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Virtual Leadership: Part Three of How Leaders Respond Timely

Screen shot 2011 04 28 at 8 19 49 AMA big part of leadership is presence. My first employer had this power over me to make me stand an inch taller when he was around. I wanted him to see my best work. I wanted to be a part of every project he was implementing. His presence alone inspired me.

I’ve heard conversations about who should really be “on” social media sites. Should leaders take part? Yes! Whole-heartedly, yes! If ever there is a place where people need to be held accountable, stand taller, and maintain high standards, it is within online social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Why? First of all, that is where people are spending their time. I just read a report that stated the average American spends as much time online in these social networks as they do watching television. Both numbers are high. Second, for some strange reason, some people mistakingly believe that they can lower their guard while online. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In reality, more first impressions are being made by a couple of search engine results before you ever get a chance to email, call, or write. Yes, leaders should be online and they need to know what to do. It doesn’t involve much time, there are shortcuts, and leaders simply cannot allow their online representation to be left up to chance or other people’s posts.

Twitter: An awesome resource for connecting with, networking, and learning from some of the best leaders in the world. You can ask them questions and they respond! No kidding! I recommend this as the number one social network to be on, and it is incredibly easy to learn and use. Did I mention it is quite enjoyable too? Hope we connect on Twitter. I use HootSuite to schedule future posts and sometimes connect those with Facebook using the hashtag #FB. I also use Instapaper to read tweets in greater detail later on my iPad.

Facebook: A great place to invite people to interact with you and the projects you wish to see completed. Another great place to ask for help and spread the word of upcoming events, and share information. This makes a great starter website. I have a personal page for my family and a business page for my speaking. Set a time once each day to go through your Facebook messages and posts. I make a playlist of about three songs. When it’s don, so am I. Next project.

Website: Having a web presence is important for any organization and leader. It could be as simple as a Facebook page. I recommend everyone at least purchasing their domain name if possible. From there you can build a simplistic website and add to it throughout your life. I have even purchased the domain names of my wife and my children. Don’t spend a lot of time tweaking it and getting everything perfect. What a time waster! Get something simple started. You can also make a great website from free WordPress.

LinkedIn: Not sure what is going on with LinkedIn. It recently has gone through a revamping. I don’t spend much time here. I add connections when asked but this site still seems awkward to use. I’m in, but waiting. It does have a decent foot in the door, but is lacking ease of use and easier connectivity. Waiting.

Google Search and Alert: You should add a google alert to your name. When someone mentions you on the internet, Google will send you an email.

Blogging: What a great way to practice and improve as a leader! Pick a couple of leaders you admire and follow there blog. Start your own blog to share your thoughts on leadership and inspire others. Leave some comments on other blogs and reply back to some comments on your own. Don’t live there. Posts should be aroudnd 500 words. Those blog posts add up and could become a book by the end of the year. Tag each post so that people can find you and connect with you. I use WordPress.

YouTube: Go ahead and use the camera on your laptop and record a short video once a month for those you lead. This makes great practice for you and resource for others. You will improve the quality with each recording. The videos should not be perfect. Don’t even try.

Emerging Social Sites: A word of caution, because there are so many emerging technologies that you can really lose a lot of time and productivity. If one seems interesting or has the recommendation of someone I admire, I sign-up for free and reserve my user name. I keep a distant eye on it and keep my focus on Twitter and Facebook.

Won’t this take a lot of time? No. Don’t live there. Set a time of day and a timer to reply and comment to those who had the courtesy to leave you a message. Just a touch and go of thanks and I see you. You can personalize this down the road. I thank people for commenting and ask engaging questions. I enjoy it and it doesn’t take much time. Don’t lie there.

My recommendation: Control your identity: Grab your domain name, and experiment with social media. If you are already there or find yourself investing too much time in it back off. Social Media can be a great place to work on leadership skills, but unmonitored it can really infringe on time spent on more important projects or with family. Track your time. I use the timer on my iPhone and walk away when it goes off. I know exactly what I want to do next. Think BIG projects. Social media is not a project. Learn the shortcuts around these social media sites and how they can interact with each other. For instance, you can tag a tweet on Twitter with #FB and it will appear on your Facebook page is you have that set up. The three pieces I feel everyone needs immediately are: Twitter Account, Facebook Page, and a blog. You get all of those for free.

In summary, virtual leadership is indeed important, but we cannot allow it to infringe with our leadership roles with our family, employment, and dreams. Use social media and online communities to enhance your real world experiences, not replace them.
www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker.

He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired.

Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

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Great Leaders Respond Timely.

What’s your response time?Stop watch

Communication is essential to leadership. To communicate well is to influence others into making a difference. Most leaders understand the importance of communication, and they spend a great deal of time on what they want to say and how they want to say it. Unfortunately, many emerging leaders do not understand that WHEN they respond is as important as their message, and in some cases even more.

A leader must master responsiveness.

The story of NASA’s Apollo 13 mission is a highlight in history of how leadership emerges during times of trouble, and how great response time identifies leaders within an organization and in life. The story of Apollo 13 mission is full of heroes, but what I love most about it is how the men in mission control, not just the astronauts themselves, are proven to be heroes for responding timely. They emerge as leaders.

In a world dominated with the ability to communicate quickly with smart phones, laptops, and social media sites, it is sad that so few do. Calls are not returned promptly. Thank you cards are never sent. Emails fill inboxes. Text messages hang in limbo. Assignments miss their due date.

What is the consequence of not responding timely?

Much. You may not be leading a mission to safely return wayward astronauts from a mission gone wrong, but you really should respond to every message with a sincere level of diligence and importance.

Remember, you’re not replying to a message, you’re replying to a person.

How do you feel when you wait on hold, an email remains unanswered, a call unreturned? If you’re like me you begin to question whether it was received, question the person on the other end, become frustrated or worse.

When questions go unanswered people fill in the gaps. They often assume the worst. False information is spread, and negative impressions are formed. Am I not important enough to merit a reply? Is my question less important than others?

Some leaders mistakenly believe that to respond quickly (aka promptly) is a sign of weakness: they’re afraid it will show they don’t have more important activities, and that others will judge them inferior for too quick of a response. But what does a quick response mean to the person receiving it? It tells them, “Hey! I matter. I’m important.” We like people that recognize us, spend time with us, and reach out to us. We admire them. We become enchanted. We want to do business with them. We want to help them. A quick response is endearing. It fosters loyalty. It matters.

I’m hoping that the leaders that dig these communication moats around their castles don’t mistakingly believe they are protecting themselves or their business by delaying their response. They’re not. They are, in actuality, creating more problems, creating more work and damaging the positive image they work so hard to make.

The solution: Respond Timely.

But I don’t have time to respond to everyone. Wrong! You can’t afford not to.You will be surprised how little time it actually takes.

What does a leader need to make timely responses? Some courage, some time, a good attitude, and most importantly a plan. In a future post I will address some productivity secrets that I have gleaned from the greats, and some I probably mistakenly credit to myself. These will be helpful, but you have to convince yourself of the need to respond to the people that contact you.

Great leaders in all walks of life master the timely response. They don’t react. They don’t shoot from the hip.  They measure, weigh, and time their response accordingly. Please consider your communication habits and see if timeliness is an area you may wish to give some greater attention.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

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Action: Leadership Series Part Seven of Seven

Take action

If I could sum leadership up in a single word, it would be a difficult task, but it would have to be ACTION.

Leaders speak when others remain silent. They stand up when others remain seated. They right the wrongs of the world, and create something that never existed before, simply because it was needed. Leaders recognize their part in the world, and understand they have a responsibility to others. They seek to serve a greater calling, and fill their life with a genuine purpose.

Leaders are willing to take a chance to make a change. They risk criticism. They understand leadership is no popularity contest. They ‘get’ that people might not appreciate what they’ve done, and dislike their words and actions. But they understand that not trying is worse. Leadership isn’t really about them.

You can possess every element of leadership I have mentioned: attitude, communication, wisdom, vision, tenacity, and authenticity, but if you don’t follow it up with the final ingredient, ACTION, nothing will ever happen. Nothing.

Leaders not only hear the call to lead, they answer it.

I have decided early in this life that I cannot possibly be right 100% of the time, and probably not even most of the time. I cannot control what other people think about me. I will make mistakes, but I will not allow that to deter me from taking action. While this may be the shortest article on Leadership I have ever posted, it is perhaps also the most important. Leaders take action.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

 

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Authenticity: Leadership Series Part Six of Seven

Screen shot 2011 04 11 at 3 54 51 PMDo you act the same way regardless of who is around? Or are you a different person to different people? As a teacher and coach I have observed that student athletes often act differently depending on who is watching them.

If you assembled all of the people you know, together in one room, would they describe the same person? Authenticity isn’t about being perfect, but it has everything to do with trust, integrity, and loyalty. Living an authentic life is paramount to maintaing your credibility as a leader and leaving a lasting impact on others. We trust and admire those who live authentic lives. Leaders are people who live by set of core values.

Authenticity is about who you say you are, who people say you are, and who you really are. Tell me what you value and I’ll tell you what kind of person you will become.

Authenticity is the glue that holds leadership together. Without it a leader falls apart. Nothing will weaken your impact more, or destroy your accomplishments faster than a breach of trust or a lapse in your integrity.

To be a leader you must have integrity, and you must be trustworthy. These are the elements that make up your authenticity, and authenticity is the glue that holds the leader together.

A friend of mine graduated from the Naval Academy, where authenticity is ingrained into each and every graduate. We went out to eat with some friends once and he was given the incorrect change. He was calculating the error as we were leaving the restaurant. He told us he had to go back in and fix the error. A buddy of ours pointed out that the error was in his favor. He was given too much money back! He replied, “I know! I have to get back in there.” The overpayment was for thirty cents, but he explained that someone at some point was going to have to account for that thirty cents and that doing the right thing, every time, is priceless.

A man with integrity doesn’t do the right once in awhile, not most of the time, and not just when others see it. The authentic leader does the right thing every single time. Sure, he will make mistakes, but once he knows he has, he will immediately move to correct it.

During my college football practices the team had to run warm-up laps around the field. While running those laps a few of the guys would round off the corners of the field. They didn’t go all the way around the corner, and shaved off a few feet and some time and energy. They didn’t stay outside the white line like we were told. It was easier to round the corner off.

Well, our line coach would yell. “Hey! You cheat on these laps and you’ll cheat on your wife! You cheat on these laps and you’ll cheat your whole life.” It had a nice rhyme and by midway through camp we’d all repeat it once he started and no one ever rounded a corner again.

I still remember that lesson today. There is a lot of truth to it. To cheat in life you have to start somewhere. I’m pretty certain that the guy with a machine gun robbing a bank probably started smaller, and this isn’t his first time. Did he take a nickel off his brother’s dresser? Did he steal a paperclip from a teacher’s desk? Graduate to taking classmates’ lunch money? It had to start somewhere.
You aren’t born with integrity. Sure we’re innocent enough when we are little. Integrity, trustworthiness, loyalty, these qualities are things you build upon your entire life. They’re like bank accounts. Every time you keep your word, and do the right thing you make a deposit. When you lie and cheat, well you potentially go bankrupt. Work at being authentic.
Authenticity is about not placing anything above your integrity, your word, or doing what is right.

Take Responsibility for your actions. If someone compliments you for your work or gives you praise, accept it, but quickly pass the praise along to those you lead. However, when you make a mistake or things just don’t go the way you thought, be just as quick to accept the hardship.

We expect our athletes to take responsibility on the field. Nothing upsets me more or disappoints me more when an athlete blames someone else for a mistake. Nothing makes me more proud when a person immediately owns up to their mistakes.
Lets face it, mistakes are going to happen. If you’re not making mistakes you aren’t doing enough. Take responsibility.

To lead for any duration a leader must possess authenticity. To be truly authentic we must practice it at every moment of every day.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

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How’s Your Bracket? Taking Time to Plan Your Life

Filling out bracket e1300139814681How’s Your Bracket?

A lot of people will be evaluating their NCAA bracket results, if they haven’t done so already.

Sadly, it occurred to me that some people spend more time plotting and planning their basketball brackets than they do their day, their week, or even their life. I have friends and acquaintances that actually conduct research and some that fill out multiple brackets in hopes of creating a winner. Yet, some of these very same people just allow their day to happen. When bedtime rolls around, or the week ends, they are the first to wonder where their day or week went and why they accomplished so little.

A simple fact we all must learn early in life, is that planning is a always key factor in determining success and failure whether it be in sports or in life. We must invest in a plan to fully enjoy the benefits of a rewarding life.

I don’t believe in planning every minute of my life, but I do know the value of living each day with a plan and list of goals. We’re blessed with just twenty-four hours each day, it’s our responsibility to ourselves and our families to maximize each and every hour.

I’d like to share some thoughts and tools with you on how we can get the most out of each day, and ultimately our life:

1) Download Michael Hyatt’s free eBook Creating Your Personal Life Plan. Michael share’s his secrets to accomplishing so much. He is an extremely busy person, yet he finds time for others, his dreams, exercise, and so much more. He credits a lot of his success to his Life Plan. I recommend downloading his eBook.  It’s free, and I believe you will be very thankful you did. http://michaelhyatt.com/life-plan

2) Start a journal. If you follow my writings with any regularity you know the importance I place in keeping a journal. A life worth living is truly worth recording. I use my journal to record workouts, plan vacations, document success and failures, list the things I want to own, the books I want to write, and the pictures I want to draw. It’s my brain on paper. The keeper of my great ideas.

3) Use an index card to plan your day. Again, this is one of my favorite secrets. I use index cards to make my to-do list each and every day. I list the things that really matter and I focus on them until they are accomplished. It is that simple, and it works. People to call, my workout, time to write, and anything that needs to be done goes on the list. You must include the actions to your dreams. Want to write a novel? Put that on your list most days and it will get done.

4) Incorporate the use of a shared calendar. My wife and I use Apple’s MobileMe iCal syncing calendar to plan for our family. It’s great having everything on one calendar. You can do the same with Google Calendars and others. We can access our calendar from any computer, anywhere, including mobile devices, and that clunky computer in the hotel lobby. We know where we need to be and how we can help each other out.

5) Schedule your dreams. You will never find or make time. You either schedule it or you do not. You must learn to schedule and reserve time for what you really want in life. It’s great when spontaneous moments occur. I’m all for it, however, I can’t rely on them, so I plan too. I make sure my wife and I have dates on the calendar. Others appear, but we always have some scheduled.

6) Use technology; don’t let technology use you. If you have voicemail or answering machine then let it take your messages while you are spending time with your family. If you have a mobile phone, eliminate some of those emails while in the checkout line. These are great examples of using technology wisely. Sitting in front of computer mindlessly for hours at a time is an example of technology using you. Be a creator of content not just a consumer. I highly recommend online services like DropBox, Instapaper, Evernote, HootSuite, and others to help you manage your time better.

7) Use a timer. Yep, I’m serious. Use the timer on your phone or watch to set mini goals to get things done. Ten minutes can accomplish a lot. then move on.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

 

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

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Wisdom: Leadership Series Part Three of Seven

Part Three of Seven on Leadership: The Seven Commitments to Answering the Call to Lead

You hear the word ‘wisdom’ and I’ll bet many of you picture an old guy with a long white beard. Right? Quit it. A great definition of wisdom is simple: the ability to see the future consequences of the decisions you are making right now.

How do you obtain wisdom? Well, that question has been bouncing around for thousands of years.  For a start, try surrounding yourself with great people, great books, quality experiences, travel, and most importantly spend time each day in reflection. Wisdom is a journey, not a destination. Are you on it?

While this is a very simple definition, the process combines all of your talents, experiences, and resources to put it into action.  Intelligence would be just one small part of wisdom. Intelligence serves you right now.  Wisdom serves others long after you are gone.

I believe wisdom is journey, not a destination.  A great leader is always pursuing wisdom, and the sad truth is that its attainment is never recognizable, but that is also the essence of wisdom’s brilliance.  If you are constantly on the journey toward wisdom and filling yourself on its fruits along the way, never knowing how close you are to the prize,  you will never stop developing this essential leadership skill.  You will be constantly seeking it, and therefore constantly obtaining incredible growth.

Seek Wisdom. Some people confuse wisdom with age.  This unfortunately is too common and incorrect. There are many who over time acquire a great deal of wisdom, but just because someone is young does not mean they are not capable of obtaining wisdom. Just because someone has lived for many years does not necessarily mean they are wise.

So where do we begin in our quest for wisdom? Well, it certainly starts with education, but that is far too limiting. Wisdom is the sum of the intelligence you gain educating yourself, the experiences of traveling, the life experiences and insight from friends, as well as the discipline and awareness gained from private reflection.

Have you ever noticed that successful leaders seem to do many things well? It is by no accident that this occurs.  Successful leaders are committed to excellence and possess a desire to be at the top of their game and make an impact in the world.  They hold themselves to a higher standard than anyone else does.  They seek self improvement.  This drive to make a difference in their lives and in others is the foundation of the wisdom I mention.

The measure of wisdom can be determined by four factors: 1) The books you read  2) The people with whom you surround yourself 3) The time you spend in contemplation  4) Your combined experiences.

1) Read great books.  Read books that will change your life.

2) Surround yourself with people who you admire, hold you to a higher standard, challenge you to become a better person, that are  steadfast in the morality and ideals.

3) Spend time each day in reflection.  This can be accomplished through journaling, contemplation, silence, or prayer.  (Not napping.) This can be a time for formulating the questions that guide us, or a quiet time to work on a virtue.

4) Continuously add new experiences to your life.  Travel. Meet new people. Take on new challenges.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

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Communication: Leadership Series Part Two of Seven

Part Two of Seven on Leadership:The Seven Commitments to Answering the Call to Lead

You are always communicating. Always!

Leadership is most often described as having the ability to influence others. It’s no surprise that most of our influence stems from how we communicate. Most problems come from poor communication, and most success from great communication.  Seize the power of praise and encouragement. Learn to say, “No.” Master how you communicate with yourself and others.

A leader is someone who says, “Follow me,” not just with their words, but with every action they take and every decision they make. Leaders are constantly communicating.

How do leaders communicate? With every step and word. They communicate with their body language, what they wear, and the activities they involve themselves with and what time they show up at the job.  Leaders communicate from the first handshake to the last pat on the back, and every email, thank-you card, and phone call in between.  Leaders are constantly communicating, even when they think they aren’t.

Fair or not, we make opinions about people the moment we see them, and the same is true of leaders.  A leader must be authentic and true to himself, but simultaneously cautious of the messages he is sending, both literally in a world of constant contact and communications, and symbolically through appearances. Communication is important.

How important is communication? Consider this, when something goes wrong and a complaint is filed within an organization or team, nine times out of ten the problem is one of communication. Furthermore, when a company or organization receives praise, the praise is better than 50% based on how well someone with that group communicated with someone outside.

Master communication and you will become a great leader.

Unfortunately, the majority of communication in our lives is complaints. A leader cannot be part of that.  I have always lived by the saying, “those who gossip with you, gossip about you.”  I make no room in my life for gossip. It’s not a part of me or my plan. Gossip is too small for me and so is complaining.  I leapfrog it and go directly to work on repairing the problem. Instead of saying, “You know what’s wrong…” work on “you know what would make it even better? Let me share my idea.”

Communication is either 95% of your problem or 95% of your success.

The one thing you must know about communication as a leader!

Many people falsely believe they can avoid a problem by not talking about it. Know this, leaders that do not communicate, create more problems than leaders that communicate poorly. You want to communicate even if the message isn’t popular, even if you know the message will not be well received.  It is your duty to communicate that message to your team and it will create more forward moving momentum than no message at all.  Why is this so? In the absence of communication, people will create their own story of why things are happening.  If your lack of communication is creating gaps, please know that people are going to fill those gaps in with whatever information they choose, and quite often it is inaccurate gossip that will be more damaging to morale and the overall vision of the team. In short, absence of communication is still communication, and it is the worst type of communication a leader can issue.

Remember, you are always communicating.

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Attitude: Leadership Series Part One of Seven

Part One of Seven on Leadership:The Seven Commitments to Answering the Call to Lead

A good attitude is the most important element in leadership. Period.

Even if you acquired and mastered all of the other qualities needed to be a successful leader, yet failed to develop a good attitude, you will fail as a leader. Furthermore, if you possessed only adequate measures of the other leadership traits, yet nurtured a fantastic attitude, you will excel as a leader.  Yes, your attitude is indeed that important!  To put it quite simply, your attitude will make you, or break you.

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” ~ Winston Churchill

How can this be?  Well, a good attitude is the Flintstone vitamin of leadership; it automatically boosts all of the other leadership elements. A great attitude can compensate and even overcome a deficiency in another area.  If you are a poor communicator, for example,  that will hinder your ability to lead, but if your attitude is great, it will automatically boost your ability to communicate, and get you through some rough patches until you are able to strengthen your communication skills.

My mom always set out a Flintstone Vitamin for me in the morning. (I always wanted Dino. He seemed to have a lot of energy.)  I remember mom explaining to me the importance of taking the vitamin and how it would help me in Math class, and football practice, in art class, and even playing with my friends. I can’t help but to think of our attitudes acting in exactly the same way.  Whatever I am doing, a great attitude will make me even better at it.  Make sure you take your great attitude with you everywhere you go.

Imagine you had to work beside one of two people who were equally skilled, who would you choose to work with? Whom would you want to date of two equally attractive choices?  Perform dental work on you? And the list goes on.  The winner?  That’s easy. People with great attitudes!

Just like the Flintstone Vitamin, we can choose to take it or not.  It is our choice.  When poor circumstances or misfortune come our way we can choose to get negative and hot-headed, or place our thoughts on a new direction.

For years a banner hung in my classroom that read: Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching? It was one of my favorite posters because it packed so much into one small saying. I learned right away as a teacher and coach that my students and athletes would mirror my attitude.  If I arrived with an enthusiastic spirit willing to learn, so would my students. If I was short tempered and impatient, well, they would mirror that as well.  It’s no surprise then in the work place or in sports that people mirror the attitudes of their leaders, whether they are the CEO or the team captain, the classroom teacher, or the parent.  Attitudes are mirrored.

If you made a list of qualities that you did not admire and absolutely  didn’t want any part, they’d each be nothing more than characteristics of a poor attitude.  Seriously, laziness, lying, selfishness, rudeness, bragging, and more are all the result of having a bad attitude.  I tell you again, change your attitude and you will change your destiny.

The quality that we most admire in others has much to do with their attitude as well.

“Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, tha what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, or a home.  The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”  Charles Swindoll

A Confession

One of my friends asked me why I was always so positive. The answer is simple and a very large part my secret to what success I have achieved.  I see the world in a very unique way.  I view every person I meet, every person I contact, and anyone I come in contact with as if they are the brightest, kindest, most helpful person I have ever met.  Furthermore, I truly believe it.  I believe that the people I meet absolutely want to help me succeed and assist me.  You know what?  It almost always works out as I picture it too.

Have you heard about the Pygmalion Effect?  It comes from George Bernard Shaw’s story Pygmalion, better known probably as the movie My Fair Lady.  The Pygmalion Effect has been incorporated into school settings with teachers and students.  When teachers believe they have received the best students, or when students believe they have received the finest teachers, they respond accordingly and excel. (Even when it’s not true.)

I don’t apply this Pygmalion Effect for sheer personal gain.  I believe people should be measured on their best day, not their worst, and I know from personal experience that most people rise to the expectations they are held, so why not hold everyone to a high expectation.  Also, it fits with the Golden Rule; I would want people to expect the same from me on our first meeting.

~Kelly

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.