Leadership

The MetroNorth Chamber is proud to offer a new and impactful leadership series, providing resources and programming on a different leadership-focused topic each month. The 1st Friday Sunrise speaker will speak on the identified topic and then follow up with a free one-hour Mastermind session later in the month (open to all MetroNorth members). Attend one or both! Other applicable resources will be featured in the weekly e-newsletter, social media, website, etc. We are excited to bring relevant leadership resources to you and your business!

September: Online Reputation Management

Your online reputation can make or break your business. With the increasing importance of online reviews and social media presence, it's crucial to manage your reputation online. Dick Fisher of e-Merge Online Marketing, shared effective steps and strategies to implement in your business help you build a great online image.

Mastermind Recap

In today's digital age, consumers have more power than ever before to influence a business's reputation online. In his mastermind session, Dick Fisher went over how it is crucial for businesses to monitor their online reviews and respond to each one, whether positive or negative. By soliciting more reviews and generating positive ones, businesses can push down negative reviews and improve their local SEO ranking. However, it is important for businesses to assess and evaluate internally before responding to negative reviews, as crisis management is crucial for maintaining a positive reputation. A key list of review sites relevant to your industry can be found on e-Merge's website - www.e-mergemarketing.net. Remember, reputation is what people think of you, and character is who you are.

WEBSITE: Overview of Online Reviews and Why They Matter

Online reviews are a crucial aspect of a business's success. As Dick Fisher of e-Merge Online Marketing explains, online reviews provide valuable feedback from customers that can help businesses improve their products and services. Not only that, but positive reviews can also attract new customers and build trust and credibility for a business. It's important for businesses to actively monitor and respond to reviews, as this can demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction. Click HERE to read Dick’s overview of this topic – you can refer back to this anytime you need a reminder!

BLOG: Online Reviews and Their Impact on Senior Living Communities

“So what’s the big deal with social media and online review sites and why are they so important to senior living communities?

There are two sides of the equation. The human side and the search engine optimization side.

Social media and online reviews play a critical role to both sides of the equation. When individuals are performing the necessary research steps for finding a place for themselves or their loved ones, they turn to the websites, social media, and online review sites to get the people-to-people input and experiences as well as to learn more about the behind-the-scenes events, activities, staff, and other information about the senior living communities.” READ FULL BLOG HERE 

Stay Connected with e-Merge Online Marketing Through Facebook

To stay up to date on all the latest industry information about reviews and online reputation management, check out e-Merge Online Marketing’s Facebook page! 

August: Sake Your Assets

August’s leadership topic is presented by Lisa Jacobson, CEO of Sila Development, and her NEW movement- Life Is So Amazing! Lisa works with individuals to find their most Amazing Life by taking the time to figure out what TRULY jazzes them up and how they could do more of that and less of the things that deplete them.

Life Is So Amazing Goals Worksheet

Need some help creating clear and concrete goals that utilize your strengths? You're in luck! Lisa has provided her "Life Is So Amazing" Goals Worksheet. You will find that you will be asked the write the things you are doing well at in different areas of your life, then the areas you need action in. This all comes together in the end where you will create a goal (or two, or three!) in the different areas of your life. 

Mastermind Recap

Lisa Jacobson led a group of ladies through a portion of her "Life Is So Amazing" Workbook, and let's just say the discussion had was anything but short of inspirational and empowering. We started out by recognizing our biggest successes and biggest failures in life, which then lead us to sharing our top 5 greatest abilities - practical and methodical, and our top 5 values for life. Lisa then opened the conversation to see how our greatest success and failures have contributed to our talents and values. This time of reflection sparked some lightbulbs and answered the question "why am I this way?" Soon, the room erupted in cheerful conversation on practical ways each of us could connect our talents to our values. Examples include, making YouTube videos of how to find agates on the north shore, volunteer with kids, and be intentional with everyone you come across throughout your day. The session was incredibly insightful and provided us with valuable guidance on how to connect our values and talents to our passions.

Website

Connect with Lisa and find more resources and guides to help you "shake your assets". https://www.lisakjacobson.com/

July: Insights From the Experts

Are you on track with your 2023 business or personal goals? Stefani Havel (Stefani Havel LLC), Brandy Gilbert (Urban Air Adventure Park/Crisp & Green), and Mike Kaeding (Norhart) shared wisdom and strategies to help us achieve success during our mid-year review. 

Sunrise Take-away's

Stefani Havel shared great information about 'mastering your 60-second commercial' at July's 1st Friday Sunrise. See below for some tips on how to create an effective commercial that you can use for all of your networking needs!

• Start with a question ('Do you Know That....");
• Identify your target audience and what problem they are trying to solve;
• Include a testimonial or a story on how you helped someone solve that problem;
• Give a call to action and information on how someone can reach you.

Mastermind Take-away's

Click HERE to view the Mastermind Take-away's.

June: Unlocking Exponential Growth

Mike Kaeding, CEO of Norhart and Past Chair of the Board of Directors, spoke on the business practices he has implemented in his business that has gained Norhart great success and worldwide attention. 

Books

No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings (Chairman of Netflix)

Over the span of its lifetime, Netflix has gone through multiple major evolutions. From delivering DVDs by mail to being the largest streaming platforms with their own original shows and movies. Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings detail how the company achieved this level of success by implementing unconventional management practices that leave employees feeling empowered.

This book will explain why Netflix fires adequate employees, why employees need to critique their bosses, and why it pays off to give your employees unlimited vacation time.

Work Rules by Laszlo Bock (Google)

We all know that working at Google is a dream for many people. More than the excellent stock options and the fact that Google is voted best place to work year after year, Google somehow gives its employees the feeling of personal freedom at work, which allows them to work at their highest capacity while being surrounded by brilliant minds. Google did not just become this way overnight. In “Work Rules!” by Laszlo Bock, former Google CHRO, you will learn the things that make Google, Google. These things range from why you should pay people fairly and how cash rewards make your employees happy to the best way to hire and retain the best candidates.

Mastermind Takeaway's

Click HERE for Mike's Mastermind Recap.

May: Focus. That's the Key to Business Success.

Kristen Ireland, People Spark Consulting guided us on how to create the focus needed for yourself and your teams to achieve your business success that starts with establishing clear goals that drive key behaviors for yourself and your team.

Books

The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity

“From the business experts at FranklinCovey, The 5 Choices is an exploration of modern productivity. It offers powerful insights drawn from the latest neuroscience research and decades of experience in the time-management field to help you master your attention and energy management. The 5 Choices is time management redefined: through five fundamental choices, it increases the productivity of individuals, teams, and organizations, and empowers individuals to make selective, high-impact choices about where to invest their valuable time, attention, and energy” (simonandscguster.com).

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results

You Want Less. You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what’s the cost? Second-rate work, missed deadlines, smaller paychecks, fewer promotions–and lots of stress.

And You Want More. You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself, your family, and your friends.

Now you can have both – less and more.

In The ONE Thing, you’ll learn how to: cut through the clutter, achieve better results in less time, dial down the stress, overcome that overwhelmed feeling, revive your energy, and stay on track.

Blog

Tie Business Goals to Behavior and Watch Employee Engagement Soar

Are you starting the new year with a new (or renewed) focus on goals? Good! Goals help direct energy and attention for both you and your team. Even better: Setting clear business goals is essential for driving the behaviors across your company that lead to success. You read that right: There’s a powerful, direct connection between goals and behavior. A good way to understand this important concept is to ask yourself two questions. READ MORE.

April: The Values of Servant Leadership

Scott Hanson and Andrea Bolin from Mille Laces Corporate Ventures, guided us on the values of servant leadership. 

Books

One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard

In One Minute Manager, author, Ken Blanchard, gives three simple tools that each take 60 seconds or less to use, but in turn, tremendously improves managers’ efficiency in getting their employees to stay motivated, happy, and eager to deliver great work.

Culture Rules by Mark Miller

It is a goal of every good manager to create a culture that makes people want to work. In Culture Rules, Mark Miller uses research, expertise, leadership strategies, and his own experience to create a roadmap for creating a great workplace culture.

Smart Leadership by Mark Miller

In Smart Leadership, Mark Miller shares his four research-based “smart choices” the best leaders make to increase their influence and better their results. Through teaching you how to Confront Reality, Grow Capacity, Fuel Curiosity, and Create Change, Miller will help you bring fresh eyes and thinking to your leadership style; increase your confidence in your ability to make good change; lead at capacities you never dreamed possible; and accelerate your learning curve so that all these benefits come quicker and more naturally.

March: Live and Work In Your Strengths

Brandy Gilbert, Urban Air Adventure Park/Crisp & Green, guided us on how to capitalize upon our strengths in our personal and professional lives. See below for some resources to gain more knowledge on this topic.

Assessment

Gallup Strengths Assessment *this does cost money, but is worth the investment.

Articles

How to Be a Better Leader

There may not be an "I" in team, but there is an "I" in disengaged. What does this have to do with leadership? Well, regardless of what, why and where you lead, you -- as the leader -- are directly responsible for the engagement of those who follow you. READ MORE

Leader Authenticity Starts With Knowing Yourself

Leaders hold the power to realize -- or vaporize -- incredible organizational performance. Their capacity for leadership determines the future of those they lead.

Yet many leaders are unsure what it takes to be a great, authentic, inspiring leader -- someone who motivates employees to bring their A-game to work every day. Someone who consistently sparks growth and sustains their company through market disruptions. READ MORE

Great Leaders Have These Behaviors in Common

Great leaders know that development is a necessity -- not a "nice to have." They're obsessed with personal growth and relentlessly focused on growing their leadership abilities. READ MORE

 

Book 

 

Strengths Finders 2.0 by Tom Rath (find in the Leadership Library)

 

It's time to tap into your strengths. From craddle to cubicle, you have talents that you can maximize on instead of always trying to fix your weaknesses. While this book can be read in one sitting, it is also a guide to refer to year after year to dive deep into the strengths you have.

 

Sunrise Take-away's

Long gone are the days of action plans on your weaknesses/opportunities. We need to embrace and action around what we are good at. If we do this, everyone around us will benefit. View full take-away's HERE.

February: Personal Behavior Styles Using DiSC

Stefani Havel, your 2023 Board of Directors Chair, led the charge in our discussion on personal behavior styles using DiSC as our guide. See below for some resources to gain more knowledge on this topic.

Free Assessment

DISC Assessment: Free personality test and DISC profile (tonyrobbins.com)

Videos

Introduction to DiSC

Scott Schwefel -Ted Talk - Your Personality and your Brain- - Bing video

Books

The Seven Levels of Communication by Michael J. Maher (find in the Leadership Library)

Follow Rick Masters, a struggling real estate agent, on his journey from his “ego era” to his “generosity generation.” You will learn the same tips and tricks that not only helped Rick find success, but also significance. This book is much more than just referrals – it will feed your mind and soul as well.

How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes

This book is an assortment of tips to lead you to mastering the art of human communication, make exceptional first impressions and help others feel comfortable around you, no matter their background.

Overall Takeaway's

The most effective salespeople are those who are able to quickly identify the buyer's personality, then adapt their communication and approach accordingly. This approach is what separates DISC selling from other sales approaches.

Using DISC method , the salesperson can follow a framework of questions that will help them understand their buyers' problems, interests, and concerns and build trust to advance the sales process.

Having the knowledge of how to adapt your communication to suit your client's unique needs can make all the difference in how they feel about you and their purchase decision.  A DISC Sales Report also gives managers the insights they need to guide their sales teams. FOR FULL DOCUMENT, CLICK HERE.