Igniting the Introverts!

by Suzi on March 12, 2010

Guest post by Vinay Kumar. Posted with permission:

Speaking from personal experience, it seems we introverts are frequently misunderstood and overlooked.  As an introvert, I live in my head a lot. I don’t smile much and I am quiet by nature. At meetings I sit back, listen to various views, and only then do I speak.

In the process, I have had people ask me if I was OK, if everything was alright, if I was upset, and so on. Others have thought, because I don’t jump into conversations forcefully or frequently, that I am not engaged, or I lack leadership qualities.  Other times I have been viewed as uncaring, distant, too serious, angry, pensive, detached, aloof, fussy, inflexible, picky, pessimistic, hesitant, inflexible…to name just a few of the words I can find to describe how my introvert nature has been interpreted.

Yet from my perspective, I am listening at a deep level, being thorough, diplomatic, precise, “anchor of reality”, working towards making good decisions, so everyone benefits.

Therefore, I can’t help but wonder, in today’s 100-mph extroverted culture, to what degree introverts are overlooked and misunderstood?

I’d love your comments below!

*********

Vinay Kumar is senior director with Marketing General, Alexandria, Virginia. He blogs at http://vinaykumarcoach.blogspot.com. Email: vkumar@marketinggeneral.com

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email

{ 0 comments }

Leadership is Like Sex

by Suzi on March 10, 2010

Huh?

Bear with me.

I spoke last week at a Young Professional Leadership Group meeting about the importance of SELF leadership, which is especially foundational at the intersection of leadership and business development.

You know how you get in a zone when you’re speaking, and you say something unplanned, unscripted, and unrehearsed — and it makes an impact?  Well, I had one of those moments with this group.

We were talking about leadership and guiding others. I was extolling the virtues of having permission and then letting people know what you like and how you like it, asking for what you like, etc. and out of my mouth I hear the words, “It’s like sex”.

Well, this meeting was at 7am and not only did that comment wake everyone up, but it caused me to blush.  Which ended up creating an openness and intimacy in the group dialogue, much to my surprise. Authenticity, baby!

Anyway, I got the following e-mail comment from one of the participants later that day: “Have you read the book “Fascinate” by Sally Hogshead?  If not, I think you will find it very beneficial with your work.  Whether you knew it or not, you used the lust trigger in a very effective manner this morning.”

I did not know that! I thought it was an embarrassing blunder!  Lust trigger.  Who knew?

Here’s what Amazon says about the book:

“What triggers fascination, and how do companies, people, and ideas put those triggers to use?

Why are you captivated by some people but not by others? Why do you recall some brands yet forget the rest? In a distracted, overcrowded world, how do certain leaders, friends, and family members convince you to change your behavior? Fascination: the most powerful way to influence decision making. It’s more persuasive than marketing, advertising, or any other form of communication. And it all starts with seven universal triggers: lust, mystique, alarm, prestige, power, vice, and trust.

Fascination plays a role in every type of decision making, from the brands you choose to the songs you remember, from the person you marry to the employees you hire. And by activating the right triggers, you can make anything become fascinating.

To explore and explain fascination’s irresistible influence, Sally Hogshead looks beyond marketing, delving into behavioral and social studies, historical precedents, neurobiology and evolutionary anthropology, as well as conducting in-depth interviews and a national study of a thousand consumers, to emerge with deeply rooted patterns for why, and how, we become captivated.”

Of course, I bought the book!

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email

{ 1 comment }

Inspiration, Genius, and Dobby the House Elf

March 3, 2010

Elizabeth Gilbert, the creative superstar behind Eat, Pray, Love, gives a great 19-minute talk at TED about the importance of showing up, which is (of course) one of the key elements of successful leadership. She also talks about access to creativity and the burdens and pressures artists face. Her talk is smart, funny, [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email
Read the full article →

40 Seconds on Coaching from Google’s CEO

March 1, 2010

According to Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, “everyone needs a coach” and “The one thing people are never good at … is seeing themselves as others see them.”  Do you agree?  Check out this 40 second video clip and comment below!

Embedded video from CNN Video

Share and Enjoy:

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email
Read the full article →

Interview Excerpt: Priority Shift Needed To Close Deals

March 1, 2010

The following response is excerpted from a longer interview.  I was asked by HRD Press the following question:
What is the biggest priority shift that people should make, in order to become better at closing deals and completing projects?

As discussed in Seal the Deal, it’s really all about numbers.  The biggest shift to make, [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email
Read the full article →

Interview Excerpt: Critical Lessons Learned and New Projects

February 27, 2010

Continuation of interview conducted by HRD Press.
I really like the “lessons learned” piece in your book.  Can you talk about why that is so critical?

This piece is uber-critical.  Now more than ever customer service is paramount.  The Lessons Learned meetings allow you to check in with your client at various stages of an engagement [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email
Read the full article →

Interview Excerpt: Are Concepts from Seal the Deal Still Applicable?

February 25, 2010

The following response is excerpted from a longer interview.  I was asked by HRD Press the following question:
How are some of the concepts that you talk about in your book, Seal the Deal applicable (or how have they changed) in the recent economy?

The core concepts of the “critical trinity” of Networking, Marketing and Sales [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email
Read the full article →

Forget ‘Good to Great’ – Have You Found Your Great Work?

February 17, 2010
Thumbnail image for Forget ‘Good to Great’ – Have You Found Your Great Work?

Do you know UberCoach Michael Bungay Stanier?  He’s a genius. And fun.  And humble. And super creative. His latest book,
Do More Great Work: Stop the busywork and start the work that matters – will be released on Monday, February 22nd.  THAT’S SOON! => http://bit.ly/7yHSMT
It’s got an additional five new ‘maps’ from the first edition, together [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email
Read the full article →

Snowpocalypse Humor

February 16, 2010

Well, we got a lot of snow here in Maryland.  Historical, record-breaking amounts of it, in fact.  We had 3 blizzards in 2 months, the last two just 3 days apart.   Saturday’s (blizzard #2) dumped 33 inches on us, and then Tuesday’s dumped another 15 inches.  Yeah, we don’t exactly have the infrastructure to handle [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email
Read the full article →

Are You Sabotaging Your Clients’ Success?

February 13, 2010

Sabotage! How you’re stopping your clients truly succeeding

Guest Post provided by Leading Coach Michael Bungay Stanier
You’re FABulous
You’re a senior coach, wise and subtle, well trained and with many hours of coaching conversations under your belt.
It’s both a rewarding and comfortable place to be, and we do good in the world. (I’m taking the liberty to [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Technorati
  • Print
  • email
Read the full article →