Life now moves at the speed of blur. Most days we fall into bed nearly unaware of all that happened in the day. Information moves through our heads so quickly that it rarely registers as it passes over our brains. So, slow it down for a minute. Get out a journal and write.

Here are some amazing things that happen when you start to spend some time with yourself and record your thoughts:

1. You start to notice details you previously did not notice; you improve your vision and awareness.
2. You start to see how you behave, what you think and what you feel with greater clarity – you start to better understand yourself.
3. You become more connected to your world, your relationships and your sense of self.

Journaling is a great reminder that you own your life and your responses. Journaling helps you to sort through feelings, emotions, ideas and perspectives. Journaling asks you to talk to yourself, to see what you really believe, what you really want, and what you really feel. This is what makes journaling difficult for many people. But the benefits – the awareness it creates – is priceless – in both work and life situations.

To get started journaling, I recommend the following:

1. Buy a lined notebook. I like handwriting instead of using a computer, but do what makes you feel more comfortable.
2. Commit a time each day to journal. Spend 10 minutes in that time period and write whatever comes to mind. The first week is difficult. But once you get your groove, you will look forward to journaling.
3. Start by recording a statement, then journal what you think about it. Examples:
a. I am most happy when I am …..
b. Something that I thought would be difficult, was easy…
c. Two great people I met today were…
d. I feel my most capable when I am doing…
4. Allow yourself to write whatever comes to mind. Don’t edit.
5. Once you get in the habit, spend time reviewing what you write. What information does it tell you about you – your talents, strengths and passions?

Get reconnected to the greatness that is in you. Start by writing down what you think and feel. Start to tell your story. Journaling… it does a body good…

Watch for my new book, The Greatness Zone – Know Yourself, Find Your Fit, and Transform the World, due out this September.

So consider this. Look at the roles and responsibilities in the organization that must be done by the core, fulltime staff. Then determine all other roles and responsibilities that can be hosted by flexible free agents – outsourced by people who are as talented about the particular role as your full time employees are in their roles. Flexible free agents are those who do a particular task for many companies – on a part-time basis. Think of flexible free agents as the half step between a fulltime employee and an entrepreneur. Many have been laid off from their roles and have strung several part-time, task-specific roles together to invent a new job. This creates a new and valuable type of contract employee in today’s workplace.

So, back to your workplace. Some roles are so core to the business that it is important to have them staffed by fulltime employees. Some roles can be done on a part-time or temporary basis by someone who is exceptional at the task (flexible free agents). This way, free agents are hired only when needed, do not incur additional overhead, and are extremely productive. This allows the full time employee to stay more focused on their critical responsibilities – those that drive greater customer loyalty, drive greater results or increase efficiencies.

Here are two examples:

Surveying customers is a critical responsibility of every organization; it is important that your organization always know what your customers think and feel. Though critical, it can easily be outsourced to survey organizations or to flexible free agents who specialize in this work for your industry. You need the information; you don’t need to gather the information.

Creating an employee handbook, a company intranet, or a company newsletter are all tasks that improve the quality of the work life but can be easily outsourced to allow your talented fulltime employees to stay focused on customer service and profit-generating tasks.

So what are the fixed roles for your organization? What roles can be flexible? You don’t need to hire full time employees for every role. Hire fulltime when the role requires it. Otherwise, use flexible free agents.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it, and contact me to help introduce how to maximize your employees’ performance.

Here is my perspective. Each of us has specific talents and strengths – attributes uniquely hardwired in us. Some are great with details and solving challenges, others are exceptional listeners, relationship builders or have spiritual insight. Some are artistic and some can write. Some can invent and some are extraordinary teachers. Each of us has the ability to create our personal masterpiece – our great work.

When we discover and play to our talents and strengths, we bring our best to our lives and to our world – we access our greatness and use it to impact the world.

o A teacher’s great work can change the life of a student forever.
o An artist’s great work can change a person’s mood with their art, music or writing.
o A builder’s great work can create a safe place for a family to realize their dreams.

The point is you have a masterpiece in you – there is greatness in you. But most people are unfamiliar with how to find and release their masterpiece. It starts by knowing yourself – the talents, strengths and passions you have. Here’s how:

1. List what you are great at. What comes naturally? What do others say you are great at? What do you seem to have great success doing?
2. List what you are passionate about. What gets you excited, energized and fired up? What could you do all day and never look at the clock?
3. Review your lists. Where do they intersect? What are you good at and love doing? These are your masterpiece areas. These are your areas of greatest performance, greatest impact and most significant contribution. What things come to mind? Where are you at your best?

The more connected and self-aware you are, the clearer your masterpiece areas will become. The world needs you as you are. Don’t try to force it or to be what others insist you be; instead, play to the talents, strengths and passions you that are part of the deeper or “true you.” When you understand yourself, you will see your masterpiece emerge.

I’ll talk more about this in my new book, The Greatness Zone; Know Yourself, Find Your Fit, and Transform the World, due out in September 2010. Watch for more information soon.

Sixty-five percent of employees do just enough not to get fired, according to statistics presented in Marcus Buckingham’s book, First Break All the Rules. His work with the Gallup Organization looked to define what degree employees are thinking and engaged in the workplace. This means more than half of employees don’t actively think their way through the day – they just follow the rules, do what they are told and little more.

Most managers do not take advantage of the thinking power of their employees. They seem content to have their employees simply do their jobs; they do not actively tap into their ideas, thinking and creativity. This wastes one of the most significant assets of the organization – the intellectual capital – the thinking power of the employee.

So how do you get an employee to think? Get in the habit of asking every employee these two questions every day:

1. “What if…?”
2. “What are two ways to …?”

Here are some examples:
• What if we allow employees to work more flexible hours, what would that do to performance?
• What if we eliminated two of our products or services; what would the impact be on customers?

• What are two ways to improve our marketing to our customers?
• What are two ways to attract great candidates to our company using social networking?

The format of the question isn’t as important as the discipline to constantly ask employees what they think. Tap into the resources you fund every week with your payroll. You paid for their thinking, now get what you paid for.

For me, making it an “event” is not about elaborate trips or expensive dinners. Rather, life becomes an “event” when you pay attention to the little details that show those in your life you care, love and value them. The greatest value in any relationship is not found in the things you have to do, but in the extras you choose to do.

There are so many places during the day to move from ordinary to extraordinary – to do the little things that make life a constant celebration.

Life is an “event” when:
* You get a note in your lunch in addition to your favorite sandwich.
* Your favorite cookies or crackers never seem to run out.
* You thought you needed gas in the car but it has been filled up.
* Candles are lit at mealtime, even at lunch.
* A book by your favorite author shows up on your nightstand.
* You forget and ask the same question 3 times, but you get the same gentle response.
* A card is left on your computer or in your briefcase – just because.
* Regular wine become sangria and dinner becomes a festival.
* A look, a smile or a wink means “it is you, it has always been you, it will always be you.”

A life that is extraordinary gets the big things right and constantly celebrates the important little things. Details matter. Feelings matter.

So, how do you make your life, and the lives of those you care about, an “event”? Don’t wait – you don’t get these days back. Do the little things. Do a lot of them. Do them often.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and be sure to sign up for my newsletters on at www.LiveFiredUp.com.

See a vacuum that doesn’t look or act like a conventional vacuum. By understanding how consumers use a vaccum, and then solving its ineffective features, Dyson created something entirely new. They did not start with what existed, they started with zero and built it without preconditions.

Notice the Dyson Air Multiplier, a new type of fan. For years, fans have had blades. Why? Dyson’s reinvention of a bladeless fan that is more effective, smoother and safer started with a “consider everything” approach to a problem or inefficiency.

So how do you “Dyson” in your workplace? How do you consider issues in new and non-traditional ways to create a better product, process or service solutions?

To “Dyson-ize” your approach in the workplace, consider the following:
1. Select a problem, challenge or ineffective/inefficient service, process or product.
2. Create what I call a “creativiteam” – a team assembled from different areas of the business – to bring their diverse perspectives and non-preconceived notions about the challenge.
3. Allow the team complete freedom to brainstorm new approaches to the challenge. Remind them to consider everything.
4. Allow the team to meet with the frequency it requires.
5. Require the team to propose 2-3 ideas to address the challenge or problem, and rank their solutions from most effective to least effective. Present the ideas to management team.

The benefits:
1. All employees are regularly brought into creative problem-solving and they become owners in the solutions of the business.
2. Cross-functional teams encourage non-traditional solutions and better organization interaction.
3. The organization is constantly supplied with opportunities to reinvent and redevelop to stay ahead of the competition.

Capitalize on the creative genius in your people. Many times they do not “Dyson” because they are not asked to. The more you ask your employees to invent, reinvent and reconsider, the more they do it and the better at it they become. You paid for their creative input, be sure you ask for it.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it, and contact me to help you fire up! your employees to be clever like Dyson.

Life is as life is. The most successful people in life (and I define successful people in life as those who love their lives, not just those that have the most stuff) are those who find small ways to stay upbeat, happy and engaged regardless what comes their way. They reconnect to small meaningful things during the day to remind themselves of what is going right instead of what is going wrong. They make the time for attitude mini-makeovers – minor changes in attitude and approach to focus on abundance and possibility, not scarcity and impossibility.

Here are two examples:

1. When you notice your belt is getting a little tighter than it should, eliminate snacks for the week, or replace them with fruit. Don’t change all your eating habits, just select one thing and either eliminate an abuse or add something of value. It helps you feel in charge, it is easier to do and it helps you address an issue. You feel empowered and capable. It does great things for your attitude.

2. When you see that times are tight and you have less money for the old traditions of eating out, going to movies or buying things at will, you modify just a bit to have friends over, play board games, go for coffee instead of meals, or plan a day of window shopping instead of store shopping. Life is still fun, but now it doesn’t put you into a financial situation you can’t afford. You feel empowered and capable. It does great things for your attitude.

Human nature seems to drive us to notice what is not right, then spend our time complaining about it and making it larger than it is. True, life does send us true traumas. So, to me, when it is not a true trauma, don’t make it one. See things as they are, realizing that life is as it is; our job is to find ways to be happy and successful with whatever comes our way. And to quote from Winnie the Pooh (it is amazing where wisdom can come from), “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Just handle things a little at a time.

So how do you help your team thrive and learn to welcome change? How do you build their confidence, energy and engagement when many of them feel like they are “running on empty?” I’ll share four ways in a moment, but see if you and your employees can relate to this situation:

You come from a meeting and are overwhelmed by new initiatives, new directions or added work. You look at the page or pages of notes, not sure where to start, or what is most important. Though you know the change is important, you can’t get your head around all that you need to do. You feel overwhelmed before you even start. And this directly impacts your attitude, effort and ultimately your success.

So here are four ways to help your employees stay confident and productive in a workplace of exponential change:

1. Provide absolute clarity of direction, expectations and results.
2. Divide responsibilities into smaller, scalable components; focus on the critical things, not everything.
3. Build in success momentum; find ways for to achieve small immediate successes to activate energy and confidence.
4. Be (more) available for support, training, dialog and applause.

In today’s smaller workforce, chances are better that those employees who remain are your better employees (and if they aren’t, why not?) – because you know you have to get more done with less. Though you have great people, they still can get overwhelmed by the amount of change.

Just presenting a new project, or informing your employees of a need to change, does not make the change happen well, or keep their energy high. Instead, it takes a new and more connected approach to managing to make changes when change is hard. Help them learn new habits that will activate their performance in any period of change.

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you better connect to your employees to activate their passionate performance. Be sure to check out Switch by Chip and Dan Heath.

So, let’s try something. This will be the only time I’ll let you blame.

Complete this phrase in as many ways as you want:
“If it weren’t for__________________, I could (would) be doing _______________.

Got your list?

Here are some I have heard lately:
If it weren’t for this recession, I’d have a better job (or a job).

If it weren’t for my work schedule, I’d eat better and be healthier.

If it weren’t for the kids’ activities schedule, the house would be cleaner.

If it weren’t for my boss’s mental instability, I would have been promoted already.

If it weren’t for wife’s (husband’s) family, I would enjoy the holidays.

I find blaming wears me out. After blaming, nothing happens. Nothing changes. Now I am tired and not any better.

Here is what I offer. If each of your “If it weren’t for ______” statements are truly important to you, then it is critical for you to own the result. So, if you said, “If it weren’t for my work schedule, I’d eat better and be healthier,” how will you own this result instead of blame the work schedule? Can you prepare food to take with you, have family members help you cook, investigate new quick and easy, healthy foods and recipes, redefine your work hours to build in exercise, yoga or meditation time, find others with similar schedules and see how they make it work? It is about taking ownership of what you need to happen. No excuses.

So to me, the choices are: get worn out by blaming others and having no resolution, or, own the outcome and make changes in our behaviors to get the desired result.

This week, pick one of your “If it weren’t for ______” statements, and own its outcome. Just do one. Then next week, do another, and another. Soon you’ll see that when you own the results, things happen. And try this with your kids and your teammates in the workplace. Create a “blame-free” zone.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it.

So why bring this up?

These are products imagined by employees – fired up, passionate and engaged employees. Bored, tired and disengaged employees don’t dream up the combination of beauty and function. Miscast, aggravated or unappreciated employees don’t dream up products that get awards in national magazines. This is more a statement of the creative contribution, engagement and loyalty of employees.

It is not always management that invents, innovates and creates. Management never has all the answers or all the ideas. In fact, the reason why employees are so good at this is they are connected to networks of other idea generators. They are always thinking. And when they work in jobs that play to their best talents, are passionate about what they do and feel a personal connection to their management and teams, these employees share their best ideas; they willingly invent and focus on adding value and making a difference.

How employee-focused is your workplace culture? In my book, Fire Up! Your Employees, I present the 10 components of a powerful employee-focused workplace culture. Not all of these ten components of culture need to be in place, but the more of these the organization can include, the more connected and supported the employee feels. And the more this happens, the more present, thinking and innovating the employee becomes. This is what creates organizational greatness.

Never underestimate the innovation and idea potential of a highly engaged employee. Hire the right employees, connect them emotionally to what they do, and share your companies dreams, opportunities and challenges with them. When employees feel included and valued, they contribute their best. And they may just help you invent a better mousetrap. And who knows, it may be clever enough to earn its way into Fast Company.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit form it and contact me to help you build a powerful employee-focused workplace culture.

Let me share two stories of those who made the effort to know themselves, then based on what they discovered about themselves, chose to kick it up and respond in an extraordinary way (for them). It took (takes) effort and courage.

Sam is the son of a friend of mine. He has always wanted to be an actor. His passion is to act. He was in all the plays in high school and is even working on his first screenplay. It is all he can think of. He earned and saved enough money and moved to Los Angeles to be closer to the movie industry. And like all aspiring actors, is working several odd jobs to afford putting himself into the environment that activates his greatest passions. His mom worries about him but she also realizes that he is living an extraordinary life – for him. He isn’t worried about buying a house, having a fancy car. He puts himself into areas that get him noticed for his acting and his writing. He couldn’t be happier – his life is kicked up – and is extraordinary – for him. He knows himself. He knows what makes life great for him and he goes for it.

I have another good friend whose youngest son recently came out. Though she had suspected he was gay for years, it is now out in the open. She told me her greatest sadness about him coming out was that he was not going to have a normal life – a normal life according to her terms. But after hours of conversation with each other, she now realizes that his life is very happy – for him. Getting married to comply with family expectations would have given him someone else’s life. He is now living openly and honestly and is creating his own extraordinary life – as an exceptional attorney. She can now see that extraordinary had to be his definition, not hers. And to know what that is, he had to know himself and be honest with himself.

So, how well do you know yourself? What makes life ordinary and what makes life extraordinary – for you?

You choose how you want life to be and since you do not get this day back, shouldn’t it be an extraordinary, “kicked-up” kind of day? That is my goal each day.

What would make today EXTRAordinary for you? And how will you make it happen?

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you learn how to better know yourself, so you can choose EXTRAordinary for you.

o Apply for jobs that play to your talents and passions. Take a talent assessment to start to learn about your talents and intrinsic strengths.
o Use a talent-based resume, not a skill and experience-based resume; this shows your fit – something that is very important for hiring managers.
o Learn how to be great in a talent-based interview. These are different than the old style interviews because they require you to think on your feet.

Go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on ‘Job Seeker’ for information about these – Standard Job – Old Job.

Now, on to something new.

If you realize that a standard job is not for you (you can’t get one or don’t want one), then consider the flexible free agent role. This is a role you create that strings together several part-time roles or tasks into a full-time job, focusing on your talents and passions.

To start the process of flexible free agent, you need the following information about you and your world:
1. What are you great at and passionate about doing?
2. Of what you are great at, who needs what you do?
3. How will you get in touch with who needs you and start your flexible free agent role?

Let’s first see a couple of examples:

#1: Your talents: Detailed-focused, organized, efficient and productive.
Your passion: organization, implementation, driving and achieving results.
Opportunities: Work with companies that need:
*External/Internal events planned.
*Coordinate company event or initiative (new policy, new process, new education).
*Office administration, task organization, special project management, staffing coordination.

#2: Your talents: great communicator, listener and relater
Your passion: connecting with others, hearing others stories and experiences
Opportunities: Work with companies that need:
*Information about customer service, employee perspectives, or consumer perspectives – create and manage a survey process to gather information.
*Local radio, TV channel, newspaper opinion sourcing role that want stories about people and their lives.
*Develop and coordinate a social networking (cloud) for small organizations that deal in a product or service that matches your passions.

The starting point is knowing what you do well, then assessing who in your world could use what you do. Then invent the possibilities and your new customized role – Non-Standard Job – New Job.

For more information go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on the “Reinvent Your Work Self” link under ‘Job Seeker.’

Her entire interview (a podcast on ITunes) is great. But the reason to mention it is because she said something that resonated with me – “come to work stupid.”

Now, that doesn’t mean be ill-prepared or come to work without focus. Rather it means come to work without thinking you know (or must know) all the answers. Come to work or to a meeting with an open mind, ready to hear what others think, believe, feel – then build your response. This creates opportunity thinking. This creates the ability to constantly reinvent yourself and your value. This creates the ability to focus on greatness and to allow others to contribute their best.

The reason why this resonates so strongly with me is that I believe each of us have very particular talents and strengths. And a large part of our ability to be great (at home and at work) is based on our ability to know ourselves – to know our talents, passions and strengths – and to direct our lives and work around these strengths.

Mavericks (innovators) know that if they allow others to play to their greatest areas, they will think differently – more dynamically, more originally and more openly. And that our results are based on our ability to inspire maverick and innovative thinking in all our people. Collective genuis. None of us are as smart as all of us.

So back to the theme – “come to work stupid.”

Come to work expecting to learn.

Come to work expecting great things will happen each day because you have assembled a team of talented and passionate employees, committed to your compelling vision and purpose.

Sometimes we feel we have to have all the answers. Most times we need to be the facilitator of the event that allows the answers to come forward.

Core to the maverick or original-thinking mindset is having a team of talented employees and a culture of openness, communication and a focus on greatness. How well does your organization do with this?

It is important to come to work stupid (open, non-judgmental, approachable, sincere, interest, passionate, open-minded), but go home wise.

In the living well magazine of my local supermarket was an article about a twelve-year old who worked with her family to limit their trash output to one bag a week. She educated her entire family about what can be recycled, required reusable containers and bags, and insisted on a commitment to reduce the amount of “stuff” the family has. Tread lightly on the planet.

An author friend of mine blogged this week about an elderly man who had fallen on the street, and though a crowd gather around him, no one bothered to help him stand. My friend came through the crowd and helped the man stand, made sure he was fine, then moved along on his way. Don’t tread lightly when it comes to helping others.

My neighbors in Florida funnel the rainwater from their roof into cisterns and barrels, and use this water to irrigate their plants and gardens. They comply with the water restrictions and are careful about how much water they use and when they use it. They respect this resource. Tread lightly with our natural resources.

I was in a Starbucks last week and watched a kid, excited about ordering his own beverage (the parent was in the car), realize to his horror that he did not have enough money with him. The person in line covered his shortfall and the kid’s smile returned in an exceptional way. Don’t tread lightly with kindness.

It is our choice to respond – to tread lightly when it comes to our planet, our resources and our world – and to not tread lightly when it comes to kindness, generosity, help and support.

– What three ways will you tread lightly on the planet – and how will you share your ideas with others to do the same?
– What three ways will you not tread lightly (be bold) in your service and kindness to others – and how will you share your ideas with others to do the same?

Each of us makes an impact – is it the right impact? Do more of some things; do less of others. Own your impact and share what you know.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it and contact me for help or inspiration.

The greatest innovation in our economy comes from small businesses or individuals who bring their ideas for greatness to the world. In today’s “hard to get a job” workplace, why not look at what you are great at, innovate and reinvent your work self? Why not focus more on your ideas, talents and passions than on existing jobs – and invent a new and better role for yourself?

Challenge your thinking that a job is in one place, is for one employer, has a fixed work week, and has a specific title. Does that make you uncomfortable? Of course – all change does.But as things change, holding on to the past doesn’t help you become successful today.

How to reinvent your work self:
1. Identify what are you good at and what value can you bring to others?
2. Identify what do you love to do and what value can this add for others?
3. How much do you need/want to make each day, week, month?
4. What opportunities do you see that could give you the earnings and allow you to play to what you are good at and passionate about – how can you reinvent your work self?
5. What do you need to investigate to determine how to do it professionally?

My starting recommendation for people working through this transition is to take a talent assessment (you can find mine on this site) and to read the book, Start With Why by Simon Sinek (this week’s featured resource). Knowing your “why” – your purpose – will guide you on this process of self-reinvention.

Additionally, I am starting a new section on my website Reinvent Your (Work) Self, including stringing together many part-time roles into one new one, trying something new, and inventing a new (high-value) role for yourself.

Check back regularly as I develop this with help from many employment experts on www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on “Job Seeker.” Maybe your current difficulty in getting hired will be the incentive for you to reinvent yourself in a bigger and happier way. Know yourself, know your “why” and have the courage to reinvent yourself.

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you learn how to reinvent your (work) self.

In most cases, they say “customers.” Customers are the reason for their business; their goal is to satisfy their customers. I disagree.

Okay, this is really a trick question because ultimately organizations must be customer-focused. But the point is that in order to do extraordinary things for your customers, you must have extraordinary employees. So build an employee-focused culture first to create your customer-focus.

Employees who are not engaged, capable and passionate about their work will not connect in a way that will inspire customer loyalty. Loyalty matters, satisfaction does not. Organizations need employees to do extraordinary things to move customers from satisfied to loyal. This comes when employees feel they are valued, important and critical to the success of the business. This is created in the organization’s culture.

No employee-focused workplace, no extraordinary employees. No extraordinary employees, no customer loyalty. No customer loyalty, no great results.

Here are my 10 components of a powerful employee-focused culture (presented in greater detail in my book, Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition):
1. A clear and compelling company vision or purpose.
2. Clearly defined ethical standards.
3. A competent talent-based employee selection process.
4. A dynamic on-boarding process.
5. A fair and attainable reward and incentive process.
6. Fair and recurring performance feedback.
7. Regular skill development.
8. Regular career development.
9. Succession planning and mentoring.
10. An inclusive and diverse work environment.

How you treat your people determines how your people treat your customers. Focus first on employees to ultimately focus on customers. How employee-focused is your workplace culture?

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help create a powerful employee-focused workplace culture.

Then the world has changed. Today’s best leaders are those who activate the emotional connection and emotional investment of their people. They don’t do this by remaining distant from their people. They do it by being more human and more emotional with their people.

Regardless what you feel politically about Obama, he models both effective and ineffective leadership qualities. His thinking and analytical approach to the country’s complex issues allows him to successfully manage things at once. However, his even and non-emotional responses portray him as disconnected from the feelings of those affected by challenges such as lost jobs, lost houses and the gulf oil spill.

Today’s workplace needs leaders who share their passion for what they do, and the feelings they have for the people they lead. They must be more connected to both how they think and feel, and be able to be truly present with their emotions. Emotions are not a sign of weakness – they are a sign of humanity. And if today’s managers and leaders want to engage and inspire their employees to perform, then they must be comfortable with their emotions and the emotions of their employees.

I frequently reference the book, Human Sigma, by Dr. Johnn Fleming and Jim Asplund. In this book, the authors (Gallup researchers) present that the primary difference between a satisfied customer and a loyal customer is the emotional connection a customer has to a brand, product or organization. Emotions move customers from satisfied (maybe they come back) to loyal (they always come back).
The same can be said about employees. The greatest employee performance happens when they are emotionally connected to their work through a compelling purpose and an emotional/personal connection to their manager and team.

Accurate, though dispassionate, rhetoric does not inspire; emotional connectedness inspires. Empathy matters. Emotions matter. Maintaining a constant state of evenness confuses employees to what matters and what really matters. Life and work include race and rest, excitement and stability. Leaders create the tone by how they react. The monotone, emotional-less leader inspires the same bland response from his people.

How Obama is handling the response to the BP oil spill is very telling about his leadership style. Though applauded for his ability to be constantly stayed and even, there are indeed times when the emotions – the humanity – are needed to relate to what others are experiencing. Think about Churchill at the time of the bombing of London in the second World War. To activate emotions, you have to show emotions.

Leaders who share their emotions, share their humanity. Employees relate as people. Customers relate as people. Out of control emotions are counter-productive. The lack of emotions is also counter-productive.

Do your employees see you as human and passionate about things that really matter?
Do you openly and responsibly share your feelings and emotions in the workplace?
Do you inspire your employees to be emotionally-invested in their work?

In the industrial age, emotions were perceived as performance inhibiting. In a service and intellectual age, emotions drive innovation, responsiveness and performance. Set the emotional pace for you employees; they will then set the emotional pace for your customers. There are leadership lessons everywhere.

Studies support a direct connection between overall wellness and those who are upbeat, positive, appreciative, and are treated in a positive way – honey. These same studies support the negative impact on health, attitude and performance in those who are continually angry, caustic, unhappy or are treated in a negative way – vinegar.

In The Balance Within, author Dr. Esther Sternberg presents the science that connects health and emotions – that our outlook, attitude, self-talk and mental images can impact our sense of wellbeing, and the wellbeing and success of others. We can actually impact our health and performance by how we talk to ourselves and what we hear from others.

Studies in the classroom have shown a direct correlation between positive teacher expectation and student achievement. The more optimistic and supporting the teacher, the stronger the self-image students had. The stronger this self-image, the better the students performed. Their mental images were influenced by the positive expectations of the teachers.

Encouraging and supportive parents empower children to see the world in a more positive way. The children feel more capable, are happier and are more successful.

Positive and supportive managers activate the best from their people by crafting a compelling vision and by believing in the greatness of their people. They focus on purpose, success, build employee self-confidence and create a positive and supportive environment. Performance improves.

As is presented in Appreciative Inquiry: An Emerging Direction for Organization Development by David Cooperrider, “Scholars are recognizing that the power of positive imagery is not just some popular illusion or wish but an expression of the mind’s capacity for shaping reality.” When you think positively, you create a more positive reality. Honey is better than vinegar. Results prove it.

To add more honey to your life, consider the following:
1. Listen to your external talk and self-talk. Eliminate the negative and critical language. Instead of saying “I’ll probably screw this up,” say, “I will find a way to be great at this.” Use positive talk with others.
2. Develop a compelling positive personal vision for home, work and life. It is your life, what great things do you want? See it, believe it, live it.
3. Find the positive in others and comment on it. Work on seeing the greatness around you.

Science supports what our grandparents knew – you get more with honey than with vinegar. People are drawn to positivity – they respond by becoming more positive. This can create a new more positive reality. It is definitely time to start a “honey revolution.” Are you in?

Please forward this to someone who will benefit from it, and contact me to help you start your “honey revolution.”

Here is a quote from a colleague of mine, Ira Wolfe, from his powerful article ‘What Jobs Won’t Return.’ “Employees in new jobs don’t “go to work” … and if they do, they don’t work in permanent full-time positions. They work in part-time jobs, often working for several employers at the same time. But unlike the past when working part-time was a stepping stone to full-time employment or a means to propping up personal finances, part-time work in the future will be by design. Skilled workers will work remotely, simultaneously interacting with different teams in different places and even collaborating on different projects. People with the right skill sets can do that. The contingent worker, or “just-in-time” worker, will become the norm, especially in lower skill jobs. The less versatile the employee, the more expendable he or she becomes.” See his full article.

So, if we are talking about job hunting, maybe we need to expand our definition of what a job is. So consider:

1. Identifying what your best talents and skills are – what are you consistently great at?
2. Identify several environments that can use these skills or talents on a part-time basis.
3. Develop a new work approach by stringing several temporary roles together, or build a list of companies you work for when they need your skills and talents.

This can give you flexibility in work your schedule, the ability to constantly do what you do best (instead of working in a job that uses only some of your skills) and the ability to choose who you work for. This is the first step in reinventing the future of work.

The world has changed. Maybe you should be reinventing how you work instead of looking for a job that may no longer exist. Don’t get stuck in an outdated model of job hunting or work – invent what works best for you. Play to your strengths and find those who need what you are great at.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you reinvent what work may be for you.

Best regards,
Jay Forte

Please forward this to someone who will benefit from it and contact me to help you reactivate the performance power of your people.

I was at a great bakery this week – artisan bread and pastries that are incredible. Yum. I asked about one pastry I did not recognize. The woman behind the counter took it off the plate, cut it into pieces and offered one to me and to the others in line, then told us the process of how it is made. Extraordinary.

I was talking to colleague whose child has an amazing teacher. As they study geography, this teacher brings in authentic food, plays the country’s music and introduces some of the language. The kids are captivated and interested. They learn. Extraordinary.

I traveled this week. And hidden in my briefcase was an amazing card, reminding me how loved I am at home, and how missed I am when I travel. Extraordinary.

Notice that I did not bring up the ordinary events – I don’t remember them. They are bland, boring and leave no impression. If you want to get noticed in the workplace, do some “extraordinary.” If you want to build a more powerful relationship at home, do some “extraordinary.”

Doing the extraordinary is rarely about spending. Rather it is about doing something with greater effort, creativity, interest or passion. It is about the extra effort. It is about adding some WOW! It is about being more present, more engaged and more fired up. It is a reminder that extraordinary is so much better than ordinary.

So what ways can you move from ordinary to extraordinary this week? What ways can you kick it up at work and at home?

So remember, if you have the choice to make it ordinary or extraordinary, why choose ordinary?

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you learn how to connect to your “extraordinary.”

The recession forced virtually all organizations to reduce their spending. And in today’s intellectual and service workplace, most of these expense reductions related to manpower. Thanks to the recession, most organizations have now seen they can get more done with fewer of the right employees, than more of the wrong employees. Great lesson.

Getting more done with less is not about overwhelming employees by adding the responsibilities of laid off employees to surviving employees. Rather, it is about understanding employees talents, strengths and passions and realigning employees to roles that use these to make a more significant difference. Studies continue to support that employees who are engaged (intrinsically and emotionally connected – they are good at what the job requires and like doing it), out perform all others. They are more creative, more focused and more interested in their work. The result is greater performance. This requires a greater attention to “fit.” Fit determines the “right employee.” Right employees get more done.

So to get more done with less:
1. Define the talents, strengths, skills and experience needed in each role.
2. Realign existing talent to roles that match and need their attributes.
3. Hire those positions for which you do not currently have the right people.
4. When interviewing, use talent-based questions (workplace situational questioning) to assess candidates’ talents and assess their responses and fit.
5. Clearly define performance expectations and allow employees greater freedom in achieving expectations.
6. Provide recurring feedback to encourage employees to perform.

We are in the new “normal.” The recession showed us we can get the work done with fewer of the right people, keep costs down and improve profitability. Did the recession change how you hire and who is on your team?

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it, and contact me to show you how to get the right people in the right roles to build your A-Team.

Here is why I mention this. I wrote the book to offer a process to help you know yourself, find your fit and transform your world. Another way to say that is to help you see the difference you make. It is presented as a story of two kids in college – and how they learn the five rules for a really great life. It presents this thinking:

Each of us has the ability and responsibility to invent our life. We are given amazing gifts – known as our talents and passions. We are all different; your gifts and mine are not the same. The reason for this is shared in the great quote, “we don’t get harmony when we all sing the same note.” We are all different to add to and invent an extraordinary world. When we know our talents and passions, we can bring our best to the world. But if you don’t know what you are great at and love to do, how will you share your best? Or, how will you make a difference?

So as I get the book ready to share this new approach, I ask you to start to consider what difference you make each day:
o Whose world is better because you are part of it today?
o What is one great thing you do that changes your life or someone else’s life for the better?
o What can you share today that will make someone happier?
o What can you share today that will make someone better?
o What did you learn about yourself today that reminds you of what a difference you make?
o What passions do you have that help us understand our world and connect better with others?
o What does the world need that you do well?

To make your greatest difference you must first know yourself. From your gifts, you can find where you have the greatest impact and what you can bring to the world. This is meant to be practical. Be yourself. Be great.

What difference can you make today?

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it and contact me to learn more about the five rules for a really great life.

It is up to you to be sure a hiring manager knows these two things about you – because these are what drive his/her decisions. So let’s look at how you can ensure they know how you add value and what difference you will make, whether they ask or don’t ask.

First: If the hiring manager asks, be ready to share how you add value and make a difference with real examples, and that make sense for the job for which you are applying.
1. Know what matters in the job – so you can show how you can make it happen.
2. Know information about the company and how you will be able to add value and make a difference in the rest of the company.
3. Openly share your thoughts; don’t hold back.

Second: If the hiring manager does not ask about how you add value and make a difference, you need to bring it up – because you need them to know this about you.
1. Tell how what you do well will make a difference in the workplace. Start with something like, “Can I tell you how I think I can make a great difference here?”
2. Show how you created value in your last job. Again, say something like, “In my last job, I …..; this was very important for the company.”

So whether they ask you, or you have to bring it up, you have to ensure the hiring manager knows how you add value and how you make a difference. Share your story of the great things you do and have done. This is what gets you noticed for the right reasons. This is what gets you hired.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and be sure to see more “get hired” information at www.LiveFiredUp.com, click on “Job Seeker.”

Think about the connection between your employees and customers – this is a critical relationship that impacts results. Your employees must always connect with customers and provide service that does more than just get it right. Your employees must commit to doing the extras – the things that activate the customer’s emotional connection to you and products/services; this inspires customer loyalty.

Another way to say this is your employees need to be your customer’s hero – and because extraordinary is the only way to approach your service – your employees must be your customer’s superhero.

So here is your exercise: have each employee define their best customer-focused talents or skills. Use these attributes to invent their customer service superhero attributes and identity.

Here are some examples of employee superheroes:
o The Inventinator – able to invent opportunities to connect with customers and to share products and services.
o The TechWiz – able to find critical information from any system to help advance the service levels of customers.
o The SuperSolver – able to brilliantly solve customer problems in a way that makes them feel valued and important.
o The MaxXplainer – able to easily explain company procedures and the ordering process to help all customers feel supported and important.
o The Simplificator – able to make the service process, easy, fun and engaging for all customers.

Here is the value of this exercise:
o Your employees identify their talents and strengths.
o Your employees focus on how they make a difference with customers and that they must do it in a significant way.
o Your customers see your (exceptional) effort.
Consider having a caricature artist sketch each superhero. Exhibit them around the business. It wins customers over.

It takes a superhero approach to win customers for life. Have your employees invent their superhero persona and share it with the customers. Customers see and appreciate the extra effort. Employees get better connected to what they are good at and how they add value. This another way to Fire Up! your employees.

What is your customer superhero identity?

Please share this with someone who will benefit from it and contact me to help you identify your employees’ superhero identities.

This week, I ask you to join me in using the phrase have I told you how much I appreciate you? with the people in your life. A simple phrase that reminds us to value, honor and acknowledge the greatness we see in others.

Say “Have I told you how much I appreciate you…” with the following (or, add your own) – and use it with as many people as you can:
o For the way your smile can remind me I have everything I need – in you.

o For the things of beauty you add to my day.

o For your humor, love, sincerity and honesty.

o For making the best food on the planet.

o For watching out for me when I get too busy to do it for myself.

o For letting me screw up and not rubbing my nose in it, and forgiving me for it.

o For giving me a hug when it was exactly what I needed.
o For greeting me every morning with “Happy Anniversary” because every day is an anniversary of choosing to be together.
o For making an “event” out of the little things to make them great things.

o For saying ‘no’ to something you want so I can say ‘yes’ to something I want, and never bringing it up.

o For always doing your best – at everything.

o For choosing me to go through life with you.

Appreciation is the glue that keeps people together. Never miss an opportunity to notice each other’s greatness and appreciate it.

Make today the first day of your year of appreciative living. Then next year, on this date (your appreciative anniversary), commit to another year…and another. Soon, appreciative living will be your standard. And it all starts with “Have I told you how much I appreciate you for….?”

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and contact me for help in learning the art of appreciation.

What gets hiring managers’ attention is when they see that you want more than just to do the job. People who are committed to making a difference, approach their lives and their work with greater focus and effort; they are more committed and more energized. Hiring managers want this. At a time where most companies have to get more done with less, you stand out when you showcase how you make a difference.

Here are two tips:
1. In your correspondence including your cover letter and on your resume: Summarize the difference you made with customers, your team or the results in your last job or jobs. Give details. Don’t follow the old format of boring cover letter; use your first paragraph to draw attention to your ability to be counted on and make a difference – and how you have already done this. Highlight lines on your resume where you did more than the job required and the difference it made.

2. In your interview: Ask about the most significant difference others have made in the job. Offer some ways you can add to their impact. Explain the places in your work history in which you personally made a meaningful difference. Identify the places in your life that you continue to make a difference (with your family, church, community, organizations, etc).

Today’s hiring managers want those who know what extra effort is – and have exhibited it in their work and lives. Another way to say this is that hiring managers are looking for candidates who are committed to making a difference.

For sample talent-based interview questions and my list of the hot industries and hot jobs; click on “Job Seeker.”

So I thought this week, I would help managers communicate this message to their employees. Here is a draft letter; consider editing and using this with your employees:

Dear employee,
We have been through some very tough times lately; this recession has taught us many things. We have learned to better watch our world and respond in a more value-building way. We have learned to better listen to our customers and refocus on loyalty, not satisfaction. We have learned that every employee must contribute in a significant way, or they do not have a place on our team.

Your manager

Times have changed. There is no right to a job. Employees earn their place by adding value. Be sure they know this. Help them achieve this. This will influence your success.

Please forward this to someone who will benefit form it and contact me to help your employees earn their place on your team.

We create our best lives and work when we build them around what we are good at and love to do; when we build them around our “thing.”

You do your best work when you feel capable and competent. You are more creative, more interested and more focused; you are in your element. You feel confident; you reach for more; you do more – and better. You are at your best when you play to what you are good at.

Now imagine yourself working in an area where you do not feel capable and competent. You second-guess your decisions. You don’t feel very creative nor are ready to take risks for greatness. You feel unsure. You just play it safe. You watch and don’t participate.

What a waste.

Live is too great and too much of a gift to allow it to go by without playing to our talents and passions – our unique gifts. I believe it is part of the plan that we invent our lives around the unique gifts we received in our DNA – our hardwiring. The more we know ourselves, the more we can identify these gifts and include them in our lives. This way we play to our “thing” – and the quality of both work and life is better.

What are you great at? Not sure? Try this:
1. List what you feel you are good at.
2. Ask three others who know you well what they feel you are good at. Compare their comments to yours.
3. Start to see a profile of your talents and strengths – your “thing.” Identify how you can include these in both your work and life.

We are not good at everything. But we are exceptional at some things.

We each are given a very particular set of talents, strengths and passions – many call these our “gifts.” It is our responsibility to know them and to build them into as many aspects of life as we can – because they are our best areas. We are good at them. We love doing them. We make a difference with them. And I believe we each have a different great “thing” so we have the ability to bring something particular and extraordinary to our world. There is space for all of us to have our “thing.”

Please forward this to someone who may benefit from it. Please contact me if you need more information to help you find “your thing.”

The goal is to be remembered – but remembered in a meaningful way. Sure, you can do some outrageous things and be remembered, but that won’t be what will get you the job. Standing out in a meaningful way in the mind of the hiring manager is key. So how do you do that?

Here are some tips to develop your “Stand Out” abilities in the job interview:
1. Be upbeat, personal and share a story of you and your perspectives. Facts are sometimes hard to remember. So to stand out and get remembered, share some meaningful information about yourself in a story. The story is easy for the hiring manager to remember, and remembering your story helps him remember your information.
2. Look sharp. Wear an impressive tie/shirt combination. Wear a unique piece of family jewelry and a well-tailored outfit. Shine your shoes. Ensure your clothes are pressed and clean. How you look gets your remembered. Be professional.
3. Speak the language of value. Remember you are being hired to make a difference in a company. Be sure to relate your performance in previous roles to your impact – how you made a difference. Back it up with numbers or data. This gets your remembered.
4. Have courage. Ask about situations you will encounter in the workplace and offer how you might handle them. Stand out by showing you are a take-charge person, aware of the requirements of the role and able to respond.

I find most people come to an interview in one of two ways – either too timid, and they leave no impression – or too bold and they leave the wrong impression.

Instead, commit to leaving a “stand out” impression. Impress them with your knowledge, capabilities, passion and confidence. If you blend, you lose. If you freak them out, you lose. Learn how to get noticed and remembered – for the right reasons.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it. Contact me if you need my help.

Michelangelo sculpted many amazing works. But his best (my opinion) are the four statues called The Slaves – four torsos in the process of being released from stone. These represent what Michelangelo felt was his role as sculptor: the sculptor doesn’t create – rather, he learns about the stone and then releases what is in the stone. His message: managers are like sculptors. Their role is to learn their employees’ best performance attributes and help them to release them into the workplace.

We each have unique talents, passions and strengths. These prepare us well for some roles, and not for others; not every employee is good at every role. And though employees should know their strengths, many do not. This requires the manager to assist in helping employees learn their best abilities to determine their best fit – those roles and responsibilities that allow their best to happen at work.

When we play to what is in us, we impact the workplace with significance. We do our best work. We are passionate, capable and provide our greatest impact.

Our role as managers is to help release the best from each employee. Consider these ways to help your employees learn how to release their best in the workplace:
1. Identify the critical talents, skills and experience needed in each role; this allows you to know what you need in each role.
2. Have employees define what they are good at, either through communication with others, self-inspection or a talent assessment tool.
3. Have employees define what they are passionate about in the workplace.
4. With this information, realign employees to roles that need what they are good at and are passionate about doing.

This allows employees to play to their strengths – we allow employees to release their best to the workplace. And when they deliver their best, they earn the title, “talented” – something you can imagine Michelangelo repeatedly heard.

Please pass this to someone who can benefit from this information, or contact me to help you learn how to release your employees’ talents in the workplace.

Let me tell you about two of my friends.

Sam (name has been changed) is clear about what he thinks and believes about himself; he knows what he is good at, passionate about and what success is for him. He has found his personal fit in today’s world based on his talents, passions and purpose. And though he listens to the world, he never allows it to determine how he should live, what work he should do and how he spends his money. He is one of the most content people I know.

Jean (name has been changed) is very aware of popular opinion. She chooses what she wears, where she works and what she drives based on what others say. She does not trust her understanding of herself, has not spent the time to know herself, or made decisions that matter for her. She is one of the most erratic and discontented people I know.

In a world where technology constantly exposes us to popular opinion, I look at these two (and many more just like them), to see the impact of using our perspective or another’s perspective of how to live. In all cases, those who take ownership of what is personally important are more content.

Much of my work helps people rediscover their passion for work and life by finding their fit – finding their best place. Those who find their fit know the following things about themselves:
1. What they are good at – what makes them feel capable and competent.
2. What they love to do – what activates their passions and emotions.
3. What is success for them in today’s world – what makes them happy and where value is for them in today’s terms.

So what do you know about you? Moreover, who do you listen to? Is your voice louder and more confident than public opinion? How will you ensure you are living the life you choose, instead of one that others say you should? (Be sure to read George Saunders’ essay “The Braindead Megaphone.) Own it. Work strong, live stronger.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it. Contact me if you need my help.

You need the hiring manager to be skilled at hosting a great interview so you can share what you need to about your performance and capabilities, learn enough about the organization to help you make a good choice about the job, and show you are a good fit for the role. This creates a problem for many of today’s job seekers – a problem you need to take control of.

Consider the following to ensure the interview is an effective use of time for both of you – to show what you are capable of, create a strong impression of yourself, and learn enough about the organization to know if you fit:

1. Be confident in your spoken and body language. Speak clearly and confidently. Sit up straight. Walk confidently. Shake hands firmly while making eye contact. Create the image you want them to remember.
2. Notice your environment. Relate something you see in the interviewer’s office, space or building that creates a personal connection or directs you to sharing something important about your performance. Notice awards, portraits, photos, products, etc. and find a connection.
3. Share two important things you learned in researching the company. Say something about the company that shows you have done your work ahead, and that will also move the interview to discuss something important about your performance. For example, “I see you have recently expanded into France. The international customers I worked with in my last two roles had significantly different expectations than Americans. Can I tell you what I did that was successful?”
4. Identify three critical things about your performance the hiring manager needs to know and prepare a way to ensure they are discussed. If the hiring manager does not ask about something you feel to be important, you could say, “I believe that…” and then share a performance perspective. Or, you can say, “I have a question about the way you…” and relate it to how you have handled a similar situation. You now direct the discussion to something important about your performance.

I have been through many interviews over my career where the hiring manager wasted both my time and his/hers. I make it my responsibility to use the interview time effectively and to ensure the hiring manager knows critical performance information about me. Be ready to take control of the interview if you need to.

For sample talent-based interview questions and my list of the hot industries and hot jobs, go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on “Job Seeker.”

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it. Contact me if you need my help.

In the workplace, there are so many variables that impact results. Sometimes there are factors that are beyond the control of our employees – just look at today’s volcanic eruption in Iceland that is impacting transportation businesses all over Europe.

This is not to say that we don’t and shouldn’t hold our employees accountable for what they can control – we should. But we should also be very aware of how our employees respond to the challenges in their worlds, how they make the best of what happens and what kind of effort they consistently provide. Effort is the power behind all results.

When you applaud not just results, but effort:
1. You build loyalty.
2. You activate an emotional connection between you and your employees.
3. You encourage employees to be resilient and to persevere.
4. You create a culture that values invention, innovation and creativity.
5. You encourage employees to take value-based risks to improve performance and responsiveness.

I know you want employees to achieve great results. But to consistently achieve results, you need employees who are fired up, passionate and committed to providing their best effort. Effort drives results. Notice, encourage and applaud the effort and you’ll get your results.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it. Please contact me if you need my help to fire up your employees.

Suzan Colon shares in her great book, Cherries in Winter, the stories of how her family has weathered tough times, and how these responses are meaningful in helping us stay focused, healthy and confident in our period of uncertainty and change. Her grandmother used the phrase, “broke, but not poor.” Broke meaning times are tough now – but this is temporary. Poor refers to something more permanent. It was her way of saying “we’ll do what it takes to get by, then we’ll get better.” Realistic and optimistic. Wisdom for real life.

Tough times remind us that all things come and go, increase and diminish. So in the down times, what are your traditions or techniques to raise your spirits and keep you sane, healthy and appreciating life? What stories and wisdom do your older relatives share about how to weather tough times and retain your appreciation for what you have and who you are?

Here are tips from seniors who have learned how to be “broke, but not poor:”
1. Spend just a little on a treat every now and then. Make it a celebration.

2. Share what you have. It connects you at a deeper level and helps remind others to do the same.

3. Redefine value as experiences instead of things. Make a point of socializing more with friends and family. Share stories.

4. Say thank you more. It helps you see what you have instead of what you don’t have.

5. Get up and get moving each day. Start each day with a clear purpose and a personal sense of value.

History does seem to repeat itself. Some of its greatest lessons are still meaningful for us today. Many of our older relatives have weathered storms significantly more difficult than today’s. Their wisdom is timeless and guidance is priceless. Most times we don’t need to reinvent things – we just need to check in with those who have had experience with handling life on life’s terms.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it.

So how do you talk about yourself and not sound vain or arrogant? Try these:

1. Introduce yourself and a little of what makes you human; share a story about your family, your friends or an event that gives a realistic and positive image of you. People learn more from and are more engaged in stories.

2. Talk about your value. Don’t just introduce things you have done; introduce things that show what you have done and the value it provided. Start with “Let me tell you about a time when…” Or, “can I tell you about a time that I was able to ….?”

3. Show your confidence. Ask about situations you will encounter in the workplace and offer to respond to them. This shows your thinking, approach, energy and fit.

4. Be warm, human, friendly and interested. In short, be present in the interview. One of the most significant reasons candidates fail in their interviews is their minds are elsewhere when on the interview. Apply for a meaningful job, then be fully present to show your talents, fit and value. Turn off your cell phone.

Say what you need to say about you and your fit for the role. Be ready to bring up important situations to show your value and approach, even if the interviewer does not. They want to see your aptitude, personality and confidence. You have what they need to know that can help you get the job. This is one moment where it is all about you. Share your information the right way.

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it.

The Global Workforce Study (conducted by the global professional services company Towers Watson) – a biennial survey of employee attitudes and workplace trends – confirms that the recession has changed the way U.S. employees view their work. In the past, job opportunity, relationship with management and development drove employee performance and loyalty. Today, employees just want job security.

As summarized in The Last Word column by John Hollon in the April 2010 issue of Workforce Management Magazine, “(The survey) paints a picture of an American workforce that is hunkered down, risk-averse and hanging on as long as they can – until, they hope they can afford to retire.”

So I have to ask. What happens to our businesses if we allow employees to hunker down? Isn’t our success built into the clever, wise, risk-taking employee responses that invent, grow and create the next generation of products and services?

Your new challenge is to find ways to help your employees get their mojo back and get out of hibernation mode. Here are some ideas:
1. Reconnect with employees. Increase your presence, communication and responsiveness with employees. Be more available.
2. Clearly define or redefine the focus of the business. Be sure all emloyees are aware of their expectations.
3. Build in more fun. Tough times require a different response. Commit to more fun and a more personal workplace.
4. Deal up front with issues. Host a monthly meeting to bring challenging and troubling national, local and personal issues up; ignoring reality stalls employee performance.
5. Ask employees what they need to help re-energize and reactivate their performance.

Today’s managers are required to deal with more human and emotional employee issues – because they impact performance. Use the resources presented in www.LiveFiredUp.com to help you learn how to manage in an intellectual age, help employees overcome their fears of an unstable economy, and get them back to working in a way that builds a stronger company and economy.

Please pass this on to someone who will benefit from it.

Feeling the tension and anger? I thought so.

Two questions:
The first: What can’t you control?
o The weather.
o Your favorite cousins have the flu and won’t be attending.
o Using the new fire pit under the flowering pear tree that is in full flower.
o Aunt Melinda’s jello salad; Uncle Jim’s jokes.

The second: What can you control?
o How you cook the food today.
o How you rearrange the house or garage to have the party.
o How you move the activities to indoor events.
o How much fun you will still have, and how great it will be to see the family.
o Your outlook and attitude.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the poet Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights.”

So, if this were your party, what would the rain tell you about you? Do events that you cannot control take control of you? Do you have a meltdown, or do you realize it is beyond your control and find reasons to be happy?

I often tell the story of getting detoured from my normal route to the highway only to find an amazing plant nursery I did not know about; great plants, great prices and a farmer’s market. What a find! I had two choices with the detour – allow it to get me upset, or to realize I had no control over the event and to be on the lookout for something great.

I believe there is always something great, often initially hidden by a disappointment. The trick is to learn how to be able to see it. And you can’t if you let the things you cannot control get you down.

You can’t always control how things happen, but you can always control how you respond. Be optimistic, upbeat and look for the good. “Positive attitude” – it does a body good.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it.

So if a hiring manager doesn’t ask talent-based questions, here are two things to say to ensure he/she knows how you think and how capable you are:

1. Let me tell you about a time when I made a big difference in my previous company. (Examples: connected with a customer, invented an idea, saved the company money, found an easier way of doing things, trained another person, created a social networking program, etc).

2. Let me tell you how I would handle the following situation that I expect to find in your workplace. (Examples: an angry customer, a missed deadline, an uncooperative teammate, implementing a new idea, getting help from others, finding new ways to add value, etc).

You want the hiring manager to see how you think, the impact you have had in other jobs, and the value you can bring. So if the hiring manager doesn’t ask questions that allow you to demonstrate these things about you, be sure to use these two statements to get it discussed.

For sample talent-based interview questions and my list of the hot industries and hot jobs, go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on “Job Seeker.”

What do your employees do when you are not around? How do they treat your customers when you are not watching?

I’ll give you an example. On a recent day out with the family, we decided to have dinner at one of the ubiquitous chain restaurants. While seated, we watched as the staff put napkins on their heads as hats and threw rolls at each other. My server approached, laughing, saying they have such a good time when the boss is away. We took our things and left.

Think of the babysitter you leave with your kids. When in front of you, she (or he) is attentive and effective. When you leave, she raids the fridge, calls her friends and spends very little time doing what you pay them to do – to watch your kids.

What does it take to have a great staff, particularly when the boss is away? It takes employees who act and think like owners.

Here is how to inspire owner-thinking:
1. Hire employees who are good at what the job needs and passionate about doing it. This engages them, and helps them to feel capable and valuable.
2. Build a culture that respects, values and holds each employee personally accountable and responsible for his/her contribution.
3. Include employees in discussions, challenges and opportunities; let them own their input, solutions and results.
4. Be available and approachable; earn employees’ respect.
5. Build fun into the workplace. We all work better when we get to have some fun.

Build a culture that helps employees think and act like owners and you will find they will impress you with their ability to make a difference, whether you are at work or away.

The last two years have been some of the toughest times in many of our lives. But tough times are just part of the way life is. Life is as it is – our role is to respond to it, treasure and live it in an extraordinary way, regardless how it comes at us.

The key to this is to know yourself – what makes you happy and what your favorite things are. Then to build these things into your life, particularly in tough times, to feel optimistic, content and well.

Most of us don’t spend enough time knowing ourselves and in particular, the things that make us happy. When tough times arrive, we are ill-equipped to successfully respond. So start today. Create a list of your favorite things. Build as many of them into your life everyday – and double up on them when your world is difficult.

Ask yourself these questions to create your list of “favorite things:”
1. What am I good at? What do I feel capable and competent doing?
2. What am I passionate about? What gets me engaged and fired up?
3. What could I do all day and never look at the time?
4. What can I read that will bring me to a good place?
5. Who can I spend time with and feel connected, important and loved?
6. What place or location makes me feel connected and alive?

So back to a thunderstorm in Salzburg, Austria and the Von Trapps. The lesson is that when things get tough, know how to respond with things that make you feel happy, secure and loved. Build your list. Have it ready because life is never easy, but how you respond can make it great.

If this technology has the ability of connecting you to so many others, why not use the technology to get yourself known. Create a “get hired” Facebook site.

Set up your “get hired” page to have the following:
o Your core talents, interests, strengths and passions as part of your bio. Click here to access my talent assessment.
o Pictures of you in the workplace, in the community and copies of letters of recommendation and commendations.
o Scan the talent-based resume as an image and add it to your albums.
o Create an album for each role you are looking for such as retail, healthcare, law enforcement, regulation or some other focus. Create a specific photo album that profiles you, your resume, your attributes, your interests, and your impact.
o Identify companies you wish to work for. Join their fan pages. Become friends with their employees and management.
o Join other fan clubs related to job seeking, talent, performance or related to the industries or jobs you are seeking. Know the industries’ associations and annual meetings.
o Maintain the integrity of your job-seeking site to ensure you are perceived as professional and a good fit for the job. Disable the ability of others to tag you in pictures. This puts your reputation in your control.
o Share this address with your serious job prospects and colleagues who can share your information with their networks.

Remember: This is NOT your social site. This site’s only focus is to present your employability, fit and value to the workplace.

So, now how do you use Facebook – to show embarrassing pictures or to create new contacts to get hired?

In our industrial age, most employees performed recurring tasks in the manufacturing of products. There was not a lot of formal and creative thinking required; rather, compliance to policy and following procedures generally created a good product. How employees felt, and what they thought, were generally not welcomed into the impersonal production process. We managed people by command and control – dictating and telling. It was effective; that is why we did it.

But that is not today’s workplace. In today’s intellectual age, our employees are face-to-face with customers, not behind machines. They must connect personally and emotionally with customers – they must be thinking and feeling – in order to earn customers’ loyalty. Every customer event must be right, but few customer events are exactly the same. That means employees must be ready, thinking and connecting in order to know how to make the service event right and memorable.

Command-and-control management does not activate this type of performance. Employee performance and loyalty must be inspired, not manipulated. Employees who feel capable, competent, important and valued respond to customers in a loyalty-building way.

Author Simon Sinek presents in his book, Start With Why, that we respond better when our connection is emotional and personal. Employee loyalty is based on management’s ability to win their employees’ hearts, not just their minds. Hearts are connected to our deep emotional side – the side that drives our most significant behaviors. Loyalty is based on heart. “Heart responds to inspiration, not manipulation.” Exceptional performance comes from the heart.

Engage-and-inspire managers:
1. Know their employees and hire them into roles that play to their talents and passions.
2. Customize jobs to play to employees’ strengths and the things they love to do.
3. Provide recurring feedback to build a strong personal rapport and connection.
4. Help employees feel part of the team, important and personally valuable.

Great performance is dependent on committed employees. Employees become committed when they are emotionally invested in their work. Hire the right ones. Help them feel important, capable and valuable. Activate their heart.

Review your management style and assess its impact. Do you manipulate or inspire?

Now let’s say that as you are detoured, you pass by an amazing coffee shop and bakery – you never knew they were there. And next to them is an orchard with fresh fruit and homemade wine. How serendipitous.

Now, back to life. You are moving through your busy life. Suddenly an event happens – a recession, a lost job, an illness, a family emergency. A roadblock. You can’t move on as you were. You have to stop. You have to find a detour. What is your first reaction? Wait, let’s talk about this…

Obstacles and roadblocks are life’s way of saying “stop, think, dig deeper into yourself, see what you are made of, then respond.” Roadblocks are life’s way of getting our attention – then offering us a detour.

Most people hate the roadblock; it is perceived as a negative event and an interruption. Instead, consider the roadblock as an event for good – to help you see how capable you are, to get you out of “autopilot,” and to show you things you were too distracted to see – like the bakery and the orchard on the detour.

As you meet your roadblocks:
1. Believe that something better is in store.
2. Allow yourself to stop, think and respond, noticing your capabilities and strengths. As has been said, “we fear because we forget (or don’t know) how strong we are (or who we are).”
3. Connect with others to collaborate in ways to react and respond; think “collective genius.”

A roadblock is forced change. Most people hate change. Instead, be open to the good change can bring and learn to welcome it. Soon, roadblocks will become great events because they’ll show how capable you are and how big your world can be; they can change your perspective.

Talent-based interviews use talent-based or behavior-based questions. These are great for a couple of reasons:
1. Talent-based questions assess how you think by asking how you would handle real workplace situations. They want to see how you would handle situations that will be part of the job; better to know this up front.
2. Talent-based questions can’t be pre-planned or practiced – you just have to respond. This gives your best and most honest answer, which is the best way to assess your fit for the job.

The now outdated standard interview questions allow you preparation time – and that means the hiring manager won’t know how you will really react in the workplace. Your “on your feet” response is more accurate about how you will act in the workplace. This is critical.

Here are a couple of examples of talent-based questions. See how these questions are designed to get you to think on the spot:
1. If I were to ask your previous boss or co-worker how you handle change in the workplace, what would he say. Give me an example.
2. What was your latest and greatest idea in your last job? How did you present it? How was it received?
3. What does a customer mean to you? For the situation I give you, how would you maximize your connection to the customer?

When you apply for a job that is a good fit for you, you can approach your interview with confidence – you will be able to answer and handle the questions well. If you apply for jobs that are not a good fit for you, it will be obvious in your responses. So, do better work up front to apply for the right jobs, then relax and show the hiring manager how confident and competent you are in your great responses.

Click here for more information about talent-based interviews.

I know you think many employees will always be down about or disinterested in work. But consider this. What if your employees actually loved what they did for work? Wouldn’t their energy, creativity and performance be better?

Most companies are stuck in an outdated perspective that work is a necessary evil; it is only something you do to make money. But the great performers, those that Seth Godin speaks about in his book Linchpin, are those who know themselves well enough to identify roles that allow them to do what they are good at and passionate about. The result? They love work, find great personal value in it and consistently outperform others.

So managers, it is your responsibility to hire people who are a good “fit” – employees who meet today’s new definition of performance:
o They are good at doing what the job requires (it matches their brain hardwiring – their talents and intrinsic strengths), and
o They like doing it (it appeals to them).

Any job can be better completed by someone who likes what he does. A customer service employee who loves to work with people connects so much better with customers than someone who is not interested in connection or relationships. An accounting employee who loves details, reporting and analysis (and yes, there are these people out there) is so much more effective, productive and efficient than someone who would prefer to be around people all day. Fit matters.

Maybe there are some people who will always hate work. Well, let those people work for other companies. For your team, find people who are good at what the job requires and like doing it. Think “fit.” Then you’ll have employees who actually say, “I can’t wait to get to work.”

I was meeting a colleague for coffee. While waiting at the coffee shop, I watched as person after person entered without holding the door for another person or greeting anyone.

At the checkout counter in a food store, I watched as a woman with two items and obviously pressed for time, asked to step ahead of a woman with a full cart. The woman with the full cart said “no” and reminder her it was important to wait her turn.

Watching these I was reminded of something I read recently in Krista Tippett’s new book, Einstein’s God. It was a quote from Philo “Be kind because everyone you meet is carrying a great burden.” Life is tough. All of us have difficult things going on and at times we can all be pretty fragile.

But notice our response when we hear a kind word, a respectful gesture or just a little bit of care. We respond in kind. We share the emotion. We feel better.

Check in on your words and actions. How kind are they? Try these to build back some kindness in your day:
1. Commit to random acts of kindness. Smile, hold a door open, buy the person behind you in line a coffee, send a card, make a call.
2. Listen to your self-talk. Redirect it to positive and supportive, instead of negative and critical. When you are kinder to yourself, you’ll be kinder to others.
3. Plan your time better to eliminate the need to rush. A less hurried day has time for kindness.

The power of kindness is extraordinary. In a world that seems to dwell on challenges and unhappiness, redirect your energy into being kind to yourself and to others. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” And it starts with kindness.

I have put together the ten rules for a great interview. Click here to see each in greater detail. And while on the site, check out the other great ideas to get hired in 2010.

My ten rules for a great interview:
1. Think “fit” – how you fit and how the company fits for you.
2. Impressions matter.
3. Be positive, upbeat, optimistic and congenial.
4. Have three great questions ready to ask.
5. Focus on your value.
6. Be confident, not arrogant.
7. Make sure you know all the facts.
8. Look for common ground.
9. Remember the power of body language.
10. Have fun.

Your interview is your time to connect with them, impress them, show your fit and indicate how you will add value to the organization. Follow these rules and the interview will be a success. The job offer generally comes down to how you do in the interview. Know yourself. Be confident. Be great.

Share these interview rules with those others looking for jobs.