Chuck Todd and Sheldon Gawiser have recently published a book How Barack Obama Won: A State-by-State Guide to the Historic 2008 Presidential Election.  I have read a few excerpts and have listened to Todd interviewed on the subject, and I believe this is a must read for anyone who wants to learn how to lead AND market.

Reason 1: On Morning Joe this a.m., Todd pointed out how important speeches were, are and will be to President Obama.  His oratory skills are outstanding and compelling.  He uses every chance he can to sell the public on his position, and he clearly states his position with poise, charisma and strength.  His intelligence and polish are impressive.  Many pundits are arguing that the President is not winning in the “bubble” on Capitol Hill but that he is still winning with the public, and for our confidence as a nation, this matters, and it matters in a very big way!  Now his big challenge is to win with Congress.

Reason 2: Is Obama still in politicing mode?  You bet he is!  He has some major initiatives on his plate (the economy, pulling out of Iraq).  If a Presdient can’t go out and get the votes needed in Congress to get the job done, then you may as well hang it up.   Just as in politics, in business and leadership, you don’t stop campaigning…you do all in your will and power to get people on board.

Reason 3: President Obama is appealing to the intellect of the American people.  He is talking straight from the hip, lets us know that he is fully aware that we all know we are in the midst of a major recession and that we have to act swiftly to take action to turn things around.  Many leaders will try to paint a rosy picture, and I am just not hearing this from Obama.

Reason 4: President Obama is using is his audacity of hope approach.  He is staying hopeful, using optimism and reminding us all that we’ve been in this situation before and came out stronger on the other end.

If you are a business owner or a leader in any position, I would recommend that you begin studying why Obama won and how he is continuing to be popular with the public.  I am certain you will gain a few insights into how to apply his skills in the direction of your own leadership.

Here is his speech from last night to Congress.  Watch this and see what you can learn.

I’m almost embarrassed to say that our company is thriving in this down economy. The last three months have been the best ever by more than 10%.  What’s the secret?  One word: TRUST.  In this environment people are looking to trade their hard earned dollars for an experience they trust.  In entertainment, ticket sales for movies are strong.  My wife and I were at the theatre last week and the house was packed. Why?  Because we trust the experience we’re paying for.  In business, this principle works the same way.  So how do you build trust amidst this chaos?

What we’re doing is focusing on articulating our customers core values and then infusing them into the work we are doing for them.  It’s cutting out all the extraneous B.S. in their marketing materials and making them leaner machines that get to the heart of their customer’s needs. When their core values are accurately expressed in their marketing materials (writing AND design), their customers have a subconscious reaction to their materials, an intangible feeling of love or hate. What happens is that they attract the customers who are most perfect for them, while turning others off so they’ll not waste their time!  This leaves our customers with more time to nurture their perfect customers, deliver results to them and increase orders as our results drive more customers to them.

And you don’t need to hire a company like ours to help you to articulate your core values and then infuse them into your materials. Send me an email to corey@writersoftheroundtable.com with Core Values in the subject line and I’ll be happy to send you a step by step approach to help you articulate your core values. The process will take you less than 30 minutes in total!  Then you can take those results and hand them over to your own writers and designers to ensure your marketing materials are built around the values of your organization.

It’s actually really easy once you understand the power of the principle.  I was fortunate to learn about core values when working with Bea Fields on EDGE! A Leadership Story. I truly believe that the power of core values can make the difference between thriving and dying in this economy.

I met with a man last week who told me that he “just wanted his team members to help him.”  I began to ask a few questions, and it became clear to me why this leader was so frustrated.  It had little to do with his personality…he was smart, charismatic and seemed to truly care.  But he seemed to be stumped when I asked him this question “What do you and your team agree that you all want?”   He fumbled around for a few answers and finally laughed and said “You know…I just don’t know how to answer that question.”

If you want your team to cooperate, there are these tiny things you can do to get people to help you, and here they are:

1) Go to your team members at least one time a week and ask “How can I help you?” By first offering help, you will set the tone for a reciprocal/helping relationship with your team.  As the top decision maker, it’s up to you to take the lead and model the process.

2) Discuss what you all agree that you want. This could be something for your company OR it could be free time to spend with your family members.  If you all agree you want some extra free time, you then need to set out on a mission…to be more productive.

3) Find a value you all hold as common. This is not as hard as you might think.  The best approach here is to come up with a list of 50 values, write each value on a sticky note, and have your team begin to move the sticky notes into sections of top priorities.  Once you land on 3 values that you all believe are important, you can design strategies to make sure that value is addressed.  Example:  If creativity is a big value, then of course, you are going to want to use highly creative approaches when asking for help.

4)  Discuss cause and effect. For every outcome, there is a process.  For every consequence, there is a cause.  Take a morning and discuss cause and effect.  Then, when you go to your team to ask for help, discuss the “why you need help.”  Talk about the cause and effect cycle of why you need help.

5) Incorporate “helping” rituals into your culture. This could be in the form of a day of civic work in your local community or one day each month focused on helping out everyone you see (hold the door open, help carry a box, jump in and give a hand without being asked.)  Rituals can ingrain a helping attitude into every fiber of your company.

In closing, if you are a leader who is frustrated and you need support in getting your team members to cooperate, call me at 910-692-6118 for a 15-minute discussion.  I would welcome the chance to brainstorm with you on the topic.

Nina East had a great post on February 8 about the fear of criticism.   It just reminds me so much of a few leaders I have coached in the past who built a wall of “yes men” around them…that fear of hearing negative feedback is just too much to handle.  In the leadership coaching arena, some of us call this “CEO disease!”

But in our world today, we are all going to be criticized more openly.  Generation Y has a scrutinizing eye, and it won’t take long before our businesses, projects and programs are criticized, and the question becomes “What do we do with this feedback?”

For starters, there is usually a negative emotional response to criticism.  Leaders may put up a great front, but it is very common for people of all developmental stages to get just a bit defensive.  It bites to be criticized.  But, in each critique is a silver lining, so here are a few steps you can take.

1) Listen to the full complaint.  Put your mute button on, and listen carefully to the criticism.

2) Thank the individual, and let them know you will address the concern.

3) Step back from the criticism and look closely at your next steps.  What did you learn and what can you do?  Is something not working that you can fix?

4) Create a plan of action.  This can be to work on a behavior, make a change or to implement a solid action plan.

5) Go back to the person who criticized you and offer a solution.  Let them know exactly what you plan to do and when your action plan will be implemented.

In the end, this approach can strengthen your position as a leader.  It can make you, your team and your company much stronger by taking action on those negative comments that are sure to come your way in the future.

Back in 2004, I had the opportunity to complete Mitch Meyerson’s Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification Program. I did not know Mitch, but I knew of Jay Conrad Levinson and his Guerrilla Marketing Books.

So, I picked up the phone and called Mitch. He filled me in that he and Jay had collaborated on a project to take the Guerrilla Marketing books and turn them into a coaching program. Brilliant! So, I signed up for the program, and that was the beginning of the rest of my life.

It was during this program that I had to sit down and complete this big “final project” in order to pass the course. I had to design my brand, design marketing materials to go with it, write a full scale marketing plan and send it all into Mitch. I remember being so nervous that Mitch was going to see my marketing plan that at that time was certainly designed by a novice. It was during this course that the Five Star Leader brand was born.

Since 2004, I have led this program with Mitch two times, and I will be leading the program again with him starting February 25 (so funny considering I was his student five years ago.) I cannot say enough about the program. It is simple but powerful. You not only walk away with a great marketing plan for your own business but you then have all the tools you need AND the title of Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach to put behind your name so that you can learn how to coach others on their marketing and get paid to do it! Here is the link to sign up for those of you who are serious about leading on the edge.

http://tinyurl.com/gmcoach

The GMC program is the one program that dramatically changed my business. I realized during the program that in order to be a great leader in this day and age, you truly have to know how to market a business.  If you cannot market a business and persuade people to interact with your business, it is going to be extremely difficult to lead your company into the future.

With the Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification Program, the benefits are amazing!

With this 5-star program, you will learn how to:

* Market like the big guns on a fraction of their budget
* Coach others on their marketing and earn an extra source of income as a bi-product
* Develop a global client base who is looking for marketing coaches
* Network with over 100 top Guerrilla Marketing Coaches who are the top players in their field
* Offer a service that is so desperately needed during tough economic times
* Brand your business with one of the most well respected names in the marketing industry…with the words “Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach” behind your name, people will stand up and take notice.

Read what a few top players have to say about the Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach Program:

“I was amazed to look at my books and realize that my business has grown 300% in the 12 weeks that we have met!”
– Don Lawler, Certified GM Coach

“Guerrilla Marketing Certification has helped me gain more new business, faster, because I now have the tools to respond better to my clients’ needs.”
Alex Mandossian, Traffic Conversion Specialist

“Whatever business we are in is really a ‘marketing’ business. Subsequently I’ve been through book after book and workshop after workshop and absolutely nothing comes close to matching the experience and the results I got from the Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification Program. The GMC program helps you pick up all the profits most entrepreneurs leave on the table. I couldn’t have made a wiser choice!”
Craig Valentine , 1999 World Champion Speaker
If this if of interest to you, I would encourage you to go ahead and sign up today. If you have questions, call me at (910) 692-6118, and I am happy to talk with you!