Effective Strategies for Building Trust

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a Toastmasters Conference in Cary, NC.  If you don't know what Toastmasters is, it is an international volunteer organization that teaches public speaking, communication and leadership skills.  If you aren't near a club, start one of your own!

One of the courses taught at the conference was taught by Sandy Costa, Esq., author of Humanity at Work: Encouraging Spirit, Achievement & Truth to Flourish in the Workplace.  His course was called Effective Strategies for Building Trust (in a world where it's fast disappearing).  Here are some notes I made from his course:

• You can't lead other people until you lead yourself.
• Trust is the New Imperative - this means that the relationship is in a safe place.
• Be honest with yourself enough to ask "How am I doing?" and have mercy on yourself - Treat yourself as deserving.

4 Strategies:

1. Recognize that people are complex.  We do not make decisions on a rational or logical plane - most of our decisions are emotional.  At any given moment, WE decided how we act, feel.  Research has shown that people who live a long time already have the expectation of doing so (Law of Attraction)  Take the time to get to know people and don't make them angry!
2. Attributes of Trusted Leaders: Leaders that instill trust are humble (they practice humility), respectful of others (learn names, look people in the eyes), compassionate, servant leaders (as we move up in an organization, we have more responsibility to help others move up), candid (authenticity), competent, and self-aware ("A leader's most compelling leadership tool is who he/she is."
3. Leaders embrace the Great Mysterious - CHANGE!  Don't tell people HOW you will change - tell them WHY!  Trusted leaders don't surrender to the status quo.  Don't ever postpone anything that will bring you JOY!
4. Trusted Leaders CHOOSE Faith Over Fear.  "Faith is radical trust"  "The Opposite of Faith is Certainty."  Recognize the difference in Spiritual Faith and the Faith we have in each other.  Faith spawns hope.

Remember this as you are building your relationships: Nothing ever created by man is ever priceless.  We are all unique creatures! 

Some other good reads:
Your Employees Have Quit: They Just Haven't Left
Emotional Intelligence
 

A Few of My Tips for Healthy Weight Management

"I think it's called a scale, but Mom calls it a @#$&% liar!"

There is a lot of hype and big business in the "Weight Loss" industry.  A magic pill or a shake that's going to melt all those unwanted pounds away... some without even having to lift a finger for exercise!  Companies even pay big celebrities to endorse their products to suggest that if he or she uses it, it must be good enough for you too.  Companies spend millions of dollars in television and print advertising to sell you what they want you to buy in a way that is relative to you, the consumer.  What they don't want you to know is that you have the power to manage your weight without depending on any of their products.  I'll show you how.

CHECK YOUR VOCABULARY:  If you noticed, I didn't call this blog "A Few Tips for Weight Loss"... I did that on purpose.  When people lose something, they usually search and search until they find it again or replace it with something else - in our case, more weight than when they started.  That's part of why most "diet and weight loss" programs don't work - even when we've worked so hard to "lose the weight" and reached our weight loss goal, we somehow find it again.  There is a principle of the Law of Attraction that says "That which you resist, persists."  You might win the battle, but you'll lose the war.  If you want to be a certain weight, stop using terms like "fighting fat," "shedding weight," "dieting," and "losing unwanted pounds"... get those words out of your vocabulary!   Instead, start using words like "encouraging a healthy weight by living a sustainable healthy lifestyle" which promotes what it is you are trying to achieve instead of fighting what you don't want.  Even if the desired result is all the same to you, the attitude and the terminology you use to get there is still important.  You would be surprised how much positive reinforcement will help you reach your goals! 

ALWAYS HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY:  There are many ways people hold themselves and others accountable for their lifestyle.  Have at least 1 or 2 people you can talk to about your goals and check in with them on a weekly basis.  Sometimes just knowing that you are scheduled to report your behaviors with someone is enough to get people going.  If you need extra help, I would recommend getting a Wellness Coach (notice I didn't call it a Weight Loss Coach) who will check in with you.  My personal recommendation is Kerry McCarville with Amazingly Well! because she helped me get on the right track with my weight management and health goals!  Another idea is to keep a written food journal so you don't lose track of how much food you've eaten over any given period of time.  You would be surprised how many details about our daily lives we forget! 

GET OUT AND MOVE... AND LOVE IT!:  It's no secret that exercise helps us manage our weight, but I would never advise anyone with one end-all-be-all exercise or activity to help them manage their weight.  Not everyone enjoys doing the same types of exercises.  Whatever activity you choose to do, you should love doing it... whether it's walking, running, swimming, biking, yoga, aerobics classes, Zumba, or dancing in a night club.  If you want to manage your weight for a long period of time, find an activity that is sustainable and at least makes you break a sweat.  You don't have to be particularly good at it, just be sure you are having fun because you will more than likely do it again and again and again!

These are just a few tips I have to share from my weight management experiences.  When you are ready to learn more specific tips relative to something you may already be doing, you know where to find me! 

Why Corporate Wellness? Because Sickness Costs EVERYONE Money!

I'll be honest... I have the type of business where "anybody with skin" can be my customer if they want to be.  I say this because our skin is the body's largest organ and it readily absorbs anything and everything that comes into contact with it.  This includes, but is not limited to, things in the atmosphere, liquids, germs, chemical cleaners and what's left on our clothes and bed sheets after we've run them through the washer.  We just don't realize how many toxic chemicals are left behind that touch our skin and are absorbed into our bodies.

This applies to everyone and no one is exempt... no matter what age or profession.  So why did I choose to specialize in Corporate Wellness?

As I write this article, I am single and have never been married, I have one income coming in to my home via another home based business, I have no children, and I am 32 years old but apparently I look young enough to still be carded at a rated R movie!  Even though what I have to offer benefits "anyone with skin," not everyone will relate to me and what I have to offer them.  Think about it... would you take advice from someone you don't know well who has no children and is trying to tell you how to raise your children?  I'm not 100% certain that I would so I wouldn't expect you to either.  But I DO know business... and I DO know health...

I know that businesses are in business to make money.  I know that once businesses hire their employees, they want their employees to stay healthy enough to keep them working.  I know that healthy employees are more productive employees and therefore make businesses more money.  I know that sick employees are less productive and cost businesses money... particularly those employees who are sick due to simply making unhealthy lifestyle choices.  It is sad that even in today's age of information technology, people still do not know how to lead a healthy lifestyle, even on a budget.

That is where I come in.  Here is my story...

Before May of 2011, I was working from home in another business, but I was constantly getting sick and could never figure out why.  This was very frustrating because my income was the only income supporting me... and it still is.  When I got sick, I would have to cancel appointments that would have earned me enough money to pay bills and support my business and personal lives.  Even if I had been working outside the home or if this had been an employee of mine, this would still have been frustrating as a business owner.  Sickness was costing me money! 

You can still relate to that, right??  Even if you worked somewhere that paid you while you were out (ex. Paid Time Off), wouldn't you rather have used that PTO for time with your family doing something you enjoyed rather than being sick in bed?  How about your children's health?  How much of that PTO are you having to use to take care of a sick child or a child with chronic health issues?  How about your co-workers?  Are you prepared to pick up the slack of your co-workers when they are out sick?  Wouldn't it save you more money in the long run to be PROactive about your health rather than REactive?

It was on May 2, 2011 that a fellow business owner told me that she simply changed up the way she was shopping and she noticed a remarkable change in her overall health and wellness.  Once I started shopping the way she was, it wasn't long before I noticed a drastic change in my health as well... I had higher energy levels, I was sleeping better, I was losing weight and (best of all) I was not getting sick anymore!

Here's why my specialty is also in a good position to help in the Corporate Wellness arena:

Remember how I said that businesses go into business to make money?  The Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), has effectively forced many employers to do 1 of 2 things to get out of or to off-set the costs of paying for their employees' health insurance: 

1. Move full-time employees to part-time status (no more than 29 hours per week), thereby not being required to purchase insurance for them; OR...
2. Dropping full-time employees' insurance altogether because the fine for not providing it costs them much less per employee than actually providing it.

What does this leave the employee paying?  It leaves the employee paying for ALL of their own health insurance and associated healthcare costs!  For many Americans, they will have to make the difficult choice between having health insurance and feeding their families. 

My specialty helps with the physical and financial wellness of both businesses and employees in 2 ways:

1. The types products I offer have a "wellness" component attached to them.  The products are all manufactured here in the United States with natural, safe and effective ingredients.  Everyone is buying these types of products somewhere anyway... we are simply asking that they redirect a few of their shopping dollars with us each month.  The results from using our products are not only better health and a more vibrant life, but also higher quality products and savings/better value.  It's Whole Foods quality at a Wal-Mart price!  Healthy and happy employees are productive employees and are not a financial burden due to health issues.  I teach employees these options at no cost to the employer.  That is how I help employees and business owners save money.
2. The business model allows those who have used enough of products in their homes and businesses to have the integrity to talk about them to also earn some extra income by simply sharing their product experiences with others.  With the money they can earn by simply sharing the manufacturing company with others, they can supplement the income they may have lost from having their hours cut and paying for their own healthcare costs.  That is how I help employees and business owners make money.

As you can hopefully see, my innovative approach to Wellness costs employers nothing but makes a difference in employee health and well-being and for the business as well. I work with H.R. or with the business owners and with employees, providing healthy alternatives for products they purchase regularly. I help employees make new product choices that positively impact wellness, thereby reducing absenteeism, health insurance claims, turnover and recruiting costs while boosting productivity and revenue. These programs can act as a stand alone wellness incentive or as part of a company's existing benefit suite.

To set up your complete Delivering Wellness overview, contact me, Ashley Reynolds, at 704-770-8214