Tag Archives: leadership

Spring Leadership 2012

Posted on by

It’s that time of year again, Spring Leadership is upon us however this time its a bit different for us in Canada.  Because of the continued growth in this area we’ve secured our very own Spring Leadership in Calgary, Alberta.  That’s pretty phenomenal as travel costs will be drastically reduced and travel to the US for this function at least, won’t be necessary. 

Spring Leadership is just that, a conference/seminar on Leadership.  And If your going to talk about Leadership then why not invite the world’s foremost speaker and writer on the subject, John Maxwell.  I have to say that’s the best part of the whole weekend, two keynote talks by John and for those who want to attend, a non-denominational service on Sunday led by him.  I don’t think a guy like John Maxwell would want to hurt his reputation by endorsing an organization that wasn’t full of integrity. 

I always find the biggest growth in our business happens coming out of Spring Leadership, it helps to draw a line in the sand and move forward from whatever was going on before.  While I will miss the road trips down to Spokane, I’m excited to continue to build up this Canadian market so that we can earn having our own Free Enterprise Day’s, which typically happens around October.  I have no doubt with hearing some of the growth numbers from Amway’s latest visit out this way, and that’s pretty exciting to hear.

The only way to really understand what Spring Leadership is like is to actually go to one.  Reading it from me or anywhere else on the internet just won’t do it justice, make up your own mind and come to your own conclusions.

SPL2012

Focus

Posted on by

Obviously it’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted here and that’s quite alright.  I’ve been promoted yet again at work, three times within two years, which is a direct by-product of my personal growth in the last two years.  Leadership has always been key for me in everything I’ve done through the years and with the additional personal growth I’ve been through recently its in essence put me in almost the top spot I could ever get to in IT.  Pretty much I cannot go any further at my current employer and for me that’s quite alright.  The additional leadership I’ll obtain in this spot will only help me in our other more important endeavours.

So aside from that we’ve actually be re-focusing our energy on our family and our business and that’s about it right now.  We had a recent lull which was fine, we needed to find out our groove and there was no pressure from anyone telling us what we had to do or what we had to go to.  That’s what’s great about our business and what we stand for. Everyone has their own path, their own goals and their own business.  We needed to take some time to figure out how to build this business with a little one and we’ve done just that and things are moving a long great. 

I may post less frequently however the posts I do post will be more meaningful and more insightful.  I’m excited for the rest of the year and for what we are doing personally and in our business.  It’s Autumn, with season changes brings fresh beginnings.

The Ultimate Social Business Model

Posted on by

Ultimate-Social-Business-Model-Wall-Street-Journal_pdfIf you ever thought that Direct Selling was a joke, a fad, or something that only a few people do, you may want to think again.  In a recent special supplement to the Wall Street Journal by Direct Selling News called “The Ultimate Social Business” you might be surprised at just how long Direct Selling has been around and just how much impact it has on the economy.

“In 2010, direct selling companies generated over $125 billion in revenue in 150 countries through more than 75 million men and women who are changing lives serving others”.  What I love about that statement isn’t the fact Direct Selling has generated $125 billion, but the fact people are serving others.  While I cannot speak for others, that resonates the most with us because that’s exactly what motivates us to build our business.

What’s cool about Direct Selling that I didn’t know is that it’s actually the original social networking business.  This was long before there were computers in every household and well ages before Twitter and Facebook.  Direct Selling has been around for over 150 years and it ain’t going anywhere, in fact it’s picking up steam and here in Alberta it’s booming!

I know quite a few friends and acquaintances that are involved in some kind of Direct Selling opportunity.  Now it doesn’t have to be Amway (which happens to be #2, a private company and one that continued to grow to $9.2 Billion in sales) that we happen to be involved with, there are many other opportunities out there.  Sometimes people are looking at these opportunities to make a few dollars on the side, some are looking for leadership and mentorship, and some are just looking to fill in some extra time with a hobby.  

The stigma about Direct Selling, Amway, and these other opportunities is old and to make fun of, criticize, or put people down that are involved in them just shows true ignorance.  As the article says it’s Prime Time for Direct Selling and if your looking for an opportunity make sure you do your research, figure out who your getting involved in and make they are open and honest with you.

Check out the article here that covers all aspects of the Direct Selling industry and the top 100 companies – The Ultimate Social Business Model

Expectations

Posted on by

expectationsWhat I love about our business and the principals we stand on is that we have no expectations of our team members, we only have expectations for them.  See there is a huge difference between expectations ‘of’ and ‘for’.  For the most part in society we usually expect a lot of people and are always looking at what people can do for us.  It’s that “take take take” and “what can you do for me” attitude we tend to have and how we live life.  Not I’m not saying all people do this, don’t misunderstand me, but in my personal experience I see this on a day to day basis with where I work, my recent traveling and general day to day.

Unofficially we are in a leadership business where we coach and mentor people and part of that is having expectations for people based on their goals and what they desire out of their business.  That’s the beauty of a people business is that we can never tell someone what to do and nor do we want to.  We will only coach people that want to be coached and then coach them in line with their goals and out of that comes expectations for them. 

I’ve heard in the past with the Amway business that people used to have quota’s or people expected them to be at a certain PV level or run a certain volume.  That is certainly untrue of how we run business in our Line of Sponsorship and we would never expect our team to run certain volume.  We will certainly help people achieve whatever goals they want and as their coaches that’s our duty and we gladly accept.

It’s funny because in my position there is no way that I can get by on expectations for me, I’m expected to perform and am held accountable to those actions.  Nothing wrong with that in that area of life but if I could choose I’d rather people have expectations for me and then rise to those expectations on my own with my own efforts.

“Expectation is the root of all heartache” – William Shakespeare