Synergy Executive Education

2011-09-22T18:55:00.001-07:00

The essence of an orange is it's juice..but you have to squeeze it to get it out!

2011-09-22T18:45:00.001-07:00

The pride of knowledge is never as important as the humbleness of wisdom.

2011-09-22T18:25:00.001-07:00

There is no fun in medicine,but there's medicine in fun.

2011-09-21T18:30:00.003-07:00

When you get kicked in the rear..it must mean you are in front.

2011-09-21T18:30:00.001-07:00

It's what you learn after you think you know it all that counts.

2011-09-21T18:15:00.001-07:00

If you don't believe in yourself..who will?

2011-09-21T18:00:00.001-07:00

We are at first afraid of the things we don't know..then we learn about them and we are no longer afraid.

2011-09-21T17:59:00.001-07:00

We are at first afraid of the things we don't know..then we learn about them and we are no longer afraid.

2011-09-20T18:15:00.001-07:00

If you are not dealing with problems you are not growing!

2011-09-19T15:20:00.001-07:00

Don't let the FUD's get you ..(fear-uncertainty and doubt)

2011-05-09T18:15:00.001-07:00

Measuring the right things at the right time separates leaders from managers!

2011-05-05T18:15:00.001-07:00

Passion infused into the musical notes always exhilarates the audience!

2011-05-04T18:15:00.001-07:00

Technology - Synergy - Transparency

2011-05-03T18:15:00.001-07:00

Business birth is very intoxicating and power is hard to give up.

2011-05-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

Asking the right questions, leads to the right solutions!

A Symphony of Business Excellence.

2011-05-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

A Symphony of Business Excellence.

2011-05-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

A Symphony of Business Excellence.

2011-04-29T18:15:00.001-07:00

Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part . . . unless you are a valued customer!

2011-04-28T18:10:00.001-07:00

Clearly communicate expectations

It’s Good to Be King

2011-04-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

Extracted from "Synergizing Your Business -
5 Outrageous and Outstanding Bridges to Power Up Your Business"
by Chris Alexander

The air imploded with tension. He stared at me for a solid minute. I had just told this brilliant business genius that he was the biggest problem in his company. That was not an easy thing to do, because he was the one who had retained me to help him improve staff morale.

"What do you mean, I’m the problem?" he growled.

"Eric, your employees are frightened of you."

"Fear is good. It keeps them on their toes."

"Fear motivation does work, Eric. But, not very well. It doesn’t last long and you have to continually threaten and scare people into doing their jobs."

"I don’t do that!" Eric shouted.

"Not deliberately, but there are some things you do that cause fear."

"Oh yeah! Like what?"

"Like micro-managing."

"Chris, my business is not big enough to absorb costly mistakes. I have to make sure that everything is okay."

"Eric, micro-managing limits your growth and makes your job boring. It also teaches people not to think."

What I love most about the entrepreneurial spirit is the creative ability to problem-solve. Eric had that true entrepreneurial spirit. He immediately shifted his ego aside.

"Okay, what needs to be done and what do I have to do?"

"Great! First we must get a very clear vision of where you want to be with this business in the next ten years."

"I know where I want to be!"

"Have you written it down?"

"No."

"That’s the starting point for you, Eric. When you commit yourself in writing to a long-term vision you will realize you need a team to help you get there."

"You’re right! But when it gets down to the daily cash flow and what needs to be done everyday, I lose sight of that and get side-tracked."

"Eric, we are all busier than ever, but we have to remain focused. So, let’s begin by clearly defining your vision, your values and your goals."

"Okay."

"Once you have completed that, the next step will be to share it with your people."

Transcending Levels of Growth
Many business owners find themselves in Eric’s exact situation. In the early days of a new business, the growth is phenomenal, the excitement and energy are almost beyond containment and people love to support an organization that exudes enthusiasm and creativity.

Business growth like human growth, has to be focused: It has to be directed toward an ultimate outcome. The ultimate outcome for a person is adulthood. A person reaches true adulthood by transcending various levels of growth . . . infancy, childhood, adolescence and finally adulthood. The ultimate outcomes for a business are the realization of its vision, ongoing growth and profitability. Businesses, like people, need to transcend their unique levels of growth. If these levels are not successfully managed, stunted growth will result in failure.

The entrepreneurial spirit is amazing and charismatic, almost evangelical. However, there is a point in the growth of a business when the smart entrepreneur will alter or maybe even radically reinvent his or her style knowing that the source of power will be to empower others in the company to carry forward the vision. This can be a very difficult thing, because business birth is a wonderfully gratifying experience. Psychologically, it’s your child and it is very exciting to raise it. The ego is validated in so many ways. Power and control can be very intoxicating. It’s good to be king!

I’ve witnessed so many business owners who hold on too tight, refusing to let go of their "child" only to see it wither and die, eventually ending up in bankruptcy or being forced to sell out.

A King doesn’t have to wear a crown . . . to be a King!

Micro-managing is one of the ways that owners try to keep control during periods of high growth. When that fails they introduce too many control systems, and hierarchy becomes the order of the day. The business changes from being results-driven to systems-controlled. This in turn, spawns deadly viruses in the culture of the organization. These viruses; fear, insecurity, dishonesty and apathy spread quickly throughout the business. They eventually kill the life sources of the business; the innovation, the initiative, and all the positive, willing attitudes. People lose interest because they are excluded and treated as numbers.

Granted, in a smaller business high control is very effective, because communication and interaction are constant and are the foundation for emotional security. But as the business grows and systems replace interaction, the natural, willing organizational ability is watered down, taking with it the excitement of being involved in the big picture. Duties and jobs become have to’s instead of want to’s. Have to’s are stress creators and want to’s are stress relievers.

Business owners need to shift from high-control management thinking to effective leadership through empowerment. Leadership suggests that an investment made in people is an extremely valuable strategy and an asset to organizational effectiveness. The human capital of a business can be described as unified creativity, responsibility, energy and collective spiritual agreements. The greatest source of power a business leader has is the committed hearts and minds of everyone. Knowing how to direct this power creates unstoppable, unflappable and unshakable zones of inspiration. This in turn, results in secure, highly profitable work environments.

Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult

for people to get their work done.

- Peter F. Drucker

　
Chris Alexander M.A. (Org Psych.)
Chris Alexander is a renowned speaker, author and business building strategist. He has spent the last 20 years helping people and organizations maximize their potential for greatness, so they can achieve wealth, health and extraordinary joy. Founder of Synergy Executive Education, Chris’ main goal is to turn stressed out frustrated workers into dynamic, team playing go-getters. He customizes programs for many major corporations and also reaches people on a personal level.

Delivering his messages with high impact, Chris Alexander makes a difference through his gifted, insightful and humorous speaking style. Leading companies and organizations throughout the world have profited from his expertise and business building talents. Recently, Alexander appeared in the Coast Telecourse, Dollar$ and Sense: Personal Finance for the 21st Century - in association with KOCE-TV and Irwin/McGraw-Hill Publishing. The course won the Aegis Award in the training- education category and the prestigious Los Angeles area Emmy Award for overall excellence.

Tel:949/586-0511 Calexander@SynergyTeamPower.com
SynergyTeamPower.com AlexanderSpeaks.com

2011-04-27T18:10:00.001-07:00

If you don’t manage change, change will manage you!

2011-04-26T18:10:00.001-07:00

Timing is everything!

2011-04-25T18:10:00.001-07:00

Grow your people and they will grow your business

2011-04-20T18:10:00.001-07:00

Ignoring human synergy is like tossing the pieces of a puzzle on the floor and expecting them to fit together on their own accord!

2011-04-19T18:10:00.001-07:00

Training must be done correctly because one way or another there is a cost but not necessarily a benefit if it’s unplanned via the peer process.

2011-04-18T18:10:00.001-07:00

Training is an investment, not a cost, to the organization and the indivdual!

2011-04-15T18:05:00.001-07:00

The messenger is not shot but encouraged to identify possible solutions in “tandem” to problems; emotional “dumping” of problems onto management with no thought of remedies perpetuates the high—blame game.

2011-04-14T18:05:00.001-07:00

Consistently “bad” is sometimes better than the leadership flavor of the week!

2011-04-13T18:05:00.001-07:00

If you look like Mom and Dad you are a product of hereditary; if you look like the next door neighbor, you are a product of the environment.

2011-04-12T18:05:00.001-07:00

When planning for a year, plant corn.
When planning for a decade, plant trees.
When planning for life, train and educate people.
Chinese Pro

2011-04-11T18:30:00.001-07:00

Imagination is the workshop of the mind. It is where dreams and hopes are connected with a sense of purpose.

2011-04-08T18:30:00.001-07:00

Effective change equals harmony.

2011-04-07T18:30:00.003-07:00

What if . . . our product lost its competitive advantage?
What if . . . market variations challenged our current business model?

2011-04-07T18:30:00.001-07:00

What if . . . we lost our most loyal customers or employees?

2011-04-06T23:00:00.001-07:00

Dreamers are the saviors of the Universe.
James Allen

2011-04-06T18:15:00.001-07:00

Visionaries need those that naturally practice F.A.D. to make the dream become a reality!

2011-04-05T18:30:00.001-07:00

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, one will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours. - Henry David Thoreau

2011-04-04T18:30:00.001-07:00

Goals must be clearly defined but allow flexibility to respond to the dynamic forces of the marketplace.

2011-04-01T18:30:00.001-07:00

When we treat each other with dignity and efficiency we create a culture of cooperative high performance, which ripples out to the customer.

2011-03-31T18:30:00.001-07:00

Uncontrolled and misdirected enthusiasm is dangerous.

2011-03-30T18:30:00.001-07:00

Dreams are always more powerful than the impossible!

2011-03-22T22:22:00.001-07:00

Dreamers are the saviors of the Universe.
James Allen

Turn Your Business Upside Down

2011-03-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Business Tip of the Month: Turn Your Business Upside Down
World-class companies are turning themselves upside down. They’ve found that the old top-down pyramid style of management doesn’t work. So they’ve inverted the pyramid, giving all employees more say in what goes on. And it works, as evidenced in improved customer satisfaction, sales and profitability.
Interested in Inverting the Pyramid and Synergizing Your Business?
Here are some tips:
* Build Synergy by making teamwork and service a core value.
* Challenge employees to come up with their own better ways to do their jobs.
* Release the brain power in your business by seeking out ideas from everyone.
* Treat everyone (internal and external customers) with honesty, respect, and courtesy.
* Give authority to solve problems immediately.
By allowing employees more control over their work environment and more involvement in improving the quality of their jobs, you build zones of inspiration and highly profitable work environments.
We Build High-Performance Business Teams Focused on Exceeding Customer Expectations
For further information, please visit http://www.SynergyTeamPower.com or contact Chris Alexander
at 949/586-0511.

Outrageous Leadership

2010-02-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

Jim was a 20-year Navy veteran when he took a job as the head of a food service department. In addition to purchasing supplies and equipment, inventory control and menu planning, he was responsible for feeding everyone in an organization that operated year-round and around the clock. As an ex-Navy cook and manager, the schedule was familiar to him, but to his employees, it was an entire change of lifestyle. Most of Jim's employees had little or no experience in food service, so he was responsible for their on-the-job training. Fortunately, Jim had always liked the teaching aspect of management, so he enjoyed training; the pleasure he took in his work also made it enjoyable for his workers. He taught them about hygiene, portion control, nutrition, food preparation, baking, and even meat-cutting.

Once the first employees were competent, he set them to teaching the newcomers what they knew. This strategy freed him up from constant training and let his more seasoned workers add training to their repertory of skills. Without talking about it, he taught his employees about teamwork, so that when they received compliments on an especially fine meal, every person on the team had earned it and felt pride in the accomplishment.

When any team finished work early, Jim would teach them to create foods outside the realm of the institutional menu items they usually worked with. The success of the team might be measured in a proofing cabinet filled with croissants, or twelve dozen fresh, hot, nutmeg-scented doughnuts.

The hours were long and the work was heavy, but by the time the first year was out, people employed in other parts of the organization were asking Jim if he had openings in his department. He soon had a waiting list, and anyone who didn't want to work up to the standards of the team was replaced with someone who was excited to be on it. After awhile, it got more and more difficult to find team members who didn't measure up. And the food just got better and better.

Jim wasn't interested in hearing excuses or complaints, but he took time to hear what employees had to say about the work environment, and when he saw a chance to improve it, he did.
An old-fashioned manager by training, Jim was kind of tough and sometimes terse, but when he got angry, he kept it to himself until he decided on the best course of action. He spent minimal amounts of time in his office, and most of his time with the team, teaching and coaching. He told people what he expected of them, taught them how to achieve the goals of the department and showed them the rewards of doing the job well. When people left the organization, many who had come to his department with no previous experience got fine jobs based on the work they had done with Jim.

Jim was an impressive manager: respected, human, straightforward and determined. Under his leadership, budgetary goals were met or exceeded, work was accomplished on time, and employees grew into competent, responsible cooks. In any organization, managers like Jim are pure, unadulterated gold, but maybe Jim's accomplishment is even more impressive because of the special circumstances of his place of employment. His area of responsibility was the food service department of a state detention facility, and all his employees were convicted felons.

Jim's Outrageous Leadership Strategies

Create Zones of Inspiration
Leadership is about working together and empowering others. It is about leading by example and creating power underneath you. When you create power from below, your employees push you higher and higher. Leadership is a process of teaching and serving and great leaders understand that serving is a spiritual principle that creates zones of inspiration and willing participation.

When you are committed to the overall vision of the company, everyone around you can feel it. Leaders motivate and synergize the company culture. When employees believe in the vision, they are more secure. Employees value bridges that connect management and the work force.

Straight-line with Employees

Successful leadership rests on the premise that effective communication is essential. Effective communication is to the point, straight-line and diplomatic and helps you and your employees make their points quickly. Often, individuals will work up to what they are trying to say, rather than saying it directly. Diplomatically and with tact say, "If I understand you correctly, you mean..." Then, go straight to the point.

It is okay to allow people to see your human side. Be sensitive to individuals who require a softer approach. Listen to your employees! Sit down and take time with them. Give them undivided attention when they want to speak to you. Never say, "Yes, I'm listening to you," when you're not.

Motivate, Energize, Encourage, Teach and Discipline
At times, working with people can be exasperating. It is a common reaction for supervisors to lose their patience and start threatening negative consequences. The fact remains, threats are a poor and inefficient way of dealing with people. Threats always create resentment and resistance. Even when people go along with a threat, they do so out of fear and not desire. Desire motivation is long-lasting and powerful. Fear motivation is temporary and perpetuates mistrust on both sides.

Help your people achieve their true and full potential. Motivate, energize, encourage, teach and discipline. The CMPI (Coaching, Motivating Performance Interview) is used for positive problem resolution and motivation. It is extremely successful and can be applied in many different situations.

CMPI Diagram

There are six stages of the CMPI

1. Relax and bond with your employee.
2. Clearly describe the situation to be resolved.
3. Ask your employee for the solution. Warning! Do not try to resolve the problem. The key is to allow the employee to find the solution.
4. Ask for a commitment to the solution.
5. Follow up with a later meeting, at which time you can coach the person.
6. Finally, schedule another meeting to ensure that the team member is on track.

Example:
"Hi, Joe. Thanks for coming in. How's your family? Joe, I have something I need to talk to you about. I've noticed that you've been coming in 10 minutes late every day for the past two weeks. What's the problem?"
Let Joe tell you what the problem is, and then say, "I understand. How can we fix this?"
Now, allow Joe to find the solution. And, then say, "Thanks, that seems to be a great solution. Why don't we try it out and let's meet here next week at the same time to see how it is working." Then say, "Thanks for coming in, Joe. I really appreciate your commitment to solving this problem. See you next week.

The CMPI is direct and to the point; the best tool a leader can use. It's not necessary for you to feel resentful and it's not necessary for employees to feel guilty.

Be Prepared to Change
Change is a constant in today's business world. Alvin Toffler said, "Unless we can adapt and adjust to change, we're always going to be in a state of future shock." We have to listen to other peoples' ideas, their points of view, and when the old ways are no longer effective, we need to change the way we do things.

Mark Twain said, "Life is like being a river pilot on the Mississippi. What you learned yesterday, you have to relearn today." Isn't that outrageous?

949/586-0511 mailto:-Calexander@SynergyTeamPower.com - SynergyTeamPower.com - AlexanderSpeaks.com

20 Ways to Have Fun at Work

2010-02-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

Fun is Serious Business!

The latest studies have shown that employees who have fun at work, have higher productivity, less absenteeism, better teamwork and customer service ratings. It makes people care for one another because it allows people to laugh and be vulnerable and enriches life at work. Fun means choosing to make work enjoyable and looking for positive ways to build trust in all working relationships. . . and by the way, it's never silly or a waste of time.

1. Make the choice to have fun.
2. Bring humor to work. "Humor is the great connector."
3. Make enthusiasm and play "fun-damental" to your culture.
4. Have a secret gift giving day.
5. Have dress up theme lunches: Mexican, Hawaiian, etc.
6. Have a movie night in the summer at someone's home.
7. Have a "golden rule" day once a month.
8. Have a "bring your best recipe" fun competition.
9. Form teams to improve health and fitness.
10. Have job rotation days.
11. List 10 humorous individual likes/dislikes and circulate.
12. Schedule a co-worker appreciation day.
13. Have friendly sports matches with customers.
14. Attend sporting events together.
15. Have a talent competition amongst team members.
16. Hire an Elvis impersonator.
17. Have an alter ego day.
18. Have a summer "bring-your-favorite-ice-cream" day.
19. Have a next best marketing idea competition.
20. Arrange picnics, BBQ's and summer concerts.

Chris Alexander Speaks

2008-05-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

"We build high-performance business teams focused on
Exceeding Customer Expectations."

Synergy Executive Education Provides Professional services in:

Executive Consultation, Retreats, Seminars and Workshops

1. Senior Executive Strategic Planning Retreats
2. Culture Change and Culture Implementation Programs
3. Senior Executive Leadership Style Evaluation Workshops
4. Executive Directional Audits
5. Senior Executive Team Building
6. Business Building Strategies
7. Executive Evaluations
8. Executive Selection

Management Training and Development

1. Synergistic Leadership Training Retreat
2. Front Line Management Training Workshops
3. Personal Leadership and Self Management Training Workshops
4. Team Leadership Workshop
5. Conflict Resolutions Role Play Workshop
6. Management 360º Evaluations
7. Sales Management Training
8. Horse Whisperer - Lead with Quiet Strength

Employee Training

1. Synergy Team Power Retreats and Ongoing Workshops
2. Interpersonal Communication Workshops
3. Workplace Leadership Workshops
4. Customer Service Training Workshops
a. The WOW Factor Workshop
b. Exceeding Customer Expectations Workshops
5. Sales Power Training Workshops
a. Customized Power Sales Workshops
b. Synergistic Sales Power for New Homes Sales Professionals
6. Synergy Life Mastery Motivation Workshops

YouTube/MySpace videos:

Why Worry; Be Happy
Victorious in Tough Times
The WOW Factor
Authenticity
Attitude
Joy in the Workplace Case Study Part 1
Joy in the Workplace Case Study Part 2
Joy in the Workplace Case Study Part 3