I recently read a book entitled “Make Waves” that enlightened me to the perspective that an individual has the power to be a wave maker and spark change in the corporate world and their every day life.

Author Patti Johnson explains that people can make small “waves,” or changes, in their daily life that slowly disrupt the status quo. She breaks the book up into four easy to read sections that teach you how to think and act like a Wave Maker, and then introduces you to inspirational Wave Makers (including our very own Chief Rocker, Julie Porter).

I highlighted some of the key lessons I learned below, and I promise that by the end of the book you will be ready to get up and go chase your dreams.

• Finding your wave and accomplishing your goals always begins with asking questions of yourself. When you come home at the end of the day, how do you finish the statement, “If only I could…”? The answer is your wave. Any passion or inspiration, no matter how small, can start a wave of change that can impact more people than you ever imagined.
• According to Patti, every successful wave has these three qualities: impact, purpose, and credibility. Since a wave’s “goal is to make your organization, community, or market better with tangible results,” it makes sense that a Wave Maker must be knowledgeable about the subject and passionate about the results. So ask yourself, will my wave create “undeniable impact? Does it have a bigger purpose that engages others? And lastly, is my wave built upon knowledge and credibility?”
• After you have identified your wave, you must apply the most important chapter in the book, which addresses how to think like a Wave Maker. Just as every wave has certain qualities necessary to succeed, Patti notes that every successful Wave Maker she interviewed had very similar traits and thought processes. Going back to how important it is to always ask questions and be curious, Patti notes that Wave Makers typically “see the unseen, think progress not perfection, and most importantly ask ‘what can I do’ before they take action.”
• It’s important to note that being a creative and innovative thinker doesn’t necessarily come naturally. The most important thing is to foster your curiosity, because constantly asking , “why is it done that way?” or “what if…?” can lead you to a solution to a problem that you didn’t even realize existed before.

If learning how to become a disrupter and Wave Maker lights a fire inside you, then I highly suggest reading “Make Waves” in its entirety. I truly think this book is relevant and helpful for everyone; but I think it is particularly good reading for recent college graduates entering the corporate world, or those who may feel stuck or in a rut at their current job.

Always remember, “those crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

As I sit down to write this, I am surrounded by a big mess… a very big mess. We are currently in the process of renovating our house. My washer and dryer are temporarily set up in my living room, my water is cut off for the day and I’m trying to figure out where in the already-crowded dining room to put the bathtub that is about to be delivered for the next month or so. My dog is barking at me because of all of the strange people working on our house and her restricted access to her yard, and my daughter wants to see what everyone is working on and try to figure out how she can “help.” Oh, and did I mention I’m almost 8 months pregnant?

Perfect timing, right?

When I feel like I’m literally on the verge of losing my mind in the chaos of change, I have to take a step back and realize that the mess is only temporary, and in the end, I’m going to have a beautiful home that is more spacious and more organized than it was before this mess began.

“Change is hard at the beginning, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” – Robin Sharma

Without change, there is no progress, and this is true in all areas of life – whether it be personal or business. Is there a change that you know you need to make to help your business grow, but you are avoiding because of the mess that comes along with it? Perhaps you need to grow your team or change your org structure? Or it’s time to move to a new or larger location? Or there is a process that you have had in place, but it is no longer working? Is it time to take your marketing to the next level, or really focus on branding your business?

Well, consider this your invitation! Come join me in the chaos of change. There is no better time to make positive changes than NOW! And believe me, your future self will thank you for it.

It will take you one minute to read this so why not do it right now?

Feeling overwhelmed by the busyness of the season or paralyzed by a long “to do” list? Can’t get started on that big project, or haven’t written your 2017 plan? Can’t find the time to read all of the books, articles, emails, and other information you want to know?

Stop what you are doing to take a minute, or five or ten, to set a small goal and get it done, right now!

There is one surefire way to pull yourself out of frustration and procrastination and it’s to quit thinking and start doing – in very small steps. These brief moments of action will force you to make quick and small progress, triggering a sense of accomplishment, reducing the size of that list in your head and training yourself to get things done throughout the day.  Some examples:

• Do one or two things that each take just a few minutes to accomplish at your desk at the start of each day, then tackle the big stuff. A few important calls, one brief key conversation, send a thank-you note, read a favorite blogger, schedule a future important meeting.
• Quit talking about all of that holiday shopping you haven’t done yet, pull out your smartphone and order one gift on your list. A few minutes of this daily and your shopping is done!
• Instead of trying to find a full day to clean out your garage, kitchen, closet, etc. take less than 30 minutes and tackle one drawer or section. You will create a habit of mini projects and the repeated small progress over time will keep you organized.
• No time to read that book or newspaper? Subscribe to one of many summary services available.
  • Summaries.com. Eight-page executive summaries from the latest business books.
  • Nextdraft.com. Quick, entertaining look at the day’s best news stories from Dave Pell.
  • Farnamstreetblog.com. Sunday’s Brain Food newsletter for increasing your knowledge.
• Need a rest or mental break? Set 10 minutes on your smartphone clock for a power nap or to sit quietly to recharge. Or download the Headspace App on your smartphone and start taking 10 minutes anywhere/anytime for a guided meditation that will positively change your brain and your day.
• Take a few moments and make a list of needs and goals as a start to the process of writing your 2017 plan – for yourself, your family or your business. Start small and you will develop good habits for writing down plans which is the first step to successful execution and achieving amazing goals. Even better, take a minute and call us because we have the folks on board that can help you write and rock your plan!

And now that you have taken a minute to read this, set a small goal! Stop what you are doing to order that gift, write a thank-you note, sign-up for a summary service, clean out that one desk drawer, or pick up the phone and make that one important phone call.

So set a small goal and get started. It takes just a minute.

Throughout high school I was told to focus on my weaknesses in order to be a well-rounded student for college applications. While I have always loved history and English, math and science were never my strong points and were subjects I strived to have a purely basic understanding of. Instead of being encouraged by my high school counselor to explore my interests in history and writing by enrolling in challenging courses, it was suggested that I take science courses instead to “round out” my application.

While my counselors stressed the importance of having an overall knowledge of basic core subjects, colleges wanted to know what made me unique and what I was passionate about in school. This contradiction is a common not just for students, but also for many business professionals in today’s world.

My college professors have given me a different perspective in this matter, and have showed me the importance of utilizing strengths and coping with weaknesses. As an assignment for my business leadership course I read the book Strengths Finder 2.0, and took a “strengths” test that followed at the end of the book. This personality test reveals your top five strengths and suggests jobs that correlate with those strengths. There are many different ways to find your strengths, but the Strengths Finder 2.0 test revealed key insights to me that I had yet to think of.

When are people happiest in their jobs?

Instead of encouraging you to “correct” your weaknesses to be an attractive candidate in a job application, author Tom Rath promotes the idea of harnessing one’s strengths to be as productive and happy as possible. The book asks if, “you have the opportunity to do what you do best everyday?” Statistically speaking, people are happiest when their jobs showcase their strengths, and allows them to make a difference and be productive at work. If everyone was a well-rounded employee, their strengths would not be utilized and thus productivity and efficiency would decrease.

When you examine the most successful people in the world, you notice one thing they all have in common – they know what they do best and they DO IT.

Daylight savings time, warmer days and busy baseball fields are here, and when spring arrives, we usually feel another year is moving forward more quickly than a fastball! As we turn the corner to the second quarter of the year, it’s a great time to slow down a bit and think about how we can get more fresh air, brighten up our homes, and breathe some life into our one of our all-time favorite events – the business team meeting. Yes, I just said the dreaded word, meeting.                                                                                                                                           

It’s time to spring clean your meeting!

Why? Because none of us gets excited when hearing we have to attend another meeting, and most of us have heard or said it numerous times, “that meeting was a waste of my time!” Folks, if time is our most valuable asset, how can we stop spending it in unproductive meetings, and what will it take to change-up the agenda and make it worth it? If it’s time for spring cleaning, where do we start?

We start by changing our thought process to get rid of the old and start with the new. The traditional meeting that is set and run by a boss, who does most of the talking, and calls on individual employees to report their progress, does nothing to engage the team.  I have run these types of meetings in my prior work and learned the hard way that the bored looks, fidgeting, and glances at the mobile phones were caused by my failure to recognize the needs of the team.  I learned that I needed their help in changing everything about how we ran meetings, including thinking of them as “our meetings” vs. my meetings.

Once we are willing to think differently and engage with each other in change, it’s time to ask a ton of questions. Getting feedback is critical, so be persistent until the team is open to talking about the type of meeting wanted. If you have flexibility in date, time, location – put the question to the team and ask what works best. If you can involve everyone in setting the agenda – do it! Ask open-ended questions such as – what do we want to discuss, who do we want to hear from, what do we want to learn, who should we invite and why? Throw out old paradigms and bring in fresh ideas and perspectives from everyone on the team.

As the agenda starts coming together, someone on the team must organize it and everything else about the meeting so everyone gets the most out of the time spent. An advanced communication should be sent to all attendees to include date, start and end times, break times, location, dress code, names of attendees/guests, meeting objectives/agenda and if food or drink will be served. All of this information can be included in one final agenda document, and also available at the meeting. An organized meeting produces the best results, and everyone leaves feeling their time has been appreciated and well spent.

Spring cleaning isn’t easy, but we all know it’s worth the effort. As you consider thinking differently, engaging with each other to make changes, and organizing yourselves for more productive time spent, keep in mind two key things:

• If you are a leader, understand meetings are not all about you and engage others in helping you improve the time spent together. To have a successful meeting requires you to listen.

• If you are a participant, share your suggestions for the agenda well before the meeting and be willing to speak up during the meeting. To have a successful meeting requires you to contribute.

Finally, when you attend a meeting think about how many times you have asked a family member to put their technology aside at the dinner table or when speaking with you. We should all do the same in our meetings. Unplug and engage.

Your meetings will rock! Get to that spring cleaning friends, and we’ll see you later on the Porch.

We tend to go through life amid a continual buzz that productivity brings – endless email, phone calls and deadlines. And although this productivity fuels our life, it is also important to drown out the distractions, and focus on the importance of listening.

To most of us, listening seems like common sense. Don’t we all listen? The answer is no. In fact, I myself have spent the last 20 years hearing people, rather than really listening. Only recently have I truly understood the difference.

My limited years of life experience may have rendered this realization obvious or trivial to others, but for my generation of millenials, this art is lost. As a generation of young people dependent on constant communication, we search for instant gratification and quick conversations to fill our days. I have found that recently as I focus on this idea, I have learned more about my friends and family, and even more about myself.

Stepping back and sincerely listening to what others are saying allows you to understand their point of view, interpret the problem better, and solve the problem more efficiently. Listening and having empathy towards others is something that is highly overlooked in the business world, and when implemented can really give you and your business an edge in a competitive market. In the marketing world, where client relationships make or break a deal, listening to your clients’ wants and needs is necessary to get the job done correctly.

So remember to take a step back, especially during this hectic holiday season, and listen to the people closest to you. Listen to your clients to better understand their goals and how they want to achieve them. Listen to your family and friends to understand their emotions and help problem solve. But most importantly, listen to yourself. Dedicate time daily to thinking about your happiness, goals and aspirations and listen to what your mind and body are telling you.

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” –Ernest Hemingway

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I lay in bed gazing at my newborn daughter, then just 2 months old, who was sleeping in the bassinet beside me. My husband had left hours earlier for a business trip, and I sleepily turned the television on.

The chaos and confusion in New York was just unfolding. And as the hours passed, it became worse. And worse. And worse.

What I didn’t know then was that my husband was supposed to be in a meeting at the World Trade Center that morning. The meeting had been moved a short time prior to his office in midtown, where his co-workers watched the unfolding scene in horror from their conference room window.

I often think of how my family narrowly avoided tragedy that day. My daughter didn’t lose her father, but 3,051 other children did lose parents. Wives, husbands, friends, neighbors, employees, public servants – such a heartbreaking loss of life.

But what rose in the aftermath of those horrible events was a tremendous sense of community and service. It made us all proud to be Americans. And today, on the anniversary of September 11th, Americans will unite in service in the same remarkable way that so many came together following the attacks. This National Day of Service and Remembrance honors all that this day has come to represent.

It doesn’t take much to take me back to those days and feel the tragedy, the sadness. But what I want to remember more is the bravery. The fighting spirit. The selflessness. The coming together. The service.

Those are the things I want to walk with me. Today and always.

I’m obsessed with customer service. Have been for some time. Retail brands can be wiped from my consumer consumption in a swipe if things go sideways.True for you too, right? If you don’t feel valued or respected, why should you spend your money there?!?

Customer service has never been easier or harder. Gone are the days:

• Where the employee servicing the customer are the only touch point.
• As an owner, major stakeholder, CEO you never hear about bad experiences.
• 9-5 customer service. A social world means 24-7 visibility. Customers want quick resolution at anytime of the day.

One negative experience can end the relationship.
I had a favorite clothing store, a national brand and I loved them. They were the best. They kept a book on me. I could call ahead. They would have a room waiting with items in my size and preferences.

Until one day … the manager texted me that my loyalty reward was going to expire on Monday. I went to redeem and OOPS it expired on Sunday. The manager wasn’t there, the employees could do nothing for me (even though I shared the text). I decided I would return when someone followed up. It has been 14 months.

Excellent service creates loyalty.
This year, I ordered my Christmas cards. I waited patiently, for them to arrive but after an appropriate length of time and still no cards I called to inquire. They shipped to a previous property and had been delivered and signed for. I FORGOT to change the shipping address in my profile. How did they respond? “We will express print and ship tomorrow overnight.” I asked how much this wonderful solution would be?? It was FREE because they appreciated my business. Just. Wow.

Three benefits of having a customer service strategy. Customer service:

• Differentiates. Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim & Renee Maubogne tells us we need to differentiate to set us apart from a sea of sameness. Recommended read!
• Creates loyal customers.
• Creates happy employees.

Can you service your way to sales? Absolutely.

Can you service your way out of sales? Absolutely.

Do you have a customer service strategy? If not get on it. Your team, customers and P&L will thank you.

Often, during times of personal challenge, I say, “Without lows, there are no highs,” and it gets me through the struggle and the same goes in business today.

For a personal example, my youngest son recently cut his own hair. It was disastrous … resulting in a shaved head right before school pictures. That was a low. But oh how sweet it was to get that first real haircut! Before the low, I would not have classified a haircut as a high.

Without a valley, there are no peaks.

All companies, big and small, have peaks and valleys. Some turn around and some flatline:

• You might open and be flooded with customers, but business tapers off;
• You might open your doors and need to considerably grow your customer base;
• You might have a sustainable model, but outside influences (economy, commodities, technology) change.

It happens to the best companies – it happens to all companies. What you do while in the valley determines your future.

Do you give up or do you find a pair of boots and start hiking?

In the Summer of 2008 Starbucks Corporation eliminated 12,000 full and part-time positions and closed 600 U.S. company-operated stores. I was there. The employee-centric company was in a valley. I was in a personal valley, watching talented professionals, my friends and colleagues, leave their beloved company.

So how did Starbucks start hiking? Howard Schultz came back with passion and a plan. There’s a fabulous book titled Onward that details the journey.

Are you in the valley? Is your business at the bottom of the mountain? Put on your boots and start your journey to the top.

People change. Attitudes change. Environments change. Business landscapes change. Change is good. Movement is good.

Face the challenge and start hiking.

My 13-year-old daughter is my hero.

At a time in her life when conformance equals survival and fitting in is everything (yes, we are talking about the angst of middle school), she has steadfastly, unapologetically and intentionally made choices that are true to her character, her spirit and her style.

In a sea full of long-haired girls, she chopped hers off and donated it to Locks of Love. When the group texts become more mean-spirited than meaningful, she turns her phone off and sits at the piano to play and sing. And although “being cool” is the going currency, she hangs onto her goofy, silly side. She tells me all the time, “I’m just doing me, Mom.”

She is her authentic self.

I admire this about her tremendously, and the truth is that it has inspired me to be more authentic myself. To:

• Make choices that make sense for me and my family.
• Spend my time doing what I want and not what I “should.”
• Care less what others’ perceptions are.
• Say no.
• Remember myself in the equation.

It’s freeing. I highly recommend it.

This way of being also translates to the business world, which has been a resounding theme in my short time working with the goddesses at Front Porch Marketing. I have realized just how important authenticity is for your business, particularly a small business. Can you answer the following:

1. Who are you?
2. What are you doing that makes you unique?
3. What is your brand?
4. How are you representing yourself?
5. Are you engaging in authentic online engagement?

It is imperative that you can answer these questions with clarity and that your brand is clear in everything you say and do. We on the Porch are passionate about helping you express your authentic self. It’s our mission!

Indeed, we want you to “just do you.”