happy, because when it comes down to it, relationships can end in an instant, but you will live with yourself for the rest of your life.

3. You allow toxic people to get the best of you. – You don’t ever have to feel guilty about removing toxic people from your life.  It doesn’t matter whether someone is a relative, romantic interest, colleague, childhood friend or a new acquaintance.  You don’t have to make room for people who cause you pain or make you feel small.  It’s one thing if a person owns up to their behavior and makes an effort to change.  But if a person disregards your feelings, ignores your boundaries and continues to treat you in a harmful way, they need to go.  (Read Toxic People.)

4. You are part of the drama circle. – How would your life be different if you walked away from drama, gossip and verbal defamation?  Let today be the day you speak only about the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same.  Those that refuse to support you CAN be ignored by you.  It’s as simple as that.  Incredible things happen when you distance yourself from negativity and those who create it.  Don’t get caught up in drama.  Just walk on by.

5. You assign negative intent to other people’s actions. – Another driver cut you off in traffic.  Your friend never texted you back.  Your colleague went to lunch without you.  Everyone can find a reason to be offended on a daily basis.  So what caused you to be offended?  You assigned negative intent to these otherwise innocent actions.  You took it as a personal insult – a slap in the face.  Don’t do this to yourself.  Don’t take things personally.  Don’t assign negative intent to the unintentional actions of others.  Let today be the day you look for the good in everyone you meet.

6. You are too worried that people will steal what you have. – Let this be your wake-up call, especially if you’re an artist, writer, entrepreneur or creative type: There is always more to be gained from sharing knowledge than from hoarding it.  Don’t worry about people stealing your work; worry about the moment they stop.  Be honest, helpful and undeniably good at what you do.  No clever marketing scheme, social media buzzword, or competitor can be a substitute for that, ever.  Whenever people want what you have, regardless of the circumstances, you’re doing it right.

7. You’re trying to compete with everyone else. – If you compete with everyone else, you will become bitter.  If you compete with a previous version of yourself, you will become better.  It’s as simple as that.

8. You have been too much of a taker. – One way to deal with stress and loss is to immerse yourself in doing good for others.  Volunteer.  Get involved in life.  It doesn’t even have to be a big, structured event.  Say a kind word.  Encourage someone nearby.  Pay a visit to someone who is alone.  Get away from your self-preoccupation for a while.  When it comes down to it, there are two types of people in this world.  There are givers and there are takers.  Givers are happy.  Takers are still unhappily wondering what’s in it for them.

9. You focus on popularity over effectiveness. – Seek respect, not attention.  It lasts longer and it’s far more useful in the end.  Do things and build things that make a lasting difference.  And above all, never confuse popularity with effectiveness.  Being popular means you’re liked for a while.  Being effective means you’ve made a difference.

10. You keep cutting corners and taking the easy way out. – Do what is right, not what is easy.  And do the right thing even if no one else will ever know.  Why?  Because YOU will know.

11. You focus on every point in time other than now. – You can’t change yesterday, but you can ruin today by worrying about tomorrow.  Be present.  Tomorrow will reveal itself exactly as it should, just as yesterday already has.

12. You are stuck on your mistakes. – It’s important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes.  We need to learn from our errors and move forward.  Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past.  Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn’t what you get for it, but what you learn from it.  A happy, successful life, after all, is not a life absent of problems, but one that’s been able to rise above them.  (Angel and I discuss this in detail in the “Adversity” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

13. You have an “all or nothing” mentality. – There’s no such thing as perfect success, just as there’s no such thing as perfect failure.  This is why labeling things in extremes – all or nothing – success or failure – is an exercise in futility.  What does exist, however, is a continuous series of imperfect moments filled with infinite possibilities and opportunities.  Appreciate the grey area between the extremes – the journey – the experiences.  And above all, never let success get to your head or failure get to your heart.

14. You expect life to always be happy. – The world can be a difficult place.  You may experience suffering, heartbreak and loss.  These circumstances can take a toll on your happiness, but do not lose hope.  Think about the Yin and Yang in Chinese philosophy, which states that opposite forces are often interconnected.  In suffering, you can find great strength, in heartbreak you can find resilience, and in loss you can find a renewed appreciation for life.  Life is always Yin and Yang.  Opposites are interdependent and interconnected.  You can’t completely shield yourself from sadness without also shielding yourself from happiness.

15. You keep thinking about worst-case scenarios. - Sometimes your mind unnecessarily wrestles with events that aren’t even remotely likely.  Your sore throat is life threatening.  Your lost driver’s license fell into the hands of a miscreant looking to steal your identity.  Negativity like this only breeds more negativity.  It’s a happiness riptide.  It will carry you away from shore, and if you don’t swim away it will pull you under.  The bottom line is that you can see the world through a lens of doubt and despair or hope and excitement.  It’s your choice.  Either way, you will someday arrive at the same destination.  The only question is: Do you want to arrive with a frown or a smile?

16. You’re letting loss devour you. – Sometimes you have to work at happiness.  Some hurdles in life are too difficult to clear simply by adopting a positive mindset.  Do you need to forgive someone?  Do you need to let go of a failed relationship?  Do you need to come to terms with the death of a loved one?  Life is full of loss.  But, in a sense, true happiness would not be possible without it.  It helps us appreciate the good times.  It helps us grow.  If you’re struggling to see the light, you’re not alone.  Find someone who understands and talk to them.  Reach out for support.  Don’t let loss devour you.  (Read Second Firsts.)

17. You avoid facing the truth. – The truth does not cease to exist when it is ignored.  You cannot find peace by avoiding things.  You have to feel it to heal it.  Bring your fears and weaknesses front and center and shine a blazing spotlight on them.  Because the only way out is through.  The pain of facing the truth is SO worth it in the long run, I swear.

18. You put off making decisions. – Bad decisions are almost always better than no decisions at all.  Indecisiveness just delays, while bad decisions teach us to yield better ones.  In the end, we most often regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.

YOUR TURN…

As you know, when we stop doing the wrong things and start doing the right things, life gets easier.  It just makes sense.  So how have you been making your life harder than it has to be?   What can you do today to simplify things?  Leave a comment below and let us know.

Credits: Written by Marc Chernoff of Marc and Angel Hack Life, where this was originally featured.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work and co-author of Selling for Geniuses as well as a motivational speaker on personal growth. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or Rick@CoachRickKolster.comwww.CoachRickKolster.com

The BALD TRUTH Homeless, Horseless and Hopeless

Ignorance is the state of being uninformed (lack of knowledge) It does not mean one is stupid, just that they may not or don’t have all the facts.

Ignorance

The most painful experience I have ever had was caused by ignorance.  Before you all jump on the “band wagon” and start saying how mean I am to say someone is ignorant, let’s just take a second to define “Ignorance”.

According to the always correct internet site Wikipedia…  < Ignorance is the state of being uninformed (lack of knowledge) It does not mean one is stupid, just that they may not or don’t have all the facts. >

OK,  back to my story…

I have always had an approach in my life that I can and will take care of myself.  I accept responsibility for my own well-being.  In fact back in the 80’s while working in my first career in the restaurant business I experienced some major losses and financial struggles.  So bad that I had my car repossessed, lost my apartment and my job and was crashing on a friend’s floor.

It was my ignorance that had gotten me there.  I was uninformed or didn’t know the real consequences of not keeping up with my bills.  I got to partying all the time, and neglected my responsibilities.  This created a problem for me.  Or problems… I was homeless, horseless and hopeless.

Ignorance isn’t just not having the facts; it is also taking actions on the wrong facts. Making decisions based on your own lack of information and being wrong.  Because of this many make value judgments based on a lack of knowledge and assumptions, this can lead to anger, disappointment and even to hate.

Now hate is a strong word too.  Hate can consume you and control you to the point of stealing all your time and energy away from you.  It can and will suck the life out of you and with energy focused on the wrong things ultimately make you totally unproductive.  This is what happened to me. I fell into a cycle of unproductivity and self-doubt that only a swift kick in the seat or smack upside the head was going to cure.  Well that combo kick/smack came in the form of a man I will be forever grateful. 

He probably doesn't know this, nor have I ever told him but Dave Gilbert gave me hope in 1984.  That’s right , hope. He believed in me and showed me.  He saw something in me that had been pushed down so deep that I was spiraling out of control.  He gave me a chance, hope for the future. He asked me to come work for him in the biggest, baddest nightclub in Houston, TX. He got me working, riding and living again.  See I had fallen into an unhealthy place physically and emotionally but he pulled me back up. For that I am grateful and forever in his debt. 

Lastly,  When you act and react without full info (ignorance) be prepared for the consequences. However, have hope that around the corner is that one person who has his or her hand out to help you out that will get you out of the hole you are in.  Hope is the answer to ignorance.  Folks have hope and give hope. Be a hope maker!

Until next time. That is the BALD TRUTH! Now Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work

Coach Rick Kolster is an expert on organizational development. He helps companies and organizations build great leaders, strong salespeople and loyal customers. He is the author of two books; Selling for Geniuses and Roll up Your Sleeves & Get to Work.  He can be reached at 817-748-7425 or info@CoachRickKolster.com  www.CoachRickKolster.com  www.RollUpYourSleevesBook.com  

THE BALD TRUTH - Customer Loyalty vs Customer Service

Customer service, customer satisfaction or customer loyalty… What drives your organization?

The answer is simple.  The one which are you focused on!

We hear companies talk about customer satisfaction surveys or providing great customer service. Are you providing a level of customer service that will give you customer satisfaction?  If you are, I’ll say you are getting it all wrong, go back rethink it and do it all over again.

Customer service is the bottom of the barrel thinking. Anyone can serve a customers, most of the time it is bare minimum, if that.  Customer satisfaction is just one step above. I mean come on, who wants to be just satisfied? Is your goal to meet the minimum acceptable requirements to satisfy your customer? Is it your intention to leave a customer feeling that your product or service provides the customer with the basics they were looking for?  My guess is a big fat  NO!   If you said yes, then two things come to mind. 

First, recheck your values and pride.  Do you have pride in your work? If so why would you accept the bare minimum from your efforts.  It’s like being happy getting a C- on a paper.  It was passing, I didn’t fail so that must be ok. What do you value? Is building a strong healthy business worth going the extra mile?

Second is this: Do you want to be happy?  Would you accept the minimum from a product or service or would you like to see someone really take a interest in you and your needs.  We live in a WIIFM society, What's In It For Me,  so why does customer service seem to be the norm. “I did what I had to and that’s it.” attitude is so prevalent these days. “Sorry, I can see you are struggling or under a deadline or need some attention but I’m just too busy to give a rip.”

Just this morning I had both a good and bad customer experience in two different locations. Here’s what happened.  I was making a presentation to a big customer this morning. I needed to get four small presentations hole punched and bound. I went to the place I have been going for the past 7-8 years to get copies, and presentations made and bound.  (I’ll refrain from using the name for legal purposes but the store sound like an office tool we use to staple together papers.) About eight years I have used this store, I have seen managers come and go and spent thousands of dollars in supplies and printing over the years.

I walked up to the counter in print area and waited 4 minutes to be recognized or acknowledged. (mind you it was 8:22am and there were three people in the store total) Once I was acknowledged by the counter guy, his attitude was that I was bothering him.  He approached me standing at the counter, and I’m sure he could see my stress.  He asked how can I help you and I let him know that I was asking a huge favor and then asked him if he could bind these four pacakages for a big presentation I was on the way to.  I had gotten there as early as I could (8:20am) and really would appreciate him helping me out.

His answer shocked me.  I can’t help you for another hour. My answer must have hit a note. “Oh boy, I really just need these four packs of paper (10 pages each) hole punched and bound. I’m headed to my presentation now.” I know I looked stressed and a bit concerned.  His answer was even more incredulous. He again said “sorry can’t (won't) help you. I can get to you in about an hour but that’s it.  But you can go down the road to another printing place and try them (FedEx/Kinkos) sorry.” Funny thing is, I passed 3 managers on my way out the door and one even said goodbye, have a good day.  Are you kidding me?  How was I supposed to have a good day when I now had to drive down the road to get done what I should have been able to get done here?  Could the manager run the hole punch machine? Did the counter guy even try to see how he could help? NOPE! 

To continue and show you how it is supposed to be done, I head down the road about a mile and a half to the FedEx/Kinkos office. I was greeted immediately by the first employee I saw and he asked how can I help you.  I explained my dilemma and his answer was “Ok, let me set this over here and I’ll help you out.”

He proceeded to take my four small packages of paper (10 pages each) over to the hole punch, put them into the automated machine, punched them, put on a cover and back sheet threaded the binder through and was back in 4 minutes flat (I know I timed it).  This was the same amount of time it took to be acknowledged at the other big box store. He rang me up with a grand total of $19.96 plus tax. Done and out the door faster than it had taken me to drive from the aforementioned store (that sounds like an office desk tool) to the FedEx/Kinko’s store.

I walked out with a new satisfied outlook and impression of FedEx and a completely different outlook on that big box store that sounds like an office tool.

Taking that extra time to think through how can I serve or help the customer is the difference between customer service, (“I can help you in an hour”) to building customer loyalty, (“let me set this over here for a couple minutes.”)

Big box store Customer service = FAIL

FedEx/Kinkos customer service = New loyal customer

What is you are focused on in your business? What the attitude in your organization? Most will say we want to build a strong loyal customer as is the case with the big box store.  Most will pay the customer lip service.  At the big box store, how hard would it have been to have a manager come over and help if they were backed up?  Where was the manager checking on how things were going?  Why did the employee feel he couldn't call over a manager? What is the culture YOU have in your organization?

Does your team trust you and really strive for strong loyal customers or are they giving lip service to your value of customer service? Either way, it a reflection of your attitude on building loyal customers that are raving fans. Do you want raving fans or just customers that are satisfied with your work?  Your choice.

Coach Rick Kolster is an expert on organizational development. He helps companies and organizations build great leaders, strong salespeople and loyal customers. He is the author of two books; Selling for Geniuses and Roll up Your Sleeves & Get to Work.  He can be reached at 817-748-7425 or info@CoachRickKolster.com   www.CoachRickKolster.com  www.RollUpYourSleevesBook.com  

THE BALD TRUTH - Personal Responsibilty

Personal Responsibility

“The devil made me do it.” How often do we hear this or a variation of this in today’s society? It may not even this blatant, but instead, may be more subtle. Let’s face it, we all make excuses for ourselves—excuses we would never make for other people. When I cut someone off in traffic, it was an honest mistake, but when someone else cuts me off in traffic, it is an affront to my honor right? Less and less often we are willing to take responsibility for our own actions, and it because easier and easier to blame something else or someone else for the things that we do.

It may have been a few years since you’ve last heard someone blame the devil for a choice they made. But you’ve probably seen those things replaced with other excuses. Remember hearing about the woman that sued McDonalds because she was so overweight from eating their food every day? Somehow, her choice to eat the food had become the restaurant’s fault. Of course, it’s not like McDonalds has any healthy options that she could have chosen, but it was still her choice to go to that restaurant, pick something off the menu, and then eat it. And yet, she blamed the fast food, not herself.

That’s not to say that all people are overweight because they eat fast food or even entirely because of choices that they make for themselves. But assigning blame, either to food or to genetics does not change reality and it does nothing to improve the situation. If you discover that you have a slow metabolism, one choice would be to blame that metabolism for causing you to gain weight. The other choice would be to take personal responsibility for things that you can control and learn to eat foods that will work with your metabolism.

This extends into every faction of society. Parents will blame other children or “the world” for the behavior of their children, when parents who take personal responsibility know full well that how children act is, largely, a result of how they are parented. As a society, we are refusing to act for ourselves, or refusing to acknowledge that the actions that we take have real consequences, especially if those consequences are negative. Instead, we choose to blame external forces for anything that goes wrong.

The good news is that taking personal responsibility is as easy as examining your actions and the consequences. Guess what, if you eat 3000 calories a day and do nothing but watch television, you will gain weight. If you ignore your children, they will probably throw a fit in public just to get some semblance of attention. Once we can take responsibility for the things that happen in our own lives, we can actually begin to change our mindset, our actions, and our entire lives. When we realize that we are in control, we can steer our lives towards something better.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach,  the author of the upcoming book Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as a public speaker on personal growth.. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or Rick@CoachRickKolster.com
www.CoachRickKolster.com

The BALD TRUTH - 10 behaviors that create trust

Re-posted from http://buschmanconsultancy.com/en/2014/02/28/10-behaviours-that-create-trust/#.UydNNl5lB-Q.blogger

  Stephen M.R. Covey states that the most important ingredient within any relationship is trust. Not just in loving relationships but also in working relationships. In an age where change is occurring at ever-increasing speed, and commitment from employees and line managers is increasingly crucial, the value of trust is greater than ever. According to Covey, it is the most important and most underrated ingredient for business success.

In the article The speed of trust, I describe four key elements of trust: intention, integrity, capabilities and results. In this article I will go in more detail into 10 behaviours that help to create trust. I’ll be interested to know how far you are aware of these already and whether you are applying them in your own life.

1. Straight talk
Did you know that 6 out of 10 employees do not trust their line manager? This is often due to a lack of transparency – partly because the line managers will not admit to making mistakes. Or because they do not treat bad news within their organisation in an open manner. I have some good news: there is an alternative! By being honest, telling it like it is, getting to the point and using simple language.

2. Listen first
Have you ever asked yourself what would happen if, instead of broadcasting your own message, you were to ask questions and listen to the answers? If you replaced the monologue with a dialogue? If you honestly want to understand opinions and insights that deviate from your own? If you are capable of doing this, you will be operating at the third level of conversation: the dialogue, as described in my article the conversation.

3. Demonstrate respect
Demonstrating respect means that you accept the other as a worthwhile and valuable person. And you view that person separately from their function within the organisation. It doesn’t make any difference whether someone is a manager or a cleaner, everyone contributes to the success of an organisation. Demonstrating respect is often expressed in the small stuff; looking a person in the eye, saying thank you, holding the door open for someone, or addressing someone by their first name. And, sometimes it’s not happening that way. Check out this video to see a different perspective and the impact it can have.

4. Show loyalty

If someone has produced an outstanding achievement, do you acknowledge the good job they’ve done? Or do you take the credit yourself? I hope you answered with the first option! Be sincere, support your people and be proud of them. Make your support known to them and others. If you have to talk about people in a negative way, then do this in their presence.

5. Keep commitments
People often say that agreed is agreed, but to what extent is this carried out in practice? When it comes to simple issues it’s not normally a problem. It’s the more complex or politically sensitive matters that create difficulties. So try to be honest and transparent in these situations too. And if you know beforehand that you won’t be able to keep your promise, or if this becomes clear to you later on, just admit it.

6. Be willing to improve
Are you the kind of person who wants to learn all the time? Who dares to take risks, asks for feedback and learns from their mistakes? By adopting this attitude, you will not only continue learning throughout your life, but you are also an example to others to do the same. And this is a wonderful foundation for making your team consistently more effective.

7. Confront reality
We all experience difficult periods in our lives. The question is: how do you deal with them? Do you evade the issue and put off doing things you know you should, or do you tackle the difficult issues straight away? Don’t bury your head in the sand, but express what you’re having problems with, ask for help and start resolving the situation.

8. Clarify expectations
What do you expect from your employees? Make clearly defined agreements about the ‘what’ and the ‘how’. If you are expressing your expectations, make sure to check that the other party has understood what you are saying and that they are aware of how they can help you fulfill them. Try to be as concrete as possible. In other words, make your expectations, or goals, SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

9. Create transparency
Just be open and honest. Speak the truth and try not to appear better than you are. If for example you failed to do something, try not to think up a clever excuse to make you feel better. Just admit the real reason you didn’t keep to your agreement. And don’t forget: a half-truth is also a lie.

10. Righting wrongs
If you’ve made a mistake, then take responsibility for it. And try to find out how you can put it right. Don’t wait too long, but see what you can do and do it at once. And don’t forget to say ‘Sorry’, and mean it. This might be tricky, but if you’re able to push your ego to one side, it will pay dividends.

I wish you many relationships full of trust!

That's The BALD TRUTH!

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is the founder of the Peak Performance Group. He speaks to organizations and associations on The BALD TRUTH He also works with leaders to “Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work!” 

Pre-order his new book "Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work" here: www.rollupyoursleevesbook.com 
www.plus.google.com/CoachRickKolsterCBC 

Reprinted from:  10 behaviours that create trust - Buschman Consultancy

THE BALD TRUTH - People in Hell

The other day I was reminded of some of the things that my dad used to say. I call them Dadism’s. He had plenty of them and they were pretty interesting.  Sometimes they were funny and sure could make me laugh, but as a young man, they were pretty confusing.  At the time I was a teenager and young man but now they seem to all make sense.  One of the “Dadism’s” he used to say all the time was “People in hell want ice water.”  I never knew what it meant when he would say it except I knew that I wasn't getting what I just asked for and that's what I think he was trying to tell me. He was letting me know that you don't always get what you ask for.

The one thing he did tell me was that I could always get what I worked for. One of the things he I came to realize was I could and would get what I needed.  What you work for, now this part would get you farther in life and just wanting.  Don’t get me wrong, it is important to want things and desire better for yourself and others. Like my father told me, you really can get whatever you want in life as long as you wake up and are willing to work for a definite purpose.

Getting what you want life is probably one of the things that we are going for daily.  What we look for in our lives are everyday things that we want.  People sometimes look for what they need but more often they really look for what they want to have. The important thing is to look at it from the perspective of what it is that you want out of your life and what are you willing to work for in your life.  What do you really really want out of life and are you really willing to buckle down, Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work?  In order to have in your life these things it's all about the hard work,  it's all about focus and it's all about doing what it takes to get what you want.

That is what I took from a tough but fair father when he would tell me “People in Hell want ice water.”

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is the founder of the Peak Performance Group. He speaks The BALD TRUTH and works with leaders to “Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work!” 

Pre-order his new book "Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work" here: www.rollupyoursleevesbook.com

Coach Rick Kolster is an executive coach and thought leader who works with business owners and executives to help them maximize their efforts, gain life balance and learn how they can be the best leader they can be. If you are ready to transform your life, reach out to Coach Rick.  Rick@CoachRickKolster.com or 817-749-7425

The BALD TRUTH - Mr PBJ

Snowball Express is a charity event that brings the surviving families of our fallen soldiers and heroes  into Dallas/Fort Worth for five days of fun and events.  1700 of them to be exact!

During this event I see so much happen that is good and good and funny. I learned from fellow NSA member Darren LaCroix that the humor is found in the problem and the serious in the solution.  I believe there is humor in the solution as well.

My first challenge.

Imagine you are a volunteer, trying to help wherever you can, however you can.  1700 family members are in line to be fed dinner, a Texas style BBQ dinner then walk over to see a rodeo.  Now you’ve got to know, some of these kids are not going to want BBQ. And guess what?   I found ALL of them!  Once one found me they ALL found me.  I was asked by a mom to help with finding an alternate food option (other than BBQ) for her daughter. Looking like a deer in the headlights I said what any good volunteer would say, “Sure, I can do that!”  HOLY COW I thought.  Now what?

Just where am I going to get an “alternate” food option for her daughter?  But I said yes, so off I went.  Now what?  I walked outside thinking I might see a fast food place.  Luckily, there was a hotel right near the venue.  I ran across the street and up to the front desk.  The desk clerk looked at me and asked “How can I help?” Normal answer, right?  I asked him, “Do you serve breakfast?”  Answer, “Yes.”  “OK” I said, “now I need a loaf of bread, some of those little cups of peanut butter you have on the buffet and some jelly.  Oh - and a knife too please.”  Alternate food option problem solved!  This is how I became known as “Mr. PBJ” at Snowball Express.

Now my second challenge

How do you move 1700 mothers and children, all of their baggage and accessories from a hotel to their flight home in less than 3 ½ hours?

Answer:  You call the local high school football team, ask for some volunteers, point them at the bags and people and tell them GO!  Then, sit back and watch the fun. This is exactly what happened at the Snowball Express charity event in December 2011. There was the best competition to see who could move the most bags from the buses to the ticket counter the fastest. Talk about funny! It was like watching newborn colts try to walk.  Legs, boxes and bags everywhere!

So you might be asking yourself, why should I volunteer? There are too many reasons to list but number one is this. It is the right thing to do – and its fun!  We all have a chance to make a difference; we've got to take it! It may also unknowingly lead to business somewhere down the road that you never even expected.

Who should you volunteer for? Pick your passion. Go with something that drives you, just like your business. What gets you going? That’s where you give your time.

Is there humor in volunteering?  Absolutely.  Just like me you will find humor in the most unlikely places. Be open and give back, make a difference. And always remember to smile and laugh. You never know who is watching.

PS:  BTW I am now known as PBJ to some wonderful kids.  I have come to love all my Snowball kids like my own. This is a blessing far greater than I ever deserve for making a couple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is the founder of the Peak Performance Group. He speaks The BALD TRUTH and works with leaders to “Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work!” 

Coach Rick Kolster is an executive coach and thought leader who works with business owners and executives to help them maximize their efforts, gain life balance and learn how they can be the best leader they can be.

THE BALD TRUTH - Personal Branding

PERSONAL BRANDING

Personal Branding for Professional Success

The idea of a “personal Brand” is something we all understand… at least as it relates to celebrities.  Public figures like Madonna, Lebron James and even Dale Earnhart Jr. craft and maintain their brands as enthusiastically as the Coca Colas and Nike’s of the world.  But a personal brand for you and me?  Absolutely, says personal branding guru Peter Montoya.  The issue, in fact, isn’t whether to create a personal brand, but how to create the most effective one you can, he says.

“Everyone has a personal brand, whether they like it or not,” says Montoya.  In fact, I have worked very hard to brand myself as “Coach Rick” the Executive Coach.   Now where ever I go, invariably someone gets my weekly thought “The Bald Truth” (sign up here: http://bit.ly/1i1sulT ) or has seen/heard me speak.  My goal has been to craft the brand so that it creates a clear and memorable impression about who I am and what I do.  You can do the same whether you are a small business owner, solo entrepreneur or corporate executive.

A personal brand is “the powerful, clear positive idea that comes to mind whenever other people think of you,” Montoya explains.  It’s the values, abilities and actions you stand for, or, as he puts it, your personal brand is “who you are, what you do, and what make you different or how you create value for your target market.”

A critical aspect of “brand building” for small firms and solo entrepreneurs is the old stand-by: growing your network.  A crisply defined brand should make that process simpler – who you are and what you do will be easier to remember if you have done your brand homework – but it still requires getting your brand in front of people the old fashioned way, one handshake at a time.

Here are three tips for making the most of your personal brand to build your business, or to enhance or reinforce your value within your corporation:

1. Make sure that everything that surrounds your brand (your office, website, customer service group, etc) communicates the same brand
2. Build and nurture your professional network and ensure that all members understand your brand message.
3. Establish appropriate partnerships to extend your brand and gain complementary brand value.

A personal brand won’t necessarily turn you into the next Payton Manning – in fact, it probably won’t do a thing to make you and NFL quarterback – but it may be a valuable tool to define and refine what you do and how you tell your customers or employers about it.

That is the BALD TRUTH!    Now Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work!

Coach Rick
if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at rick@coachrick.net

Coach Rick Kolster is an executive coach and thought leader who works with business owners and executives to help them maximize their efforts, gain life balance and learn how they can be the best leader they can be.

THE BALD TRUTH - BLAME, BLAME, BLAME

BLAME BLAME BLAME!!!  This is the reality of today's political arena.
The reality is the entire system is corrupt! Republican or Democrat, it does not matter, ALL are only out for their own selfish agendas.

Fear mongering (shut down everything), hurting the average citizen and posturing are the norm these days.  Placing blame rather than accepting responsibility has be come the norm and law of the land. Let's shut down the Washington Monument and all the war memorials, that will piss off some people and get some attention from the media. Then we can  really show how messed up the other side is.  We can blame them!!!!

Where is the leadership?  Where is Harry Truman, Eisenhower, Roosevelt and Lincoln when you need them.  These were leaders with both balls and brains who made the RIGHT things happen.  They looked for what was best for the country not for their own political gain. The entire debacle is a disgrace and embarrassment to the country. Politician today are acting like six year olds and running to tattle to mommy (the public) rather than doing what is right.

Is ObamaCare right?  Hell I don't know.  Is it good?  Time will tell. Is it in the best interest of the general population? Not sure there either.  Has it been an ugly piece of our history.  Absolutely!!!

Politics and selfish political agendas have divided this country and weakened us and put us in deeper debt.  Trillions of dollars we owe and we have no way of paying back. I think it is pretty easy to see if you spend more than you make it isn't going to end well.  We have made it easy to blame others.  I got this credit card and maxed it out but can't pay it back, it is the card company's fault for trusting me to use it right.  Hey I got approved for a mortgage that I know I couldn't afford. Sorry, not my fault, I wanted the big house and to have things I didn't earn and I was willing to go into debt (that I will probably never get to pay back) to have it! I'll leave this for the future generation to deal with.  It is simple to file bankruptcy today.  AL that does is put the burden on to responsible people to pay more for products and services to make up the losses incurred by the lenders.  SIMPLE MATH PEOPLE!!! SIMPLE MATH!!!

Washington politicians act the same way.  Spend what we don't have, let the future figure it out.  Move the debt ceiling out til next year, maybe we will figure it out by then.  HA!  Get your heads out of your ass and be responsible leaders or get out and let someone who will lead.  When put in charge, be in charge!!

I for one am tired of politician using scare tactics and threats to get their way.  BOTH SIDES are guilty!  How about a real leader who says stop the madness! Let's get this thing back on track!

Just my rant for today.

Coach Rick Kolster is an executive coach and thought leader who works with business owners and executives to help them maximize their efforts, gain life balance and learn how they can be the best leader they can be.

Walking in Your Faith at Work

Walking in Your Faith at work

Taboo subjects in the office include politics, sex, money and of course religion or faith. How have we come to this? Over the years faith has become such a touchy subject that we refuse to even acknowledge it in the workplace. 

One of the toughest things I have to do every day is to live my life as a man of faith and walk my “talk” and show my beliefs in my actions daily. You see, I AM a man of faith, I DO believe in Christ and God. Part of this belief is a profession of this faith in all I do.  The disciples that speaking of thier faith out loud and publicly was very unpopular and even got all but one killed for the profession.  WHOA!  Killed? I’m not quite ready for that.  I mean I’ll believe but I really want to keep living my life.  

As a believer I understand that my Lord gave his life for me, so that I may live with Him forever. Does this mean I have to die too?   NO  but what it does mean is that I have to live my life in such a way that I represent my faith in a light that will make other want to know more about my God. That is what got the early church started. The disciples lived their lives in such a way that others wanted to know what was going on and how could they get the peace and strength they had for themselves.

As a professional speaker and executive coach I interact with many people each week. IN fact I sometimes get to talk to hundreds of people at a time. What a platform to change others and share a message of God’s might and love.  Now if you have seen me speak you know I am a business and inspirational type speaker.  I look for the good in life and help inspire others to do what it takes to live a great life.  www.coachrickkolster.com   It is a rare occasion that I quote scripture or even reference God in my speeches. However I do ask God to make my words strong and my message heard. By that I know my words are touching lives for Him.  But one of the most joyful moments I have had in my speaking career has been the couple of times that after stepping off the stage from giving a speech I was approached by someone who said, “Loved you talk, I can tell you are a man of faith”.  Walk the walk and Talk the talk.

Through just the way I carried myself on stage, they could tell who I was to my core.  That I had faith and belief in a higher power than myself and would go on bent knee before the king. Just by the way I acted.   Is this something others can say about you?  In the workplace what can you do to show that you are a Christian? That you love God and know that He loves you. What actions can you take that will show that?

So why is it such a taboo?  Why do we shy away from talking about our faith?  Because we have been beat down by the world as a whole.  We are afraid of “hurting” someone’s feelings of making them uncomfortable.  It is the wussification of our world. The political correctness has gotten out of hand. If I believe something different than you, I must be wrong and if it involves one of the four taboo subjects,  I must be a radical!  SERIOUSLY???  Have we become so bland and milquetoast that we are afraid to take a stand?   Can’t talk about Gods, might hurt little Timmy’s feeling or confuse him into needing some kind of meds.  We have taken a Christian God out of our schools and government and anything but our church and even then we have watered Him down. 

God is God. He loves us more than we love us.   He care so much about us that He gave His son for us.  Why is this scary to so many?

 Because we are wimps!  I say take a stand.  I could care less what you stand for, but please stand for something. The disciples stood for what they believed knowing full well it was probably a death sentence and still they stood their ground for what they believed to be right.  This is where we  need to get to. A place where we stand for what is right and good.

The one thing I know without a doubt is this… God is Good! Share that message wherever you go. I dare ya!

Coach Rick Kolster is an executive coach and thought leader who works with business owners and executives to help them maximize their efforts, gain life balance and learn how they can be the best leader they can be.

Attitude the difference maker

Attitude… 

One key word that can make all the difference in how you live your life.  For years I have known that my attitude determines how I act.  But let’s take a look at how and where our attitudes are developed.  Attitudes have been said to be developed at a very young age.  In fact research has shown that most of our attitudes (up to 95%) are developed before the age of 5.  WOW!! 5 years old and we have most of our core attitudes and beliefs set.

Now what are attitudes?  I define attitudes as the way we think, or “habits of thought”.  What we think about is the way we will act or our personality.  Ask yourself, have you ever met someone with a poor or terrible attitude and a GREAT personality? Probably not.  If a person has a great attitude the likely hood is that they will have a great personality and they are someone you want to be around.  Conversely when someone has mostly negative thoughts their outward “personality” is probably negative as well.  Personality is that outer expression of our inner attitudes. What I’m basically trying to say is that there is a direct link between the way we think and the way we behave. Can you accept that link?

So how do we achieve all we can?   By changing the inner thoughts of our mind!  William James who is recognized as the Father of American Psychology once said “  "The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives."

The end result of all this is: If you want to use more of your potential and resources more creatively and profitably, you've got to begin by developing the attitudes that affect that kind of behavior.

Think about this… most of our basic attitudes are more negative than they are positive. People tend to think more often about what’s going to go wrong or how they are going to fail, than what is right and what their potential is for success.  Do ya think?   So now how do we achieve more and use more of our potential?  We do it by changing our thought patterns.  Zig Zigler says “you have to change that stinkin’ thinkin’.”  Put more positive in and you will get more positive out!

The term GIGO is one used in the computer industry.  It means: garbage in-garbage out.  You get out what goes in.  Start today to put more positive in your mind.  Turn off the TV, Radio, put down the newspaper, close the chapter on gossip.  Now try this:

Listen or read 15 -30 minutes each day of a positive message.  In your car, at home, at work where ever you may be.  Start today to make what you think about is posistve all the time.  This will help to prevent those negative thoughts and can’t of your life that invade our brains every day.

Make today a positive day, put in that CD, read that positive book, look for an inspirational message and see how this can change your life.  I wish all the best in your journey to live a better more fulfilled life both personally and professionally.