Workplace growth expert Cheryl Cran’s newsletter for leaders and business owners

Purchase the new DVD and CD titled “The Illuminated Leader” the first in the Grow to the Next Level series. The Illuminated Leader is all about the need for personal leadership. Cheryl presents provocative thought on what it means to have personal leadership and the need for highly evolved thinking as we move forward in the next five to ten years. Individuals who will succeed are those who practice 3D thinking and are looking at people and situations in a new and different way. Purchase now by clicking here.

Cheryl's Quick Tip: Choose a different street to create new and exciting results.

If what you have been saying or doing is not creating the results you want in your life then it is time to take another street. Focus more on the outcome of what you want to create in any given scenario and then use new thoughts, new words and new behaviors to shift the dynamic and increase the likelihood of a positive outcome. The thought that got us to where we are today is not the same level of thought that will take us forward. As we all evolve our thinking our behaviors naturally shift so that our actions are now aligned to our thoughts. So the quick tip is shift thinking to create new behaviors and use those new behaviors to create new results.

Quote of the Month: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting new and different results”---Anonymous

It seems lately that the individuals and groups I have been working with are going through some unique challenges. The prediction that there would be shortage of skilled workers is coming true. Recently while working with a health group in Alberta the VP of HR mentioned that the need for increased staff in the healthcare sector in Canada is increasing rapidly and in Southern Alberta alone there will be a need for 35,000 skilled workers in the next ten years. A home builder client in Oregon is experiencing the same challenge and many industries have to come up with new and creative ways to attract skilled workers. Attraction is only part of the picture however as the next challenge is then keeping the good people and preventing them from being scooped by competitors with better offers.

This means that leaders are preparing to deal with the emerging attitude within the workforce of ‘the employers need me therefore they better make it worth my while’.

Click here for full article.

1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Bob Nelson

50 Ways to Lead and Love It by Cheryl Cran, CSP—click here to purchase now

Question of the month: How can I manage my boss so that she and I can work better together?

Answer: Great question, we can manage upwards, downwards and sideways in our organizations. We teach people how to treat us and our boss is no exception. My recommendation is that you sit down and have a one to one conversation with your boss. Prepare in advance by writing down what it is you need in order to do you job better and also write down ideas you have and things you are willing to do to enhance the relationship between you and your boss. Prepare a script and stay focused on the positive as well as the future and the solutions. Do not use language focused on the past and problem or focus solely on what the boss needs to do in order for things to get better.

An opening script example would be: “Hey boss, I enjoy working for you and I have taken the time to come up with ways in which I think I can work even better for you. I would like to share those ideas with you. One item that is important to me is face to face time every Monday morning so that we can review the plans for the week and sort out priorities together, this way I can ensure I stay focused on your top items and feel good about my contributions to you and the team”.

The point is that every leader I know would absolutely love to have their employees approach them with support, ideas and requests to work together better. We can manage upwards!

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Permission to reprint: You may reprint any items from this monthly newsletter in your own printed publication or e-newsletter as long as you include the following:

Reprinted with permission from Cheryl Cran's monthly e-newsletter www.cherylcran.com. Cheryl Cran, CSP is an author, international speaker and and consultant.