O

Too many years ago to count, in lieu of exchanging Christmas gifts, the adults in my family adopted a grab bag of sorts with a few simple rules.

This year, I smiled as I unwrapped a jar of oregano, an “On This Day” calendar, and a subscription to O - The Oprah Magazine.

My brother knows me so well!

Love or hate her, Oprah has been a household name for nearly my entire life.

I recall being a young girl, at home on a random weekday, when The Oprah Winfrey Show aired at 9 a.m. on our local ABC affiliate, channel 7.

For the next hour, I’d be glued to the TV.

Over the years, of course, Oprah would launch ventures too numerous to count, reaching her audience in so many ways - never reinventing and always maintaining relevance.

As I thumbed through that copy of O yesterday, I could’ve sworn that Oprah Winfrey had sat down herself and written the entire issue just for me.

And I was reminded, of course, that Oprah’s gift is her ability to connect with her audience - an audience of one or one million.

And that billion-dollar business she’s built? It’s the outcome of her ability to put that gift to work.

New year, new opportunities. What’s one thing you can do to connect more authentically with someone today? Share with us below!

A Dime A Dozen

Insurance agents are a dime a dozen.

Chances are good that you are one - or you know (at least) one.

The same might be said about realtors. And attorneys. And bankers. I know a dozen of each without pausing to count.

But of the hundreds of fellow service providers in my network, only a couple would I recommend.

Why?

It’s certainly not because an attorney is an attorney. Her qualifications are a given.

I sing her praises because she is patient, she is warm and she instills confidence in her clients.

It’s exactly how I feel when I’m in her presence.

And it feels good.

As you’re swapping business cards at your next networking event, filling the “insurance” or “realtor” or “banker” seat at the table, remember that as service providers, we’re a dime a dozen.

But what’s not a dime a dozen?

You.

We’ve all got ‘em - tell me your best story about that person you wouldn’t recommend to your worst enemy! Can’t wait to read in the comments below.

The Value of a Handshake

I was 15 years old when I learned a proper handshake.

Mr. Bartkus - our English teacher and a local politician - had us line up in front of the class and shake his hand, one at a time.

He offered feedback and guidance as we perfected our technique:

“A little less firm,” as you might be mistaken as overly aggressive.

“Not enough pressure,” as you might be considered weak.

“Too short,” as you might appear eager.

And, for goodness' sake, it’s a “handshake,” not a “fingershake.”

Like so many things in life, the perfect handshake is hard to describe.

But you know it when you see it.

I’ve shaken a lot of hands in the years that have followed, introducing myself to potential bosses, boyfriends, and clients with confidence.

With so many other things to consider in those potentially emotion-filled circumstances, my handshake wasn’t one to fret about.

Were you taught the proper handshake, or did you figure it out as you went? Tell me your story in the comments below!

How Do You Give Back?

I grew up with public television; as a child, I assumed Sesame Street was just a few blocks away, and as a not-quite-teenager, my mother and I spent many winter afternoons devouring the latest installment of the Anne of Green Gables series. More recently, I looked forward to spending my Sunday nights in, watching the latest episode of Downton Abbey.

Through the years, and woven throughout these programs, were the segments filmed in the studio, when the on air talent would implore the viewers to call in to make a pledge to support the work of the station during a pledge drive.

“Who are those people?” I would often wonder as a kid; as a pre-teen it was more like “What qualifies them to do that?” And, a couple of years ago, the question was “How can I do that, too?”

A quick Google search and many volunteer hours later, yesterday afternoon, I again had the total pleasure to be in the studio during the latest pledge drive at WTTW studios, our local PBS affiliate.

To hear the stories of the callers as they recount their own experience with public television was time so well spent.

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I’d love to know - whether it’s through a donation of time or of money, do you have a cause you are passionate about supporting? Let me know in the comments below!

Always Take The Call

“Always take the call.” As she shared more about her own career path during her talk at the Women In Tech Breakfast on Friday morning, Julia Kanouse encouraged the women in the audience to always take the call - I nodded vigorously in agreement as I considered those times that I had myself taken the call.

Pivotal opportunities in my career journey have come as a direct result of my curiosity and openness to taking the call (or the meeting or the email - you get the point)!

As I continued to seek alignment between my values and the work I was doing, even if I took no action, these conversations helped me to solidify that I was indeed in the right place, helped me to forge new connections, and provided the opportunity to glean insights into the changing landscape of the insurance industry.

On a handful of occasions, these calls came at a time when I was ready to pivot. This truly is a journey!

How about you? Have you taken a call that changed the trajectory of your career? Let me know in the comments below!

Whose Voice Do You Hear?

Later this morning, I’ll be spending time with a group of my peers for our twice-monthly mastermind. I look forward to these gatherings in a way I couldn’t have anticipated when we first met at the start of this year, as I leave feeling more aligned, more clear and more determined, without fail, each time we meet.

Today I’ll be leading a session centered on risk and entrepreneurship, and as we work to make traditional risk management processes more accessible for entrepreneurs, I’ll be challenging the group to consider whose voice it is that they hear when they waver in their decision to take - or not - a risk in their life or business.

Sometimes these voices are an actual person - maybe a peer, partner or mentor. Often they’re the personification of a perceived past failure, or a lifelong belief we’ve had about our abilities - or lack thereof - to achieve. Once we can identify that voice, we can consider its role in our risk-taking decisions - and then proceed accordingly.

I’m so curious; do you have a strategy - formal or informal - for managing risk in your life and business?

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Interested in bringing this engaging workshop to your group or team? Message me here to start the conversation.

Elevating Your Insurance Career | Spot On Insurance

It’s a true delight to have spent an hour with Arleen Taveras and Ted Taveras on the latest episode of Spot On Insurance, sharing more about the path that led to the founding of Adjunct Advisors, and the resources I offer to agency principals as we develop and empower the Insurance industry’s next generation of sales leaders.  

You can stream the episode through iTunes here: http://apple.co/2mxR5um

Or listen to the episode in its entirety here:  https://spotoninsurance.com/podcast/elevating-insurance-career/

Ready to take the next step? Contact me today to discuss the individualized sales solutions available to your team!

Thoughts on...Moments & Momentum

A challenge for us all - as the holiday season approaches, can we pause to enjoy the moments as we keep momentum in business?