JJ's (Jan '07) Tips in this issue:

1. How to Lead Others to Miracles
2. Favorite Quotes
3. Tele-Coaching & Tele-Mentoring

Use the following tips as training tools.

Present this situation to your group and brainstorm solutions together, or submit your own situation question to be answered in an upcoming newsletter.

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SITUATION QUESTION:
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How many times can you remember hearing someone say something like, "We need a miracle to make our numbers this year," or "Only a miracle could save us now"? And sometimes, to their surprise, the miracle happened.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary says a miracle is:

1: an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs
2: an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment
3: a divinely natural phenomenon experienced humanly as the fulfillment of spiritual law

Can YOU help lead your team and company to have more miracles?

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SOLUTIONS:
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If you are not getting the miracles to come your way often enough, maybe some changes are due in the leadership of yourself and others.

Remember, if you keep doing the same thing, in the same way, you'll get the same results!

The idea for this newsletter came from Suzette Matthews, Vice President of Marketing at the J. R. Matthews Company in Massillon, Ohio. She referred me to two of the companies that employed her, and she was instrumental in my helping those companies grow over the years too.

After receiving my December newsletter on, Keeping Balance Through the Holidays, Suzette wrote:

"Thanks JJ--GRRRRREAT inspiration for a beautiful time of year. It is important to keep things in perspective.

Yesterday, Dan (her husband and President of the company) and I had a conversation about "miracles," and we decided that most everything is a miracle--from the sun in the morning to the incredible way our brain and body works to a compliment from a stranger---miracles happen every day, if you just pause for a minute and enjoy what you are experiencing, seeing or hearing. Miracles are not just every now and then occurrences, but little things everyday that make life BIG!!!! Look at you and your life-- over the last year you have been through trials and tribulations (your breast cancer) that seemed endless, but you made it through as a stronger, better woman to grace this earth. YEAH JJ!!!!!!!!!

(Hey, maybe "miracles" could be a topic for one of your newsletters???)"

Suzette is a leader who makes miracles happen! She inspires everyone in her company to be the best they can be, to stretch beyond their present work and meet challenges head on to overcome them.

I've watched her take personal feedback from her reports and others in stride, and instead of giving excuses or getting upset and pushing back, she asked for suggestions on how she could improve her leadership and interpersonal skills with them.

Taking criticism is never comfortable, whether it is justified or not, but it must be accepted and acted on immediately. Listening to others' perceptions of you and your work will open your thinking so there is communication on what needs to change. Another's perception is their REALITY of the situation, unless they learn otherwise through interactive communication. That, in its self, can be a miracle.

In my long career of working with companies, I have never met anyone who has made me feel more welcome and appreciated than Suzette. She kept me informed on the progress of our work and updated my knowledge about the company and its activities with personalized hand-written notes, usually written on brightly-colored paper, when I'm on site with her. Since she is involved in the company catalog marketing of their products, she leads with flair in her writing. She also sports a quick smile, a sense of humor, lots of creativity, and the EXPECTATIONS of miracles.

Her thank you notes and appreciation letters, after our work has been completed, are heart felt and remarkable--you know what I mean--the ones you keep and reread again and again. So few people generously and consistently take the time to truly express their gratitude, that it seems like a miracle when someone does.

When a leader gives genuine, well-earned praise (written is best so it can be reread), it is a small miracle or even a HUGE miracle to a person who has never received it before or is starved for it. Suzette definitely looks for 
people doing things right, and she knows that, behavior rewarded gets repeated! It inspires and motivates to build the recipient's self esteem, which leads to self evaluation, self correction and PRIDE. Suzette is an INFLUENCER to help others on her team create their own miracles.

Suzette is a positive-thinking and acting leader who knows that, what you dwell on is what you get! Think positive thoughts, regardless. Keep your focus on where you want to go, what you want to become, and who you want to travel with you to meet and overcome the challenges along the way. Where you put your daily focus will attract more of the same back to you. Your mind is powerful! It has the power to attract what you need and want to create miracles, big and small. What you dwell on IS what you get!

Now is the time to get organized, prioritized and focused on pulling the loose ends of your job into your plan to do things differently! You may have put off giving your reports their reviews on time, or giving feedback on how they could improve their performance, or asking for their suggestions and creativity to find ways to work more efficiently and harmoniously together.

You are a leader whether anyone reports to you or not. So start working  on yourself, and strive to become a great team player and communicator on your own team, and then bridge to the cross teams in your company. Work to eliminate the silos or islands that are only interested in "looking good" in their area. Kill inconsistencies in sales, customer service and operations by building those bridges (or tunnels if you wish), so everyone's leadership is headed in the same direction, toward miracles that are happening or are in the making!

Thank you, Suzette Matthews, for your inspiration and motivation to write this newsletter theme! You are a great asset to your company, and a super colleague friend!

Adapt these tips to your leadership and keep looking for those miracles! And you'll find them!

Now, go out and make some MIRACLES happen!


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JJ's FAVORITE QUOTES:
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"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."
- Lou Holtz

"If you don't make changes when changes are due, you'll bring in drama and trauma to make those changes anyway."
- JJ Lauderbaugh

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Tele-COACHING & Tele-MENTORING
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DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE in an area? Sales or Service?
* Dealing with irate internal or external customers?
* Motivation and growth of your people?
* Leading and Coaching your staff?

TRY our one-on-one Tele-Mentoring (phone coaching service) that is available to business owners, executives, managers, supervisors and staff members.

Call for your FREE CONSULTATION now! 

800 500-9656
or
408 445-1590

EVALUATION OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT:

Have you had an Evaluation of Your Environment lately so you could receive suggestions on improving it? (It's like the doctor's check up, you often don't know you need it, until after you've had it.)

http://www.jjlauderbaugh.com/about.html

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ABOUT JJ:
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JJ Lauderbaugh, CMC
408 445-1590 or 800 500-9656, 1716 Husted Ave., San Jose, CA 95124.

JJ works with companies that want to give exceptional customer service to increase sales, and with Directors and Call Center/Help Desk Managers who want to improve human performance.

She's an international speaker, trainer, facilitator and certified management consultant (CMC) on customer service management, specializing in performance improvement, call centers, up/cross selling and outbound calling.

For training resources, free articles, tips and streaming video, go to our web site at:

http://www.JJLauderbaugh.com

Copyright and Reprints:

Reprint permission is granted when the following credit appears:

© JJ Lauderbaugh, CMC, JJ Lauderbaugh & Associates, 2007. Reprinted with permission from JJ's Tips, a monthly internet newsletter. For your own personal subscription, email jj@jjlauderbaugh.com.
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You can make a difference! Send your questions and comments as they are always welcome.

Thanks,

JJ