I spent last weekend in my hometown (Pensacola, FL) so we could attend a wedding . . .

My best friend’s son was getting married, my folks still live there, and I knew I’d get to see some old (I didn’t realize just how freakin’ old till I got there and saw them again) friends.

All great reasons to weather the 6 hour drive, miss Church, get back late Sunday and go yet another week without doing some much needed work around the house . . . But the absolute highlight of the trip was seeing my Little League coach, Monk Godwin.

I played 2nd base for Coach Monk (Slick & Ellies Pizza) — for 3 years, and then played 2nd base with most of the same boys for another 2 years (Dixon Brothers Sporting Goods). I wasn’t as good as the older kid ahead of me — or the younger kid behind me for that matter — but between the two, I got my shot and completed the middle infield for a team that went undefeated for 5 years. Yes, I said undefeated for 5 years. We didn’t know how to lose — never even dawned on us that we might lose.

In fact — we were so good, had so much of the league’s talent on one squad, that the All Star team we assembled each year (consisting of whatever the minimum requirement of kids from each team was) was terribly diluted. We would have been far more competitive in the World Series had we simply sent Slick & Ellies.

The Reason I Mention It: It dawned on me while catching up with Coach Monk . . . Some people (maybe a lot of people?) never get to experience WINNING the way I did growing up. And on the drive back, I started thinking “Maybe it’s that experience of WINNING as a child that at least partially accounts for my success as an adult — my optimistic outlook, my willingness to take a risk, my comfort with temporary failure, my passion for the work I do, my delight in encouraging others to “saddle up and give it a shot”?

I apologize if this sounds boastful to you — but the fact is . . . I’m a WINNER. And because I’m a winner, I can weather challenges that others can’t, draw on emotional energy and stamina others don’t possess, choose not to let others determine my value . . . exercise all those disciplines and behaviors you read about in the self-help books. But I didn’t get it from a book, or from sticking post-it notes with positive affirmations on my mirror. I got it from WINNING.

SO WHAT ? / NOW WHAT?

- Put Yourself In Position To WIN
- If You’re A Leader, Put Your People In Position To WIN
- Expect To WIN
- If You’re A Leader, Expect Your People To WIN
- Celebrate WINNING
- If You’re A Leader, Celebrate Your People WINNING

Yeah, I know . . . It’s a kinder, gentler time. I realize they may not even keep score at your 6 year old’s soccer game, and everyone — Win, Lose, or Draw — is getting ice cream after. I’m not suggesting you change anything about that experience. In fact, I could build a case for exactly how & why that scenario is actually supporting this “Build Winners” philosophy / strategy of mine.

What I am suggesting,
No, What I want to shout from the roof tops so as to cut through the clutter of Political Correctness and Wimpy Excuses is this:

WINNING IS IMPORTANT

Winning is a mentality.
Winning is a habit.
Winning people can be intentionally developed.
Winning cultures can be intentionally crafted.
Winners are valuable assets.
Winners beget Winners.

WINNING IS IMPORTANT

Are You WINNING? Are Your People WINNING?

I had a great deal of help in becoming a Winner — including Coach Monk, my parents, several teachers –and the list goes on.

Whose help do you need to become / stay a WINNER?

Who should you be helping to become / stay a WINNER?

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Brief Excerpt

Full Interview

Do your kids need to move more and lose some weight? In 35 Things to Know to Raise Active Kids you will discover fun, inexpensive, and nontraditional ways to get your kids off the couch and outside playing. These activities are for all children, not just the already fit or sports-obsessed. With bonus tips and stories from fitness celebrities, this easy-to-read, humorous guide will help you:

Role model an active lifestyle
Use TV to get your kids in shape
Turn household chores into exercise
Teach your child to play alone
Create memories and rituals that get the whole family moving

About the Authors:

International health and fitness expert Dr. Adam Shafran has contributed to the BBC Worldwide, the Huffington Post, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, and WebMD, to name a few. A Board Certified Chiropractor with a degree in Exercise Science, he appears weekly on Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy as Dr. Fitness.

Lee Kantor is coauthor of You Can’t Lose Weight Alone: The Partner Power Weight Loss Program with Dr. Adam Shafran. Lee co-hosts the Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy show and produces radio shows at Business RadioX in Atlanta.

Click here for more information on Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy

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Jeb Blount: People Buy YOU

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What is the real secret of Master Persuaders? How is it that they are able to consistently influence others to get what they want?

Is it money, education, talent or experience? Is it their reputation, size of their network, or the number of people who follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter? Is it job title? How about product, price, marketing collateral, or brand awareness? Or maybe it is their investment in the latest technology or gadgets?

Answer: None of the above!

The secrets of Master Persuaders cannot be found on this list, your resume, or in any of your company’s marketing brochures.

If you want to know the REAL secret to what matters most in business, just look in the mirror. That’s right, it’s YOU. Do these all of these other things matter? Of course they do, but when all things are equal (and in today’s competitive world, things almost always are) PEOPLE BUY YOU.

Your ability to persuade and influence others to close more deals, retain clients and advance your career depends on your ability to get other people to like you, trust you, and BUY you.

People Buy You is the ultimate guide to relationships, influence and persuasion in 21st century business.
An expert with decades of experience in the sales trenches, author Jeb Blount provides a commonsense system, based in solid inter-personal realtionship psychology, that will help you:

- Overcome three common relationship myths that can derail your success

- Make instant emotional connections that eliminate objections and move buyers to reveal their real needs

- Create loyal customers who will never leave you for a competitor

- Build your personal brand so you stand out in the marketplace

- Achieve a whole new level of success in your sales and business career

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Tom Crawford

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Tom Crawford has been in the Financial Services Sector for over 45 years and is considered one of the most successful financial services executives in the country. Currently he is CEO and President for his own company, Crawford Corporate Coaching in which he coaches C-level executives and agency owners in the art of building successful business environments.

Tom is known as a problem solver and builder of success in companies. The Crawford Management System is the system that has made him a highly sought after executive coach and speaker. Tom’s system had been the primary vehicle that has allowed him to turn around six major corporations and build, from the ground up, a profitable publically held personal lines insurance company.

He has had major impact at Allstate, CNA and Prudential, where he served as President, CEO and Chairman of their Property and Casualty company. He also served as President of Prudential’s U.S. Distribution organization. In 1984, Tom built Southern Heritage Insurance Company from the ground up, which was bought by Geico in 1991. As President and CEO of Crawford and Company, his success was reflected in the attainment of the second highest appreciation rate in mid-cap stock value for 2008. Tom recently retired frrom his position as Chairman of the Board at Crawford and Company to expand his own company, Crawford Corporate Coaching.

Tom is and has served on numerous industry boards and is often asked to give commencement and keynote addresses. In 2007, Tom received the prestigious Turknett Leadership Character Award for integrity in leadership.

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Jill Konrath: Snap Selling

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Jill Konrath’s fresh sales strategies, provocative insights & practical advice help sellers win business with crazy-busy prospects.

She’s an internationally-recognized author and popular speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences.

Her newest book, SNAP SELLING, has already received rave reviews from industry leaders. Jill’s award-winning first book, Selling to Big Companies, has been an Amazon Top 25 sales book for 4+ years. Fortune selected it as one of eight “must read” sales books, along with How to Win Friends & Influence People and Getting to Yes.

Her clients include IBM, GE, Microsoft, Accenture, Staples, 3M, Hilton, AAA, Cox Media, Medtronic, UnitedHealthcare, Bombardier, Business Journals and many more.

She also publishes an industry-leading newsletter and widely-read blog. Most recently, she also wrote Get Back to Work Faster, a game-changing book showing job seekers how to “sell themselves” in the new economy.

As a thought leader, Jill is frequently quoted by top business media such as: ABC News, Success, New York Times, Inc., WSJ, Entrepreneur, Business Journal, Selling Power and Sales & Marketing Management.

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Justin Honaman

We had the pleasure to chat with Justin Honaman, author of Make it Happen, and got his perspective on personal branding. Enjoy!

Your Personal Brand
HV:Why is it important to have your own personal brand in the workplace?
Justin C. Honaman: We all have a personal brand. Our personal brands are defined by our education, our past personal and professional experiences, our core values and beliefs, our network of friends and business colleagues and much more. Your personal brand is also how others perceive you, the actions you take and your approach to working through situations in the workplace.

Creating Your Brand
HV: How do people go about creating their own personal brands?
JH: I frequently coach individuals on defining their personal brand. I also lead workshops enabling participants to learn about personal branding and actually “draw” elements of their personal brand on paper. We start by defining individual values, core strengths, weaknesses or developmental areas, hobbies, passions/interests, personality type or leadership styles, and we document this in a way that presents the individual in a much more in-depth way than a simple résumé. I call the program JumpStart. The time spent defining and outlining your personal brand, documenting it in an impactful presentation format, is much more powerful than a standard résumé.

Main Elements
HV: What are the main elements of a personal brand and why are they needed?
JH: In my book Make It Happen! Live Out Your Personal Brand, I define a personal brand as consisting of the following areas: self (your core), work (your career and workplace activities), family (commitment to family and friends), faith (relationship with God) and community (time spent volunteering and/or giving back).

At times, dynamic tension may exist between focus areas of your personal brand. This tension forces the prioritization of your personal and professional activities while strengthening the framework of your personal brand. The value of your personal brand increases or decreases over time based on actions taken within each area.

Helping Tools
HV: What tools can help you build your personal brand?
JH: Think of your personal brand as a bank account. The value of that account increases when you invest in relationships with your family, when you complete a new training program, receive a new degree or even when you lead a volunteer program for a community organization. It increases when you develop a stronger relationship with God. It increases when you spend time learning from your parents, siblings and extended family. It increases when you commit time and/or money to philanthropic programs. And most importantly, it increases when you gain a better understanding of your personal values, ethics, morals and beliefs–your authentic self–and live them out in your everyday personal and professional interactions.

What Hurts
HV: What can hurt your personal brand?
JH: You deplete your bank account as you make decisions that take away from the five focus areas–when you demonstrate negative actions towards colleagues, when you treat a member of your team unprofessionally, when you intentionally hurt a loved one, when you gossip about friends and engage in hypocritical behavior, when you cheat on a spouse–you get the idea.

New Job
HV: Why is it important to have a personal brand when looking for a new job?
JH: Understanding your personal brand will differentiate you from others that have not taken the time to define their personal brand. By understanding your personal brand, you can clearly communicate more about “you”–the candidate–to the prospective employer, and that is important, as most employers have a hard time making a hiring decision based on an interview and résumé.

Justin Honaman: Make It Happen

Brief Excerpt

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Justin Honaman is a strategic business process and technology director with a large consumer goods manufacturer and has a background in marketing and business intelligence. Justin released “Make It Happen! Live Out Your Personal Brand” – a book on authentic leadership and personal branding – in Q1, 2009 and is using proceeds to benefit the USO. In addition to his writing endeavors, Justin is also a singer-songwriter of Country and Contemporary Christian music. Justin released his first Country music album in 2006 and in November 2009, Justin Let Go and Let God which is his first single off his new album (set for release in 2010). Justin holds an Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Auburn University. Justin lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

“LET GO AND LET GOD – SINGLE”
Produced in Atlanta by sensational producer John Carrozza, Justin’s first single off his upcoming Contemporary Christian album is a strong first step for Justin into the Christian music genre. Let Go and Let God serves up an applicable message powered by meaningful lyrics and a strong mix of music and vocals.

Musicians
Todd Fields (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar); John Carrozza (Keyboard, Acoustic Guitar); Joe Reda (Bass Guitar); Sonny Lallerstedt (Lap Steel); Ashley Appling (Drums)

Production
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by: John Carrozza for Ultraphonic Productions
Assistant Engineers / Editing: Brandon Montgomery
Recorded at: Ultraphonic Productions Studio, Atlanta, GA
Photography: Zack Arias
CD Art and Web Design: Pierce Elliott Designs

“SATURDAY IN THE SOUTH!”Produced in Nashville by highly-acclaimed producer Bob Bullock, Justin’s first Country music album “Saturday in the South!” brings a mix of witty, fun and up-beat music lead by singles such as Someone is Missing Her, Longneck Story Short and Saturday in the South. Proceeds from album sales benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).

Musicians
Chris Leuzinger (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar); Paul Leim (Drums); Joe Chemay (Bass Guitar); Bruce Bouton (Steel Guitar); Tony Harrell (Piano, Keyboards, B3, Accordian, Dobro); John Jarvis (Piano); Joe Spivey (Fiddle, Mandolin, Banjo); Jerry Kimbrough (Acoustic Guitar); Richard Bravo (Percussion); Heidi Higgins (Vocal Coaching)

Production
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by: Bob Bullock for New West Productions, Inc.
Assistant Engineers / Editing: Jason Lefan, Grant Greene
Recorded at: Emerald Studios, Nashville, TN
Mastered by: Jim Demain at Yes Mastering
Photography: Zack Arias
CD Art and Web Design: Aleven Music Art & Design

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Stacy Kaiser: How To Be A Grown Up

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Stacy Kaiser is a licensed psychotherapist, author, relationship expert, body language expert, and media personality with more then 100 television appearances in the last year on major networks, including CNN, NBC, CBS, HLN, MSN, NBC, and FOX. She is Access Hollywood’s resident Body Language Expert and has counseled people on Tyra Banks’s, Greg Behrendt’s, and Larry Elder’s nationally syndicated talk shows, as well as on The Real Housewives of Orange County, VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club, and Lifetime’s DietTribe.

Stacy has a reputation for bringing a unique mix of thoughtful and provocative insight to a wide range of topics. She has worked with thousands of individuals, couples,and families for the last twenty years through her private practice, corporate consulting, and on television. Her philosophy for growth and change emphasizes being honest with yourself and others, and taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings, and actions. She believes with the right techniques, guidance, and support, anyone can make lasting changes.

After providing counseling to thousands of individuals both in her private practice and the media, Stacy has identified ten critical areas needed to develop the skills necessary to become a successful, happy and fulfilled adult. In her new book How to Be a Grown Up: The Ten Secret Skills Everyone Needs to Know, published by HarperCollins, Stacy opens with a provocative quiz that helps the reader gain insight into his or her current level of lifemastery. In the following chapters, she breaks down the readers strengths and weaknesses to guide them toward improving in the ten areas so that they can maximize their success andultimately their life.

Since 1994, Stacy Kaiser has also worked with corporations, public institutions, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations, and has assisted the FBI with,communication skills and the Los Angeles Fire Department with tools to counsel people after 9/11. In addition to her numerous television appearances, her expertise and perspective have been solicited by major corporations, public institutions, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations.

Still don’t think video can be a powerful marketing vehicle, think again:

Good on you Nike…

Robyn Cobb: Project Authenticity

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About Project Authenticity

Our mission is really simple, we are working to end violence against women and poverty in developing countries. We know that one billion women will be a victim of violence in her lifetime. As many as one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or abused in some other way – most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another male family member.

We want to promote peace and prosperity, believe wholeheartedly that it begins with women. We have seen that in societies where women’s rights are respected, economies are stronger, civil societies thrive and political institutions are more open and free.

Our approach is to work alongside vetted country and community leaders to make sure that the girls and women are getting the education and training necessary to participate in programs for micro-finance and build an income. When a woman is educated and bringing income her role in the community changes. It just takes one woman to start to change an entire community.

Our goal isn’t to herd women and girls through a program only to leave them asking what’s next. We are committed to building a movement of empowered women who can be a catalyst in their community for economic viability, human rights, and goodness.