Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
What Do AmSpirit Chapter Presidents Need To Do?
The role of being an AmSpirit Business Connections Chapter President involves a lot more than meets the eye. If the chapter President slips in any areas of being an effective leader, it easily can erode an entire chapter culture and have a 'ripple effect'.
While not everyone would agree with me 100%, here is my list for the attributes of an effective chapter President:
1) Overall, the Chapter President must lead by example. How can the leader of the chapter ask others to carry out tasks or exemplify certain behaviors if they do not hold themselves to a higher standard?
2) Attend nearly every chapter meeting throughout the year. The President runs the meeting. If they're absent, the responsibility falls onto the Vice President. If the VP runs more than 1/3 of the meetings, it's a problem. It also sends a message to the membership as a whole that attendance is not a priority.
3) Oversee Effective Board Meetings. Have specific agendas every month for board meetings. Hold all board members accountable for their roles and ongoing tasks. Devoting one hour per month is sufficient to discuss any chapter business and putting plans in place for continual chapter improvement. Take corrective action as needed throughout the year, do not let problems linger to become larger issues later.
4) Attend as many outside functions as time allows, AmSpirit or otherwise. Again, it goes back to 'leading by example'. If others see your effort, they will follow your lead. Even if they don't, you will benefit by expanding your own network.
5) Be punctual with meetings. Everyone is on a schedule, so be sure to be respectful of others' time commitments.
6) Inspire others to achieve. I've witnessed Presidents who lack so much energy and enthusiasm that no one is particularly interested in even being in the meeting. Show energy and always maintain a positive attitude. Your demeanor is picked up on by others in the meeting.
7) When other board members let you down, go back to them and reset the expectations. Not necessarily negative, but reinforce what you need from each person until they're proven to be able to carry out duties responsibly.
8) Let others know when they're doing a great job. Too often, Presidents can seem like they only point out others' shortcomings, but should praise good networking behavior at every opportunity.
9) Rely on your Area Director for advice and guidance. They've seen so many situations over time that they can be an asset to problem resolution. They can help you avoid pitfalls that others haven't been able to avoid in the past.
10) Build leaders in your chapter board. Once you've been able to accomplish that, the role of President gets much easier. Everyone is accountable to each other when leaders emerge in the group.
While not everyone would agree with me 100%, here is my list for the attributes of an effective chapter President:
1) Overall, the Chapter President must lead by example. How can the leader of the chapter ask others to carry out tasks or exemplify certain behaviors if they do not hold themselves to a higher standard?
2) Attend nearly every chapter meeting throughout the year. The President runs the meeting. If they're absent, the responsibility falls onto the Vice President. If the VP runs more than 1/3 of the meetings, it's a problem. It also sends a message to the membership as a whole that attendance is not a priority.
3) Oversee Effective Board Meetings. Have specific agendas every month for board meetings. Hold all board members accountable for their roles and ongoing tasks. Devoting one hour per month is sufficient to discuss any chapter business and putting plans in place for continual chapter improvement. Take corrective action as needed throughout the year, do not let problems linger to become larger issues later.
4) Attend as many outside functions as time allows, AmSpirit or otherwise. Again, it goes back to 'leading by example'. If others see your effort, they will follow your lead. Even if they don't, you will benefit by expanding your own network.
5) Be punctual with meetings. Everyone is on a schedule, so be sure to be respectful of others' time commitments.
6) Inspire others to achieve. I've witnessed Presidents who lack so much energy and enthusiasm that no one is particularly interested in even being in the meeting. Show energy and always maintain a positive attitude. Your demeanor is picked up on by others in the meeting.
7) When other board members let you down, go back to them and reset the expectations. Not necessarily negative, but reinforce what you need from each person until they're proven to be able to carry out duties responsibly.
8) Let others know when they're doing a great job. Too often, Presidents can seem like they only point out others' shortcomings, but should praise good networking behavior at every opportunity.
9) Rely on your Area Director for advice and guidance. They've seen so many situations over time that they can be an asset to problem resolution. They can help you avoid pitfalls that others haven't been able to avoid in the past.
10) Build leaders in your chapter board. Once you've been able to accomplish that, the role of President gets much easier. Everyone is accountable to each other when leaders emerge in the group.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Working FOR the Room...
With full credit being given to AmSpirit Headquarters, here's a very useful piece of advice. The next time you attend any networking event (Business First Breakfast, Chamber After Hours, etc.), make it your goal to help connect others and not look for business for yourself.
You know roaming around glad-handing, distributing your business cards and generally trolling for business seldom works, unless you are intent on being annoying.
Instead, try working FOR the room. Be a facilitator of conversation amongst less outgoing people. Introduce other people you have just met to people you have known for years. Find out how you can help someone and take action on that. Share useful information about other events and happenings.
When you work for the room, you will transform yourself into a superhero of sorts. People will actually welcome seeing you at events. Try it and see what happens.
You know roaming around glad-handing, distributing your business cards and generally trolling for business seldom works, unless you are intent on being annoying.
Instead, try working FOR the room. Be a facilitator of conversation amongst less outgoing people. Introduce other people you have just met to people you have known for years. Find out how you can help someone and take action on that. Share useful information about other events and happenings.
When you work for the room, you will transform yourself into a superhero of sorts. People will actually welcome seeing you at events. Try it and see what happens.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Potential or Productive?
I meant to post this earlier this week while it was still fresh in my mind. I was watching the 2nd half of the Monday Night Football game (Steelers vs. Bengals).
Jon Gruden, NFL Analyst for MNF and former NFL head coach, said something very profound that relates directly to business people as well as athletes. He and his colleagues were discussing how a team like the Bengals, one year removed from sweeping games from their division rivals, can now be so bad. Ron Jaworski stated that the Bengals have so much potential with great players on their team.
That's when Gruden chimed in, "You know what potential really means? It means you haven't done squat! The Steelers are full of productive NFL players and the Bengals are full of potential."
I think the same can be said of business people and it is demonstrated in their networking efforts. I know quite a few people who could be so much more successful if they would just go the extra mile to actively engage their network, help others selflessly, spend time thinking how they could contribute more to their networking groups, etc.
So the question is, "are you full of potential or are you a productive networker?"
Jon Gruden, NFL Analyst for MNF and former NFL head coach, said something very profound that relates directly to business people as well as athletes. He and his colleagues were discussing how a team like the Bengals, one year removed from sweeping games from their division rivals, can now be so bad. Ron Jaworski stated that the Bengals have so much potential with great players on their team.
That's when Gruden chimed in, "You know what potential really means? It means you haven't done squat! The Steelers are full of productive NFL players and the Bengals are full of potential."
I think the same can be said of business people and it is demonstrated in their networking efforts. I know quite a few people who could be so much more successful if they would just go the extra mile to actively engage their network, help others selflessly, spend time thinking how they could contribute more to their networking groups, etc.
So the question is, "are you full of potential or are you a productive networker?"
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Perseverance is Key to Success
I woke up today thinking, "what a lucky guy I am to have the life that I have!" I've been blessed with a wonderful wife, good friends, family, and a business that I love to run every day. I also started thinking about what things have enabled me to be successful in my business thus far.
The #1 reason is that I have followed a process consistently that has delivered results. Too often we give up before we ever see the fruits of our labor. This made me think of an incident that happened to me when I was about 12 years old.
Every summer during my youth I spent a good amount of time fishing and camping with my family. On one of our camping trips, I spent an entire afternoon fishing off the end of a dock. I patiently watched the bobber at the end of my fishing line for at least a solid 2 hours with nothing to show for it, not even the slightest nibble.
During that same time there were probably 4 or 5 others fishing off the same dock, but after 20 minutes of inactivity, they all left. I sat and waited, and waited, and waited...
All of a sudden the bobber disappeared underneath the water's surface like someone had attached cinder block to the end of my line!! I jerked the line to set the hook and began reeling in whatever was on the other end. At the same time I began yelling for my Dad to come down to see what was happening.
I reeled in a "Channel Cat" (catfish) that was one of the largest fish I had ever caught, weighing about 10 lbs. and almost 30 inches long. When everyone in the campground area heard me yelling several made their way down to the dock to see what the commotion was all about.
Next thing I knew, there were about 10 other fisherman on the dock casting their lines into the water. Funny thing is, I don't remember if any of the others caught any other fish that afternoon.
What happened to the Channel Cat? I took him home in a very large bucket of water. Later that same day I delivered the fish to our neighbor next door, an old man who lived by himself by the name of Seif Friend. Dad said he loved to eat catfish and would really be surprised so see what I had brought to him. I'll never forget how his eyes lit up when he saw what was in the bucket!
The reason this story is relevant to me is that it is a perfect analogy to why some people are successful following processes and persevering, while others give up too soon. Whenever I get the least bit discouraged about business or networking in general, I remind myself to persevere just like I did that afternoon on the dock with my fishing line in the water.
Long term success in networking and business comes from following processes that work and not giving up too soon.
The #1 reason is that I have followed a process consistently that has delivered results. Too often we give up before we ever see the fruits of our labor. This made me think of an incident that happened to me when I was about 12 years old.
Every summer during my youth I spent a good amount of time fishing and camping with my family. On one of our camping trips, I spent an entire afternoon fishing off the end of a dock. I patiently watched the bobber at the end of my fishing line for at least a solid 2 hours with nothing to show for it, not even the slightest nibble.
During that same time there were probably 4 or 5 others fishing off the same dock, but after 20 minutes of inactivity, they all left. I sat and waited, and waited, and waited...
All of a sudden the bobber disappeared underneath the water's surface like someone had attached cinder block to the end of my line!! I jerked the line to set the hook and began reeling in whatever was on the other end. At the same time I began yelling for my Dad to come down to see what was happening.
I reeled in a "Channel Cat" (catfish) that was one of the largest fish I had ever caught, weighing about 10 lbs. and almost 30 inches long. When everyone in the campground area heard me yelling several made their way down to the dock to see what the commotion was all about.
Next thing I knew, there were about 10 other fisherman on the dock casting their lines into the water. Funny thing is, I don't remember if any of the others caught any other fish that afternoon.
What happened to the Channel Cat? I took him home in a very large bucket of water. Later that same day I delivered the fish to our neighbor next door, an old man who lived by himself by the name of Seif Friend. Dad said he loved to eat catfish and would really be surprised so see what I had brought to him. I'll never forget how his eyes lit up when he saw what was in the bucket!
The reason this story is relevant to me is that it is a perfect analogy to why some people are successful following processes and persevering, while others give up too soon. Whenever I get the least bit discouraged about business or networking in general, I remind myself to persevere just like I did that afternoon on the dock with my fishing line in the water.
Long term success in networking and business comes from following processes that work and not giving up too soon.
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