What’s your Leadership Philosophy?

I attended a leadership training recently and one of the exercises we did was to create our own personal leadership philosophy. I found going through the steps really helpful in solidifying what I valued and what my expectations were for myself and my organization. So here are the steps:

  1. Define your purpose or mission, consider major responsibilities, final products, customers.
  2. Understand your true personal values.  Your core values are those that are intrinsically valuable these contribute to your total person, family, hobbies, competence etc.
  3. List your fundamental leadership beliefs about people and organizations.  These could include your beliefs on whether or not people inherently want to do a good job, what climate an organization should have, how things get done.
  4. Determine your vision “what kind of reputation do you want to create with your actions in your personal and work life” what do you want to be?  You can start with “My vision is creating/inspiring/enabling and environment.” From there, add action words such as is, will, facilitates, enables, allows, etc.  Then add your description and reflect.  An example:  Allows every individual to contribute to their maximum capability.
  5. Establish Leadership Goals- Should be achievements of characteristics you want to accomplish (the ends), and inspire deliberate action (the means).  First, picture what you want to do and the work environment you want to have in a realistic, achievable picture 2 years from now.  What ingredients are needed for your picture?  What goals do you need to set to achieve this?  An example: I will always look for improvement in areas I affect.
  6. Compare your values with those of your organization- do they mesh?

Organize all of this into a strategy  – it should be easily understood, desirable to read, achievable, positive, and energized.  It can be in a paragraph, a chart, a cartoon- whatever fits your style

I found following the steps and really thinking about each allowed me to create a picture for myself and those I lead. I am sharing my first draft of my vision and I will continue to edit as it evolves, but for now, it gives us a direction and focus. I chose a graphic depiction, basically a house built on a foundation of values. This is, of course, is specific to my organization, but it gives you the idea. I hope this is helpful and good luck on your leadership journey!

~ Submitted by Lorie Vega, Secretary

The Power of the Name Badge

So what can the mighty badge do for you? Beyond being your business card, handshake, ad or even a closed deal, a name badge is your chance to make a name for yourself which is the key to success.

Stretch out
By way of self-disclosure and forgoing anonymity, wearing a nametag LITERALLY causes you to “stick yourself out there. It might be uncomfortable but that’s the best way to learn…and who are we kidding comfort zones are overrated, you have no business there anyway!

Branding
Name badges are a key aspect of the branding exercise because they are worn on the very front line of the customer/client game. They’ve become part of the total branding opportunity when promoting your brand. A recent survey of 1,000 men and women across the U.S. revealed that 96% felt it was it important to recognize a person by name when doing business.

75% of those surveyed agreed that wearing a name badge would help one to stand out in job searches and career advancement.
77% believed that wearing a name badge helps to personally brand oneself at meetings, conferences or networking events. (Survey conducted by Social Science Research Solutions.)

Professionalism
Wearing a name badge effectively communicates you are serious and take pride in your position. Your customers and business connections will notice your attention to detail and the confident first impression a name badge provides. With your name and logo at the forefront of your professional interactions, it gives an important visual that makes your brand memorable and more personal.

Approachability
Regardless of the design, name badges say “I’m here to help” and they say it loud and clear just by being worn! Think about it from a customer point of view. If your employees or members are proudly wearing name badges, they are instantly identified as being open, willing and available to help.

An equalizer
When nametags are worn correctly (no last names, acronyms, degrees, positions or designations, just the first name your mama gave you) you successfully leveled the playing field. This allows you to lead with your person, NOT your profession. This allows people to know you first as a human, not a statistic.

Engagement tool
The hardest part about conversations is getting the ball rolling. That’s why names are so great. They are THE basic building block of conversation the sooner someone knows your name, the sooner they are more comfortable and willing to engage. Simply stated, names reduce the distance between people. So disarm and expedite conversations with a name tag!

Interactive Advertising
Traditional advertising can be expensive. Name badges enable you to increase your promotional space by placing it at the forefront of your interactions and maybe even allow you to upsell your latest product/service, promote your seasonal deals or simply increase awareness about your business…ahh the versatility of the mighty badge!

– Article submitted by Kendra Lee,
WNRC Board Secretary

Networking

Networking

We’re all about networking! So what can you do to make the most of your membership? Read on for some helpful tips and information that you can use everywhere you go!

What is networking?

Making contacts! Networking is all about exchanging information and sharing advice among a group of people with common interests and goals. Networking can be used to expand professional ties, to share hobbies and interests or to further a cause.

How can networking help me?

You can use networking to expand your own circle. You’ll be able to establish valuable contacts in a variety of fields for information, advice, inspiration and moral support as you pursue your own goals and help others reach their own. Networking can be an opportunity to discover cross-promotional opportunities, and it can also build community and a sense of connectedness.

Evaluate your networking goals.

  • What kind of networking are you already engaging in?
  • Who is in your present network?
  • Who are you going to need in your network to get where you want to go?
  • Where and how can you meet these people? Once you’ve found them, tell them about yourself and what you’re looking for – then find out about them, as well!

Effective networking

Organize your resources so that you can reach people in your network easily. Collect business cards at all networking events, and keep this collection in a file box or notebook. Or, for those who are more tech-inclined, use a program that allows you to scan and save the card information. Many of these programs (including smart-phone apps) can also extract the information from these cards and create contacts automatically. Keeping the cards or contacts organized by category means being able to locate the people you need quickly and effortlessly! You should also keep a file of promotional materials, brochures and other publications that contain information about events, services, businesses and influential people.

Keep a file box (or contact notes if organizing electronically). On each index card, write your contact’s information, along with where they work, what your relationship is with them, what you might learn from them and what you might have to offer them. This is also a great place to keep track of ideas discussed with this contact, thoughts that might develop into something later, etc. You can keep track of what you have in common with each person, along with an item or two that is of interest or importance to them that you can use as a conversation starter later.

Keep track of everyone you meet this way. You’ll be surprised at how big your network actually is and how quickly it will grow! You can even start index cards for people you’d like to get to know. Make an effort to contact them or place yourself in their path to initiate an introduction. Be creative about supplying information to others.

It’s important to be able to take the initiative in making contacts. You can actively pursue and build the connections you need to succeed. Networking works best when you choose individuals, activities and groups and commit to participating and cultivating your resources.

Opportunities to connect are limited only by your imagination. You can meet people and gather information through professional and trade associations, unions, groups, networks, internet communities, conferences, meetings, workshops and classes. Every exchange can be a link to information and resources. Learn to make the most of each opportunity!

Visibility

Look for ways to ‘advertise’ yourself, your products or services to WN members. Bring flyers to put on tables, or to hand out at the door. Door prizes (given away at monthly luncheons) are an excellent way to keep your name and your products in front of the group.

ALWAYS carry your business cards, and hand them out. If your organization doesn’t supply them, order your own. Hang on to the business cards you collect.

Set goals. For instance, plan to make three new contacts weekly – and follow up with them in the coming month. Send a clipping, email an article, make a phone call, arrange another meeting – this time including a third person. Map out a program to move you toward your goals. This might include:

  • Your present network: The various people you already know personally or know of and can readily connect with; colleagues or co-workers, past and present; your parents (or children) and their networks; other relatives and their networks; neighbors, teachers, school friends, members of clubs you have belonged to – all of whom have networks of their own.
  • The network you’re going to need in order to get where you want to go. You may not know the names of these people, but you know what fields they are in and what type of jobs they hold. You know where to find them.
  • Brainstorm ideas on how to expand your present network to include the members of your goal-oriented network of the future. One means of doing this is to find someone who already knows them and can make introductions and put yourself in their path.

2018 Tax Changes

It is sad to say but the end of the year is right around the corner.  The last time I looked we are only about 9 weeks away until 2019.  During this time everyone is busy with the holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas).  This is also a great time to think about tax planning, especially because of the new tax law of 2017.  If you receive a W-2, it is likely you have seen an increase in the net pay you get due to the change in the federal tax withholding tables.  It is a good idea to take a look at your federal withholding taken out to date to make sure it will be enough.  We have done some planning for clients and not enough federal withholding has been taken out to cover the total tax.  If this is your case you still have time to adjust the withholding for the last couple months of paychecks.

Another change for 2018 is the increase in the child tax credit, which is a great thing for families with kids under 17.  In the past the taxpayers under the income limit could get a $1000 credit per child.  This credit was limited if you met the income limit or it was even phased out completely.  Starting in 2018 the credit went up to $2000 per child under 17 and the income limit increased to $400,000 for married filing joint taxpayers, allowing more taxpayers to qualify for the credit.  In the past, taxpayers were not eligible for a tax credit for dependents over the age of 17.  Starting in 2018 taxpayers are eligible for a $500 nonrefundable credit for each of those dependents.  If you have grandparents or parents and you are providing more than half their support, now you can claim them as a dependent and get a $500 tax credit.

These are just a couple of the changes that were included in the tax law.  If you have questions please consult your tax advisor.

Michelle MinnerathPast President
Ketel Thorstenson, LLP