get diverse.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I am here to tell you that it doesn't matter where you came from, what your background is or the color of your skin, everyone has the innate ability to strive and succeed in this world. People must be accepting of different backgrounds and understand the word - diversity. Accepting people all the same is what you should live by, but I'm not here to run your life. What I will tell you is accepting people from different backgrounds other than your own will teach you things, get you more cultured and truly appreciate the little things in life. I travel all of the world and I embrace it all - you should too.

Happy New Year 2013

Blog 1.16.13 Happy New Year 2013! I believe things are going to go very well for those you take the opportunity to shine. Take a look at your year – how is business shaping up? What issues can you avoid if you plan better right now? What obstacles are in your way that you need to remove and what changes in your life should you make to shine as brightly as you can? Re - charge and re - start your battery power to project yourself into 2013! I have already traveled to Asia and back and it is only the second week of January. I thought to myself, it already feels like I have been working months since the holiday and then I remembered what always put a smile on my face – being busy, working hard and keeping the people that work for me employed. So put a smile on that face and instead of spreading the “flu” spread your energy. It is contagious and unlike the flu, everyone should catch it. So be proud out loud and tackle life with tremendous energy.

A Leader is Someone You Choose to Follow!

Every day, in every city, in every corner of the world I run into people who tell me their horror stories about their “bad boss.” Now you can choose to think these people are just complainers or you can decide that there must be some truth to these ugly stories. 1. The boss who is disruptive in the office and is constantly messing around with everyone and causing loud disturbances 2. The boss who dumps vs. delegates and then complains how busy he is 3. The boss who doesn’t walk the talk – can’t train the sales person on how to close a piece of business because they haven’t sold in years 4. The boss who is moody 5. The boss who has favorites 6. The boss who brings all their personal drama to work 7. The boss who is so complacent they could care less 8. The boss who throws everyone else under the bus 9. The boss who takes credit for others work 10. The boss who got to be the boss because the other bad boss left If none of these are you – good! If you are any of these – change yourself right now. Don’t wait for a coach, to read a book or go to a class – just simply make the change. If you work for one of these call me at 1-800 BUST-A-BOSS and let me take it from there...

The Past = The Future

Looking at your past can always allow you to see a better vision of your future. Twenty five years ago I started Master Connection Associates, and my father was the foundation of my new future. My dad – Ed Pierce, was the head of training & development for The Shell Oil Company. I had watched for years as he led a team of training professionals all over the world in the oil industry. He was an icon with American Society of Training & Development and a founding member of Sales Marketing - Training organization. I brainstormed with him about my idea for training in the hospitality industry and his guidance and feedback was the pathway to where I am today. As a successful Director of Marketing with Westin Hotels & Resorts, I felt I had what was needed to be a great trainer. He felt otherwise. He told me the last thing I wanted to be was “one of the people out there telling their old stories.” So I took his advice, studied the field of adult education and he began to mold me. The rest became history. Today, he is still our mentor, designer and oversees the Educational Technologists on our team. He is my go to person for advice, challenges and new ideas. Many times we forget about who and what got us to where we are today, and that it may not take us into the future, but it is and always will be our foundation that will help create our success tomorrow. Never forget what got you here, and never stop looking at where you are going.

The Art of Listening

Laptops, tablets, GPS, smart phones, even smart cars! If there is ever anything you need, don’t worry, there’s an App for that! The technology available to us today is endless and advancing daily. With all of these distractions, in person interaction seems to be fewer and farther between. This is why it is more and more important to practice the long lost art of listening. I’m not talking about one earphone in, listening to music, writing a text and watching someone talk to you. I’m talking about stopping, focusing, making eye contact and LISTENING! Imagine what could be accomplished if we all took those extra minutes to listen and understand what is being said to us. Think of the mistakes that could be avoided! It has been proven that the generational Boomers tend to multitask and listen better that than those of generation x/y and millennials because of these technological advances. However, Boomers still have much to learn from the other generations. If we all teach each other how to listen, learn well and live in a fast paced world, we will all be more proficient in the long run!

Just Hanging Around Doesn't Add Value...

Whether you are a leader an employee, a friend, a sibling or a spouse, it matters to “matter.” Once a person becomes ineffective their days are numbered. This is true in friendships, families and business. What value are you adding to your friends & family? Do you ever really have a good conversation with them? Do you offer advice or is your relationship based on just going out for drinks and dinner? Now drinks and dinner is just fine – don’t get me wrong. But so many people drain the energy of some of their friends without filling the other persons bucket. Value comes in many ways. It comes from making a difference at work, at home, with your neighbors and your spouse or partner in life. If comes from caring, it comes from passion and it doesn't revolve around you but around the other person. If you are just sticking around because the job or the relationship is easy, but there is no real passion to make it better, you are not adding any value to your job or life. Make a difference today – go out and share ideas with those around you so at the end of the day you can feel good about the value you have added. A friend of mine quote the song from “Chicago,” when he talked about people making a difference – he said I never want to become “Mr. Cellophane...”

Living Brands...

The other day while I was preparing for a big speech I began to soul search on my brand. I am always looking for new ways to position our company and I realized that I am a “living brand.” First of all I really do practice what I preach, but more importantly I am not static – I am alive with energy, real, living life on the road and sharing my passion with people every day. With me it is all about “what you see is what you get.” I am in China working right now and noticing that some of the “wholesale” brands that are sold here are pretty unbelievable. It is so far beyond the counterfeit purses, watches and luggage. It is about the ability to copy anything. Let’s take the empty bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild that is selling in China for $200.00. Remember it is an empty bottle. Obviously the “wholesale” Chinese company fills it with red wine and resells it for $800.00 which is still a steal for a very expensive bottle of Château Lafite, if you were indeed buying the “real bottle of wine.” Are you kidding me? When I was doing some research on the wine I read that the name Lafite comes from the Gascon term "la hite" meaning "small hill". Here is a famous legendary and expensive brand of wine that cannot be copied – so they use the original bottle and fill it with a basic red wine. Note that the bottle is original. Lafite, one of four wine-producing Châteaux of Bordeaux was originally awarded its status in the 1855 Classification, which was based on recent prices. Since then, it has been a consistent producer of one of the world's most expensive red wines. They can’t copy the wine, they can’t even copy the bottle – but for those who don’t know the difference they are buying the shell. In business I call this the “empty suit.” The person who fakes it through life copying others and calling themselves original is my definition of business or people counterfeit. Remember there is only one that is original – is that you? So what does this have with my “living brand” story? The thought that someone can copy your logo, your identity and your look does not mean they can copy your inner strength. If you are a “living brand,” you are original, authentic and no one can ever copy it because it is alive and not static. Lafite meaning “small hill,” has to do with the region and the fertile soil these grapes are grown to make this fabulous wine. There is only one “small hill,” yet people can try and convince you their hill is the same hill. So if you are not living in the present, and alive with energy, someone can take your brand and run away with it, unless of course you are a “living brand.” In that case they would have to kidnap you! As said in China - “Mountains are high and Emperor is far away!”

Help Comes in Little Ways - One Person at a Time!

Every person at one point or another has problems in their work, with their family, friends and even with themselves just trying to make it one day after another. I consider myself very lucky that I have been able to ride the storms, sail through tough times and continue on with success. I do however try my best to help everyone around me make it through their day. Too many people ignore the problems right under their nose and then wonder why things finally blow up. Think about your own life - the co-worker that comes to work lately with a frown on their face and seems to get irritated every time you approach them, or the friend that hasn’t returned your calls, or the family member who is struggling, or even as simple as a lost person at the airport who doesn’t speak English and everyone including the airline staff ignores them. How can this be? Why don’t you ask more questions – why don’t you step up to the lost person and assist? Why? My thought is that it is easier to walk on by and not get involved. It isn’t your problem, you are too busy to deal with someone else’s issues – you have enough of your own! You can and will make a difference if you just take a few minutes out of your crazy schedule to show you care. It is a call, a quick text or email or just taking the time to talk to someone who needs you. Keep in mind that not everyone will respond to your help and you must be prepared for that. Sometimes the more you try to give, and the more you try and help, the more YOU are ignored and your help goes un-noticed and un-appreciated. So it can become a vicious cycle – but I would rather ride that cycle out than live with regrets that I didn’t even try and help. So who should you help today? Who could you make a difference for today? Sitting back in your easy chair and observing life versus participating in it will not make you feel good at the end. So show up, make a difference and never look back.

Summer Memories Show a lot about your History!

Growing up in the Midwest and spending my summers on Lake Michigan in Northern Michigan gave me a lot of great memories. Memories at the time I didn't even think about - how I loved getting ready for our annual trip by packing all my new summer clothes, picking my friend that would join us (my sister and I always got to bring a friend), and counting the days before we left. For years we spent the summers in my grandparents trailer right on the beach and later my parents bought their first sail boat that would allow us to sail the Great Lakes. Para"fun"alia was the first "big" sailboat that gave us years of memories. Getting up before sunrise to get a "jump" on the big motorboats, sitting out on the deck and watching the sun sparkle on the waves. We moved to bigger boats and finally to a beautiful yacht named Marie Rae. Wow, it was great. We each had our own cabin, televisions in each cabin, our own "heads," and my Dad as the best Captain one would ever want at the helm. We sailed her every summer from Grand Haven to Canada and never thought we would spend a summer doing anything else. But things change and as life would have it my parents decided two years ago that they were done boating and put her up for sale. I never cried so hard in my life over anything material - houses came and went, cars came and went, but this "boat" was different, she was our memories. What would we do? Where would we all go for the summer? Sure we could do the hotels, but as a person who lives on the road in hotels & resorts that is the last thing we wanted to do. So 2 years ago we bought the Novotny Cottage looking right at the harbor where we kept Marie Rae. My parents live there in the summer so they do have their memories and we come and go throughout the summer. My dad has now decided to buy a smaller boat to go out in to the lake and just have fun for the day. He bought a brand new speed boat that is bright and shiny and goes real fast. We have had fun on it, but sometimes I feel like a trader if I am having fun on any boat other than Marie Rae. What's worst is that we know who bought Marie Rae and they are living on her full time - they changed the name (of course), and the look of her beautiful nautical cabins and they are creating their own memories. So as I sit on my porch this summer overlooking Betsie Bay and remembering all the memories of days at the dock and life on the water I realize that this is life - it changes like the tide, the sun always rises and sets over the beautiful lake. Only now I watch it from my porch instead of the deck always remembering that it all started there. I will always think of Marie Rae each time we pass the pier and lighthouse on a new boat. She was a foundation of family, laughter, learning how to deal with tough times on the water and most of all she was "our summer." Where are your memories from? What about your past leads you through tomorrow? I believe that the foundation you give your family during these summer vacations guides them through their life with much success. Spend time with each other because at the end of the day, it is family that will make a difference in your life. Enjoy your summer and don't forget to create new memories as they are the next chapter in your book of life.

Smiles, Charity and Inspiration

A few weeks ago I spoke at a National Charity League Event for one of my team members in my corporate office and her daughter. I have to say, what an inspirational day this was for me and for the audience of about 50 young girls and their mothers. Normally, a day in the life of Cindy Novotny is not working with young teenage girls but when I was standing up on that stage looking down at all their innocent faces, I realized, it's fantastic to make a difference in someone's life. After the speech, I had all these girls and their mothers coming up to me with endless smiles. You could tell that these were some good girls, but the ones that may have a little chip on their shoulder, were brought back down to Earth at a young age - no matter what age you are, sometimes you must be brought back to reality and realizing what an impact you can make on certain individuals lives. I was featured in the Orange County Register and that felt amazing. This was not about me. This was about these young girls, smiling, feeling good about their charity efforts and ready to take the world by storm - because guess what ladies and gentlemen, these girls will be working for you in about 5 years! Cheers to a fabulous weekend!

Observations of "Real People Doing Dumb Things" I am sitting right now in the TAP Lounge in Lisbon, Portugal listening to a man on the phone trying to get rid of a virus on his computer. He is talking to his IT professional back in his office and apparently from what I can hear (and everyone else in the lounge) is that he needs to set new passwords for his accounts. So that is exactly what he does - he confirms these passwords OUT-LOUD for everyone in this TAP Lounge to hear them , write them down and hack right back into his computer. I am sure you can only guess knowing how "curious" I am that I needed to say something to him - my traveling companion - Lefty told me to stay out of it, but I thought otherwise. I leaned over and mentioned that everyone could hear his passwords and he should not say them so loud. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "I have to give them to my IT guy because he said I can't email them or someone could get them." OK - I give up. Is everyone a "stupid donkey?" Just earlier in my day I was at the Frankfurt Lufthansa Lounge and every person that walked by the coat hanger hit their head on the hangers. I watched this for about 20 minutes and then decided I would get up and move the hangers that were sticking out in the way of people walking by. No one else noticed, cared or even made mention that they were hitting their head on the hangers. Honestly - what is wrong with being curious - I just decided that my goal in life is to stay connected and share my thoughts with people whether they want to hear them or not. I know that someone out there will appreciate me one of these days. Signing off - Airline Lounge Curious Cindy

How Do You Act on an Airplane?

As you all know, I fly for a living. I am traveling this globe 50 out of 52 weeks of the year and see many people, places and attitudes. I have come to the conclusion that you can tell a person's character by how they act on an airplane... You've all seen it - boarding the plane at O'Hare to "The OC" and you should actually plan on riding in coach because the "Premier" line is so packed with the "Orange Crush" group - the too good businessmen that think a woman has no room standing in 'this' line, the obnoxious person on their cell phone, the mother who is trying to board with her newborn being pushed aside by a man in a suit - that has the "Orange Crush" written all over it. Now, I live in Orange County, so I'm allowed to say this - but everyone is so consumed with being first in line, first to board, first to be served, it's in our nature - but next time you are flying the friendly skies and you see that mother, elderly person in a wheel chair, someone drop something, think about your character and re-assess yourself. See you in the skies :)

Don't Take a Shortcut in Leadership!

Recently, I have noticed many leaders putting their head in the sand and worrying about themselves and ignoring the turmoil around them. So today pull your head out of the sand, dig in your heels and take charge of your destiny. Life is short and you have a small window of time to make a difference in people's lives - are you making that difference? Here are a few tips to jump start your new path to engaged leadership: 1. Sit down with each of your team members and ask them what they need from you and then share candidly what you need from them 2 Set up your expectations in writing and share with your staff -- actions needed, deadlines and goals 3. Inspect what you expect every day Remember you are responsible for the results of each team member. Not just yourself!

Email is not a Conversation! I have been saying for the past few years that everyone needs to pick up the phone more and call each other rather than having an entire conversation via email. Recently I have seen a few cases where things got heated up because of what was being said in an email conversation. You can not communicate passion, excitement or frustration in an email - it is always misinterpreted. This applies to business, family and inter-office communication. Say what you mean and get it said in less time than texting or typing an email. Everyone is so concerned about the future of relationships. I hear from my clients in the law firms, hotels, medical centers, real estate and retail that they need to build better relationships in and outside of their organization. If you want to influence people you need to talk with them - not to them! Whether you are in sales, a managing partner in a professional service firm or selling a luxury consumer product - people do business with people. So stop being lazy, stop hiding behind the keyboard and reach out to those you want to talk with - you will be amazed at your success!

Immerse Yourself

No matter where you are in your job or in the world, it is so important to immerse yourself into your role. In a work environment, you must get to the bottom of all client needs, dive into your job and challenge yourself to reach goals. I tie this in to traveling around the world. 9/10 I am traveling the world for business, so I'm immersed in my job but I really try and become a part of the city I'm in. Immerse yourself in the city or country you're in, learn the history, eat the food, understand the culture - appreciate what this world has to offer and what you have to offer the world.

The World Belongs to Those Who Explore!

I love traveling and as I sat in Cape Town, South Africa last week I realized that my life is exploring the world. Every minute of every day I am thankful that I get to meet people from all over the world, try new foods, learn about history, get fascinated about cultures, clothes, ideals and of course, the magnificent scenery. I understand that not everyone can travel like I do, but many people are given these opportunities and choose not to go. Exploring is fascinating and you can even do it in the comfort of your own backyard. I believe the world belongs to those of us that are curious. Curious every day, about everything that makes your life more interesting. Try asking questions, challenging the status quo and investing in learning about the future possibilities and you won’t believe the outcome. The world is waiting – what is keeping you from discovering and evolving?

Lost in Translation

By now you know that I have been traveling internationally for the past 4 months ~ with that in mind, you must also know that I need to have my nails done, hair colored and I run out of the usual amenities such as a "razor." This is where I find how much we have in common but how different we communicate. When my co-worker called down and asked for a razor, the bellman brought an "eraser." When I tried to explain that I had a "cow lick" in my bangs when getting my hair done, the stylist brought me a "food magazine with a picture of beef" on the cover. Although very funny - it just goes to show that we are still very close but oh so far away. And this my friends was just about personal needs, not about corporate business, politics or heavy conversation. That is where things really go a miss. So today try to communicate with a global touch. Ask deeper questions, try to understand each other in their own world and be a "teacher." Try and help others out and learn to take their help as well. Your way is not the only way and when you live like a global citizen you learn to love "all people."

When Do You Walk Away?

There are times in business and in your personal life when you feel you have done everything you can do to get to a certain goal. How long do you strive? How much effort do you put in, before you finally give up? Knowing me, like most of you do would imagine that I would say NEVER – Never Give Up! But that brings up a good point. What are you missing while you continue to try and reach a goal that looks like it will never be achieved? Goals must be aggressive but realistic at the same time. Did you consult with anyone before setting your goal? Did you look at what worked in the past and what did not work? In sales, we sometimes are told what accounts to go after, what market share to steal without a lot of direction. You can’t achieve your goals if you are doing what you have always done. The same thing applies to your personal life. You will never lose the weight, quit smoking, start exercising, live a healthier life style, save money or buy that house, if you just keep doing what you always have done. Get bold and place your top 3 goals on a large sheet of paper and place them where everyone can see them. Then ask for feedback. Give everyone Post-It notes and ask that they write down ideas for you to help get you to your goal. You will be amazed at the results. Much more than that – you will be blown away at how real your friends, colleagues and family will be as they call it like it is and set you on your final path to reaching the goals that you have never achieved. So yes – NEVER GIVE UP – but start asking for help!

Everything I Learn About a City, I Learn at the Beauty Salon!

I believe that the “real” people of a city are the employees who are least likely to be asked about where to eat, shop and what the best sites are in a city – these people are the doorman at hotels, sales clerks in stores and for me the hairdresser at a beauty salon! Yes it is “Steel Magnolia” – I know that is what you are thinking. I have begun to spoil myself and when I arrive in a city I go and have my hair blown out – just like the movie stars! I talk to my stylists, the shampoo person and the receptionist. I ask about their favorite local restaurants, where they get massages and what would they suggest we do for the weekend before we start work on Monday. Without fail, I find the best spots -- The local foot massage in Hong Kong which costs 150 HKD vs. the hotel spa where the cost is 900 HKD. I guarantee you if you visit me in my home town I will show you the best spots – not the most expensive. So, even if you don’t get your hair done all the time I invite you to talk to the locals and find out what is really the best in the city you are visiting. Remember who wants a concierge on auto pilot. The real passion is the person who loves their city!

Self Promotion

So... I am reading a leading sales and marketing magazine and there is an entire 4 page article dedicated to the subject of “How to Hire the Best Sales Trainer for Your Sales Team.” As I read the article, I realize that the author is actually a sales trainer and everything he is suggesting is promoting himself. Here is where I think that some “subject matter experts” have become vanilla in the world of professionalism. Sure, I can write a great article about why you should hire me – but in my mind that would be considered a promotional piece – not an editorial by a “subject matter expert.” The time has come for the charlatans in business today to be recognized as self promoting corporate cowards! I know this is strong language – but nothing is more aggravating than listening and reading about people that self promote without calling it that. We live in a world of organizations that recognize each other constantly, awards are given out to each other by each other, and even some organizations have figured out ways to pay for customers to post great things about them. Enough is Enough! Can’t we just win fair and square? Hard work pays off and the customers know who they can depend on. Promote yourself all you want – I do believe in self promotion but at least call it that and not an editorial.