The
monsoon season has arrived in the desert. Prior to
moving here, I would never have imagined that I would
be living through monsoons. Of course, they don’t
seem quite as extreme, as I had envisioned them ravaging
the South Seas, but for the desert, they’re
pretty exciting. We’ve had fabulous displays
of lightning, dust storms and rain. Being here gives
new meaning to the term ‘scattered thunderstorms’.
You can literally scan the horizon and see multiple
storms moving across the Valley.
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As
fascinating as the weather is at the moment,
it’s a signal that the seasons are changing
and the end of summer is on its way. OK, I could
certainly use a respite from the 110+ temperatures,
but I like summer and I’m sure I’ll
miss the heat once winter arrives. Certainly
winter in the desert is no match to winter in
Chicago, my hometown, but it’s amazing
just how quickly one’s blood thins. Maybe
fall will last until spring. Wishful thinking,
huh? |
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| Message
From the President |
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 I’m
working on a new project and I’m really
excited about it. The project is geared toward
owners and managers of small and medium-sized
businesses. It will be a members-only web
site called ManagementMasteryClub.com.
It’s
not launched yet, but I’m expecting
to have it out by the end of August. I suspect
that small business owners and managers
don’t often have access to seasoned
human resources and management expertise
and this project will allow people to tap
into my almost 35 years (how could that
be?!?!?) of HR, management coaching and
direct management experience in a variety
of industries.
Plus,
I’ll be partnering with experts in
various aspects of successful business management,
conducting teleclasses and interviews with
them, so members will be able to listen
in on key, timely topics that can directly
impact their top and bottom lines. What
business owner isn’t interested in
increasing sales and keeping more of what
gets brought in? What manager doesn’t
want to get more productivity out of his
or her staff?
If
there are particular topics you’d
be interested in hearing about, please let
me know. I’m in the process of assembling
my first round of ‘experts’
so please feel free to suggest
subjects you’d really like to
learn more about. I’m even thinking
about offering up time for individual, personalized
E-mail coaching and short, targeted, one-on-one
laser-coaching sessions, too. You’ll
also have access to HR forms, employment
laws and other employment-related resources
- all for a small monthly fee, which will
undoubtedly be much cheaper than having
an HR/management guru on retainer or on
staff.
Stay
tuned. I’ll let you know how I’m
progressing on this one.
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| Feature
Article - Picking Up The Pieces |
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When
my husband and I returned from attending a family
reunion earlier in the month, we discovered a
bird nest had been built on a tree in our front
yard. We’ve been in our home for less than
3 years and the tree is still relatively short.
Additionally, it’s one of those water-economizing
native desert trees (Chilean Mesquite) and its
branches are long and gangly and not particularly
sturdy.
The
nest was just a little higher than eye level.
The tree is right next to both our front door
and garage door, so while it was quiet during
the time we were away, upon our return, the first
few times we walked by the tree, we frightened
the poor bird and it flew away. Time has passed
and the nesting bird (don’t know if it’s
the mommy or daddy) got either very comfortable
that we weren’t going to hurt it or just
really committed to protecting its eggs. But in
any event, we could eventually drive and walk
by with only a flutter-less, constant stare from
the nester. Occasionally, we would spot who we
assumed to be the partner parent, but that bird
was less comfortable with humans and always rushed
away in a panic.
I’m
not sure why the birds picked this tree to build
a nest, but here they were. Perhaps it was the
family’s first nest and they hadn’t
figured out the proper ‘infrastructure’
to support their home. In any event, I always
was concerned for this family and the instability
of their home and what had to be this nerve-wracking
brush with humanity.
One
of the unfortunate fall-outs of the recent monsoon
storms was that the winds ravaged the nest. The
following day my husband warned me that the nesting
bird was gone. I felt sad and the next time I
walked by the tree, I noticed on the ground an
egg – broken open and empty. I almost cried.
“Why
am I sharing about this?”, you may be
wondering.
(Click to Read More) >>>
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| Expert
Interview: |
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| For
those of you who missed the interview with Terri
Levine – it was excellent! While it was geared
toward people interested in developing a coaching
practice, Terri’s ideas could benefit many
other people who just want to add another ‘stream
of income’ to their current revenue stream.
If you want to listen in on that
Power Hour chat, you can do it HERE.
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| Upcoming
Events |
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Transformation is an Inside
Job (lunch keynote) and Leadership that Transforms
& Delivers™ (breakout session),
Hispanic Employee Program Managers & Federal
Women Program Managers, Phoenix, Friday August
11. Call 602.280.8842 for more information, More
info-AZHEPM.
Leadership
that Transforms & Delivers™
(workshop session), 2007 Women Entrepreneurs’
Small Business Boot Camp, Saturday, January 20,
2007. www.womensbusinessbootcamp.com
Free
Teleclass:
Leadership that Transforms & Delivers™,
Wednesday, August 16, 1:00 pm PT, Sign
up here.
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