Monday, December 30, 2013

All the Best in 2014

Hope everyone is enjoying the Holidays and all the Best in 2014!

Thank you for being part of our journey in 2013 and making such a difference.


Have a very Happy New Year!
Frank  

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Vulerability Makes You a Better Leader


This week sharing the most popular Blog post for Building Circles in 2013.

Being vulnerable makes you a better leader.  

"People prefer their leaders with an appropriate balance of confidence and humility.  Yet, one of the greatest challenges many leaders struggle with is embracing (and revealing) their own vulnerabilities."

Why do many feel they have to be perfect and never make any mistakes?  There is a significant difference between striving for perfection and appearing to be perfect.   Many cannot tell the difference and struggle with people like us.   Yes we strive for perfection while at the same time we are open to being vulnerable - the balance.

In a recent presentation which included some personal stories, one gentleman approached me to ask why there was such an admission of a weakness?  My response was open, honest and straight-forward:   "I am not embarrassed to admit sometimes you deal with all the pressure by going home and spending some alone time and yes even cry".   He seemed to have a real problem with being this honest and sharing it with the audience.   It's the only policy I know!

Continuously raising the bar and striving for excellence while being vulnerable are what makes you a better leader. 
 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Holiday Season & Networking

When do you start wishing everyone a Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday?  

We have heard many happy holiday wishes since
Mid-November.  Personally, I think this is a bit too early and like to start after December 1st.  

The calendar in December is filled with holiday company events, customer appreciation events, holiday networking events, friends and family holiday events  and many others.   How many events can you attend and how many do you want to attend?

Finding the right balance is challenging.  When clients and suppliers invite you for their appreciation events it's important to make the effort to attend.   Don't forget to wish them Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays in person!

Glancing at the rest of this month, we will be attending many events both professionally and personally.   Looking forward to networking this Holiday Season, saying thanks for your business, saying thanks for your referrals and support.

Happy Networking during the Holiday Season!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

How do you keep moving forward?

How do you keep moving forward?

There are enough challenges and nay-sayers on a good day and even more of them on not so good days.   Recently, had the rare occasion of experiencing a rather unusual not so good day and felt like it was "anti-Frank" day.   

Ever have one of those days?

As leaders, People Like Us keep moving forward with support and without support.  Sure we may slow down a bit, get emotional, vent a bit and throw some "punches" and once we get a grip on it we are focused and plough forward.

What motivates us to keep moving forward?

My motivation is to ensure we are taking care of clients, both our customers and the AlphaKOR Team.  The only fear I have, as you know, is the fear of failure.  There is an inner drive to strive for excellence at all times, regardless of the situation and whatever else may be thrown at us along our journey.

Why do we want to keep moving forward?

Remember the pendulum never stops;  it moves forward or it moves backwards.   Your choice as a leader is to keep the pendulum moving forward and make sure it does not start to swing backwards.

So how do you do it?

Leaders know what to focus on and keep looking at different methods and approaches to ensure the Team embraces the concept of moving forward in the right direction.  Different personalities require different approaches.   Sometimes it is easy and successful, other times it takes modifications to move other personalities forward.

So why do we do it?

It takes great leadership to invigorate the Team to move forward.   Standing still and being stagnant or doing things the same way are not options.   Look for the early warning signs to step in and tweak, change or create the necessary measures to keep moving in the right direction.

Just do it!

Remove the obstacles and excuses with the focus of every member of the team to "just do it".   Nothing more, nothing less except performing the required responsibilities at hand exceptionally well and consistent.   You will be amazed at the results.  The investment of energy as to why we "can't" or the "excuses" should be channeled to achieving the desired results.

How do you keep moving forward?