Mentalsidewalk

I just spent the day with my brother-in-law. We ate out and then ran a few errands. All in all, it was just a typical day except for that everywhere we went, my brother-in-law took some time to talk to people. He talked to the waiter at the restaurant, he made chit chat with the sales people at the stores, and he even engaged the teller at the bank in conversation.
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I consider myself a people person, but I have to admit, my brother-in-law’s talkative behavior was starting to get on my nerves. We had other things to do, and I didn’t really want to spend so much time with every person we crossed paths with. At this rate, we’d never get done.

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However, as I was listening to him, I realized that the conversations he was having seemed rich. These people were interested in talking to my brother-in-law, even though none of them had ever met him before. The reason why was pretty simple: my brother-in-law wasn’t just talking to people, he was talking about them. He took the time to ask them questions, to listen to their answers, to really understand who they were.
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The greatest human need is to be understood.

We all crave connection, and thrive when others reach out to us. Therefore, these small conversations he was having weren’t just small talk. They were actually making these people feel good. He made their day.

I can only imagine how that good feeling could translate to others. Their good mood can impact other people, and the positive energy can be carried far beyond the simple conversations my brother-in-law was having.

Just imagine what this world would be like if we all focused on how to connect with people. Changing someone’s day only takes a few minutes. Making a difference is as easy as a few kind words and listening ear. It’s a lesson we should all take to heart. I know I have.

Having Zal and Natasha stay with me for the last three weeks has been a truly memorable experience. We did a lot of fun things and shared some very important moments. However, I can’t deny that it was difficult. After all, I’m not used to playing full-time parent to two growing children. It’s time intensive and emotionally demanding. Though I’ve learned many things during this time, one of the most valuable lessons is the importance of delegation.

It’s a lesson that single moms already know. The day to day demands of raising children without anyone else to fall back on are exhausting. I did it for three weeks; -single moms make a lifestyle of it.

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These moms learn how to focus their energy on the right things. They put their efforts into the things that need to be done both in their business lives and their personal experiences. They prioritize in order to make sure that their jobs get done while also saving enough time for their children.

I have a new found respect for Single Parent.

Over the last three weeks, I had a crash course in delegation. Since I had limited time with Zal and Natasha, I wanted to make sure that I gave them as much attention as I could. To do that, I had to reevaluate my business habits. I had to look carefully at my business tasks and only do the ones that were specifically catered to my skill set.

I did these necessary tasks myself and then turned the remainder of the business over to others.

I’ve always thought that I was good at delegating, but I never realized just how important it was until I put it into practice on this level. By prioritizing my attention on Zal and Natasha, I was forced to limit my work life. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised to find not only that others could get these tasks done, but that my personal life and my business life were better off for this new found balance.

It’s a valuable lesson for everyone–single moms, family men, and business people. We need to focus on our skill sets, do the tasks geared to us, and then delegate the rest. This allows you to play to your strengths, and by focusing your energy, you can be sure that your best work is being done.

It may cost a little more to delegate things out, but by focusing on your strengths the ROI will be well worth the price.

I would love to hear back from from parents how and what they do to create that balance in their lives.

Keep Sharing!

This past weekend I participated in the Push0r Mitchel Apple Triathlon. It wasn’t my first such event, but it was by far my favorite triathlon I have ever experienced.

The Main reason this triathlon was so special was that it was the first time I participated with my niece and nephew. Both Zal and Natasha took part in the (KOS) Kids of Steel race, and sharing this experience with them made it all the more special. It is so important to involve our kids in all aspects of our lives. We grew so much closer together, and I know its an experience we’ll all remember fondly.  Our children will always remember the experiences we share together.

While Zal and Natasha made this race extra memorable, the Pusher Mitchel Apple Triathlon is a special event in and of itself. In fact, when I was setting up my bike before the race, I struck up a friendly conversation with another participant. It was her first time in this triathlon, so she asked my opinion of it. I replied honestly that it was the best event I’d ever been to. Just looking around, it was obvious what set this race apart.

The volunteers were well informed, productive, but more importantly they cared about the racers, were passionate to be there and had a lot of fun.

I realized that such positive energy was a direct result of the leadership behind the event.

The President of the triathlon is Richard Montgomery. For those who aren’t familiar with Richard, he is a genuine man who not only has outstanding organizational skills but the passion to make others excited to follow his vision as well.

This quality leadership was evident in every volunteer and participant. Even my nine-year-old nephew felt the difference. After it was over, he commented that it was the best race we’d ever been at. People of all ages, genders, and backgrounds can sense good leadership, even if they can’t identify it. The business world would be a better place if there were more leaders like Richard Montgomery.

When I was biking up Knox mountain, I noticed another racer struggling. It was clear that she wasn’t exhausted, but that she was using the incorrect gear. Without a thought, I slowed down to help her, explaining to her how to use the gears properly. She thanked me and I continued on my way. I hadn’t gotten very far when another racer rode up next to me. He didn’t linger long, but as he passed, he said, “Her lack of preparation should not be your concern.”

He was a stronger rider, so it took some effort to catch up. When I pulled up beside him again, I told him simply, “Winning at the price of consciously being blind to the right thing is not worth winning at all.”

It’s hard to say if he took anything away from our conversation, but I know the woman had a better experience. When the race was over, I asked my nephew what he would have done if he’d crossed someone in need of help. Zal didn’t hesitate. “I would have to help them.”

Curious by his word choice, I asked him why he’d have to help.

Zal shrugged. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

His plaintive response was better than anything else I experienced that day.

Overall, competing in this triathlon was challenging and satisfying. I’m glad I made time to participate and even more pleased that I had the opportunity to share this time with Zal and Natasha. It’s remarkable how much you can learn from something so simple.

Lesson One: Cherish moments with your children. Spending time with them is more valuable than anything else, and those are the moments that will last a lifetime.

Lesson Two: Real leadership makes a difference. Anyone can figure out want needs to be done in order to create success, but very few can make others want to be part of that journey. The only way to do that is to be an authentic leader.

Lesson Three: Always take the time to do the right thing. Winning is important, but being compassionate to others is even more valuable.

Fred Sarkari

The day I have been waiting for has finally arrived! When those two little people ran through the airport doors, their smiles alone took my breath away. Today was the first day of a three week journey with my niece and nephew–and what an adventure it was.

We woke up in Banff at 6:00 AM ready to start the trip.

During breakfast, we mapped out   our trip together, named the flags that hung from the ceiling, and just caught up with life. Afterward, we stopped at the hot springs. While we played in the water, Zal and Natasha told me about their summer and asked me about mine. It was remarkable how we hadn’t done anything substantial yet, but we were already having the time of our lives. We focus so much on goals and results sometimes that we miss out on the most valuable things of all–the small, precious moments we share with our loved ones.

Our first real stop was Lake Louise. The plan was canoeing, but when we got there, Zal was nervous. He knew the water would be cold, since it was a glacial lake. It took some cajoling, but when he saw everyone else having fun, his focus turned from fear to total excitement.

As it turned out, we all had a great time–especially Zal. In the end, he told me he was so grateful that he hadn’t allowed his fears to take away this experience we shared together. His comment stopped my thoughts cold, reminding me to never walk away from life experiences due to my fears.

We went to Moraine Lake next. The water there is so blue–you have to see it to believe it!

The kids were blown away, but when I tried to show them the rocks we could climb for a better view, they went silent with uncertainty.

I told them I would take them one step at a time and that it was okay to be scared. They grabbed my hands and were ready to face the adventure again.

The view from the top put the bottom to shame. It is so important to go the extra mile. It is amazing how much we miss out on by not taking that extra step. No matter where you want to end up, you can only take the journey one step at a time.

By the time we finished, we were so tired. We thought about turning in, but decided to make one more stop at the Ghost Town. At first, I was worried the kids would be bored, and actually suggested we drive right by. Natasha screamed, “If we don’t try, how will we know what we missed out on?” Well, needless to say, my only answer was the sound of brakes screeching. I truly recommend taking the time to go see the Ghost Town. Seeing this history come to life was a reminder that so much of who we are and what we’ve accomplished is connected to the past.

It was 10:30 at night when we finally rolled into my driveway in Kelowna, exhausted but happy. Looking back on the day, it’s so clear to me that children can teach us all we need to know in life. You just need to take the time to connect with your children, and you’d be surprised what you can learn. Spending this day with Natasha and Zal has taught me the following lessons. I can hardly wait for what tomorrow will bring.

Lessons from Natasha and Zal

1. While chasing your long term goals, do not lose sight of the day to day interactions with your loved ones. That is where life is truly lived.

2. Never let fear take away all that life has to offer.

3. No matter how big and scary the destination may seem, just focus on the next step. By taking it one step at a time, you’ll be enjoying the destination in no time.

4. All the answers you are looking for can be found in the past. That is why archeologists search the past–to find the answers to the future.

Going to the doctor can be stressful, full of uncertainties and vague possibilities. It’s hard because most of us go to the doctor to find out things we can’t figure out on our own. We have to put our faith completely in the doctor, trusting our very health to his/her expertise and knowledge.

My recent trip to the physiotherapist was no different. I had made an appointment with Greg Smith from Kelowna Physiotherapist Associates As he was working on me, I asked Greg a question regarding an issue with my other leg.

He frowned thoughtfully, giving my leg a quick look. “Well, Fred,” he said with a slow nod. “I actually don’t know.”

For a moment, all I could do was stare. He didn’t know? How could my physiotherapist not know? I trusted him to know, I paid him to know.

He nodded again, collecting a breath before offering me a smile. “I’ll have to give it some thought while we take a closer look at your leg.”

It wasn’t the quick diagnosis I had been looking for, but as Greg conducted the rest of his examination, I realized it was the most reassuring answer he could give me. Sure, I didn’t know right away what was wrong with my leg, but I did know that I could trust my physiotherapist to be honest.

After all, Greg could have lied and could have made up anything. He could have planned five unnecessary tests to get more money out of me.

Instead, my physiotherapist kept his integrity and told me the truth. This honesty showed that he had my best interest at heart and that the answers he gave me were legitimate. When he did find the answer, I had no doubt that I could trust that as much as I could trust his initial uncertainty.

This lesson holds true in all businesses. No matter what you do, it is essential to be honest. Being a leader in the industry doesn’t mean you have all the answers. We’re all human, and as much as clients want to know everything at that moment in time, they also want us to be honest with our answers.

It’s a question we’re all likely to face in our business: what to do when you are unsure of the answer. Fortunately, we don’t have to know the answer. We just have to be honest, and that integrity will offer more to clients than false promises ever could.

Our clients do not expect us to know everything, but they do expect us to have integrity and be willing to take the time to source out the answers to their questions.

Fred Sakrari

5 days of training, a weeks rest and I was ready to take on the challenge of my first half-Ironman in Oliver.

There I stood with over a 1000 competitors, nervous, overwhelmed but excited.  Excited to walk into a situation where I know the only way I will finish is to dig deep within and challenge my mind and my heart.

That sounded all fancy and inspirational, in short I have no idea what possessed me to sign up for this race.

Click on my video to listen to my experience and the 4 unexpected lessons I learned about business along the way.

Here I am trying to figure out how to get into my new wetsuit that I will be using for the first time.

4 Lessons I learned during my half-Ironman in Oliver

LESSON 1: Run Your Own Race

Do not worry about others around you.  What ever you do do it for yourself, build your business for yourself not for the sake of building a bigger business than the one next door.

LESSON 2: Be Authentic

How you play the game is a reflection of how you life your life.  That lady I talk about in the above video is a great example of this.  She was genuine in her kindness and that was one of the most refreshing things to experience.

LESSON 3: Create Your Ideal Culture

The culture you create in your office is a direct reflection of the level of success you will experience.  Support and celebrate with your employees and clients.  Not only when they have accomplished something but more so along the way.

LESSON 4: Cherish The Moment

It is important to chase your goals, but never at the expense of losing sight of your achievements and experiencing the moment.

We are capable of so much more than we give our self credit for.  What ever your journey is never forget to smile through it all as it is a gift.

I look forward to hearing your experiences as well.

Fred Sarkari

Have you ever just sat there on a calm peaceful day and out of nowhere comes a gust of wind that scatters all that is around you?

That is what my 2010 has felt like, a tornado that came around the corner to ignite my senses and remind me that I am alive.  This year will be full of adventures to learn and grow from.   Let me rephrase that, this year HAS been full of adventures already.

Here I sit on my deck looking out at the water.  Staring at the water has just reminded me not to get caught up with one of the most critical errors we humans seem to fall for.

While we chase this thing called life, we lose sight of the beauty that is right in front of us.  The little things that make us take a genuine deep breath and make our hearts smile from the inside out.

I feel alive more so for the insight, that I am fortunate to posses the purest of gifts in life. The people that cross my path, family, my precious niece and nephew, true genuine friends that I can rely on, clients that go out of their way to help me grow my business and support and trust my overall vision in life, the new people in my life, in the Okanagan, that I have been fortunate to grow to love.

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I am rich with simple treasures in my life.

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What I have come to realize is that we all have our own simple treasures.  It is up to us if we have the courage to look beyond the clutter of life and honor this gift that revolves around us, the gift of simple treasures.

I ask you this – Do share – what are your simple treasures?

Fred Sarkari

There are so many opinions about Valentine’s Day.  It is too commercialized, too many expectations, its beautiful, there is a lot of love, it’s not real…

Valentines should be what you and your loved ones like it to be.  That is all that matters.  If it is important to her than it should be important to you.

Valentine’s Day is about celebrating our love by connecting to the ones that are special to us.   It is not meant for us to treat our loved ones with more respect and understanding than any other day.  It is a reminder of how we should be treating our loved ones on a daily basis.

We all want to love and be loved.  We may fear it, ignore it and fight the thought of it – but that still does not change our intrinsic need to love and be loved.

There is no greater achievement and a sign of a persons strength of character when they risk loving and letting others love them.

I was asked this morning: If love is so critical to us, how do some survive without love in their life?

One can survive without love.  Life is not about surviving, anyone can survive – Life is about living and in order to truly live there needs to be love, authentic love.

When you sing, sing with love – when you hug someone, hug them with love – when you smile, smile with love – do acts of kindness with genuine love – live with love revolved around you.

Let valentines day be a reminder for all of us to truly connect with our loved ones and those that cross our path in life.

Being the Olympics right now, take the opportunity to give out some golden hearts and do what you need to do to win the hearts of your loved ones.

Fred Sarkari

I recently discovered that I had made one of the biggest errors one can make when forecasting any strategy for your product or service.

When it comes to our products or services, we are more attached to the value of them then our own clients are.  That being said there are times that there is greater value within our products than what our clients have perceived.

The question you need to ask yourself is:

What Perceived Value Do My Clients See

In My Products and Services?

Not What “I” see in them?

It’s like what we have seen in the real estate market in the last few years. How many times have we heard people talk about what they believe their house is worth – their perceived value of it as an owner, as the one that put all the time into renovating, decorating, the experiences within their house etc..

All these things have no value to our potential clients. Yet we expect them to see and feel the intrinsic value of our attached emotions within our products and services.

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I recently put together a Facebook group to help with my new book launch – “Your Naked Chicken.” I was so excited when I posted it that I thought I would have 300-350 people in my group within a few days.

I figured I would be guaranteed a 30% conversion rate. Keep in mind that I am also aware of the fact that the average conversion rate for such a launch is approximately 8%.

Even knowing that, the true value of my product was blinded by my emotional connection to my product.

I based the value of my product on elements

that have no value to my potential clients.

In order to see the true value in what you are offering from your clients point of view, you need to be able to disconnect yourself emotionally.  Ask yourself, “What value do THEY see in it?” irrelevant of the time, money and effort you have put into it.

Lesson reminder:

When forecasting your results, numbers, sales etc. be realistic. Always take the worst case scenario so your strategy results can be more predictable. Once you’ve achieved your initial numbers everything else will be gravy.

All that being said, if you want to support MY perceived value for MY new book, as it is all about US and OUR products. he he

COMING SOON! “YOUR NAKED CHICKEN”

Fred Sarkari

I never  would have imagined that the man I was about to meet in the next few minutes would have impacted me for a lifetime.

It was obvious that this man had gained the respect and love of those around him.  Walking through the offices for the first time, it was even more true that the same care, compassion and respect that categorized Ron Russell as the man he was, lived within the people in his office.

It is true that one’s respect can also be felt in the presence of others.

As I walked into his office, I was greeted by a man that instantly put a smile in my heart, It had nothing to do with what he said or did but more so that his presence had an aura of truth.

Ron shook my hand like we were old friends, we looked each other in the eye and at that point in time it was evident that I was never going to get anything less than the truth from this man.

He reminded me of how precious it is to wear your true heart on your sleeve.

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To not only say what you believe in but to live it. To not only share your success but also your struggles, as those are lessons that others can grow from.
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I truly enjoyed our frequent coffees we had as I would sit back and listen to his life journey.  He never shared his journey to gloat about his success and struggles. He always took the time to share with the main purpose to teach us to be better than we are today, to grow and to believe that every struggle we face at this moment will pass and will make us into stronger and empathetic people.

Ron Russell took the time to take care of not only his close friends, but also the community he lived in that became part of his family.
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He asked me the first time we met, “Fred what do you find as one of your struggles just moving into the Okanagan.” I replied, “I miss my niece and nephew as they are further away from me.  It felt like I was distanced from my family.” – That is when he looked me straight in the eye and said, “welcome to your new extended family – you will always have a home here.”

I truly will miss those frequent coffee conversations I had the pleasure of experiencing and growing from.

All those that had the pleasure of knowing Ron Russell know exactly what I mean when I say; there are only a handful of people who come into your world, and touch your life in a dramatic fashion the instant you shake hands for the first time.

Ron, you will be missed but never forgotten. 

What is the difference in creating a brand like Coca-Cola and one for your everyday entrepreneur?

My parents moved into a new community just prior to me visiting them during this holiday season.  Every time we walked by a new neighbor, my mom would introduce me.

“This is my son, he is an inspirational speaker and an entrepreneur coach, he likes the outdoors and is very active…”

After a while I realized that every new neighbor we met, my mom introduced me the exact same way.

It turned out that I was branded by my very own mom.  We are branding ourself whether we like it or not.  The real question is, are we doing it subconsciously or with intent?

There is no difference in how Coca-cola brands them self and how an entrepreneur should effectively brand them self.  The process is all principle based.

Branding yourself has faced a paradigm shift.  How entrepreneurs branded in the past will never be how entrepreneurs need to brand in these times in order to be effective.

Before you spend any time or money creating a strategy for your marketing and branding, you need to be aware of the 3 pillars that all your strategy needs to be built upon.

Most peoples brands are nothing more than fancy words and slogans they put on a piece of paper and than try to market the hell out of it.

You need to turn your brand in a movement.  In order for anything to have movement it needs to have a life of its own.  In essence give your brand life.  The obvious next question is, “how do you give it life?”

For any brand to have life, it needs to do one thing – it needs to make people feel.  A brand with life within it makes people want to be part of it.

When you give your brand life, it will become a movement.

Just like any relationship has a foundation, you need to be aware of the foundation of your relationship with you brand.

3 PILARS

Tip Of The Tongue:

If I were to go around the room and ask your clients to tell me about you, your brand.  What would you like them to consistently have at the tip of their tongue that they are ready to say?

Chasing Rabbits:

When you try to chase 3 rabbits at the same time you will catch none.  Even if you can sell your product or services to the mass – you need to have a niche market that you brand yourself to.

The more you focus on a niche the more powerful your brand will become.

Street Lessons:

If there is anything you are going to focus on when marketing yourself.  Any information that you share.  Always always always keep one thing in mind. Educate your niche market.

Now educate does not mean you bombard them with information they can already get on the internet.  Educate them based on their state of mind, their fears, concerns etc.  Things that they as laypeople can relate to and more so are craving for.

Going forward, everything you do with your branding and marketing ask yourself this question.

What emotions am I making people feel?  The answer to that question will be your existing brand.

Would love to hear about how people have made their brand different and unique.

Fred Sarkari

Here I am in Florida thinking I was going to enjoy the heat and they seem to have a cold front not seen since the 70′s.

Instead of starting my runs and swimming during my spare time, I was perfecting my coffee drinking at different Cafe’s.

Today I was at the Panera Bread, a place I highly recommend for a soup and lunch.

There they were, a gentleman and an elderly lady sitting on a table with their coffee and a laptop.  The gentleman was showing the lady, grandma, some basic tricks on the laptop.

At one point in time he said to her “we should have brought your new laptop so you could have practiced on yours instead of mine.  Lets come back again tomorrow with it.”

His grandmother replied, “you are too busy for that my dear.” That is when the  grandson replied with the most precious words.

“There is always enough time for you grandma.”

We not only live in this fast paced decade but we have also got caught up with the momentum of always going from one meeting to another, one email to another, one event to another… And in doing so, we have lost sight of our priorities and making time for them.

The grandson had his priority right – there is always time for those we love.  The question is are we willing to make time for them?

We are facing a new year ahead of us.  Take the time to ask yourself 2 questions:

1. Who are the important people in your life?
2. Are you making enough time for them?

Lets be more conscious and commit to our loved ones.

Who will you make extra time for

and what are the little things you will do?

All the best for 2010

This year my Christmas Eve was filled with more adventure than I ever expected.  Infact, this is my 4th year spending Christmas Eve on the streets and it has always been the greatest life lessons but never have I faced such adventures.

My last great awareness experience taught me the valuable lesson of respect in our lives.

Once again, this Christmas Eve I dressed up like I was a homeless person and spent this beautiful night of giving and sharing on the streets with strangers.

It all started with my long johns, a full belly and a warm coffee.  I was already blessed with so much more than everyone else I was going to spend this magical evening with.

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I was making my way down the Vancouver streets through the nicer part of downtown and already I could feel peoples eyes all over me due to the way I was dressed, like I did not belong on their side of the tracks.

Most of these people gave such slight quick looks that the only reason it impacted me was because it was directed towards me.  We need to ask ourselves, do we at times judge with our looks and actions without realizing we do them?  Most of the times I do not believe these people even knew they were giving me such judgmental looks.

The greatest impact we leave behind with others in our lives are the little things that we do.  These leave behind emotions that last a life time.

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When I got to the location where all the homeless lived, it was one of the most overwhelming experiences than any other city I have done this.  It felt like I was in an entirely different world.

There were people selling drugs, people using needles, others just lost in their own world of loneliness, some scary enough that I would not want to walk by their path and some just talking aloud to no one in particular as they wandered aimlessly.

There I was surrounded by people filled with their own individual stories with one commonality – bringing them all to this one location on this special night.

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And so the adventure started.  It was one of those moments that you can see unfolding before it begins.   I knew he was heading straight to my direction with  an unknown intent to me.  He walked right over to me and the first words that came out of his mouth was, “Who the F^*((^ are you and what the F*(&^%&%^& are you doing here?”  Well long story short I was standing at his drug selling territory.  After chatting for a while even he had a Christmas Spirit of forgiveness.

Once again I had the opportunity to listen to some phenomenal life stories from people in this world that we so often walk right by and only notice with judgment.

Life lessons revolve around us on a daily basis,

are we open to receiving them?

In the last 4 years of doing this I have never met an individual like Mr. Maca.

Mr. Maca has been living on the streets for 6 years now.  He has a family he has not seen or heard from for 9 years.  He is a man of high education, a Doctorate in philosophy.

He had such a calm relaxing demeanor about him and he just seemed so at peace with himself.  All logic makes me question his self-peace but it was not for me to judge but to just accept.

We ended up sitting on the sidewalk against a building for a little over an hour.  My only regret was I wish I could have pulled out a pen and paper to write down all the insight this man has.

He made me aware of the most critical lesson I learned that night.  We are always looking for the right answers or at times just answers to give us guidance, answers to fix and heal different aspects of our lives.

Mr. Maca, reminded me the main reason why we never seem to find the answers we are looking for is because we never ask ourselves the right questions.

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If we do not understand how to ask ourselves the right questions

than we will ever find the right answers.

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Take the time to become aware of the kind of questions we ask ourselves, our   children, partners and spouses, friends and strangers that cross our path.

When we start focusing more on the questions themselves it is amazing how the answers will reveal themselves.

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During your interactions and communication always ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I asking the right questions to myself?

2. Am I asking the right questions to others?

3. Am I aware of the little things that I do that affects people?

4. What emotions do I leave behind with my daily small actions and behaviors?

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2010 will be a phenomenal year.  Lets together make it a year of personal growth, a year full of love and compassion, a year of kindness, a year of intent, a year of calmness in our minds and souls.

A year where we as individuals make a difference.

Make this your year.

Wishing you all the best for 2010.

Fred Sarkari

Everywhere I turn I hear Christmas music.  At first it seemed like a shock to my system and before I knew it I not only expected it but looked forward to it as it got me into the Christmas Spirit.

This is the time of the year where we feel it has snuck up on us, but more importantly in no time it will feel like the season came and went with the blink of an eye.

Make sure you take the time to connect to the loved ones in your life.  Do not only tell them but show them your love, how much you appreciate them and what they truly mean to you in your life.

At the same time, give some of your moments to the stranger that pass by you.  It truly only takes seconds to touch one’s life; with passing smile, a hello, a compliment or just holding the door open.

We as individuals can change this world with small precious moments that we share with others.

2010 will be full of opportunities.  Lets make sure we do not loose sight of the precious moments around us.  The small acts of kindness we can spread into this world that will ripple throughout time.

We all have our own personal journey and story.  At times there are those angels that walk our path not judging our actions and circumstances but more so to just hold our hand through the hard times we face.

I ask you this, who’s angel are you going to be this Christmas season?

Lets together make 2010 the beginning of a New World.

Fred Sarkari

Thank you to all those that helped us raise $945.00 for the Women Shelter here in Kelowna.

Thank you to Valley First and Cabana Grille for supporting me on this venture.

WAIT! It’s not over yet!  We still have the campaign going for a little bit longer.

Go into any Valley First Credit Union in the Okanagan and donate any amount to receive the Best Selling Book: How The Top 5% Think! Principles Of Great Leaders and receive a free appetizer from Cabana Grille.  ALL FUNDS raised goes directly to support the Women Shelter.
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It is critical that we support our community and those in need.  If everyone took the time for a small act of kindness, imagine the community that we can build in the Okanagan from within.  Spread the word to everyone to go to a Valley First Credit Union and receive your book and appetizer in order to help raise funds for the Women Shelter.

Thank you for all your support.

A special thanks to Joceylnn Wells from Valley First for helping put all this together and their internal campaign that raised another $1059 for the Women Shelter.

One of the most critical elements of growing a business for the long term is knowing how to strategically plan for or make decisions about the future.

Igor Ansoff born 1918 in Russia is considered the grandfather of Corporate Strategy.

Igor identified 4 standard types of Corporate Decisions – Which I believe stand the test of time of creating a successful business.

PRODUCT:

Do you have a clear idea of what your business / product is responsible for?  This will connect to your brand, not only of your product and your company but in turn you as a person.

Your brand caries you into the future.  The power of your brand can create clarity in times of economic turmoil.

GROWTH:

We at times get so busy trying to keep up to daily activities that we never get around to creating strategies to actually grow our business effectively.

What plans have you created in order to excel the growth of your business for the long term.  This is so critical as no business just sustains it self.  It is either growing or falling behind.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE:

A competitive advantage is what you possess that will enable you to compete effectively no matter how the market or economy changes.

Most think that competitive advantage is something no one has.  If that was the case than everyone would be a ‘monopoly”  A competitive advantage is something your business prides on and creates a brand around it.

SYNERGY:

The whole is  greater than the its parts.  Successful people know that greatness cannot be built alone.  Surround yourself with like-minded and successful people.  Learn and work with the best.  And create synergy, partnerships, with other like-minded people.

Corporate Strategy can be your best friend or your worst enemy.  I have seen it time and time again, how people fall into the trap of “Paralysis by Analysis”.  This is where people take so much time to analyze everything and anything to a point of no implementation.

Paralysis by Analysis: Procrastination caused by over planning, leading to business failure.

The majority of our day is spent trying to communicate our message or to understand the relevance of a message from others. The question we need to consider is how many hours a day do we waste in frustration and ineffectiveness because we do not seem to be able to get on the “same page” in our communication with others.

Everything revolves around our core personalities; how we think and what we do.  And it doesn’t have to be conscious, because we have gotten so proficient at adapting our behaviors in situations that we forget who we really are and what really makes us tick.

By now you should have realized that there is no magic formula for successful leadership. There is no book, seminar or course that can inject the right ingredients into you and your situation to make you a successful leader. Consider those that you believe were successful leaders.  Did they all have the same personality traits?

For example, in managing information, a leader can be the center or hub of an organization’s communication wheel or he/she may prefer to sit at the end of a hierarchy that reviews information and simply presents them as options to the leader.  These are contrasting styles, but both can be effective in the right situations.

By its very definition, leadership involves providing guidance and direction to followers. Understanding how personalities influence actions, responses, purchasing decisions, etc. can help a leader provide guidance and direction.

Consider the impact of personalities on a sales meeting: We all know that purchasing decisions are not made solely on the merits of the product.  As successful sales professionals, we are constantly aware that it is our ability to communicate and build rapport with a potential buyer that greatly enhances our ability to close a sale.

There are several psychological definitions and categories of personality traits. Consider the following as a guide to help us start on our path to awareness.

QUESTIONER:
They are always looking for detailed facts and will ask many questions. Keep focused and be systematic with your conversation by avoiding jumping from one topic to the next. Be objective and back up everything with proof.

RUNNER:
Their minds are on multiple tasks and have the attention span that will last a few seconds.  They speak fast and move fast.  They are always looking for the conclusion and results. Therefore get directly to the point and than you can expand into the details. They always talk about results.

HELPER:
They are always looking after everyone’s needs and concerns.  They are more concerned about who you are as a person.  Once they understand you than they will want to talk about your product or service.

Be friendly and build rapport; talk emotionally; don’t pressure them; take your time; allow them to include others in decisions; give them one positive choice; help them justify their decision.

SEEKER:
They get excited about new things and adventures. They will not focus on details but more so the bigger picture.  Recognize them as being important; once you have built excitement and visualization than put details in writing and explain carefully.

Personalities have a major impact on your leadership style and success.  For those of you that find your interaction with others getting difficult or strained, it will be useful to Understand personalities and dealing with the differences.  This will prove to be one of the most critical tools to help you become a successful leader and connect at a deeper level with your relationships within your professional and personal lives.

What a perfect moment I experienced today.

We were sitting on our surfboards waiting for the next magical wave as the sun was blaring on our sore muscles.  Just as I thought to myself of jumping into the water to cool my body off, we started to experience sun showers.  And than there it was the most amazing double rainbow I have ever seen.  They were so bright that I felt like swimming over and surfing the rainbow themselves.

I wished to myself I had a camera to capture this moment.  Now hours later it occurred to me that this was one of those moments that was carved into my memory – an image that was more vibrant than any picture.

What was it about this moment that it was photographed with fine details into my memory?  Than it occurred to me that it made me feel.  It was an experience that elicited emotions within me.

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Experience linked to emotions will stay with us for all time.

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What a powerful lesson to take with me.  When we communicate with people, do we connect to their emotions in order to leave behind a lasting experience.

Always ask yourself after every interaction, what emotions did I leave behind?

I feel so blessed on this trip.  Beautiful weather, warm ocean, great people, great fun and some great sessions with courageous people that are so open to looking within themselves.

Look around you as there is beauty in every moment.

Fred Sarkari

“You do not seem to understand what I am trying to say”  Is the comment I heard a daughter tell her mother while I was reading my book at the coffee shop.

Their conversation reminded me of some of the other comments we hear or say in our personal or professional relationships.

• “You are just not listening to me”
• “I am not interested”
• “I do not understand why you need me to do this?”

Everything the mother was saying to her daughter made complete sense.  Unfortunately, what the mother did not realize is that she was speaking in a language that her daughter did not know or relate to.

Even when we have relevant information others need, if we do not speak in their language the interaction leads directly to frustration, mis-understanding and ineffectiveness.

Speaking to one’s personality is nothing more than speaking to one in their language.

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When we become aware of peoples personalities, there are endless benefits:

• We can more easily predict what others will do, say, think and feel given different situations.
• We will understand WHY they feel the way they do.
• Why they respond or react the way they do.
• Make the decisions they do.

All of us have an intrinsic need to feel understood.  When a client feels that you understand what they’re needs are, why they are making particular decisions, or that you innately understand them for who they are at their most basic level, than and only than will they want to connect with you at a deeper level.  Loyalty and referrals start from that point on.

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Imagine the impact in your personal life, spouse, children, teenagers…How much does the feeling of being understood play a part in those relationships?

We have all met people with the attitude “why should I change? – they should change first”. I believe this attitude is the lowest form of communication between two individuals.  We must commit to letting go of this archaic form of thinking and communicating.

Being understood is more important to people than getting what they want.

Oh wait a minute – That is exactly what they want.

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“If you talk to a person in a language they understand that goes to their head.

If you talk to them in their language, that goes to their heart.”

Nelson Mandela

I have to start by saying I am so so so grateful for all the people that supported this event.  It was a pleasant surprise to have close to 200 people come to the event.

We have received so many emails from people saying they had a great time; full of education, networking and some great wine at the Okanagan Grow Your Business Event on November 5th.

5 Key messages to take away from the session:

1. Understand The State Of Mind Of Others: We are emotional creatures.  Every decision we make is based on emotion and justified by logic.  Those emotions are based on our past experiences in similar situations.  Before you start bombarding people with logical information, understand their present state of mind and than connect to those emotions.

2. What emotion did I leave behind? If every decision is based on our emotional state of mind than the most critical question you can ask after every interaction with people, be it your customers – spouse – or – children is, what emotion did I leave behind? It takes 5 sec. to answer that question, so make it a conscious habit you will will see your relationships grow to a deeper level.

3. Speak their language: This is what the presentation was all about.  We can logically have all the information someone needs, but if we do not speak to them in the language they understand, the communication and information will be of no use to them.  Understand the balance between their core personality and their adapted behaviors and than speak their language.

4. What are their perceptions of the relationship? One thing I hear consistently from people is their belief, perception, of the level and depth of the relationships in their lives.  The true question we need to ask is what are the perception of others in our professional and personal lives?

5. Take the time to understand others feelings - By nature we gravitate towards wanting to be understood and in turn we expect others to change how they should interact with us.  That to me is an archaic way of thinking.  Take the time to understand others feelings and emotions when you are communicating with those in your life.

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I want to take the time to thank everyone for their support and a special thank you to the OBRG members for all their hard work in helping to make this event a success.

Congratulations to the 6 people that won the door prizes, equaling to $3500 and thank you to the following door prizes.

PinStripe – Creative Design Marketing ($1500 Marketing package – website / letterhead / cards etc)

Beachwalk Villas ($300 interior decorating and staging)

Belleview Communities (Weekend Getaway in Scottsdale Arizona)

Benson Salloum Watts (Thank you for helping us raise a little over $400 for charity)

Stone Quest Granite & Marble Personalized Granite Slab: (Value $250)

Hustle Up Dog Trainers: 3 Private Dog Trainer Gift Certificates: (Value $150/each)

Ron Finch – Water Colourist Art Lesson: (Value $125)

Kelowna Cycle Gift Certificate: (Value $100)

We were also able to raise some more money for the Women Shelter.  If anyone wants to further support the Women Shelter you can go to any Valley First Credit Union and pick up my book on donation and ALL the proceeds will go to the Women Shelter.

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I have received a lot of emails wanting to know when the next event will be.

If I were to ask you to comment?  What specific topic would be useful to you?

I know I had a lot of fun.  I hope you had a great time and were able to take away something you can implement in your professional and/or personal life.

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Looking forward to your comments on your experience with the event and any future topics you would like to see.

Thank you to everyone for all their support, you have truly touched my heart.

Fred Sarkari

***WIN A 64 Gb IPOD TOUCH*** Share your thoughts below on what would be a great topic for another session for entrepreneurs and you could win a ipod Touch (approx. Value $399)