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Update From Eileen

Every January for the past eight years, I have gone away by myself for a silent retreat. It is my time to pull inside, like the seeds that have snuggled beneath layers of snow and ice. The center I chose for spiritual renewal sits at the foot of a mountain. My first year, I decided to hike the trail that led from San Ysidro Ranch to the top of the mountain. Frankly, I was afraid but realized this could be a great metaphor for my life. Five hours later I was back, having climbed from sea level to 3,500 feet and covered a little under nine miles. Every year since then, I have resolutely climbed that mountain in sun and in rain.

Last year, I invited my husband to join me for the last two days of my retreat. To my surprise, when we returned from my annual hike, my backpacking husband said he didn't like me climbing alone.

He repeated the caution again this year as I got ready to go. "I don't like it. Too many kooks out there. Sharp drop-offs. Narrow trails Slippery rocks. Bad footholds. Take your cell phone with you."

Maybe he was right. My imagination jumped into his picture. Despite my seven years' experience-I could feel his fear becoming mine. I began thinking of the safety of local footpaths. It happens: Our experience tells us one thing but then, others share their fears:

"Don't talk to strangers. Don't trust different people. Color within the lines or else. Be afraid. Be very afraid."

I listened to him and my heart. I climbed the mountain.

My lesson to be shared: determine whose fears you'll own. The neighbor down the street is not suddenly an enemy. The corporation has not become-overnight-a greedy, lying, out-to-suck-up-profits-and-nail-everyone entity. Let your internal wisdom guide you and then do what YOU think is right. Ok-and carry a cell phone.

May 2003 find us filled with courage to do that which our heart knows is right.

Something To Think About: Fire Clients!

Don't sacrifice your principles and policies to obtain new business. You will always lose," insists Kelly Borth, President of Greencrest in Columbus, Ohio.

She has fired clients whose behavior didn't fit into the agency's core values: honesty, integrity, perseverance, hard work, and fair business practices.

In economic hard times, such advice might seem ludicrous but long-term benefits abound. Think of the emotional and mental energy it takes to deal with a client who is abusive, arrogant, and hard to please. Such energy can be channeled into more productive outcomes for clients who resonate with your values. Satisfied clients are the best referral source for more business. Employees, too, realize that an organization actually puts its values into action. Talk about increasing the "trust quotient"!

In my business, I have turned down work when my instincts say I am either not the right consultant/speaker for them or the venue is a mismatch. And it pays off. I declined to speak after dinner for a client who was holding an intense, day-long meeting. My advice: the managers needed down time or solid laugh time. But not me!

The result: the following year, they hired me to kick- off a higher level conference! Does it always work that way? No. But I believe in the motto: Act right. Sleep at night!

P.S. Watch for news of a soon-to-be-released resource co-created with my fabulous colleague, Sue Baechler: Act Right. Sleep at Night —The Big Book of Better Business Behavior!

Must Read Books

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Little Brown, 259 pp. $24.95, ISBN 0-316-31696-2. Are you a connector? A maven? A salesman? Want to change your company, your community, your world? As ambitious as it all sounds, Gladwell's research offers provocative insight into the three rules that CAN indeed make significant, contagious social epidemics. You'll learn about the Law of a Few, The Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. Fascinating reading.

VOICE POWER: Using Your Voice To Captivate, Persuade and Command Attention by Renee Grant-Williams. Amacom, 196 pp, $17.95, ISBN 0-814-47105-6. This voice coach to popular singers, politicians, and other celebrities shows how to speak for success in this practical guide to getting the most from your voice. The four- part paperback covers voice production, delivery, care, and specific advice for situations such as sales, voice mail, speeches, etc.

Go Play. It's the Profitable Energizer.

The job of a fish monger is hard, dirty, and smelly. When it's done outside, regardless of the weather, it can also be cold and wet. At the World Famous Pike Place Fish market in Seattle, fish mongers known for their wacky, highly-engaging antics with customers. They throw fish, kiss fish, juggle fish and maintain a steady banter with each other and the open-mouthed customers who crowd around to watch the show.

For a job in which there are no career paths, no major bonus packages, this fishy business has become the topic of a hot training film called, "Fish". The video demonstrates their highly unusual culture with its four fundamentals: play, be there, make their day, and choose your attitude.

Might sound sappy but it works. Employee retention is high, customers are happy, and the money keeps rolling in. Should be simple to replicate in any organization but the reality is that "play" is often the hardest. The "adult" voice in our head seems to separate work and play as incompatible.

It's time to lighten up! Take some pages from Southwest Airline's fun book. Find ways to delight your customers. Create moments for play and celebration. For the sake of your spirit AND your company-go play!

(E-mail me what you do for 'Play". We'll collect ideas and share them! eileen@eileenmcdargh.com)

It's always darkest before dawn.

So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

How Magnetic Are You?

"Intellectual capital will go where it is wanted, and it will stay where it is well treated. It cannot be driven; it can only be attracted," says former Citicorp Chairman Walter Wriston. Here are just some of the critical attractors: an environment that fosters a balance between work and family; the opportunity to use skills and grow talents; the ability to work with talented, fun- in-the-sandbox people; and a reputation for honesty. Competitive wage and benefits are a given.

Pure Wackiness

Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead.
Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow.
Do not walk beside me either.
Just leave me the heck alone.

Welcome To The McDargh Clan

CSC Financial Services Group
Employee Relocation Council (back for the 7th time!)
Radian Guarantee
Association for Career and Technical Education
Radio Advertising Bureau
Defense Department Auditors
State Compensation Insurance Fund

Pass Along The Newsletter - FREE

A couple of clients posed this question to me: "Eileen, how can we get your newsletter in the hands of our employees and management team?"

Great question! Here's the answer. You can send out an e-mail blast, asking if they'd like to receive a BRIEF, practical yet fun e-newsletter four times a year. If they say yes, just have them go to http://www.eileenmcdargh.com and viola! Thanks for asking!

Subscription Management:

You can now manage your subscription to The Energizer on the web! Just e-mail us at eileen@eileenmcdargh.com and let us know what you need. All new subscriptions are by e-mail only.

MISSION STATEMENT

McDargh Enterprises—Energizing the Human Spirit since 1980

Our mission is to transform the life of work and the work of your life.

We work with and speak for organizations that want people to create meaningful relationships with all their stakeholders and to develop a resilient leadership capacity for living a life of balance, engagement, productivity, and meaning in a changing world. We value laughter, life-long learning, and leadership through service.

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Testimonials

"Your appearance at our 7th Annual Women's Leadership Conference was a wonderful way to kick off the day. Your energy and enthusiasm was catching. Your personal message about life and living is a subject women respond to so positively. Your sincerity is communicated to the audience and we know from the evaluations that they were moved."

- Women's Leadership Conference