Our Next FREE Workshop is at the Richmond Hill Central Library on September 14, 2010

We have scheduled our next workshop "Layoff During Difficult Times - The End or a New Beginning?" to give back to our community.

Did you lose your job?
Are you fearful and stuck, looking for guidance?
Are you ready to be pro-active and make a plan for your life?
Do you need help identifying and setting your goals?
Do you want a confidence boost and create more self-awareness?
Do you know someone who lost their job recently?
Do you want to move forward and find the right job for YOU?
Are you thinking about self-employment?

We can help! We provide a supportive and positive learning environment and empower people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. It is all about taking action and taking 100 % responsibility for your life and for your results!

Sometimes it's tough to stay positive considering all the fears and insecurities we have to deal with. However, we have learned from own experience that attitude is everything and it is our goal to communicate to YOU how you can turn a positive outlook in your job search into action.

Come and join us! It's time to sign up.....

Our commitment to you is to give you positive energy, a lot of new ideas and a fantastic workshop without any investment for you, except your time. If you give us your commitment to participate, please do not let anything prevent you from attending. It will be well worth your time and effort.

This attitude alone will separate you from others who are looking a job. I firmly believe, how you do anything is how you do everything!

"The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it, and the faith to believe it's possible."
- Rich Devos

When? September 14, 2010 from 6 pm - 8.30 pm
Where? Central Library, 1 Atkinson Street, Richmond Hill L4C 0H5 (west/south corner of Major Mackenzie and Yonge)

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with AUTHENTICITY!

"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."
~ Carl Gustav Jung

This week I had the pleasure of meeting with the CFO of a large car manufacturing company.

I felt an immediate connection and our conversation was very enjoyable. After I left, I thought about what it was that gave me the feeling that everything about this lady was just about right.

I saw her values, her principles, and her commitment to her team, and I have to admit that this isn’t something that I see too often these days.

After thinking about this meeting for a while, I found my answer. She was just so real and this made me think about how I can help leaders to tap into their authenticity because some of them may have forgotten what it means to be real and to stand by your values and aspirations. It is one thing to hear people talk about what should be done, but it’s quite a different story if people actually live it.

Just recently I read a comment in one of the discussions on LinkedIn that I really liked and that’s why I want to share it here.

“Somewhere along the way somebody coined the phrase “politically correct”. Unfortunately, over the past 20 to 30 years, we have forgotten how to be correct and ended up with just being political.”

Well, this statement should certainly make us think. If this is true, does this mean that we would do just about anything in order to adapt the means to an end?

Authenticity refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions. What do you think, how much of that can actually be found in our organizations today?

I have no doubt that we could find authentic leaders in the corporate world if we were actually out looking for them. The question is……. Do we want authentic leaders in our corporations or would we rather deal with fake people who like to follow directions and understand to play the corporate game?

Is this the price we have to pay? Being a corporate puppet who does everything others tell them to do without questioning their actions to keep it real? I highly encourage you to avoid working in an environment that goes against your values and believes. Love it, change it, or leave it!

Regardless of others' perspectives on authenticity, it's important for true leaders to live and work as authentically as possible - a goal that is usually often difficult to achieve, particularly in large organizations but there is no question, it can be done.

Manufacturing Excellence - Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say!

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. If you don't mean it, it's best to keep silent. On the other hand, how does sugar coating work for you? Have you ever said something that you did not mean? Isn't it great that kids are honest and straight forward, and everyone gets their point? Well, sometimes they might be a little too honest, but overall, I would prefer that over fake and superficial statements. I have learned to say only things I mean and so can you! Please take a look!

How do you feel about this topic?

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with RECOGNITION!

“People may take a job for more money, but they often leave it for more recognition.”
~ Bob Nelson

Just recently I had a conversation with a supervisor and he asked me, "Karin, is it possible that I give my people too much recognition?"
Well, even though I don't work with this supervisor on a daily basis, I think I can honestly say  that the risk of giving too much recognition and appreciation is pretty low. 

You may have seen the hollywood movie "Meet the Parents", in which Robert DeNiro states more than once to his future son-in-law: "I'm watching you"...... This is a pretty catchy, scary and funny phrase in the movie but it can also be very meaningful if you want it to be.

So what is my point?

Unfortunately I see a huge lack of observation in our manufacturing plants. Our leaders are either too far removed or too busy to see what's going on. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it is about controlling people, but it is certainly about acknowledging them and being aware what they do well.

If our leaders would walk the production floor more often with open eyes and look for people who do things right, they would have plenty of opportunities to give recognition right then and there. It is unfortunate that most managers often only leave their office when things go wrong and many times this may be even be the only time the people see him or her. "I'm watching you" does not have to be a negative statement. If people start to notice that you are present, that you look for positive actions and behaviours, they will know that you care and if you care, they will care. 

There are many forms of recognition. Many books have been written on this subject. There are best practices on the internet. There are courses you can take and coaches you can work with but you have to do something! 

Many people link recognition with financial rewards. Nothing can be nothing further from the truth. Of course you can do things like BBQ's, hand out books, provide tickets for an event, or give them little tangibles with the company logo but all of this means nothing if you are not able to communicate with your employees one-on-one and show them your respect. 

If you want to recognize people for their work efforts, it has to be authentic and sincere. If you are a more serious person, don't walk around "trying to smile" because people will see that your actions are inauthentic and fake. Look for other things that fit your personality.

Here are a couple of my personal favourites:

• Be pleasant
• Take the time to listen
• Ask questions and use their ideas in pressure situations
• Ask them about their challenges and listen
• Recognize and accommodate their personal needs
• Show your confidence in them
• Act on their suggestions and ideas
• Share information with them, don't give them the feeling that they don't understand;
• Show a sincere interest in the person, their hobbies, their challenges, their life
• Write a "personal thank you note" to someone
• Celebrate successes
• Invite them surprisingly to a meeting to get their input
• Give praise while the peers are in the room
• Make it your intention to make someone smile
• Provide time to socialize
• Give them additional responsibilities and help them to live up to their full potential
• Ask for their help on a management matter - this would be huge but needs a manager who possesses a lot of self-confidence and trust 

Make it a habit to greet the people around you, say please and thank you, and be friendly and respectful. However, I don't consider these basics as a form of recognition. These are life skills and they should be a given for any individual who works in a management position. 

The power of recognition will create a win-win situation for both, the employer and the employee.

If you want to see immediate positive outcomes, don't wait any longer, and start recognizing the people around you!

Manufacturing Excellence - Where Did Common Sense Go?

I think that common sense is becoming less and less widespread today, but it has the capability to be brought back. If organizations rewarded their employees for using this vital skill, it would result in better relationships within an organization, happier employees, and a more successful business. Get some simple tips how to start with yourself!

This is Success!

"Having your birthday is a celebration of life and I approach my life with the "3-F Attitude".
I am Fun, Fit and Fabulous and age can't change that."
~ Karin Lindner

Yesterday I had my birthday and this always makes me think about my dreams, about my life, and about my view on success.

My inner drive to follow my dreams and my passion to encourage organizations and individuals to follow their dreams and achieve a new level of excellence, have led me to an amazing journey. Every day I learn something new. Every day I am faced with a new challenge. Every day I have to overcome negative self-talk. Every day I search for new solutions and ideas. Every day some of my goals seem to be overwhelming. Every day I learn something from the amazing people I surround myself with.

And speaking of learning, yesterday I learned something new from all the birthday messages I received....... I truly enjoy serving and supporting other people, but I have really never thought about how much you can impact somebody else's life without even knowing them. Some of the messages and phone calls I received yesterday literally blew my mind. I received messages from all over the world - from Europe, the United States, Australia, and India..... Messages from people I don't even know in person.

I cannot even tell you how fulfilling it is to know that you enjoy my inspirational articles and video messages. I know that in a world that is so full of negativity, we all certainly have a need for that.

Thank you for telling me how much I have impacted your life.
Thank you for telling me how much you are inspired by my actions.
Thank you for telling me how you implement some of the tips that I share with you.
Thank you for telling me that you want to be a better person because of my messages.
Thank you for trying to get to a new level of excellence.

It does not matter where you are in the world. It does not matter whether we know each other in person. It does not matter if you are a friend, someone in my network, or a business associate. I want you ALL to know that if you shared some of your thoughts, insights and feedback with me, YOU have impacted my life as well.

For me, this is success! Thank you for being a part of my journey!

Manufacturing Excellence - How Can We Make Manufacturing Sexy?

Please click here and take 4 minutes to watch my brief video!