OMG!!! I am not a big news fan because it's mostly a bunch of negative fear creating nonsense however, this story caught my attention due to my law enforcement background.
A Dallas police officer, Robert Powell detained an NFL player in the hospital parking lot when he was trying to get to the bedside of a family member to say goodbye prior to their passing. The fact that this involved a professional athlete is irrelevant. Nobody should ever be treated this way. Yes, the guy ran a red light and under the circumstances, it seems totally reasonable. The problem is that this cop is a moron and has zero common sense and compassion!
I am totally pissed off and outraged that anyone who wears a badge and carries a gun could ever treat someone like this is such a situation! Someone needs to rip the badge off of his chest and send him packing and make sure he is NEVER allowed to serve in this capacity ever!!!
I feel like flying to Dallas and doing it myself, this is disgusting! My heart hurts for this individual who did not get to say goodbye to a loved one due to the ignorance and lack of compassion shown by Officer Powell.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Leadership, Personal Development, and Success
I had the honor of presenting at The University of Mary Washington's Annual Leadership Conference yesterday. What a great learning experience for me and the attendees.
The presentation was entitled Leadership & You - What They Don't Teach You in College About Bosses in The Real World That EVERY Student Must Know!
This presentation covers the fact that over 70% of the American workforce is disengaged and how this is due to the serious void in leadership! Fact is, there are a bunch of bad bosses out there that could not lead their way out of a paper bag! The problem with this is that it's costing everyone lots of money and causing a lot of unnecessary stress. Many of these bad bosses would get better if they were taught the right way! The tactics of success and great leadership can be learned. There are ways to improve your response to the events in your life and how to do that. How you can understand the source of self-limiting beliefs and move beyond them. The importance of having clearly defined targets or goals that you are aiming for.
All of these points seemed to resonate with this audience and might have been the first time that many of them had ever heard a message like that. This caused me to wonder.... What the heck are they teaching kids in college anyway? Are they getting an education or just a degree? Are they being provided with information that will really help them deal with what's in the real world after college?
I'm sure some are and I'm also sure many are not! If you want information about how to be successful in the real world and what they don't teach you in college about surviving while working for and idiot.... Visit www.bryanthalstead.com and get a copy of My Boss Sucks - A Story Book and Survival Guide. This practical resource is full of stories about leadership gone wrong and how to deal with it along with plenty of personal success messages.
The presentation was entitled Leadership & You - What They Don't Teach You in College About Bosses in The Real World That EVERY Student Must Know!
This presentation covers the fact that over 70% of the American workforce is disengaged and how this is due to the serious void in leadership! Fact is, there are a bunch of bad bosses out there that could not lead their way out of a paper bag! The problem with this is that it's costing everyone lots of money and causing a lot of unnecessary stress. Many of these bad bosses would get better if they were taught the right way! The tactics of success and great leadership can be learned. There are ways to improve your response to the events in your life and how to do that. How you can understand the source of self-limiting beliefs and move beyond them. The importance of having clearly defined targets or goals that you are aiming for.
All of these points seemed to resonate with this audience and might have been the first time that many of them had ever heard a message like that. This caused me to wonder.... What the heck are they teaching kids in college anyway? Are they getting an education or just a degree? Are they being provided with information that will really help them deal with what's in the real world after college?
I'm sure some are and I'm also sure many are not! If you want information about how to be successful in the real world and what they don't teach you in college about surviving while working for and idiot.... Visit www.bryanthalstead.com and get a copy of My Boss Sucks - A Story Book and Survival Guide. This practical resource is full of stories about leadership gone wrong and how to deal with it along with plenty of personal success messages.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Selling Is A Lot Like Dating
First of all, I am no expert on dating... However, I do have a basic understanding of the "rules" that I recall from way back when???
Selling is like dating in that you must start out slow, maybe even have a plan or a desired outcome. It's important to gain favorable attention from your prospect, build rapport, and make a connection. Without these steps being satisfactorily completed, your chances of taking things to the next level are seriously limited.
So the next time you have a meeting with a prospect, map out a plan in your mind that creates the outcome that you want. Visualize that outcome and focus on making a connection. In most cases, the purpose of the "first date" is not to get the sale. The purpose is to make a connection so that you can get the second date. That's when you can dial it up a notch and start determining what wants and needs your prospect has and how you can fulfill them.
Remember, take it slow... If you move too fast, you might "get slapped" or lose the sale.
Just believe...
Selling is like dating in that you must start out slow, maybe even have a plan or a desired outcome. It's important to gain favorable attention from your prospect, build rapport, and make a connection. Without these steps being satisfactorily completed, your chances of taking things to the next level are seriously limited.
So the next time you have a meeting with a prospect, map out a plan in your mind that creates the outcome that you want. Visualize that outcome and focus on making a connection. In most cases, the purpose of the "first date" is not to get the sale. The purpose is to make a connection so that you can get the second date. That's when you can dial it up a notch and start determining what wants and needs your prospect has and how you can fulfill them.
Remember, take it slow... If you move too fast, you might "get slapped" or lose the sale.
Just believe...
Monday, March 16, 2009
Three Types of Bosses...
There are three distinct types of bosses:
1) The Good
2) The Not So Good
3) The Downright Ugly
The bad news and the unfortunate fact is that the latter two categories seem to be where most bosses are.
The good news is that leadership can be learned. I'm sure you have heard the ever familiar debate.... Are leaders born or made? Well, they are made. Some are made early on by their surroundings and early influences, while others develop on their own with intention.
If you have a bad boss, it's not your fault. They are a bad boss for one of two simple reasons:
1) They have not figured out how to get better, where the resources are, etc. Fact is, our society does not seek out great bosses. Instead what happens most often is people who are great performers are promoted into leadership roles. Success and high performance in a non-managerial role does not always equate to success in a leadership role. We must help people to become great leaders... It is a skill that can be learned!
2) They don't care. They are in it for themselves and they have no interest in getting better and could care less how their poor leadership is effecting the lives of others. If you work for a boss like this, GET OUT NOW!!! Seriously, they will not change and they are probably sucking the life out of you. I had a boss like this once and I kicked him to the curb. He's still a bad boss and the sad but true fact is that he thinks he's a great one. Here's the evidence... Morale in his organization in worse than it's been in years and the majority of the people that work there would go elsewhere if presented with a good option. What a shame!
If you are a boss or ever plan to be, commit to yourself that you will learn all you can about how to be a great one. Learn what inspires your people, what resources they need to be successful, what they care about, and have the emotional intelligence necessary to be GREAT!
Just believe...
1) The Good
2) The Not So Good
3) The Downright Ugly
The bad news and the unfortunate fact is that the latter two categories seem to be where most bosses are.
The good news is that leadership can be learned. I'm sure you have heard the ever familiar debate.... Are leaders born or made? Well, they are made. Some are made early on by their surroundings and early influences, while others develop on their own with intention.
If you have a bad boss, it's not your fault. They are a bad boss for one of two simple reasons:
1) They have not figured out how to get better, where the resources are, etc. Fact is, our society does not seek out great bosses. Instead what happens most often is people who are great performers are promoted into leadership roles. Success and high performance in a non-managerial role does not always equate to success in a leadership role. We must help people to become great leaders... It is a skill that can be learned!
2) They don't care. They are in it for themselves and they have no interest in getting better and could care less how their poor leadership is effecting the lives of others. If you work for a boss like this, GET OUT NOW!!! Seriously, they will not change and they are probably sucking the life out of you. I had a boss like this once and I kicked him to the curb. He's still a bad boss and the sad but true fact is that he thinks he's a great one. Here's the evidence... Morale in his organization in worse than it's been in years and the majority of the people that work there would go elsewhere if presented with a good option. What a shame!
If you are a boss or ever plan to be, commit to yourself that you will learn all you can about how to be a great one. Learn what inspires your people, what resources they need to be successful, what they care about, and have the emotional intelligence necessary to be GREAT!
Just believe...
Friday, March 13, 2009
Solution Based Selling.... The Secret To Selling More!!!
Solution based selling is not a new concept. It is however extremely underutilized. What does it means?
Simply put, you sell holes.... Not drills. If someone needs a hole, they need a hole, the drill is one tool that will provide that for them and they don't really care all that much about the drill.... It's the hole they need/want.
Here's an example of how this applies to the self-help/professional development industry that I am in.
Decision makers don't buy leadership development, what they buy and what they want is what the process of leadership development will do for them. Here are some examples:
-Reduce operating expenses
-Lower employee turnover
-Increase employee engagement
-Reduce conflict & enhance performance
-Improve collaboration
-Reduce employee theft
The language of business is $$$$. Show the decision maker how they will make or save $$$$ by "investing" in your services.... That's the magic.
Just believe...
Simply put, you sell holes.... Not drills. If someone needs a hole, they need a hole, the drill is one tool that will provide that for them and they don't really care all that much about the drill.... It's the hole they need/want.
Here's an example of how this applies to the self-help/professional development industry that I am in.
Decision makers don't buy leadership development, what they buy and what they want is what the process of leadership development will do for them. Here are some examples:
-Reduce operating expenses
-Lower employee turnover
-Increase employee engagement
-Reduce conflict & enhance performance
-Improve collaboration
-Reduce employee theft
The language of business is $$$$. Show the decision maker how they will make or save $$$$ by "investing" in your services.... That's the magic.
Just believe...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A TIP TO IMPROVE SALES & PERFORMANCE...
Return phone calls - This sounds simple yet I am amazed at the number of people who just flat out don't return calls. I must tell you that this is rude and unacceptable! Do you like it when someone does not call you back? Probably not... In fact, most people don't like being ignored and that's exactly what it is.
The problem with this is that it's a sign of more serious problems. Chances are if you are one of these people that don't return calls, this attitude and behavior is showing up in other areas of your life.
Think about it.... How many other people are you blowing off? Here's a potential list:
-Your family
-Friends
-Co-workers
-Subordinates
-Customers
Return phone calls... Stop being RUDE!
Just believe...
The problem with this is that it's a sign of more serious problems. Chances are if you are one of these people that don't return calls, this attitude and behavior is showing up in other areas of your life.
Think about it.... How many other people are you blowing off? Here's a potential list:
-Your family
-Friends
-Co-workers
-Subordinates
-Customers
Return phone calls... Stop being RUDE!
Just believe...
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