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Greetings!
Two Thousand and Seven ~ The New Year is here
with the chance of a lifetime. Every January, people
around the United States believe they are given the
chance to re-invent themselves through one of the
traditions of the season, the making of New Year's
resolutions. This tradition dates back to the early
Babylonians where the most popular resolution was
to return borrowed farm equipment. Popular modern
resolutions often include the promise to lose weight,
quit smoking or achieve career advancement.
In reality, we are all given the chance to reinvent
ourselves every morning. The beginning of the New
Year shouldn’t be the only time to make promises to
ourselves to improve our lives. We should wake up
every morning and view the day as an opportunity to
make a difference – a challenge to be better than
we’ve ever been before.
Throughout this month, I encourage you to purchase
a journal and celebrate the past year by listing all
that you have – all of your talents, knowledge gained
and lessons learned. It is important to acknowledge
and appreciate what we have before we can ever
ask for more. Then, I challenge you to make a list of
what you want or expect to happen in 2007. Please
note that if 2006 wasn’t as prosperous as you would
have liked, take heart in the many lessons you’ve
learned from your experiences on your upside
journey. May you resolve any unhappiness with the
past in order to purposefully and passionately move
forward...for 2007 will be your best year ever!
All the best,
Lisa Marie Platske, President
Upside Thinking, Inc.
| Featured Business with an Upside Attitude |
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Kelli C. Holmes, Founder of TEAM Referral Network,
has worked with thousands of businesses over the
last 20 years. Her focus is to teach business
professionals how to develop a successful business
based on Relationship Marketing. She specializes in
educating and supporting business professionals on
how to GROW their business through referrals. Kelli
believes you can do better, smarter business through
Relationship Marketing. The motto for her
organization TEAM Referral Network is from the word
TEAM... Together Everyone Achieves More.
Kelli is a consultant for the SBDC (Small Business
Development Center), is on the Board of Directors for
the Girl Scouts and has been a featured keynote
speaker at many business conferences, Chamber of
Commerce events, Community events and has done
many workshops on the topic of “Networking”
and “Relationship Marketing”. Kelli and her husband
Michael were featured in an issue of Entrepreneur
Magazine on how to build your business by referral.
In 2002 Kelli took her experience in Relationship
Marketing and founded TEAM Referral Network.
TEAM is a professional referral organization that turns
success oriented business people into a strong team
of networking professionals who work together to
build their businesses by referral. TEAM has over 30
chapters in Southern California and is expanding
nationally and internationally in 2007.
It is part of TEAM’s mission to, “...positively impact
our members businesses and the community that
they belong”, so Kelli encourages all of the members
to give back to their community. “It is the goal of
this organization to positively impact hundreds of
charities and non-profits in communities where there
are chapters of TEAM, not only with the members
being active in their community with a local non-
profit/charity but by TEAM doing their part as well”,
Kelli says. With this in mind TEAM donates a
membership in every chapter to a local non-profit or
charity that benefits children and/or families. The
charity functions as a member just like every
business does by participating in weekly meetings,
giving presentations, bringing referrals and visitors,
etc. With their focus for referrals being on
fundraising, “friend” raising, support for events,
volunteers, committee members and board members.
TEAM is proud to have many wonderful local, national
and international charities, like Habitat for Humanity,
City of Hope, McKinley Children’s Center to name a
few, as members. TEAM really wants to help make a
difference in this world.
TEAM is located in La Verne, California, the same city
in which Kelli has been a life long resident and has
been a business owner there for over 20 years.
Currently she and her husband reside there with
daughters Riley (6) and Charlotte (4).
If you were to ask Kelli the root of her success, she
would tell you, it is from her faith in God; giving back
to her community; having an outlook of gratitude and
abundance; and having strong, community-based
business relationships with really great people.
Contact info: (866)311-TEAM or
www.teamreferralnetwork.com
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| Upside Quotation Station |
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“There's only one corner of the universe you
can be certain of improving, and that's your own
self."
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
English writer, author of "Brave New World"
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| Leadership Tales and Trivia Corner |
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If your feeling like a strong cup of coffee and a good
book, try Good to Great: Why Some
Companies Make the Leap...and Others
Don't by
Jim Collins (because as he says, "Good is the
enemy of great.")
If you're in the mood for popcorn and a
movie, try Invincible
(because to be a good leader you've gotta have
heart, want more for yourself and the people around
you and be willing to take BIG risks).
And, if you're feeling lucky, answer
our January
trivia
question! What company was the first to
earn $1 billion in one year?
A prize will be awarded to the 1st person who
e-mails the correct answer to us!
Recap of 2006 Trivia Winners Circle!
January - Danny Rich, Stellar Financial
February - Ilse DiPinto, DiPinto & Associates
March - Susan Terberg, Riverside Community College
April – Jack Harris, Gilmartin, Harris & Associates
May - Aaron Knight, Amerinet Finance, Inc.
June - Hank Rogers, RCC-CACT (Center for Applied
Technologies)
July - Tom Nightingale, Wells Fargo
August - Dennis Sonney, CA Manufacturing
Technology Consulting
September - Dustin Ubrun, Anser Coding, Inc.
October - Andy Culver,Viasys Healthcare
November - Patricia Hinojosa, AG Edwards
December - Susan Schwartz, Customs & Border
Protection
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| Ready to make 2007 a truly GREAT year? |
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Interested in learning more about how to develop
your clear leadership vision, increase your sphere of
influence/clientele and improve your long-term
growth and steady profits in 2007? Call Lisa Marie
today to learn more about our Upside Thinking
coaching packages!
Is your company planning a conference or board
retreat in 2007? Contact Upside Thinking, Inc. to
book Lisa Marie for one of her
amazing, motivational seminars for your company
today! You won’t be disappointed!
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| About Lisa Marie |
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As the President and Chief Excellence Officer of
Upside Thinking, Inc., Lisa Marie brings enthusiasm
and passion to
her work every day. Committed to transforming
organizations through individual development, Ms.
Platske believes lasting success in organizations
comes from recognizing that people have intrinsic
value and deserve respect, regardless of where they
are in the organizational chart. UTI's leadership
coaching and training programs teach individuals how
to develop their leadership ability, increase their
sphere of influence and strengthen their earning
potential.
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| Save the Date: Visonary Business Conference |
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Creating Business From the Inside Out
At the conference you will learn to:
Build a visionary business
Bring your soul to work
Become a visionary leader
Connect business and spirit
Implement spirit-driven strategies
Make a living & Have a life
SPEAKERS:
Rev. Margaret Shepherd * Jamie Walters * Jack
Barnard * Dawna Jones * Linda Landon * BJ
Gallagher * Chellie Campbell * Stewart Levine * Lisa
Marie Platske * Michael Peter Langevin
FEBRUARY 1, 2, & 3
LAX Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles
FEE: $199
For more information/register:
www.speakerservices.com/visionary.biz
310-822-4922
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| NAFE News |
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In January, Lisa Marie will be recognized for her
vision, creativity, and service to others by the
National Association of Female Executives (NAFE)
and presented with a Woman of Excellence award.
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Breaking the Status Quo |
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Early on in my supervisory career with the U.S.
Customs Service I was working a passenger
inspection line on a foreign commercial flight arrival
and watched as one of the inspectors went through
the entry process of every passenger that came
through his lane in the most routine and uninspiring
manner I had ever seen. I have no doubt that if one
of the passengers had a shirt that read “I’m
smuggling drugs. Please search me.,” this inspector
would not have observed it. After the lane had
cleared I asked the inspector why he hadn’t been
more engaged with the inspection process, and he
came back with a response that has remained with
me throughout the years. He said, “Because, it’s
good enough for government work.” That of course
wasn’t what I wanted to hear as a supervisor but it
also bothered me for two other reasons.
First of all, the phrase “good enough for government
work” was started during the WW-II manufacturing
period and represented work of the highest quality
and standards – nothing but the best for those at
the frontlines. How unfortunate that such a noble
phrase now refers to government work as average or
worse for so many people. Secondly, I don’t
believe “good enough,” is in fact ever “good enough”
if you are committed to being the best worker,
spouse, friend, parent, sibling, you can possibly be.
Think about it, have you really gained all the
experience and learning necessary, or desired, and
reached a point where there’s nothing left to improve
upon in your behavior and performance? I surely
hope not, and your co-workers, spouse and children
hope not too. In fact, I don’t know if we can ever
get to that place.
The goal isn’t to get to a given point in your career
and relationships so you can say, “I’m here, and I’ve
done, seen and learned it all so I’m just going to
transition to status quo.” Don’t settle for “good
enough” in your personal or professional
relationships. Choose to become a better person,
the best person you can be, in all aspects, for a
lifetime. If it’s important enough to do it’s important
enough to want to excel. Understand that your goal
should be to ensure the future state of your personal
and professional life is better than it is today.
That experience years ago with the inspector gave
me the inspiration to establish my workplace mission
statement framed around the very event itself, “to
return government work from good enough, to
great,” so that my commitment to become a better
worker and a better person would be established
forever.
What do you have integrated into your life that helps
you become a better person? What is your personal
mission statement? Do you have a clear vision for
your life, professionally and personally? Have you
outlined the values that you will use to help you
make the difficult decisions in your life? Breaking the
status quo and going straight to great doesn’t
happen overnight. It comes from making choices
every day that lead to the creation of habits that will
propel us to greatness.
Did you know?
The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all
holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon
about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC,
the Babylonian New Year began with the first New
Moon after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).
Our January 1st date has no astronomical or
agricultural significance.
The song, "Auld Lang Syne," is sung at the stroke of
midnight in almost every English-speaking country in
the world to bring in the new year. "Auld Lang Syne"
literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old
days."
Top 10 Greatest Business Leaders of the 20th
Century
1. Samuel M. Walton Wal-Mart
2. Walter E. Disney Walt Disney
3. William H. Gates III Microsoft
4. Henry Ford Ford Motor
5. John P. Morgan J.P. Morgan Chase
6. Alfred P. Sloan Jr. General Motors
7. John F. Welch Jr. General Electric
8. Raymond A. Kroc McDonald's
9. William R. Hewlett Hewlett-Packard
10. David Packard Hewlett-Packard
To read the complete list of the 100 Greatest
Business Leaders of the 20th Century Click Here.
Harvard Business School professors Anthony J.
Mayo
and Nitin Nohria
Find out more....
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