Success Newsletters

Any of you who have heard me speak know that I talk in all my presentations about first impressions and how it is much easier to create an impression than it is to try and change one. They say you never get a second chance to make a great first impression. People judge us and sometimes make up their minds about us in the first 10-30 seconds of meeting us or speaking to us on telephone. They decide if they like us, if they trust us, and most importantly, if they want to build a relationship or do business with us.

How do you see the people you do business with every day? Do you see them as an inconvenience to your day or an important and integral part of your day? You are probably saying to yourself “What a silly question? Of course I see them as an important part of my day!” Well let me tell you, I do a lot of traveling in my work as a professional speaker and I interact with people all the time at airports, hotels, restaurants, etc. and my observations across both Canada and the United States is that a lot of people see customers and other people they connect with in any particular day as an inconvenience to their day.

We cannot mark the start of a new year without marking the tragedy of the recent past. The regions affected by the quake and the resulting terrible tsunami tragedy gives me reason to pause, reflect and consider the things that really matter most in life. I wanted to also take a moment to send personal condolences from me and my family to all the victims and people affected by this terrible disaster and tragedy. Our hearts goes out to all the families who have lost loved ones and whose loved ones are still missing. The devastation and horrific magnitude of what happened is so tragic and sad.

Peak Performance is a commitment to your physical/mental/spiritual being and to your personal growth and development at all times. Peak performance, in my opinion it is not something you can switch on and off; it is what you commit to and strive for always. It is not just about business and achieving goals. It is also about balance between work and family, friends and fitness. Finding the right combination for each of us is personal, but I will share with you 6 Characteristics that have worked for me along the way.

These past few weeks I have marveled, as I am sure a lot of you have, at the 2004 Olympic Games that have just finished in Greece. The Greek people have so much to be proud of. They delivered a fantastic games for the entire world to enjoy, and completed all the facilities on time when many doubted that they would. The facilities, built especially for the games, like the Olympic Stadium were outstanding. The warmth and hospitality of the people of Greece, which I have experienced first hand many years ago, is as genuine and welcoming as a warm Athens summer night. Also the upgrades to the many existing public services and facilities will serve the city and its people well in the future.

The more I observe about life, the more I work with great organizations, the more I talk and listen to successful people, and the more I study great service, I have come to realize that while there are many different factors that contribute to one’s success, the one that keeps coming back to me is enthusiasm.

I believe that in business and in life, a great deal of our success is related to the connections we make and the subsequent relationships we build with people. This includes family, friends, business partners and anyone we allow to have an impact on our lives. So many people do not understand the power of relationships. They think success is all about themselves. Oh, how wrong they are! If there is one thing I have learned in my life, both personally and professionally, it is that success is all about relationships.

Born January 11th, 1934 in Shawinigan, a pulp-and-paper town on the St Maurice River northeast of Montreal, Quebec, Joseph-Jacques Jean Chretien started life in very humble beginnings. One of 19 children of Wellie Chretien and Marie Boisvert, 10 of whom died in infancy, Jean was sent at an early age to attend a Catholic boarding school, in the surrounding area.

New Year is that time of year when we all make commitments to do things differently or change a habit. For those of you in sales, this may include new ways to achieve your goals, and this article is written for you. But the principles are true even if you are not in sales, so please read on.

(An excerpt from Charles’ upcoming book: Success Is Not A Spectator Sport)
“I couldn’t deliver a speech to save my life. Before reading my first speech in front of a few hundred GE executives in Cooperstown, N.Y., I twice had to leave the front row of the auditorium to run to the bathroom.” Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric and author of Jack: Straight from the Gut