Free Virtual Hugs

I challenge you to pay it forward. What is 'it?' Many things: appreciation, respect, recommendations, praise, thank you - all of that - and more.

Why? To Make A Difference

Many small business owners are struggling to keep the lights on and muscle through these rough times and into the blue skys ahead. They, as well as many of you, devote hours to creating great content - for free! Whether it's a blog like this one, a newsletter, photos, or videos - a great deal of the internet is free.

Your personal note or message will make a difference and possibly keep that favorite blogger of yours inspired and creatively productive.

Do not follow blindly. Think. Think differently. Think for yourself!

What one thing do you need to make 2012 a success?

The answer is unique for everyone. But before you answer that question, you need to be very clear on what success means to you for 2012.

Have you ever heard the saying 'if you want something done, give it to a busy person?' Well, I am here to challenge that saying.

Isolation

We've talked about isolation before on this blog, but maybe not enough.

Isolation is one of the big obstacles for anywhere workers. It's not only a social concern - staying connected to others, but also a productivity concern. Isolation can lead to or influence your motivation. Your surroundings, your structure, and your connections are all important in staying motivated.

So how does an anywhere worker manage isolation to stay creatively productive?

My wish for you this season....

INNER PEACE

Performance reviews are a perfect opportunity to make an investment in your company's most valuable asset: your people. Whether virtual or co-located, your team members will benefit from a well defined and valued performance process. Here are tips to making your virtual performance reviews a success through purpose and presence.

Many anywhere workers I've encountered are also followers of a less is more philosophy - the simple and sometimes minimalist lifestyle which includes only what you need. So what do you get a minimalist anywhere worker for the holidays?

It's a global world, a virtual world, and a cost conscious one - especially in business. Organizations around the world are conducting job interviews as well as interviewing consultants and contract workers by phone and video. Are you ready?

Here's How to Ace a Virtual Interview

Coaching is an often hidden but powerful leadership strength.

You too can be a coach.

Chances are, in fact, that you already are. Did you know that coaching is one of the most effective leadership styles for getting results? For anywhere workers who wear many hats, you do this all the time: when you’re asking questions to determine what your client needs, for example.

What is coaching style?

Coaching is a state of mind and I’m not trying to be zen here, it really is about entering a conversation with intention, a specific intention to help the other person find the answer instead of giving them the answer or telling them what to do. Linda used coaching style to determine what was most important to me when crafting an announcement for an upcoming workshop. As an Anywhere Worker, you probably have the opportunity to do the same thing, on a regular basis.

Spring and fall are two times of year that automatically instill a need to refresh. Whether you are doing spring cleaning or getting ready for the winter season, you take a look around your home and life and assess what needs to change and what stays the same.

I was looking in my closet as part of the fall transition time and realized I had some winter shoes that were looking a little worn. Some of them need to be thrown out and replaced completely while others just need some attention and maybe to be resoled.

As I was sitting on the floor in my closet sorting my shoes I began to think about how this also applied to my business. What things in my business have I been doing or working with that are just worn out and need to be replaced? What things need to be resoled? I came up with a list of areas to assess. I hope this will help you in doing the same.

This 4 letter word is actually a good word - especially for the anywhere worker who wants to keep financial stress managed

CASH IS GOOD

Often people interested in becoming an indie worker or starting a small business ask me how they can afford it. They ask about funding and business plans and how to convince the bank to approve a loan. They become stressed and financially overwhelmed even before they start planning. I respond with one word: CASH.

I've learned a few lessons in my years of independence that I would like to share with you:

Charisma. Some people seem to ooze charisma from their pores. Others try hard but end up more sleazy than charismatic. As a virtual leader and business owner, charisma is a desirable quality. A quality that I believe can be developed with practice and a genuine desire to help others.

Charisma is...

I define charisma as a special personal quality of an individual making him/her capable of influencing or inspiring others. You know that feeling you get when you talk to someone and you feel better about yourself just because you did? That's charisma. You want it, don't you?

What charisma is not: flashy, showy, power wielding, self-centered, judgmental, win-lose, pushy, or boring.

Do you feel like a hamster on a wheel? Are you exhausted at the end of the day but haven't moved forward on your project? Let me tell you a secret you may not want to hear: you're working on the wrong things. You may be working really hard on those things, but they are the wrong things! Stop wasting your time - you can't get it back.

The objective here is to work only on those things that help you reach your goals in your life of business and business of life. However, you need to use a critical eye to determine if you are overusing your strengths. Sometimes we spend too much time making something perfect. Sometimes we need to check to facts one more time. The question is - are they really getting you closer to delivering that project? But that's not the scariest part. The real secret time wasters are hidden.

In your life of business, you either keep moving forward, or you are left behind. Moving forward usually involves moving out of your comfort zone. It means doing something you haven't done before. It means you'll be uncomfortable and maybe even afraid. It involves taking risk.

As someone who has broken through many levels of comfort zones, I know this can be very difficult, especially if you see yourself as risk averse. There is a way to expand your comfort zone without jumping off a bridge or creating unnecessary stress.

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." ~Albert Einstein

The kids are back. Now it's your turn.

Refresh your productivity with the excitement of 'back to school.'

I know you can feel the excitement in the air - even at your age. The smell of newly sharpened pencils. The feel of a fresh new notebook waiting for your brilliance to appear like magic in it's pages. The anticipation felt standing on the corner waiting for the school bus. Who will your teacher be this year? What will you learn?

It is a hero's journey to go from an employee to an anywhere worker starting a small business of your own. This journey doesn't start the day you quit your job, it starts much earlier. If you are considering this path, take these 7 steps as a calculated risk approach.

Know your quest.

The hero's journey starts with a quest. what is your quest?

1. Assess your current situation: This includes ]]> http://azione-scopo.com/2011/08/29/the-heros-journey-starting-a-small-business/feed/ 2 http://azione-scopo.com/2011/08/22/connect-with-your-inner-critic/ http://azione-scopo.com/2011/08/22/connect-with-your-inner-critic/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:00:29 +0000 Linda.DeLuca http://azione-scopo.com/?p=3019

Your inner critic can be very helpful - or hurtful. The inner critic can help you to become a better person / manager / partner; or can keep you from growing -letting life and opportunity pass you by. The difference? How you connect with, relate with, and respond to your inner critic. Take the critic and make her an ally.

Just as you would develop a relationship with a friend, connecting to and turning your critic into an ally takes time and deliberate focus. The result is a more creative, innovative, and healthier you!

How to develop a healthy relationship with your inner critic

You wouldn't run a marathon on M&M, or without training first, would you? And you won't be a productive anywhere worker without training either. Being an anywhere worker is a lot like running a marathon. There are long hours, changing environments, and stresses on our minds and bodies. If you are any anywhere worker, you know what I'm talking about!

If you think I'm going to tell you about a new app, or how to stay connected 24/7 with your own WIFI hotspot - you are wrong! Those things are great, but before you even get your geek on, you need to establish good foundational behaviors. It's the fuel and training of the anywhere worker.

4 keys to staying productive

You've been assigned to work on a virtual team. The team has met virtually once to get to know each other and begin to build rapport. Now it's time to get to work.

The first order of business: Agree to and set a goal for the project.

You've worked on team projects before, so you know that any time you have more than two people working together you introduce complexity and a variety of perspectives. Now you are adding another factor: virtual collaboration.

Virtual collaborative goal setting is about blending perceptions, cultures, and distance to come to an agreement on the one thing…the goal of the collaboration. Follow these steps to set yourself up for a successful goal setting meeting.

Connecting to others in the virtual workforce is an art. It begins with having the right mindset. Even before taking step one in building rapport, you need to start with a prepared but blank canvas.

That prepared canvas includes a list of attributes that may be challenging to most of us, especially in the current culture of 'trust no one' in the corporate realm. The blank canvas refers to the absence of judgment before getting to know the other person.

This past week I was having coffee and an energizing conversation with a friend who is also an anywhere worker. We were sharing our stories of how we could not seem to find a block of time to focus on one thing during the day. Her situation is especially challenging with a 4 year old daughter at home. She laughed and said 'I wouldn't even know what to do with 90 minutes in one block. It happens so seldom, what would I focus on?'

This started me to wonder, if you had 90 minutes of uninterrupted time in which you were able to focus on just one thing…what would it be? How is the best way to spend this time as an anywhere worker? Here are my top 3 ideas:

An Injustice Discovered

Several months ago the azione-scopo team (advisors and contributors) determined there was an injustice in the business world that needed to be addressed: bad presentations!

I know you've experienced bad presentations:

• -It's the slide with enough 10 pt font words to fill a dictionary;
• -It's the presenter that reads that slide word - for - word;
• -It's that hour you wish you could get back;
• -It's thinking 'what's their point?'

The injustice is

• ...the waste of time for you as the audience;
• ...the presenter wasting hours on the wrong thing;
• ...the presenter unable to communicate their message;
• ...the missed opportunity to connect people-ideas-action.

The injustice is....the presenter may be you!

This blog is about taking action...action with purpose...my purpose is to keep you connected, collaborative, and creatively productive. What action are you taking?

Are you stuck in research mode? Decision making mode? Research and reading will help you and I to gather data, but the bottom line is nothing happens until we get into action.

Have you ever attended a presentation and been awed by how easily the keynote speaker engages you and how comfortable she seems? She speaks without looking at notes or her slides. It's as if she's having a conversation with just you and everything she says is off the top of her head. Do you wish you could be that spontaneous?

Would you be surprised to find out that those presenters are not spontaneously presenting? They practice and prepare more than the average presenter. That is why the moved from average to exceptional.

You can present with impact and confidence by using this four step approach.