Category Archives: Leadership

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How to Create a Legacy

Building a Legacy 93 Seconds at a Time

Leaving a legacy is all you have. A strong legacy is not made of monetary value but of heart value. How you lift others to their potential. You Gramp4create safe environments for growth. When you leave the room, people are better than you found them. Have fun, take business at hand seriously and above all laugh at yourself!

Leadership, love, and life evolve in and out of your personal and professional lives. You may try shutting the door on one without the other, but your stories and legacies follow you wherever you may go.

I have a full history of knowing all of my Great-Grandparents, Grandparents, and a bushel full of Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. Recently, I visited my Grandpa Eldon in Eugene, Oregon.  He is the last of my vast line of Grandparents and cherished beyond words. I asked questions, heard new stories, and reminisced.

We are all built with our history, stories, and holding truths we cherish and hopefully “deleting” truths no longer holding truth for you. About 30 years ago my dad once asked me where I learned my “values” from.  The heart answer is my grandparents.  They all left me with my core personal and professional business model I created; Potential² Builder.

From ranch life, construction, business deals, play, fun, hiking, wicked card games, hugs on the couch, to out of the blue phone calls. The rich experiences compounded interest in a legacy of heart, potential, environment for growth; cherished bank account full of unconditional love.

There are three main areas’ you can focus on to build a legacy to leave your family, friends, business relationships, and community. Over my thirty-plus year career, these three areas are what I have found to part of the solid foundation for strong families, business, and people who leave strong legacies.

Gramp3 Tracy Worley

Have Fun! Hamming and Glamming With My Guy

It is never too late to build your legacy and write on the hearts of those around you; what they will say and miss when you leave the room.

  • Potential: Find ways to help others reach their potential, be invested, interested, and lift them before self. Yes, put your oxygen mask on first then lift others to their natural gifts. The reward of lifting others is greater than lifting oneself (reward will be paid 10-fold).
    • As I reflect on my potential and when I had the most growth is when others invested, lifted, and truly interested in seeing me succeed.
    • Today I make an intentional practice in my personal and professional life to find individuals who I can lift! The key is people need to have the heart to be pushed and pulled to the next level.
  • Environment: Create an environment of risk; let failure be a learning tool. The most successful people in life learned how to fail first.
    • I was able to fail and learn from the lessons. The environment was safe to try and try again. Yes, at times pushing boundaries was the risk and discipline at hand. Remember, we all learn and climb to our potential in our own rhythm.
    • When I work with clients, I have certain questions to hone in on what type of environment they thrive in. When they are “safe”, their potential explodes into possibilities they never saw or thought of before.
  • Legacy: People remember how you make them feel over what you have done. Leave people in the room loving themselves and life. Be present, because your presence matters.
    • Be authentic to who you are, and those around you will develop to be a network of believers. Not groupies but your “tribe”. A tribe is people who fill in the gaps, and who you fill in the gaps for as well.  You all benefit.
    • My stories taught me to be present, show up filled up to give first then receive. And perseverance toward ones potential trumps and punches the face of naysayers every time!
    • Have a sense of humor!

Where ever you might be in thought and heart of leaving a legacy here is a poem I wrote about my Grandpa, who is 93. I may be looking at his 93 years; all it takes is 93-seconds to touch someone’s heart.

93 Silver Strands

He is my HERO,

My first hugs, filling my heart,

to letting me put rollers in his hair that tickled us,

until we had to part.

He is my HERO,

He fixed many things from wagons, dollies,

to wondrous buildings.

He is my Hero,

Outlined with brilliant strands of silver,

a gleaming light of Gods Armor.

He is my HERO,

He is 93, standing tall,

with liquid blue eyes,

smile of a warm friend,

loves with all he has under his halo of silver strands.

As he holds my hand, I understand he is my HERO.

93 years shifting through the sands,

93 braids of silver his legacy stands.

Written By: Tracy Worley

Twinkle In His Eyes

Twinkle In His Eyes

Challenge Question: Will you take 93 seconds to touch someone’s heart?

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

 

Tracy Worley (2015) Authentic Leadership, Authentic Self

Tracy Worley (2013) Red Shoe Courage

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Soccer Moms Are For Real

Soccer Moms Are For Real! Alright, to be fair all parents are for real when it comes to their progeny in the course of competition. From spelling bees, debate, basketball, soccer, football, and all the rest parents are for real. 

From the time of my youth I have been competitive in nature, loving the endorphin rush to the finish line to having the last line in a debate. The last few years I have had the privilege to referee High School Soccer.

What I have observed, learned, and gleaned from the soccer pitch is our youth deserve to play in a safe, competitive, inspiring, and empowering environment. How parents show up is how they will show up to lead your organization. Board room bullies are for real!Tracy Worley Soccer

Parents hold the key to safe play for your youth’s environment. Yes, administrative staff, coaches, and referees hold these key elements too, but parents have the ultimate ability to turn a competitive event from fun to devastating the hearts of our youth.

Being in the center of the field to the sidelines refereeing I have heard the best and the worst from parents. This leads me to your boardroom. How people show up to events in “support” of their children is telltale of how they will show up in your boardroom.

Parents are not the only influence: fellow competitors, coaches, and other participants show up to instill inspired competition…or use downright degrading language which is not worth repeating.  However, these moments give me the guilty pleasure of presenting them a yellow card for a warning.  If things get worse, referees can stop play and have the offending parties removed.

Crucial conversations will always come into play on and off the field. However, competition is not the time to be yelling, huffing, and stroking out over a bad play. I appreciate how one of my colleagues, Judy Preston, calls these Courageous Conversations, which should happen one-on-one or off the field of play and out of the board room.

Here are a few ways to create a REAL space for empowered play and inspired competition from the soccer field to your boardroom:

Reward:  Give everyone a sportsmanlike handshake before or after the game. It is the reward for showing upto play.  If the coaches, referees, and players did not show up there would be no play. If you are unhappy or dislike someone it is NOT your prerogative to be disrespectful. Reward others with respect you also deserve.

Environment:  Create a safe environment for all to participate, compete, learn, and hone individual and team skills. This could include cheering for the competitor. The higher level of play, the more you learn.

Action: Take action when others are not lifting others. Everyone from players, coaches, referees, parents, and observers should show up with an attitude to serve each other, and push each other to the next level. Boardroom culture should be no different.

Lead:  Everyone is a leader of one (you). Show up to make a difference to those around you.  One word of encouragement could make someone’s game on and off the field.

Challenge:   Respect yourself by respecting others, take action toward the good of all concerned, create an environment to take risk to fail and win; lead by example because everyone is a leader.

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

Tracy Worley (2015) Authentic Leadership, Authentic Self

Tracy Worley (2015) Hero2One™

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Are You Creating Freedom Today?

Self-Expression Creates Freedom of Authentic Leadership

SelfFreedom Tracy Worley

I have so much fun being authentic of who I am and it lends to freedom of self. This picture is not of self-importance but an opportunity of spontaneity in the moment.

Pamela Dunn-Parish is who I use exclusively for my photo shoots. I found her shooting head-shots for all the members of a local non-profit women’s organization. There was no one waiting so I asked her if we could just do a few fun shoots while waiting.

Here is one of the fun pictures she captured my humor, hot-shoes, and my authentic state of “smile”.

CHALLENGE: What are you doing today to add freedom in your leadership and most importantly creating freedom for your team to create and innovate to the next level of success!

Look UP and OUT!
Tracy Worley

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Are You Leading Under Fitbit Rules; Finding The Pulse Of The People?

I love people watching and am keen observer of their actions. Two of my higher level strengths is connecting and relating. These two strengths are so strong and developed that at a networking event I can tell you who belongs to who, who is avoiding who, and who doesn’t belong to who but spending a lot of time together.

FitbitLeadership Tracy Worley

Don’t worry I do not share your secrets. I have discovered and noticed as an increasing technology society we are leading our lives under Fitbit rules. These are just a few ways society is being led by technology.

  • When to take action (beeps when you have been sitting for an hour)
  • Calculating goals for you (calculates what your goals should be)
  • Celebration (lets you know when you have reached your daily goal)
  • Pulse, Sleep (keeps track of your pulse, sleep habits, calories, etc.)
  • Distance (lets you know if you have made the distance goal, redundancy implied)

My question to you as a leader, are you finding the pulse of your people?

People do not know where they are going unless goals and the path are laid out. When goals and the path is not clear; people set their own goals, or end up somewhere else.  “People need responsibility, they resist assuming it, but they cannot get along without it.” ~ John Steinbeck

As a leader of “self” what actions are you not fol
lowing through on? Your actions are being shown in large lights and even in Fitbit rules your actions are shown with a back-light in the dark. There is not hiding your leading actions, so again I ask as a leader of “self” what actions are you not following through on? 

“The world has a habit of making room for the person whose words and actions show that he knows where he is going.” ~ Napleon Hill

Below are five areas of connection and caring actions to bring into the bright lights of your leadership. The pulse of the people is hungry for strong leaders without oppression and modeling success with transparent integrity.

  1. Consistent in Challenging your team: create goals for them and push toward the next level of success
  2. Cheerful Confidence believing in their talents: bring people into their strengths and they will start believing in their success too.
  3. Creative Conversation leads to innovation: bring shifts to conversation to bring back sanity from the insanity of having the same conversation bringing the same results.
  4. Commit to leading yourself and others: invest in adding value by education, growth-opportunities, coaching, mentorship programs, etc. . . .
  5. Communicate Clearly and speak truth: crucial conversation with brings about a quicker shift in success for you, your people and the organization.

Change the pulse of your people to healthy conversation around the water cooler, if you do not give them knowledge, goals, and sustainable actions they will make it up, gossip, or go somewhere else. “All human beings by nature desire to know.” ~ Aristotle

In “celebration hands” I applaud you and celebrate your success!

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

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“Today Matters Everything is Possible When You Believe

Ask, Act, Believe

Tracy Worley is America’s leading grace coach, international key-note speaker, trainer, syndicated radio host, author, and potential seeker, strategist and CEO of three values leadership based organizations. She works with business executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders world-wide to develop potential, tailor employee engagement modules, and turn up the volume on individuals and organizations potential personally and professionally.

Tracy knows firsthand about what it takes to find your potential, Individuals and organizations have individual cultures, stories, and rhythm – Tracy’s innovative style knows how to make it work. With a background in business management, business communication, project management, and life’s drama, Tracy found herself running a multi-million dollar organization at the age of 25.

Tracy knows from life experience the ups and downs of colossal failure and the elation of success beyond imagination.

But it’s exactly all these experiences that built character, knowledge, wisdom, and intuitive insight into individual and organizational potential. Tracy is highly intuitive, perceptive, and a world thinker in connecting what you cannot see. These gifts give her the ability to strategize with clarity where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there. Tracy’s expertise: training highly successful people to lead with authenticity to the desired success her client’s desire and deserve.

The season of fall is my favorite, with the changing color, crisp morning air and the reminder everything and Tracy Worley You Mattereveryone must have a season of shedding the old and preparing for the new.

Everything matters if you believe in your success, future, and those around you. Simple questions to put into your morning reflection as you set your priorities and purpose:

  • Ask: What or who do I need to ask to help achieve the next goal?
  • Act: Now that you know, it is your responsibility to take action and/or delegate action.
  • Believe: You are now asked to sit back within action and believe! This is the hardest of the three actions as it takes time, perseverance, and tenacious leadership in this stage (modeling, patience, and belief).

Taking time daily lets your thought, action, and beliefs catch up to what you are asking and then question apply the, why. As leaders we tend to forget to continue to ask the WHY and keep moving.

Mark 9:23-24 “…anything is possible if a person believes….I do believe, but help me have no doubts.”

If you have a project you have launched over 3 months ago and have not taken a series “time-out” in reflection of why you started it, where is it now, does it need adjustments, does the project fit within your values and serving clients and or employees? Remember everything matters and everything is possible when you believe.

Challenge Question: Where are your doubts: Renew your day, ask, act, and believe because you matter!

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

 

Tracy Worley (2015) Authentic Leadership, Authentic Self

Tracy Worley (2015) Potential² Roundtables™

Tracy A. Worley (2015) GRACEbreak Radio

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Reality of Leadership Did You Ask to Lead

Where is reality kicking your leadership pants?

Tracy Worley is America’s leading grace coach, international key-note speaker, trainer, syndicated radio host, author, and potential seeker, strategist and CEO of three values leadership based organizations. She works with business executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders world-wide to develop potential, tailor employee engagement modules, and turn up the volume on individuals and organizations potential personally and professionally.

Tracy knows firsthand about what it takes to find your potential, Individuals and organizations have individual cultures, stories, and rhythm – Tracy’s innovative style knows how to make it work. With a background in business management, business communication, project management, and life’s drama, Tracy found herself running a multi-million dollar organization at the age of 25.

Tracy knows from life experience the ups and downs of colossal failure and the elation of success beyond imagination.

But it’s exactly all these experiences that built character, knowledge, wisdom, and intuitive insight into individual and organizational potential. Tracy is highly intuitive, perceptive, and a world thinker in connecting what you cannot see. These gifts give her the ability to strategize with clarity where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there. Tracy’s expertise: training highly successful people to lead with authenticity to the desired success her client’s desire and deserve.

Reality of Leadership Tracy WorleyMost of us end up in a leadership role by being promoted or asked to take over projects at an ever growing rapid pace. Common practice is to promote those with seniority, even if the employee is given no management or leadership training.

The numbers are still staggering on how many organizations are behind in training leaders within their organizations.  A research article in the Deloitte University Press* states;

“Leadership remains the No. 1 talent issue facing organizations around the world, with 86 percent of respondents in our survey rating it as “urgent” or “important.” Only 13 percent of respondents say they do an excellent job developing leaders at all levels—the largest “readiness gap” in our survey.” Deloitte University Press

If 86% of respondents admit that leadership is “urgent” or “important”, but only 13% of respondents are doing anything about it, then where is this disconnect coming from?

The reality of leadership is that most leaders did not ask to lead, and do not realize everyone is a leader in their organization regardless of whether they asked for it or not. As I work with organizations and entrepreneurs, it is clear that personal and professional development is essential and will always be the “golden key” to raising leaders.

This brings me to a recent observation while refereeing a High School Soccer game. While I was refereeing the soccersideline for a Junior Varsity game on the parent side, the home team Varsity Soccer team was causing a ruckus. Yes, this is normal behavior and usually the parents are causing the issue. Back to the team, they were yelling profanity, negative jokes about their own team members, and in general not setting a great example of respect for others.

My response was one of delicate but stern warning, “I only want to hear positive comments and cheering from this section.” The shock and awe of surprise that anyone would call them out on their bad behavior was priceless. I heard a few other comments about me throughout the game, but as usual when refereeing the parent side, most of the comments, slander, and disgust for our calls rolls off our backs.

At the end of the game, I pulled the Varsity coach aside and told him of the incident. “Coach you have a great team this year, and we are the sum of who we choose to hang out with. Your team members are leaders on the sideline, and I know you would not expect anything less of them.” The coach was appreciative, and the next week at the Varsity game the team was a little sheepish, but also seemed to understand the reality of being on a Varsity team. They are leaders. Perhaps not by choice, but now they are aware that they are leaders and people will follow.

Here are a few ideas for a Leadership Plan:

  • Internal training program: Develop a video series or testing series to continually add value and knowledge.
  • Budget for training/education leadership programs: Reinstitute or create these programs. Many organizations cut these programs in 2008 and did not bring them back.
  • Mentorship programs: These programs are the most cost effective and added value to your organization. Current leaders are sharing, pouring, and also learning from those who they are mentoring. No longer does the organization have an intellectual property “leak” because knowledge is being shared.
  • Leadership assessments: Have you interviewed and given all of your team members a leadership assessment? Seniority should not dictate promotion; the most prepared and willing should be your next promotion.
  • Succession planning: Does your organization have a plan in place for all leadership roles?

I build content and programs for organizations, and the first thing I ask for is an outline of the above. And if there is content for the programs, I ask for that as well. You see, 100% of organizations have blind spots in developing and lifting leaders in their organization. Not by neglect, but by default.

I welcome your questions on where to start or am willing to look at your current plan. Please contact us today, as we are committed to adding value to leaders–which is everyone. Reality kicks our pants! No matter what you do or where you are, people are looking to you for the next step through your actions.

Challenge Question: Where is reality kicking your leadership pants?

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

Deloitte University Press Link

Global Leadership Survey & Data Link

 

Tracy Worley (2015) Authentic Leadership, Authentic Self

Canwell, Dongrie, Neveras, Stockton (2014), Deloitte University Press

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It’s Monday Do You Know Where Your Employees Are

Employee Engagement

Tracy Worley is America’s leading grace coach, international key-note speaker, trainer, syndicated radio host, author, and potential seeker, strategist and CEO of three values leadership based organizations. She works with business executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders world-wide to develop potential, tailor employee engagement modules, and turn up the volume on individuals and organizations potential personally and professionally.

Tracy knows firsthand about what it takes to find your potential, Individuals and organizations have individual cultures, stories, and rhythm – Tracy’s innovative style knows how to make it work. With a background in business management, business communication, project management, and life’s drama, Tracy found herself running a multi-million dollar organization at the age of 25.

Tracy knows from life experience the ups and downs of colossal failure and the elation of success beyond imagination.

But it’s exactly all these experiences that built character, knowledge, wisdom, and intuitive insight into individual and organizational potential. Tracy is highly intuitive, perceptive, and a world thinker in connecting what you cannot see. These gifts give her the ability to strategize with clarity where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there. Tracy’s expertise: training highly successful people to lead with authenticity to the desired success her client’s desire and deserve.

Monday’s are important to connect with your team to set the tone, action, and belief this week is just as important as Admin Stafflast.

Connection does not take a lot of your time out of the scheme of disengaged employees as Gallup states is 70%. Below are a few ways to break the ice, connect, and let all your employees know you appreciate the value they bring to the organization.

Trust Me It Works!

  • Drop by each cubicle and just say hello (too many employees, then take bite sizes through the week)
    • Connection, they know they are important enough for your time
  • Create a Round-table(s) to connect weekly
    • Each week is a different topic, and everyone has 2 minutes to share their feelings, opinions, and experience
    • More about Round-Tables
  • Monthly excursions
    • This maybe a lunch outside of the office
    • Bowling
    • Hiking
    • A stroll around your office grounds or a local park
    • Go to the zoo
    • Bring in a speaker to motivate, inspire, and empower
      • You can find someone in your community or if budget allows bring someone in that resonates with any pain points you are experiencing
    • Laughter
      • Laugher is the healing compound and the B12 shot for any organization and team
        • Is there levity allowed in the office
        • Is there a place where your team members can go to blow off steam through laughing, crying, and supporting each other

These are just a few ideas of connecting and creating a culture of sustained employee engagement and loyalty. Ninety percent of people leave an organization because of people. I challenge you to be the 10% where people do not leave because of other people but because you engaged, mentored, and gave them value to find bigger and better opportunities.

Begin creating a culture of; mentoring, engaging, and adding value to groom them to leave hits most of us in the big old’ PRIDE button. Some of you are asking or stopped reading; why would I want to groom them to leave? My question is why wouldn’t you? Engaged employees who have been valued, mentored, and engaged are your biggest advocates outside of your organization.

Challenge Question: How many cubicles will you visit today?

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

  • Tracy Worley (2015) Authentic Leadership, Authentic Self
  • Tracy Worley (2015) Potential² Roundtables™
  • Tracy A. Worley (2015) GRACEbreak Radio

“100 MPH, A Steering Wheel, and Montana Highway Patrol Changed My Mind”
by Tracy Worley, Marc Moss with Tell Us Something

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Tell Us Something | Oops I Changed My Mind