Congratulations! You just got promoted into a new leadership position.

What’s the first thing you should do?

Cut costs?
Allocate more dollars to a new project?
Call a meeting?
All of the above?
None of the above?

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
None of the above.

The first thing you should do is…

Paint a wall of your office

Or do something else that’s really insignificant but will definitely be noticed.

It makes a statement: “I’m the new person in charge here.”

More importantly…

It satisfies your need to “do something”

You have to change something, right? They hired you to make an impact.

So you have to charge in full throttle.

You may be disappointed with the results. How can you prescribe the cure when you have completed your diagnosis?

So go ahead. Paint a wall in your office.

It will satisfy your need to do something.

It keeps you from fixing the unbroken

Many novice leaders jump right in and start making changes.

Sometimes they get it right. More often they don’t.

You can’t afford to waste resources fixing what isn’t broken. Worse yet, you may break something that is working!

So go ahead. “Fix” something like the wall of your office. Give it a new coat of paint.

Step back and admire it. Now you’re ready to proceed.

It buys you time

Time to get to know your people.

Time to listen.

Time to reflect.

Time to discover.

Time to determine what is broken.

Time to design an effective strategic plan.

With a little time, you’ll be able to implement a plan that moves your team to BIGG success!

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You know about the Law of Attraction – our results are the manifestations of our thoughts.

Today, we want to focus on the science of attraction. It’s not often discussed outside the world of romance.

However, we must find our leaders attractive or we won’t follow them. So if you want to be an effective leader, it pays to think about the image you portray.

Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast


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Have you ever spent time with someone who was incredibly compelling even though they weren’t particularly good-looking?

However, the way they dressed, styled their hair, and everything else about them made for a very attractive package.

Or let’s turn it around.

Have you ever bought a new outfit that just made you feel like a million bucks?

Well, it’s likely that you exuded confidence whenever you wore those clothes. People were attracted to you because you felt good about yourself.

That’s a good investment!

Talk the talk

According to David Feinberg, a psychologist at McMaster University, the perception that people have of us is affected by both the speed at which we speak as well as the pitch we use.

People think fast talkers are more educated.

They also find people who change their tone as they speak more interesting.

There’s a great way to learn how to do this. When you’re getting ready in the morning, talk to yourself in the mirror.

Tell yourself a story.

Make a presentation.

Engage in casual conversation.

Practice any (and every) situation you may face that day.

You’ll do a much better job of talking with others when you first practice talking to yourself!

Walk the walk

Did your mom ever tell you to stand up straight? It turns out she was right.

We’re more attracted to people with good posture.

And there’s a great way to test your posture. You may have done it as a kid. We must admit that we hadn’t done it since. Until now.

So how do you test your posture? Stand up next to a wall.

Good posture implies a certain sense of self-confidence that we find attractive. We want to follow people who believe in themselves.

Sort of makes sense, doesn’t it? By the way, good posture is also good for your health.

The Eyes of the Beholder

You know the old saying, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” But did you know that we’re attracted to people when we like how we look through their eyes?

Flattery, make that sincere flattery, still goes far. If someone sees us as the person we want to be, we like them. A lot.

So compliment people. Not in a “hey, baby, you’re so hot” sort of way. Sincerely. Encourage them.

Most of all listen. Really listen. Not just with your ears, but with your mind and spirit. That’s the best form of flattery of all!

And Deepak Chopra tells us the most important part of the science of attraction. He said:

“The secret of attraction is to love yourself.”

Self-love is the foundation of all love. It leads to BIGG success!

What leadership qualities do you find attractive?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00742-100711.mp3

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Today on The BIGG Success Show, we continued our conversation with Kevin Eikenberry about his fantastic book,
From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership.

Last time, we talked about the questions to ask when you’re considering a promotion and why leading others is so much more complex than personal leadership.

Hear Kevin talk with George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast. Click a player below to listen.


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• the realization that leads to greater efficiency as a leader
  
• the most important communication tool for leaders
  
• what you must give your people if you want them to achieve goals
  
• the mistake many leaders make which keeps goals from being reached
  
• a technique to keep you on track for your goals
  

We highly recommend this book to you. It’s a must read if you’re considering a promotion to leadership and especially if you’re rising from within the ranks. Go to FromBudtoBoss.com to learn more or check out the Bud to Boss Community.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00709-061611.mp3

We were thrilled to talk with Kevin Eikenberry today on The BIGG Success Show. Kevin is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a leadership and learning consulting company. He is also an internationally acclaimed leadership expert, speaker and best-selling author.

We asked Kevin to chat with us about his latest book – another great one –
From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership.

Click a player to hear Kevin talk with George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast.


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• 2 things that are happening to create more promotions from within
  
• the questions to ask when you’re considering going from bud to boss
  
• the thing not to worry about and what you should realize about the offer
  
• the question to ask if you think you want to say no to the promotion
  
• reasons that now may not be the right time
  
• why leading others is so much more complex than personal leadership
  
• two simple techniques to work through a tough decision
  

Check in next time to learn the most effective ways for new leaders to communicate and set goals.

In the meantime, you can learn more about this phenomenal book at FromBudtoBoss.com or by visiting the From Bud to Boss Community.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00708-061511.mp3

The weight loss industry generates over $60 billion a year in sales. And, of course, losing weight is one of the most commonly cited New Year’s resolutions.

But for entrepreneurs, being too skinny may cost you money – at least when it comes to your point-of-view.

Who cares about the product?

Take the salesperson we know who became the Sales Manager and then the General Manager of the local branch of a large public company. There’s just one problem – he’s running a creative business but he has no respect for the artists! It’s all about sales for him.

He’s agnostic about the product. He thinks the customers don’t care either. So he doesn’t show any interest, care or concern for the people who create the product. He just expects them to do more and more and more.

Morale is low. He keeps cutting costs because sales are falling. And everyone wonders why. This is a true story. The names have been omitted to protect the guilty!

Who cares about profit?

Let’s not single out sales people – it could be someone from another functional area of the business. It costs you money to keep a skinny point-of-view.

Even if you somehow manage to make a profit, you won’t make as much as you could if you were more broad-minded. And you’ll lose money when times get tough.

Who cares about shareholders? Or customers?

Finance types talk about maximizing shareholder value. Marketers remind us that we need to be customer-centric.

They both get so busy promoting their point-of-view that they fail to see the BIGG picture: They’re both right. And they’re both wrong.

Maximizing shareholder value is a worthy goal. Theoretically, shareholder value is maximized by balancing the interests of the various stakeholders – customers, employees, suppliers and investors. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. In the short run, the share price can rise by short-sighted actions which lead to short-term profits that aren’t sustainable.

Focusing on the customer is also critical. You must find a group of people or businesses looking for a solution to an unsolved problem in order to succeed. However, you have to be able to deliver the solution profitably. Otherwise, the better you are at marketing, the more money you will lose.

Who cares about delivering on promises?

This all leads us to our final point – you have to understand the operational side of your business to succeed as an entrepreneurial leader. Everyone makes promises. Most of the time, Operations has to deliver.

You can promise the world. You can crunch numbers until blood comes out of them. But it doesn’t matter if you don’t deliver upon your promises.

Who cares about the BIGG picture?

As an entrepreneurial leader, you deliver upon your promises by first understanding the BIGG picture. Then you can make sure all of your leaders understand your whole business. And then they can help your employees get on board, too.

When everyone has a broad view of your business, they can weigh in with more substantive ideas. It’s not a skinny view but it is a view that will fatten your wallet!

A new program to bulk up your bottom line

We have a complete e-learning program for Chambers of Commerce to offer their members as part of the dues they’re already paying. In other words, it doesn’t cost Chamber members a single penny.

We have a great group of experts writing articles on all areas of business, all designed to help you make more money and grow your business.

At this time, we’re only offering this program through Chambers in the United States. If you’re a Chamber member, send us an e-mail at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com.

Tell us the name of your Chamber and we’ll help you get access to this e-learning program for small businesses. It will help you bulk up your bottom line!

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Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00682-032211.mp3

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