Author Archives: Linda Yates

Getting back on the Horse

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If you ever attempted to give exceptional service and it blew up in your face, what did you do to pick yourself back up again and make the next attempt bear a positive outcome? Do you practice self-talk?

Do you have the ability to say, “better luck next time?” As with anything in life, when you fail it provides an opportunity to succeed the next time.

If you would bear with me, I would like to share a personal experience and life lesson that my mother taught when I was about 9 years old. It made such an impact on me and has been a guiding principle for me to follow throughout my life.

In fact, the other day I was telling my brother about this article and this story I was going to share. He remembered the experience as well. So let’s begin – I was raised on a horse ranch, farm and dairy.

My mother was the driving force with regard to the horses. From as young as I can remember, horses were a very integral part of my life. One early spring on a Saturday afternoon, a couple of us younger children, there are seven children in my family, went out riding our horses in the pasture with my mother overseeing the process.
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Discipline, a refining teacher

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The word credit has many uses and refers to a variety actions. Let’s examine.

It may be used as a type of bookkeeping entry. Someone may be given credit for some piece of work such as writing or acting. In my world of providing education, credit is a system of measuring coursework. Lastly, credit may refer to finance and for purposes of this article we will focus on that medium.

If cash is king then credit must be the queen and the rest of the court. In today’s environment securing a high credit standing should be a high priority. There are ways to increase your credit score. The first step is to be educated and knowledgeable about what is on your credit report and taking action to clear any incorrect items.

Protecting your credit is paramount to financial freedom. In a time where more and more individuals consider strategic default, you must have your eyes wide open to those decisions and potential consequences. A short sale can affect your credit anywhere from 80-100 points where a foreclosure has a potential hit of 250-280 points. So making choices in your financial life has a long lasting ripple effect.

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Change the Service Paradigm

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When was the last time you experienced great service, first hand? How did you feel after the exchange? Did that experience effect the rest of your day?

Keep those feelings and thoughts in one of the corners of your mind. Now, let’s take you back to a negative service experience. When did that occur? Was it this morning or last night? Perhaps, you have been lucky and you cannot remember the last bad service experience you had. Hopefully that is the case and that you haven’t had so many negative experiences that you have forgotten what a positive service experience looks, feels or walks like!

Let me share with you an experience that a friend of mine named Joe had a while ago. Joe was born and raised in Brazil. He moved to the United States about fourteen years ago. His first job was to rent cars and buses for individuals and groups that would come in from out of town. His English was fair at best and one day he had a woman call in to check rates for renting a bus. Now this woman was an elderly woman from Pascagoula, Mississippi who was a transplant as well. These two individuals spoke for several minutes trying to understand what the other was saying and were becoming very frustrated with one another. Joe kept his cool and suggested that she come down to the rental company so that they could speak in person and she could see if their product would be the right fit for her needs. After a little prodding, she agreed and came down and they were better able to communicate in person. This business transaction turned out to be very profitable for Joe as the woman ended up renting five twenty-passenger vans for an upcoming family reunion. The woman and Joe ended up having a great experience because of a couple of principles that they consciously or subconsciously covered. Let’s dissect this story.

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Being Proactive Energizes

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As January comes upon us every year, you probably hear a lot about goal setting and resolutions. A new beginning is always a great way to jump-start your motivation in every aspect of your life. If you write down your goals the propensity of them getting conquered actually goes up over 50%. If you take 30 minutes out of your life to think and meditate about what it is you want to achieve and accomplish in every aspect of your life, then write it down, you will be amazed at what goals you will be able to complete.

Being proactive energizes and being reactive sucks energy away!

I would like to encourage you to set service goals. Why should you set these types of goals? By setting goals in this area your business will be more profitable and your life will be enriched. You can start in small ways.  There is a wonderful story about Johnny the bagger.  This is a story about a bagger in a grocery store who took to heart the encouragement that management gave to help increase profitability for the store. Johnny struggled with Down Syndrome all of his life, and as he contemplated about what he could do to help, the idea came that he could share a small, type-written, “Thought of the Day” and leave it in the grocery bags he would pack. Shortly after he started doing this, management noticed a line forming at the register where Johnny was the bagger.  The store would open up additional lines to get customers through but the customers stated that they were fine waiting and then it finally came out that they wanted Johnny’s “Thought of the Day.”

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3,000 Different Theories

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“If at first you don’t succeed try, try, try again.” This quote from William E. Hickson has been around a long time, 1857 in fact. Many times we let the fear of failure hold us back. Persistence pays off. As we take a look at some of the most famous individuals such as Thomas Edison or Abraham Lincoln, these gentlemen had several failures before they were ever able to have a win or success. As I learn about the different setbacks and disappointments that Abraham Lincoln encountered it provides me hope and humility that it doesn’t matter if we fail but if we pick ourselves back up and keep trying.

Thomas Edison constructed 3,000 different theories in connection with the electric light. If he had given up at failure 100 what would have happened? Failure can be a gift and the perspective gained that something needs to be changed or tweaked.

Sometimes the fear of failure is our greatest stumbling block. We have to look at the word fear and change its meaning to an acronym: False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR). Faith and fear cannot reside together at the same time. So having faith and a strong belief that whatever the outcome will be the journey and process of trying is where the opportunities lie.

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5 Tips to a Family Business

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Being raised in several generations of family owned businesses, I have seen first-hand the opportunities and the pitfalls. In fact, in my immediate family the business generates income for seven of the family members.

One would think that with the growth of global economies and technology that big corporation would erase the family business. However, statistically 50% of the gross domestic product is generated by family business. In fact 35% of Fortune 500 companies are family companies.

With the economy changing at a rapid pace individuals may be considering additional revenue and the launch of the family business could be the answer to both the individual and family unit. Here are some things to consider when having a family business:

  1. Who does what: As you determine the role for the family member be sure to draw on their strengths and your own. That is what builds complementary teams.
  2. Strategic Planning: It is important to define what your business plan is and the intended path to achieve your goals. That way you know what you are working towards and how to measure your success or progress.
  3. Problem Solving: When problems arise the more you can put personal egos aside the better you will be able to determine solutions. By addressing the problem or what I like to call “growth opportunities,” immediately differences of opinions can be fleshed out and you can get back to your goals.
  4. Creating boundaries: It may become easy to eat, live, and breathe the family business 24/7, 365 days a year. Keeping a balance will help the overall health of all of the stakeholders. The opportunity can be a rich and rewarding experience keeping a long-time perspective.
  5. Communication: This is the building block to being successful. By constantly communicating you limit misunderstandings, disagreements and negative emotion.

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I got braces!

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What was I thinking?

All my life I have hated the dentist with great PASSION! Growing up my teeth were a little bit crowded. My upper front teeth were a little crossed – not bad – but it always bothered me.

I have always had individuals tell me I had a beautiful smile. But again those front teeth always bothered me. Many years ago, my sister-in-law Kathy got braces she was in her late thirties or early forties. I really admired her for doing that. At the time I asked her if they hurt – she said yes.

As I have aged through the years my teeth have also been moving. My bottom teeth were actually at two different levels. On a whim I decided to see an orthodontist and get an evaluation. I met with this very hi-tech practitioner and left very discouraged. What I thought might be a simple process I learned would not be and would be very expensive.

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Add 40 years to your life!

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It has been said that networking will increase your life by forty years! That is pretty incredible. Let’s look at why. Human beings are social in their very nature. We long to be respected, admired and valued by those who we find are the most important people in our life. The other day we were discussing how the world of technology is changing how individuals interact. The fear that as time goes on, the art of human face-to-face communication may be sorely impacted.

There are so many different ways to network now; more than at any time in the history of the world. Today you can network without walking out the door. The phenomenon of Facebook, My Space, LinkedIn and Twitter are making it easier to expand our individual networks. With face-to-face networking you need to have a strategy for your networking efforts, otherwise you can easily spend a lot of time and your efforts will be fruitless in moving you forward with your professional and organizational goals. “A plan, like a tree, must have branches – if it is to bear fruit. A plan with a single aim is apt to prove a barren pole.”  This is a quote from B.H. Liddell Hart that I came across years ago.

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Anatomy of relationships

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Why is it that there are some individuals on this planet that you instantly connect with and others who take a little bit of time?

This question has been one that I have often meditated upon. I find that those individuals whom I feel what I like to refer to as, “energy transference,” are the individuals I enjoy spending time with. What is meant by “energy transference?” Energy transference is when you feel positive and synergistic communication occurring between yourself and another. In contrast, have you ever met those folks who when you have a dialogue or exchange information with they suck the life right out of you? I know I have, and I have made it a priority to seek relationships that I feel positive energy from.

Some of our deepest relationships sometimes start off rocky or we misjudge the individual. One of my dearest friends growing up had the personality of someone who was aloof and unapproachable. As time went on and we had reason to interact I realized what an amazing woman she was and currently is. The lesson to each of us is to be careful not to judge. In fact if you become a perceiver instead of a judger you will experience more happiness.

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Appreciating Service

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While sitting in a restaurant the other day, I noticed the table next to me and how the serving staff was very attentive to this table and to all the surrounding tables.  What was interesting about my observation was how those folks sitting at the various tables were interacting with the restaurant staff. Each table was a little different.  One table was very gregarious and laughing it up while another table was very quiet and didn’t seem to notice those serving them.  The third table appeared to be very demanding and extremely rude from what I was observing.

Now if you have ever worked in the service industry you will probably recognize these different behaviors. Do you notice those serving you? Or do you go through life expecting service and never really acknowledge great service? Some service professionals are trained to be invisible while others are trained to connect and take more of a sales role. It is extremely interesting to observe political candidates and how they treat service staff at a networking function. If you have never done this, I would encourage you to try it sometime. Some individuals have a tendency to put forward an air of superiority while others are cognizant that they are not the only individuals walking the planet.

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