Inside Out
Business Edition
"You can't change the direction of the wind. . .
but you can adjust your sails!"
--Jimmy Dean

Kim Olver, MS, NCC, LPC

www.Coachingforexcellence.biz
Kim@Coachingforexcellence.biz

To read our blog click here or go to www.coachingforexcellence.biz and click on "Blog" on the left hand navigation bar. Read some of Kim's musings and add some of your own!

A Message from Kim

Hello Everyone,

Trust seems to be theme of this newsletter. It is a common theme that keeps coming up in the work I do with organizations and companies. People definitely want trust but they are waiting for someone else to create it for them rather than looking inside and developing the concept of trust from the inside out. Using that concept will take you a long way in the development of trust in your everyday life.

I have a new teleconference line now. Some of you may know that four of the last teleconferences I did had no recordings. I definitely recorded the calls but when my assistant went to retrieve the MP3 file, it was not accessible. After many attempts to work it out with the provider, I decided I had to change companies. I am trusting this new provider will be better for all concerned. If you sign up for any teleconferences, please know that there is a new phone number so read all email I send prior to the call.

For those you who are teachers, summer is winding down and I'm sure you are mentally preparing yourself to return to school. Next month's business edition of Inside Out will focus on school issues. I'm looking forward to it.

I have been extremely busy this summer teaching weeks of Reality Therapy and Choice Theory to different groups of people. It is incredibly rewarding work and I am so grateful to all of you who have been a part of those trainings. Thank you.

Make today the day you want it to be!
Unleash the power within you.

In This Issue

Feature Article
Building Trust: Top 10 Dos and Dont's
by: Kim Olver

Upcoming Events
FREE Teleconferences
Workshops
Chat Room

Quote of the Week
"In many ways the spotlight is always on all of us as far as our morals, ethics,
and responsibilities are concerned'.... --Zig Ziglar

Book Review
The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
by Stephen M.R. Covey

Tip of the Month

Business Q&A

Products & Services

About Kim Olver

Building Trust: Top 10 Dos and Don'ts
by: Kim Olver

Trust has become a big issue in the world of work. Whenever I am called in to do consulting in the workplace, often I discover some version of lack of trust in the center of the issue. Business people are asking the question, “How can I build trust with my workers, shareholders and community”? Sometimes the question is, “How can I rebuild the trust I lost”?

1. Be transparent. Make sure that you let people around you know your thinking on things. Don’t leave them wondering what your motivation is—tell them.

2. When you say you are going to do something, do it. If you put your word on something, follow through. Even if you promised something by a certain time and due to circumstances beyond your control, you can’t deliver, contact the person and explain the situation. Don’t just wait until you can deliver. Keep people informed at every step.

3. Never say something behind someone’s back you wouldn’t say directly to that person. Stephen Covey talks about defending those not present by not engaging in gossip and actually defending a person’s character and motives when he or she is unavailable to do it himself.

4. Let people know what you stand for, what you will do and won’t do in certain situations and then proceed to do exactly as you said you would.

5. Demonstrate consistency. Your people need to know you have a level of predictability. In order to gain trust, it is good if others can predict with relatively accuracy and certainty what your response will be in a given situation.

6. Make decisions consistent with your value system. If your value is honesty, you must be honest. Don’t decide being honest can be situational depending upon circumstances. If your value is kindness, don’t be mean to certain folks while being kind to those you deem deserve it.

7. Allow people to question you and your motives without becoming defensive. Answer questions honestly until people are satisfied or you decide to agree to disagree. Tell others your hierarchy of priorities so they can understand and trust your decision-making processes.

8. Do not ask people to do things you, yourself, would not do. Explain the usefulness of what you ask others to do.

9. Demonstrate competence in your areas of expertise and continuously improve your knowledge, skills and abilities so people can know you are good and constantly improving at what you do.

10. Demonstrate through actions that you care about your relationships with your people. Listen to and respect them. Acknowledge their strengths and seek their advice on things about which they are knowledgeable. Extend trust to your people. Don’t micro manage. Let them know you have faith in their abilities and trust them to do what’s best.

Demonstrating these behaviors will go a long way in building trust with others. Trust is an inside out job. You must search inside yourself and decide what type of person you want to be and then engage in the behaviors that will prove this is indeed who you are.

Copyright © July 2008 Kim Olver. All rights reserved

Kim Olver, LPC is an executive coach, staff development specialist, public speaker and consultant. She has developed a revolutionary process called Inside Out Empowerment, designed to help leaders become more effective from the inside-out. She is also the author of, Leveraging Diversity at Work. To learn more about Empowered Leadership go to http://www.coachingforexcellence.biz/EmpoweredLeadership.shtml

NOTICE: This article is free and can be copied and reproduced
as long as the copyright and bio is included at the bottom of the article

*Click Here to read some of Kim's other articles*

Upcoming Events

Teleconferences
(Times in EST)

All teleconferences are free, one (1) hour in length and all you need is a telephone. When you register we will send you a phone number that you will call five minutes prior to the start of your teleconference. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, but if you prefer to just listen that’s all right too. You do not need a computer or Internet, only a telephone. Don’t delay. There are a limited number of slots available.

The following Teleconferences are FREE

Celebrate Diversity
August 5, 2008-- 8:45 - 9:45 p.m. EST

Do you maintain a diverse workforce in your place of business? Do you celebrate diversity? Would you like to learn how to create a diverse workplace that embraces diversity? Register for this call and learn how creating a diverse workforce in your place of business can increase your bottom line and create a more pleasant work environment for you, your co-workers and your employees.

Time Management
August 19, 2008 -- 8:45 - 9:45 p.m. EST

Protecting your time is important. Everyone has the same amount of time in a day. It’s what you do with it that is critical. Do you find yourself doing things you really don’t want to do or spending time with people who take more than they give? These are examples of not protecting your time.

Your time is your gift to spend, as you will. You can spend it wisely or you can waste it. It’s your choice. However, one thing you can’t do is get it back to do over again. Learn how to manage and prioritize your time in a more efficient manner.

Goal Setting & Attainment
December 1, 2008 -- Offered at two times for your convenience:
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST
8:45 - 9:45 p.m. EST

Are you serious about attaining your goals next year? Do you want to do more than make a New Year's Resolution that you forget by the time the Super Bowl is on television? Join me on the free teleconference to learn my time-tested 7-Step process for Goal Attainment. We will do more than set goals--we will discuss a system to implement that will exponentially increase your opportunity for success. Also, my Goal Attainment System is multi-faceted. You won't just be focusing your attention on your career goals unless you want to. My system has you take a look at all areas of your life so you can accomplish an optimal work/life balance for you. There is nothing to lose but an hour of your time and so much to gain. Let's make this your best year yet!

Workshops
Click on the links for more information

Reality Therapy & Choice Theory
August 4 -7, 2008 (only 4 days) -- Bloomington, IL
October 6 - 10, 2008 -- Chicago, IL

The Basic Intensive Week in Choice Theory and Reality Therapy is a 4 day or 4½-day workshop where you will be exposed to some highly innovative ideas of Dr. William Glasser. You will learn the new psychology of personal freedom called Choice Theory. There is application in this workshop for teachers, school administrators, counselors, therapists, social workers, business managers, clergy, nurses, parents, and anyone interested in improving the quality of their life. You will learn how to empower yourself by distinguishing between those things you can control and those you can’t and focus your energy on those you can. There is practical advice about how to improve the important relationships in your life and how to become the person you want to be. This workshop helps you become more effective in counseling and teaching others, particularly those who may not even know they need your help—non-voluntary clients and less than enthusiastic students. The group size is kept small enough that you will receive individual attention and have plenty of time to have your questions answered.

Chat Room

Kim will be available in her chat room for questions
and dialog on the following dates and times:

All Chats are from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. EST

August 5, 2008
August 12, 2008
August 19, 2008
August 26, 2008

Quote of the Week

"In many ways the spotlight is always on all of us as far as our morals, ethics,
and responsibilities are concerned. By conducting our lives as if the camera is on,
we will be living with integrity, which means we won't have to apologize for,
or explain tomorrow, what we did today."

--Zig Ziglar

I have a friend who is known for saying, "Everyday is picture day." What he is, in essence saying, is that you never know who might be looking. If we are to live our lives with integrity, then we must do those things that are right even when no one is looking and it may be easier to do something else. What choices do you make when you think no one is watching?

Book Review

The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
by Stephen M.R. Covey

This book is not written by Stephen R. Covey, the author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, as I thought originally but rather is written by his son, the seven year-old boy the elder Covey discusses in his 7 Habits book. I must say that after my initial disappointment of learning one of my favorite authors didn't author this particular book, I really came to love it.

Stephen M.R. Covey is a force to be reckoned with. He easily convinces the reader of his own level of integrity, as well as his competence and experience. If you are a part of any organization or do any consulting with companies, I would highly recommend this book to help you gain a handle on trust issues that are often at the core of systemic problems. Covey begins exactly where I would recommend beginning--with the individual's degree of trust in him or herself.

He builds from that inside out perspective to developing trust with those with whom you work. He provides 13 behaviors that if put into action, will increase a person's trust level with those with others. Covey doesn't stop there. NO. He goes on to look at trust with in your organization, the market place and the community at large. This book is filled with practical advice on how to create trust and as Covey convinces the reader, building trust can happen quicker than you think.

Click here to purchase this book

Tip of the Month

One of the pervasive situations I see with the companies I consult with is a person's tendency to judge how well he or she is doing by comparing him or herself to everyone else. Often I am brought in to a company to attempt to create a culture based on Empowered Leadership. I provide training and consultation on W. Edwards Deming and Dr. William Glasser's Choice Theory. People learn the concepts and then work to implement them into their practical day-to-day experiences.

Inevitably, I will hear from some individuals about how so-and-so is not implementing the ideas "right." He or she is still using the old external control model. He or she doesn't understand what the company is trying to do. Perhaps he or she is even undermining the entire change process.

This very act of complaining, criticizing and blaming supervisors, administrators and co-workers is contrary to the culture being created. In Empowered Leadership, we take an inside-out approach. Whenever, a person notices someone else not doing something right, instead of criticizing, that person needs to place the focus on him or herself, taking time to self-evaluate how well he or she is actually doing.

Everyone learns these concepts at a different pace. Some people begin this process with more external control baggage than others. Certain people will experience a greater buy-in and commitment to these ideas. In other words, no two people will do it exactly the same way, with the same level of expertise.

If you are experiencing frustration with others because they aren't doing things the way you think they should be done, stop focusing on them. Instead decide that you are going to model the concepts better. You are going to look at your own level of expertise and figure out how you can get better at the process. This will have the potential effect of enlightening your co-workers more than if you criticize them and put them down. Demonstrate what it is you want them to do better.

Business Q&A

Question: We are attempting to implement lead management concepts in our organization and there are still individual managers who are using the old external control ways. How can we get them to be more cooperative with the changes that are being implemented.

Answer: If you read the Tip of the Month in this edition, you will see my suggestion to stop focusing on those who aren't using the process. One of the things you can do is use their example of what not to do when training new people. You can also harvest the situations they create for evidence of how the lead management concepts reap more benefits than what they are doing. They can serve as a training ground for people who are preparing to go out into an external control world. And finally, there is always a last resort. If you are working to get all your employees on the same page with a philosophy or approach and you have a few who are clinging desperately to the old ways, you need to let them know you aren't mad at them. If they are refusing to change, that's all right but you can't continue to employ them if they continue to do things the old way. They will either need to become more cooperative with what you are asking them to do or together you will find somewhere else they can work using their old, established system. You can even part as friends. You aren't forcing them to change. . .you are simply helping them find an environment where their way is more appreciated.

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