Small Business Leadership and Sales Blog

I wanted to express to you my excitement with using a tool that has enabled to be more productive, while being mobile.

Our company right now is spending a large amount of time making our company more efficient.

Mobility with technology has never been more at the forefront of our culture. For a couple of years now, I have used a product -- or shall I say, a service -- from Copytalk. Copytalk.com is, essentially, a dictation service. What it allows me to do is dictate a message of all of the details and follow-up items of the meeting from my phone, in my car, before traveling to next appointment.

I can dictate so that no balls are dropped!! The work delegated, (via CopyTalk) can begin by my team back at the office – before my return.

Hello!!! Are you thinking this through Productive people?? This is a MONSTER time-saver idea!! Don’t miss it.

Additionally, when a small business owner or manager is mobile and she has an idea for her team members as an agenda item for a team meeting, at the press of a button she can dictate out her message while keeping her hands on the wheel.

I strongly encourage all people in leadership positions to spend time discovering Copytalk.com. They're located out of Sarasota, Florida and would be more than happy to discuss how their service can increase the performance of your group or enterprise.

My helpful CopyTalk person is Deanna Faris at 866.267.9825 x419

Tell her the Ragin’ Cajun sent ya!

As always, we encourage our readers to share your “productivity” ideas with us here.
All of us can benefit when one of us cares enough to share!!

Until next time.
Peace, Love and Gumbo!!

Marvin LeBlanc 

Welcome Back Marvelous People!

When someone describes you, what is the one word most frequently used to describe you? Do you  know what that word is? Do you even care? You may say, Marvin why the heck should I care? Well here's why. Because your life has a purpose. You matter. Your life's legacy can be that you were a "difference maker".

DIFFERENCE MAKERS ARE PERMANENT MARKERS IN A DRY ERASER WORLD!!

You can choose how large your COMMITTMENT is to "difference making".

Just for your family and that's all? Great!! That's huge. The world can benefit greatly from people like yourself that's committed to "taking care of their own".

How about your family and your neighbors? (look outside. Is there a neighbor that just needs to sit and talk with you over a cup of Community Coffee?)

How about your family, neighbors and the community you live in? (that community you live in, which group of people there are going through a world of hurt?)

How about your family, neighbors, community and the state you live in? (I bet you know what the biggest problem your state faces. Hint: your family, friends and neighbors talk about it all the time. How can you make a dent in the problem?)

How about your family, neighbors, community, the state and the country you live in? (A pebble in a pond makes a ripple that reaches wide)

You may be thinking: "Oh now hold on Marvin, you're taking this thing way too far?"
Really.

Explain to me WHO told you that you can't be a difference maker for all 5 of these groups.

Who are these people?
Do you even know their names?

Let me tell you exactly who these people are.

They are DREAM KILLERS!! Yep, I said it. Who are "they"? Do you even know their names? Have you ever sat down with them and shared a meal?

Important Point:Obsess with memorizing and repeating this question over and over until it becomes a part of your very fiber.

Ready for the question? Here it is.

WHY NOT ME??? (write that down!!! Go ahead, no one's watching. Now put it in your purse, wallet or on your refrigerator. The Places you visit often.)

Get this:
It requires no special talent, no special training, no special college degree or ANY degree or even a High School diploma to commit to a life of being a "difference maker".

What it DOES take is:
1.Selflessness
2.Daily Random Acts of kindness
3 Compassion
4. We, we, we. Not me, me , me.

Now be honest - if you don't already possess these 4 traits of a difference maker, can you not develop these 4 traits?

All it takes is to CHOOSE. The world needs you now. I could care less what your past is. The only thing that matters is the choice to be a difference maker now. Live in the present.

Will  you choose to be a Permanent Marker or a Dry Eraser?

I hope you enjoyed today's message.

Speaking of choices, our "Community" of readers could really benefit from your ideas and tips on how they can be better difference makers. Be sure to use the comment and feedback feature we have provided. Be selfless. Be a Giver!

Until next time!

Peace, love and Gumbo!!
Marvin LeBlanc, LUTCF, CNP
South Louisiana

Each year there is big hype surrounding "Draft Day" in professional sports. And long before a team chooses a player, there is extensive evaluation that has been conducted. Interviews are conducted with former coaches, teachers, teammates, neighbors, friends, relatives - you name it. Workouts are conducted that will assist the team in their decision making process.

Ultimately, at the end of this process, there are 3 questions that must be answered in order for the team owners to be comfortable with their selection.

1. Do they have the ability?
2. Will they do the job?
3. Are they a good fit?

Most CEO's, Small business owners and managers reading this article already KNOW THIS.

However, the RAMPANT PROBLEM IN SMALL COMPANIES is that they make hiring decisions without embracing these 3 critical questions. (Yes, I have made the same mistake of hiring based on a "feeling" instead of using a sound process that reveals accurate answers to these 3 key questions)

Realize Small Business people that:

1. Everyday is "Draft Day" for us. (meaning we always need to be evaluating new talent)
2. Your next hire can be vital to your team for many years to come so take the time to "Interview" those that have lived and worked with your prospective team member.
3. You may want to consider a "Workout" for them. (Can they shadow a high performing team member prior to you making a final hiring decision?)

So for your business:

Do they have the ability? Having the ability to play at the next level by meeting or exceeding your expectations is important to consider. Carefully evaluate the candidate's abilities and compare those abilities to your business requirements for the job. If they do not match, look for someone that has the right abilities.

Will they do the job? Ability is one thing, but having the will or desire to perform the job is another. Ask hard questions about your candidate's willingness to perform at the level you need. There is will, and there is skill - for small business development you will need both.

Can they fit? A great superstar who is ready and willing to take on the work can still be a bad choice if they cannot fit into your current business environment. Examine personality and behavior traits to see if there are some glaring issues that could cause conflicts or problems down the road. You do not just need an outstanding player - you also need a coachable team member.

Don't get discouraged. You can climb this hill!

If you need a helping hand as you climb, let's set up a 15 minute "Virtual" cup of coffee. It will be then that you can use these 3 Key Questions to decide if you should "Draft" me to work with your team as you strive to reach Marvelous Performance.

What do you think? 

Use the COMMENTS section below to share your advice, insights and experiences on this topic...

Hello Marvelous People,

Today's message focuses on a subject that comes up too frequently in our Marvelous Performance Schools and teleseminars. So many team members are struggling with their personal relationships with their loved ones. Unstable relationships, sickness, and dealing with disabled family members all can impede an employees’ ability to perform well when they get to work.

The problem: balancing my home drama and challenges with my work obligations and responsibilities.

Eight possible solutions:

The following tips are from eight different team members from five different states that have shared with me how they commit and recommit to good work in spite of things being bad at home.

My sincere desire is for these eight tips to provide inspiration for you to overcome the “bad at home syndrome”.

Their comments include:

1. “I actually look forward to work because I'm more appreciated there than at home”.
2. “I just made a decision one day that when I leave the driveway, I turn off my “home drama” and focus on what I need to do at work”.
3. “When I get to the back door of the office, I sometimes will pretend that I'm happy, and usually I can get in a better mood as I get moving”.
4. “I have a friend(s) at work that know(s) me well. They will cover for me if I'm having a really "sucky" day and I'll do the same for them”.
5. “I owe it to my boss/company, because not only do I want and like my job, but I need my job”.
6. "We're always busy at work, so I need to do my part, especially on Mondays. Everybody needs to show up on Mondays at our company".
7. "I cross the Mississippi River everyday. I leave my home problems on the “home side” and the work problems on the “work side”.
8. "My boss made me mad when it became company policy that we could only be on our cell phones at lunch. After a week, my family finally quit calling me and interrupting me during the day. Guess what, the world didn't end, and I actually liked it. Yay me!"

Today’s Call To Action:

These are the thoughts of 8 team members and how they overcome the “bad at home” syndrome and make it a great day at work.

Ask yourself: What “1” idea will you use “right now”?

“Nothing will happen differently if you don’t do something differently”.

Be sure to leave your feedback so that others can benefit from your stories and opinions. You matter!

As always, you can drop me an email at Marvin@MarvinLeBlanc.com if you would like to have a 15 minute confidential phone chat or if you simply have a thought or observation you’d like to share. What other subjects might you like me to cover?

If you’ve not read, “Come Hell or High Water” (Life Lessons From Hurricane Katrina) you can pick up a copy at MarvinLeBlanc.com - Inside its covers I reveal the secrets & techniques I used after my home and office were destroyed in Katrina. It’s a fast read. Ladies, even your husbands will read it because it has some great pictures for them. 

When I entered the Ear/Nose/Throat specialist office in Metairie Louisiana, one of the most important questions on my mind was “will I be able to continue to speak effectively with my motivational business after this surgery?”

The doctor was explaining the surgery process and how the pre-cancer cells on my tongue will be removed.  When I asked the doctor the question about my motivational business and speaking, he hesitated and then responded with “Marvin, you will just have to learn to use what you have.”

How often in life are we dealt with a challenge that could seemingly take us completely out of the game? What if we lost one of our greatest strengths?  How many of us would give up, and how many of us would find a way to pick ourselves up and move on?

I chose the path to move on and keep my  speaking business going. 

In life it is critical to persist and overcome obstacles – no matter how great they may seem.  All of us have strengths as well as weaknesses.  And we should all commit to working on them regularly.  Follow these tips to help you capitalize on strengths for small business success:

• Take a pencil and paper and then list your strengths.  Everyone will have more than one strength, just as everyone has more than one weakness.  For this exercise it is important to focus on your strengths.  Your strengths may include positive attitude, health, dedicated family, good relationships, or solid partnerships with your coworkers.  Make sure you list more than one strength, and feel free to add to this list at any time.

• Pick one strength from your list each day and stay conscious of that strength throughout the day. Find ways to use your strength in some form.  It could be to mentor someone else, to make a winning sales pitch, or to simply finish that task that has been sitting on your to-do pile.

• Each night before going to sleep, make it a habit to review how you used your strengths during that day.  Think positively and try to avoid the negative thoughts like “I should have…” that can often creep in and corrupt our ability to succeed.  Do not dwell on what you did not accomplish.  Instead look closely at what you did accomplish and how your strengths played a part in that success.

• Paste a note on your bathroom mirror as a reminder to focus on the strengths that I have TODAY. By cultivating your strengths and building them to be even greater, you can achieve success in many areas of your life.

Strategic Coach’s Dan Sullivan once said “if all you do is focus on strengthening your weaknesses, at the end of your life all you will have is a list of strong weaknesses.”  This is an important message when so many of us are bombarded with negative attitudes and weak thoughts.  It is not easy for many of us to realize our full potential because we are held down mentally by so many obstacles and challenges.  Treat those challenges as opportunities to shine and prosper.   Focus on your strengths – use what you have – for your life and small business success.

Peace, Love & Gumbo - Marvin 

Remember, “Marvelous Performance is always intentional. Marvelous Performance is never accidental.”

Feel free to send me your opinions, comments and feedback. We encourage you to inquire how our systems will help inspire you, your team, group or association to measurable Marvelous Performance.  Email me at Marvin@MarvinLeBlanc.com

Procrastination can be an unwanted and burdening especially for small business owners. Tackling procrastination can be one of your most rewarding accomplishments because it will cause a chain reaction of success in your life.

A lady once needed to make a very important business call to a customer, but she had to convey bad news when she made the call. She put the call off and was anxious and nervous all day long. When she eventually had to make the call, she found that it did not turn out to be as bad as she had built it up.

A good lesson to learn is to kiss all the ugly frogs early in the day. The childhood story about the princess and the frog is where this saying originated - the princess should start with the ugliest frog to get the worst out of the way, so that all the other frogs don't seem quite so repulsive. Taking on the toughest tasks first gets all the difficult tasks out of the way, and opens your day up to handling the easier and smoother tasks later on. Avoiding procrastination can reduce your stress and anxiety levels as well as make you a more productive person and business owner.

An important mantra that is printed in my book Come Hell or High Water is:

"Tomorrow I will do everything that should be done, when it should be done, and as it should be done. I will perform the most difficult task first because this will destroy the habit of procrastination and develop the habit of action in the workplace."

You are encouraged to repeat this mantra before you go to bed each night as you begin your efforts to tackle procrastination in your work life as well as your personal life. Procrastination does not need to hold you back and keep you from the success that you richly deserve. Tackle procrastination and with a good attitude and dedication you can beat the habit and rise to a new level of productivity.

Remember, “Marvelous Performance is always intentional. Marvelous Performance is never accidental.” 

Feel free to send me your opinions, comments and feedback. We encourage you to inquire how our systems will help inspire you, your team, group or association to measurable Marvelous Performance.  Email me at Marvin@MarvinLeBlanc.com

We are almost to the middle of summer and the height of vacation season.  A fellow NSA colleague Kimberly Medlock shares this great information about not taking mental baggage with you on vacation.  Enjoy! 

There is something mysterious that often kicks in for many on “the day before vacation.” That long tedious list of random tasks that you have been able to successfully suppress for weeks (or months!) suddenly overwhelms you with an urge of almost irrational determination to get done. You simply must clean out the refrigerator, empty your inbox, return all borrowed items and dust your houseplants before you leave for vacation! (It’s not just me, right?)

I agree with the theory that suggests that subconsciously you are desperate to de-clutter your mind and shed the excessive “baggage” that comes from all of those loose-ends, procrastinated tasks and unfinished projects. You know that unless you do, you will have a difficult time transitioning into vacation mode and really experiencing the proven benefits that time-off has to offer.

So, in planning for your time away, my advice is to also plan for a few unscheduled hours/days for wrapping-up things on “your to-do list” before you leave. Doing so can allow you to be fully present while away from the office and be rid of any unnecessary worry, guilt or fear that an important project, expectation or customer was left neglected. Wouldn’t that be a nice change?

Here are a few tips to help you feel good about leaving the office for an extended time and reducing your mental baggage:

•  Avoid starting anything new that you can’t properly finish. Depending on what your job is, prior to leaving, avoid the usual “over-packing” of your calendar with new tasks, projects and commitments.

• Clean out your email inbox. A quick and effective way to do this is to sort your inbox by “sender” so you can review and delete large blocks of related e-mails.

• Clear your desk. Eliminate the piles on your desk by starting with a quick sort. Quickly dividing all of your papers into three piles – one for action items (things that require a specific follow-up action on your part), one for reference papers (items to be filed, support and a “someday/maybe” pile – things you might get back to in the future. Focus on taking care of your action items first. (If you have the time to file the non-action items, great - but if not at least you leave knowing that you took care of all known commitments.)

•  Let your important clients and colleagues know you will be out of the office. Send an email, set-up your email auto-responder and record a new voice mail greeting telling them of the dates you will be away and who they can contact should that they need immediate help.

•  Finish, delegate or at least bring up-to-date all incomplete projects.

Tip: Avoid hard-scheduling at least the first full day or two back on the job for reviewing your e-mails, processing new papers and being brought up to speed on any new issues.
Warning: With this laser-like focus and plan prior to leaving, you just might be so amazed at how much you actually completed and accomplished that you (and your boss) may realize the answer for improved productivity is actually to schedule more vacation time!

Lastly, remember it is just work. Work will always be there. Enjoy your family and have fun!

Want to improve your personal, team or company’s productivity?

Kimberly Medlock CPO® and Certified Microsoft Outlook Specialist is a speaker, trainer, author and coach for Productive Matters. She shares with enthusiasm how to achieve greater productivity and improved peace of mind for busy people. www.kimberlymedlock.com

What the heck are you talking about this week, Marvin?

I'm talking about a simple tip to COMPLETE more projects.

Did you know that your biggest "time management" issues can be solved for $2.99?
Yep, all you need to do is buy an old fashioned egg timer at the dollar store.

Here's how you are going to start using it, (just as soon as you finish reading this article then emailing the article to 3 or 4 of your good friends that are always late and always griping about the stuff they never get done).

Premise: there are very few people that can focus their attention on one particular project or task for longer than 30 minutes without getting distracted or looking to be distracted.

So don't fight it. Work WITH it!

Strategy: put an egg-timer on your desk.

• set it for 25 minutes
• work only on the task that you have determined that is important in this "25 minute" appointment.
• avoid any eye contact with others
• turn your cell phone off or put it on silent. (don't fight me here. the world will keep on revolving during this 25 minute segment. Besides, you're not quite as important as you give yourself credit for)
• lock your office door (if you're in an office)
• notify your co-workers you are in a "conference/meeting/appointment". Because you are!! You've made an appointment to meet with yourself to confer and COMPLETE SOMETHING!!

Would you please complete a project so you can feel the excitement and self-confidence that only comes from GETTING IT DONE?

Why 25 minutes? Because at the end of 25 minutes, that particular session is over. Now you can go get some coffee, make a run to the restroom or follow-up with a co-worker or customer.

Observation: until you've really monitored your behavior, you cannot imagine the number of times you are interrupted in a typical work day. Sadly, most of us are guilty of being the person that is actually DOING the interrupting.

Oh I see, you're reading this article thinking you are not the interrupter. Well, be sure to read my next blog post because it will expose some of your own disruptive behaviors. It's a great time saving tool and it won't even cost $2.99.

Call to action: go buy that egg-timer and try this idea. Be sure to pass on your experiences with this idea to me at Marvin@MarvinLeBlanc.com.  Please pass this on to a friend, co-worker or colleague! 

Until next time.

Be Marvelous!

Hello Marvelous people!

Many of you may have already read my 1st book, "Come Hell or High Water" (Life Lessons from Hurricane Katrina). In it I discussed the Five Impossible Laws and one of those laws touched on the fact that it is impossible to over-communicate.

For leaders, communicating and effectively "speaking" is an endless challenge never to be fully mastered.

Regardless of whether or not you ever speak from a stage, know that to some degree we all "speak" professionally. May these nuggets of wisdom in Mr. Popovichs' article aid you in conquering your own stresses and anxieties.

Drop us an email and tell us how you will put these ideas into action. Marvin@MarvinLeBlanc.com

Stress and anxiety are factors that a professional speaker will have to deal with in their careers. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage the daily stresses and anxieties of their speaking profession.

Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things before you give your speech.

A technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that makes you feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you feel depressed or frustrated, open up your small notebook and read those statements. This will help to manage your negative thinking before your presentation.

Sometimes, we can get anxious over your upcoming presentation. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself giving the speech using your mind. By doing this, you will be better prepared to perform for real when the time comes. Self-Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation.

In dealing with your anxieties at your speaking profession, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that cannot be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.

Take advantage of the help that is available around you if you get really anxious in your presentations. If possible, talk to a professional who can help you manage your depression and anxieties. They will be able to provide you with additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. By talking to a professional, a person will be helping themselves in the long run because they will become better able to deal with their problems in the future. Remember that it never hurts to ask for help.

BIOGRAPHY:
Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

What is a Meta Decision?

A meta decision is an umbrella-type decision that impacts all of the smaller decisions that come thereafter. It is made with the intention of impacting or replacing a number of future decisions. Thus, meta decisions are crucial to organizing because they save the mental anguish and time involved with making hundreds of individual decisions one by one.

How Can You Use Meta Decisions to Get Organized? You can use meta decisions with clothing (“I will not keep anything that I have not worn in the last 2 years”), magazines and newspapers (“If I have not read it in the last 3 months, it gets donated or thrown in the recycling bin!”), e-mail (“I will check email for 1 hour in the morning, 1 hour after lunch, and 1 hour in the evening only.”), requests for social events (“I will commit to 3 social events this month only.”), etc.

Let’s take paper for example. You can make a meta decision to purge any business paperwork that is over 7 years old. Then, all you need to do as you are sorting is look at the dates. Anything that is older than 7 years automatically gets purged. This takes the guesswork out of reviewing and making a decision regarding each and every document. Essentially, using meta decisions is a clever way to establish rules and set boundaries.

Try it! I guarantee it will free up some of your mental clutter, allowing you to purge more of your physical clutter.

If you find this article useful, please share it with your network, friends, family and co-workers. 

Peace, Love and Gumbo,

Marvin LeBLanc LUTCF, CNP