As Mr Burke so succinctly put it: “No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear”.

How does fear express itself in BNI? In many ways:

It expresses itself in the member who covers several categories and wants to keep them all to him or herself. For example, perhaps the graphic designer keeps printers out of the chapter because of his or her ability to broker print.

By denying the chapter another productive and profitable member, not only do your fellow members lose out on opportunities for referrals and profitable relationships, but the designer denies him or herself an opportunity to form a networking partnership.

We do this because we fear losing out on referrals, or because we fear the newcomer will be more popular, or more credible, or that they will take business away from us… but very often the fear is just an insubstantial dread that won’t stand up in the cold light of logic.

Fear expresses itself in our holding back on getting a referral for somebody because we’re worried that something might go wrong, or we fear not having control or perhaps losing out on an opportunity we could take for ourselves.

How is fear it affecting you?

The next time you feel a momentary panic about something, pause and examine it. Try to get to the bottom of it and study it with some cold logic, then replace it with the spirit of ‘Givers Gain’.

Remember, if everybody in the chapter were solely focussed on finding referrals for fellow members, we would all do enormously well.

“In life we don’t get what we want, we get in life what we are. If we want more we have to be able to be more, in order to be more you have to face rejection.” – Farrah Gray.

No matter what your fear is, it’s doing you damage. Generosity is a far more profitable substitute.

Colin Kennedy is a keynote speaker, writer and marketing consultant at Iron Road. As BNI New Zealand’s marketing director he is responsible for the organisation’s communications strategy, and also serves as an assistant director for North Central region of BNI.

When I was coaching international athletes the very worst place was 2nd or 1st loser.  It was gutting not to get the gold.  When you have had a taste you want more.

In business the worst place to be is in-between.  In my experience so many businesses and so many business owners are stuck in-between not achieving their business goals
and achieving them.  They haven’t yet found the tipping point or reached the tipping point.  They just keep on hoping it will show up.

So how do you move away from the in-between acid bath?  The answer to this is a one word answer – DECIDE! Decide that you want to move forward and then get on with it.  The single greatest mental blockage is the ability to decide. Too many people are scared to make a decision because they want certainty that what they decide will work.  In fact they carry out a self-fulfilling prophecy because when they make a decision they immediately go to the negative about the outcome.

Typical negative thoughts are – it will be too hard, cost too much, haven’t got enough resources, to many other people are doing it, my staff won’t buy in, a meteor will hit the earth or a flying pig will land on my head and kill me.

The in-betweeners dilemma – to go forward or stay behind or make myself a nice little comfort zone in the middle.

As a peak performance coach there is only one answer ‘decide to go forward and stop being an in-betweener’!

HOW can you go forward? 5 little words!

Clarity – be clear about what you want to move forward to and visualise this.

Specificity - write down the specifics of what you see in your mind as you go forward including the positive things that will happen to you.

Capability – value your own personal capabilities and then decide on what other capabilities you need to source through coaches, contractors and specialists.  Everything is out there, you just need to identify it and ask for it.  Sure it might cost you money but that is what budgets and forecasts are for.

Simplicity – whatever you do make sure it is simple – no sophistication or complexity. The basics work. Keep in mind that ‘excellence is doing the basics better than before everyday all day in every way’

Discipline – there is no escaping this one and ultimately this is the one that can trip you up.  Discipline means staying on task – or being a disciple to the plan. To stay disciplined ask this question regularly – “is what I am doing a return on investment activity or a distraction?” If it is a distraction get more disciplined and stay on task.  Set your plan and follow it.

NO MORE IN-BETWEEN – Peak Performers are never in-between they are always moving forward, sometimes slowly and sometimes fast but they never stagnate – they make decisions and then get to work.

Check the Weekly Motivator at www.peakperformanceinsight.com

Hospice is not a building; it is a philosophy of care 

• The goal of hospice is to help people make the most of their lives; to live every moment in whatever way is important to them.
• The majority of people are cared for in their homes in the community or in residential care facilities.
• Most hospices have inpatient facilities where people go for respite care, symptom and pain management or during their last days.

 Hospices provide care for anyone living with a life limiting illness 

• Hospice care for anyone with any life limiting illness – for example heart failure, MND, MS or cancer
• Regardless of location, age, religion or race.

 Hospice care and support is provided completely free of charge

• Hospices are independent charitable organisations.
• There are 35 hospice services throughout the country all providing a range of services depending on the needs of their local community.
• In 2012 it will cost over $75M to provide hospice care in NZ. 
• As an essential health service provider, hospices do receive some funding from Government but financial support from the community is essential to meet the shortfall – in 2012 that total is over $30M nationally. 

Hospice care for the whole person, not just their physical needs but also their emotional, spiritual, and social needs too. 

• Hospice care for families and friends as well, both before and after a death.
• All hospices throughout NZ share the same vision – anyone who is dying has the opportunity to celebrate their life with the help of hospice
• Most hospices provide or have access to a wide range of services such as spiritual care, day unit programmes, massage, art therapy, music therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy.

 Nationally in 2011: 

• Approximately 14,000 people received care and support from hospice,
• Over 155,000 visits were made to people in their homes by hospice teams,
• The volunteer workforce gave over 584,000 hours to hospice.  Many of the services we provide would not be possible without the support of their huge volunteer team.

 Ways YOU can get involved: 

• Host or attend an event

In the lead up to Awareness Week the Hospice NZ website will feature a newsfeed of events going on around the country. There are a great number of events planned including open days, memorial services, street appeals, or hosting a Hospice cuppa event. Or look at your local hospice’s website to find out what they have planned.

• Donate goods for Hospice shops

Why not have a clear out at home or at the office and donate all good quality items that you don’t need any more to the local hospice shop. 

• Talk about hospice

Tell your family, friends and contacts about your work with hospice, many people don’t know about their work and you can use your experience to be an ambassador and raise awareness. 

• Send a free e-moment

You can help to raise awareness of hospice by sending a free e-moment to someone you care about, or share this website link with others www.hospice.org.nz/living-every-moment. 

• Follow and Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/hospicenz

•  Make a donation

Why not have an office function or competition to raise funds for hospice – have a hospice cuppa, bake sale, jelly bean counting competition, or mufti day.

• Become a volunteer

Volunteers support all aspects of hospice services – some examples include drivers, car cleaners, reception duties, gardening, hosts, shop assistants. Around Awareness Week volunteers are often needed for Street Appeals and other fundraising events.

Any questions or for more information contact:
Jo Rosenbrook
04 381 0296
Community Relationships Advisor
Hospice New Zealand

Not everyone seems to agree with the sentiments of the article.  If you are interested, feel free to follow the link to a blog in Cambridge, UK where a lively discussion is currently underway about the various types of networking groups that exist and the merits and drawbacks of each.  Contributors to date include BNI Founder and Chairman – Dr Ivan Misner.  To join in the discussion – and have your say; CLICK HERE

It has been said that the key to success is passion and purpose and I am very much of that belief.  The ‘8’ are the practical activities that enable that passion and purpose to manifest. My own clients make significant gains in service offerings, cash flow, client happiness and personal and team satisfaction when these 8 activities are implemented and monitored.

Switch On
Know your people, your business, your market and your industry better than anyone else. Switching On means putting things front of mind. It means becoming a student of the game. The things you need to know about and what you need to know about them are always right in front of your face – you just don’t see them until you switch on.
Here is an analogy for you. When you want to buy a new car and you know what you want, you start searching for information by reading car reviews, talking to people who own one, you view them on YouTube and tour the car sales yards to check them out. You are so switched on to this model of car that you actually start to see plenty of them on the highway. They were always there but now you see them because you are switched on.

Value Yourself Up
You know more than you think you know. You need to value your knowledge, your management skills and your business experience. You need to leverage what you know to give you an advantage in the market place.  What you know enhances your credibility. When you truly value yourself up with confidence and self-belief you increase your credibility power.  It is your credibility power that will grow your business.

I have worked with many executive clients who have suffered from ‘fraud syndrome’.  They tell me they don’t know how they got into such a senior position with high levels of responsibility.  They literally wonder if they really do know what they should know and tell me they feel like a fraud.  I need to point out here that female executives suffer fraud syndrome more than male executives – at least that has been my observation.  Once we do a success exercise they quickly acknowledge they are not frauds.

Stick to the basics
Business Excellence is doing the basics better than before all day every day in every way.
In your business there will be core activities that drive your business success. These activities will grow your business – activities  such as prospecting, administration, following up leads, regular communication with customers, clients and suppliers, managing your database and providing high quality service and client experiences.  Each of these activities is made up of basic steps, components and processes. Make sure these basic activities are not compromised. Always maintain a high standard with them: they are the core foundation of your business.

Know your numbers
Know your numbers. Know your cash flow situation. Know your productivity capabilities, sales figures and profit margins. Know your sales trends so you know how to prepare for busy times and down times.  Be inquisitive – it is your business.   It’s what you don’t know that can bring you down, so stay on top of your numbers all the time. Do not make decisions about technology, opportunities, diversification and business development unless you know your numbers. Numbers make a business go around.  My most successful clients know there numbers.

I had one client who owned a plastics retail shop. He wanted to make more income from the shop but wasn’t sure how to do it. I asked him to tell me his numbers. He couldn’t. I told him my most successful clients know there numbers and I wanted him to get a full audit completed so he knew where he was at.  He did this and found he was in a pretty good position but still wanted to generate more cash from his sales.

I gave him the following exercise. He was to review all his 2000 products and decide which items he could raise the price on by between 5c and $5 and still remain competitive. He had to do this exercise against his sales of those products over the previous financial year.  It took him two weeks to come up with the numbers but what a surprise.  He discovered that it would generate another $250,000.  He was ecstatic.  I then gave him another surprise and said “isn’t it great to have free money coming into your business”? He asked, “What do you mean”? I explained to him that he was already profitable and paying his bills so this was like a free scoop of ice cream on the cone, a pleasant surprise. I then suggested he put some money aside as a bonus for his very loyal staff and then figure out what to do with the rest.  I had to shake the place up a little bit and give the staff a bit of a rev, but once they found out they were getting a bonus I became their best friend. 

Drill, Drill, Drill
The biggest asset in your business can make you millions. Staff development and management training are essential. Never underestimate the value and motivation that staff training can provide.  Set aside regular coaching and training sessions to up-skill your team and keep them motivated. Training staff is not a cost to your business – it is an investment that when done properly will get you a return. Great staff means happy customers and clients who will spend money and keep the shareholders happy.

I encourage my clients to have formal coaching and knowledge advancement sessions at last once per week. I also encourage them to allocate a staff member to prepare a small training session on something they know a lot about within the business and industry. They get a couple of hours off that week to prepare.  For the most part they are not nervous about presenting because they know their team mates.

The outcome is a great level of commitment to provide a quality presentation. The presenter leads a discussion and answers questions. Their confidence is boosted, staff members learn something new and they value their positions and jobs because they are valued by their team-mates.

I had one client who owned a gym and applied this method. Over a year they created a significant knowledge library on all things health and fitness.  The quality of service from the trainers elevated and was very high because they were switched on and valued themselves up with their knowledge.

Stay on task
Stick to your game plan – know where you are going and measure your progress against your plan.  It is easy to get distracted away from your primary goal when you don’t have a plan. It takes discipline to stay on task and keep your eye on the ball.  Every day ask yourself the question, “If I do this, will it grow my business?” Also ask “Is what I am doing a return on investment activity or a distraction”?

Executive Health and Fitness
Peak performers don’t have a choice when it comes to health and fitness. You must maintain a work/life balance, an executive level of fitness, and energise yourself with quality nutrition.  This is self-explanatory: a healthy mind needs a healthy body.  The research is as plain as the nose on your face. The more energised you are through good levels of health and fitness the more effective you are at your vocation and within your business and correspondingly the more successful you are.

Expect to succeed
If you don’t back yourself no-one else will. Great champions are never surprised by victory: they plan for it and expect it.  Great business people are never surprised by success: they plan for it and expect it.

Whether you are remaining a regular member of your chapter, or stepping up to the leadership team, it really is in your interests to take this seriously and be asking some questions of your new leaders or yourself (if you have taken a leadership role).

Make no mistake, the success of your chapter and the number of referral you get in the next six months will hinge on leadership.

How to recognise a good leadership team member

A good leader…

* Sees the leadership team role as an opportunity – to develop personally and to increase his or her profile (and flow of referrals) in the chapter.

* Put their name forward for the LT role or responded readily when asked.

* Is assertive enough to put the interests of the chapter first.

* Attends training – even for the tenth time – because they recognise they can ‘never know it all’.

* Is a good communicator. They communicate regularly and are responsive.

* Is enthusiastic. BNI team leadership is a social skill and so, above all, they need positive enthusiasm and energy.

If you notice a common denominator of what defines a good leader is “attitude”, you would be right on the money.

It doesn’t matter if a person has been a BNI member for even just three months – if they have enthusiasm, passion and drive they and their chapters will thrive.

Colin Kennedy is a keynote speaker, writer and content marketing consultant. As BNI New Zealand’s marketing director he is responsible for the organisation’s communications strategy, and also serves as an assistant director for North Central region of BNI.

If we adults had to laugh more we would enjoy stronger relationships, less conflict, more productivity and many more successful business outcomes.

Dr. Pamela Gerloff, in The Possibility Paradigm, writes: “Research has shown that laughter reduces levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, and dopamine; increases health-enhancing hormones (such as endorphins), neurotransmitters, and infection-fighting antibodies; and improves blood flow to the heart – all resulting in greater relaxation and resistance to disease, as well as improved mood and positive outlook.”

So the science is pretty solid. Laughter is good for you. And here’s why it’s good for business…

Dr Gerloff says that when we laugh together, we experience a sense of unity and connection. We don’t actually need the science to tell us that. It’s just that we forget.

Both rapport and liking are essential to building trust in a business relationship, and the quickest way to make people relax with you is to make them laugh or smile. It really is the most enjoyable sales technique.

In working with a number of BNI chapters for the past eight or so years, it’s my experience that BNI chapters which are full of laughter, fun and banter are the ones that stay strong and grow steadily. A good example is BNI Parnell which has consistently remained around the 37 member mark for years — they’re an energetic, fun bunch of people.

If you want a strong chapter, get people laughing. Have some fun.

Colin Kennedy is a keynote speaker, writer and content marketing consultant. As BNI New Zealand’s marketing director he is responsible for the organisation’s communications strategy, and also serves as an assistant director for North Central region of BNI.

Organiser and Hutt Valley Chapter President, Craig Reddin, says BNI Members who attended gained insights in to the behind the scenes life of a professional rugby player, a franchise such as The Hurricanes and the amount of infrastructure provided to not only support their growth the personal development within the game, but also outside of the sport – remembering that the average playing time of a professional rugby player is nine years.

“This was the first of our initiatives in relation to group networking and the new leadership team will be working on a group dancing event, most likely in conjunction with The Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce,” says Craig, who organised everything personally given his role with the Hertz Sevens and Wellington Rugby.

“D4, where we held the function, is a commercial partner of the Hertz Sevens, and they supplied complimentary nibbles and the venue at no cost,” says Craig, who attends the chapter as director of Reddin Associates LTD.

“There was a spot prize at the end for a signed Hurricanes jersey, which was won by Gaylene Hughes from JDI Business Coaching.

“Given that Steve (Symonds) and I are work colleagues, we are keen to see something like this grow and we are going to work on the possibilities around inviting all of the local BNI Chapters along to another networking event, however, this time up at the Hurricanes training facility – maybe to watch the team train and then have a BBQ lunch along with some networking,” says Craig.

Dave’s fundraiser was carried out during ‘National Shave For A Cure Week’ on behalf of the Leukaemia and Blood Count Cancer Association, in BNI Kerikeri’s coffee break.

“I lost a close family member and good friend and that was the incentive to try and do something,” says Dave. “We all have someone that is affected by this terrible disease.

BNI Kerikeri itself raised $400 for Dave, and the fundraising continues.

For more information, visit: http://www.shaveforacure.co.nz/view_event_profile/6777