Ten year old Beloved Jefeti of Zimbabwe mistakenly thought a land mine he found was a transistor radio and put it in his mouth for better reception. He survived the resulting explosion but his face did not. Zimbabwe doctors put him back together as best as he could but he spent the next few years being called a monster because his face was unrecognizable. He dropped out of school and became home bound. Enter Operation of Hope located in Lake Forest, California visited the village where Beloved lived and he had the courage to ask for help A year later he was flown to the U.S. for surgery at UCLA. There were many road blocks to overcome regarding funding but the executive director of Operation Hope, Jennifer Trubenbach, borrowed money from a friend and took out a second mortgage on her house to pay her back. Beloved is now 17 years old and about six feet tall. He is attending school at a third grade level to get caught up with his education and he lives with a local host family. He visited his home village this past April with Trubenbach and returned to the U.S. in May. He hopes to continue his education here where he is happy and people respect and admire him. He was featured in the Orange County Register and the September 22nd issue of People Magazine. Here's to Beloved... a child branded a monster who had the courage to ask for help and here's to Jennifer Trubenbach and Operation of Hope for going above and beyond the average charity by personally giving Beloved a new face and a future. How could you reach out today to a child who needs your help?

From the second-story flagstone porch, I see “my” mountain. It’s small by mountain standards: just a 4.5-mile trail from sea level to the top where a ridgeline serves as a spine along the Santa Barbara coast. Every time I come to my retreat center, climbing the ridge has been my tradition. Some 12 years’ of a tradition. It takes a good four hours and along the way, I have plenty of time to think, observe, and just plain breathe. It’s a lonely trail: steep, heavily wooded, overgrown with bushes, and so very hot. But the view from the top is worth it. The three-days of subsequent muscle pain in my legs also assuages any guilt for remaining mostly sedentary for the rest of the time. Alas. This year, large posters placed at the trailhead warn of mountain lions within the area. Aggressive mountain lions have moved south since fires in Goleta destroyed their habitat. “Don’t hike alone. Have rocks in your pockets. Don’t run.”Are they nuts? No one is here to hike with me. Rocks in my pockets? Like I can hike with brick-size stones? Don’t run? Good luck. The warning continues: “They attack mostly from behind. Don’t take animals or children.” Great. The trail is narrow with blind corners. I can’t see ahead or behind me. At my size, I’d qualify as cat food. OK. I now have power walks and daily runs along the winding roads of Montecito. It’s not the same. That’s good. Time for me to break patterns. What a great metaphor for this time in my life, our workplaces, and our world. Maybe it is time to change: To sleep on a porch instead of a luxurious bedroom. To share a bathroom. To discover how little I really need and to be grateful in that revelation. Besides, I will find other mountains to explore. What change are you confronting?

Economic meltdown. Global turmoil. Politicians using fear-laced words to rouse the lowest common denominator of voters. And the beat goes on. It’s enough to make you crazy, anxious, afraid and paralyzed. That helps nothing! I’ve stopped looking at my investment account. With deliberation, I’ve moved what I can, eliminated what expenses I can and now—it’s back to business. Hand wringing and catastrophizing do nothing. I’ve written letters to newspapers, business journals, and Congress regarding my views on bailouts, corporate malfeasance/greed, offshore tax shelters for military contractors, and my belief that adding up negative numbers will never produce a positive. (Duh—just ask a 5th grader!) Global turmoil? Nothing I can control here. Let it go. Fear-mongering? As a word merchant, I know that a simple word, given the right inflection and the right innuendo can stir up emotions. Claude Pepper, in a long-forgotten race for the Florida Senate, did just that in a rather uneducated part of the Sunshine State. He accused his opponent of practicing monogamy. He stated that his opponent’s sister was a known thespian in wicked New York City. Furthermore, his opponent was a devoted bibliophile. If you’re gasping in horror at these words - go use the dictionary. They are all positive words!!! So what can I control here? First—I need to listen carefully. I can alert my readers and my audiences to think and do the same. Insist that candidates focus on issues, real problems, and potential but-not-set-in-stone solutions. And lastly—vote! It’s the most precious way to control what we can. What can YOU control? P.S. It would also be helpful to insist that we abandon the Electoral College as an outmoded institution born early in our nation’s history.

George Elton Mayo (1880-1949) worked for the Hawthorne Works of General Electric Company. He managed human behavior experiments between 1924 and 1927 and is widely considered to be the creator of the human relations movement. Mayo reached certain conclusions and has been widely quoted and published. He discovered: That work is a group activity. The social world of the adult is primarily patterned about work activity. The need for recognition, security and sense of belonging is more important in determining workers' morale and productivity than the physical conditions under which he works. A complaint is not necessarily an objective recital of facts; it is commonly a symptom manifesting disturbance of an individual's status position. The worker is a person whose attitudes and effectiveness are conditioned by social demands from both inside and outside the work plant. Informal groups within the work plant exercise strong social controls over the work habits and attitudes of the individual worker. The change from an established society in the home to an adaptive society in the work plant resulting from the use of new techniques tends continually to disrupt the social organization of a work plant and industry generally. Group collaboration does not occur by accident; it must be planned and developed. If group collaboration is achieved the human relations within a work plant may reach a cohesion which resists the disrupting effects of adaptive society. Although you may not agree with all of his conclusions you can clearly see a pattern of importance regarding communication. Communications and teamwork greatly enhances work satisfaction and employee retention. If you would like to know how to increase effective communications in your workplace consider reading my book Talk A'int Cheap...It's Priceless. If you would like to purchase books for all of your employees call me at 949-637-4233.

Art Petty posted a to-the-point commentary about what a leader can do to help employees realize they can make a difference in the organization. According to Petty, a survey of Fortune 500 organizations revealed that 40% of employees don't think that what they do makes a difference in the company's performance. OUCH! That's a huge malaise. Talk about meaningless work! In today's economy NO ONE should be involved in trivial pursuits. Leaders must continually step up to the plate and look at the spoken and unspoken messages being sent around the organization. I agree with Petty: open, frank conversation is critical for discovering what current practices and beliefs are creating a sense of worthlessness and cynicism. But having frank conversations is not a skill set for many people. By using the neutral lessons from GIFTS FROM THE MOUNTAIN, a leader can initiate conversations that open the doors for deeper issues. Likewise, you might consider getting outside facilitation help to open the conversations. I know I've been called in to help teams learns how to speak their truth in ways that produce results an improved relationships. Lastly, listening is a learned skill. To be able to carry a conversation and listen without judgment is a skill that requires constant practice. Consider having a "shadow" who observes you in meetings and can give you feedback on just how you behaved as both a listener and a speaker. There's much we all do unconsciously that sends the wrong signals in this tricky field of human communication.

From the files of "we have more technology than we know what to do with it" comes a new tool so you don't have to listen to your voice mail. Services such as YouMail allows users to access voice messages in an e-mail or online. The idea is to minimize the time you spend retrieving voice mail. But remember, the more important the issue or the relationship, returning that call is essential. When you don't talk phone to phone or voice to voice details may go missing, tone of voice and visual cues aren't there and you just missed a valuable chance to create a relationship with your potential client, a colleague, or employee. My advice: talk person to person if at all possible. If it isn't, call and speak to your potential client in real time. The more you build the relationship, the more you profit. For more ideas like this look at my book "Talk Ain't Cheap... It's Priceless!".

So many people do so much for others, at work and at home, that they never have a moment to themselves. If this sounds like you then you then get out your planner. Schedule the following activities: Exercise 4-5 times a week. Go for a massage once or twice a month. Select a night for being with someone who warms your heart. Take in a movie once a month or find a great book to read and set aside time Practice your art—whatever that is. It refreshes your spirit. Get the idea? Schedule your stress relief and your fun in advance. Then if someone asks you to do something you don't have time to do then you can truthfully say "I'm sorry, I'm already full booked that day!"

In one of your desk drawers keep one or two hilarious photos that you love, some silly putty, yo-yours or a wind-up toy. Add anything that makes you smile... even under stress. When you need a brief break go into the drawer to look at the pictures or to spend five minutes playing with a toy that brings a smile to your face and lets you get back to work stress free! If you need supplies of fun toys visit your local Toys R Us.

Daily stress takes a toll. Long days at work in front of a computer can result in insomnia, stiffness, pain and headaches. In this three-part series we will explore a variety of ways of relieving stress that will help you get more balance in your life. Use computer software or a small , kitchen timer set to go off every hour to remind your to get up and stretch, get something to drink, or grab a healthy snack.

Want to become involved in advocating for family friendly policies in America? MomsRising is organizing millions of people to work together to change our culture and our laws to be more family friendly. Using the power of the Internet MomsRising is electronically supporting citizen involvement in creating policies that will support families at home and at work. For more information visit http://www.momsrising.org/

The June 2008 issue of Fortune Small Business published an interesting article entitled "How To Navigate Customer Service" by Jonathan Blum. Although it focused on the technology used by Kayak.com to route customer service calls and e-mails, I found the philosophy behind the routing more interesting. Kayak.com has no customer service department. Everyone in the company, including manager and senior leaders, answers the customer service telephones and responds to e-mail for about twenty minutes each day. The technology routes these incoming messages to the proper staff member. What a concept! Wouldn't it be impressive if every company, large or small, required their leaders to participate daily in customer service issues. Imagine the power of INFORMED leaders who have the frontline opportunity to understand what their customers like or dislike. What a powerful way to run a business!

Several years ago Oprah produced an entire show on the topic of saying "No.". Women are notoriously bad at saying no. Research done by Carol Gilligan from Harvard discovered that women make choices first for others and put themselves at the bottom of the list. We often don’t say “no” because we feel guilty, we’re afraid of offending, and sometimes, even afraid that it would reflect poorly on our work. Consider that an alternative to “no” might be “not now”. Being polite and helpful doesn't work if you're overscheduled and exhausted every day. If saying “no” or “not no” sounds too harsh, try this statement: "That sounds very interesting. Let me think about it and get back to you." This gives you some time to decide what's really important… more volunteer work or five hours of sleep at night. When you do get back to the person asking for help be firm and clear that you are saying no. Never use the word "maybe" and don't offer an excuse. Start protecting the time you need to take care of yourself. Remember, like a well, it must be filled for others to drink. When you are completely depleted by life's demands then you have nothing to give to life and loved ones.