This year, we are introducing:

• A new and exciting hybrid between speaking and facilitating that I have termed a “MainStage Conversationalist”
• Two new Executive Forums – one in Phoenix and the other in Prince Edward Island
• A new quarterly webinar series
• More YouTube “how to” videos

As well as our current mix of facilitation, training and speaking services around the whole notion of teamwork and collaboration.  So stay tuned for more details!

And, just in case you’re curious, here is the process we use to set our annual goals:

First, brainstorm a wish list.  Jot down potential goals for the next year.  Remember not to criticize yourself for what you did or did not do in 2011

Then block out two separate days.

On the first day, review the numbers.  Take a look at what you have done in the past year.  If you don’t have hard facts – go get them and crunch the data on a spreadsheet.  Ask yourself:

• Who are my customers?
• What are my products or services?
• How do I add value (to the top and bottom line)
• What are my core processes?
• How am I performing my core processes – those things I must do exceedingly well to survive?

Then list and recognize your accomplishments.  Don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back!

Take a look at last years’ goals, and analyze why you met or fell short of last year’s goals – Be brutally honest with yourself and look at your performance and results.

For the rest of the day, share this information with your “kitchen cabinet” – those colleagues, friends and business contacts whom you respect and value their opinions.  Ask for and listen to their feedback as allies, not as adversaries.  Then take some time to think about this first day.

No more than a week later, go hibernate someplace where you won’t be interrupted and revisit your “wish” goals.  Keep only those that are going to significantly propel you forward.  Don’t be intimidated by those “BHAGs” (big hairy audacious goals) – they often inspire us to great things!

Create your goals in concrete sentences: “I will earn $**** this year.  I will expand my market by 20%.”  Write each goal at the top of a piece of paper, then answer “why?” you want to achieve each goal.

For each goal, ask “What are the roadblocks to achieving this goal?” and then identify strategies (the how) you are going to achieve it.

From these strategies, create an action plan – specific items to write on your “to do” list, calendar or planner.  Then go ahead and write each activity in your planner.  This part can be tedious and time consuming, but well worth it.  Each day, when you open up your planner, it will be your decision whether you really want to do that small activity that will help you achieve your goals.

Check out this video to see the “people’s microphone” in action – and the audience is loving being part of the conversation!

Here’s another video where the audience responses are edited out of the video to show the streamlined presentation.  Pretty cool and I bet it is more difficult to keep the flow going when you have to stop at each sentence!

What do you do to include the audience in your message?

A simple entry

As we went around the dinner table sharing our thanks for the year, it reminded me just how important it is to be thankful each and every day – not just on Thanksgiving.  Of course, I’ll be able to celebrate the US version of Thanksgiving in another month (pass the gravy, please!); however, I’ve started to make it a practice to start each day writing three things to be grateful for in my Gratitude Journal.

This past summer, Steve Foran gave a short presentation at the CAPS Halifax chapter meeting where he talked about the importance of giving thanks.  Yes, it is a message we have heard before: Have an Attitude of Gratitude.  Yet Steve did something different.  He handed each of us a small 3″x5″ leather, hardcover journal.  He challenged each of us to write three things we are grateful for.

I have been doing this since August, and I notice the day starts much more positive and energized.

What can you do to bring an attitude of gratitude to your team?

If it is the latter, I have always found it helpful to put together a “team map” – a graphic or visual representation of the team’s journey.  The team map shows the high-level components of a series of meetings – all leading to the end result.

Use the team map much like you would use a roadmap to drive to a specific destination.  Talk about it at the beginning to get agreement and alignment to the overall process.  Post it on the wall to remind team members where they are in the process. And celebrate when you move from one phase to another!

Here is a simple example of the Shewart Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle:

When improving a process, you can use this simple visual:

Or, you can use a more detailed version.  (I call this the left brained version as it is just a table with no graphics or colors!):

You can throw in a bit of color:

Or add in graphical elements:

Just as you use a roadmap when driving to your destination, try creating a team map to show the critical milestones along the way to success.

Moneyball

I saw Moneyball because it is a movie about a baseball TEAM based on the 2003 bestseller by Michael Lewis.  The story revolves around Billy Beane as the General Manager (GM) of the Oakland A’s ball club.  The team just lost three of their “stars” to other teams and he needs to draft their replacements.  Or so his talent scouts seem to think.

Early on in the movie, there is a marvelous scene in a meeting room where the scouts are jockeying for their favorite draft choices.  Tired of the discussion, Billy says something like:  “I think we’re looking at this all wrong.  Let’s first agree on what the problem is.”  He then asks the room, “What’s the problem?”

The scouts stammer, “We know what the problem is.  We need to replace three players.”

Over the next few scenes, Billy realizes that the problem is not about replacing three all-stars; it is about selecting a team of individuals with individual talents who can collectively “win”.  You might be thinking, there’s no real surprise there – but in baseball, ball clubs pay exorbitant amounts to all-stars.  And the Oakland A’s didn’t have a huge bankroll to recruit heavy hitters – so they had to think about the “problem” differently.

Rather than focus on the problem of replacing personalities, Billy focused on what it would take to “win” – and some whiz kid from Yale calculated the “win” to be a few hard numbers such as on-base percentage.  The selection process was then focused on players who could get on base and bring in the numbers.  Players who individually were scorned by the talent scouts, but collectively were able to do great things.

While the GM selects a team of perceived misfits, he doesn’t bring the team manager onboard with his plan early on.  The manager, brilliantly played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, does what he can as a traditional manager – without seeing the bigger picture.  He does what he always does, and doesn’t leverage the talent the way the GM envisioned.  Unfortunately, it took about ten games before we started to see some traction – conversations about what was most important, and what they expected from each and every team member.

I kept thinking, “This team could have been so much better if they did all these things at the beginning, bringing them ALL into the conversation.

There are many other team lessons to be learned from this movie – and I’d love to hear what you learned from Moneyball too!

The contrast between Rick Perry Michelle Bachmann “had less to do with what they said than how they said it — and what they did before and after speaking.

Perry arrived early…. The Texas governor let a media throng grow and dissolve before working his way across the room to sit at table after table, shake hand after hand, pose for photographs and listen politely to a windy Abraham Lincoln impersonator, paying respect to a state that expects candidates, no matter their fame, to be accessible.

But Bachmann campaigned like a celebrity. And the event highlighted the brittle, presidential-style cocoon that has become her campaign’s signature: a routine of late entries, unexplained absences, quick exits, sharp-elbowed handlers with matching lapel pins, and pre-selected questioners…

‘She kept us waiting, she was not here mixing — then she was talking about what a great evening it was. How do you know? You just got here,’ said Karen Vanderkrol, of Hudson, Iowa, who said she agreed with the substance of Bachmann’s speech, but that one line in particular rang false: ‘I am a real person.’”

Regardless of your political leanings, it is in interesting commentary about the difference in their styles.  And, in my mind, what you DO is just as important as what you say.  In fact, I get really annoyed when they are not in alignment.  Great leaders do what they say, and say what they do.  They are the real thing, both “on” and “off” the job or the platform.

1) I relinquished the Presidential gavel of the National Speakers Association to now-President Laura Stack, CSP.  Although I remain as Immediate Past President with Nominating Committee and CEO Evaluation duties, it’s quite satisfying to be “done” as President – and to have made a difference.  And since I talk about teamwork, the lessons learned leading a 3,100 member organization is priceless!  You can read my swan song given at our business meeting at our National Convention last week.

2)  After a year of mucking about with an aged website, I have finally launched a brand-new upgraded website.  Still working out a few kinks, but I’m thrilled with the clean lines, ability to navigate easily and my new line of business:

3)  As a high stakes meeting facilitator and professional speaker, I have merged the two skills into a new category: “Mainstage Conversationalist” – when presenting to a large group becomes more of an interactive discussion.  I’ve been mulling this around for a year or so (ever since I became NSA President), trying to figure out what to call it, and how to position it in the marketplace.  It has gotten some recent traction from forward-thinking executives and meeting planners who want the audience to be part of a meaningful discussion.

So, this past week has been a watershed week.

It all started with a goal – and some major milestones to make it happen.  Without a goal without a due date is just a dream.  When you add a dose of action, you’ll get real results!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for all the wonderful reviews, press and good words about my book, Boring to Bravo: Proven Presentation Techniques to Engage, Involve, and Inspire Your Audiences to Action.  And we have some GREAT  news:  We  just sold out our first printing!  Must have been all those Christmas orders

Thanks again for all your wonderful support, and have a FABULOUS new year!

Food.  Nothing builds teams better than food.  Whether you come together for a traditional pot-luck lunch, go to a restaurant on a special day or bring holiday cookies, food is a great excuse to get together, laugh and enjoy each others’ company.

Secret Santa.  Pick a team member’s name and purchase a small, inexpensive gift for that one person.  Usually, the team agrees on what “inexpensive” means and if “gag” gifts (such as the fake dentures) are okay.  Some great stocking stuffers to consider are movie coupons, restaurant coupons, gas cards, phone cards or coupons from the local grocery store.

Decorate.  As a team, deck the office halls with holiday decorations.  Ask each person to bring in one item or ornament that means something special.  Share the story and its significance.

Music.  Play holiday music from the radio, sound system or computer CD player.  Ask team members to bring in their holiday favorites such as Mannheim Steamroller’s Fresh Aire Christmas, Bing Crosby’s Merry Christmas or Frank Sinatra’s A Jolly Christmas.

Dress Up.  Give each person a Christmas bell, menorah, or other holiday symbol on a velvet string to wear around their necks…Yep, it feels dorky at first, but it puts spring into your step, lightens the environment and gives everyone a sense of the holidays.

Be Silly.  Do some silly things once in a while just to have fun.  When Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer comes on, crank up the volume and start singing!  Be careful not to ridicule anyone or cause any damage in the process.

Smile.  Make an extra effort to smile and say thank you.  You don’t want to be known as the team Grinch.

Something Special.  Go out of your way and do something special for each team member.  Offer help without being asked, look for opportunities to compliment others and just make their day!

 “Tis the season to be jolly, and I wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

Question:  What are the holiday traditions in your workplace?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com