Most people have great ideas and  most love to talk about those ideas: how things could be, how to get new clients and customers. These discussions go on every day in companies throughout the world. We talk about it, try to sell it, we argue about it, and we may even get angry with one another over it, but only a precious few really do anything about it.

It seems that we have a built in ant-action mechanism. (Oh we don’t call it that, and even resist acknowledging the point.) Most reference it as: being careful, carefully considering all the options, not wasting your time, not squandering resources. People are very good at finding plausible reasons not to take action and to justify their inaction. And besides, you may fail and that surely is bad! It could even damage your career.

Well then, you must be working in a reasonably unsuccessful company. In today’s business environment where the Internet has leveled the competitive playing field – caution is no longer rewarded. Bureaucracy is no longer effective. Management by compliance is mediocrity.

We are clearly not advocating anarchy. Far from it. We are advocating taking the initiative, taking small steps, experimenting. And building this into your brand and your company culture. The competitive business landscape has changed. Your choice now is whether you want to be in or out.

We are often asked: How can we differentiate ourselves? We differentiate ourselves by understanding the market, understanding what the market needs that’s not currently provided and we do something about it. And we do this by experimenting, talking to clients and prospects, trying new ideas, failing, trying more ideas until we find one that sticks.

Success is about taking action. It’s not about waiting until there is virtually no perceived risk and then going all out. That is a recipe for failure, because by the time you do that, the market will have moved on.

In this week’s Quick Tips we will provide examples on taking initiative through small actions to create or continue your success.

Copyright 2011 Kubica LaForest Consulting

Monday we talked about how important it is to stand out in the crowd as you move up the success line (however you define success). And today we suggest that standing out in a crowd largely has to do with your verve and the potency of the value you offer to others.
So – here are 3 key tips to help you build your professional Verve!:
1.    Self-care is core- (i.e., adequate sleep, exercise, nutrition, hydration, mental stimulation, positive relationships, and truly meaningful activities to you). This is where your health, sense of wellbeing and energy, focus and productivity start and end. Overlook this, and you’ll fizzle out on one if not multiple levels.

2.    Do things you love – hopefully, that can be your work. If not, ensure you augment and refuel your passion and enthusiasm with activities and people that bring you joy and delight.

3.    Do what you do, well! Consistently bring your best performance forward. Confidence attracts.

Next, are 3 fundamentals for offering meaningful value to others:
1.    Remember that value is in eye of the beholder. A common mistake is offering what you think is of value to someone else, when it is really not. To know, of course, you must ask and not assume.

2.    Know what you’ve got to offer! (Many people don’t realize all the ways they can help and add value.) There is a long list of things that most business people will find of value – these include: specific information, ideas, resources, contacts/connections, organizational and personal support, rapid responsiveness, visibility, participation, and recognition to name a few. It’s pretty uncommon that someone couldn’t benefit from at least one of these, and the trick is to find what’s most urgent (and important) to the individual.

3.    Old rule: Give before you take. Add value first and people will start to see you as a go-to person, and this builds your repute and expands your influence.

Copyright 2011 Kubica LaForest Consulting

Many, in not all of us, dream of being successful. But success is defined differently for all of us. We focus on business, so our Blog today will focus on how you can standout in a business crowd. But, in reality, it applies to all aspects of your life.

If you want to argue that standing out in a crowd and success are different, we will respectfully disagree. Standing out in a crowd is not about being extroverted or getting public accolades for you contribution. Standing out in a crowd is a metaphor for being recognized for who you are and what you contribute to the lives and work of others. And it may never be publically stated. But people you affect know and you know that they know. And this is success.

To stand out in a crowd you need to show value. It’s that simple and it’s that hard! When you speak, you must add value to the conversation. When you are given a task, you must add value to the task. When someone asks for your opinion, you must provide value to them.

Notice, our examples of how you can stand out in a crowd have nothing to do with being an extrovert, about talking a lot, about having a tsunami of ideas and opinions, or presenting as if you have just chugged down a pot of high octane coffee. It has to do with value. It has to do with being someone who is interesting to talk with and to work with.

The people you interact with appreciate value. Why? Because it is so rare in business conversations. Business conversations too often focus on: why we’re doing so great (whether we are or not), why you should buy what we sell, or pontificating on the latest business craze.

How are you providing value to those around you: your boss, peers, subordinates, clients, customers and prospects?

In this week’s Quick Tips we will provide ideas and examples of how you can increase your value to those with whom you interact.

Copyright 2011 Kubica LaForest Consulting

In Monday’s Blog, we discussed how your reputation precedes you and how a positive repute builds your influence. And you’ve heard us say that influence improves your ability to accomplish work and achieve results. So in today’s Quick Tips, we offer 10 suggestions to build upon your own positive repute and expand your “repute gravity”. Some you may already be doing it; some of you may not have realized what you could do and that you can incorporate these suggestions to your advantage.

1. While obvious, good manners, particularly courteousness to others is essential Often these days it is overlooked in lieu of “the rush” and stress.
2) Be one that’s “Counted On”. That is, keep your word and commitments. (If you have a hard time with this, start by being more diligent in vetting your agreements, meaning you need to learn to say, “no thanks” or “I’d love to help but I am already committed…” or “ sure boss, happy to do it, though does this then take priority over my current directive?”). An added benefit, you get to manage your time better.
3) When meeting others, conduct yourself as a peer (not a subordinate), and especially when you are meeting new people. (And don’t flirt or fawn.)
4) Be a person of interest, that is, be interesting and knowledgeable and up to date with current trends and issues.
5) Embrace impression management—that is, look the part (which is complementary to the role you want to be/are.) Like it or not, impressions count, and happen in moments, and the first ones tend to stick.
6) Be accountable. When you mess up (and you will, as we are human), swiftly make amends. That is, acknowledge your error, apologize if appropriate and renegotiate a solution or the expectation knowing you have a little (emotional) recovery to do. And authenticity rings true here.
7) Be opportunistic and solution oriented. That is, look for the opportunity and advancement in issues, problems and challenges. Help others succeed and give credit due. Support, praise, appreciate and recognize others. If done genuinely and with good timing, this is a huge trust and relationship builder and serves as a key driver in motivating others.)
9) Deliver your best—and ideally more than asked for, whether that is an earlier timeline, more options, an improvement idea – deliver more value.

And lastly, today it is essential to know, understand, and respond appropriately the final tip,
#10)– Know that Social Media – predominantly Linkedin (LI), Facebook (FB), Twitter and YOUTUBE are dominating the way you show up in your network and that growing your network (connections) is based on your reputation, which is based on your presence (being or not being there), the interest and relevance of your profile and postings, the value of your communications when you post and who you are connected to. In this case even more than meeting in person – your repute precedes you as it is happening on the “viral level”! To learn more-read Social BOOM! by Jeffery Gitomer, for lots of quick and helpful social media advice.

To your success!

Copyright 2011 Kubica LaForest Consulting

If you want to have more influence, if you want to be the go to person in your organization, if you want to get promoted or be the thought leader in your department (or in your field), your reputation will either help you or prevent you from achieving that goal.

Your reputation is how people see you, how they categorize you, the conclusions they form about you, what they believe they can expect from you. It represents how you present both to the people you know and work with, and also to the people you don’t know personally and have never worked with. You have heard it, and it is true–your reputation precedes you.

We talk with people who have a hard time understanding this. They say things like:
• I am who I am and people just need to accept me.
• How can they form a conclusion about me when they have never met me?
• Start managing my reputation now? That makes no sense to me, how do you manage a reputation?
• Yes but, how I deal with people now will be different than how I will deal with people in the future…

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. We start building our reputation as soon as we start the interview process or start participating in our professional association or put up our Facebook page.

As you grow and get promoted in your organization, professional society and community, you develop a reputation. If it is positive, people will look forward to meeting you and working with you. If it is negative, they will avoid you or even think about quitting if you are about to take a leadership position.

A positive repute increases your influence and the more influence you have the better you are at getting work done. The reverse is also true.

So how important is thinking about and developing a good reputation? It’s critical to your success both personally and professionally.

In this week’s Quick Tips we will discuss how you can start or build upon your positive repute.

Copyright 2011 Kubica LaForest Consulting