After much delay, I’m delighted to share 3 contest winners, who each will win a $50 Amazon gift card.

First, Yomar Lopez shared an amazing comment about how to bounce back from bad credit and bankruptcy. This seriously should be an article, and I’m going to ask Yomar if he’ll let me use it as an article for you. It is definitely helpful for all business owners.

Next, in the biggest downsizing mistakes contest, Angie Chaplin offered some amazing insights, along with 9 other folks who poured their hearts out. Go back and read the comments about the biggest downsizing mistakes and you’ll learn the WRONG way to downsize someone.

Last but not least (and actually the oldest contest) was the How to Give a Winning Presentation contest, and our winner is Cindy Zoeller, who suggestion was – CANDY! Love that! Go back and read the other suggestions too so you can give a winning presentation.

If you didn’t win, please keep trying! I’ll be giving away some books, at least 2 more $50 Amazon gift cards, and likely much more!

Thanks for participating, and for reading!

A recent study by Hewitt and Associates showed some very interesting reasons employees are disengaged at work. You can read a summary of the disengagement study from Business on Main.

I think the reasons in the study were very helpful. I also think that it is the manager’s responsibility to fight for their employees and try to help them re-engage – or to  disengage them completely and fire the malignant employees, else all employees will actively disengage and you’ll be stuck with a team of dead weight.

Though I recommend firing bad employees as fast as you can, I also know that’s not always possible or preferred. So here are some tips to help you understand why your team might be way off into the land of disengagement.

• Bad boss -  Nothing in the world is worse than a bad boss. Someone who is abusive, who micromanages every task like it’s the most important thing in the world, or the person who always comes in late and leaves early. If you’re a bad boss, fix yourself FIRST then focus on your team. Some bosses are so horrible, they make movies that mock your crazy ways called Horrible Bosses!
• No Boss – Worse than a bad boss is no boss, as everyone needs someone to escalate problems and requests to, someone who will have your back, or at least listen to you when you’re stuck and you have nowhere else to go. If you’re a manager or director who’s failed to fill a position thinking you can handle a team while trying to do your day job, you’re the reason your team is disengaged, because you’re not giving enough attention to anyone.
• Lack of training to help grow their career – When is the last time your company offered training that would grow your employees beyond their current job? If you answered never, you’ve probably got some disengaged folks on your team. Take time to offer them some training and some opportunity to use that training for optimal happiness, er engagement.
• No meaningful raise for a long time – When is the last time your team got a raise above 3%, and the cost of medical benefits didn’t eat the whole thing up? If you can’t remember, you’ve probably got a disengaged team. Unless you’re telling them what’s happening, when you think it’s going to get better, and that you’re in the same boat as they are. If they can get a 10% raise at another company, and it’s been that way for a few years, stop kidding yourself: your best people are leaving you for that opportunity. And if nobody is leaving, maybe your team isn’t that great after all and you need to clean some folks out.
• Lack of respect – Do you still believe in micromanagement of all tasks, and foolishly believe you can do their job better, and then sit down at their desk and try to prove it for an hour every now and then? If so, you’ve completely disengaged and demoralized your team because you’ve just shown them how little you respect what they can do. If you want to show them how to do things, spend a whole day, or a whole week, in their shoes, doing what they do. I’ll bet YOU’LL have more respect for them, and they definitely will have more respect for you.
• Lack of meaningful benefits – Is your company still only offering $2000 tuition reimbursement, when the federal government says you can offer up to $5250? Are you offering domestic partner benefits, but you don’t ever hire anyone who isn’t 25-55, white, Protestant and married with children? These benefits are a joke! Offer something meaningful to your team, like flex time they can really use, or on-site car care, or something they want and will use. If you don’t know, here’s an idea: Ask them! If you really care, and you’re willing to listen, maybe, just maybe, they’ll tell you what they want.
• Lack of connection to company goals – Does your team know how their personal goals tie into the department goals which tie into the company goals? If they don’t know and there is a connection, make sure you show them the connection. If they aren’t connected, are they at least connected to something important, or are they goals for the sake of goals? If there’s no connection, you’re fooling yourself if you think your employees give a crap about what you’re asking of them. They’re just going through the motions, waiting to find a better job.

How disenaged is YOUR team? If you’re not a manager, how disengaged are YOU?

Contest: Win 1 of 2 $50 Amazon gift cards

First: You must read the disengagement study article to see what the experts have said.

Second: Come back and leave a comment about why YOU think employees are more disengaged than ever. Share an example if you like.

Contest ends Monday July 25th, 2011 at 5 PM central time, and winners will be chosen at random using Random.org . Must leave a valid e-mail address to be entered into the contest. Fake names are ok but I need the e-mail to contact you and to send your Amazon gift card to.

My blog is a part of an online influencer network for Business on Main. I receive incentives to share my views on a monthly basis.

NOTE from Phil: What follows is an overview of a new, innovative book called Personality Poker by Stephen Shapiro. If you read all the way to the bottom, you’ll learn how you can win 1 of 2 copies of this book.

Everyone wants to learn about their personality style. But most people don’t like taking boring written quizzes and assessment.

Enter “Personality Poker” – the fun and interactive way to learn about your personality.

Personality Poker is played with a specially designed deck of cards. They look like regular poker cards except they also have words printed across the faces. The words are personality descriptors like organized, analytical, empathetic and creative.

For those who know poker, Personality Poker is played like 5 card draw. Participants receive 5 random cards and swap/trade cards until they get a hand with words that best describe their personality. Based on the suits, the colors, and numbers that they end up with, the player will learn everything about their personality.

The suits represent the four main styles:

· Spades. These are the analytical, data-oriented people.

· Diamonds. These are the stereotypical “creative” individuals. They like ideas and experiences.

· Clubs. These are the people who “plan the work and work the plan.” They’re more about structure and action. Bottom-line results are critical.

· Hearts. These people are all about relationships. They make decisions based on what others think and are more empathetic and supportive.

The numbers represent the “energy styles” and provide deeper insights into the personalities.

· The 2, 3 and 4 cards represent the unproductive behaviors associated with each style. For example, being “organized” is great, but being “anal retentive” may be less desirable.

· The 5 – 9 cards represent the “introverted” styles. Although these individuals may prefer more solitary work, taken more broadly, introversion also includes a tendency to be more easily overwhelmed by stimuli that are deemed too intense. They prefer predictability and a low likelihood of risk.

· The 10 – A cards represent the “extroverted” styles. They thrive on higher energy activities. Although they may not be as good at focusing on single tasks, they get energy from action rather than reflection and are known for their ability to motivate others to get things done.

The last dimension of Personality Poker is reflected by the colors that symbolize the two primary “thinking styles.”

· Rational/Analytical. The black cards (spades/clubs) are more rational and are the ones who put the “no” in innovation. Knowledge and expertise are a cornerstone of their thinking style.

· Relational/Creative. The red cards (diamonds/hearts) are more relational and are the ones who put the “fun” in dysfunctional. While employees enjoy their leadership style, the business could end up in the “red” if someone with red cards is in charge as they are not as organized or focused on the bottom line.

What is particularly fun is to “gift” cards to others. That is, find cards that describe people you work with and give them those cards. It is an interesting insight to see if you see yourself differently than others see you.

Although Personality Poker was primarily developed as a tool for driving innovation in corporations, people enjoy finding out about themselves in a fun and interactive way. You may never look at yourself – or your co-workers – the same way!

Contest: I have 2 copies of this fun book to give away. Leave an insightful comment about why you want to win the book, and I’ll draw 2 random winners on Thursday at 5 PM and post the winners Friday morning. If you want to check out the first chapter of this book free of charge, visit http://personalitypokerbook.com and sign up to view it, then come back and enter.

I love simple books with powerful messages. Smile and Move is one of those books. At 30 minutes of reading time, it won’t require much of an investment on your part. 

Except for your brain, which must engage and understand WHY you need to smile and move.

The book is by Sam Parker, and is worth picking up for yourself and your team. I loaned my copy to my manager. She’s going on vacation this week, so I hope she reads it and comes back recharged with some new ideas. I was after I read it.

Cool fact from the book:
Research shows that, people who are encouraged to express gratitude report feeling happier, more excited and joyful, and even have fewer headaches and colds. — “Counting blessings vs. burdens: Experimental studies of gratitude and subjective wellbeing in daily life,” by R.A. Emmons and M.E. McCullough (2003). 

Sam sent me 2 extra copies so that I can share the ideas with YOU, the wonderful readers of my blog.

How can you win?

Leave a comment and share how you’ve made someone smile in the last week. If you haven’t done so, you have a few days  Contest ends Friday March 27, 2009. I have 2 copies to give away. Open to US residents only. 

Don’t want to wait? Go buy yourself a copy of the book in the Smile and Move store.

Hi Andy,

My name is Phil Gerbyshak. I saw your fun video at 800-CEO-READ, and though this is a pretty silly way to get 200 bloggers to write about your book POW! Right Between the Eyes and link back to your website. I still would LOVE a copy of your book because it looks fun!

Can you mail my copy to:

Phil Gerbyshak
PO Box 510854
Milwaukee WI 53202

Thanks so much,
Phil

Do you want a copy of Andy’s book? Watch the video below and follow the directions. It isn’t that hard

Thanks to all those who shared their best problem solving methods in the contest to win a copy of Dan Roam‘s book The Back of the Napkin. By random selection, comment #3 was our winner, submitted by Adam Kayce. Adam writes the Monk at Work blog, offering great insights into improving your life and thinking about things differently.

Here was Adam’s entry:

Problem solving? My favorite way is intuitive; to feel the decisions at hand, connect to my heart (through meditation, breathing, etc.), and then ask for clarity/revelation/insight/whatever, and see what starts to pop up.

It’s a way of circumventing the rational (which has already had its say, thank you very much), and tapping into the ephemeral, the right-brain, the subconscious, etc.

Adam, please send me your address so I can have a copy of The Back of the Napkin sent your way.

Stay tuned for more great contests here at Make It Great!

We have a winner in the contest for Karinna Kittles-Karsten’s book Intimate Wisdom The Sacred Art of Love.

Here’s our winner: Steve Shoemaker, who shared: “A great interview and a great newsletter for Valentines day. The importance of love and relationships is commitment and the willingness to forgive. Thank you opening our eyes to another source of knowledge, inspiration and wisdom.”

Other wonderful entries were:

Dan shared: “I haven’t had the opportunity to read Karinna’s books yet, but the idea of Sacred Love and committing to higher levels of love relationships certainly appeals to me.

A wise person told a congregation gathered for a friend’s wedding: “You will do well to discover and remember that love does not sustain a marriage. Rather, it is marriage that can sustain love. For in living out your commitment to one another that you will honor your relationship more than self or things, regardless of circumstance, you are building the home in which love can survive and thrive. In the shelter of commitment, love can combine with all things – joy and pain, peace and strife, laughter and grieving – to grow from ‘in love’ to ‘great love’.”

Book lover shared: “Thanks for the heart warming and inspirational interview. Got my morning off on the right foot. To answer your question: love and relationships are what make us human – they are the best part of being conscious. The ups and downs, that is what makes us human and what allows us to grow.”

Corinne Edwards shared: “Very intense and provocative interview, Phil. Would love to see you do more of these. I liked the comment that if you are not getting what you want, “Aim higher!”

Mother Earth aka Karen Hanrahan shared: “I can see that this book had personal impact for you and I can also see why you’d be so compelled to share your enthusiasm but also Karrina’s. Have a loved filled week, just for the heart of it!

Tom shared: “As I read the interview, the following stood out for me: “relationships inside the home are equally (if not more so) important to the relationships you build outside –in business and in other interpersonal activities. If you are loved and nourished and supported at home by your personal relationships most specifically with a significant other you will feel more confident and prepared to create great relationships in business and make a greater contribution in the outer world.”

As I think about my life and the successes I have had, they are in great part due to the relationships I have at home with my wife and children. They have given me the strength and confidence to carry on when things looked their bleakest. They are the first people I think about when things go well. They are the first people I turn to when things are rotten. It is their “sacred love” that inspires me to make things great. Both for them and those that touch our lives every day.”

Stay tuned for more great contests coming soon!

Recently I had the opportunity to interview cyber law expert Brett Trout, who’s blog Blawg-IT is, in my opinion, one of the top 10 blawgers on Planet Blogosphere. I subscribe to Brett’s feed even though I’m far from a lawyer, and always manage to learn something.

Why should you read this interview through to the end (other than because you’ll learn something)?

Free book Contest: Brett was also nice enough to give away 2 copies of his awesome new cyberlaw book Cyber Law: A Legal Arsenal for Online Business to 2 lucky readers. There’ll be a question at the end that everyone can give an answer to and who knows? You just might win a copy of Brett’s book.

Q: Tell us about the man, the myth, the legend, Brett Trout.

The Man? In my free time, I race motorcycles, practice Hapkido and Ju-Jitsu, do a little handgun hunting, train for cage fighting, and have even been known to stop a ceiling fan with my tongue.  The Myth? Well I am the hottest, sexiest patent attorney I know. But that’s a little like saying I am the hottest, sexiest octogenarian I know. The Legend? That’s the part I have trouble convincing other people of.

Q: You’re part of the Des Moines blogga nostra (that’s amazing online publishers, for those in need of a translation). How has having a local group helped your blogging and your business?

I could tell youse, but den I’d have ta whack youse (apologies to all the Sopranos fans out there). Blogga Nostra actually provides a lot of support and advice to bloggers. It creates a collaborative environment where you can share ideas and avoid potential mistakes. All Blogga Nostra blogs are better for the affiliation. We meet once a month to share ideas, renew connections and provide assistance to new bloggers. Blogga Nostra is a great way to continue the online conversation offline. It adds a new dimension which strengthens and solidifies relationships. Google Blogga Nostra to get a flavor of the high quality of blogs published by such a small group.

Q: What’s the best (non-lawyer) advice you’ve ever gotten and what made it so good?

Never bring a knife to a gunfight. As a lawyer, I have never been
disappointed in being over-prepared. Over-preparation makes what would
otherwise be a very stressful occupation, a lot of fun.

Q: What’s the best book you’ve read in the last 12-18 months and what made it so outstanding?

God’s Debris – It’s theology for geeks. Very short. Quite enlightening.

Q: You are an intellectual property attorney – as an online publisher, tell me why this is important to me?

Everything you do as an online publisher involves intellectual property. From fair use, to copyright, to trademarks to defamation, online publishing is all about protecting your intellectual property and avoiding infringing other people’s intellectual property. As your blog becomes more popular, intellectual property issues become much more important. I always advise new bloggers to get some advice on doing things correctly from the beginning. This avoids the difficult process of changing everything later (and possibly getting sued). Every online publisher needs to have at least some type of relationship with an intellectual
property attorney, preferably an intellectual property attorney who is also an online publisher.

Q: Congratulations on publishing your new book Cyber Law: A Legal Arsenal for Online Business. Your cover is almost fantasy like. How does it fit into the rest of the book?

Although
the book is actually written in simple terms, for anyone who does
anything online, I designed the concept of the cover art for geeks like
myself. I had other artists attempt the cover, but no one really
captured the graphic novel feel I wanted. Finally, I went to Ron Wagner
who translated my vision into the coolest law book cover I have ever
seen. You just can’t see Cyber Law on the shelf without picking it up.
A lot of reviewers find the cover art so cool we spend half the
interview talking about Ron. I have known Ron for about five years and
have always wanted to do a project with him. As it turns out, he has
always wanted to do a project like this as well. Luckily, Cyber Law
came about and allowed us to collaborate on a project which has far
exceeded my expectations.

Q: Tell us a little more about your wonderful book?

Cyber Law: A Legal Arsenal for Online Business is a desk reference. You can read it cover to cover, but I find
keeping it by my computer as a reference is where it really comes in
handy. I actually use it myself on a pretty regular basis. Cyber Law
answers most of the general questions I have gotten from clients over
the past fifteen years. It is actually my third book on Internet Law.
The books just keep getting bigger and bigger and people keep wanting
more and more.

Q: Any rejected titles you care to share?

Pocket
Online Lawyer, Internet Laws Affecting Your Company II, Gone With the
Wind (looking for a few initial interest confusion sales) and
Everything You Wanted to Know About Internet Law, But Were Afraid to
Ask.

Q: Please share some of your favorite blogging tips and resources that are essential to your arsenal?

Keep
posts short and be yourself. My best posts have always been the easiest
to write. They are merely an extension of who I am. Find a great editor
(Thanks Martha) and actually take their advice; you can never take back
a bad post. Some of the resources I could not do without are my Really
Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds and Blogga Nostra. Having other bloggers
share their support and ideas makes things much easier.

Q: What advice would you give for budding law bloggers (blawgers if you will)?

Read
a lot of other blawgs. Get a feel for how blawgs read. As different as
they are, the best one’s all have a certain professionalism that runs
through all of their posts. Incorporate this sense of professionalism
into your own voice. Find a niche, the narrower, the better. Post
comments on other blawgs and you will start to see traffic trickle
back. Be yourself and most importantly start posting!

Q: Anything else you’d care to share?

I will be speaking at BlogWorld Expo
in Las Vegas November 8th. Stop by and see me if you are attending. Who
knows, you might even be able to talk me into stopping a ceiling fan
with my tongue.

Thanks to Brett Trout for taking time to answer my questions right before your big speech in Las Vegas.

Contest: What’s the best advice YOU’VE ever gotten and what made it so good? Two (2) lucky readers (you must live in the US, sorry overseas folks) will get a copy of Brett’s book Cyber Law: A Legal Arsenal for Online Business. All you need to do is leave this great advice in the comments box, and you’ll be entered to win this random giveaway contest.

You might have noticed that I have this nifty graphic in my sidebar, and wondering "What is Positive Thinking Day?" and "Who designed this wonderful logo?" To answer the last question first, it’s courtesy of Sandy Renshaw and the folks at Purple Wren.

To answer the first question, Positive Thinking Day is a day to celebrate the benefits of positive thinking, something we ALL can benefit from! You can read the full details at the About Positive Thinking Day article, and if you link, comment, or otherwise participate, YOU can win some great stuff from Dr. Joe Vitale and James Earl Ray from The Secret, a copy of my book 10 Ways to Make It Great! and much more. I’m honored to be part of such a great group of people, so a BIG thanks go out to Kirsten Harrell for creating such an impactful event, and for donating all the proceeds of this day to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. I’m co-sponsoring this marvelous event, and I’m challenging YOU to take part in this great contest.

Most Positive Person Contest

If you’ve got a friend who’s made an impact on your life with their positive attitude, take a moment right now and submit their name to the folks at Positive Thinking Day by sending an e-mail to contest@positivethinkingday.com, with all the details. We’ll be choosing 5 people to highlight on September 8th, and be celebrating Positive Thinking Day on 9/13/2007.

Go check out the Positive Thinking Day site, full of great articles like 10 Ways to Create a Positive Day, Four Letter Words (not what you think) and so much more, and enter to WIN.

Remember: You CAN change the world, one positive thought at a time.

Thanks to all who participated in the recent contest to win a copy of Attitude is Everything by Jeff Keller by submitting your favorite attitude adjuster. As promised, I’ve randomly selected my 5 winners, and as a token of my appreciation to everyone who participated, if you sent in an attitude adjuster, I will e-mail you an electronic copy of my book 10 Ways to Make It Great!

Without further ado, here’s the winners, though really, because of all the great tips submitted, we are ALL winners!

Leading off, Rich Hand of the Blah Blah Blog shares his favorite attitude adjuster:

7/5/2007 – “Attitude is Everything”

Phil interviews the author of “Attitude is Everything” in this latest e-newsletter, and he has challenged his subscribers to submit their “Favorite attitude adjuster”. So what is an attitude adjuster you ask? Here is my secret to a good attitude and why I wrote my book:

I have a formula for success that I use and it is a complicated algebra problem. Now before you click “back” look at the formula. I believe that if this was how mathematical formulas worked, we would have a lot more “Mathematicians” in this world.

D + (GxA) = S – Like any good formula you need to know the values:

D = Dreams; G = Goals, A = Action, and S = Success

Dreams plus, Goals times Action, equals Success. My favorite attitude adjuster is to know that I am always dreaming, I have set my goals, I am always acting (even if it is one itsy bitsy piece at a time), and I define my own success and IGNORE everyone else’s definition. Your attitude will brighten significantly if you are taking action to implement your passions; whatever they may be.

Jeff Keller, the author of “Attitude is Everything” suggests not watching the news or TV as a way to keep a good attitude. That is not an option for me because as you know, I love politics and current events. My passion is driven by understanding and commenting on the news of the day. But I understand his point; news is depressing. But it is only depressing if you don’t take action to change things. If I go any further here I will be writing a book (wait I did that already!)

…remember; you control you; period. Just a thought…

Next up is Pet Campbell of Pet’s Garden Blog (shared via e-mail):

To make a decision to "Do a random act of kindness"
This can be anything from an anonymous gift to noticing someone who is
struggling with a situation and reaching out to help..

IE..

I had a massive case of self pity recently..
and heard about a sick kitty.. who vet bills were Hugh.. the family

needed some help..

so instead of giving them money I organized thru the cat blogosphere
an auction.. which led others to add an auction.. the money was raised
and all felt like they had made a difference… It’s wonderful!

Note from Phil: Pet’s photo is the one in this post. Thanks Pet!

The 3rd winner is David Petersen (with probably the most fun blog title I’ve seen in a while, the Dip Schtick), who shared this gem:

My attitude adjuster:   - Remind myself that nothing is ever as bad as it first seems.   - Smile (that usually does the trick)   - Look for one positive in the situation.

With my kids (four girls), when they are in a down mood, I have a little game:  I say to them – "I bet you can’t smile!"  It is usually enough to break the ice so we can then discuss what was going on and then I help them find positive in it.  We don’t have many down times!

Another winner is Kare Anderson of Say It Better

Look to their positive intent, especially when it appear they have none.It is always productive and satisfying to praise the behavior you admire -especially in the presence of the people who are important to that person.

It is even more powerful, when in the presence of someone acting annoying (or worse) to sincerely and specifically praise the part of that person (positive intent, good character trait, a past action, etc,).Our ancient " flight or fight" part of our brain means we respond more quickly and intensely (and longer) to what we do not like than what we do like.  Thus this "praise" behavior makes it more likely that the person will act better as it give her/him time to self-correct and save face.

Bottom line: Do not let somebody else determine your behavior.

Monique submitted a tip via e-mail

In years past I lived and worked in the Caribbean and found that after a long day or a long week – the best attitude adjustor for me was simply getting in to the warm Caribbean sea and floating or bobbing along for a while – the stress would literally just wash away with the waves.

Now, that I’m back living in Milwaukee and don’t have the same opportunity, I find positive visualization of those memories is my best stress reducer!

Thanks to all who submitted their attitude adjuster. All winners: please contact me with your address so I can send you your free book.

PS I’ve got a new project coming up for all of you who still long to share your attitude adjusters, so stay tuned for that.