Plastic in Connecticut

Here in Connecticut, a local town is trying to ban the use of plastic bags. The idea is that shoppers use recyclable brown bags, or bring their own bags. Local TV news has run this story for at least two days now interviewing people from both sides of the discussion.

Occasionally I get to share a success story about how the "New South Africa" is better since the 1994 election and ensuing general decline of the country. There are only a handful of these success stories, so pay close attention.

The new government passed a law requiring retailers to charge a few cents for each plastic bag purchased when bagging groceries. It is about 10 cents per bag. This small change is enough to encourage the vast preponderance of shoppers to bring their own bags. The law gives shoppers the choice to purchase plastic bags, put items into self-supplied bags, or take the purchased items without bags. This law resulted in significantly less litter on the roadside and higher percentage of shoppers bringing reusable bags for their purchases.

Of course, the public cried out when the law went into effect. Every change is difficult. However, shoppers quickly realized the value of the law and adjusted accordingly. Now, shoppers are in the habit of taking a shopping bag when departing for the grocery store as naturally as they remember to take a wallet to pay for the purchase.

The moral of the story is that change is always uncomfortable. Even if the change is positive. Knowing that change is uncomfortable, you should take note of the circumstances where you adjust to change the quickest and follow these steps again when you are faced with changes in the future.

Your actions and thoughts that allow you to adjust to change faster may be the one lesson from 2008 that carries you to new heights of success in 2009.

PMA For Speakers

PMA stands for Positive Mental Attitude. Speakers need to have PMA to:

1. Visualize presentation success.
2. Radiate Positive Mental energy to your audience.
3. Attract positive situations and success into your life.
4. Look for the silver lining of difficult situations.

Have you ever been attracted to a negative speaker on stage? I doubt it. A speaker who gets in front of you and complains about the weather, his physical health, the inadequacy of his fee, the state of the world and his presentation cannot attract future audiences. No one pays money to share this negativity.

The best speakers implement PMA, every day. Best speakers have energy, are enthusiastic and provide benefits to the audience.

I recently encountered a woman - I will call her Dumpy who stands out because of the NMA (Negative Mental Attitude) she drowns herself in. In Toastmasters we are learning and growing together. Toastmasters are mostly people who have PMA and are bringing good to their audiences through personal stories and humor.

I listened to Dumpy for five minutes (seemed like the Eternity described by Hell-and-Brimstone preachers). Dumpy loudly proclaimed that her employer did not pay her enough money, her desk at work was not suitable for someone with her station in life and the sun shone too brightly.

I believe that Dumpy does not even realize that she is dragging herself into this level of NMA. She is hard to listen to and a drain on her colleagues at the office. I am sure you have met your own version of Dumpy.

On reflection, I wondered why Dumpy shocked me so much. I have come across Dumpy in other people before. Then I realized that I am among Toastmasters with so much PMA that NMA is foreign. This is what makes Dumpy stand out so much - the contrast to most people I interact with each day.

Here is your challenge for today. Are you a Dumpy and not know it? Are you exuding PMA from every pore when you are on the platform? You don't want to hear about a speaker's problems all the time - do you think your audience wants to constantly hear about your adversities? Take some time to reflect - watch some of your recorded speeches. Look for PMA and NMA.


P.S. Dumpy is not a Toastmaster yet. I will report out her reaction when I ask her to attend an Open House at my Toastmaster club this week.

We grow faster, when we grow quiet

You don't want to see a personal photo on this topic :)

I have been under the weather the past few days with flu, sore throat, headaches and so on. Not a pretty sight. Starting to recover today.

This led to a lot of time for reflection - time to grow quiet. Both while I lay on the couch watching mindless daytime TV and while watching the fabulous History channel during sleepless nights.

I realized the value of downtime and this forced quiet time gave me opportunity to think when I normally don't have time during my hectic schedule. It gave me an opportunity to cement my priorities for 2008 and realize how much I want to reach certain goals in 2008. Here is my foundational phrase for this experience:

"We grow faster when we grow quiet".

When last did you take a morning, afternoon, or - gasp!! - a whole day, to grow quiet and reflect on the value of your goals, the the value each goal will bring for you? Are you satisfied in your soul that reaching these goals is what you want for 2008? Or are you too busy (like I usually am) to stop chasing the daily routines and make time for reflection?

You can start the process by asking questions. What will it feel like if I reach this goal? How much time and money will it cost to reach this goal? Where else could I invest this time and money? Which would I rather do - goal 1 or goal 2, if I had to decide. You are sure to come out of your quiet time with a clearer picture of what you want, perhaps with stronger conviction to reach your goals than ever before. I was able to select one personal goal for Q1, and realize that if I reach only this one goal in Q1 (the first quarter of 2008), then I am totally successful for Q1.

Can you find the single goal that you believe will indicate success for you in Q1?

Obsessed with weakness, Dr. Curie

We move ourselves and society forward by perfecting, refining and building our areas of expertise. We don't help anyone by constantly trying to identify perceived "Weaknesses" and trying to perfect them.

Contrary to popular belief that we should constantly improve our areas of weaknesses, you can never be "the" leader in your field if you are trying to become mediocre in someone else's field.

Who agrees with me?
1. Joel Osteen - In a sermon on TV last week he explained how we should stay in the gifts that God has given us. (By the way he is a great speaker for Toastmasters to study)
2. Alan Weiss - He says that society is moved forward by the best and the brightest.
3. Jack Welch - He said "Be number one or number two in the field, or get out of that field".

However, I recently saw an article offering this erroneous advice to speakers "Don't perfect what you're good at; improve your weak points". What? I

f you are a world champion speaker who possesses exemplary "Delivery" and "Humor" skills why would you abandon these skills and begin to investigate perceived "weaknesses"? What will you gain by studying negotiation, etiquette and research.

This advice is wrong for a number of reasons:
1. Who decides what constitutes a weakness? Is the ability repair a roof a strength? Do you have a weakness if you prefer to perform on a stage rather than meditate for a day at a time? If you cannot type at 50 words per minute is this a weakness? What if you are a carpenter and never need to type? What if an author cannot bench press 300 pounds? Is this a weakness? Is there a "Big Book of Weaknesses?"

2. If you have weaknesses, which one is more weak than others? Should a carpenter learn to type 50 words a minute in his spare time rather than take a course in fly fishing? Should an author work out so that he can bench press 300 pounds or learn to shoot a rifle accurately first? Or should he learn how to negotiate in a hostage situation first (then he won't need to shoot the rifle)? The possible permutations of weaknesses are endless.

3. This advice assumes that you have a weakness. It is a negative attitude. Why must we all have "Weaknesses"? Why can't we have strengths in the areas that we choose to be strong?

I prefer t0 take a positive attitude and build on our strengths. We should build strengths that eclipse our "weaknesses".

People who focus on trying to identify weaknesses are generally not very productive. My experience is that productive people build on their strengths and keep getting better. If you want to disagree with me, then please go ahead and invest your valuable time in trying to identify and prioritize your "weaknesses". Keep track of the productive time you waste during this endeavor.

After you have invested part of your life in this futile exercise, read this posting again and dispute my approach. Ask yourself "Now that I have invested productive time identifying my weaknesses, what could I have produced in this time? What skill could I have improved in this time I focused on looking for perceived weaknesses that may not exist?"

This advice damages all who hear it. Speakers and all non-speakers have the responsibility to develop our talents to the fullest so that our expertise can benefit mankind. Where would we be if Dr. Marie Curie said "I am a great doctor, but need to improve as a musician, artist, negotiator and marathon runner. No one cares for X-Rays anyway. Let me focus on improving my weaknesses"

No. We need to build on our strengths. In the highly unlikely event that you have developed all of your talents to the maximum possible ability, then contact me. You will be the first person in history to get my approval and work on identifying a "weakness" that you can improve.

Focus on a few strengths to get better in them. In Feet to the Fire and in our Accountability Partnership, Liz Trendowski and I focus on each other's strengths so that we can both improve faster and benefit our audiences more.

I am logical and organized, but was blessed with limited (to put it politely) creativity. Liz is very creative but less organized. At my age, I don't have the time time learn to be creative. I will continue to contribute to society by constantly focusing on improving my public speaking skills (through Toastmasters International) and my Project Management talents. If you want an organized project, then call on me. If you want a creative title for your book, CD, or seminar, call Liz. Neither of us obsess over the fact that we are not clones.

In summary - focus on your strengths. Build on them. Become an expert. Become a better expert. Be glamorously unique. Then you can save other people time by sharing your expertise. You have strengths. Use them to help yourself and society. Rejoice in your strengths, Dr. Curie.

Leaders are made, not born.

Leaders are made, not born.

As I observe managers in corporations, I conclude that most managers are neither.