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10 success tips for midlife entrepreneurs

Posted by Beverly Jones on September 2, 2019

How to Launch a Business

In the Middle of Your Life

If you’re thinking about starting a business — either now or off in a distant future – do I have a good read for you!

Career and personal finance expert Kerry Hannon has just launched her latest book, Never Too Old To Get Rich – The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting a Business Mid-Life.

In the book, Kerry talks about how creating a business is not just a young person’s game, and how a huge wave of successful ventures are being launched by people in their 40’s, 50’s and beyond. In addition, she shares stories of successful entrepreneurs, complete with useful lessons from their experiences. And she offers specific tips about how you can go about laying the groundwork for your own business.

Kerry is my buddy, and one of my professional heroes. So of course I loved having her share insights from the book on the August 29, 2019, episode of my Jazzed About Work podcast. We had fun, and Kerry packed in an extraordinary amount of good information for aspiring business owners.

Finally, I was flattered that, early in the first chapter of Never Too Old to Get Rich, Kerry included some of my favorite suggestions for budding entrepreneurs. And she has kindly allowed me to share them with you right here:

BEV’S 10 TIPS FOR MID-CAREER ENTREPRENEURS

Be clear about your goals. You probably have more than one reason for starting a business. Sure, you want to earn some money. But are you also aching for more variety? Do you dream of a career that allows a more flexible life style? Or do you want to take the next step with a hobby you already love? Write down what you hope to achieve, frame specific goals, and remember that your bottom line is just one way to measure your progress.
Start early to prepare. If launching your own business is something you want to do “some day,” it is never too soon to start laying groundwork. If running your business will require a new set of skills, you might build expertise through local or online college courses. Or perhaps you could start a small side gig, to test your business idea and get some experience. At the same time, do what it takes to get your life in order. This could mean paying off debt and building a nest egg, committing to a fitness program, or creating habits that will help you be more organized.
Learn business basics. From choosing a legal structure to paying your taxes, you have to comply with laws. The rules that apply will depend on the state where you live, the nature of your activities and what kind of entity you create. And, even when you have a small business accountant, it is so important that you know how to measure costs, keep track of expenses, and decide what to charge. You can take courses, work for a spell in a small business, or apply to a business incubator, as you learn what it takes to run a company.
Build your network. As you grow as an entrepreneur, your network will be a critical asset. You can visualize it as complex pattern of human relationships, spreading out around you in concentric circles. While the innermost ring may include close friends and family, further out are people you know slightly, like alumni of your college, members of your clubs, and folks who live nearby. Even your most casual contacts can support your success. Throughout your expanding network are potential mentors, collaborators, customers and fans.
Surround yourself with positive people. Entrepreneurs must deal with discouraging moments. False starts, rejected proposals and disinterested audiences are part of the game. Because emotions are contagious, one way to protect yourself from some of that negativity is to stay in touch with upbeat people. Try to reach out to the optimists in your circle, and avoid the complainers who leave you feeling down. And find other ways to surround yourself with positive voices, like reading uplifting books or finding community events that leave you feeling good.
Offer and seek help. Even though you know that connectivity is the life-blood of small business, building a supportive community can be a challenge. A starting point is to look for opportunities to be helpful. Reach out to old friends and new acquaintances, listen to their problems, and look for small ways to offer assistance. Introduce folks with good reasons to meet each other. Support other small businesses. And give authenticate praise. The more comfortable you feel as a helper, the easier it will be to ask for the support and encouragement you need.
Create a social media strategy. Even if you avoid Facebook and other apps in your personal life, don’t ignore the power that social media can bring to your business. A smart mix of channels can help you check out the competition, understand your potential customers, keep up with industry news and show off your products. It takes a while to get a feel for tools like Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest, so practice using them as you expand your network.
Define and promote your brand. Your brand sets you apart from the competition. As an entrepreneur, you will need to identify your special value, and have plans for spreading the word. To get comfortable with projecting your unique strengths, a useful exercise is to write a brief statement summarizing your personal Be honest with yourself about how you want others to see you. And your current brand can help pave the way for your future business. For example, if you dream of opening a doggie day care facility, your brand might include your skill as a dog trainer. You can raise your brand profile by connecting with dog lovers, whether that means posting on Twitter or volunteering with service organizations.
Listen to your customers. Turning yourself into an entrepreneur may require a shift in your mindset. When you start your business, your customers will ultimately determine whether you succeed. So now, wherever you are in your career, cultivate the habit of listening intently to the people who are impacted by your work. Make it your job to understand what your “customers” need, what the want, and what they think. And keep looking for new projects and products that might help your “customers” meet their goals.
Learn to be motivated. You may have heard that “entrepreneurs are passionate about their work.” But what if you’re not sure you can maintain that kind of passion? The reality is that motivation is something you canacquire and manage. Now, in your current job, you can develop the skill of triggering your own drive and enthusiasm. One way to build motivation is by setting small goals, taking action, and experiencing moments of success. If you have put off tackling an important project, schedule an hour to focus on it exclusively. Quickly create a list of small subtasks and power through them for 60 minutes. By actually getting some things done, you will motivate yourself to do even more on the project tomorrow.

Kerry says, “Transforming a passion into paying work can do a number on your desire for it, so you need to plan ahead and test the waters with care.”

5 Keys to Handling Failure at Work

Posted by Beverly Jones on May 13, 2019

You CAN come back from

a career catastrophe!

Everybody encounters bad days on the job. And sometimes even a modest career stumble can feel like the end of the world. But you can come back from professional disasters. I know that not only from my own life, but also from watching how my executive coaching clients often rebound.

Let’s look at one example I’ll call “Holly.” She was a confident star during college and then sailed through business school. From there she was recruited by the marketing department of a major consumer goods company, where her goal was to move quickly into a management role.

Holly has a knack for coming up with clever ideas, and she knows how to execute them. So her colleagues weren’t surprised when, after just a few years on the job, she was named the team leader for the launch of a high priority product. Holly was thrilled by the opportunity, she was sure the project would be a success, and she saw it as her ticket to an early promotion.

But things didn’t work out as Holly expected. The product was bogged down by production issues. Her team members couldn’t agree about how to shape the campaign. And her young digital marketing experts had trouble relating to a product designed to appeal to an older, affluent consumer.

Eventually the launch team was disbanded, the product was put on a back burner, and Holly was reassigned to work on routine messaging for one of the company’s longtime brands. To Holly this felt like a career-killing disaster. In some moments she blamed the situation on her team, but often she berated herself for being weak and stupid. Her sense of failure sometimes made her feel sick.

When I met Holly, I suspected that she had breezed through school with what renowned psychologist Carol Dweck has called a “fixed mindset.” Holly believed her parents when they said she was destined for business success. She felt special, and she thought her talent would always keep her on track. And then when she couldn’t complete this key assignment, her humiliation was overwhelming.

In her influential book “Mindset,”Dr. Dweck used the term “mindset”to describe the attitude you adopt regarding your abilities. Her research suggests that your perception of your strengths and intelligence can profoundly impact the way you live your life. And people with a fixed mindset tend to believe that their personal traits are carved into stone. When a person with a fixed attitude, like Holly, fails to achieve, it can make her feel like her personal characteristics aren’t good enough, and the resulting pain can be as debilitating as a physical blow.

On the other hand, Dr. Dweck says that people with a “growth mindset”understand that the idea of a fixed IQ and set of skills is dated. They know that humans can cultivate their basic abilities through learning, experience and help from others. And when people with a growth mindset experience a setback they may feel some pain, but they recognize that the misadventure is a chance to learn, and they keep moving.

Holly started shifting her attitude and getting back her energy at work when she recalled the many times over the years when she’d been able to learn new things. From reflecting on past recoveries, she realized that she could learn from this situation as well. She turned her attention to her long-term career goals and came up with new strategies for heading in that direction.

Holly gave up the idea of her career as a direct path toward a defined outcome, and started thinking of it as an interesting and winding process. And she recognized that the team leadership role had given her a chance to test her managerial skills and identify ways to make them more effective.

Here are strategies that worked for Holly and might work for you:

Talk about it. Not everything you do on the job will end well. But if you never speak of your missteps, their importance may grow in your mind. You can take the agony out of your stumble by bringing it into the light. This doesn’t mean prolonged venting. The smart way to talk about a fiasco is to frame it in an objective way. At first it was difficult for Holly to acknowledge that she had made some mistakes. But she was able to discuss the project in a positive way once she had collected the data and written a matter-of-fact account of the team’s activities. Her report noted what the team learned at each stage and mentioned the positive contributions that various teammates made along the way.
Apologize if you hurt someone. Sometimes projects don’t work out but there’s no need to feel shame. However, if you let someone down, made a bad decision or were insensitive, it might be time to say you’re sorry. Start by acknowledging precisely what you did. Then describe what you will do to make things better and avoid the same mistake in the future. Keep your comments simple and straightforward, and be prepared to listen to what the injured person has to say.
Ask for suggestions. Once Holly developed her report on the project, she was able to take it to her bosses and mentors and ask for advice about how to handle things differently the next time. The discussions helped her think about her approach to collaboration, identify training opportunities, and explore new ways to communicate as a leader. And the humility with which she sought advice actually improved her relationship with a senior colleague who admitted he once thought of her as arrogant.
Look at the process. When you see the big picture, it’s easier to regard your recent disaster as just one phase in a long process of learning and achievement. In his book “Never Stop Learning,”professor Bradley Staats says that process-focused learners know that they aren’t fixed in their ability to learn. Learning involves figuring out how inputs affect outputs. And Dr. Staats says that when you study a process you can see that it involves more inputs than you first imagined. As you examine what happened, you start to see through the noise and discomfort, to better understand how various factors are related and to develop new discipline around reaching your objectives.
Make a plan. Many great leaders have overcome massive setbacks, and their example can help you navigate your recovery. Holly thought about President Jimmy Carter, who had a mortifying election loss to Ronald Reagan. He might have been tempted to spend years licking his wounds, but instead he looked around for ways to make a difference and he made some plans. He threw himself into addressing homelessness, poverty and international conflict, and in 2002 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. If you don’t know how to move past failure, follow the example of President Carter and look around for ways to add some value. Identify aspects of your job where you can become more productive, learn a new skill, or identify a colleague who could use your help. Each time your thoughts drift back to your catastrophe, shift the focus to your plan and take an action step.

The Bottom Line: One of the worst parts of a career disaster is when the voice in your head argues that you will never get past it. That voice is wrong. Highly successful people tend to take risks and sometimes things don’t work out. Remind yourself that this latest adversity is a key learning experience. Then turn your attention to your longer term goals and the immediate steps that can move you in that direction.

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Need a gift for a recent grad?

Here’s a small way to support their success: give them Bev’s guide to career resilience, “Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO.”

When one job isn’t enough

Posted by Beverly Jones on April 26, 2018

Creating a portfolio career can

bring variety & manage risk

Karen Deans is an artist, illustrator and designer. Her online portfolio shows some of her work, ranging from colorful posters to clever postcards, from fine art to business logos, magazine covers and book illustrations.

And Karen is also a writer. Among other projects, she is the author of children’s books, like the charming “Swing Sisters,”which tells the true story of African-American orphans back in segregated Mississippi, who traveled the globe as the first all-girl swing band.

I recall years ago, when it appeared that multi-talented Karen often struggled to pick one career path, trying to decide whether she should be an artist, or a writer? Or maybe a full-time Mom?

Now, Karen says, she wakes up early every morning, excited to plunge into a packed and varied workday. Her children are grown, which has brought her new flexibility. But much of her joy and energy seem to come from the awareness that she doesn’t haveto choose just one career. She is intensely pursuing her writing career, but she also is building on her successes as an artist.

Karen has embraced the fact that, for her, two demanding careers are better than one.

A lot of people have more than one job

As a coach, I’ve noticed that a growing number of people are choosing to pursue more than one career at a time. For many money is the driver, like the young journalist who makes rent by moonlighting as a bartender. But others yearn for additional fulfillment or adventure, like the lawyer who has a side gig as a photographer, and the accountant who spends weekends working as a personal chef.

It’s increasingly common to combine a fulltime job in one field with a side hustle in another. A part-time job on the side can be rewarding, and not only for the extra cash. Your second job can help you build new skills, expand your network and reduce the risk as you move tentatively in a new direction. And if your day job is starting to feel dull, an entrepreneurial sideline can bring you the excitement of new challenges.

Multiple careers can help manage risks

Karen, who lives in Bethesda, Maryland, is succeeding on a course that can be trickier than simply taking on a second job. She is managing what is sometimes called a “portfolio career,”and has curated a healthy collection of varied jobs and projects. Her work is roughly divided into two paths: writing for children, and being a graphic designer and illustrator.

Karen told me, “I love both career endeavors. They are challenging in different ways, but ultimately the practice of each gives me great joy.”But freelance projects can be risky, and some are more uncertain than others. “The writing for children isn’t a for-hire project. It is, in some ways, speculative. Even with two picture books under my belt, every next book idea I pursue is up against big odds of ever seeing the light of day.”

“On the other side of the coin is my contract design and illustration work. I pursued this path after realizing that the book industry is not going to generate enough regular income or work to put all my eggs in that basket,”she said. So, Karen went back to school to hone her digital arts skills, mastering several Adobe programs.

“I’m about to receive my Associates Degree in Graphic Design. I’m like a poster child for the happy adult learner. Now I have all of these new skills at my disposal, and they are very marketable. And I really enjoy this work, too, which is a bonus,”Karen said.

With a full portfolio you must prioritize

I’ve heard clients say that having two careers can make it easier to manage time and set priorities, because it forces you to get rid of low reward items on your calendar or “to-do”list. I asked Karen how, with so many projects going on, she manages her time.

“I am generally a very organized person,”she said. “but when you are juggling many projects, prioritizing can still be a challenge. Like today. I have accepted a job designing a client’s website. I don’t really have the time to do that, given my other commitments. But I have the need, as it will generate income that otherwise wouldn’t be there. So I make a decision. I say: Okay, you will not be doing such-and-such next weekend. Instead, you will be working on this website.”

Karen carefully maps out a schedule of her tasks a week ahead, breaking her work calendar into defined blocks. “I’m always thinking several steps ahead to prioritize anything that is deadline-related. Unfortunately, for me, my book projects get pushed back because they are still in the proposal stage, and have not crossed over into contract stage, which provides deadlines. That’s when the writing will be pushed forward, and I will have to reshuffle my work priorities.”

A mixed portfolio can raise your profile and expand your network

Having two careers can translate into a wider circle of contacts, resulting in more exposure and longer client lists for both pursuits. Karen said, “I got one of my biggest graphic design jobs from someone I know in my children’s book circle. It seems completely unrelated, but then it isn’t. The more people you know, who know what you can do for them, the better. It’s a broadening of your network beyond the specialty that people know you for.”

Skills built in one field can stimulate creativity and help build expertise in another.

Projects in one type of career can give you a deeper skill set and better perspective about your work in another. “My writing comes in handy for my design work,”Karen said. “I have been doing layout work for magazines. While technically I am not serving in the capacity as editor, I often am like a third eye for the editor, and will alert the editor to language that might not work given the audience.”

And when things are going particularly well in one pursuit, the energy, different ideas and optimism can spill over to your other calling, where progress feels slower. “When I get discouraged, in either direction, because the work isn’t there, I always know I can turn to the other gig, not only to be productive, but also to come at it fresh and build something new in that direction.”Karen said.

Test the waters before you plunge

Like Karen, I love having a range of clients and projects. Working for myself this way brings me variety, opportunities to learn new skills, and interaction with a diverse circle of people. But I knew that even a full slate of contract work probably wouldn’t bring the benefits and relative security of working for a company. So I didn’t launch my portfolio career until I had a safety net, including retirement plans and a supportive spouse.

If you’re intrigued by the flexibility and adventure of a portfolio career, I urge you to plan ahead, finding ways you like to manage your clients, and lining up your resources. And instead of just quitting your day job, consider starting with a side hustle. It needn’t be an actual job. You can test whether you enjoy this kind of juggling by taking on several kinds of freelance projects.

How to be happy at work

Posted by Beverly Jones on March 5, 2018

How three basics of happiness

promote workplace engagement.

The most recent of bestselling author Dan Buettner’s insightful “Blue Zone” books shares lessons from healthy and thriving people around the world. In “The Blue Zones of Happiness,” Buettner summarizes a broad sweep of research and recommends ways for all of us to achieve greater well-being.

According to Buettner, the latest studies suggest that by cultivating three elements of happiness, you can achieve greater fulfillment. He says you need:

Purpose, which means you find opportunities in your daily life to use your gifts and talents in pursuit of meaningful goals;
Pride, meaning that your jobs and activities give you a sense of accomplishment, and;
Pleasure, including fun, awe and joy – particularly from socializing for hours every day.

I agree with Buettner’s wise advise about building a rewarding life. And I was intrigued by his three-part formula, because I have been using a similar framework when coaching clients around issues related to happiness at work.

“Engaged employees” tend to be relatively happy and committed to their work. And these upbeat workers are likely to achieve more than their negative, disgruntled peers. Because research underscores the link between attitude and job performance, organizational leaders often feel pressured to find new ways to promote “employee engagement.”

There’s no single, easy technique leaders can use to generate enthusiasm. But whether you want to inspire your team or yourself, a starting point is to reflect upon the things that do help you feel happy while you’re at work.

When coaching clients, one way I get at these issues is by exploring what I call the “Engagement Triangle.” Often, workplace happiness is the result of managing three basic factors. You’ll feel more jazzed about your job when you have:

Purpose. It’s easier to love your job if you’re working for something that matters more than just a paycheck.

Sometimes your work has meaning because you support the vision or values of the organization. Among successful companies known for their core values, Zappos says it will “create fun and a little weirdness.” At Salesforce.com, leaders say nothing is more important than trust. And Google says, “We believe everyone deserves the chance to learn, succeed, and be heard.”
Your team’s values can be motivating even when they are unstated. People share a sense of purpose in groups that offer superior service or a highly valued product.
Even a tedious job can feel rewarding if you have a good reason for working so hard, like supporting your family or laying groundwork for the next phase of your career.

People. Your job satisfaction is influenced by your colleagues, by your broader circle of clients and professional contacts, and by the other people you bump into throughout your career.

According to Gallup research, having friends at work is a key to employee retention. And if you have close friends at work you’re likely to be happier than your colleagues, more productive and better at engaging customers.
Many studies confirm that we accomplish more in an environment where coworkers treat each other with respect, gratitude, trust and integrity. Studies suggest that your office culture is more likely to promote success if people treat each other like friends.
In “The Culture Code,” bestselling author Daniel Coyle argues convincingly that highly successful groups tend to develop a culture that feels much like a family. He says that in strong teams people have a sense of belonging, communicate constantly and feel safe around one another.
If you work alone, or in an environment doesn’t feel friendly, it may be time to broaden your professional network, and explore activities that allow you to interact with simpatico folks.

Performance. You’ll probably love your job if you find enjoyment in your tasks, if you continue to build expertise, and if you frequently feel a sense of accomplishment.

Buettner suggests that time can move quickly in the best jobs because “your goal is clear, the task is challenging and you’re getting immediate feedback on how you’re doing.”
When work starts to feel dull, a good way to find new energy is to learn something new. The sense of accomplishment that comes from acquiring a fresh skill or deeper knowledge may jumpstart your next upward spiral.
Workers with autonomy tend to be happier and more productive than their micromanaged peers. If you are the team leader, be specific and consistent about goals, and let folks on the ground decide how to reach them. If you’re the one feeling micromanaged, focus on the decisions that you can control, and gain greater satisfaction from repetitive tasks by continuing to find ways to improve each process.
The way you perform your tasks helps you to support other people, contribute to the shared vision, and define your role within a group.

Do you want to have a bit more energy tomorrow morning? Try starting your day by writing answers to these three questions:

What core value will I keep in mind during my work today?
Who will I remember to appreciate in the course of the workday?
What task will I perform with special attention?

Praise your team in ways that work

Posted by Beverly Jones on January 5, 2018

Motivate your colleagues by

creating memorable moments

People like to be appreciated. In fact, we need it. If a friend or colleague offers us a warm and sincere “thank you,” we tend to feel acknowledged and validated. And each little expression of gratitude might help create a sense of connection between those giving and receiving thanks.

Psychologists say that feeling appreciated promotes a healthy sense that we are valuable and that our life has meaning. And good managers understand that workers who feel valued are happier and more productive than their peers.

Most strong leaders know that if you want people to go the extra mile it’s essential to give them positive feedback. So when they do good work, you thank them and let them know how they’re making a difference. And employee recognition is a key to retention. Not feeling appreciated is a reason folks often give for moving from one employer to another.

But even though most bosses claim to understand the importance of making employees feel appreciated, they may not understand how to go about it. Gallup polls suggest that only one in three U.S. workers strongly agrees that they have received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days.

As an executive coach, I frequently hear from professionals that their best work goes unrecognized. A typical situation is that I meet with the client’s supervisor at the start of an engagement. The supervisor raves about the client’s excellent work, explaining that the coaching opportunity is being offered because the client has high potential and is greatly esteemed. Yet the client complains to me that she doesn’t feel appreciated.

In many organizations there is a perception gap. Team leaders believe they lavish thanks and praise, but team members feel unnoticed and undervalued.

One reason for this disconnect is the well known tendency of the human mind to focus more on critical feedback than on the positive. One theory explaining our preoccupation with the negative, from an evolutionary perspective, is that our ancestors who tended to worry were the survivors, and they passed on the genes that make us more likely to focus on threats and negative cues.

Another factor is that when recognition comes along regularly, but in the same old way, we are less likely to notice it. For that reason, savvy leaders try to create celebrations, like events or surprise gifts, as way to underscore their gratitude and make it memorable.

In their latest book, “The Power of Moments,” insightful authors Chip Heath & Dan Heath explore why unexpected gestures can have an extraordinary impact.

They explain that people tend to remember the high and low moments of an experience, and perhaps the beginning and end, but forget the rest.

People feel comfortable when things are in a rut, but we feel more alive when something unusual is happening, the Heath brothers say. And moments that feel out of the ordinary are a powerful way to really hear “thanks” because we are likely to revisit and cherish those memories.

The Heaths say that if you want to express appreciation in a meaningful way you should create a “defining moment” – a short experience that is both meaningful and memorable. You can create a peak moment by breaking the normal script and doing something that makes a person feel joyful and surprised. One way to do that is by “boosting sensory appeal,” which might mean offering food, decorations, funny clothes or anything that makes people want to pull out their phone and take a picture.

They suggest that another way to create times your team will remember is to “elevate milestones.” Break up the sameness of your routines by setting objectives and dates, and then find new ways to acknowledge and even celebrate goals that are reached and work that is done well.

Remember that people need to feel appreciated and they are motivated by a sense that their work is valued. And as you experiment with different ways to say “thank you,” you may discover that by creating defining moments for them, you start feeling more valued and connected yourself.

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How to succeed by treating everybody like a Somebody

Posted by Beverly Jones on December 2, 2017

Here’s a simple rule for success:

Treat everyone like they matter

The Foster Harris House is a lovely little Inn and restaurant in the tiny, historic town of Washington, Virginia. For the new owner, Klaus Peters, running the House is a post-retirement labor of love.

Innkeeper Klaus Peters, with Executive Chef Dawn Sieber, and Director of Operations Zoe Sieber.

Klaus is a distinguished gray-haired man with a bit of an accent and a beaming smile. Before his “boring” short-lived retirement, Klaus enjoyed a long and successful career managing some of the country’s top hotels, like the Watergate and The Fairfax at Embassy Row, both in Washington DC.

But Klaus started his career in hospitality at the bottom, as a 14-year-old kitchen apprentice. His German father had lost his job and money during World War II, so in the late 1950’s young Klaus had to help support the family. Eventually he worked his way up to a waiter’s job in Paris, and at age 18 he answered an ad to become a waiter at a Texas hotel.

Klaus told me that in those days in Europe, if you were a German at the low end of a hierarchy, you were treated like a non-entity. He recently wrote in a LinkedIn post, “In 1964, I arrived in Houston as a ‘Nobody’ server, at the Hotel America … making $3.50 a day plus tips…I had low self-esteem and thus became arrogant to cover up my insecurities. I don’t believe that I was liked by too many people.”

But then a miracle happened. He was given the opportunity to serve dinner to the hotel manager, Earl Duffy, and his guests.

“Just imagine, Mr. Duffy greeted me by name and introduced me to his guests and his guests to me,” Klaus wrote.

“WOW, this had never happened to me before. Mr. Duffy respected me and treated me like an equal. To him and his wife, I was a “Somebody”. The way he made me feel, totally changed my personality and the way I would treat subordinates in the future,” he said.

Klaus’ life was transformed by the realization that you can shift another person’s sense of self, and behavior, by focusing on them and treating them with respect. So Klaus adopted the rule, “treat everybody like a Somebody.” And by the time he was 26 he was managing a Florida resort, and greatly enjoying a career built around making other people happy.

Klaus understands that leadership is not as simple as respecting each team member. Not only must you motivate your colleagues, but you must share the vision and give them the resources they need. But “treat everybody like a Somebody” is a mantra that can take you a long way, in your career as well as the rest of your life. Here are some reasons the practice is so powerful:

Expressing gratitude makes you both feel better. Research makes clear that when you experience a feeling of gratitude your stress goes down and you become more optimistic. And expressing gratitude is even more powerful than simply feeling grateful. So when you treat a person “like a Somebody” by thanking them, and you mean it, you boost your happiness as well as theirs.
Modeling civility creates a productive culture. When workers routinely experience rude or demeaning behavior, their stress can skyrocket and the level of their performance may plummet. They are likely to spend less time at work, they may lose their creativity and commitment to the mission, and they could take out frustrations on customers. But leaders who model civility, treating every team member “as a Somebody,” can dramatically change the culture. When they approach everyone with respect, listen intently, and smile often, they set a tone that supports achievement.
Noticing people makes them feel better. In our busy society, folks may have little time or opportunity for real conversation, they may feel unseen and unheard, and loneliness is rampant, even in crowded workplaces. People who feel invisible and marginalized are not likely to do their best work, or appreciate the efforts of others. But those who feel valued often want to help. I have watched the way Klaus charms people by providing them his full attention. He tells his inn guests, “we’re in the business of making you feel good.” And part of the way he accomplishes that is by making each individual feel as though they matter.
Paying attention helps you improve. Offering attention to other people is not effective if you are just going through the motions. Treating a person like they count requires that you truly listen to what they say, and you notice what they may need. That careful observation can help you spot problems, improve processes and policies, and at the same time build your expertise.