Don’t Expect Miracles: How to cope with difficult family during the Holidays

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We get out the china, crystal and silver for our special holiday parties and family gathering.  How about getting out the best of you to take to the event? Put aside all the past experience that has not brought out the best in you or your family members.  You have way more control than you think:

  • Choose civility and don’t buy into someone else’s emotional drama. Step away.
  • There will be no Christmas or Holiday miracle. People don’t change. But you can.
  • When you buy into someone else’s toxic behavior, you have stooped to their level. Personally, that is not where I want to be.
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Holiday Protocol

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by Marsha Petrie Sue

The Holidays can be challenging if you attend dinners, family gatherings, and office banquets.  The following list provides quick reminders and new information that will put joy in your holiday meal rather than instill fear.

Frequently Asked Questions on Business Meal Table Protocol

Q: Where is the best place to sit?

A: Determine if your meal partner is right or left handed.  If right handed, sit to their left and visa versa.  Their body posture will naturally open in your direction making conversation more comfortable.

never-do1Q: How should I select what I order to eat?

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Ain’t Got No Couth

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Couth: showing or having good manners or sophistication; smooth.

What has happened to Couth? Has individual narcissism made it an extinct personal value?

I have evidence that for some travelers, in particular, they ain’t got none. Here’s proof…

IMG_1745 2The woman sitting in the seat directly in front of mine on a recent flight, threw her hair over the back of her seat. The wad of hair was now hanging all the way down to my tray. If people weren’t staring at me, I would have slammed her brown mane in my tray. Thankfully we were on approach so I only dealt with that mess for 5 minutes. She had no couth.

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Presentation Strategies Seven tips for presenting more confidently

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Nervous about speaking? Not sure how to come across like an expert? Use these eight tips to help you sharpen your presentation skills.

  1. Seize the Opportunity. A key building block for developing confidence as a speaker is to speak, and speak often. Seize every opportunity you can, personally and professionally, to speak in public. If someone invites you to “stand up and say a few words,” or you are asked to make a presentation, jump at the chance. Don’t wait to be asked . . .volunteer! Practice makes perfect.
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Choices: It is about You!

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By Marsha Petrie Sue, MBA

Do you have a situation, either personal or professional, that needs to improve? If so, why don’t you? If you don’t, you must have already been blessed with Sainthood.

We all face situations that linger and typically the reason is our level of discomfort in stepping up and resolving it and making a choice.

Considerations:

  1. Figure out what part of the problem you own – it may be something as small as not asking enough questions to get to the real issue and then trying to solve the wrong problem.  By the way, this is often the case!
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Don’t Limit Coaching: 7 key steps

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By Marsha Petrie Sue, MBA

Turnover is rampant. Employees are looking for positions that help them move forward to improve earnings and develop career pathing. The expectation of today’s workers from leadership is to help them succeed.  This can be done by effectively coaching, and not just for the low performers but also for the stars of any team. Don’t become vulnerable of losing your top performers to the competition.  Set up a coaching system to keep all people engaged and loyal.

  1. Let them know why coaching is important. Make this conversation personalized to their particular needs.
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Negativity Bias: How thinking creates poor outcomes

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By Marsha Petrie Sue, MBA

“Blame it on our brains. Our ‘negativity bias,’ an ancient survival mechanism, hardwires us to be nitpickers, focusing on what’s wrong as a way to keep ourselves and our tribe safe,” says an article in the Wall Street Journal. While this Wall Street Journal article focuses on parenting, children grow up to be in the workforce.

why we have a negativity biasIn today’s business environment, the focus must be on leveraging strengths while minimizing weaknesses. Annual appraisals highlight what needs to change.  By the way, if a manager waits until appraisal time to announce deficiencies, they are not leading but looking for a scapegoat of sorts.

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FREEDOM IS NOT FREE: The 7 laws that will make you free

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By Marsha Petrie Sue, MBA

“Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.”
–Dwight D. Eisenhower

Our simple freedoms have been violated. Many are now worried about their companies, their business and their customers. The status of our daily lives, both personally and professionally is changing forever. The one element we control is our personal freedom. Freedom begins with you and by taking personal responsibility for everything — including your success.

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