The Creative Edge Newsletter - Building Strong Leadership

VOLUME 1: AUGUST 4, 2005

Grab yourself some hot coffee, put your feet up on the desk, and enjoy this FIRST issue of The Creative Edge Newsletter. It is my goal to bring you great information on a variety of areas that are important to the success of your business.

I will provide you with articles covering three primary areas of importance to your business...leadership development, organizational development/culture, and business strategy. Along the way, you will find guest articles, special interviews, and even an invitations to free teleclasses just for subscribers to this newsletter.

The Creative Edge Newsletter is published on the first and third Thursday of the month and is always Free. Your personal information is always kept private.

If you found some success using information in our newsletter, please take a minute and forward it to someone you know. If you received this newsletter from a friend and you liked what you read, then please sign up and become one of our loyal subscribers. You can find more information about signing up at http://www.creativeleading.com/newsletter.html.

IN THIS ISSUE

-Talking Points
    Choices!
-Featured Article
    Building Strong Leadership Skills
-Another Perspective
    An interesting book on marketing
-Additional Resources
    Links to additional articles, reports, and other things that you might find useful.
-Tele-Courses
    Free teleclasses...how can you NOT look at the section.
-It's Your Turn
    What do you think about this issue? What questions do you have?

TALKING POINTS

I have to admit I wasn't completely sure how I was going to start out this first new issue. It has been a while since I've talked with many of you and I have so many ideas that I want to send your way. I thought that maybe I would talk about stress in the workplace, but that just led to more tension. Then I thought about doing an article about teamwork...but the timing wasn't right.

So, what do I do...well I went and started packing. Yes, packing my clothes for an extended trip away from my home in Menomonee Falls. It reminded me of a recent trip I took. It was a seven day trip into the boundary waters of Minnesota/Canada with my son and his Boy Scout troop. It was an opportunity to spent time canoeing and camping with nine others in the middle of a remote area. So, now you are wondering what is the article of choice...it's on leadership development but with some educational thoughts from my trip. So read on...and enjoy my "wilderness insights."

Please note that the first two issues will be a little light in some areas...but wait until we get to issue three. This is only the start.

Michael

Michael Bauer
President, Innovative Business Resources, LLC

FEATURE ARTICLE

Building Strong Leadership Skills

Developing the skills to be successful at work and in life takes time and lots of effort. Our lives are so busy with family, children, friends, our hobbies...that we often don't take the time to assess our abilities. We don't take the time to evaluate what we are good at and what we need improvement on. We don't take time to develop a "action plan" to help us set new goals and to achieve them. AND, we don't find a "change partner" who can encourage us, support us, and challenge us to reach new goals.

We often say that we are too busy - and we are often times very busy - but that is just a good excuse to avoid looking at updating or skills. It is always easier to stay in a comfort zone than it is to make changes. We've heard the saying "move outside the box," but we never really develop a clear understanding of what that box represents. There are many positive and beneficial skills within the comfort of the box, and yet we still need to challenge ourselves by stepping outside of the box. So, what does the box represent for you.

When I coach executives and managers, I am looking for new ways to challenge them. I want the candidate to take on new roles at work, try them "on," experience them, and the come back and review the results with me. I ask them to find a "change partner" who can be an active, supportive person in helping them add new skills. I have them develop a "blueprint" that describes the goals for the next few months. In addition, I become the ultimate cheerleader...cheering on every success.

New managers, veteran supervisors, and senior executives all benefit from the coaching because it challenges them to look at their beliefs, assumptions, and behaviors in a new way. It encourages change from the inside to the outside. That type of change lasts a long time.

This leads me to an interesting story. I've been watching my son mature over the past two years and there is never a dull moment. One of the ways he continues to challenge himself is through the Boy Scouts of America. He and I recently went on a canoe trip into the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. He had many roles during the trip such as navigator, cook, dishwasher, but most important was his role as a team member.

There was a crew leader, assistant leader, food coordinator, and an equipment coordinator. In addition, every day a different teen took over as navigator. The adults were there to monitor, assist, encourage, support, and to be the ultimate cheerleaders for these young men. In the middle of the wilderness, with compass and map, this crew of nine learn to work together, to trust one another, and to work toward a common goal. And I was excited to see these boys (and adults) challenge themselves to find new resources within themselves.

Take ten minutes today and start thinking about what you need to work on to be a better leader at home and at work. Let me know how it works out.

DO YOU WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEBSITE? You can! Send me a request through our website at http://www.creativeleading.com/contact.html and I will send you a short bio to include at the end of the article.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

I just finished reading a very interesting book on marketing and advertising called Monopolize Your Marketplace by Richard Hershaw, CEO of Y2 Marketing. I've read my share of marketing books, but this one provides a very practical look at how to separate your business from your competition. I appreciate that it wasn't focused on providing me with theoretical concepts that are great in the college classroom, but more difficult to use in the real world. This is one of those books that gives you ideas that are different than most marketing related books. It pushes you to consider how you educate your clients and potential clients. It focuses on how to convert leads by educating them about what makes your services different. It challenged my thoughts about marketing and advertising.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

While one of my goals is to keep this newsletter very concise, I also want to provide as much additional information to you about issues that impact family owned business, professional service firms, non-profits, and small businesses. In the next few weeks you will have an opportunity to receive additional information by email. Keep your eyes open to this section to find out when information is available.

TELECLASS

This is the one area of the newsletter that you don't want to skip over. This is where YOU find out how to sign up for the next free teleclass that we are offering. The teleclass will only be offered to subscribers to this newsletter. I plan to do two teleclasses a month - one teleclass will focus on leadership development issues and the second one will be an interview with an expert on a variety of issues that can help your business grow. Our experts work in the areas of HR, incentive programs, public relations, marketing, advertising, and copywriting and much more. And you will have a chance to ask our guest a few questions. We will let you know more in the next few issues.

IT'S YOUR TURN

What did you think about this issue? Did you find something in the issue that you could use? Maybe you have a question you would like to ask. Your comments are extremely important to the ongoing development of this newsletter. Click Here

MICHAEL'S ROLODEX

Are you struggling to write a brochure, an article, a book? Do you need someone who can write effective press releases or letters to the editor? I want to introduce you to my good friend Anne Bingham. Anne is an editor and copywriter with many years of experience in the journalism field. She has the skills to really make your written materials shine. So, if you are looking to publish anything (could even be a newsletter) and want someone to do the editing (or writing), then let me know. I would love to personally refer you to her. Contact me today!

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Michael Bauer is the President of Innovative Business Resources, LLC, a management consulting firm that focuses on unlocking the creative potential in individuals and organizations ^tm. Michael directs his energy toward helping organizations develop their leaders, strengthen their teams, and energize their cultures. He is also a Principal with The Global Consulting Partnership, a partnership with over 250 consultants throughout the United States.

Innovative Business Resources, LLC provides a wide range of consulting solutions for human resources development and organizational development. These solutions are individually tailored and apply to all sizes of businesses. Michael enjoys working with family-owned and privately held organizations, non-profits, service-based firms, and small business owners/entrepreneurs.

Contact Information: Michael Bauer, Innovative Business Resources, LLC, N88 W17966 Christman Road Menomonee Falls, WI 53051. You can find more information about Michael and IBR through our website at http://www.creativeleading.com

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