Linda Elliott – Page 4 – Elliott Connection, LLC

1 06, 2014

The Power of Listening

Coincidentally, “listening” has been the sermon theme for the past couple of weeks at my church. I’ll leave it to your resourcefulness to determine why listening
has a spiritual significance…

Anyone who has heard me speak or is reading my blogs knows one of my favorite bits of advice is to “be interested, not interesting!” Being able to listen well is a conduit to being able to communicate effectively.

A Strong Leader or Sales Professional is a Good Listener

There are lots of books on the power of listening, but I discovered a blog entitled Leadership & the Power of Listening by Mike Myatt, CEO of N2Growth. “The best leaders are proactive, strategic, and intuitive listeners. They recognize knowledge and wisdom are not gained by talking, but by listening.” They have the uncanny ability to read between the lines and understand what is not said.

The first rule in communication is to seek understanding before seeking to be understood. Communication is not a one-way street. Broadcasting your message ad nauseum will not result in a meaningful conversation, and could very well turn out to be a train wreck in the making. Good leaders must remember that […]

22 05, 2014

Janet Holliday- The Power of No! Interview

Janet Holliday is the President of the CE Group, a nationally recognized large scale even producer and strategic public relations and marketing firm. She is reputed by many as being on of the busiest women in town.

Linda Elliott sits down with Janet to learn how she maintains balance in her life. To do so, she must say “no” to many requests and opportunities. How does she do this in a gracious fashion?

Janet Holliday’s “Guideposts for Living”

You cannot pick the hand you are dealt. You can decide how long to play it. Attitude is everything.
Be on high alert when it comes to your health and well-being. A strong mind, body, and soul connection is crucial.
Perfection and insecurity are a total waste of time. You cannot sustain perfection. Confidence is simply a decision you make to be the best you can. Do the most you can with all that you have. Self-doubt his paralyzing. Self-fulfillment is liberating.
You can have it all and be it all. Just usually not on one day, or one at […]

30 04, 2014

The Power of No!

“Wielded wisely, No is an instrument of integrity and a shield against exploitation. It often takes courage to say. It is hard to receive. But setting limits sets us free.” Judith Sills, Ph.D., published on November 5, 2013

I love this quote because it is so very true. It gives a positive twist to a negative word. I prefer to think of “no” as the next best answer to “yes”. I sure prefer that more than the “let me think about it” response. I want closure, one way or another.

The vector selected to use for this power is what it’s all about. We must make sure we have balance in our lives, whatever that may be for you. I’ll admit that I often do not practice what I preach. I say “yes” more than I should; thus, finding myself over-extended and living in a stressful and chaotic mode. That means I don’t sleep well, I eat poorly, my body aches from tension, and my brain is in a constant state of overwhelm. In other words, I simply have too […]

31 03, 2014

The Power Of Attitude

I announced that my April blog would be on the power of follow-up, but my heart led me to make this month’s topic The Power of Attitude. Perhaps it’s because so much good happens in April – Easter, Fiesta, and flowers blooming. If you don’t have a positive attitude, you’re going to miss out on so much this month – and far beyond!

I could go on and on about how a positive attitude can change your life. In fact, for me, it SAVED my life – literally! I believe God spared my life because I have more to accomplish on this earth. Of course, I’ve suffered my fair share of failures and hardships, but I choose to look at them as stepping stones to a better future. The alternative is to have the “woe is me” attitude. Where will that get you? Only deeper into your rut.

BUT, rather than me orating about the laurels of a positive attitude, I offer you two treats. The first is the allegorical story that I refer to whenever I need to get […]

19 03, 2014

Integrity- “Remember the Titans”

March is all about the Power of Integrity. Here is a clip from one of my favorite movies which I’ve seen at least a dozen times – Remember the Titans. The power of integrity is exactly what the movie is all about!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8vXroMMGdM

3 03, 2014

Power of Integrity

For me, INTEGRITY IS AS SACRED AS THE HOLY GRAIL! It is virtually unfathomable how a business can succeed for the long term if integrity is not an integral component of leadership.

What does “integrity” mean to you? My definition consists of one word – HONESTY. Of course, the ever-verbose yet ever-faithful Wikipedia expands on the definition:

Integrity is a personal choice, an uncompromising and predictably consistent commitment to honor moral, ethical, spiritual, and artistic values and principles. It is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions.

The opposite of integrity is hypocrisy which is “the state of falsely claiming to possess virtuous characteristics that one lacks. It involves deception of others and is thus a kind of lie.” In our lifetime, a perfect example of a person known for his deception is Bernie Madoff. He lived a rich and famous life for many years, but in the end his lack of integrity destroyed him and an untold number of other people.

Many may contend that integrity is not valued in our culture and has thus caused […]

23 02, 2014

Power of Positioning: Sochi Olympics

Many of us have been stuck to our televisions watching the Winter Olympics. We have wondered how on earth Sochi was awarded the games. It was all about positioning. Here’s an article by The Verge you just might find interesting…

1 02, 2014

Power of Positioning

Positioning yourself and your company – EXTREMELY important to your success!! What sets you apart from your competitors? You may know who you are and what you do, but do your customers and clients? Are you communicating the right message about “YOU”?

An article in Bloomberg Business Week, states it aptly: “Positioning is the process of distinguishing yourself from competitors in specific ways in order to be the preferred provider for certain market segments. It’s the act of designing your company’s offer and image so it occupies a distinct and valued place in the targeted customer’s mind.”

I could go on forever about this topic because it’s what I do for clients! If I am going to work with a company, I must determine what is exclusively compelling about their business that would encourage people to do business with them rather than their competitors. I see a clear correlation between positioning and branding.

I will share some of my methods for helping clients to clarify their unique value proposition when positioning themselves. And what is a value proposition? It is the #1 reason that people would want to […]

20 01, 2014

Tanji Patton: Power of Goal Setting Interview

Five years ago Tanji Patton left behind a lucrative, high-profile career in television to embark on a new adventure. She went from the nightly news to launching her own online media business.

Linda Elliott sits down with Tanji to discover how goal setting was instrumental in the success of her new online media empire.

2 01, 2014

The Power of Goal Setting

Last month I focused on giving back, a power that is near and dear to me. This month my topic is The Power of Goal Setting, a power I definitely need to hone. There are so many ways to look at goal setting. It may be attaining future financial goals or business thresholds, or perhaps it is personal goals. All are important, but I elect to spend the month delving into personal and life balance goals.

I’m writing this during a time splurging and gorging. It’s the holidays – after all!! Let’s deal with the damages later. Are you relating? I suspect many of you have the same attitude I do: Wait till January 2 before making any major changes.

I looked at four lists of the top 10 goals (or resolutions to some). It’s interesting how closely they track.

I included the last four because I personally feel they should be in the top 10. Can you come up with your top 10 goals from this list? I certainly can!

In 2007 I participated in a mentor […]

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