Become the Kind of Person Others Want to Follow

1. Give people gifts other than those that you buy. This means giving someone a second chance, giving someone the benefit of the doubt, and giving others a reason to want to work for you besides earning a living. It entails giving others latitude, permission to make mistakes, and all the information they need to do the job. It means giving them the authority that goes with that responsibility and giving them due credit for their ideas.
2. Become a talent hunter. The biggest hunger in anyone’s eyes is the hunger for appreciation. Genuinely acknowledging others is high octane fuel for the soul.
3. Sharing ideas and information that can enrich. To that end, derive inspiration from Charles Leadbeater’s words: “In the past, you were what you owned. Now you are what you share.”
4. Spend more time in the “beginner’s mind.” This means replacing “Been there, done that” with “Tell me more.” It translates into moving away from pushing into allowing, from insecure to secure, and from seeking approval to seeking enlightenment. It’s forgetting about being perfect and enjoying being in the moment.
5. Don’t tell people what they can’t do. Instead, show them what they can do. If some of your habitual phrases are “Let me explain why that won’t work” or “Let me play Devil’s Advocate for a minute,” read Tom Kelley’s book The Ten Faces of Innovation: Ideo’s Strategies for Beating the Devil’s Advocate & Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization.
6. Minimize the space you take up. When you enter a crowded coffee shop with a partner, don’t hog two tables to spread your papers around. It’s a form of theft.
7. Become a relationship anthropologist. Know the difference between a conversation and a discussion. A discussion involves issues or right vs. wrong. It is an exchange of facts, opinions and data. A conversation involves an exploration of another person for the sole purpose of learning about that person.
8. Be happy for others. The exact opposite of the word envy is farginen, which is what happens when you celebrate others’ accomplishments as you would celebrate your own. Take a moment to absorb the spiritual beauty of this concept by viewing this video clip that explains the Generosity of Spirit.
9. Get rid of grudges. Whether they are for real or imaginary slights, raise the bar on your own behavior by forgiving and moving on.
10. Help others caress the rainbow. This means show them how to have hope. There is tremendous positive psychological capital to be gained if we are resolute to tap into it to help others.
11. Make people feel better about themselves. We cannot control everyone liking us, but we can control how others feel when they interact with us. Do others feel better about themselves after they spend time with you?
12. View all promises you made in 2009 as an unpaid debt. Promises imply trust, but trust is fragile. It’s like a Christmas tree ornament—one slip can shatter it. And we all know that once it’s shattered, it’s very difficult to put it back together.

    Dec 29, 2009 –

    Bruna Martinuzzi is an expert in leadership and presentation skills. Her latest book The Leader as a Mensch: Become the Kind of Person Others Want to Follow explains how to become the kind of person others want to follow.

Sitting in the dentist chair

I was thinking, while sitting in the dentist chair, how to explain the addition of a late fee for members just paying SMDRA dues now.  People call and lay a guilt trip on SMDRA for a $25 late fee.  We explain that the dues were due many months ago and that SMDRA provided a 4 part payment plan at no additional costs to help our members and yet they are not satisfied or happy with us.  We speak about the fairness to the 2,000 members who did pay on time and still they are not happy. I am searching for some way to explain and make them feel better but grasp for the perfect words.  And then I remember, talking to them about late fees is not near as painful as this dog gone dentist. OUCH

New Years 2010

Before I give advice for resolutions I think I should reflect and set goals for 2010 and then report my successes or failures.  I believe that holding myself “accountable” is the path to success.  unfortunately I have accountability so I need to take small steps. In October 2009 I gave up eating Ben and Jerry’s. Now to man of you that sounds like a small step but to me it was huge. You see, I would eat a pint almost every night.  It’s difficult to explain the comfort derived form Ben and Jerry’s and the discomfort from not having it.  Well it’s almost New Years and I haven’t touched it since October.  Now I must admit that I did have Hagan Das last night (Winter White Chocolate) but that is my only ice cream violation. I guess I have  to pledge to stay off of all types of ice cream for 2010.  Let’s see how that goes.  Share your resolutions with me.

NAR: Home sales spike in November | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News

NAR: Home sales spike in November | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News

Posted using ShareThis

Hello world!

Welcome to the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010.  This is time for reflection and time for  projection. The economy was bad, or was it?  Here is what we know, the amount of houses sold was down in 2009 and so were the prices.  The amount of homes sold in the metro Denver area is down 12.1% and the prices are down 2%.  That means that if you averaged one house sold per month in 2008 you should be down to 10.5 homes sold in 2009.  So here is the next part.  There were about 10% fewer real estate agents in Colorado in 2009 from 2008 according to Erin Toll of the Real Estate Commission.  That should mean that real estate agents had about the same amount of sales per agent in 2009 as in 2008.

What we hear is that nothing is selling and that just isn’t true. successful agents tell us the are very busy.  Where do you fit into the economy? Can you turn 2010 around or is your strategy to “hope”.  Best wishes for a dynamite 2010.