Celebrating 27 Years!

It is exciting to share the AlphaKORians’ will be celebrating 27 years on February 25th, 2022!  It is a day to reflect on the past for a moment while balancing taking care of clients.  There are always scheduled tasks, requests, service tickets and projects on the go.  Just like our recent Family Day holiday, there will be many clients and new opportunities to help resolve and plan their investments in technology, keep them safe and secure and assist them to share their stories on social media.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

We enjoy looking back at the many pictures, videos and marketing material along our journey.   Some are real classics, some make us laugh and others are gems to cherish as we continue to celebrate many moments along the way.  When we were celebrating 25 years a couple of years ago, little did we know we would have two years of challenging times with this global pandemic.  Now we have many virtual memories we created while working from home and/or from the office during this time.   The Team has gone beyond the call of duty and has been there making a difference helping so many.

Giving back to the community and supporting causes and attending events have always been a self-rewarding part of being in business.   We are fortunate to have these relationships working together to help others.

TEAM DISCUSSIONS

Our team discussions went to a virtual weekly format to stay in touch with the team before heading into the weekend.  Communicating with each other on a regular basis continues to be important to keep the team updated and share their stories.  Some have returned to the office while others work from home.   In our virtual world, we see each other and not quite the same, it does help.

I look forward to having everyone in our Unplugged Lounge in the future for our monthly team discussions.   Face-to-face will always be my favourite way of interacting!

MILESTONES

I have been asked over the years why we celebrate milestones.   This started with our 10th anniversary, our rebranding when we went from AlphaKOR Computers to AlphaKOR Group and was duly noted in the early days of social media when we announced our 14th anniversary.   My response is to take some time to celebrate the past, embrace the moment, appreciate it and create many more milestones.

There have been some exciting milestones and awards along the way.  We are humbled and grateful as we continue to ensure we are always there to help.    Thank you for all your support.

Our clients, the community, family, friends, partners, managers and our team have truly made the AlphaKORians' who they are today.   I cannot thank each of you enough for being part of a wonderful journey.  It feels like we have just started and have many more milestones to create!

Take your moment to cherish your accomplishments.

(Originally published on 02.23.22)

The AlphaKORians' Keep Rockin' It

We are honoured to be Finalists in three categories for the WEtech Tech Awards!  The AlphaKORians' keep rockin' it and we are humbled.  Some of the qualities the AlphaKORians demonstrate every day are: collaboration, diverse skill set, dedication, integrity, trust and giving back.

Collaboration

Working together on projects, whether they are client-driven or company-driven, the Team seeks input and expertise from each other as required to complete tasks. Words such as “I” and “Me” are not part of the AlphaKORian vocabulary. They truly reflect the definition of collaboration, which is “We”.  We also collaborate with others to provide the right solutions for our clients.

Diverse Skill Set

If everyone on the team had the same skill set and the same personality, it would be difficult to provide such a wide range of services. Specialty and focused skill sets make us a successful team. Blending many different types of personalities by working together results in achieving goals and raising the bar.

Dedication

Each and every member of the team is committed to the rest of the team. This means helping each other to stay focused and to keep moving in the right direction. Dedication to oneself in always delivering the best they have to offer and always striving for excellence is a key quality everyone brings daily.

Integrity

No question integrity is an essential component and must be present at all times. Having integrity as individuals and as a team one hundred percent of the time.  Sometimes walking away is the answer if it is going to compromise integrity.  This is simply the best policy for success!

Trust

Teams must have trust amongst each other, in leadership and with the entire team’s common goals. When there is any mistrust, it needs to be addressed and resolved immediately. Trust in yourself and in your team makes for achieving amazing results.

Being Grateful

As we celebrate our recognition in the Tech Awards, we are grateful to clients and supporters who have been loyal along the way.  The AlphaKORians continue to take responsibility by executing each and every day. In our case, it is actually 24 hours a day, every day of the week and every holiday. No exceptions!

Giving Back

AlphaKOR is continuously evolving to serve the community better, both in our core competencies and in volunteering to give back to the community. We take great pride and have some fun in being involved with many great organizations in our area to make a difference.

We Would Love Your Vote

We are proud to have two of our Team recognized this year:   Tina Kierans for Tech Woman of the Year and Chris Brenner for Tech Professional of the Year!   AlphaKOR is a finalist in the Tech Company of the Year.

You can vote on WEtech's Facebook page

Good luck to all the Finalists in all categories and it is an honour to be named with other great professionals and companies.

(Originally published on 02.16.22)

Go For The "Gold"

With the Olympics on, it is inspiring to hear stories of the athletes' challenges, commitments and perseverance along their way to go for the "Gold".  How can leaders and their team accomplish this and what will it take?  Focusing on doing less and empowering your team to do more can help in achieving this goal.

What Needs To Be Done and Why

Focusing your energy on what needs to be done and why it is important will result in achieving bigger goals in a shorter timeframe.  Trust your team to execute and to take care of the tasks required.  This shift in your leadership style will result in greater accomplishments.  This provides more time to focus on the leadership side of the business; which means to be proactive, plan for continued future growth, stay connected and build new relationships.  It is an exciting journey as we continue to evolve in this challenging new world with new challenges to overcome.

Leading More

Leading more is about innovative ideas, brainstorming and implementing them. Leading more can be positive reinforcement, mentoring and coaching the team. Lead the team by ensuring everyone succeeds in their respective areas of responsibility.  Provide clear direction, encouragement, autonomy and accountability.   This focus on the way to success to go for the "gold" requires leading more in the right direction and a strong team dedicated to the challenge.

The road is not always straight and in an upright direction.   There are twists and turns along the way as things change and new obstacles are thrown in front of you.  The last couple of years have been filled with these, to say the least.  Step back, reflect and focus your energy on leading more.

Doing Less

This is a tough concept for many of us. As a leader, you rely on your team to execute the goals and their interpretation of the processes. Step in when necessary. Provide guidance and feedback. Most important of all is to just get out of the way!  Let them succeed and encourage them. When you do less, provide the guidance and support to help your team grow without taking on the burden of feeling like you have to do everything.

You have to let go of how to do everything!  This is still a challenge.  I will never fully let go as in caring and inquiring about status updates. Working on fine-tuning the right balance to lead more, do less while knowing the team, partners and managers are taking good care of things.

How are you leading more and doing less with your team to get the "gold"?

Strengthening Relationships

 

HOW ARE YOU BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS?

Communication is always an important key to successful relationships. How often are you communicating to ensure it is often enough and not too often?  Many forms of communication you can use such as e-mail, phone calls or virtual meetings as we look forward to the best way in person.

Understanding each relationship and treating everyone as individuals instead of grouping them helps balance the right amount of communication.  All of us have a threshold of how often we want to be contacted and when you understand this you will see positive results.

THOSE LITTLE THINGS

What about those little things?  If a relationship is challenged, it is usually due to one of those little things.  On one hand, these little things do not seem to matter. On the other hand, they make all the difference!

What little things do you do to maintain the relationship to set you apart from the rest?

We take pride in dropping off products to our clients while maintaining social distance. Most of the time it leads to a good discussion and an opportunity. This little thing strengthens and provides value to the relationship.

MAKE IT PERSONAL

What do you know about the other person, such as their favourite sports team, hobbies, interests?  What do you have in common?   Make a personal connection that is real and genuine.

When following up, ask about their non-business involvement.   If their favourite team won a game recently, know about it and mention it or ask about the recent milestone they posted on social media.  Wish them a happy birthday or happy anniversary and better yet, mail them a card or send an e-card.

CONSISTENT AND PROACTIVE

Make your communications consistent and proactive. The conversation is about building the relationship first and adding the business dialogue afterwards resulting in a well-rounded relationship.  Sell after the relationship is built.

This is where the rule of the three keys to success falls in follow-up, follow-up and follow-up.  As a leader, I cannot stress this enough:  be consistent and proactive in all your relationships.  By following this rule, watch your relationships grow stronger   When someone reaches out for an update, you have not followed this rule effectively.  Listen to what they are asking and adjust your communication to reach their goal of being kept updated.

OVERCOME CHALLENGES

When there are challenges, it is very rewarding for one party to contact the other and share their concern. Working together on a challenge is the ultimate sign of a successful relationship. You do not have to agree, however, you both have to accept each other’s facts and move forward together.

Saying thank you and showing your appreciation is another way to strengthen relationships.  Bring your core values to all relationships by being honest and having integrity.

How are you strengthening your relationships?

(Originally published on 01.26.22)

Leaders Are Vulnerable

As we embrace 2022 with all its' challenges, I have completed my annual office cleaning, organizing and planning for the short-term and for the long term.  Looking at some of the archives always puts me in a happy mood enjoying the past and knowing it just keeps getting better.   I am sharing one of my favourite Building Circles topics again with you!  Enjoy and keep sending your feedback and comments.

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.  This pandemic has truly tested leaders and we have all witnessed many vulnerable leaders in the last couple of years.  The majority of people expect them to be perfect all the time!

Why do many feel leaders also feel they need 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 this concept.  Yes, we strive for perfection while at the same time we are open to being vulnerable by making some mistakes - the balance.  The key is what is done after a mistake is made.

Being Candid And Sharing

I would like to share a favourite story with you from several years ago.  After one of my presentations which included some personal stories, one gentleman approached me to ask why there was such an admission of weakness?  My response was open, honest and straightforward: "I am not embarrassed to admit sometimes you deal with all the pressure by going home and spending some alone time and yes even crying".  He seemed to have a real problem with me being honest and sharing this with the audience.  My response was this is who leaders are:  vulnerable.

This challenging time has no rules or big data we can draw from on what to do in today's world.  There have been similarities of other worldwide challenges and some of them may help.  However, today's leaders are blazing their own trail to keep their Teams on track, establishing and surpassing new goals, pivoting (more than once!), creating new ideas, new products, new companies and yes making some mistakes along the way.

Mentoring And Coaching

Over the years, I have met with start-up entrepreneurs, both first-time and veterans, to listen to their stories, how they want to make a difference, and how they are dealing with their challenges.   I ask a lot of questions to understand.   Sometimes, the meetings can get intense and emotional.  When we reach this point of vulnerability, it allows me to truly mentor and coach them.  “This is what makes the difference.”  They know it is expected by me to be open and honest.   The best part is they embrace the guidelines and update me on their 'homework".

Helping these entrepreneurs and leaders to be vulnerable will contribute to their journey to success.   Many of us are helping others and if we can all reach out, be open and help each other, we will continue to make it better together.

Are You Being Vulnerable?

I always smile when others share what they learned, what they executed and where they were challenged.  I am proud of them for also being vulnerable.   Continuously raising the bar, striving for excellence while being vulnerable are keys to making a better leader.

(Originally published on 01.19.22)

Here's to 2022!

 

The AlphaKORians Keep Rockin' It

As I reflect on 2021, which feels like another long year, my thoughts continually drift back to The AlphaKORians.  What can I say about this great Team?  They continued throughout the year to wow everyone.  As always, there were there and ready to take care of whatever was required to keep everyone working safely and securely.  The biggest challenge was keeping up with all the changing rules and having half the Team work from home.

We had virtual team meetings, phone calls and e-mails, however, just not the same as the in-person communications.   That is what I miss the most during this challenging time.  We were able to have a couple of company events practicing social distance and adding virtual "camaraderie" during these events.  As we head into our 27th year, I am truly proud of what we have accomplished and appreciate our Team for all they do.  Thank you!

The Last Two Years

We could write books and make movies on what has transpired these last couple of years.  The first three months of the pandemic, organizations were adjusting and adapting to what many called "the new normal" of working remotely and it continued throughout 2021.

AlphaKOR has played a lead role in all of this:

• Helping organizations run virtual meetings
• Setting up remote teams to help them work securely from home
• Helping organizations access, store and backup company data securely
• Running interactive webinars for those who need expert advice on any subject, to discuss challenges and create a supportive environment
• Being there for businesses as their trusted IT Advisor
• Created a virtual networking group called Wednesday Wisdom to help keep the business community connected and create opportunities (we had in-person events from August to December!)

During this time there were the debates about best virtual meeting platforms such as Teams, Zoom, and Webex to name a few.   Speakers, cameras, microphones and laptops were impossible to source as the industry was faced with a huge surge in demand for these items.   When we live in a "just in time" world, this was near too impossible to meet the demand and continues to be a struggle today to source products.  (I will not mention pricing has gone up!).

We are so grateful for the demand for our services we experienced during this time.  Service tickets are being created at a fast pace as the demand for our services continues for clients and new clients.  As many organizations need help embracing technology, we are happy our team is here to provide support and assistance.

Focus On Business

After adjusting to the "new normal", we experienced an increased demand from clients looking for support.  Due to shutdowns, many of their vendors could no longer support them.  AlphaKOR was thankful for the opportunity to step in and help, working nights and weekends to ensure our clients' organizations were running safely and securely.

If we learned anything from this, it taught us businesses could remain opened and needed to change how they were doing business to cater to this challenging time.  Virtual meetings, online ordering, online appointments, contactless pick-ups and contactless deliveries were all required to keep their doors open.  Technology, equipment and digital marketing strategies were put into place and implemented.   It was not a simple, straightforward task and required a lot of attention and support to make it work.   Overall, we are proud of our role to make a difference.

We do our best to support local businesses and give back to the community.  We are humbled and grateful to have everyone working on our team and want all businesses to help and support each other.

The Future

What will 2022 bring?  Many new start-ups will bring new products and services to the market.  The hybrid workforce (office and remote workers) will continue with flex hours.  Technology and Cyber Security strategies are critical to support and align with organizations' goals.  Embracing and successfully servicing clients virtually will be mainstream for each and every business again this year.  Take-out and delivery services will continue to grow to meet the needs of customers for local small businesses.

Last year reminds us again of an important message:  everyone needs help and support, not only in business but personally and for our mental health.   Remember to reach out to each other, ask how they are doing and if they need help.  This is not the time to hold back.  This is the time for all of us to be open, nurturing and vulnerable.

As we gear up for what this new year will bring, we are reaching out to as many as we can to show them we care.   The AlphaKORians' truly do care.   We look forward to moving forward together in 2022.   Cheers to your health, safety and we wish you all the best this year!

(Originally published on 01.02.22)

Merry Christmas!

As our second year in pandemic winds down, it’s time to thank everyone for being a part of a very challenging year for us all.  Saying thanks and really appreciating so many for being a part of my journey.  Both professionally and personally as we continue to deal with this new world upon us.

FOCUSING ON THE POSITIVE

Every year just keeps on getting better.  In reflecting on all the good things and the challenges we had, we are blessed to have everyone on the team, with about half from home and half at the office.  We continue to help others run their organizations safe and securely and work together in a positive and successful direction.

There are many great people to thank, including my business partners; Ali, Mazen, and Shawn, our spouses, who are always there for us, the incredible AlphaKORians’ and our clients (the extended team).  This year we had to skip our annual company dinner and providing lunch to everyone in the office and those working from home who want to participate.  Our annual "ugly" sweater contest is always a hit and the Top 10 funny moments will be virtual.

Thanks to our families, friends, and associates who play a role in our successes.  I thank each and every one of you for all you do!

BALANCING WORK AND THE HOLIDAYS

How do you balance work and the holidays?  Many working from home might find it more difficult to turn work off during the holidays.

Finding the right balance between work and the holidays can be a tough balance.  When clients or your team reach out to you at any time, it is easy to simply respond since we are so plugged in these days.  Don’t forget to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year if you do respond.

UNPLUGGING WITH THE FAMILY

We have had many nights and weekends with the family again this year.  Looking forward to spending time with the family during Christmas and New Years’.  Movies, music and games are enjoyable past times at our place.

We have some shows to catch up on and of course the annual Star Wars marathon tradition will continue!  We will play some cards and even our favourite called Scopa with our traditional Italian cards.  Of course, there will be a puzzle or two to make.   This time with the family is fun and will be treasured for years to come.  We introduced a new rule last year to help unplug:   no phones (we will try again).

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

Looking forward to seeing you soon virtually and one day in person soon.  Thank you, everyone, have a good holiday and all the best in the new year.  Merry Christmas and enjoy the moment.  Be responsible and take care of your loved ones. Enjoy your holidays and here’s to 2022!

 (Originally published on 12.22.21)

Building Team Culture

As a leader, what kind of culture do you want in your team? In Tribal Leadership, we learned several tribes form automatically when teams reach over a dozen or so.   The question is what can leaders do to ensure the overall culture is positive, especially with many working from home?

BE POSITIVE

One of the keys to building a positive culture is for the leader to be positive. Always. Bring the energy with it. Positive energy is very powerful and influential with all members of the tribes. During this challenging time, everyone needs to know the direction, goals, and outcome required with a plan and processes in place to continue to be successful. The definition of success may have changed, however, the positive drive from leadership and the team is required for reaching these targets.

We can debate the glass is a “half-full/half-empty” discussion and my answer will always be half-full. Be optimistic and look at lessons learned on anything negative. Put a positive spin on all challenges.

SHOW YOU CARE

At this time more than ever, showing each other you truly care makes a huge difference. Ask questions and listen to others. Everyone has a story to share with the tough issues they are facing. Listen. They may not want advice and just want someone who cares.  Show empathy. We tend to swap stories or share similar challenges. This might be the time when you do not offer your story and respond by asking more questions to show you want to understand and you are there for them.

Anxiety and stress are higher than normal for many as we continue dealing with this pandemic as we head into the holidays. Creating a positive and caring environment allows others to open up and deal with some of this anxiety and stress. Keep communication open and create a safe space where everyone can open up and share. This can be in the office, on the phone or on virtual meetings. Let your team and clients know they can count on your leadership to be there for them. Always.

MAKE IT FUN

Cultures with all work only are not a fun environment. With many working remotely, look at online games such as trivia to play as a company. Schedule virtual gaming time to break up the workweek. For those in the office, create fun or quiet space. We have a ping pong table where everyone is welcome to play anytime. Some are competitive while others just want to return the ball! During the holidays, we have hidden Easter eggs to find.  During Halloween, we have a costume contest and with Christmas around the corner, there will be a holiday-themed festive day.

This year we have added bean bag toss, washer toss and of course the annual "ugly" sweater contest.  We recently had a ping pong tourney, pizza lunch and holiday lunch will be provided before we break for Christmas.

GIVE BACK

The AlphaKORians support the community by giving back. We have fundraiser drives to support local causes to help others in need. Many of our team volunteer their time. This includes sitting on boards, mentoring, helping with charity work by volunteering, and presenting to groups who require assistance.

Taking part in a company-wide drive strengthens the culture as everyone works together on making a difference. Recognizing the team’s efforts and sharing the stories from the organizations or recipients creates a humble feeling. We are blessed to have so many who are dedicated, caring, and supporting each other. Thanks to everyone for being part of our family along our journey.

What is your culture like and what works best with your team?

(Originally published on 12.15.21)

Doing The Right Thing

This week we reflect on a post from August 2018 which has a more significant meaning in today's world.

Making Tough Decisions

How many times do we ask ourselves if we are doing the right thing when making so many decisions every day?   How many of them are the right decisions? How many of them are really tough decisions?

When we are faced with these questions, some of us react immediately, some of us take a little time and some of us procrastinate.  Effective leaders will do a bit of each depending on the challenge faced and the sense of urgency.

Information Overload

There is so much information both real and lots of incorrect stuff.  As you sift through it all to determine what is accurate.  Reviewing all the facts without emotions being involved is my personal challenge.  Instincts and gut feelings kick in and then it's convincing the emotional side this is the right decision.  The big challenge this week was deciding to cancel the AlphaKORians' holiday dinner...again this year!  I was emotional and not happy about making this decision and as expected neither was the rest of the team.   Decision made and it was the right decision.

Make The Right Decision

The easy way is going with the flow and saving the energy required to make the right decision.  We want to make everyone happy, we do not want to create more challenges and we want to be liked. It is very difficult doing the right thing.

Sticking to core values of honesty, integrity and taking the "high road" in certain situations have been principles guiding my challenging decisions.  Yes sometimes they are incorrect decisions and you must react quickly to correct them.  Is anyone perfect out there?

Embrace It

Embracing all the things we have to face in a day.  Doing the right thing and making the tough decisions enables you to grow and become a better and stronger leader.  What tough decisions are you making today to do the right thing?

(Originally published on 12.08.21)

Accomplishing Great Things

One of my lifelong motivators to accomplish great things is the fear of failure.  Sometimes we do fail and at other times we need to fail so we can learn from it.  This helps leaders keep focused on being successful.  To accomplish these great things, we are positive and we are energetic.

Being Optimistic

What really moves me about this fear is the ability to think positively, to be optimistic and focus on achieving the goals at hand.  This is not blind optimism.   You have to be reasonable when you are setting that bar high to ensure it is within reach.

Being optimistic is not just smiling and pretending all is wonderful and good.   It is your passion and the positive vibe you bring every time.  When you channel your energy to move forward in a positive and confident way to overcome the obstacles along the way is being optimistic.

Create Your Own Destiny

The result of this motivation?

When we focus on being successful, we can create our own destiny.  It is easy to get frustrated when we hear all the "nay-sayers" around us.  Focusing our energy on the positive side will help you stay on your path to success.  The person you see in the mirror is the only one you can hold accountable!  You have the power to create your own destiny.

This destiny leads to achieving great things.  The positive feedback, the difference one can make and the feeling of successfully accomplishing something great is the motivation drivers to keep yourself going.

Accomplishing Great Things

What do you want to accomplish to make a difference?  We are facing this challenging time together by helping everyone we can along our journey.  The AlphaKORians' are dedicated and focused on helping and playing a role for so many to accomplish great things.  We thank them for all they do!

Take time to reflect on your successes and where you want to go from here.   Set some big goals and some smaller goals.   Take them one at a time.  Make plans to successfully achieve them.  Keep leading your team with direction, support and positive recognition.    They will make you a better leader.   Being a better leader results in accomplishing more great things as you continue to grow.

Share your story on the great things you are accomplishing and celebrate these along the way.

(Originally published on 11.24.21)

What Is Holding You Back?

Do you ever stop and think about what is holding you back?

Does Anything Hold you Back?

Look at the other side of this question to determine what motivates you.  Focus on what motivates you work on the other things preventing you from moving forward.

We have talked about removing the nay-sayers and negative energy around us.  Really think about this.  If you find this holds you back, do something about it.  You can ignore, forge ahead or you can be held back.  It is all up to the person you see in the mirror to decide.

Move Forward!

Move forward!  Sometimes we are drawn into the negative noise or as I like to refer to it as "the dance".  Learn to recognize when you are being drawn in and move to the positive side.

What fears are holding you back?   Face these head on and deal with them.   You will find you are strong enough to deal with them and you do have the ability to get past them.  It is a big challenge and takes awareness and determination to conquer these fears.

Excuses

Think about your challenges and how you address them.  What is in the way of resolving challenges?  Is it you?  What excuses do you allow to hold you back?  Excuses are just excuses by the way and most of the time they are not valid.  They are stories we tell ourselves.  One of my old excuses and stories I used to tell myself was I grew up very quiet and shy.   These excuses held me back at the beginning of my career until it occurred to me these were just stories I was telling myself.

When I think about excuses, it comes down to myself holding me back.  Some mornings it was easy to shut off the alarm and sleep a little longer.  The good news is I wake up earlier and no longer shut off the alarm.  Those old excuses, such as "I'm too sore and too tired to go to the gym" are no longer part of any morning!  Do not let yourself get in the way!

Channel Your Energy

I could sit around making more excuses and not accomplish anything in a day.  I find my drive is to just get up, fill my water bottle and head out to the gym.  Dive into the tasks and challenges at hand instead of mustering up all the negative energy as to why you do not want to take care of them.

Remember, do not let yourself get in the way and hold you back.  Channel your positive energy to help you move forward.  I am glad I do when waking up and always feel energized after an early morning workout.  Now I am ready for the day and the all the good opportunities and challenges it brings.

What is holding You back?

(Originally published on 11.17.21)

Leaders Take Care Of Their Team

There are many ways you can show your team you care and you appreciate them.  During this challenging time, your team needs you to show you care now more than ever.

SAY THANK YOU MORE OFTEN

This may seem obvious and yet many employees have shared they wished their leaders and employers would say thank you more often.  Companies can feel their employees are paid for doing their job. Saying a genuine thank you and recognizing an employee for taking care of their responsibilities shows you care.

I used to feel I was saying thank you often enough. Sometimes you realize you are not actually doing this. Being aware and making changes to say thank you more often makes a difference. Today with half the team working from home these thank you’s are more important than ever!  Positive reinforcement helps everyone be more positive. Our monthly team discussions, company-wide e-mails and phone calls are some of the ways we are saying thanks to the AlphaKORians'.

LISTEN & RECOGNIZE YOUR EMPLOYEES

Your employees see the business and their daily tasks differently than the way employers see them. Ask your employees what they think. Ask them what they recommend improving and make things better. Ask what they need and how they are doing. Send out a survey and hear their voice.

Listen to them. Acknowledge their ideas and input. Employers may not always agree, however, seeing the employees’ perspectives and blending them with the employer’s perspective creates very positive results.

At our monthly Team discussions, we say thank you to employees for specific things accomplished from the previous week. These include recent certifications, targets reached, and client experiences. We also recognize milestones with awards for 5 years, 10 years, 20 years and 25 years of service.

PROVIDE A FUN AND CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT

We spend a significant amount at our office and home offices. Are these areas confined with and no room for any leisure activities? Where do employees have lunch and where do they take a break? Most spend the entire day sitting at their desk.

There are many department meetings and smaller online meetings and touchpoints to continue the creativeness we had in the building. We have created areas of very open space. There is a ping pong table for some leisure time when taking a break. We have a quiet room and the “Unplugged Lounge” for interactive and creative discussions. There is a lot of outdoor green space for walking, kicking a ball around or hitting golf balls.

For Halloween, we had a costume competition, ping pong tourney and provided lunch to everyone in the office and offered lunch delivered to anyone's home for those who could not join us.

What are you doing to appreciate your team?

WOW THEM

One of the AlphaKORians' asked I ever have a bad day? My reply was “I have no idea what you are talking about” and smiled. We had a good discussion and I asked why he would ask this question. His response was “every time you walk by, you are happy, smiling, talking to us and caring about how we are doing.” Always bringing positive energy is not easy and you have no choice as a leader to bring this all the time.

We are all facing challenges and stress levels are higher for many these days.   Leaders recognize this and want to continue to create a warm and caring environment.  During the interactions throughout the day, keep asking how everyone is doing, what is their biggest challenge, how are things with their loved ones, and if there is anything they need help with.  Wow them with this virtual hug truly showing how much you care.

FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE

If there is a balance between work, leisure, and creativity, this type of environment works very well. Our employees have embraced and supported this environment and enjoy the “java” stations for many types of coffee or tea.  Half the team is in the office while the other half continues to work at home.  Increased communication with everyone will continue to be important for the business side and more importantly for the personal side.

We need to be here for each other, to support and to help everyone get through this.   There is a lot of chatter and noise communicated from the world which makes some days tougher than others.  Reach out to ask if you can help or ask someone to talk to.  It is okay to ask for help.

(Originally published on 11.10.21)

Keeping Families and Businesses Safe Online

Over the past year, Canadians have faced many challenges with the way we approach the world of work, networking, and daily activities. With these difficulties, two groups, in particular, have faced unique challenges- kids, and small and medium businesses.

For the fourth week of Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM), we will explore working and networking by focusing on:

• Keeping kids and families safe online
• Running a cyber-safe business

Keeping Kids and Families Safe Online

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With pandemic restrictions limiting the person capacity of spaces, many schools have transitioned to online learning. Kids are now staying home for longer periods of time and are missing their friends and in-person activities. With more time spent using technology for learning, it’s important to keep cyber security in mind to keep kids and families safe online.

Smart devices do a great job of making our lives more convenient. For example, kids can now turn to their smart speaker and ask for homework help (“Hey Google, what is 2 x 2?”), learn about any topic of their choosing, play music, and more! But, just like other internet-connected devices, smart devices can give potential cybercriminals access to our information. Some common risks of owning a smart device can include hacking and privacy issues.

The following tips are some ways that you can protect your smart devices:

Change the default settings

Rename your smart devices and create complex passphrases for your Wi-Fi network. Follow best practices for securing your Wi-Fi networks such as avoiding information that can be easily guessed such as names, addresses, and phone numbers.

Update your devices

Keep your devices and operating systems updated by frequently updating the software and applications. When the option is available, be sure to turn on automatic updates so that you know your software is always up to date.

Use a separate network

You can limit the damage of a potential cyberattack by creating a guest network for your smart devices. Keeping your smart devices on a separate network will keep your data associated with the devices separate from your main network.

To create a separate network, turn on the guest network in your settings, and give the new network a unique name and password. Then save your settings and connect your devices to the new network.

Use only what you need

When not in use, smart device features such as Bluetooth, location services, cameras, and microphones should be turned off. When your devices are not in use, be sure that you have them in lock mode. For devices that are only used occasionally, disconnect it from the internet when not in use.

Running a Cyber Safe Business

Whether you’re working at the office or remotely, cyber security practices should be taken seriously. Businesses of every size can be a target of cyber crimes such as ransomware, phishing, and malware. While not completely unavoidable, proactive measures should be taken to avoid cybercrime and protect your business networks.

There are a few things that small, medium and large businesses should consider to keep safe from online threats. The first and most important thing to note is that cyber security is a team effort that requires action from management and employees. Having a clear cyber security plan in place ensures that everyone on your team is on the same page when it comes to avoiding and dealing with threats like phishing attempts.

A cybersecurity plan works to educate yourself as a business owner and your employees to keep your business network secure.

What should you include in a cybersecurity plan for your business?

To best prepare your business and your employees for cybersecurity, your cybersecurity plan should establish:

• Clear internet usage guidelines
• Rules for email safety
• Social media plan
• A bring your own device (BYOD)and telework plan

What can you do to improve your business’s internal cybersecurity awareness?

1. Implement Email Best Practices: Combat the inevitability of cybersecurity breach attempts through email by communicating best practices with your employees. Practices such as: separating internal and external emails, prohibition of all unknown email link clicks and keeping an updated SPAM filter.
2. Educate Your Team: Ensure that your team understands what is at stake with a business’s cybersecurity. Highlight case studies to show your team how poor cyber habits cost other businesses and share examples of what an attempted cyberattack looks like.
3. Implement Information Regulations: Create strict rules on when it is appropriate for an employee to give out personal, sensitive or business-related information through any form of electronic communication or online medium.
4. Implement Browser Best Practices: Combat the inevitability of cybersecurity breach attempts through online websites by communicating browser best practices with your employees. Practices such as firewall implementation, browser monitoring/usage limitations and education on online safety features (such as SSL).
5. Implement Personal Account Regulations: Create regulations surrounding what personal accounts employees can and cannot access on the business network (such as personal banking and email accounts).

When creating your cybersecurity plan, empowering your employees by assigning specific roles can help keep the team motivated to follow the plan.

Stay Safe Online 

Although Cyber Security Awareness Month is coming to an end, it's important to prioritize cyber security practices all year round. For more tips on how to stay safe online, be sure to check out all of our CSAM articles:

• Stay Cyber Safe While Staying In Touch
• Sharing Special Moments Safely 
• Working and Networking Safely
• Leaders Strategize for Cyber Security Month
• Keeping Your Phone Secure with MDM
• 3 Things You Can Do To Keep Your Computer Secure
• How To Keep Your Network Devices Secure

For all your cyber security needs, AlphaKOR is proud to be your trusted IT expert! Talk to our team today about strengthening your cyber security efforts.

(Originally published on 10.27.21)

Working and Networking Safely

This pandemic has changed the way we work; many workplaces have opted to work entirely remote or hybrid. While some Canadians transition back to the office, there are still many that will continue to work remotely. The internet has allowed many Canadians and businesses to adopt different approaches to the way we work. For the third week of Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM), we explore working and networking by focusing on:

• Using Wi-Fi Safely
• Setting up a secure home network
• Workplace cyber threats

Using Wi-Fi Safely

Whether you work at the office or from home, it is important to know how you can browse the internet safely and strengthen your network connection. The following tips serve as a basic guide to using Wi-Fi safely:

• Do not visit malicious sites, use websites with HTTPS protocols
• Avoid phishing scams
• Use caution around public Wi-Fi
• Never connect to an unfamiliar network
• Use data encryption services
• Use a VPN
• Update your antivirus and antimalware software
• Ensure you have a good firewall

Setting Up a Secure Home Network

There is no doubt having access to a secure Wi-Fi network provides us with unlimited benefits. It is important to take basic steps to secure your Wi-Fi network to protect your devices and data from potential cyberattacks.

The following 9 steps* will walk you through the basic steps to secure your Wi-Fi network.

*  The following steps have been sourced from getcybersafe.ca. Every router is different and if you are having issues, visit the manufacturer’s website.

Step 1: Open your router console

While connected to Wi-Fi, enter your router’s IP address into the address bar on your internet browser.

Step 2: Log in

Enter your username and password. These credentials are usually found on the back of your router or the manufacturer’s website if they haven’t been changed.

Step 3: Find the security settings

The security settings may also be called “Wireless Security”.

Step 4: Rename your router

Rename your router but be sure not to include any personal information.

Step 5: Use a passphrase

Use a complex passphrase for your router’s password.

Step 6: Change your encryption

Under the Network Authentication setting, choose WPA2.

Step 7: Create a guest network

Keep your business network protected. Create a separate guest network to allow your visitors access to the internet, but not your corporate information. To do this, turn on the guest network in your settings and give the new network a unique name and password.

Step 8: Save your settings

Be sure to click “Save” or “Apply” to save your new changes.

Step 9: Get connected again

Connect your devices to your new network.

Workplace Cyber Threats

Cyber threats can hit an individual or organization at any time! In fact, each year cybercrime increases and in 2021 it is estimated there will be a cyber-attack every 11 seconds. Common workplace cyber security challenges include:

Phishing – Phishing is the act of tricking a user into disclosing confidential information through malicious links or attachments. Phishing can take on many forms, with email being the most common medium. A survey from F5 labs says that there is a 5% increase in phishing incidents due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ransomware – Ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users’ access. Its attack is serious even for a single device. It can endanger the entire business if it is spread to the entire network. It is often spread when a user unknowingly visits an infected website and then malware is downloaded and installed without the user’s knowledge

Malware– Malware is software that is designed to interfere with, damage, or gains unauthorized access to a computer system. It is one of the biggest online threats facing remote workforces today. Typically, malware is installed on a computer when a user clicks on a link, downloads a malicious attachment, or opens a rogue software program. Once installed, attackers can use the malware to spy on your online activities, steal personal and financial information or use your device to hack other systems.

Hacking – Hacking is gaining unauthorized access to your device(s) and is a common risk for devices that are not updated. With software and operating system updates becoming frequently available it can be difficult to keep up with the updates. However, failing to update leaves your devices and your network vulnerable to hacking. Most smart devices give push notifications and reminders when it’s time to update, and some will allow you to schedule automatic updates.

Protect Your Business Network

One of the best ways you can protect your business network is to create a cybersecurity plan for your organization. A cybersecurity plan works to educate yourself as a business owner and your employees to keep your business network secure.

Businesses tend to be an ideal target due to their wealth of corporate data stored on their network(s). Attackers will target businesses because there are multiple points of entry with many employees working together on a network.

What should you include in a cybersecurity plan for your business?

To best prepare your business and your employees for cybersecurity, your cybersecurity plan should establish:

• Clear internet usage guidelines
• Rules for email safety
• Social media plan
• A bring your own device (BYOD) and telework plan

With evolving cyber security practices, it’s important to keep your cybersecurity plan up to date. Consult the experts at AlphaKOR about getting your comprehensive cybersecurity plan.

(Originally published on 10.20.21)

Sharing Special Moments Safely

Whether big or small, the internet has made it easier for us to share moments in life with one another. At the touch of a button, you can capture big moments such as a baby’s first steps and share them instantly with friends and family. For the second week of Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM), we are focusing on sharing special moments safely with advice on staying safe while file sharing, malware and antivirus software, and storing and backing up data.

Staying Safe While File Sharing

Sharing special moments helps us feel connected to those we love. The internet allows us to instantly share these moments with friends and family both near and far. Unfortunately, when it comes to sharing things online, the internet isn’t always safe. Sending and receiving private files can be risky as there are many cybercriminals who can try to exploit your information by using various methods such as phishing.

Phishing is a common method that hackers will use to steal valuable information from both individuals and organizations. Phishing scams are often disguised as messages from people and organizations that you trust, making them easier to fall victim to. One of the best ways to avoid a phishing scam is learning how to recognize one. Check out these seven red flags to look out for to avoid becoming a victim of phishing.

Malware and Antivirus Software

Malware is one of the most common ways people experience a cyberattack. Did you know that 2 in 5 Canadians have had malware on their computer? Malware is software that is specifically designed to interfere with, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. If your device is infected, it can cause freezing and crashing, poor performance, unwanted pop-ups, and toolbars, and even send out unwanted emails.

Malware presents itself in many forms, including viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware and adware, and ransomware. These common forms of malware are sometimes difficult to recognize. The following best practices can help you protect your computer system against malware:

• Install and use anti-virus software
• Avoid suspicious links and email attachments
• Download only from trusted sources
• Use a VPN on unsecured networks like public Wi-Fi

Bonus Tip: Keep your systems, programs, and applications updated. Most programs and operating systems do a great job at reminding their users when an update is available. Updating your programs and operating systems regularly ensures that you are benefiting from the latest security patches and bug fixes, making it harder for cybercriminals to exploit your data with malware.

Storing and Backing Up Data

Your special moments are special! Be sure to keep them safe on your devices so that they don’t get lost or corrupted. One of the best ways to keep your special moments special is to back them up. There are many benefits to taking the time to back up your data, including:

• Ensuring you always have a backup in case of a disaster such as a cyberattack or breaking your device
• Freeing up storage space on your device
• Protecting your special moments from accidental corruption

Backing up files is easy to do! You can back up your data physically and/or digitally. To back up your files physically, you’ll need an external device such as a USB stick or an external hard drive. Once your files are backed up physically, you’ll want to ensure that you keep your external device stored in a safe location.

To back up your data digitally, you can use a reputable online cloud server. There are many great options to choose from! Some online cloud servers offer free storage up until a certain amount, while others have subscription fees.

Whether you decide to back up physically or digitally, choose what works best for you.

Keep Those Special Moments Special

By following cyber safe best practices such as learning how to prevent phishing scams and malware, and backing up your devices, you can share special moments safely. There is no show of cybercrime slowing down, so it’s always a good idea to stay up to date on the best practices and evolving tactics to avoid cybercrime. Want to keep your IT infrastructure cyber secure? Talk to our IT experts today for the best cybersecurity protection.

(Originally published on 10.13.21)

Staying Cyber Safe While Staying In Touch

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM). The goal of CSAM is to help Canadians stay cyber safe by equipping them with knowledge through the following four themes:

• Staying In Touch
• Sharing Special Moments
• Working and Networking
• Families and Businesses

This week’s theme of Staying in Touch focuses on staying safe while being social. No matter what's going on around us, the internet keeps us in touch and spending time with our favourite people. When using the internet and smart devices, it’s important to be aware of cybersecurity threats to proactively prevent falling victim to cybercrime. Here are some tips for being cyber safe while staying in touch:

Avoiding Phishing Scams

Phishing is a common method that hackers will use to steal valuable information from individuals and organizations. Phishing scams are often disguised as messages from people and organizations that you trust, making them easier to fall victim to.

The most important way to avoid a phishing scam is to learn how to recognize one. Here are seven red flags to look out for:

• Urgent or threatening language: Look out for threats of closing your account or taking legal action, and pressure to respond or act on something quickly.
• Requests for sensitive information: Be on alert for links directing you to login pages, requests to update your credentials, and demands for your or your company’s financial information.
• Anything too good to be true: Avoid actions on messages that claim winnings from contests you’ve never entered, prizes you must pay for to receive, and inheritance from long-lost relatives.
• Unexpected emails: Disregard emails such as receipts for items you’ve never purchased and updates on deliveries for things you didn’t order.
• Information mismatches: Look out for incorrect (but maybe similar) sender email addresses, links that don’t go to official websites, errors in spelling or grammar that a legitimate organization wouldn’t miss.
• Suspicious attachments: Avoid attachments that you didn’t ask for that have weird file names or uncommon file types.
• Unprofessional design: Be on alert for incorrect or blurry company logos, image-only emails, and company emails with little, poor, or no formatting.

If you encounter any of these red flags in an email or message, do not interact with it. Rather, delete the email or message. If you are unsure, ask the sender about the message through a different channel.

Keeping Private Information Private

Keep your private information private to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Cybercriminals who are planning a cyber-attack may try to collect personal information about you to tailor phishing messages specifically to you. When this happens, it makes it harder to recognize suspicious links and files making it easier for hackers to gain access to your systems. Avoid disclosing personal information to untrusted sources through calls, texts, or emails.

Using Strong Passphrases & Complex Passwords

Did you know that at least 65% of people reuse the same passwords across multiple sites? Although this makes remembering your credentials easier to do, this also makes your accounts vulnerable to cyberattacks.

By creating complex passphrases and unique passwords for each site you use, you instantly tighten up your security, making your accounts less attractive to hackers. Password managers such as Google Password Manager and LastPass can easily help you create complex passphrases and store them so that you never forget a password again.

Some best practices for creating complex passphrases include:

• Avoiding family, pet, company, and familiar names that can be easily guessed by others
• Using unique combinations of letters, numbers, symbols, and cases for each site you use
• Creating passwords with at least 4 words and 15 characters long

Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an added security feature that is simple to implement, assuring its increased popularity. MFA consists of two or more independent credentials to verify you are who you claim to be. Three of the most common credentials consist of what the user knows (password), what the user has (security token) and what the user is (biometric verification).

Implementing MFA is an excellent way to add an extra security layer to your system. It will prevent malicious activity on your network, keeping your sensitive data safe and secure. We suggest you allow MFA everywhere it can be used and if you don’t have the capabilities perhaps it’s time to invest in a little extra digital security.

Stay Cyber Safe While Staying In Touch

Whether it’s Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM) or any other day, always keep cybersecurity practices in mind to keep you cyber safe. For more information about CSAM, check out Get Cyber Safe and be sure to tune into our weekly CSAM articles for the month of October.

(Originally published on 10.07.21)

Customer Service Strategy

What is your customer service strategy to take care of your clients?

EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

Most companies will let you know they have an excellent customer service strategy. They talk about being the best at it. This is one of those areas of a business that can be biased. It is difficult to measure exactly where your business stands. What are those little things you and your team do differently to set you apart from the rest?

Delivering excellent customer service on a consistent basis results in being the leader in your areas of expertise. Your clients will continue to support and refer your team. New opportunities will arise as you continue to build and grow your brand based on this strategy.

QUALIFYING TO UNDERSTAND

Qualifying every opportunity, from the first inquiry to the long-term client, ensuring you fully understand the scope of the request is one of the keys. When you understand, you have a better chance of providing a solution to meet and surpass their expectations. Asking more questions leads to better customer service.

I believe the qualifying stage is one of the most critical areas to develop long-term trusted relationships. It starts the relationship in the right direction showing how much you care and understand the clients’ requirements. It is more than just the “transaction” relationship you are building here. Trust is being built which leads to this life-long relationship along your journey.

FEEDBACK

Requesting feedback on a consistent basis with your clients is a good strategy to adopt. It takes several questions in your discussions to uncover some of the items your client may share as a concern. Listen. Stop. Listen to what they are saying. Responding and taking action to address these items will go a long way for your customer service strategy.

Some metrics to help gauge your customer service level include your client retention, client acquisition and referrals. If one of these metrics is stagnant or declining, it is a sign to immediately review and update your goals and objectives.

BEING PERFECT

Things do not have to be perfect and we do make mistakes at times. Own the error, fix it and keep the discussion moving forward. It is the communication and relationship-building processes you have in place that will result in happy clientele. Always offer the three golden steps in customer service: follow-up, follow-up and follow-up. Read the three golden steps again. Deliver these steps all the time.

COMMUNICATION

Mix your communication with e-mail, social media, phone calls and virtual meetings while we transition to in-person appointments. Using the phone is an interesting and proven concept that works in building those strong relationships which result in excellent customer service.

At AlphaKOR, we are always aiming for "wowing" everyone. The AlphaKORians’ are doing a great job in delivering this strategy, especially during this pandemic!

What is your customer service strategy to take care of your clients?

(Originally published on 09.29.21)

Embrace Change

This blog was written a couple of months before the pandemic and is more relevant today with all the changes happening around us.

Be Open-Minded

It is not easy to always be open-minded, however, we must always have an open mind. Relying on just the past and doing things the same way will not necessarily result in future success. Just because “we always did it that way” does not mean it is the best way.

Look at the constant change, the number of new requests and the fast pace of business  Explore the changes happening, learn as much as you can in a short time.  Set goals and make decisions without passing on your negative judgement to others.   Lead!  Be open-minded to reacting to these changes by adopting new ways of thinking and tweaking your current good habits.

PLUNGE FORWARD

After looking at the wealth of data, make your own conclusion to plunge forward with the changes. Often you will find yourself asking what was holding you back in the first place?

It is okay if you make mistakes along the way. Always remember the more important thing is how you react to not being perfect. You can revert back in most cases if plunging forward is not successful.  Remember to always keep the pendulum swinging forward.

LET GO

This is a tough one and my favourite!  Anyone else a micro-manager and control freak? Yes, I thought so. Let go of being so rigid and be more flexible by letting go. This continues to be a work in progress.  Happy to report I have made some steps in the right direction over the years.  Coaching, mentoring and leading are some ways to cope with micro-managing.

EMBRACE CHANGE

Change is good and healthy for everyone and for businesses. It sets apart those who are leading in their respective professions. Accept change as a daily habit.  There is a lesson I learned many years ago about gravity.  Whether you like it, believe it exists, support it or not; gravity is real and it keeps our feet on the ground as we reach for the stars.  Remember this when resisting change and ask yourself why are you resisting change instead of embracing change.

How are you embracing change?

(Originally published on 09.22.21)

Connecting People

In the last eighteen months, we have shifted to virtual networking and currently we are having some in-person networking.   This week we revisit this topic as we start to attend social events while practicing social distance.

As a business networker, this is one of the self-rewarding activities I really enjoy.  Meeting people, some for the first time and others on a regular basis, provides the opportunity to get to know each person’ story.  Ask for their story when you meet.  Listen.  Share your story afterwards.  I would like to share a couple of names I have been called when talking about the subject of making connections.

THE CONNECTOR

Connecting people together and making introductions to spark a good discussion leads to creative ideas and opportunities for everyone.  Watching the energy level between like-minded people you just connected is the reward.  Introducing them to others is a special talent.   There is a concept called triad relationships.  You know two people who do not know each other.  You connect them.  You encourage both to share their own story as you smile and create the next triad relationship.  Repeat the process with two others.   Repeat.  This is where you can pick up the nickname “The Connector”.

When we are networking at events, we tend to stay with people we know.   I have always enjoyed walking up to someone who does not know many and introduce myself.  Then I introduce them to others.   When I notice others standing alone, I walk up to them, introduce myself and ask them their name and for their story.   Then I introduce them to others and nudge them into telling sharing their story.   It takes very little effort to be aware of those not comfortable approaching a group.  By making this effort, it goes a long way for those who find it difficult to make new connections.

During this challenging time, Wednesday Wisdom was born in January 2021 as a weekly virtual networking event to help others stay connected.  We had our first in-person event in August and second one in September with good turnouts at both!  We will continue monthly in-person events the first Wednesday of the month to connect, share our stories and wisdom.

THE NETWORKING KING

Thanks to the “Networking Queen” Theresa Reaume for calling me the “Networking King”.  Here is Theresa’ take on making connections:  “Networking is not about selling, networking is about helping others”.  There are many great networkers and humbled to be called this.   Many of us enjoy attending numerous events, meeting people, connecting people and creating opportunities for them.  It does not have to be about selling our products/services/company.   Make the connection, help others make new connections and build the relationships.  Business may or may not happen later.

Write this on a rock:  Build relationships first.  Sell later.

MENTORING

Mentoring others has become a passionate thing I enjoy doing.   Working with young entrepreneurs to create their start-ups, working with established professionals looking to pursue their dreams by starting a company and working with other professionals who want to have open, candid discussions to help them build a better business have been great experiences for me.   I have had mentors and coaches along the way and thank them for being part of my journey.

If you have not mentored anyone or have never had a mentor for yourself, I recommend you try it.   Be open, vulnerable and find that person you can trust who will not judge you or sugar-coat things.   Do the same when you are mentoring.  I have enjoyed working with WEtech Alliance, EPICentre, University of Windsor, St. Clair College and my own connections I have mentored.

CLIENTS/PROSPECTS

You can help your clients and prospects alike as well as your friends, family and associates.   When they need something or want to meet someone, step up and make the introduction for them.  This open doors for them and helps you build a stronger relationship with both parties.  Sometimes you may have to refer a competitor who offers something you do not and that is okay.  When the competition sends you referrals back, that is a huge compliment.  Remember to thank everyone who makes an introduction or sends you a referral, even if the connection does not work out.

Building your circles is what this blog is all about.   What else can we do to help each other?   If we take time to invest in making new connections and helping others make new connections we will find we continue to grow as leaders.  This strengthens our position as the expert on the subject matter.

What are you doing to connect people?

(Originally published on 09.15.21)

Lead Everywhere

 

Bring Your Passion

Channel your passion to bring positive energy every day.  Do you get caught up in people who just do not get it?   Do not let them stop you.  Do not let them slow you down.  Bring your passion. Take the high road!   Always take the high road.

Lead In the Right Direction

Keep focused and keep moving forward in the right direction.   Most people will eventually figure it out and will be back on board to support you.  Make it impossible for anyone to support those who do not get it.   Think about that before reading on.....what can you do to make this happen?

Tell Your Story

Tell your story.  Tell it often.  Tell it well.  Tell it to everyone.  When you are an inspirational, positive leader, the word will get out to the masses.   Sure, not everyone will like you or support you, however, eventually, virtually everyone will see the value and virtues you stand for.

Make A Difference

Good and positive people, teams and companies will always survive because of all the differences they are making.   The key is to keep the pendulum swinging forward always in a positive direction.  Our goal as leaders is to make a huge positive impact on as many as we can and to empower them to become leaders so they can do the same.  This is critical today to set yourself apart from all the "noise" and to lead those in the virtual world.

Be Everywhere

Are you with me so far?   Keep leading.   Keep making a positive impact.  Surround everyone so they will find you everywhere whether at the office, at events or online.  What are you doing to lead everywhere?

(Originally published on 09.08.21)

Let's Network Again!

Who is ready to network in person again?  I know most of us have had many virtual meetings over the last year and a half and they will continue.

Virtual Networking

Since March of 2020, the "cheese" moved to the virtual world when it came to networking and meeting others.   Some in-person events were held and they were few and far between.  In almost a year there were virtually (no pun intended) no in-person events.   Many asked during this time what can be done to network as the in-person events stopped.

January 6, 2021, Wednesday Wisdom weekly networking was born running every week at 11:00 am as we entered the mid-point of our week.  Thanks to so many supporters and suggestions, we learned to connect virtually and build on these relationships.

Wednesday Wisdom Goes In-Person

On August 4th, 2021, Wednesday Wisdom held the first in-person event with 31 in attendance on a beautiful sunny day at the Greenlawn Memorial patio.  Many had not met in person and some had never networked.  It is self-rewarding to help others embrace the concept of networking and build their connections.

The conversations were engaging and most did not want to end the event when it was time to leave.  Conversations continued into the parking lot and everyone mentioned they look forward to the next one.

Monthly Networking

Wednesday Wisdom is going to have the final virtual meeting on Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 and transition to the first Wednesday of the month from virtual meetings to in-person networking.  If tighter pandemic restrictions are put in place, Wednesday Wisdom will quickly resume weekly virtual meetings.

The upcoming Wednesday Wisdom events are scheduled for Wednesday, September 1st, 2021 at Frank Brewing Co. and Wednesday, October 6th, 2021 at The Windsor Club.

Networking Tips

We might need a refresher in networking at events and remember to keep practicing social distance.  I have not figured out how to have a beverage while wearing a mask; please share if you have!  Greet the person by saying hello, make eye contact, skip the handshake, do the fist or elbow pump which seems to be acceptable in social settings.  Ask for their name and to share their story, share your name and then share your story.

Be genuine, listen effectively, ask questions and make it about them.  It is not about you.  Yes, make it about them.  Practice this by really listening, asking questions, repeating what they said to show you understand.  Build the relationship first and when the time is right you can move into the selling part of the relationship.

Resumes & Brochures

I have been asked this many times by attendees of networking events if it is appropriate to bring resumes.   My simple answer is no.  If you hand me your resume, where can I put it while I'm standing juggling a beverage and handing you my business card?   I do not want to fold it or get it wrinkled or dirty.

You can ask if the person is aware of their organization hiring and for what position or share your career path to see if the company is a good fit to consider.   Ask who you can send the resume to.   Move the conversation back to them once you have shared your story.

The same thing applies to brochures and corporate folders.   It is difficult to review these on the spot and to keep them neat and clean.   Ask if you can e-mail the information or better yet, set up an intro meeting whether it is a phone call, in-person if it is in a safe setting or virtual meeting.

Let's Network Again!

Can you tell I'm excited to be networking in person?  If we are all aware of the venue, the protocols and follow the rules, together we can network in person in a healthy and safe way.

What networking events are you attending virtually or in person?

(Originally published on 08.18.21)

Top 3 Traits Of Great Decision Makers

The top three traits of great decision makers are: Know Yourself, Always asking the Right Questions and Trust Your Instinct.

1. Know Yourself

From time to time great decision-makers perform a self-evaluation to determine what their strengths, weaknesses and biases are.  To make great decisions, you need to know yourself first to be certain you are confident in making the correct choices.

When you do not know yourself well enough, you tend to make more incorrect decisions. Invest some time in understanding who you are, what you stand for and what your core values are. Once you have achieved this understanding, you will make your decisions with confidence.  What are your core values?

2. Asking the Right Questions

Sometimes asking questions is the right answer.  Asking the right questions sometimes is the better answer.  It is difficult to take in so much information and not question or validate all of this data.  There are so many influences such as your team, clients, the culture, the market and the media.

The challenging part is asking difficult or specific questions to gain further knowledge to help to make great decisions.  Be persistent and do not settle until you have all your questions answered.  For some, this is a tough task and for those being asked, it can be tough as well.  As a great decision-maker, you need to ask all the right questions to make a sound decision.

3. Trust Your Instinct

Go with your first gut instinct.  Yes, sometimes we are wrong and sometimes we second-guess ourselves. Most of the time, our instinct is the right one.  I call this the sixth sense feeling.   Trust it.

When it feels right or when it does not feel right, you will know.  This natural ability will steer you into the correct course of action when seeking an answer.  It may not be the most popular answer or direction, however, you know it is the right one.  Great decision-makers trust their instinct.

(Originally published on 08.11.21)

Focus On The Important Stuff

Leaders set priorities on both the important and the difficult stuff instead of avoiding it or making excuses not to deal with it.  Setting priorities is a constant to ensure what is important gets done.

What is important stuff?

Some will say everything is important while others will say nothing is that important.   My answer:  on the personal side, health and loved ones and on the professional side it's the AlphaKORians and the clients.  Today your mental health and being aware of others' mental health is part of the important stuff to help each other.

Who decides what is important?

There are many who influence you to push their agenda forward as a top priority.  These can be from within your team and outside your team.  The leader needs to focus and have a discipline to steer the team to prioritize the important items in a unbiased and timely manner.

Reacting and over-reacting is a common strategy; however, it usually is not the best one in the long run.   Likewise, waiting until you feel you have all the information to determine how important it is does not work either.

How do you move important tasks forward?

Lead by example.  Communicate to your team what is important and what is required by reviewing the vision and goals.  Be firm to ensure the team remains focused.

Remember it's all important stuff and it's up to the leader to prioritize, focus and stay on track.

Today's Important Stuff

Keeping everyone health and safe is one of the most important things we are all dealing with today.  Implementing measures, procedures and communicating them is critical to ensure all of us do our part.  It can be inconvenient to follow all the rules and all of us need to do our part.

How are you determining what is important on your Team?

(Originally published on 08.04.21)

Unplugged While On Vacation

Do you actually "unplug" from work while on vacation?

Out Of Office

I admit this is one of my self-induced weaknesses. I do not even bother with the "out of office" automatic reply to e-mails. The main reason is I want to know what is going on and I want to respond or delegate while away.

My reasoning: it is easier to take care of things instead of them piling up to address when I get back. Another reason is many will call my cell or text me with "I know you are on vacation, but can you ...." when they used to receive the out-of-office response.

Unplugged Schedule

One of the things I have improved on is being more disciplined when checking messages while on vacation. Of course, first thing in the morning is still a habit when away. Then I look at messages mid-morning and mid-afternoon with a few sneak peeks in between!

Turning it off and relaxing is very important and should be the priority while on vacation. I don't let my desire to stay in touch interfere with family and leisure time. Access to WiFi is everywhere today and always tempting to stay connected. I tend to turn off my cellphone when actually travelling and maintain the same principle of checking at certain times during the day.

Find The Right Balance

Being in the moment, relaxing and refreshing needs to happen while unplugging. It is healthy and it rejuvenates you when you get back to the pace of business. I have found the right balance that works for me to unplug while on vacation.  Here's to unplugging after two long years!

How do you unplug while on vacation?

(Originally published on 07.28.21)

Building Your Referral Tree

How are you building your referral tree during this virtual world as we start moving towards again to in-person meetings and events?

Watering Your Referral Tree

Do you receive and welcome referrals?  Many have shared they struggle to ask for referrals or admit they do not receive many referrals.  Others have shared they built their business on referrals.  Remember to thank the person who refers you referred to as "watering your referral tree".

Here are some things that may help. I would encourage you to comment and share the experiences that work for you or did not work so we can all learn from it.

Simply Ask

Simply asking a non-intrusive question is a good way once you have a relationship. An example of this type of question can be “Is there anyone you know that could use our services?” If they answer yes, then the next question is “Can you introduce me to them?” With e-mail introductions or LinkedIn introductions, it is a simple task to be introduced.

If the person says they do not know anyone just accept it. If the person provides you with a name, ask if you can use their name. Please do not call on someone and say so-and-so gave me your name if you do not have permission. Read that last sentence again as it is critical in relationship building with your referral tree.

Virtual and In-Person Networking

When you are on a virtual event or attending a networking event, ask others you know if they can introduce you to someone.  Remember, no active selling or promoting your products/services. There is a time and place for that. Be genuine with the introduction, ask for their story and ask if they are interested in your story.

Build the relationship first!

The Golden Rules

A golden rule for building your referral tree: always say thank you to the person who sent you the referral or made the introduction. Send them a note to say thank you, either e-mail or actually mail a thank you card. It is not necessary to send a gift card. There are some circumstances where this applies.

Another good rule is to update the referral person because most of the time they know you called or have an appointment with the person they referred. Even if the opportunity does not pan out or if you lose the opportunity, remember to update the referral person and to say thank you. No sour grapes.

No Bad Referrals

There are no bad referrals. At the very least, you made a new connection, introduced yourself, told your story and introduced your company. Sometimes they will surprise you and even refer you! Sometimes they will call you in the future and consider your services again.

Referrals are about building relationships. Your referral tree does not have to be just people you do business with and can be anyone in your circle.

How are you building your referral tree?

(Originally published on 07.21.21)

5 Steps To Achieve Whatever You Want

 

Work Smart & Quietly

Ever notice people always talking about achieving something?  They usually do not seem to be successful.  An example is talking about a diet and how much weight one is going to lose. My thought is the only way to lose the weight is to stop talking about it and follow whatever plan you decide will result in success.

Work hard. Work smart. Work diligently. Work quietly.

Test the above four-point strategy for yourself and measure your results. Look forward to hearing your stories of success!

Positive Mind

Are you always more positive or more negative? I’ll throw this in for the ones who enjoy the glass half-full/half-empty argument. Set your mind to be positive. Yes, it is difficult at times. Use your mind to achieve what you want. One of the key ways is having a positive mindset.

Be the optimist in the room. Find the answers to the tough questions and challenges. I have shared this before; we just have to leave the nay-sayers behind to keep moving in the right direction.  Catch yourself thinking negative and jumping on negative threads.  Go out and change your thoughts to positive.

Be silent instead of being negative.

Clear Purpose

Where are you heading and why are you going there? I laugh when people say “It’s a rat race!” Why are we in such a hurry and where are we trying to get to?  Sit down and really think about your purpose, your team's purpose, your company's purpose or whatever you are presently involved in and determine a clear direction of where to go, how to get there and why you are going there.

Once you have defined a clear purpose, you can measure if you are on track, off track and you can make adjustments along the way. It is okay to change the purpose as long as it is clearly defined.

Focus on Goals

How can you achieve something if you do not set goals? Goal setting is easy and should be part of your daily routine, however, it can be difficult. Write down your goals (even electronically, save them in a list so you can reference them).  Read your goals. Establish how far along you are to achieving each goal. Define what is required to accomplish each goal.

Celebrate the milestones along the way!

I have done this and was surprised at the power of writing down goals.  It is incredible what a difference it will make if you read them, think about them and review them on a regular basis.  See the results for yourself if you have not written down your goals and it is never too late to start.

Take Action

Everyone has the same amount of time. This is worth repeating: Everyone has the same amount of time. How do some accomplish a lot while some get some stuff done and others never seem to get anything finished?

Take action is the answer and yes the slogan “Just Do It” is that simple. Stop talking about it. Stop procrastinating. Stop making excuses. Start doing….It is amazing once you do!

Sounds too easy? Work smart and quietly, have a positive mind, define a clear purpose, focus on your goals and put it all into action.

What’s stopping you from achieving whatever you want?

(Originally published on 07.14.21)

Top 5 Tips To Improve E-mail Response

How many of your outgoing e-mails are responded to?  Imagine the reader having a microphone and answering your e-mail with their answers or interest in knowing more!

Top 5 things I do to increase response:

1. Timing

2. Subject Line

3. Focused business matter

4. Request a response

5. Include the personal touch

It's All In The Timing

The earlier in the morning the better chance of receiving a response. The tasks of the day have not taken the person away from focusing on their inbox just yet.  This is the main reason why Building Circles is published 7:30 am on Wednesdays.

Your Subject Line

No selling!  Shorter the better such as "touching base" or if making an introduction with "AlphaKOR" as the subject line.  This strategy has a high rate of opening the e-mail.  Using "checking in" makes others feel like they are in trouble and could trigger a negative feeling when reading this subject line.   Avoid checking in which may be read as checking up on you.

Focused Business Matter

Clear and to the point with just enough details as necessary.  If it takes more than 3 sentences to explain it, justify it or turn a negative e-mail to positive, simply STOP and pick up the phone. It is easier to talk it out instead of e-mail bantering.  Did you know e-mail or texts for that matter have no emotions?   The reader adds their emotions as they read it.   Think about your own emotions as you type the sentences.   Remove all emotions.  Focus on the business matter.

RSVP

Request a response.  Once the focused business matter is out of the way, ask for "your thoughts?", "kindly advise" or "looking forward to your reply".  There are a lot of tasks going on for your audience so a gentle nudge does go a long way.  If you ask for three or more replies, you will find the norm is to have one or two of them answered.

Be Personal

Add a bit of human touch to your e-mail.  Examples could be:  "How are things going during these challenging times?" or "Enjoy your Day" are two good statements for those you do not know well. When you know your audience, ask them about something they shared in the past such as "How was your quarantined BBQ  family dinner last weekend?"

Bonus Tip

Include your cell number to let them know you are always available.

What are you doing to increase your e-mail response rate?

(Originally published on 06.30.21)