Lynette Allen

Play your own game!

That's what I said to myself this morning in a very teacherly like manner 'Play your own game Lynette!'.  You see, first thing this morning I fell into a trap.  I got up, turned on the kettle along with my laptop and fired up my e-mails only to find a fabulous newsletter from an amazing business woman doing brilliantly!  Really brilliantly!  As I stared down the whole e-mail her brilliantness seemed to get brighter and brighter 'How does she do all this?' I asked myself 'Why aren't I doing all this?' was my next question!

Then I got all deflated, my mood dropped and I sat cuddling the dogs drinking my cup of tea and wondering why I felt so bad.  I'd falled into the trap!  It dawned on me.  I'd done what I tell all my clients they don't need to do and I even tell The Husband he doesn't need to do it when he plays golf and someone seems to be doing better than him.  This is a long term plan...life that is!  And whilst some days I don't get ANYTHING done...others I steam ahead like a business woman possessed and am amazed with what I achieve.

SO.  I got a shower, made some coffee and had a word with myself.  I've got a grip now.  My day will not be a disaster afterall, my mojo is back and I have a wonderful (and I do mean that!) 'to-do' list to get through today.  My advice if I have any for you today is this 'Play your own game!'  Seriously.  Forget checking out what everyone else is up to, get your head down and concentrate on your own plan and when you next look up, you'll have achieved something to be proud of.  Have a good day, I will!

Good advice from a self made millionaire

When The Husband asked me to sit down and listen to an e-mail his father had sent him, I was entirely prepared for it to be one of those jokes that goes on forever, but I humoured him!  I was so inspired by the e-mail that I've looked into the man who wrote it and asked The Husband to fling it over to me so I could blog it for you - if you have 3 minutes right now, this is very good advice - here goes;

Power of Money, by Adam Khoo, (Singapore 's youngest millionaire at 26 yrs)

Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit and conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Suzhou ( China ). I am in the airport almost every other week so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books.

Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL and looked rather shocked. He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is travelling economy?'. My reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire. ' He still looked pretty confused.

This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book 'Secrets of Self Made Millionaires'). Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex, and sit on first class in air travel. This is why so many people never become rich because the moment that earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one.

The truth is that most self made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster.

Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc. to support). Still, it is way above most people who save 10% of their income (if they are lucky).

I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2 year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Speech and D ram a without thinking twice.

When I joined the YEO (Young Entrepreneur's Orgn)a few years back (YEO) is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business) I discovered that those who were self made thought like me. Many of them with net worth well over $5m,travelled economy class and some even drove Toyota 's and Nissans,not Audis, Mercs, BMWs..

I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers' and tycoons' sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family's wealth (no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation.

Thank God my rich dad foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.

Then some people ask me, 'What is the point in making so much money if you don't enjoy it?' The thing is that I don't really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewellery or sitting first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while, it does not last.

Material happiness never lasts, it just give you a quick fix. After a while you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life..

Instead, what makes me happy is when I see my children laughing and playing and learning so fast. What makes me happy is when I see my companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many more countries.

What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails about how my books and seminars have touched and inspired some one's life.

What makes me really happy is reading all your wonderful posts about how this blog is inspiring you. This happiness makes me feel really good for a long time, much much more than what a Rolex would do for me.

I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come from doing your life's work (be it teaching, building homes, designing,trading, winning tournaments etc.) and the money that comes is only a by-product. If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make you happy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a life of meaninglessness.

 

If it's not working, change it!

Do you know I've had 3 clients this week who realised that their current strategies for success simply can't work in the here and now.  For the first client, it's a strategy that she put in place in the summer to deal with her work/life balance - it worked brilliantly but her workload has changed and therefore her strategy had to aswell.  She kept some parts of the plan and her aim is to get back to that plan once this work crisis is over but in the meantime, she developed another way of getting her through this rough patch.  The result?  An 'I can do this' smile on her face as she left.

The second client I was impressed with because changing their current pattern of working meant a total re-brand of their company!  I know it sounds drastic but they found herself in a drastic situation and re-branding really was their only option.  By the end of their session they felt 'elated' and 'relieved' - get that!

My third client had great plans for the coming six months.  Exciting and adventurous plans but, in reality, she's just not able to put them into practice right now.  Feeling stuck and frustrated, she worked out a new plan to deal with the unexpected.  Now she's re-organising priorities and left feeling pro-active and positive.

Seriously, if something isn't working for you, don't wait for it to work, change it.  Often, we're so attached to how brilliant our plan worked in the past that we simply wait for it to work in the here and now but often it won't work again, it needs to be changed.  Done waiting?  Start changing.  Go on... be flexible enough to consider change and you'll take a whole weight off your shoulders.

PR Hooks - this is what I mean!

If you've ever attended one of my workshops on PR and Marketing, you'll know I'm slightly crazed over PR hooks.  PR Hooks are simply ways of 'hooking' your company and its product onto a news item or story. The emphasis on PR Hooks is always THE STORY mind, NOT your company, that's simply the by-product that gets a mention somewhere - but that's the point, it does get a mention.

I do rather bang on about this when I'm teaching and when I'm mentoring any of my clients.  So I wonder if you can imagine my delight when the fabulous Jackie Clifford, from The Athena Network sent me this.

Brimming with pride I tell you, brimming with pride!  Not only is Jackie supporting a brilliant and worthwhile project, she's also got The Athena Network a rather lovely mention at the same time - not only that, but I'm blogging about it now, so that's a double whammy!  Well done Jackie, great hook, great PR.

3 great ways to work WITH boundaries

Most of us have to work within certain boundaries, we take it for granted really and whilst coaching and forward thinking is about how to widen those boundaries or even break through them completely, for the short term anyway, when we need to adhere to rules, regulations and limitations - how do we still thrive, push ourselves forward and continue to grow?

Well I've got 3 things to keep in mind today when you hit a boundary;

1. Think strategy!  Ok, maybe you can't do what you'd really love right at this very minute but what CAN you do?  What one move today would be strategic for tomorrow?  It's worth a thought

2. Quit getting cross about it.  Losing your head means losing your concentration which means losing your ability to make clever decisions.  If you're stuck with a boundary for now, learn to alter your attitude to it and you'll move quicker than you think

3. Notice other boundaries which have moved in the last 12 months.  Some you'll have moved yourself, others will simply have changed with time.  One thing is for certain in this life, things change.  Noticing what's already changed and the growth you've made in the last year will give you a more positive frame of mind about the next 12 months ahead.

Go on...you can do it...you're cleverer than you think!

If you had a choice...

If you had a choice what would you really want?

I asked a client this question on Saturday during her coaching session and she really had to think about it. The answer wasn't immediately there, yet, you'd think it would be wouldn't you?

In fact, it's not as easy as it sounds. So often we're used to working with boundaries, rules, problems, and 'yes but's', that when someone says – disregard all of that – 'If you had a wish list, what would you want on it?', it's a shock to the system!

It takes a little bit of thought, but if you grant the question the respect it deserves, you might just get a little surprise. After a good few seconds of silence and staring out of the window (my client not me by the way), she came out with a whole list! In fact, her body language changed, everything about her became more animated. She sat up in her seat, she spoke with conviction and as though decisions were already being made about how to get what she wanted.

It turns out that what she really wants isn't as far away from reality as she initially though. With just a few minor shifts, it could actually happen. Armed with a few notes ready for strategic conversations with certain individuals, together with a clear view of what she needs to alter, by when and how, her 'ideal' should come to fruition by around Friday of next week! Ha! Who knew!

If you had a choice, what would you really want?

Supermummy.com gets PINKed

 

If you're a follower of Pink Expertise or if you get my newsletter, you may remember a wonderful woman called Mel McGee.  She took part in my Pink Expertise campaign.  We got to know each other when her book came out and I was really thrilled to be invited to do a live webcast with her today for the members of her social network Supermummy.  The webcast was about how coaching can help solo professionals and entrepreneurs who work from home and how a coaching approach helps women in business to thrive.

 

If you've not come across Supermummy yet, trust me, it's one of the most innovative womens networks I've seen, and Mel's doing an amazing job, so do pop along and check it out.

 

Mel runs two social networks and a membership site, all from home and around her family - if you're interested in how she does it and want to know if you could do it too, visit the site and you'll find tons of useful information, top tips from entrepreneurs and you'll get to listen to her previous webcasts.

 

It's all there, Supermummy has it all and I loved being on the show today, click here to visit her fabulous site.

Direct Recruitment, Ralph Lauren and dressing for success

I LOVE it when this happens.  I recently worked with recruitment agency, Direct Recruitment, to develop a blog for them.  A blog that would highlight the personalities and interests of their team, a blog which would set them apart from other agencies in their industry.  Something that said 'We know what we're talking about!'.  In this economic climate (sorry to go on about it again but apparently we're still in it!), it is vital for companies to shout about how good they are.  Direct Recruitment ARE good, so shouting about it simply made sense!

We spoke about what kind of features, tips, articles may work for them and what their readers might be interested in and we designed a blog that went arm in arm with their already excellent branding.

Well...they have impressed me!  Let me direct you to The Direct Girls - their blogs are regular, topical, packed full of useful information and insight and they're showing off just how good they are - every single time they blog.  Their blogs are useful not only to people searching for a job in their specialist market, but their advice is sound for anyone who happens across their blog and they're coming back for more too.

I particularly loved today's blog, it's the turn of Sian Franklin to write and she's highlighting a charity particularly fitting for my readers, Dress for Success.  It's all about dressing for success (clue was in the title I guess!) and how your suits can help other women to find their feet in the business world and make a great impression at interview stage. 

Go and visit them to read Sian's full article.  Not blogging yet?  Why not!

Nervous students, excited clients!

Well...we've had Weekend One of our eighth diploma course in Life Coaching.  It went just brilliantly!  I walked into The Lounge at The Pier Hotel where we hold our courses and to find Meg and a couple of our new students already there.  Coffee arrived and everyone kept very quiet...almost as if in a library!

As more and more students arrived and I smiled at them, introduced myself and showed them to the coffee, the room stayed at a very respectful noise level.  Hushed and quiet introductions slowly made by apprehensive coaching students.

As I started my presentation, our students seated around a large heavy oak dining table, coffee cups back in saucers, I fizzed with excitement - I LOVE TEACHING!  With each topic covered, the noise level started to rise.  They asked questions, we had discussions, we laughed and by mid morning coffee break, I could barely hear the person talking next to me over coffee.

By the end of the weekend, they left scribbling each others phone numbers down, promising to call each other and making diary arrangements for not only their 3-way coaching sessions with myself and Meg but with each other too.  A successful first weekend indeed.

As for me, I'm exhausted today!  I've been catching up with a few jobs on my to-do list this morning, very quietly in my office, puppies asleep at my feet but I woke them up when I got a text from Melody Akena (sponsor of Pink Expertise) to say that the Award Entry I wrote for her company, has reached the finals of The Great North Care Awards...YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!  How cool is that?  She has put her mother Florence Akena forward for the Care Innovator Awards for her contribution to getting their Day Centre up and running for Clara House Care Home.

I'm keeping everything crossed they win - wouldn't that be totally incredible!  Either way it's excellent publicity for them.  I'll keep you posted on how Melody and my students get on.  In the meantime, if you're interested in becoming a coach, we've got places on our Corporate Coaching course starting in November, click here to find out more.

Bye for now!

Productivity, productivity a hive of productivity!

I've had two productive days in a row – get me!

Yesterday I re-wrote the entire introduction weekend of our Coaching Diploma, I run it with Meg Reid and each year, we change it, improve on it, re-think it, bring it up to date etc and yesterday that was my job. This is our 8^th intake of new students eager to learn the coaching trade and I am SO excited...roll on Saturday! I had no idea when we started teaching this that a) it would be so popular and that b) I'd love teaching as much as I do, but there you go! We've taken on another 10 students (our maximum, we like to give individual attention) and from what I can tell, they're raring to go. Do they know what they've let themselves in for? By Sunday afternoon all will be crystal clear...trust me!

Today was productive too. I took myself off to my husbands hotel with a clients manuscript and a pen – no mobile, no laptop, no internet...just hot water and lemon (yeah I know it's boring but just what I needed) and I sat there editing almost 4 chapters of her new book 'The Grown-Up Guide to Kiss Chase' it's almost finished.

I'm telling myself tomorrow will be JUST as productive! If it isn't, you'll find me downing a glass of red with a friend of mine at my husbands hotel and if it is, you'll still find me downing a glass of red with a friend of mine at my husbands hotel...cool!

A special day for my campaign

Today marks a very special day for Pink Expertise, my campaign to inspire women in business, the hand over of its sponsorship from one incredible business woman to another.    Shelley Blackburn (seen here on the left), MD of Essex School of Beauty and Sheer Indulgence has been an amazing advocate of what women can achieve when they focus on their talent and today she hands over to Melody Akena, MD of Clara House Care Home.   Melody's natural talent is in her attention to detail.  Couple that with a family passion for the care industry dating back 3 generations and you get a business woman who turned a run down care home in a small mining town in the North, into a thriving and stimulating home for the elderly.   Melody's care home has literally turned it's residents lives around.  Some have taken up photography, some cook for family and friends, others have taken over the gardens and keep them looking beautiful and even Melody was amazed when following the introduction of a Nintendo Wii into the lounge, the residents now hold their own Wii tournaments and competitions!   Click here to read Melody's inspirational story of how she become involved in care and click here to read about her role as an Ambassador for the Third Generation...you'll be impressed I guarantee!   Melody has just started her own blog on life as a care home manager to give us the inside secrets on how she juggles her life and business, click here to read her first posts!   Why not skip over to Pink Expertise now and get involved it'll take just 5 minutes of your time and we'll set up links to your website!

How strong can a woman really be?

 

Most women have their niggles and frustrations, both in the office and at home. During my career as a coach, it's been interesting how women are now dealing with those frustrations.

There's been a distinct shift. Strong, capable women who would previously have thought themselves 'too strong' and 'more than capable' of dealing with their own problems, are now hiring coaches. Ten years ago they wouldn't have dreamed of it! What they're doing now though is thinking 'I know I can deal with this stuff, but I could deal with it faster and more effectively if I had a coach'. It's because of their strength and self assurity that they'll get even further with the help of coaching conversations. Just the opportunity to speak out loud and to vocalise their thought processes means they find solutions easier.

The growth of my own practice over the past decade has shown that strong women are not afraid to ask for support. There was a time when I was my clients best kept secret! Fortunately now though, times have changed and having a coach is simply another sign that you're moving forward, you're using your strength pro actively and you're a woman to be reckoned with.

I've also noticed another shift too. That when a new client and I sit down for that first meeting over our coffee and cake, they talk to me about one issue and then before you know it, all the other frustrations and niggles come tumbling out...we all carry lots of tiny issues which, if left unchecked, turn into big, huge scary monsters of issues and we quickly, we misguidedly think we can't cope with any of them any more! The truth is we can and we do, we just need to right environment.

Women possess incredible strength, they're constantly solving issues, moving them around, re-arranging them and moulding them so that eventually they aren't problems any more - they're sorted.

We do this so naturally, so instinctively, it's beauty in motion to watch!  And don't give me that...'other women may have strength, but she hasn't met me' baloney...my clients ARE you, they're women just like you with jobs, careers, families, partners, best friends and period pains!

Use that strength of yours. Trust that it's there. Make decisions based on what you believe to be the right move, stand by your decisions with absolute conviction, deal swiftly with frustrations and you'll start to understand just how strong a woman can really be.

How to look good naked...in business!

Being naked at work is usually the stuff of nightmares, but what I'm talking about is a little different. Ask yourself this; 'If you stripped away all the clever marketing from your business, would you still look good?' I'm all for a bit of clever marketing but I'd rather see what's underneath and know I'm getting the very best service I can from my suppliers.

So what does your company look like naked? Underneath all the snappy strap lines and logo'd web sites, what do you do and do you do it well? I've had some brilliant customer service from some of my suppliers recently and this is what they did well;

1. They delivered what they promised to deliver – and on time

2. They took time to listen to what I asked for

3. They were very friendly to deal with and made me laugh

4. Lastly, when I recommended them to my clients, they didn't let me down

What more can any customer ask for? How to look good naked in business...in 4 easy steps and no Myleene Klass is nowhere to be seen! Does your company look good naked?

Business women set to achieve

It's here once again, the Institute of Directors Business Woman of the Year awards and the launches to find its new winner have been launched.  I'll be heading off to the Suffolk awards this evening to support these inspiring awards. 

I've been involved with the awards for about five years now, I was their keynote speaker a few years ago and this year, along with Pink Skills sponsor Juliet Price from Park City, will be a judge. Every year, the winner is a woman whose determination and savvy business sense simply shines through.  At the awards dinner - to be held in February next year - we'll hear a bit about each finalise, how they came up with their business idea and how they grew that idea from scribbles on a page to a booming industry.  It always makes me come home and think how I can 'up' my game and this is what they're all about, inspiring women to be better than they though they could be.

If you're in the East of England,  click here to view a PDF of all the launches, including times and dates.  If you'd like to come, e-mail Caroline Kearney on caroline@iod-suffolk.co.uk 

Why blog professionally?

I coached one of my clients the other day about her professional blog. What should she write? What was her area of expertise? Why should she shout about how good she is at her job or how much she knows? This is what I said.

Once you start writing about the things you know well, you naturally develop your own writing style. Don't try to be someone you're not, instead, develop your own style. You might choose a series of tips to start with, or 2 or 3 paragraphs or a whole A4 side! Whatever feels good to you.

What's your area of expertise? If you're not used to other people seeing your writing, it can feel a little odd knowing that potentially thousands of people can read your thoughts! You are an expert in YOUR business though. You'll know what you like, what you don't like, what you believe is great about your industry and what you think is wrong. That's your area of expertise – no more complicated than that! Tell people what you think, give people tips on what to avoid or the best way to achieve something and you have your blog entry.

Why should you write this stuff? Well, you know you're good at your job. Your clients probably do too...but do they know everything you're good at or is there experience of what you offer limited? Your future clients though don't know you yet, they don't know what you're good at or how much you know about a certain area, your website might only give them a 'brochure' type feel, not a day-to-day 'this is what we achieved for our clients today' type approach. That's the difference!

Blogging gives you credibility. Write about stuff you know, stuff you're good at, you tell people what you think of the latest trends in your industry. Comment on books or authors, recommend certain reads or strategies – basically it all adds up to an 'I know what I'm talking about' approach without being arrogant about it.

Find out more about creating a professionally branded blog by clicking here, we can help.

Powerful women

I was interviewed today on radio about what makes a powerful woman. Until I was actually asked the question, I've never really thought about it, but when you're on live radio not only do you have to think about it but you have to think about it fast!

In actual fact, I put women's power down to the fact that we tend to be very action oriented. I've never met a woman yet who's been more concerned with strategy and planning than she has with action, yet I have to say, plenty of the men I've worked with spend much more time planning their actions than they do taking them. I can only ever speak from my perspective of course but I think women become powerful in the areas they're good at...be in motherhood, running a company or fixing other companies, if a woman is confident in her ability, her body language changes, her tone of voice changes, her mannerisms change and in exactly the same way a man would swagger, a woman exudes confidence.

Powerful women are easy to spot...they're the ones taking action!