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In this issue:
• Marketing Article: Orchestrating Your Leadership
• Marketing Article: A Mentor Can Change Your Life

Orchestrating Your Leadership
by Craig Harrison © 2007

Recently I had the opportunity to lead an orchestra. It's an experience I recommend to all. Admittedly, I had my doubts. With no formal training I wondered:

- Would I lead correctly?
- Would others respond, and if so, how?
- Would I look foolish?

Follow My Lead

I did look foolish — but somewhat by design. My orchestra was a conference audience whom I was training to step into their own leadership. And follow my amusing lead each guest conductor did…magnificently. (Some joked I was an easy act to follow. My mission had been accomplished.)

Conductor Gets All Aboard

While a soundtrack played in the background I passed the baton to a random attendee and took the seat of my surprised successor, who then took a short stint as leader. Each subsequent conductor's seat was filled in turn by the previous conductor at their whim. And to my satisfaction the audience of aspiring leaders responded to each conductor. Their styles varied yet the audience caught on to each leader's style and direction. They clapped, vamped and even soloed.

During our debrief, it became clear we learned a great deal about leadership through this symphony ice-breaker:

- There is no one right or wrong style of leading — many styles and approaches abound
- Leadership goals and gains may be dependent upon one's talent pool
- Your leadership approach may be dependent upon the score, script or soundtrack you're expected to follow
- Your leadership may be dependent upon the conductor you follow and impression he or she has left

Each guest conductor remarked upon how different the view was from in front of the audience. Conducting felt differently than they imagined it when they had been sitting down.

Upon returning to their seats after conducting, conductors also better appreciated the role, risk and responsibility of each who led that day.

Leaders: Making Beautiful Music

The most effective conductors, and leaders, are the ones who elicit the best from each of their musicians: the strings, brass, percussion and woodwinds. The best leaders get their teams to meld their strengths together to make beautiful music.

- How well do you conduct the groups you lead?
- Do you connect with the various temperaments of your orchestra: the quiet ones, the soloists, the steady backbones of your team, etc.?
- Do you appreciate the various talents of your ensemble? How?

Unconscious Trumps Self-Conscious

Each “leader” agreed that they performed best when they let go of concerns about how they looked while leading. When their focus shifted to results and bringing out the best in others, everything else fell into place.

Each leader learned from those before and after them, and recognized that as the music changed, so too did the role of each leader.

When your time comes to lead, may you conduct your musicians as a conductor leads the symphony. Be brave and expressive and you'll hear the bravos and bravas of your devotees.

Leaders in Training

You say you're a leader in training? Consider the following recommendations to hone your leadership skills:

- Join a Toastmasters club (toastmasters.org). They develop leadership skills as well as communication skills. Become an officer within and beyond the club you join. They have hundreds of positions where you can gain valuable experience as a leader.
- Identify and secure a mentor for yourself, whether within your organization or in your field.
- Become a student of leadership: read books and watch movies about leadership.
- Observe leadership styles of world and local leaders.
- Don't underestimate the value of cultivating your leadership skills beyond your workplace: in church, through volunteer and service organizations, or elsewhere in your community.
- Avail yourself for leadership opportunities in your organization: spearhead a blood or food drive, plan a sports tournament, coordinate your company's presence in philanthropic endeavors, etc.

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Craig Harrison's Expressions Of Excellence!™ helps professionals express their sales and service excellence with style. Contact him at (510) 547-0664, via Excellence@craigspeaks.com or through http://www.ExpressionsOfExcellence.com regarding speaking, training, consulting, coaching and curriculum licensing.

A Mentor Can Change Your Life
by Dr. Joe Capista © 2007

Building a successful business does not happen overnight. It can take years to reach the point where you achieve what you want. I know, I speak from over 30 years of business experience that took me from being very naïve in running a business to now being one of the top in my industry.

When I began my dental practice over three decades ago, there was so much I didn't know on how to run a business. Although I did well my first year in business, it was nothing compared to what was to come. A major turning point in how I viewed business and how I ran my business was when I met the man who would change my life.

A quiet and gentle man, Charlie Schaivo, entered my life. Charlie was an accountant by trade and a very specialized consultant with an expertise in dental practice acquisitions. It was during my first acquisition that I met Charlie.

Charlie was a very refined man who rarely dressed in other than a business suit, well-pressed shirt, polished shoes and hat. He continues this practice even now in his late 80's. He once jokingly told me, “Joe, I even cut my lawn in a suit.” Charlie's quiet confidence, love of learning and joy for life was contagious. I liked being around him. I could listen to him for hours as he instilled his wisdom in me.

It was during this time Charlie became the main mentor in my life. Little did I realize how influential and instrumental to my success this man would be. Initially, we didn't talk about the fact he was my mentor; that aspect of our relationship simply evolved. We met once a month from 1979 to 1998. Each time we met we spoke about the month, a little bit about what we were doing in the office, and a lot about personal success, personal growth, how to sell, and how to help people.

Charlie believed wholeheartedly in goal setting. It was the foundation of much of what created his success. It was one of the greatest insights to achievement Charlie passed on to me.

The goal setting process Charlie shared with me goes beyond a haphazard resolution or one that is simply for amusement; it lays the foundation for success so many people crave.

Today, the process is a part of my success strategy. I wouldn't dream of not using it. A major aspect of what Charlie shared is that of a yearly review. The process of the yearly review is one that I have grown to anticipate with great excitement. It allows me the opportunity to reflect on what I have accomplished over the previous year and what is possible in the coming year.

The yearly review cornerstone of what I teach anyone I mentor regarding achievement, success and goal setting.

My first serious attempt at setting goals and writing them down was New Year's of 1989 or 1989. The process included some vague goals, but they were goals nonetheless.

As with most processes, the more I studied goal setting, the more I realized the need to be extremely specific. Each year since that time, without fail, I review my previous goals, evaluate where I am in comparison to where I want to be, refine my current goals and set new ones. I am now much more specific about what I want. For example, in the beginning I might write down, “Read personal growth books.” Now I will write, “Read personal development books for 30 to 60 minutes a day.” The difference it the results from vague goals to specific goals is astounding.

One of the main reasons people don't achieve what they want is they are not specific enough. Another is that they make a half-hearted attempt at setting goals. They may think about what they want and call that goal setting. The fact is thinking about what you want is only part of the process. There is so much more.

My goal setting process begins within the first week of the New Year. I use a goal journal for the process. A goal journal can be as simple as a blank notebook or as elaborate as a bound, leather journal.

As I end one year and begin another I review my goals from the previous year. I determine whether I have met my goal, if I need to lessen or heighten the requirement of the goal or eliminate it all together. If I met the goal, do I need to change it?

The journal allows you to see your progression in specific areas each year. Take goals on physical fitness, for example. When your goals are clearly written, you can't deny whether or not you achieved your outcome. If you didn't, you could enhance the goal. In my case, when I reviewed my physical fitness, did I need to increase my running ability, number of days for working out? When you write your goals down, you hold yourself accountable for your goals.

Take time to set goals in every area of your life, both personally and professionally. Be very clear about what you want. From there, you must write this information down. Once you write it down, you must be willing to review your goals every single day. You must also be willing to make choices around what you wrote down. As Charlie has told me many times, “You can have anything you want if you are willing to pay the price.”

A simple price to pay to achieve what you want is to notice the choices you make each and every day and adjust your choices accordingly.

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Dr. Joe Capista is the owner of Williamsburg Dental, a multi-million dollar dental practice with two locations in Pennsylvania. Dr. Capista is a sought after keynote speaker who shares insights into what it takes to achieve Total Success. His book, What Can a Dentist Teach You about Business, Life and Success is scheduled for release in December, 2007. To learn more about Dr. Capista and get his Success Triangle Tips go to www.joecapista.com