In this issue

• $25 Million Dollar Gamble
• Your Survey Results - Surprise!
• Alpha Quick Tip - Fear to Safety
• Conflict of Conscience

In 1999 through 2001, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, Battery and Bessemer Ventures gave me $25 Million dollars to build ePIT Systems, my financial software start-up.

What was their biggest risk?

“Looking back at failed companies, leadership is universally the problem,” according to the Applied Research Corporation.

I agree.

The Venture Capitalists on my board invested time and money to monitor the market, hire an experienced CEO, skilled programmers, marketing gurus, operations experts and management. But once I was given the money, there was no investment in the most critical risk – leadership skills.

Why?

Because the leadership skills that matter are intensely personal.

Here is a list of leadership traits that my clients and management gurus say is important for leaders:

Trustworthy/Honest * Open * Humor * Listens * Courage * Visionary * Drive/Energy * Ability to engage others * Natural public speaker * Intuitive/Creative * Humility * Flexible/ Adaptable * Confident * Passion * Tolerance for dissent * Deliberate/Substantiative

Can you imagine a busy venture capitalist teaching a founder how to be more open or how to listen? Yet their money rides on these and similar characteristics! They place their bet and even though they can improve the odds, they step back as if they were helpless.

Although the venture capitalist can’t get radically personal even to protect their own investment, YOU can! If you are interested in building a community service, ramping up your company or changing the world, I want to make the first step in your adventure as easy as possible. If you are willing, here is what I want you to do.

First, take our select “Creative Leadership Questionnaire” which takes about 20 minutes and will give you a 20 page analysis of your current leadership assets in five categories. Secondly, target our Alpha Presence (sm) Bull’s-Eye with your self-evaluation for sixteen skill categories. And finally, tell us who you are and want to be, with the Alpha Coach written exercise.

When you take this first step by purchasing this $49.00 package, I will be willing to schedule at no charge a private 15 minute phone conversation based on the results of your work. We will discuss exercises you can do immediately to become more effective in the areas critical to your success.

Given time limits, I can only schedule a few of these sessions, so it is first come, first serve.

Find out why I am doing this - Go to details and registration

Your Survey Results - Surprise!

Our next series of teleseminars is not about what I think you want but about what you asked for in our survey.

The winners for our Triple Treat Teleseminar series are in order of your preference:

• Power of Persuasion
• Presence with Powerful People
• Gift of Radical Honesty
• Creating Charisma
• Handling Hostile Encounters
• Learning Leadership
• Telling Stories to Create Change
• Catapulting Creativity
• Pleasure at Podium (public speaking)
• Managing Critical Convesations
• Professional Power by Giving Pleasure
• Stress Free Selling
• From Whining to Winning
• Salvation from Social Anxiety
• Transforming your Boss
• Engaging Employees
• Customer Service Excellence

It was my guess that Radical Honesty would be at the bottom of the list because when I discuss this topic, most people look like rabbits starring into the jaws of a fox as they consider telling their spouse what they really think. I also didn't expect Presence with Powerful People to be on the minds of most of you. This is why I LOVE these surveys. You get what you want. The top vote getter, the Power of Persuasion, is already starting to work. Hey, you persuaded me to make this our next teleseminar!

So much for Customer Service Excellence which came in last. No wonder we whine about service!

We give each topic two teleseminars, with homework in between to give you a chance to practice new behaviors. Sign up for just the topic that interests you ($100.00 per seminar) or, sign up for all three for $199.00 That is a total of SIX hours of seminar plus our worksheets and guided imagery CD.

Alpha Quick Tip - Fear to Safety

A co-worker turns to you, their vocal cords tighten, their voice goes up an octave, their heart rate increases as they respond to your question. Of course, being in the state of Alpha Presence(sm) you are immediately aware that this person is feeling threatened and you know that the first order of business is to make them feel safe.

You take a big breath, relax your face, give them your absolute attention and ask:

"Can you take a moment to describe your concerns to me?"

Ahhhh.....

1. You are respectful and ask permission.
2. They see and feel that you are going to listen, not argue.
3. They know their concerns are going to have an impact on you.

Because your goodwill is genuine, their voice returns to its normal range, you have done your job and the conversation begins. Congratulations.

Conflict of Conscience

I am hiring a couple of specialists to work with our clients. My interviews with some of the prospects set off alarm bells as I probed their eagerness to expand our business.

There was something subtly wrong.

I am not sure I have a handle on it, but I have a good guess.

We all have our own internal thermostats set to financial and business success. Some of us have our internal financial theremostats set for subsistence living (one of the applicants). Many lottery winners who take a large lump sum payment return to the same net worth they had prior to winning the lottery. Why? Because we can't tolerate more success or wealth than our subconscious thermostat allows.

I have had dramatic changes in my own success after wrestling with and clearing my income limits when I was a trader on the floor of the Pacific Stock Exchange. As I built my trading firm and hired traders, one of the problems was traders who would hit the limit of their internal thermostat would then start losing MY MONEY! I hired my sister, a hypnotist, to raise their thermostat.

• Does making money feel greedy to you?
• As you accumulate capital and savings, do you worry about the gap between the rich and poor?
• Are you critical of wealthy people because of their money?
• Do you cringe when you think of raising your prices for your product or service?
• Are you driven to make sure that you are working for the good of everyone, not just yourself?
• Do you make bad business, financial or personal decisions when things are going well that set you back again?

I welcome you to a no charge teleseminar (you pay your direct dial long distance) that presents a radical model for your consideration. The "Certificates of Appreciation" model supports being a good person, doing good in the world and providing for your financial happiness without conflict. Whew