It starts next week!

I’m so excited to share my inspiration with you – I have gathered a group of experts, including me!, and we’re going to have 5 conversations over 5 weeks to give our listeners lots of tips and strategies to help you win at work.  You’ll no doubt recognize at least several of these experts: Pamela Moss, Annamaria Paluha, Kathleen Lorden, Ann Michael Henry, and Helen Kim.

When I originally envisioned this project it was after I had met these women at a Master Mind put together by our mentor, Lisa Sasevich.  The unusual part about it is that there is not only no cost for the series but none of us are trying to sell anything during the calls, either. It’s a gift all six of us want to give you.

We intend to give you strategies and tips to win at work with:

• Clarity and vision
• Personal power and health
• Successful relationships
• Mastering your tech environment
• Prosperity and money

To find out more, or to register, go to http://www.worksmarterlivebetter.us/5strategies.html I hope you’ll be on the calls but if you can’t, register anyway and we’ll send you the MP3 recordings so you can listen at your convenience.

I’ve chosen two books that are excellent guides to design conversations that influence outcomes…and you can BE NICE while having them!

  

Powerful Conversations – How High Impact Leaders Communicate by Phil Harkins
The writing is powerful, the guidelines are clear, and applicable for real business and life situations. An excellent read, and an excellent how-to!

Difficult Conversations – How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
This book focuses a little more on the emotional drivers that make conversations difficult, and offers clarity around navigating those sensitive areas with poise and personal power.

In each newsletter, I will share about the gifts I have received – the people, organizations, relationships that have contributed to my life – and celebrate them by sharing a little of the story with you.  This is my way of being an example of what I think we all need more of: namely appreciation and acknowledgement for the good we contribute to our world, in big and small ways.  Contact information for each is in the Resources section below.

Here are mine – what are yours?

My parents gave themselves a 60th wedding anniversary party, and it was truly a celebration of a life-long partnership!  The invited 80 people, 88 came!   They planned it like it was their wedding, with a cocktail hour, sit down dinner, 5 piece band and a belly dancer, all at a local golf club in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  My father serenaded my mother with “The Girl That I Married” and I was bawling like a baby!  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a great party, and a great family!  I love you. 

AAA Car Insurance was pleasant, responsive and efficient in handling my car accident claim.  Thank God no one was hurt, but my poor car was really a mess.  www.AAA.com

San Tan Auto Body in Queen Creek, Arizona was right there – literally!  The car accident happened at a 4-way stop sign, and there shop is at that intersection.  Son, Corey, and father, Jerry Smith, were my knights in shining armor – gentle, soothing, and professional in every way.  They worked with AAA to get things under way quickly and cost-effectively.  Not only that, their office is like a 50’s diner – their desks are red leather booths with jukebox at each, and neon signs on the wall.  Given how shaken up I was, they were truly a God-send.  www.santanautobody.net

“Being nice” is commonly thought to be a good thing, and generally I agree…BUT being nice can sabotage who you are because it is so pleasant, so easy to get along with, so NICE!!!

So why do I say “being nice” is a curse?  Because if you’re “being nice” without actually thinking about whether this is an appropriate attitude in any given circumstance, then it is a curse that you have put on yourself!

Ways “being nice” is harmful at work:

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