Welcome to the May issue of Imagine Success Newsletter.

In this Issue

	Welcome to Our May 2009 Imagine Success Newsletter
	Managing Change an Art
	Upcoming Workshops and Programs for June and July 2009!
	This Months Article of Choice is "Gallup Study: Feeling Good Matters in the Workplace"

In Other News

This months "Successful People You Should Know" is Russell Scott, owner of True Source Seminars in Orangeville ON.  

I recently asked Russell what he thought made him successful?  Russell had this to say "What has made me successful is knowing what my true purpose is in life and following that, being impeccable and uncompromising in providing the best possible retreat experience for people in my seminars, persisting in consistently promoting myself and constantly experimenting and re-evaluating with what works and doesn't work and getting the best support from business coaches and trainers."
 

You can learn more about Russell and the great seminars and workshops that he offers at www.TrueSourceSeminars.com or contact him directly at 519-942-8339.
Russell is located at the Ecology Retreat Centre at 308046 Hockley Road, Orangeville.

 

Nancy Sova

Senior Consultant  Imagine Success Consulting

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Welcome to Our May 2009 Imagine Success Newsletter

Last month I had the opportunity to host a "World Cafe", an "Empowerment World Cafe" to be exact.  It was amazing!  Have you heard about World Cafe's?

As a conversational process, the World Café is an innovative yet simple methodology for hosting conversations about questions that matter. These conversations link and build on each other as people move between groups, cross-pollinate ideas, and discover new insights into the questions or issues that are most important in their life, work, or community. As a process, the World Café can evoke and make visible the collective intelligence of any group, thus increasing people’s capacity for effective action in pursuit of common aims.
  

Adding to Imagine Success Consulting's offerings, we will now provide "World Cafe" facilitation services.  Whatever topic it is that you would like to intentionally harness the power of conversation for, whether that be business or social value focussed, we have the facilitation expertise to get your group there!  

World Cafe's provide useful guidance for anyone seeking creative ways to foster authentic dialogue in which the goal is thinking together and creating actionable knowledge.  Contact Us today to learn more.
 

Each month we will be sending out our Imagine Success Newsletter where we will share an "article of choice" that we have found inspiring, empowering or educating and we will highlight a story of someone that we have met along the way in our "in other news - successful people you should know" section. 

And finally we will provide you with upcoming programs and workshops that are available to put you on the path to Success!

Cheers!

The Imagine Success Consulting Team

Managing Change an Art

Exciting News!  I was recently interviewed by Michele Lawson for a newspaper article in the Huronia Business Times.  Read this article below or you can go to the article link Here

Keynote speaker Nancy Sova of Imagine Success Consulting promotes internal shifts in perspective as the first step in corporate change.

A change-or-else directive to employees doesn’t work, says in-demand keynote speaker Nancy Sova, who heads Imagine Success Consulting.
“In order for someone to change, people have to know the reasons why,” Sova explains. “How it benefits them and how it aligns with their personal values, and how it adds value to the organization.”
Using fear and intimidation is counterproductive.
“They’re the lifeblood,” she adds, describing the people in an organization. “If they don’t see how they make a difference, then they’re not going to be able to take pride in their work and take ownership for the quality of work – that’s what it boils down to.”
After a career developing training programs and change-management strategies in-house for an Ontario school board, Sova’s reputation began circulating in corporate circles as well.
“I’ve had requests over the last six or seven years to speak at conferences,” recalls Sova, who finally set up her own corporate training company a year ago. “Back in the ‘80s, no government agency, including schools boards, was service oriented.”
Later, when the paradigm shifted, she realized a “huge piece was missing” and began to introduce leadership and development training focused on soft skills.
Over the years, she has become certified in many aspects of adult education, including Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Cognitive Coaching.
“I love to learn how adults learn,” she says. “I have a thirst and curiosity about it.”
With her extensive facilitation and presentation skills, she provides empowering and inspiring talks about navigating change, personal success strategies, building collaborative cultures, effective communication strategies and process improvement (among other topics).
Her corporate-training initiatives are customized programs that track change.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” she warns. “I don’t give band-aid solutions. It takes at least a year or two to reach business goals.”
In a large organization, she says it can take up to a decade to really see a culture change because of the large group of people involved.
“At six months, we measure the change in behaviours, skills, knowledge and attitudes that the program was designed to do,” she explains, saying the data can be gathered by surveys, one-on-one conversations or through focus groups. “It depends on the culture, size and availability.”
Throughout the process, she follows up with coaching.
“And then at a year, I measure the effect on the organization as a whole.”
If the company wanted to increase productivity by 10 per cent, for example, that’s what she examines.
The process can be scalable for smaller companies, she says, which tends to produce much quicker results.
Regardless, it’s important all levels of corporate responsibility support the programming.
“It’s very much a partnership,” Sova says. “If the senior management isn’t walking the talk, it’s not going to work. When I go into a business, I’m really straight with them.”
Working throughout the province, Sova has scheduled programs at the Gibson Centre in Alliston, and presents regularly in Barrie.
 

Imagine Success Consulting offers Personal, Business and Professional Success Programs and Workshops that are cutting edge and research based. We have world class consultants with many years of experience that inspire, empower and educate to put you on the path to Success. We offer success programs and workshops to diverse participants including the general public, small business owners, large businesses and not for profit organizations.

 In addition to our Personal, Business and Professional programs and workshops, we are also experts at providing Customized Teambuilding, Leadership and Professional programs for any group with outcomes targeted to improve performance that align with business or organizational goals and objectives. Imagine Success Consulting combines rigorous program design standards with unparalleled adult education delivery methods to create borderless opportunities. Please visit our website today to learn more!

Are you organizing a conference this year?  Do you need a Keynote Speaker?  Are you looking for conference workshop presenters and facilitators? 

We offer "Expertise with Expression"!  Engaging, dynamic Keynote Speeches and Conference Workshops with topics including:

Personal Success

Entrepreneurship

Exceptional Client Service and

Building a Strengths Based Culture

Contact us today or visit our website for more information.

 

Upcoming Workshops and Programs for June and July 2009!

REMEMBER All of the Programs and Workshops Offered Below can be Delivered at Your Location with a Minimum of 15 Participants! Contact Us today for More Information.

Personal Development

Personality Dimensions® Introductory Workshop

Thursday June 18th 2009 from 6pm - 10pm in Barrie!

Through the use of colour-coded cards to represent the four major personality strengths and preferences, participants will create an understanding and recognition of their differences as gifts in a positive atmosphere of discovery with a focus on existing strengths and emerging human potential.

This workshop is presented in a fun, lively and interactive way that makes the learning memorable and easy to apply. Come join us for an in-depth understanding of personality temperament to personally grow to understand yourself and others.

 The Empowerment Series - "Creating Positivity in Turbulent Times"

Register today for this dynamic series beginning Wednesday July 8th in Barrie!

The benefits of attending this series are tremendous; you will walk away after each part feeling that you are creating your own reality; sensing a power over your life; no longer being at the mercy of events around you and having a positive impact on what happens to you.

Empowerment is a kind of positive personal power, an awakening to grace, so to speak. Join us for this 5 part series to personally develop and learn what empowerment means to you.

Series 1 – Celebrate What’s Right With the World

Series 2 – Who Moved My Cheese?

Series 3 – Living On Purpose

Series 4 – Finding Your Strengths

Series 5 – Creating Positive Balance

Business Success

Experience it!  - Customized Teambuilding!

Customized Teambuilding is the only way to go when you are wanting to take your business or organization to the next level. It is vital to know the strengths and values of your team. Without this knowledge members are unable to connect themselves to the overall business goals and objectives. Talk to us today about customizing a teambuilding workshop that will provide solutions to compliment, enhance and drive your Business Plan! 

Professional Programs

Facilitation and Presentation Skills - The Adult Learning Professionals Workshop 

Thursday July 2nd 2009 from 6pm - 10pm in Barrie                 

Often times the facilitator will make or break the success of the participants learning experiences. This dynamic workshop will provide you with the skills to facilitate and present great adult workshops that will leave your participants in "awe".

Learn about:

• Adult learning principles
• Adult learning styles
• Key adult facilitation and presentation techniques and tools 

Personality Dimensions® Qualified Facilitator (level 1) Certificate Program

SPACES ARE LIMITED! REGISTER TODAY!

Mark your calendars for July 18th, 19th and 25th 2009

Are you involved in career education? Does you role include developing teams? Are you a teacher delivering the grades 10 and 12 career education curriculum? If so then this 3 day certification program is for you!

This program is delivered by Nancy Sova, a qualified Level II Personality Dimensions® Facilitator and involves acquiring an understanding and appreciation for the history and theoretical background of the tool. Practical facilitation techniques and strategies for handling problems, which may arise in an awareness or application session, will be included in the program.

We will be offering as pre-requisites to this program, the Personality Dimensions Introductory Workshop on Thursday June 18th and the Facilitation and Presentation Skills Workshop - The Adult Learning Professionals Workshop on Thursday July 2nd.

Register Today to be a Professionally Certified Personality Dimensions® Qualified Facilitator! 

Leadership Development!

Are you looking to define and build your personal leadership qualities, principles and actions? Then don't delay in registering for Leadership Lives!

Your mind-set, your character and your actions determine your ability and your capacity to model leadership, to engage others and to excel in your role with passion and personal mastery. The program consists of key qualities and attributes of leadership, excellence and integrity.

Join us for a weekend retreat beginning on Friday July 10th - Sunday July 12th 2009 at the beautiful Hockley Resort in Orangeville Ontario.

For More Information or to Register Today visit our website!

This Months Article of Choice is "Gallup Study: Feeling Good Matters in the Workplace"

Happy employees are better equipped to handle workplace relationships, stress, and change, according to the latest national Gallup Management Journal survey. Companies that understand this, and help employees improve their well-being, can boost their productivity.

The GMJ surveyed U.S. employees to probe their perceptions of how happiness and well-being affect their job performance. Gallup researchers examined employee responses to see which factors differed most strongly among engaged employees (27% of respondents) and those who were not engaged (59%) or actively disengaged (14%).

"The Three Types of Employees."

1. ENGAGED  employees work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company.  They drive innovation and move the organization forward.
2. NOT ENGAGED  employees are essentially "checked out".  They are sleepwalking through their workday, putting time -- but not energy -- or passion into their work.
3. ACTIVELY DISENGAGED employees aren't just unhappy at work; they're busy acting out their unhappiness.  Everyday these workers undermine what their engaed coworkers accomplish.

Previous Gallup research -- as well as results from this survey -- show that supervisors play a crucial role in worker well-being and engagement. When respondents were asked to respond to the statement "My supervisor focuses on my strengths or positive characteristics," 77% of engaged workers strongly agreed with the statement. Just 23% of not-engaged and a scant 4% of actively disengaged workers strongly agreed that their supervisor focused on their strengths or positive characteristics. Interestingly, not one engaged worker disagreed with this statement.

When survey respondents were asked how they would characterize their interactions with their coworkers, 86% of engaged employees said their interactions with coworkers were always positive or mostly positive. The findings for less engaged workers showed significantly different results: 72% of not-engaged workers characterized these interactions as always or mostly positive, compared to just 45% of actively disengaged workers.

These findings indicate that a positive relationship with the supervisor has an important effect on engagement. These findings also suggest that people with higher levels of job engagement enjoy substantially more positive interactions with their coworkers than do their less engaged counterparts.

Feeling challenged?

When American employees were asked how often they feel challenged at work, a majority of engaged workers (61%) said they feel challenged very often, while 35% said they sometimes feel challenged. In contrast, just 49% of not-engaged and 24% of actively disengaged workers indicated that they very often feel challenged at work; 39% of not-engaged workers and 42% of actively disengaged workers sometimes feel challenged. It appears that while most American workers do perceive their jobs as being at least somewhat challenging, engaged employees lead the way in this respect.

But if most workers do feel challenged sometimes or very often at work, is that good or bad? To plumb this issue further, respondents were also asked how often they feel frustrated at work. Here, the differences were even more striking. Almost 4 in 10 engaged employees (39%) indicated that they rarely or never feel frustrated at work, while only 13% very often feel frustrated. In contrast, 6 in 10 actively disengaged workers and 26% of not-engaged employees said they very often feel frustrated. These responses suggest that while engaged workers do feel challenged at work, they view these challenges in a much more positive light than do less engaged workers.

The GMJ also wanted to find out if workers' feelings of self-worth had an effect on their engagement. They do. When asked how difficult it would be for their employer to replace them, 54% of disengaged employees said it would be extremely or somewhat difficult for their employer to replace them, compared to 76% of engaged employees. Engaged workers also felt significantly more secure at their workplaces: 54% of engaged workers felt more secure at work than they did a year ago, but only 36% of not-engaged workers and just 18% of actively disengaged workers agreed that they felt more secure at work than they did a year ago.

Taking stress home

To probe the connection between happiness at work and happiness outside the office, the survey asked respondents how much happiness they experience at work. The contrast in responses given by workers in each engagement group was quite noticeable. A clear majority of engaged workers -- 86% -- said they very often felt happy while at work. Among low-engagement respondents, only 11% of actively disengaged and 48% of not-engaged employees stated that they, too, were very often happy at work.

In response to the question "How much of the happiness you experience overall would you say comes from your work life?," 45% of engaged employees said they get a great deal of their overall happiness from their work life, compared to just 19% of not-engaged and 8% of actively disengaged employees. These findings suggest that while most workers experience varying degrees of happiness and well-being at work, engaged workers get the most from these feelings.

Not surprisingly, engaged workers also reported higher levels of overall life satisfaction. Five in 10 engaged workers (53%) strongly agreed that they had gotten the important things they want in their lives, compared to just 13% of actively disengaged workers; and 44% of engaged employees strongly agreed that the conditions of their lives were excellent, in contrast to just 9% of actively disengaged workers.

Negative feelings at work also seem to spill over into actively disengaged workers' home lives. The survey asked respondents if they had three or more days in the past month when work stress caused them to behave poorly with friends or family members. More than half (54%) of actively disengaged workers and 31% of not-engaged workers answered yes to this question, while just 17% of engaged workers answered yes.

The results of the GMJ Employee Engagement Index survey show a strong relationship between worker happiness and workplace engagement. Happy and engaged employees are much more likely to have a positive relationship with their boss, are better equipped to handle new challenges and changes, feel they are more valued by their employers, handle stress more effectively, and are much more satisfied with their lives.

Results of this survey are based on nationally representative samples of about 1,000 employed adults aged 18 and older. Interviews were conducted by telephone October 2000-May 2005 by The Gallup Organization. For results based on samples of this size, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects could be plus or minus three percentage points. For findings based on subgroups, the sampling error would be greater.

The Gallup Management Journal is an online journal published monthly by The Gallup Organization. For more information, go to http://gmj.gallup.com.

Imagine Success Consulting
519-278-8106
info@imaginesuccess.ca