From Legally Blond to Million Dollar Party Girl, 5 Tips To Playing A Starring Role In Your Biz
Have you ever wondered who would play you in your life movie? I’ve always pictured Reese Witherspoon playing me, starring in the Million Dollar Party Girl Movie. From Elle Woods to June Carter, Reese is an Oscar winner who’s played fun, strong, smart women, AND she knows how to look classy on the red carpet. She’s my kind of girl! While we all wait for our life movie to be made, here’s five tips to playing a starring role in your biz.
Show Up On Set. Have you always been eager to show up, on time and ready to work, for your employers? When was the last time you showed up for your business? Most entrepreneurs I know have no problem building someone else’s dream, but hold back when it comes to their own. I frequently hear, “If I can’t make this business work, I’ll have to get a full time job.” Before you dedicate 40+ hours a week to someone else’s dream, do it for yourself, consistently, for a full year. I have a feeling you won’t be needing that day job.
Hire a Winning Team. Every star has a winning support team so they can focus on what they do best – Stardom! From stylists, to PR, to agents, an Oscar winner can’t get there alone. Neither can you. Your time is valuable; if you’re spending it on “task” activities, you’re losing money and customers. Focus your efforts on business building activities that will elevate you to “super stardom” and dump or delegate the rest.
Get an Entourage. Who you roll with is a key ingredient to your success. Your entourage is the people who influence you on a daily basis, and who create a perception about you and your business. Reach out to like-minded entrepreneurs and customers who play big and are dream builders like you. Social media and local networking groups are great places to start.
Be Ready for Your Close Up. Whether you’re presenting yourself in person or via your social media profiles, be ready for your “close up.” Smile, show up as your brand, and give an Oscar-winning performance. As the saying goes, you have only seconds to make a first impression. I never post, link or tweet about politics, religion or even illness. Did you know I fractured my knee last year? No. The world has enough pain, they don’t need to hear about mine. Choose to inspire, before you expire.
Practice Your Oscar Speech. “I’d like to thank the Academy, my fellow actors, and especially my husband….” Don’t wait for your Oscar moment to thank the people in your business who helped get you there. That includes your customers, family, sales team, networking friends, and even the person who cleans your house. A thank you can be a kind word, handwritten note, FB shout-out or small gift. It goes a long way in life. Timely Manner Consulting, who publishes my blog, recently sent me a thank you note that included a pack of post-it notes with a fun saying on them. Make people feel special, and your performance will always be memorable.
Lynn Bardowski is an award-winning entrepreneur, best selling author, national speaker, mentor and radio show host. For insights on entrepreneurship, leadership and vision, read her book, listen to her radio show, follow her blog and "LIKE" her Facebook page. You may republish this article in full, as long as you list this paragraph and provide a link.
VISION VS. GOAL: WHY DON’T WOMEN GET IT?
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I've enjoyed seeing women leaders become the hot topic in the media. It was a refreshing break from the typical media coverage women get which goes from which star gained, or lost, weight to who's in rehab. We could really use a whole year of this. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, got the discussion going with her new book, Lean In. From Oprah to GMA to Mommy Bloggers, we’re all talking about the role of women in business and as Sandberg calls it, the gender imbalance. We've come a long way, baby, but we still have a long way to go. As I was researching my book, Success Secrets of a Million Dollar Party Girl, I discovered one of the answers to the imbalance in a study titled, Women and the Vision Thing. According to the Harvard Business Review women make great strategic thinkers, but we lack the skill of envisioning.
I didn’t need a Harvard study to tell me most women are not visionary thinkers. I know this because I’ve coached women entrepreneurs for 23 years and interview them weekly on my radio show. When I ask the question, “What is your vision?” women tend to stumble. The answer is typically a goal. Is there really an imbalance in the workplace or is it that women just don’t get the difference between a vision and a goal?
Three Reasons Why Women Don’t Get It:
1. Many Visionary Women Were Left Out Of Our History Books. When I think of vision, great leaders like Carnegie, Rockefeller, Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. come to mind. I would have loved to learn the story of Coco Chanel, a visionary entrepreneur in the late 1800’s, when I was in school but she was never in my history books. Try Googling visionary leaders; only a few women are listed. When we change the history books and provide more examples of visionary women business leaders, we’ll start to change the imbalance.
2. Women Suffer From Vision Guilt. Women’s role in society has always been as the nurturer. We’re supposed to take care of everyone else. Creating a bigger vision in business means taking time away from our family, which makes us feel selfish and guilty. The irony is that when we create a bigger vision, we solve bigger problems and serve more people. Sounds like something a nurturer wouldn't feel too guilty about.
3. Women Are Taught Not To Toot Our Own Horn. Strong women who speak up are often seen as being that B word. We can be our own worst enemy, judging other aggressive women even more harshly. Sandberg says, "We’ve got to get women to sit at the table.” Sitting at the table is only effective if we open our mouths. It starts with teaching our daughters to speak up and not be so “ladylike.” Instead, teach your daughters to be more “leader-like.” Women fear being perceived as “pushy” and, as a result, hold back on sharing their gifts. Keeping quiet about our strengths, expertise and talents reinforces the glass ceiling. Start “Biz Bragging” about yourself and own it.
Join the discussion. Who are the women visionaries that influenced you?
Lynn Bardowski is an award-winning entrepreneur, best selling author, national speaker, mentor and radio show host. For insights on entrepreneurship, leadership and vision, read her book, listen to her radio show, follow her blog and "LIKE" her Facebook page. You may republish this article in full, as long as you list this paragraph and provide a link.
The Road To SuperBowl XLVII – 5 Lessons About Winning
According to the New York Times, both the Ravens and the 49ers won on the strength of their defense.
de•fense
/diˈfens/
Noun
1. The action of defending from or resisting attack.
The article states that this notion defies today's expectation that the superstar quarterback wins the game. The Ravens and 49ers, fueled by passion and belief, became an unstoppable force who's passion and belief wore down the predicted winners, both on the field and in their minds.
Here are 5 lessons both teams taught me about winning:
Be willing to fight for your beliefs: Start every day as if it was your year to win the super bowl, regardless of the competition. If you don’t believe it, no one else will. Put your vision on a sign for the world to see and share it with your team (family, friends, customers). Your belief, vision and passion can triumph over talent and knowledge. Even an underdog can win.
Be a people builder: Joe Flacco, Ravens quarterback, is not the best in the league. His coach recognized his potential and guided him to where he is now. Seek out and recruit a winning team of motivated people who share your beliefs, and your vision. If you’re a solo-preneur, your team might include ambassadors that will bring you referrals and new clients. I frequently get asked how I motivate people. My answer is, “I don’t. Motivation comes from within. I recruit people who are already motivated and develop their potential.”
Master the basics: Vince Lombardi taught his team to succeed by mastering the fundamentals. Ray Rice, Ravens running back, is a great example of this. Ray mastered the skill of running the ball up the middle. He even has his own mantra that makes it so, “Hey diddle diddle, Ray Rice Up the Middle.” What skills do you need to practice over and over again, so that they become second nature?
Keep your head in the game: Both the 49ers and the Ravens turned around their teams in a relatively short period of time. Sure, it’s a challenge to stay focused on the end goal when the points (or sales) are down. The task can seem daunting. Instead of looking at the score board, keep your eyes on the daily activities that will continue to move your ball forward. One “play”, or one new team member, can change your entire game.
Be willing to take risks: 49ers coach, Harbaugh, chose to stick with his backup quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, when his star QB Alex Smith had a concussion. It was a risk that paid off. Listen to your gut and have the courage to try something new, even when the challenge is great. Innovation and change are necessary to grow.
I’ve never been more excited to watch the Super Bowl than this year, even though my local team, the Philadelphia Eagles, went down early. Everyone loves to root for the underdog!
Lynn Bardowski is a 23-year entrepreneur, best selling author, national speaker, mentor and radio show host. For insights on entrepreneurship, leadership and vision, read her book, listen to her radio show, follow her blog and "LIKE" her Facebook page. You may republish this article in full, as long as you list this paragraph and provide a link. Photo credit: clbphoto
Losing It All – How to Bounce Back From Failure
by Lynn Bardowski
Sorority Girls Gone Wild For Leadership
by Lynn Bardowski
Last weekend, at age fifty, I pledged a sorority. Can you believe it?!
It all started when I was invited to be a Keynote Speaker for the Delta Phi Epsilon International Convention 2012 in Miami, Florida. Rachael, the Director of Alumnae Services, approached me to join as an alumna initiate. At first I thought she was joking. Me? A fifty-year-old sorority “pledge?” I consider myself to be more of a risk taker in life than a joiner.
On that note, memories flooded back of my attempt at joining a sorority in my college days. I was the radical pledge who quit during the process when it became demeaning, and I decided that “No one is going to talk to me that way.”
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