Influence Your Team and Your Boss

February 23, 2014 DrMaria

How can I gain influence with my team? How do I influence my boss?I’ve heard repeatedly from my clients, students, and colleagues these questions. While teaching leadership or marketing courses, I’ve often thought…Leading people and marketing are really the same activity. Isn’t the primary objective of both to influence people in the direction of a goal?You may challenge that statement! True, marketing and leadership could sometimes be an activity of manipulation, and not of influence. We have seen and experienced this many times in both marketing and leadership.Both activities of influence and manipulation have power. The key is that only one has sustainability. Manipulation can be an effective influencing tactic, but it is not sustaining; in fact, it is exhausting!Influence, on the other hand, is nurturing, motivating, and full of momentum. In today’s video are 10 specific strategies to increase your influence.I would love to hear from you. What else would you add to this list to increase your influence? What time did you gain buy-in and what strategy did you use?With love,Maria

May I Present

February 2, 2014 DrMaria

How can we have a strong presence and make a good impression? Do we show up in the way we want?Presence is showing up.So often, we are replaying in our head the argument we may have had with a spouse, the traffic on the way to work, or the memo we just read. How different would it be if we really showed up—mind, body, and spirit? How would our showing up affect our communication, our connection and relationships, or our leadership?Great leaders, who communicate and connect, fill their minds with the person in front of them. We feel this connection when others are fully engaged in what we are saying. We see it in their eyes, we feel it energetically, we know we are connected and drawn to that person and the moment. Presence is mindfulness. Mindfulness is found in the present, and when you are present, you show up.We can practice three simple exercises to show up in the way we want.As always, I would love to hear from you. What practices do you do to show up? How would you like to show up differently, and what will you do to accomplish a stronger presence?With love,Maria

Are You Experienced?

January 26, 2014 DrMaria

Have you ever driven away from your home and looked back to see if you closed the garage door? Awareness is tricky that way. How can we be more mindful at work? Why practice awareness in the workplace?

We must first be self-aware before we can begin effective, meaningful relationships with others. As a leader, awareness is the foundation on which to build your leadership skills. Don’t get me wrong, many leaders go about their day-to-day activities unconsciously leading, struggling, and wondering why it is so darn hard. The answer is that we must first effectively lead ourselves if we are to lead others successfully.Luckily, we can practice three simple steps to cultivate awareness and become a better leader.I would love to hear from you. When was the moment when you became fully aware? What are some steps you use to stay in awareness?With love,Maria

How to Work Through a Communication Breakdown and Communicate Better

January 5, 2014 DrMaria

How many times a day do we experience a communication breakdown and want to communicate better?

We’ve been talking about communication for decades and we still can’t seem to get it right!The challenge we have with communication is the noise.Three super simple strategies can help us eliminate that noise.I love to hear from you! Please share below your funniest Mars/Venus communication exchange. Or what’s the most challenging conversation you’ve had and how did you manage through it?With love,Maria

Secrets and Challenges

December 19, 2013 DrMaria

The secrets of leadership include awareness, mindfulness, intuition, power listening, and perception shifting. These five skills are innate, although they become buried for many of us based on our cultural upbringing. The great news is that they never go away! Reconnecting with and developing these five leadership essentials are key to successful leadership. These skills help leaders know themselves better, enabling them to understand and influence others. Let’s face it: leadership is about influence. We cannot influence others in an authentic and effective manner without first understanding ourselves as well as those whom we lead.The challenges that leaders face take on many forms. When we peel back the layers of challenges or problems, we find that in most cases the same root cause affects everything – fear. Manifesting itself in many forms, fear shows up as ego, micro-management, misunderstandings, and reactionary behaviors. When we learn to recognize the underlying cause (fear), we then will know how to rectify the real problem instead of just putting on a band-aid or superficial fix. When we only treat the problems superficially, we experience the same issues repeatedly.What is your biggest challenge with leadership and what secret solution do you have? As always, I love hearing your insight.With love,MariaDr. Maria Church, CPC, is a leadership coach, speaker, and author of Love-Based Leadership: Transform Your Life with Meaning and Abundance and her upcoming book, A Course in Leadership: 21 Spiritual Lessons on Leadership, Love, and Life. Maria holds a doctorate of management in organizational leadership, teaches at several universities, and is CEO of Dr. Maria Church International LLC, a leadership coaching, development, and training firm. For more information, visit www.DrMariaChurch.com.

Where Did the Time Go?

October 24, 2013 DrMaria

We are deep into the fall season and closing in on Halloween. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, kicking off the holiday season. So many joyful ceremonies, practices, and events fill the season with activity. The challenge for some of us is how easily time slips away during this very active time of year.You may want to consider a pause now, to refocus, plan, and strategize how you are going to enjoy this active season and still accomplish what you want. Be cautious and aware that activity does not necessarily mean productivity. We can easily busy ourselves with the actions of web surfing, shopping, and internet chatting. The illusion that accompanies this busy action is that we’ve been “working”. With awareness, you can guarantee this will not happen to you.A few simple steps can help you maintain you focus and accomplish what you set out to do:

Turn off your email notifications and only check it at scheduled times throughout the day.
If you enjoy social media, save it for the end of the day like a reward for staying focused.
Put your phone on “Do not disturb” when you are working on a task that requires your 100% attention.
Close your door for un-interrupted time each day so those around you know not to disturb you during those times.
Move your desk so it is not facing the door.
If people have a tendency to park themselves in the chairs in your office, remove the chairs and only bring them in for meetings.
Unclutter your mind by purging “to do’s” onto paper.

These very simple steps will help you focus with greater ease.What are some strategies you do to maintain your focus? I am sure we all would love to know!With love,MariaDr. Maria Church, CPC, is a leadership coach, speaker, and author of Love-Based Leadership: Transform Your Life with Meaning and Abundance and her upcoming book, A Course in Leadership: 21 Spiritual Lessons on Leadership, Love, and Life. Maria holds a doctorate of management in organizational leadership, teaches at several universities, and is CEO of Dr. Maria Church International LLC, a leadership coaching, development, and training firm. For more information, visit www.DrMariaChurch.com.

Today or Tomorrow - Which One?

October 1, 2013 DrMaria

“Today is great. Tomorrow is even greater.”

I just read this statement and immediately began to ponder it with questions, thoughts, emotions, and opinions. Yes, today and the precious moments of this time, this moment with fingers tapping on the keyboard, is the most precious gift of all – presence.

We’ve heard lessons and advise to not live in the past. I know many who do live in the past (myself included), reliving the stories of being hurt, victimized, or even greatness. The kicker about living in the past is that we just spent the precious moments of the present – poof, gone!

Focus on tomorrow, that is a tricky one! If we put all of our focus on tomorrow, the same phenomenon as living in the past occurs – current time spent with no refund.

Perhaps the answer lies in balance. We give a nod of honor and respect to the past including life lessons and joys. We include a nod to the future with respect, wonder, and awe.

And all of this is wrapped up with the bow of the present…fingers tapping on the keyboard.

What does this statement mean to you? As always, I love hearing your thoughts.

With love,
Maria

Life in Technicolor

September 26, 2013 DrMaria

I met with my writers group the other day and we discussed some strategies and techniques from a recent writer’s workshop. Specifically, we discussed the importance of awareness for writers -- the ability to see and feel the smallest detail and then translate it onto the pages of a book.

As we discussed this hugely important skill, we talked about the importance of awareness in every aspect of our life.

To move into awareness, we must first be aware of the veil, illusion, or dream as many writers have described the state before awareness. I liken this to stumbling around in a dark room, bumping into stuff and getting hurt. Once I find the light switch, everything is revealed – a table is what bruised my shin, the arm of a chair in my hip. Now I see stuff!

The funny thing about flipping on the light switch is that you cannot live in darkness again.

I’ve had the great life experience of living with and around artists most of my life– visual, performing, literary, and several other types of art forms. Something I consistently notice about artists is their uncanny ability to be present in the moment with a heightened sense of awareness, always leading to awe.

What would happen to us and for us if we lived in awe? Life in Technicolor!

With love,
Maria

Is it Freezing in Here?

September 19, 2013 DrMaria

I just got back from visiting a friend of mine that I worked with many years ago. He described an all too familiar phenomenon happening in organizations all across America. People are retiring and leaving organizations and they are not being replaced. Hiring freezes is a common practice in companies to maintain a shrinking budget and avoid layoffs. This can be an effective strategy, but the down side is the compounded strain the hiring freeze puts on the existing employees whose workloads are now doubled or even tripled.

Most people are willing to pitch in and pick up the slack – for a variety of reasons such as pride in product or service, loyalty to the company, the “roll-up the sleeves” American spirit, or other intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. These motivating factors are what make hiring freezes viable temporary options. Note the key word here is temporary.

The phenomenon happening today all across America is this “temporary” hiring freeze , no raises, and in many cases pay cuts is now going on 4 to 5 years and our people are FROZEN! They are numb and disillusioned from the cold, aloof ways they are being treated. They are told that they are “lucky” to have jobs and people are walking hallways like zombies.

The connection, enthusiasm, and engagement of the early days of the freeze have worn off and their hearts and heads are no longer connected in the workplace.

Why is this a problem?

When our hearts and heads are not connected, we are not present, not engaged, and far from productive.

How can we thaw out our people? Try the most bold, priceless action in the world – tell them “Thank You”. Gratitude and appreciation immediately connect us to the present moment and instantly connects our head and heart, melting away the frigid temperatures of yesterday.

What are some creative ways you tell your team “thank you”? I love sharing your insight.

With love and warmth,
Maria

LoveFest 2013

September 10, 2013 DrMaria

I am so excited to share with my latest project with you – LoveFest 2013!

Along with Laura Wilson, CPC, (Love Coach Laura), we are honoring 11 other people who integrate love into their work in BIG ways!

This FREE virtual event, LoveFest 2013, next week, September 16 – 19 demonstrates the exciting transformational shift from fear and competition modalities toward love and collaboration with heart-based methods.

Our speakers represent thirteen major areas of life (politics, leadership, business, money, health, sports, community, relationships, self, intention, networking, social media, sales, and education) experiencing the profound benefits of shifting to a love-based approach.

You will hear from money and business expert, Maria Simone, sales expert Carolyn Coradeschi, social media and marketing coach, Tassey Russo, the go to business coach for healers, Karen Monteverdi, bullying prevention expert, Vicki Abadesco, and several other experts bringing love to work in corporate America, communities, schools, business, health/wellness, weight loss, making money, sports, arts, and of course, relationships.

Not only will you hear 13 of us talk about this shift from fear to love, but you will hear about the incredible results that we and our clients are experiencing from this shift!

I sure do hope you will join us at our FREE virtual event, LoveFest 2013. Just click here to register!

Don’t miss Jone Bosworth, J.D.’s interview, “Unchain the Heart of Democracy”, or Sandy Zeldes’s interview, “Love: Your Weight-Loss Solution” and so much more!

Join us today!

“See you” at the Fest!

With love,
Maria

Your Way Out of Conflict

August 29, 2013 DrMaria

Like presence, when we fully connect with those with whom we are communicating, when we find common ground, we come together. Our ability to find common ground is easy when you combine presence, power listening, and perception shifting, with intuition.

Discover shared values, shared objectives, shared goals, and/or a shared vision. You are now on your way to discovering the true issue of the conflict. This clarity creates a shifted environment to now empathize with this person, which will move you into a collaborative vibe.

Once you’ve determined the true issue, now together, you can create a shared vision of collaboration…a plan to move forward. Remember as you create your plan of collaboration, apply the four actions of presence, power listening, perception shifting, and intuition, while always staying focused on common ground.

When you create your plan of collaboratively moving forward, remember to include follow-up, keeping the lines of communication open, demonstrating your commitment to improvement, and always be gracious—thanking the person for bringing this issue to your attention. Shoot for always ending the conversation on a positive note.

With love,
Maria

Great Leaders are Full

August 27, 2013 DrMaria

Great leaders, who communicate and connect, fill their minds with the person in front of them. We feel this connection when others are fully engaged in what we are saying. We see it in their eyes, we feel it energetically, we know we are connected and drawn to that person and the moment. Presence is mindfulness. Mindfulness is found in the present, and when you are present, you show up.

When we find this connection with others through mindfulness, we gain a deeper understanding of each other and of ourselves. Of course when we do, we are mind-full of their presence in the moment. We also understand ourselves better when we connect with others. It is not unusual with this deep union of souls, to see ourselves in those people with whom we feel connected. In a mindful state, empathy, connection, compassion, and equality surface to our consciousness. We see and feel each other as the same, without division and without judgment—we feel love.

Not only is a mindful practice one that provides clarity, vision, connection, and beauty, but being present in the moment also confers peace of mind. Living in mindfulness is living in peace. This is especially relevant in our current culture plagued with chaos, competition, rage, and fear.

How do you know when you've really been heard?

With love and attention,
Maria

Fear-Based Leadership Vision Statement

August 1, 2013 DrMaria

Fear-based leadership exists, but can easily be erased.

Remember that both fear and love cannot be present at the same time.

Love-Based Leadership (LBL) doesn’t look like fear, doesn’t smell like fear, and doesn’t walk like fear. Perfect love drives out all fear. LBL doesn’t just proclaim that people are important because it says so on the mission statement posted on the wall. LBL leaders do not say one thing and do another.

An organization where LBL is not practiced is secretive: a fertile ground for non-truth. An organization without LBL is steeped in office politics and scarcity thinking—the fear that resources are limited and everyone is out to get yours. Information is not shared, rather, it is hoarded. There is no sign of spirit or energy.

The focus and vision of organizations where LBL is not practiced (a fear-based organization) could read:

We recognize there is only a limited amount of (money, people, projects, resources) and we will do anything to make sure we’ve got most, if not all of it (money, people, etc.). We tell our people they are important and they believe us because they are incapable of making any decisions on their own. We are the best because we said so.

What do you think a Love-Based Leadership vision statement would say?

As always, I love hearing your perspective.

With love,
Maria

Prayer, Meditation and Leadership?

July 16, 2013 DrMaria

What in the world, do these three things have in common?

Everything.

As leaders, we have a responsibility to lead and inspire with clarity. In our busy world, we often don’t take the time to just think and get really clear about the vision and more importantly, the path, systems, and steps necessary to realize the vision.

And even worse, we think we have to get there on our own.

Well, the good news is that we are not on our own.

Prayer and meditation are ways we connect with our Source. Stillness and silence are also paths to feeling that connection with the Universe. French philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal stated, “All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Through stillness, we obtain clarity. When we have clarity, we have time gained. Time gained comes to us because we have a clearer picture of the problem or dilemma and see an unobstructed path to follow.

I cannot think of a more cost efficient use of time. The return on investment with time spent in silence with our Source is abundance beyond our wildest dreams.

As always, I love hearing your thoughts.

With love,
Maria

Tell the Truth

July 11, 2013 DrMaria

We must learn to honor ourselves with truth. By being honest with ourselves and not allowing others’ non-truths into our psyche, we acknowledge that we love and respect ourselves.

By respecting ourselves, we don’t accept other’s false realities. Iyanla Vanzant recognized that, for most of us, it isn’t difficult to tell when someone isn’t being truthful with us; the challenge is how to call them on their non-truth. She suggested we reply, “While that may sound truthful to you, it doesn’t feel truthful to me.”

What a great line! When we are truthful with ourselves, we remember our divine nature and we do not let anyone treat us with a lack of respect or dignity.

What are your thoughts about truth telling and truth receiving?

With love,
Maria

You are Branded!

June 27, 2013 DrMaria

Branding and image consulting are terms we’ve no doubt heard, typically in the context of marketing. Have you thought about your brand? No, I am not talking about the company for which you work—I am talking about YOU!

What is your brand, your leadership image? Are you respected because you’ve earned it or are you feared because of your title? What is the first thing your people think about when your name comes up?

Some of us may say that we don’t care about what others think about me. Really, is that really true?

As leaders, our primary task is to motivate and influence others toward a vision and/or goal. If others are not buying our brand, then we don’t really have followers.

How can we consciously create our leadership brand? Follow these 5 simple steps:

Intentionally determine what you want your brand to represent.
Reverse engineer the steps necessary to develop and create that brand image.
Be accountable to doing the work – find an accountability partner or coach who will be honest about your progress and a resource when you are stuck.
Be vulnerable and do spot checks with others to see if you are on the right track (in other words—ask!).
Celebrate your successes along the way.

For more information on image, check out this previous blog post, Leadership Impression.

Please share your progress and aha’s! I love hearing from you.

Love,
Maria

Leadership is Chocolate

May 28, 2013 DrMaria

Leadership. What is it? How is it defined? Two great questions. Two reasonable questions. Two thousand responses.

In my experience, the words leadership and management are used interchangeably in the workplace. In the management and leadership classes I’ve taught over the years, we define those terms differently, while recognizing that leadership is a critical part of management.

I have always believed that defining leadership as a component of management was like saying cocoa is a component of chocolate. While cocoa is the critical component in making chocolate, there is a process in taking the cocoa through critical steps before the chocolate is produced.

Such is true with leadership—critical steps for leadership development are necessary. The first steps begin with awareness.

What do you think comes next? Remember to share your thoughts below!

With the love of chocolate,
Maria

Are You Afraid?

May 23, 2013 DrMaria

As a leadership coach, I am always excited when a powerful question or statement crosses my path or better yet, slams me in the face! Yesterday, I had such an encounter. Seth Godin got my attention when he stated, “If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader”. He was talking about the discomfort we sometimes feel as a leader and furthermore, when we identify the discomfort, we’ve found a place where leadership is needed. His list includes:

Standing up in front of strangers
Proposing an idea that may fail
Challenging the status quo
Resisting the urge to settle

I DO love those moments that move me out of my comfort zone and into what I call a “seat squirming” state. I know when I start squirming, I am onto to something, and that something is usually growth!

Of course, I also like to state things in a positive frame, so my list may look something like:

Motivating people in the direction of a shared goal
Creating and innovating with others, living in a synergy zone
Thinking outside the box and trying something that “hasn’t been done before”
Pushing myself and others to live in creativity and authenticity, even when it may be more work

My list not only feels good when I put it on, but it moves me beyond comfort to electric energy. What are your thoughts? Comfortable? Discomfort? What would you add to the list? As always, I truly appreciate your insight.

With love,
Maria

Energizer Bunny Leader

May 16, 2013 DrMaria

Health is underrated. We take the sensation of feeling good for granted, and that good enough feeling propels us to keep going beyond reason like the Energizer bunny. A. J. Reb Materi wisely observed, “So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” Looking at health holistically, we must understand the importance of maintaining or reclaiming health in mind, body, and spirit.

Living a healthy lifestyle is one of self-care. I am not talking about bubble baths and pedicures—although both are great fun—I am talking about loving yourself first before you take care of others. This is especially challenging for many of my female clients, because we are nurturers and helpers by nature. However, helping and nurturing requires you have a source from which to extend. If you are empty, how can you give or help?

Remember, this is not a dress rehearsal. This is it! Live well.

With love,
Maria

Social Responsibility Movement

May 9, 2013 DrMaria

Have you noticed the recent emphasis on social responsibility in our business culture? Consumers, employees, and leaders are demanding socially responsible behavior of themselves and others. If companies choose not to comply with our wishes, we go elsewhere—because we can.

We see social responsibility manifested in the philanthropic activities organizations are doing; and they are not just writing checks to non-profits. Companies are building schools, putting shoes on children, and teaching third-world countries how to harvest water. We have business models emerging with the primary purpose of serving others. Guess what? These businesses are making money! They have learned how to connect the heart with the bank account. A Course in Miracles tells us, “If you feel the love of God within you, you will look out on a world of mercy and of love.” That is exactly what some organizations are doing.

We also see the socially responsible movement in organizations manifested as the green movement. Entire global organizations are working their strategic plans to reduce their carbon footprint. Organizations are working with suppliers and manufacturers who share the same service and stewardship values. This is not just a fad or a trend, it is an awakening, a collective consciousness showing up and stepping forward. This collective voice is saying ENOUGH!

If not now, when?

It is time. Are you ready?

With love,
Maria