If you're like most people, your morning routine includes stopping by the office coffee pot to grab a cup of joe before getting down to business. But did you know that there's a way to make this simple act even more productive? Managers and team leaders, take note: by taking a seat at your employees' desks during this time, you can learn a lot about what's on their minds—and forge stronger bonds in the process. Here's how it works.

Are you a business owner or manager in a small town that needs to hire? Well, you’ve got some options and I’m going to run through them with you. This came as a result of me having a conversation with the multi-line insurance agency owner.

Leadership can seem to be a nebulous concept with a definition that is difficult to pin down, but guess what - it's not. The number on thing your team wants from you?

1.  A leader they can be PROUD of.
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Here's how the rest of the list shapes up...​

We all know how unproductive meetings can be. The good news is that they don't have to be a giant time suck - they can actually become the useful, productive business tool you always hoped. Here's what you have to keep in mind...

​Some people are men and women of few words. To work in an office with such people is truly a blessing.
 
Most workers, however, are stuck in a workplace where they hear about everything from a co-worker’s baby-making plans to his/her estranged relationship with their father or mother.
 
Talking about such topics might be OK to share over cocktails with your best friend — they are not OK for the workplace...

I ask salespeople, “Can you define what sales are? Have you ever looked up the word sales in the dictionary?” Never in my speaking career has anyone in my audiences responded to me with the correct root word of sales. We can spend our whole life working in sales and yet not know its origin. That astounds me. So here it is...

We need to understand something about the referral word track before we get started. This is the most profound statement in this article and it's the basis for what follows. 
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“The easiest, most effective, most efficient, least expensive way to build your business is to build your business on the trustworthiness of your existing clients that have grown to love you and the value that you have provided in past honest fair dealings. “

I said the value you provide; I didn’t say products or services you provide...

As a Sales and Leadership Trainer, I see and hear many myths out there that can send organizations down the wrong path.
 
I want to see you succeed, not get bogged down subscribing to the wrong messaging within your company. And that starts with debunking The Talent Myth.
 
The Talent Myth suggests that to be a great leader, all you need is talent. The reality is, the world is full of talented leaders, but are they great leaders? Are they effective leaders? Not always.
 
To improve your effectiveness in an organization, focus on five key points and add them to your playbook.
Here's point #3 - be sure to watch the video for more insight on this point and then learn about KEY 4 here.
If you missed the first 2 keys, watch them here...

​WATCH KEY #1 HERE
WATCH KEY #2 HERE

KEY #3
Team goals ahead of personal goals...