Dolce Vita!

So here we are in Italy. We spent 3 magnificant days in Rome. Private tour of the Vatican, The Spanish Steps, the shopping, dining and above all, the laughs and fun with Kelly (my sister) and Dean. This has been a trip of a lifetime for them. We are now in Florence, and when we checked into the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel they escorted Kelly and Dean to their lovely suite, with flowers, champagne, and chocolates. Happy Anniversary! I loved the look in their eyes. Seeing them enjoy this trip is worth the price of admission. They are thrilled. We had a lovely day going to Pisa and tomorrow a city tour of Florence. Then off to a Villa to rest up for our flight home.

It has always been said that it is better to give than receive and I have always been a giver, but this trip has been a gift to me as well. Although I miss having Lefty with us, we talk several times at the end of my day and text late into the night. I have been in charge of making this a great trip for my sister and Dean, and it is working.

We went to Mass at the Vatican and as I sat there listening to the service in Italian I felt so good - I knew pretty much everything they were saying and it was a special time to just sit back and reflect on this year. We are all so blessed and so many of us just go so fast we don't take time to just "chill." I have not laughed so hard and had so many great conversations with my sister in a long time. We are always focused on the kids, work or family. This was just about us and it was a great time to connect. Lefty stayed connected by our stories over Skype each night - he laughed right along with us.

So as we enter the festive season of Thanksgiving, reach out and let those you love know how thankful you are for them. It only takes a phone call, a card and even just an email. Life is short - you all know that, so take care of what matters now. Dolce Vita!

The Road Keeps Winding

I have always been a big believer in making lemonade out of lemons and believe that I have helped hundreds of people through this rocky year stay on top. So now it is my turn. When you are the person who everyone turns to for motivation, it is hard to find motivation yourself. I read everything in sight, listen to speakers, talk to everyone I can to keep myself informed and yes, motivated. But the road continues to wind and with each curve there is always another curve ball.

Recently my travel schedule has been more hectic than usual, and for those of you who know me you may wonder how that could be. But, yet, I keep on trekking. One city to another - one country to another, all with a smile on my face and a positive attitude. Up to this point I have always tried to look at things through rose colored lenses, but recently I have met people who will do whatever they need to do to get ahead, put others down and not really care about assisting those around them. Playing politics has never been a game I get involved in, and I have been able to avoid being invited to that table. Well I have decided I am inviting myself and calling people out on their antics. This of course won't win me any friends, but it certainly is allowing me to stay authentic to who I am.

I am known as the radical mentor, people want to hear what I say until it is about how they need to change. Please know that I am a part of this too, I get feedback about my performance, attitude and team work daily. I accept when I get on someone's nerves and I try and change that behavior. Why in the world is it so hard for people to face facts - look in the mirror and take responsibility for what is expected of you.

I am getting ready for a trip to Italy - it is my sisters 50th birthday and she and her husband are also celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Lefty and I planned this trip a year ago as a gift to them. A fun time to get away and no speeches or workshops for Cindy. Well once again the road winds, and the curve ball is thrown.

On a 18 hour flight back from the Middle East Lefty developed 3 blood clots in his leg. Needless to say 2 weeks later getting on another transatlantic flight is not a good idea. So we pick up and keep going. I will take my sister and her husband on a fabulous trip. I will talk to Lefty every day and he will be a part of the trip. Just like we have done for 29 years. I wrote the book Living with no Balance and Loving it for a reason. If there were balance, we could have postponed this trip and waited for Lefty's leg to get better. But we don't live with balance - my schedule is so booked through 2010 that trying to find a new set of dates is crazy - so we move on.

Why is it so hard for people to be flexible. The restaurant that doesn't go out of their way for a guest, the hotel without a bar open to serve a busy lobby. The gift shop in a hotel that has nothing for any normal emergency you have while traveling and manager with an attitude. I have no more time for this and from now on I am speaking up. I always have been careful not to make anyone mad. Forget it - when I get mad no one even knows - so now it is time for me to share. Life is a great gift and I will never take it forgranted. Stop sitting back in your easy chair watching life go by - get out and participate with a great deal of passion!

Executives With Too Much Time on Their Hands!

We have experienced the biggest economic slow down we have seen in years and still there are so many executives that are out of control. Now more than ever it is every one's responsibility within an organization to make a difference. Whether you are the mail boy or the CEO, you need to focus on 3 key elements in your business today.

1. Keep all current customers so happy they won't go elsewhere
2. Find new customers to replace those that you have lost
3. Create innovative ideas to get your customers to spend more money with you

Now this takes brain power, energy, team work, brainstorming, breaking out of our comfort zones and accepting that just because you are the vice president you may not have all the answers.

As a leader you have a fundamental obligation to your business, your board members, your employees and your customers. Find ways to keep the business alive and don't sit back in your easy chair and direct. This time in history means rolling up your sleeves and getting out there and working - not sitting on the side lines judging and criticizing, but actually assisting your people how to do it better everyday.

I have been a leader for over 30 years and I promise you I have always worked side by side with my team during tough times. It doesn't mean during great times I sit back, it just means when business is so great I can step aside and plan for the future. The future right now is tomorrow and if you haven't done anything to help your team for tomorrow - there is no sense in sticking around for the future - because there may not be one for you! P.S. Wonder what I am doing with a TSA agent - just so happens they were having line up and I teach organizations about line up so I asked if I could join in - due to some security reasons I could only join for the last few minutes, but I did learn some new things - day by day, city by city, airport by airport I know I am helping each person I meet and each person on my team how to be better. And along the way I also learn and grow! Oh by the way - this TSA agent knows me so well her nickname for me is "shoes." I bet that some executives out there are not known as well by their employees as I am by these agents.

Different Religions are Like a Lamp of Light!

Interesting flight to London from Cairo recently. I was seated in economy next to two young girls my daughters age - 21 & 22 years old. One of the girls mother was up front in business class and the girls decided I was just the person to talk to.

A four hour flight and I enjoyed every minute of this conversation. The way they engaged in conversation was to lean over to me and ask if I was a mother. When I said "yes," they asked if I had a son or a daughter and what her age was. After we shared information about each other - they were attending a semester abroad in London, and I told them all about Jessica, then came the big question. Are you Christian or Muslim? I told them I was Christian and they both shared that one was Christian and one was Muslim. We proceeded to talk and they said, here is our dilemma...the Muslim girl explained that she is in love with a Christian boy from Cairo and her parents are forbidding her to see him and now that she is leaving for London she wants to call him to say goodbye. I continued to just listen and then they asked me what she should do.

Now let's remember that I don't know these girls at all and I am certainly not going to tell them what to do, but listening to their story made me feel bad for the Muslim girl who is in love with a Christian boy. Life is strange and each move we make changes our lives for ever. Her best friend seated next to her who is Christian and dating a Muslim boy said - go ahead and call him - use my phone and your parents won't know. The the Christian girl said something I will always remember... "After all religion is like lamps." "You can change the shade but the light is always bright underneath each shade!"

Remember this today - who are you, what are you and why do you do what you do? - we are all lamps with different shades - maybe we should all learn to shine some light!

Time to Turn Over a New Leaf!

It is the last few days of September and it seems like yesterday it was January. I know...where does the time go? So let's think about that. Where does the time go? How many of you have completed your to do's, hit your targets and are ready to begin turning over the new leaves for the next year. Yes, I am serious. Autumn is a great time to begin planning for 2010 - not just your corporate budgets, travel plans and targets for work, but your personal goals as well. What have you accomplished this year? Make a list of your accomplishments and brag out loud. Don't wait for someone to thank you for what you have done - thank yourself by feeling good about yourself and planning new challenges for next year. 2009 was tough for everyone - business, families, and students all struggled to make the most of a bad year. But we are turning over a new leaf. We are entering the last quart of 09 and I believe what I said in January - those of us who marched forward through this chaos are thriving and those who buried their heads in the said are just surviving. Which are you? What changes did you make in your life and in your business? What is your plan for 2010? How will you actually have made this recession work for you?... and finally ~ my suggestion to each of you reading this is to "just get on with it." This is our time to prove what we can do. Don't let the politics, the negativity or the economy get in your way. Go out and make a name for yourself in whatever field you are in. This is our time to shine!

Let's Get Real

Everyone in business today is serious about staying in their business and more so growing their business. But what does that really mean. What changes in behavior have you taken to find new business. There are a lot of people out there fighting for your share of the pie, and guess what ~ they may be more serious than you. What do you have to do in order to keep the business you have and actually win more business?

The answer lies in your focus, drive and commitment to work harder than your competition to keep your current customers and win new ones. Let's say for example you have a frozen yogurt shop in your neighborhood. You already have a lot of regular clients ~ you even have a loyalty program and stamp their card each time they come in. Well, what happens when someone opens another yogurt store within 1 mile of your existing shop? The new yogurt store even tells customers that they will honor your loyalty card and they have priced themselves evenly with you, offer more toppings for the yogurt than you have and even more so, they have a customized juice bar that you don't have.

What are you going to do. Complain to your friends that the community should not have allowed them to open another yogurt store by yours, lower your prices, try to build a juice bar, add more toppings - what are you going to do?

Let's get real! No one has a license on market share. What should you do? Make sure this doesn't effect you. First let's look at business today and see how focused you are and how competitive you must be. Answer the following questions to make sure you are prepared for the next competitive strike.

1. What new things are you providing to your customers now...before they ask for it?
2. How do you respond to customer feedback?
3. What does sense of urgency mean to you?
4. How do you actively stay on top of the competition?
5. How much fun do you have with your customers and your employees?

The answers to these questions and others will help you continue to position yourself aggressively against the competition. Remember ~ Let's Get Real! Stop blaming everyone else about your loss of revenue. Find new ways to contribute to top line revenue right now, whether you are in sales or not.

For more help contact www.masterconnection.com and ask for Cindy - I will give you what you need, and don't be surprised if it isn't a good kick in the pants!

Summer is Almost Over!

So the lazy days of summer are coming to an end...or are they? People are still out of work, or working less and to them, summer will keep on rolling until they are employed. The politics of today concern everyone - healthcare, the war(s), the economy, the weather, and on and on and on. So stop right now and focus on what I am about to say! Seriously. What is wrong with America? We are a strong country that has been a leader forever and now because the media and the liberals continue to tell everyone how bad it is here, some people are actually believing it.

Again, I am really not concerned if you are conservative or liberal - I am concerned with reality and most people can't face reality. Reality of this country has been built on hard work and not on hand outs. But that doesn't seem to matter anymore. Give me more, give me more...who is going to give more? The only people that are going to give more are the ones that are working hard to be able to give.

Tonight I had dinner with friends from England. First they HATE their heath care system and second, their friends and family members that are out of work are not even trying to get jobs because in their socialist society - the government will take care of them. So sad and so true.

When are we going to stop blaming and start to take some responsibility. If you haven't saved money, invested money in IRA's or your own retirement - whose fault is it? Money problems have been around forever - the only difference now is that we have to constantly blame someone and it usually is big business. I am over it and over those who want a hand out. Charity begins at home and I will take care of my own - my family, my business and my country. If you don't like that - who cares! We will not only survive this mess we will thrive. Look at the real grass roots of America...they are speaking up and not standing for this chaos. Think we are kidding...just continue to sit back in your easy chair and watch. This is just the beginning. Nothing and no one will make you a success. This comes from within - you either have it or you don't. Make something happen now and you will be successful for the rest of your life!