Peak Performance:The New Norm

 

Performance Expert

In today’s economy and competitive workforce there is no room for mediocre skills.

Gen X & Gen Y are competing for the same jobs as baby boomers. Gen X & Gen Y bring all kinds of digital know- how to the job table. Baby boomers bring years of experience. The younger generations have no clue how to communicate  with people (it’s text, Twitter or nothing). Baby boomers are behind the curve when it comes to technology thingies (whatsa widget doo hickey?)

So who gets the job? Sadly, many times it’s the youth. I say sadly because a lot of my baby boomer friends are extremely talented, experienced, highly educated, hard working, reliable, professionals that have been laid off in the past year and have yet to land a position. It’s heart wrenching to see them lose their homes and their self esteem at the same time.

But – take heart boomer buddies because there’s some good news out there! According to a recent survey by Boston College’s Sloan Center on Aging and Work it found 40 percent of companies still fear talent drain through retirement will hurt their performance over the next four years. More employers will either wise up fairly quickly or suffer serious consequences.

What can YOU do to stand out from the crowd? (apart from schmoozing potential employers with truck loads of cookies) Get tech savvy – take a free class on how to work the social media trend that’s here to stay. Find out where the networking events are in your area through LinkedIn and go discover what’s hot. Is there a certification that makes you more valuable? Can you learn a new skill that would bump your resume up to the top of the pile? 

To be a leader in your field is to be extraordinary. To be extraordinary your performance must excel.

Excellent performance is the new norm for tough times.

Take the first step to mastery and commit to be outside of ordinary.  Bravo! You’ve passed mediocrity and won $200.

Got Attitude? You Bet!

 

 

Speaking of Attitude

How many times do we have to hear it before we get it? Attitude is everything. A positive attitude is essential to success blah, blah, blah.

 

Attitude impacts your life regardless of who you are. Someone asked Donald Trump if he woke up broke tomorrow what would he do.  His answer: “I would realize there are still opportunities out there and make a plan.” Now that’s a Can Do attitude. People with Can Do attitudes are the ones who succeed in whatever they do. It all begins in the mind…

Recently a speaker colleague invited me to go to a Jazzercise class. Although I’ve exercised for many years I’d never been to an actual class. Working out to music with a professional instructor appealed to me especially since I’ve been in the music biz for 20+ years. This should be a cake walk I thought.

Wrong.

Ten minutes into the class of 57 women ranging in age from Gen X to Baby Boomers, I was a five foot nine dripping wet breathless blob. The fitness instructor was Barbie on steroids, the music was noise I’d never heard of and when everyone was going left I was going right. Frustration Thy name is Jazzercise! Where was the fun? What happened to the cake walk for this professional musician? Puff, puff.

Lesson #1: Decide to commit.

The second class was not any better. Nor was the third or fourth but I kept at it. I reminded myself that anything worth having was worth working for. Good health, abundant energy and a slim body are important goals. Puff, puff.

Lesson #2: Don’t give up.

Three months later I’m still skipping left when everyone is skipping right. So what’s changed? My attitude. As I look around the class I see people that have been Jazzercising for years who are no better at it than I am and others half my age who can’t keep up with my new energy level.

Lesson #3: Success begins in small steps and ends in mastery.

What do YOU want to master? (Puff!)

 

 

 

 

Facing the Fear Factor in Changing Times

Kickoff conference speaker with a musical twist that rocks!

Do you know what Billy Joel, Henry Ford and Lance Armstrong have in common? They never gave up. They failed their way to success with passion and persistence. One look at history reveals this is the single most common thread of all successful people – they faced their fear and did it anyway. Whenever we do this we become fearless. Kinda sorta…

After living in Houston for 20 years as a motivational speaker and professional piano entertainer, I was of the opinion that life was pretty good, in spite of pesky hurricanes and high humidity that makes for bad hair days.  It was the summer of 2001 and I was cruising along in my comfort zone, happy as can be, dating a cute guy, and watching reruns of CSI every Monday night. Then September 11^th happened and the bottom fell out of the speaking business.  As if to add salt to the wound, suddenly no one wanted the program I’d been doing for years. No one wanted to hear about reducing negativity in the work place – they had enough negativity coming at them from all directions! My phone stopped ringing, my bank account dwindled and my boyfriend left me. All I needed was a pick up truck and a dog and I was a living, breathing country & western song. Really.

In desperation I turned to my speaker colleagues for advice.  They said you need to change your topic and do more of what you do best which is to entertain people. I butted heads with them ranting and raving that all I needed was new clients and new ways of marketing. Besides, what was wrong with my old program? I always got great evaluations. Why should I have to change? What did they know anyway – they’d only been in the speaking biz since the earth was cooling.

Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever been stuck in a rut doing the same old thing because you were too afraid to try something new?  We all know the definition of insanity – it’s doing the same old thing the same old way and expecting different results. Duh!

Letting go of my Aussie hard headed stubbornness turned out to be a smart move. From the very first time I presented my new keynote on Change it was a huge hit. Playing the piano during my presentation was the unique angle needed to set me apart from the masses of speakers out there.

Thriving is about being willing to change and change is about being open minded. Leave your ego at the door and be open to new ideas. You may be pleasantly surprised how things work out.

 As for my speaker colleagues – although I’m grateful for their advice, don’t you just hate the sound of “I told you so?”

Put the Power of Music to Work for You

When you hear the song “New York, New York” how does it make you feel?

Playing the music that gets people happy

 Do you find yourself kicking up your heels?  What happens when you hear a Michael Jackson song?  Do you think of his sudden and tragic death? Whether we realize it or not, music can put us in a mood that affects our behavior for better or worse. Once it nearly cost me my job…….

As a professional pianist from Down Under I used to travel around the world playing the piano in five star hotels and at one time I was performing at a popular piano bar in the Munich Hilton in Germany.

My knowledge of the German language consisted of one word: “Ya” meaning “Yes.” (But you already knew that, right?) One evening a man requested a particular German song that I had never heard of. In broken English he asked that if he bought the music for me would I be able to play it then? Being new to the country and eager to please I said: “Ya!” and thought no more about it. A couple of nights later the bar was crowded and every seat was occupied at the piano. Up came the man with a sheet of music in his hand. I began playing the song.

All at once there was a deathly hush throughout the entire room. The people sitting around the piano were looking at me very strangely. It seemed the whole place had stopped operating completely. The atmosphere had turned dark and tense.

Suddenly the General Manager of the hotel came dashing in with a security guard by his side. He grabbed the sheet of music and passionately tore it up into little pieces in front of everybody. Then he turned to me and shouted: “Don’t EVER play that music in this country!”

I was stunned, frightened and confused. How could a single simple song cause such a shocking reaction? What had happened to the uplifting energy that was present just a few minutes ago? Later I found out. The song was written under Hitler’s rule and the words were about Nazi Germany becoming the supreme ruler of the world. No wonder every one had stopped dead in their tracks! This song reminded them of a horrifying time in their past history….shameful memories of a tragic war and human injustice they would rather forget.

Music evokes emotions in people. It is a universal language that holds the power of joy and pain. It has been scientifically proven that music has a powerful affect on the human brain. So what are YOU listening to?

Tune into a good mood when you’re sitting in traffic, writing that report or simply cleaning house. Pop on the CD that always soothes and inspires you. Are you responsible for arranging your company meetings? As people are arriving have Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” playing. Watch how it instantly uplifts everyone, eases tension and creates an atmosphere of positive expectancy. Try it at your next training session on team building. Pick a song from each culture and generation in your workplace and build an interactive exercise around it. I guarantee it will do three things:

1.  It will grab everyone’s attention and maintain it. Why? Because music energizes people. No more snooze fests!

2.  It will set the tone for a good time – people learn more when they’re having fun.

3.  It will build better relationships between your team members – it’s difficult NOT to get along when you’re all singing the same song!

Poof! It’s magical. It’s all in the power of music.                  

 

You Are What You Write

Are you Linked Up to here and Twittered out to there? Do you have your best mug shot on Face Book? In today’s high tech world of texting, tweeting and emails there are more communications but less personal contact. This translates into a greater risk of being misunderstood with the written word.

Check your emails before you click send. What kind of tone comes across? Does it sound warm and friendly, polite and professional? Remember people do business with people they like. Would YOU want to do business with you? When you post something on one of the social media sites it’s up there for the world to see. Be extremely careful what you write because you can make or break your own image in an instant!

For example: I am about to de-friend someone on Face Book because he is constantly writing about his political views using crass and profane language. He is someone I could do business with but that is SO not going to happen now because I have a whole new perception of him. He has unknowingly missed a lucrative opportunity because of his written word. (Surely being digitally dumped is the new low?)

People’s perception of us will be reality for them. How do people perceive you? We will believe whatever you say about you. And we will believe whatever you write about you. Use caution with whatever you write after the words “I am”. Those two little words are extremely powerful. One day I jokingly posted on Twitter: “I am a SO a Diva after yesterday’s standing ovation at the NAPM conference!” Suddenly I had 2,000 followers in my Twibe. I have no clue what to do with them – BUT – I have 2,000 peeps that think I’m a Diva. Woo Hoo!

Words are a powerful tool that can create or destroy your image. Tweet them wisely and you too can have your very own Twibe.

Talking to my Twibe

Change is Good….really!

Who says pigs can’t fly?

We’ve all heard at least one person say: “Sure, I’ll start doing that. When pigs fly and h… freezes over.” Was it you?  What was it you didn’t want to change?

In this current economic climate we’re finding change is not just a political campaign slogan – it’s become an everyday reality for lots of people. Here in Houston I’ve noticed alot more out of town license plates on the roads. Talking to sales people in stores I discover they’ve just moved here from Michigan or California and other states less fortunate.

The truth is most of us don’t like change. We’re afraid of the unknown. We want to be in control and yet we’d like to see some positive changes in our lives. Sound familiar? I recently heard a fellow speaker say something simple but profound: “If you want change - change what you do”.

So I did.

The first thing I did different was to join a Jazzercise class. Picture this: Sixty people of all shapes ‘n’ sizes in a large gym dancing  in perfect sync to the latest hit song led by a perky Barbie doll instructor that has more stamina than the energizer bunny. And then there was me – a five foot nine red head totally out of sync with everyone, dripping wet, puffing and panting, so NOT cute, wondering “What was I thinking?”

The next thing I did different was to begin research for a new speech. This requires reading current books and magazines every day to spark fresh ideas. Dusting off the cobwebs of my mind, I’m finding excitement and inspiration learning new things with a sense of positive anticipation. Kinda sorta like expecting miracles…

The third step I took was to make a point of going to one event per week to network and meet new people. Ranging from wine tastings to business breakfasts (up at 4:30 a.m. aaaargh!) my circle of professional acqaintances has widened considerably. More importantly, more people know who I am. (First rule of sucessful marketing).

All this has totally changed the daily routine that I was very comfortable in up until I lost half my steady income two months ago due to the economy.

(This too shall pass).

Results?

My energy level is at a peak as my new body begins to take shape…I can feel the thrill of slipping into skirts I used to sque-e-e-eze into even though I so will NOT be auditioning for Dancing With the Stars any time soon.

My new speech on Change has a wider market now that it’s current and more flexible (much like my new body!)

Personal networking has resulted in two new speaking clients in just two weeks. Not bad.

Change is good. It opens up whole new worlds of possibilities…….like flying pigs.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

Are you all a-Twitter about social media networking? Are you Linked In to the world and wondering why? Me too.

As a self employed motivational speaker/emcee/entertainer I’m supposed to stay current with the trends so I can sound hip in on stage. But I have to admit I’m still scratching my head about all the buzz around this use of technology. This morning I heard that Barbara Walters has 250,000 followers on Twitter.  I have twelve. Guess I need to get on national TV for twenty years to enlarge my Twibe so they can hear what I had for lunch.

Or maybe I’ll just use my next emcee gig to get followers fascinated about my life in the spotlight…….you never know, it could be the next Big Twend.

Twittering on stage

Technology or Reality?

Take a look at this picture. Would you rather be in this scenario or simply looking at it? C’mon be honest. I’m playing Billy Joel’s Piano Man and everyone is singing along and having a  grand ol’  time! (So what if no one’s singing in tune?)

If you answered ‘yes’ you’d rather be there for the fun experience then Woo Hoo!  Nothing beats a real live uplifting atmosphere to get energized and recharged. On the other hand – maybe you’re too busy to go. After all, you’ve got to get Linked Up to date, Face Booked until kingdom come and Twittered up to there. Oh, and don’t forget all those regular emails sitting in your inbox that are SO all urgent.

Yesterday I had a meeting with a client who wants me to host/facilitate webinars for companies that don’t want to send their employees to meetings and conferences for training.  As a keynote speaker passionate about her work part of me cringed inside thinking what about the contagious energy and excitement that is all part of a conference? How do you replace connecting with old friends, making new ones and all the rest of that great networking stuff that goes with the meetings territory? How can that be replaced by a computer screen?

But then I got to thinking. In this economy big companies are cutting back and small businesses are having to diversify – at least until we see an upturn. Why not bring some of  the conference  to the client?

My client is one smart cookie. She’s a wiz at recognizing trends and she’s jumping on the technology bandwagon to put the Yee Ha! into webinars for corporations. One of the squillion ideas she has is to inject some  fun into  training webinars utilizing my quirky Aussie humor and musical skills. Kinda sorta like an emcee on steroids.  Hmmmm……the mind boggles with possibilities. We could have an American Idol team building exercise using my piano keyboard and have everyone sing about challenges they’re facing at work. (Sans boss?) I could pretend to be Simon Cowell, no wait, Paula Abdul and employees would get a big boost in morale even though they suck at singing (much like me). We could make up a song about the company so they could be icons in their own eyes (lol). Solutions to specific issues could be drafted to the tune of New York New York……or Margeritaville. Whatever.

What would you do? Would you prefer to actually attend a meeting or be there virtually?

Leave me your virtual thoughts in the virtual comment space and I’ll virtually  Tweet you if I’m not too Linked In to Facebook yada yada yada….

Mind what Matters

Recently I was in line to exit Costco. It was  Sunday so there were a squillion other Houstonians shopping and ready to get out to their cars. Behind me was a man with one item. He jumped the line and went up to the man checking everyone’s receipts at the exit door and asked if he could go out. When the employee gently explained the store’s policy about waiting in turn the man went ballistic.

For the remainder of his time in line this person mouthed off profanities at full pitch to his companion and everyone within unfortunate earshot. Nasty stuff. Nasty temper. When he reached the exit the employee started to thank him for his business however Mr. Big-Mouth-Off  shouted more parting curses and by this time his face resembled a cooked tomato.

It made me wonder. Is this the stuff domestic abuse is made of? If this man got so uncontrollably angry over having to wait three minutes how did he react to something that mattered?  What is his life like with anger like that simmering inside?

Have you ever noticed  when you knee jerk react to something or someone it ruins your whole mood and often your entire day? One simple reaction can cause you to look at everything with distorted perspectives. I’m betting Mr. Big-Mouth-Off  had one big bad day all day.  I believe attitudes have alot to do with how much stress and consequent  illness we experience and for that reason I encourage you to pick your battles. Don’t sweat the small stuff!  Save your strength for when it really counts. Watch what happens when you develop an attitude of gratitude for everything good in your life right now. Poof! It’s magic! You get more of the same.

Let me know how this works for you…blog me Baby!

Casual Fridays or Careless Attitudes?

Welcome to my blog!

If you’re working in an office and reading this I’d be very interested to hear your comments…

Do you observe casual Fridays? What do you wear? If you’re a man you may wear a polo shirt and slacks. If you’re a woman you might choose a blouse and pants, right? Let me ask you some thing: What you would wear if you had a hot date? (Bear in mind Brad Pitt is taken). While we’re at it – what would you wear if you were  going out to dinner with friends or just your spouse? 

I’ve been playing the piano in restaurants around Houston for twenty something years and I am constantly appalled at how people show up for dinner at fine dining establishments. It makes me wonder about their lives…how do they dress for work? What do their homes look like? Why is it that some people think shorts are appropriate for any occasion? Do they not know any better?

It seems corporate America has loosened up to the point where every day is casual Friday. Walking into the bank last week I noticed no one in a  jacket much less a tie and while it makes sense in the hot humid heat of a Houston summer I wonder what’s happened to the professional image these days.

As a self employed speaker and musician, I’m absolutely positive I would never have been afforded so many extraordinary opportunities without creating a favorable first impression. Like it or not, what we wear says alot about we think. What do YOU think?