As part of my participation with the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute (GDMLI) this year, I took a bus tour of Des Moines with the Polk County Housing Trust Fund (PCHTF).
Eric Burmeister, Executive Director, PCHTF, along with leaders of various Des Moines-based housing agencies, gave us an overview of their projects as we drove through Martin Luther King Jr. Park, Capitol Park, Capitol East, River Bend, Royal View Manor and Oakridge Neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are located in the poorest areas and make up the Urban Core of the City of Des Moines.
These neighborhoods house the most diverse section of society in Polk County. More than half of the residents are non-white. In comparison only one-tenth of Polk County residents are non-white. And, one of four residents speak a language other than English.
This excursion made a huge impact. I got to see what was actually going on in neighborhoods that I drive around, but have never really driven through and some of the challenges they face. The most valuable piece was the narration of several organizations associated with the PCHTF during the bus tour.
Takeaway: A lot has been done; but there is so much more to do…
Get their 2013 bus tour dates on your calendar to learn more about the city you live in!
It’s been years since I haven’t finished a book. I felt a little guilty not making it through this book, but alas, my time was better spent elsewhere with this one…
The author maintains that, “All it takes to make creativity a part of your life is the willingness to make it a habit. It is the product of preparation and effort, and is within reach of everyone.” This book provides the reader with 32 practical exercises on the lessons Twyla Tharp has learned during her long career.
This is another one of those books that could have been written in 32 pages, in my opinion.
If you struggle with creativity and, believe it or not, we ALL use creativity in our professional and personal lives, open this book, choose one of the lessons, and put it into practice. I wouldn’t say read the whole book, but rather develop creative habits over time.
Do you struggle with creativity? Have you overcome it? If so, how?
I came across a great blog post featured on Mashable called How To: Deal with Negative Feedback in Social Media.
But how do you know if there is negative feedback if you’re not using social media? If you’re hesitant to delve into Twitter or Facebook for your business, the bare minimum that you need to do is create a Google Alert.
Read the Full Post
When I started Contemporary Business Solutions in November 2009, I knew that I would be using the skills I had acquired while interviewing for jobs in the client-building process. It only recently dawned on me how vast the similarities really are. (Nod to Jeff Garrison and Sales Habitudes)
1. The preparation for both encounters
- Research the Company
- Learn everything I can about the person(s) conducting the interview on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and the Internet in general.
- Identify their need(s) and have solutions prepared if called upon to provide them
Read the Full Post
I recently had a freelance professional ask me the following question at a networking event:
“How many clients can you really have at one time before your level of attention to each of them begins to diminish?”
My first thought was, “You never want to turn away business, do you?” But at the same time, there are only so many hours in a day – that’s never going to change.
I also feel that if a freelance professional is in the beginning stages of their business, they need to work as hard as they can to create that “unpaid sales force”. You want as many people as possible to know what is that you do well enough so that they can talk about what you do to others. One way to do this is by networking AND creating value for as many clients as you can.
Read the Full Post
The Meyvn Group chose another great book for the Business Book Club!
In November, we read “Zag – The #1 Strategy of High Performance Brands” by Marty Neumeier.
This book focuses on how to “zag” when everyone else “zigs”. Everything begins with identifying the zag. That is, offering something that combines the qualities of both good and different to help you stand out in the crowd.
How to identify the zag? Neumeier provides a design process consisting of 17 checkpoints, each formulated as a question. He explains how to answer each of them correctly (i.e. an answer most appropriate to the given organization) by proceeding through these checkpoints, each of which evokes a question to be answered correctly.
This is a great process to go through whether you own an existing business and want to widen the differentiation gap between yourself and your competitors OR if you are thinking of starting a business and want to be sure that you’re the only one out there that provides what you want to provide.
In addition to the amazing content, my favorite pieces of the book: short, concise and great takeaways. If reading is difficult for you, the layout of this book really helps. It uses large print and the book isn’t too wide to help prevent your eyes from bouncing to other lines. Also, the last fifteen pages offer a quick recap or summary of the ideas covered in the book. Read the book and then use this summary as a refresh every six months. Another great element is that the author includes a dense list of background material he used for the book. He really did his homework and brought to Zag all he gleaned from these materials.
As a new business owner with newly acquired clients, I’ve begun thinking about time management. How much time does a business owner spend working “on” the business (marketing, branding, meeting with clients, drafting proposals, other meetings, networking) versus working “in” the business (doing the actual work you’ve contracted with a client to perform).
Read the Full Post
Through a local Business Book Club last year, I read a life-changing book called “The Go-Giver”. I highly recommend this book. It’s premise applies to everyone in all facets and stages of their lives.
It’s a really quick read in a modern-day business parable format focusing on putting others first. Over the course of five days, a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial advisor, a real-estate broker and the mysterious “Connector” teach Joe, a fictitious young salesman, about the laws of value, compensation, influence, authenticity and receptivity-concepts while reflecting on the concept of “give, and you shall receive.”
Read the Full Post
Perceptions are everywhere – the good, the bad and the ugly. They run rampant among job seekers/employers, freelancers/prospects, husbands/wives, children/parents. They help us understand the other party and to form an opinion, whether these perceptions are accurate or not.
It’s not until we truthfully engage with the other party that these perceptions gain some validity. And by truthfully engaging, I mean asking a lot of questions such as, “This is how I understand what you just said. Is this how you meant it?” This is the only way to understand where people are coming from. Communication is a finicky thing.
Read the Full Post
As part of my participation with the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute (GDMLI) this year, I took a bus tour of Des Moines with the Polk County Housing Trust Fund (PCHTF).
