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Defining Love by 4-8 year Olds. Checknout this post. It's great.
https://www.facebook.com/100091673460957/posts/212357598496688/?mibextid=CDWPTG

The problem is;
We look for someone to grow old together,
While the secret is to find someone to stay a child with!
(Charles Bukowski)

What does Love mean to 4-8 year old kids?
Slow down for a few minutes to read this...💕

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined!

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore...
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too.
That's love.' Rebecca - age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him,
to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and just listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.' Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt,
then he wears it every day.' Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that.
I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody.
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine - age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.'
(what an image!) Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross...' Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot.
People forget.' Jessica - age 8

And the final one: The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'
(this made me cry!)

Now, take a few seconds and post this for others to inspire and spread Love like butter!
And then go be a child again today!

Family business owner? Why you want to hire a team of employees that becomes a bigger asset to the company, than yourself!

It can be very tough to do, but businesses are worth more when selling if the business operates perfectly without the owner needing to be there. It also makes it easier to transfer the company to the next generation if that’s your goal.

So how to you do it? Hiring & internal leadership development must be spot on. Hire people that can do your job better than you. It might cost a lot in the short term to do this, but if you can cash flow it, do it. In the long term it will make you much more.

When I was building my cell phone store business there were times some employees were paid more than myself, & I’ve heard other business builders say the same. It pays in the long run. Be focused on growth, team development and providing the best work environment so you can find the best people in your industry & keep them. Ensure your leadership team is focused on the same. Train them to be great conversationalists — our conversations make all the difference. How we do the corrective ones, supportive ones, & how we direct our employees are all about how we talk to them.

I often start my conversation training sessions by saying everyone in this room, or on this Zoom, is a good communicator. If you weren’t you wouldn’t have friends or a job. But those speaking patterns that get us by in daily conversations when things are normal, often hinder difficult or sensitive conversations. Some words & expressions we use habitually that can affect that tough talk negatively. Send your leaders to conversation training. You can do it without having them leave the office & keep your soft training costs down.

Make sure you have a system to identify potential leaders & develop their leadership skills. A formal mentor program is a great idea, & the conversations that need to happen within that program, can be systemized & guided with forms.

Have at least 4 business mentors yourself, is a tip I share with business owners. The formula served me well at different times in my career. I remember wondering whether to join a group lawsuit with other store owners, wondering if it was wise to do. I phoned 4 mentors. In the process I learned it was a common strategy that worked well when dealing with a multi-national. We went ahead & things were resolved in four short months.

To summarize: Hire people that can do your job better than you. Build a system for communicating with your people that keeps them engaged working hard & smart. Train on how to navigate those difficult conversations. Implement a system for identifying & developing future leaders. Make sure you have at least 4 business mentors yourself.

If you want some help with any of these initiatives, we’ve been helping family business owners do these things for twenty years. Check us out at https://www.successtoolchest.com/ Thanks for reading & interacting. Have a wonderful day.

Mike

I can’t believe he texted that!
How & when to use phone, text, emails & in-person meetings.
I've had business owners share many frustrations regarding their people using different communications platforms. “Staff doesn't know when to just pick up the phone - wasting time on long multiple texts when it could be more effective & efficient with a 1 or 2-minute phone call.
So, here’s a lesson on best practice business communications using different technologies.
Keep in mind, only about 10-20% of interpersonal communication is words alone. Over 80% of communication works with other assets.
We have 4 primary communication assets in an interaction with another person.
· Word choice
· Facial expression
· Body language
· Tone of voice
Text & email offer words to read only. We loose 3 of our communication assets. When 80% is missing, misinterpretations are common & can be detrimental to the relationship, so be careful how you use the different technologies. When emotions are heightened, &/or the stakes are high, avoid text & email communication only to resolve problems or difficult situations. Things could get worse easily.
General rules:
1. When emotions are charged, or there is a high possibility of it, & the situation is difficult or complicated, do an in-person meeting whenever possible. Do corrective conversations with a staff member, in person & in private.
2. If you can’t do an in-person conversation, use a video call or, at the very least, pick up the phone. With phone you have 2 assets working for you. You’re still missing 2, but it can work effectively at times. Phone is quicker when discussing complex issues or situations. We talk on average at a rate of 150 words a minute. The average typing speed is 40 words per minute. Slower for two fingers. Which is more time efficient? Is your & your teams’ time valuable? Yes.
3. Use email for long, or short, detailed information delivery & when there is no emotional charge. Use it for confirmations, send details of a contract or confirm details of a verbal agreement. Send a meeting agenda or list of expectations of action items agreed too.
4. Use text for short, quick messages & confirmations. Jumping on the phone usually saves a lot of time when discussing complicated scenarios. Long back & forth texts are not efficient & clarity takes longer. Mis-interpretation possibilities are likely. Do not use text if there is high negative emotional energy present in either party.

If you think you might get a negative response, pick up the phone or go see the person. You can deal with negative responses much more effectively & turn them into win-win outcomes when you have all your communication assets working.
If you want some help training your people in best practice communications for difficult conversations, check out the CONTACT 20-20 training & other services offered at https://www.successtoolchest.com/

We've updated our home page at https://www.successtoolchest.com/
Check it out. If you have feedback, we would love to hear it. Have a wonderful day. Thanks

Mike

What’s happening in your business that you don’t know about?

Bad-vibe viruses and leaders being ‘un-aware’ are the cause of the recent tsunami of people looking to change jobs. 50% of people would change jobs tomorrow if an opportunity arose. WOW.

S--t happens at work. People get disgruntled. They feel disrespected or cheated in some way and they spread that negative energy. It can become like a virus. Often the owners and managers aren’t even aware its happening.
How do you find out if your people are thinking of, or wanting to leave? How do you find out what aspects of your business operations could improve to engage employees and create loyalty? Survey your employees with a detailed business inquiry — sometimes called an employee satisfaction survey.

We suggest surveying the workgroup every 5-7 years when things are stable. Every year for a couple years if you’re having problems with finding good people, or staff retention, low sales and profits, poor productivity, and efficiency, etc. Your people are your biggest asset. They affect the numbers on your financials. It’s a good idea to know what’s going on in their minds.

Our Success Tool Chest Survey includes key questions to give you an idea of exactly what’s going on, at the different levels of your business. It’s a free template that includes important questions we think need to be asked.
Here are the main categories to consider when surveying your work group:
1. THE WORK ITSELF.
2. DECISION MAKING
3. QUALITY, CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WORK PERFORMANCE.
4. INNOVATION AND CHANGE
5. MY SUPERVISOR
6. DEVELOPMENT/OPPORTUNITY
7. TEAMWORK and COMMUNICATION FLOW
8. SAFETY
9. COMMITMENT TO MY COMPANY

Under these categories our survey template includes 65 questions. Feel free to use our template as a base to design a survey that works for your company. Get your free survey template now, and if you use our templates, you can establish what your Success Tool Chest employee satisfaction rating is.

Click here for your survey template https://www.successtoolchest.com/free-survey-docs
Good luck. Have a great day.
Mike

How to set up an internal mentor program – 7 key elements.

One sure way to make sure your company is preparing for the future and avoiding being affected by the job change virus. An Internal Mentor program. Here’s the benefits and how to set one up.

People are changing jobs at the highest rate in our modern history. You can set your company up to avoid this trend for your business. We've had incredible success with mentor programs in companies as small as 30 employees. A good mentor program starts with clear objectives.

The focus of your mentor program should be to 1) identify future leaders, 2) develop leaders to be even better than the current ones.

The benefits of implementing a mentor program include:
· Increased employee retention. People like to learn and increase their value to employers.
· Increased employee engagement and loyalty. With encouragement offered in a good mentor program people work harder and appreciate your company more.
· Increased desire to work for your company because people see opportunity for advancement making it easier to attract good new employees and become an employer of choice in your industry.
· Assuring the continuation of a successful business culture, transferring of knowledge and attitudes required for success. A good program will actually make your success culture stronger and more resilient.
Setting up an effective mentoring program is key to the future success of your business.

Here are some key elements to consider:
1. Assign a mentor program champion or co-ordinator that communicates regularly with the mentors and mentees.
2. Have clear objectives and make sure mentors and mentees are aware of those.
3. Document everything. Forms for mentor sessions. Forms for goals and skills the mentee is developing that align specifically with your companies’ unique processes, leadership duties, etc. Identify leadership traits & make sure mentees set goals for which of those traits he/she/they is developing. Include hard skills relating to your industry, and soft skills.
4. Research - find out what outside training programs make sense for the mentees to take. Find at least two programs and over the period of the mentor program, make sure the mentees attend those courses.
5. Include structure for: Common mentoring, Multi-mentoring, Peer mentoring and masterminding, Vertical mentoring.
6. Survey the mentors and mentees separately once peer year and adjust program as needed.
7. Set a time frame for the program - two years.

If you’re a business owner - senior leader within your organization and want some free mentoring yourself on this topic, you can book a free 30-minute strategy session with me by clicking this link. https://www.successtoolchest.com/mentor-program-submission
Keep in mind, a mentor program is only one part of a successful internal communication strategy and system for your business, albeit a very important one. Thanks for reading.
Mike

Does an internal mentor program really work?

One sure way to make sure your company is prepared for the future and avoiding being affected by the job change virus is an internal Mentor program. People are changing jobs at the highest rate in our modern history. You can set your company up to avoid this trend for your business.

River, A mentoring software company surveyed their customers employees and found:
· 90% said that the mentoring program helped them develop a positive relationship with another individual in the company.
· 89% said that they feel like their company values their development because they offer a mentoring program.
· 89% said mentoring allowed them to contribute to the success of their company.
· 82% said that participating in their company’s mentoring program gave them a feeling of control over their development needs.
· 83% said that their mentoring experience positively influenced their desire to stay at their organization.
· 83% said they speak positively about their organization to others because of their mentoring experience.
· 91% of mentees said they experienced competency improvement in one or more of the areas that they worked on in their mentoring relationship.
· 88% of mentors and mentees agree that their productivity or effectiveness increased due to their current mentoring experience.
· 83% of participants said mentoring helped them enhance skills they need to perform their job.
· 96% reported that they could apply the information gained from the group mentoring experience directly to their role in the organization.

We've had incredible success with mentor programs in companies as small as 30 employees. A good mentor program starts with clear objectives. I think the focus of your mentor program should be to 1) identify future leaders, 2) develop those leaders to be even better then the current ones.

Get a free consult on how a mentoring program could work for your unique organization:
If you’re a business owner/senior leader within your organization and want some free mentoring yourself on this topic, you can book a free 30-minute strategy session with me by clicking this link. https://www.successtoolchest.com/mentor-program-submission

Watch for my next post on Monday where I'll share 7 key elemets for setting up a great internal mentor program!

Keep in mind, a mentor program is only one part of a successful internal communication strategy and system for your business, albeit a very important one. Thanks for reading. Go out and make it an awesome day.
Mike

There’s a JOB CHANGE VIRUS’ happening – Be proactive.
Studies are saying 50% of Americans quit their jobs to get away from their managers. Only 12% of employees strongly agree that their managers help them set work priorities.

What does this mean? Quite simply, it means owners are not giving their managers the training they need to interact effectively and meaningfully with their teams. They don’t teach us the practical parts of dynamic leadership in school. Where are you and your managers going to learn it?

In 100% of the surveys we conducted within businesses over the last 20 years, the number one issue that was identified for owners, managers and workers, was information and communication flow. Communications is the most important part of leadership.

Unfortunately, its up to employers, if they want to stop the ‘job change virus’ from infiltrating their business, to provide effective communications skills training.

Furthermore, they must put in place effective interactive information and communication flow systems that ensure meaningful, inspiring, focused and loyalty building communication with staff. Systems that can be adapted to do just that include:

· Fine tuning your meetings schedules and meeting agendas:

· Modifying your review systems for employee performance, department performance, and project completions to include effective goal setting and meaningful two-way communication feedback loops.

· A mentor program is key to identifying and developing the future leadership. Keep in mind, people love to be trained. Providing training not only builds capacity, it builds loyalty and trust.

· Searching out and implementing a ‘best practice’ difficult conversation framework that all staff can follow and inserting it into your procedure manual will help tremendously as well.

One of my business mentors once told me that I must have a really good lawyer and a really good accountant if I want to succeed in business. We also need really good coaches and mentors, and there’s tons out there. Seek them out. Find one that fits for you and your team’s culture. When you find one that fits, it will be the best investment you make to keep the entire team focused on what matters to you and your business.

You can check us out at https://www.successtoolchest.com/ Thanks for reading and interacting

Mike

Two things that you must do if you want to grow your business and get close to 100% customer satisfaction.
1. Listen to your people
2. Manage expectations all the way through the ranks and labyrinth of your unique business.

Listen to your People. It's so important and critical to the on-going success of your business, that I can't emphasize it enough. When employees feel heard, acknowledged, and appreciated they work harder, stay engaged, they’re more loyal, and they're more cooperative with their workmates. Two-way communication is absolutely key. You can systemize two-way communication into your meeting systems and your employee review systems.

One of the ways that I recommend listening to your people is that when you were doing a performance review for them, have a one sheet query where they can give your company and their leader a short performance review anonymously as well. Have that anonymous review go to the owner or senior manager in the company who does the reviews for the department managers. The senior manager can use that feedback form as a coaching tool for their managers when they give their managers a performance review.

In your meetings make sure you have some round table discussion as part of your agenda and that allows for full participation and engagement by every member of the team. Implementing a mentor program helps with the 2-way communication initiative as well. Fun events work good too.

Expectation management is key to customer satisfaction. Expectation management starts at the top and flows through the entire company to the customer. Make sure that employees know what they can realistically expect from the company, And make sure they know what the company expects from them. Have discussions about expectations starting when you first interview the employee for a position and never stop clarifying them and reiterating them throughout the in persons’ employment. When people are clear on expectations it's easy to meet them and you have a better chance of exceeding them which makes things even better.

When employees expectations are met or exceeded, there satisfied. The same goes for your customers. Having satisfied employees give your company a much higher chance of of having satisfied customers. Good luck with your employee in customer expectation management and eventual satisfaction. Go out and make it an awesome day.

Mike

p.s To get help with systemizing any of the processes and procedures I post here, simply book a short strategy session with me by clicking here. https://www.successtoolchest.com/45-minute-session-Direct Helping you communicate for Profits and Peace of Mind.

Are you a Blamer?

“Take responsibility for your response” - Jack Canfield
When in any type of difficult situation, its up to you to lead the conversation to that win-win outcome. Looking for a win-win is the key to success with managing people in any type of situation. We can blame others, and that actually means giving up our power to navigate our life successfully.
Its up to you to take responsibility for how you respond. You can fight, flee or freeze and blame others, or you can take the bull by the horns and make things work so everyone benefits in the long run. How do you lead a conversation successfully?

Follow three simple rules I call the ASC method:

1. Awareness; Become fully aware of what’s going on for you. Analyze the Human interaction process for you regarding the situation: What did you specifically hear and see, what do you think about it and how does it make you feel? What do you want and what don’t you want? Write it all down. Be clear with yourself.

2. “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” – Stephen Covey. Our job when leading a conversation is to influence the other person to help us get to a win-win outcome. We can’t get the other person to buy into that, especially when things are sensitive or conflictual, without knowing fully what’s going on for them and validating it as real for them, even if its not our reality. Find out what the other person is truly seeing and hearing, what they’re thinking and feeling and what they want and don’t want. When both people are clear on each others thoughts, emotions, intentions, then we can begin the next step.

3. Common intentions. - uncover them and then explore them. Solutions will naturally appear. Especially at work, common intentions can be easy to find. Start with the basics. We’re both here to serve so we get paid, so we can have food, shelter, clothing, and some fun in life. Yes? Then move up the intentional ladder. We both have to serve well. We get paid to do so. Yes? So how can we focus on doing that as a team to the best of both our abilities? When you follow this train of process and stick to it, letting the small stuff go, its easier to move on.

When you make it a habit to follow this ASC method you will be a better communicator and it will be rewarded. Warren Buffet says, “if you want to become worth 50% more than you are right now, improve your communications skills”. Just do it. For a free mini-book guide to navigate any difficult situation to a win-win outcome, go here to download it. https://www.successtoolchest.com/a-guide-to-plan-design-your-next-tough-talk-the-hip-effective-communications-solutions-tool-free-sign-up-2 Thanks for reading.
Mike

What’s the best communication tool ever, for navigating any difficult conversation to a win-win outcome? … The HIP
The best tool you can use for navigating tough talks to a successful desired outcome and a stronger relationship is what I call the HIP. Its short for the Human Interaction Process. It’s a five-step process.

When humans communicate, 1) we sense something first (usually hear and see) — 2) then an emotion is triggered — and 3) a thought is sparked almost instantly — 4) from that an intention is derived and we 5) choose to act in some way. The action might be manifested in silence — expressed through body language and facial expression, and/or the spoken word. It could be many things, but there is action after intention, thought, emotion, and sensing. In a longer interaction, we might go through this process many times in one meeting. So would the other person.

I’ve used the HIP as a guide for navigating, and mediating, difficult situations for over 20 years. It works great. It keeps everyone authentic and honest. I simply get aware of what’s going on for me and ask myself questions. I go around the wheel and ask myself. What did I specifically witness here? What did I see or hear? What do I think and feel and what do I want and don’t want? How am I going to act? What words am I going to choose? How am I going to express them? What might the other persons’ HIP be in this situation? I use this guide as I follow the CONTACT framework.

Here’s a quick overview of the CONTACT 20-20 training – use the Hip as you go through this process to guide the conversation.

Communicate with yourself first. Become self-aware. What’s your HIP?

Open up sure of yourself, choosing word wisely and keeping it safe for all. Be very specific, share your HIP.

Notice the other person quickly. ‘Seek first to understand then to be understood.” - Stephen Covey. Find out about their HIP.

Tune in and actively listen.

Ask again, make sure you understand the other person correctly. Validate both people’s HIP in the interaction. Whether I agree with it or not, it’s real, true and valid to them.

Common intentions. Uncover them right away. Solutions will naturally appear.

Take it next level. Write down what you’ve agreed to and text or email it and then follow up in the next day or two.

This is a real quick simplification of the process. A good communicator will naturally follow this process. When I’ve shared it with strong leaders that have fully engaged teams, they say, ‘that’s what I do.’ In the actual training program, we share over 100 specific tools, tips, and techniques for navigating tough talks.

If you want a free guide to plan and design your next tough talk, click here. https://www.successtoolchest.com/a-guide-to-plan-design-your-next-tough-talk-the-hip-effective-communications-solutions-tool-free-sign-up-2

How and when to use phone, text, emails and in-person meetings.
I've had business owners share many frustrations regarding their people using different communications platforms. “Staff doesn't know when to just pick up the phone - wasting time on long multiple texts when it could be handled more effectively and efficiently in a 1 or 2-minute phone call.
So, here’s a lesson on best practice business communications using different technologies.
Keep in mind, only about 20% of interpersonal communication is words alone. Over 80% is facial expression, body language and tone of voice. Text & email offer words to read only. We loose three of our communication assets. When the 80% is missing, misinterpretations are common and can be detrimental to the relationship, so be careful how you use the different technologies. When emotions are heightened, and/or the stakes are high, avoid text and email communication to resolve problems or difficult situations. Things could get worse easily.
General rules:
1. When emotions are charged, or where there is a high possibility of such, and the situation is difficult or complicated, do an in-person face-to-face meeting whenever possible. If you need to do any kind of corrective conversation with a staff member, do it in person and in private. Always follow best practices communication frameworks for conflict prevention and resolution.
2. If you can’t do an in-person conversation in difficult circumstances, use a video call or, at the very least, pick up the phone. With phone you have the tone of voice to interpret along with the words. You’re still missing 2 important assets, but it can work effectively at times. Phone is also best when you need to discuss complex issues or situations. It goes much quicker. We talk on average at a rate of 150 words a minute. The average typing speed is 40 words per minute. Slower for two fingers. Which is more time efficient? I repeat, in every situation, follow best practices communication frameworks for conflict prevention and resolution.
3. Use email for long, or short, detailed information delivery and when there is no emotional charge. Use it for confirmation of things decided in discussions, send details of a contract or confirm details of a verbal agreement. Send a meeting agenda or list of expectations on action items agreed too.
4. Use text for short, quick messages and confirmations. Having long discussions on text is often not time efficient. Jumping on the phone usually saves a lot of time when discussing complicated scenarios. Long back and forth texts are not efficient and clarity takes longer. Mis-interpretation possibilities are likely. Do not use text if there is high negative emotional energy present in either party.

If you think you might get a negative response, pick up the phone or go see the person. You can deal with negative responses much more effectively and turn them into win-win outcomes when you have all your communication assets working.