Category Archives: small business owner

Get Ready – Your World Is About To Change. The Zoomers Have Arrived

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Are you ready for the most significant workforce shift in over 100 years? Undoubtedly, moving forward, this shift will dramatically affect how we communicate and interact. For the first time in our lifetime, we have the potential of working with four different generations in the same workplace. (Four if you include Boomers who don’t want to retire and the Traditionals, Gen X who can’t afford to.) In each generation, the Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z communicate, interact with others, and are motivated by different values, wants, and needs.

Worth Remembering … “We need to remember that there is as much to learn as to teach across generations.”

If you thought Millennials were challenging – think again. You haven’t met Generation Z – the Zoomers yet. They are very different from Millennials. Generation Z, born between 1996 and 2004, is the newest generation to enter the workforce in mass. (Representing 22% of the population.) They are the first to grow up in the digital age – the first generation to grow up with the internet, smartphones, text messages and social media. Think of the Zoomers as the hyper-connected generation. Gen Z has a unique culture and working style that can baffle Millennial, Gen X and Boomer managers. The days of working long hours for little pay, feeling dissatisfied, unappreciated and burned out are over. For Gen Z, life outside of work is just as important as life at work. Living a balanced life is not a slogan to them. It’s their way of life.

Worth Remembering … “All generations have similar values; they just have a different way of expressing them differently.”

Your success as a manager or leader working with Gen Z will hinge on your ability to work with them in a style they like. If you can adapt your management style to be more in tune with how they like to be managed, they will be more receptive because you are working with them in the way they like. If you want to be more successful working with Zoomers, consider that they are intelligent, highly educated, bold, enterprising and entrepreneurial. They like to communicate face-to-face via WhatsApp. Gen Z is socially well-informed and prepared to fight for what they believe in. They are committed to making a difference in the world. They prefer a flexible work schedule, not your typical 9 to 5. They are self-starters but crave constant and immediate feedback. So get ready – your world is about to change. The Zoomers have arrived.

Copyright (c) 2022. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you looking for a keynote speaker, planning a lunch-n-learn or training session? To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization, visit https://briansmithpld.com or email: brian@briansmithpld.com

We Need Leaders Who We Can Trust & Believe In

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Customer Service, Enduring Principles, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personal Values, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Teacher, Uncategorized

What does it say about the world we live in when we question the honesty and integrity of the people in leadership positions both in government and the private sector? What does it say about the world we live in when governments need to pass laws requiring Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers of Corporations to sign off on their company’s financial results? And if found to be false, they can face criminal prosecution. Now – more than ever, we need leaders who we can trust and believe in.

Worth Remembering … “Leaders walk their talk; in true leaders, there is no gap between the theories they espouse, and their practice.” – Warren Bennis

What does it say about a leader if they behave one way in public and behave a different way behind closed doors? Does that mean there are two kinds of ethics: business and personal? If there are two kinds of ethics, does that mean it’s ok to lie, cheat and con your customers and employees, but not your family and friends? At times, it must get confusing for leaders to remember what hat they’re supposed to be wearing.

Worth Remembering … “In organizations where people trust and believe in each other, they don’t get into regulating and coercing behaviours. They don’t need a policy for every mistake. People in these trusting environments respond with enormous commitment and creativity.” – Walter Wriston.

What are ethical or unethical behaviours? How should a true leader behave? True leaders keep their word and honour their commitments. True leaders don’t just promise to stick up for people and have their back – they do it. True leaders don’t just preach fairness; they practice it. And they don’t just counsel others about honesty and integrity; they live it every day, both in public and behind closed doors. What they say and their actions are congruent. They are the same. You can’t be ethical some of the time – you must be ethical all the time. You can’t be ethical at home and not at work or vice versa. You’re either ethical, or you’re not. We need leaders who we can trust and believe in.

Copyright (c) 2022. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Brian has been recognized as one of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership to Follow in 2022. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you visit, https://briansmithpld.com

The Secret to a Successful 2022 is Between Your Ears

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, New Year's Resolutions, Personal Development, Planning, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Think it, act it, and eventually, through patience and hard work, it will become you. The secret to a successful 2022 is between your ears. Just thinking about it isn’t good enough. You have to apply yourself. That’s the difference between successful and not-so-successful people. Successful people continually work at it. Successful people get up off the couch and get after it. Successful people have a game plan and hit the ground running.

Worth Remembering …”Success is never accidental.”

What would you rather be doing with your life than what you are doing right now? If you wanted to take your passion and turn it into a profitable business, what kind of business would that be? What does your ideal career look like? If you aspire to be promoted and take on a leadership role in your organization, would role would that be? Life – your life – is a planned event. Wishing and hope won’t make it so.

Worth Remembering … “A goal without a plan is just wishful thinking.”

Good habits = good results. We are adults and we can develop new habits. What new habits will you need to develop to start your own small business? Will you need to be a better planner and manage your time more efficiently? What new habits will you need to develop to get promoted and take on that leadership role in your organization? Will you need to learn how to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflict or motivate others to perform at their personal best?

Worth Remembering … “You are the boss of you.”

Once you’ve made up your mind and decided on what you want to do and how to go about getting it, through patience and hard work, everything will eventually fall into place. Your success is never a given. The secret is to focus all of your energy on building the new you. It’s time you got after it. The secret to a successful 2022 is between your ears.

On a Personal Note: Thank you for being part of my 2021. I’m here to help. I want 2022 to be your best year yet. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions looking for answers about the challenges you’re facing starting your small business, managing and leading others, or getting that promotion. You can contact me directly at: brian@briansmithpld.com

Copyright (c) 2022. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you or your organization, visit: https://briansmithpld.com.

The Four Dimensions of Exceptional Leaders

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

There are four dimensions to human life – the mind, the body, the external world and the inner realm. Within these four pillars of life, we either rise to our full potential or remain ordinary. If you take that same concept and apply it to leadership, within these four pillars of leadership – connect, communicate, educate, and delegate, we either rise to our full potential as leaders or remain ordinary.

Connect – “To have or establish a rapport. Connect (verb) to join together – to join with or become joined with something else.” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Exceptional leaders do connect with others on an emotional level. They understand that their success as a leader begins and ends with their ability to bring people of diverse backgrounds and skill levels together to achieve a common goal.

Communicate – “To convey knowledge of or information about; to cause to pass from one to another.” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Exceptional leaders do communicate in a way that others will understand. They understand that If you can’t communicate – you can’t manage or lead others. Exceptional leaders understand that there isn’t a more valuable skill than having the ability to communicate effectively, up, down and across the organization.

Educate – “To train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession.” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Exceptional leaders do teach others what they need to know. They understand that we aren’t born knowing what we need to know to complete a task, to reach a goal. Exceptional leaders know that it’s their job to teach others what they need to know.

Delegate – “To entrust to another; to appoint as one’s representative.” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Exceptional leaders resist the urge to micro-manage. They understand that If they fail to delegate, they are robbing people of their opportunity to grow. Exceptional leaders know that they need to give up control to get control.

Do you want to rise to your full potential and become an exceptional leader or remain ordinary? You decide

Copyright (c) 2021. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit, https://briansmithpld.com