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

Recommended Reading- Go buy Vince Poscente’s new book The Age of Speed Now!

Title: Recommended reading - The Age of Speed

TV Interview on Shaw Cable 4

Watch “The Fanny Keefer Show” where I will be interviewed along with Stephen Hammond and David Gouthro on leadership. The first show airs Monday October 29th at 9:00 am, 1pm, 4 pm and 9 pm.

Want to hear more from Cheryl up close and personal? Sign up for her Bold Leader Blog and receive her weekly updates, musings and ideas. Go here to sign up: http://www.cherylcran.com/bold_leader/index.php

Sign up for the teleseminar coming October 31st (Happy Halloween) see details below!

Cheryl is conducting a teleseminar on Wednesday October 31st, 2007

“5 Ways to be BOLD- Not SCARY”
This teleseminar will be held on Wednesday October 31st at 10:30 am PST and will run for 60 minutes including Q & A. The details are as follows:
Find out how to revive your energy as a leader, how to create more time in your day, how to have better relationships with the people who work for you, how to find your mojo and inspire others to be bold and how to fit time for you into your role as a leader.
Get rejuvenated, inspired and motivated to boldly grow you to the next level.

Topic: 5 Ways to Be BOLD- Not Scary
Date: October 31st, 2007
Time: 10:30 am to 11:30 am Pacific Time 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm Eastern
Cost: $29.00 per person

To reserve your spot email our office and call confirmation details will be sent to you.

Dear Cheryl: We are struggling with finding warm bodies to work for us and we have a few slackers that know we need them so they are doing just the minimum to get by at work. Help!

Dear Find Warm Bodies: In some markets it is true that finding skilled workers is a nightmare. We are in an employees market for sure. The key is to ensure that the work culture is based on training, support and a consistent work ethic. What does that mean to you? First don’t just hire with the hopes that having a warm body will solve the shortage predicament, instead use the resources such as your current employees to find you new hires. Provide a hiring incentive because we know that friends will tell friends and typically will have similar values. Specifically with Gen Y they are very much a networked generation who will post job opps on Facebook for their friends. Then throw in rewards for the efforts you want your workers to put in. Yes this means rewarding those who show up on time, go the extra mile and show team spirit. Lastly make sure you have a fun environment to go along with the work demands. Things are changing rapidly- we need to be creative in our solutions.

Why do they call it a "building"? It looks like they're finished. Why isn't it a "built"?
- Jerry Seinfeld, Comedian

October Article 2007-Play Big, Take Risks AND Go Home- 3 New Rules to Lead By

We know when we are playing small don’t we? You know those times when your gut says you should say or do something bigger and more meaningful than the same old same old. What holds us back from thinking bigger or doing bigger? And why is the saying play big OR go home? Why can’t we do both?

We hear a lot about finding our passion, work your passions live your passions. But what really is passion? I have come up with 3 new rules to live by which are:

Play Big
Take Risks
And Go Home

Play Big- Forget passion and replace it with ‘excitement’

Many of us get completely confused over the word ‘passion’ we think that something is wrong with us if we are not ‘passionate’ in every moment. We look at others who are supposedly ‘passionate’ and we think they know something we don’t. The truth is it is easier to reconcile the energy of passion if we transpose it with the word “excite”.
When we are excited we have energy, exuberance and we are contagious in a good way. For example I get itchy revved up excited when I am engaged with others who are as committed to growth and learning as I am. I get excited when my daughter who is 19 is excited and she is excited a lot! I get excited when I think about the energy and potential each of has to make a bigger difference in our environments. I get excited when I think about the unknown future and the fact that I am not supposed to know how it all turns out. I get excited when I think about how many people will benefit from my new book and how having one person read it could transform their work and their life.
We stop playing big because we have lost our ‘mojo’ our excitement. We stay small because we have become complacent in the results we have created and we know that growing to the next level requires a JOLT and a commitment to regaining excitement.

A few questions for you to ponder:

What excites you?
When do you feel the most excited?
What can you do to create more excitement?

Take Risks- Playing Big is for the Brave

Playing big requires taking risks. This is why many of us stay small, because we are perfectly fine- thank you very much where we are. We don’t want to spend more, learn more or do more. We feel maxed out already and may fear that taking risks may mean losing support from those we love, losing respect from others if we fail and ultimately the fear of succeeding which means EVERYTHING changes.

The point is there is absolutely ZERO excitement if we don’t step off the ledge.
Think of the last time you took a big risk; it scared the “you know what out of you” right? But how did you feel afterwards? Exhilarated, energized and alive- YES. When we take risks then others around us feel as if they too can take risks and that they too can play big and that they too can feel excited about breaking through to a new level.

Finally We Can Go Home- And Have it All

Whatever ‘all’ means to you is what having it all means. For some of you it might mean having a job you enjoy, the freedom to spend time with your kids and participating in a favorite hobby. For others it might mean taking enjoyment in being an empty nester and planning trips with your partner in between your hectic work schedule.
The point is we get caught up in ‘either/or’ thinking versus ‘and’ thinking. We can take risks, play big AND have a great personal life at home. We can take risks in our personal relationships and ask our partners to play big with us, to create more excitement in life, to choose to move away from the mundane and focus on more depth of love, intimacy and connection. You see playing it big simply means not playing small, not staying in the comfort of safety and moving with change not fighting it. Whether you are a leader or not you have the potential to completely inspire others through your willingness to play big, take risks and go home. We can inspire others through our example and that my friends is playing big.

Do you have a story about shifting from small to big? Send it to me info@cherylcran.com

This article may be reprinted in your company newsletter or publication as long as you use the following:
Cheryl Cran, CSP (certified speaking professional) is the author of a new book published by Career Press called, The Control Freak Revolution and 50 Ways to Lead & Love it as well as Say What You Mean- Mean What You Say. Cheryl works with top performing organizations and their leaders to help them boldly grow a workplace of choice.
Through keynotes, seminars and coaching Cheryl provides solutions and ideas for increased results.
Find out more at info@cherylcran.com

Cheryl Cran, CSP www.cherylcran.com

Check out the Bold Leader Blog:

http://www.cherylcran.com/bold_leader/index.php

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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.