Feeding Your 4 Food Groups in 2013: Mind, Body, Heart/Soul, Spirit
Forget the USDA Food Pyramid (at least for the next few minutes). The four food groups that truly nourish us are our Mind, Body, Heart/Soul, and Spirit. When we feed these every day, the rest of life takes care of itself.
Here are specific ways you can feed these four food groups in 2013.
Leadership in the Wake of The Connecticut Shootings
December 14th’s massacre of 20 children and 6 adults in Sandy Hook Elementary, a Connecticut-based elementary school by a deranged 20-year has left not only our entire country shaken, but our entire world. What would possess a young man to take such horrific action? As a parent, my blood ran cold when the news first broke. These families that lost loved ones will never be “OK.” For the rest of their lives, they will feel pain and loss every day. Nothing will ever fill the void that has been left. Every day will be filled in some capacity with sadness and grief.
I actually searched for some sort of guidance on leadership during a crisis like this. There were dozens of articles on how to lead in “tough times” – times of economic uncertainty, times of changing political climates, times of war, and other typical tough scenarios. There was nothing, however, on how leaders should react and somehow be a catalyst for change.
Time Management Strategies for the Holiday Season (12.16.12 WBR TV Segment Follow-Up)
My December small business segment on ABC’s Washington Business Report focused on general, personal, and professional time management strategies. I have many more strategies than I could cover; I’ve included all of them here.
Five Ways To Make The Most of Your Holiday Downtime
How we can make the most of our holiday downtime – you know those pockets of time when office productivity is low, laziness is high, and we’re all pressing the reset button to move into the new year? I came across an article by Kevin Daum (http://www.kevindaum.com), a best-selling author, Inc columnist, Inc 500 entrepreneur, and fellow Entrepreneurs Organization (http://www.eonetwork.org) member that answered this question.
I’ve taken 2 of his suggestions and mixed them with 3 of mine. Whether you’re the reflective, spiritual, meditative type, the hyper-focused Type-A type, or somewhere in between, there should be something for everyone on this list.
Growing Into the Title of CEO Starts Today – Four Reasons Why It Must.
As a small business owner, nothing communicates confidence to prospective customers, employees, and partners more than your title as CEO.
In just three letters, the title communicates self-confidence, leadership, vision, strategy, and credibility.
As an Entrepreneur, 11 Things For Which I am Thankful
It’s always the right time to live life from a place of gratitude. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, today I reflect on what it means to be thankful as an entrepreneur.
Are You a Colossal Entrepreneur?
At last week’s Cadre event (http://www.cadredc.com/), I had the opportunity to hear best selling author Mike Michalowicz (http://mikemichalowicz.com/) speak about his theory of Colossal Entrepreneurship, which is the basis of his book, “The Pumpkin Plan.” Just when I think I have finally mastered the whole entrepreneurship mindset, a new perspective comes along that makes me re-think my whole approach.
This is what happened with Mike. His idea of “The Pumpkin Plan” came from observing pumpkin farmers that grow colossal pumpkins over the course of a year. Those pumpkins don’t magically appear because of a healthy crop season and good luck. These farmers follow a systematic approach to pumpkin growth that differs from the strategies traditional farmers use to grow the maximum quantity of pumpkins possible.
Bracing for Sequestration – IF It Happens At All
n my meeting today with my customers at Defense Logistics Agency, one of the Directors asked me, “Marissa, how is Information Experts preparing for sequestration?” The question caught me off guard, but fortunately, I’ve attended so many events to learn about sequestration strategies that I was quick on my feet to answer.
Here are the five strategies we’ve implemented to prepare for budget cuts:
The New World of Learning & Workforce Implications
Last month, I attended the quarterly Chief Learning Officers (CLO) breakfast led by CLO Media (www.clomedia.com). The panel and discussion centered around the changes occurring in the workforce, and the convergence of education, skills, and work. As someone who has a Master’s Degree in Instructional Systems Design/Curriculum Development, and as CEO of a company (www.informationexperts.com) that provides education and training solutions to the market, I’ve always been interested in how social changes impact educational trends in the workforce.
Much of my information is from one of the best resources I have encountered on this topic: The Apollo Research Institute (www.apolloresearchinstitute.org).
Where Has Marissa Been?
Information Experts (www.informationexperts.com) has gone through A LOT of changes these last few months. These changes have been QUITE an educational journey for me. Honestly, there were times when I wanted to write a column, and I was paralyzed. The words just wouldn’t flow. I felt as if I had nothing valuable to share because my own leadership circumstances were so perplexing to me. I lost my footing, and questioned whether I had any right to share my insights and lessons.
Now that I have emerged in a better place, I look forward to sharing my experiences with you as I continue to process how they have shaped my company, and shaped me as a person, mentor, and leader.
On a positive note, these past two months have provided me with many opportunities to help others through my speaking.
