I have to say . . . even though I was there to help these were 2 of the most inspiring days of my life!  While my time was a gift to The Hunger Project, I feel as though I ended up getting the better deal.  Being able to spend 2 days with such amazing women who are up for this huge, huge mission was an absolute honour.  I’m pleased to say this is an organisation we are going to support and be much more fully involved in the future and it starts right now with “Presentation Profits Intensive”.  For the first ever time, a percentage of each ticket sold will go straight to The Hunger Project.

Also, in this past couple of weeks we had out last ever MDM event where we launched a brand new event called ‘Seminar Business School.’  I’ll tell you more about this at our upcoming events but what I can say now is that it will be a super intensive event on the business of seminars. Yay!

On a more personal level, one of the most exciting events from the past 2 weeks has been the surprise wedding of our Australian Business Development Manager, Colleen and her fiancé, Nick!  Greg and I went to what we thought was her engagement party  . . . only to find out it was her actual wedding!  This was the second Shift wedding of the year and our heartfelt congratulations goes out to Mr and Mrs Woodstock.

1. Never show up to a party empty handed.

It’s polite, thoughtful and just good form to take a bottle of wine, flowers or a gift of some sort.

Similarly in business, if someone has given you the gift of their time to help you out in business – what can you give them to say thanks?

2. Happiness is more important than financial reward. 

My Mum never expressed too much concern when I wanted to leave medicine and become an actress.  She continues to support me no matter what I want to do, as long as I’m happy. 

I think we should all “mother” ourselves in this way in business.  Take your own happiness “temperature”.  Are you still happy doing what you’re doing? If not, perhaps you should nurture and support yourself and let yourself do something you enjoy for a while. (Who knows it might make you more money like mine did!)

3. Relationships first.

No matter what happens, or what someone does or doesn’t do – the most important thing is to maintain the relationship.  If there is love and trust in the relationship people will be empowered to make the right choices.  There’s no room for judgment. 

I notice this holds true with dealing with staff.  People don’t come to work to do a bad job.  If you empower people, and love them enough, they are more likely to achieve than if you berate them.

As I write this I think I could write a million things I learned from my Mum that impact my business, but 3 will do for today.  What did you learn from your Mum?  Was is it empowering?  If not, turn it around – there’s some great life lessons in there if you look.

Thanks Mum.

Greg and I are in Australia again this week.  We’ve just had a great weekend with our Million Dollar Masterclass in Bondi, and this Sunday I’m speaking at “Our Internet Secrets” in Melbourne.

But I have to admit we only just made it!  Our plane had a fuel leak, lost one engine and had to do an emergency landing in Perth which added a bit of excitement to the otherwise  boring flight from London to Sydney.  On arrival at Sydney airport, bedraggled and tired we were interviewed by the Daily Telegraph regarding the emergency landing.  They were obviously looking for a horror story about Qantas- the airline in question…

And all this got me thinking about the media.  We know they can be used to our advantage to spread our message to the public.  After all, on our way back to London in a couple of weeks we are heading via Los Angeles to appear on TV over there.   But what if they’re looking for a “negative angle story” like those Daily Telegraph journalists hunting down the dirt on Qantas.  So I’m infinitely grateful for my colleague Sue Gardiner- one of the other “Our Internet Secrets” faculty who is a PR expert.

One of the other Faculty Members, blogging expert, Yaro Starak is about to appear on A Current Affair which is a prime time TV show here in Australia.  So I’ve been picking his brains too on how to really leverage the media exposure in the best way.  (Coincidentally I interviewed him last night on the Lazy Web Celeb Series- and asked him this question, so if you’re not registered yet- click here)

let me know your thoughts…

Cheers,

Jo

I was writing an e-class for the Secrets Of Selling From Stage Mentoring Program yesterday and I just thought this section was pertinent to us all, whether we’re speakers or not, so I thought I’d post an except on the blog for you to peruse!

“For me I endeavor to be transparent in everything I do. Now it does bite me on the bum sometimes (in negotiations from time to time etc!) but as a speaker it serves me well.

Interestingly, I could not NOT be authentic these days!

Now- the fascinating thing for me about this is that my clients perceive my authenticity as INTEGRITY. In fact I have made sales before where people have given me the direct feedback that they had no idea what it was they were buying- they just wanted the opportunity to “work with someone in business that has that much integrity!” Truly- their words, not mine!

Now I don’t say this to blow my own trumpet- but to let you in on what’s going on inside in the hope that you can learn from it. So there a few key elements to this integrity/authenticity thing.

1. Firstly, like most powerful lessons in business, I really got how important authenticity was for me when I found that through a series little compromises, and little white lies I had got myself to a position where I wasn’t comfortable with me. It wasn’t that I wasn’t being me, because who the heck else was I being? It was just that the version of me that I was being, I didn’t like. I looked around me and saw a lot of other people reflecting the same back to me, and I thought “I don’t like this”. So I changed it!

2. Next- I find it incredible that we live in a world where integrity in business is a surprise. But for those of us who are AUTHENTIC it is a boon- because we are remembered and we stand out from the crowd.

3. I would far rather work with people who I find transparent and authentic, than people who hide behind masks and who I don’t “get” – so I strive to be that for other people. I used to think that we were a rare breed and that indeed I mustn’t be a “real business” person, because being truthful mattered to me. But it turns out there are some other weirdos like me who don’t like pretending to be something they’re not.

4. A further distinction that might be useful: I am not focusing on being “in integrity” all the time. I’m a nutcase when I do!  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the Landmark Education, but I became a headcase trying to be on time to everything and be my word to everyone and clean up everything and I just about integrity-ed myself to death. I don’t want to enter an argument here about what is right or wrong- this is about my “inner world” that creates the results I get in my business and life. If I focus on integrity: I am a basket case. If I focus on acceptance of myself, and sharing that with others- that is “authenticity”, the grand irony is that people all tell me how much integrity I have!

Do you find that odd or is it just me?!

So from stage, in business, in life I strive to be more and more me. That way you know what you’re going to get and so do I!

5. I have worked with people in the field of personal developemtn before who get all strung up and tell me “I don’t even know who the real me is any more” or “what if I don’t like the real me?” or “there’s lots of versions of the real me”. To those people I say this:

*** “I don’t even know who the real me is any more” : I don’t know who the real me is either- but I see it reflected back in the faces of those around me and in my audiences.

*** “What if I don’t like the real me?”: I don’t like the real me sometimes- she is grumpy, greedy, grotty and grotesque. And boy does she throw a good tantrum. But sometimes she is also great, graceful, gracious and grand. Go figure. We change with every breath – accepting that is where to begin.

***“There’s lots of versions of the real me”: You’re right! They are all you! For further details, see previous!

So- where does that leave us? Confused perhaps? It’s always a challenge to put words to the indescribable.”

What do you think about being yourself in business?

Cheers,
Jo