By Doug Smith

Seasons come and go in life. Sports provide a great example of this. Whether you follow college football or the NFL, you know football season just geared back up. Once again each coach, player, and fan had to recommit to their team and the team’s goals. They have dedicated themselves to the commitment of working hard, taking care of each other, supporting each other, and giving their best effort until the season is over. 

This runs true in business as well. We are aware that all businesses go through a variety of cycles: slow seasons, busy seasons, anniversaries, growth, and loss. At the beginning of each season, we must be willing to commit to the expectations that our company, our leaders, and our coworkers have set for us, in addition to our own aspirations. Can we give it 100%? Over and over, we hear some people say they are unhappy, are not getting enough out of their jobs, or are simply unsatisfied with what they are doing. Our recommendation is to go out and find a career that makes you happy! Find something that brings you fulfillment, dedicate yourself to that, and you will see success.

When the seasons change, are you staying committed in the same way? Have you recommitted on a higher intensity level than the season before to push yourself to be the best you can be? 

New seasons bring new challenges and new rewards. Recommit. Recommit to yourself, your goals, your dreams, and then recommit to your career and the path that will get you there.

Copyright 2013 P.D.C.W.W.E. Inc.

By Paul Cummings

Level 10 Determination is one of the greatest assets we can possess. Determination can bring out the best in us. Determination is the tool we use to defeat discouragement. Determination is what we use to take adversity, turn it into challenge, and create real opportunity.

Determination overcomes temporary failure to prevent it from becoming permanent. Determination produces patience. Determination feeds our faith and starves our doubts to death. Determination builds character. Determination helps us push through difficult moments and find success. It helps us prioritize and manage our time to maximize positive results.

Determination gives us the will to win. Determination is the tool we use to dig ourselves out of a hole. Determination is the tool we use to improve our relationships. Determination is the tool we use to reach our goals. Determination is the tool we use to succeed.

Tom Dempsey was born without toes on his right foot and without fingers on his right hand. However, Tom used determination to overcome his physical limitations. Tom had a burning desire to play football, so his parents had a special football shoe designed for him. Hour after hour, day after day, Tom would practice kicking field goals. He became very good at kicking field goals at short distances. Then, he began to move back further and further, scoring field goals with the same accuracy. His determination landed him a job in the NFL playing football for the New Orleans Saints. An opportunity came when the Saints needed Tom to make a 63-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions to win the game. If Tom could make it, he would set a new record in the NFL for the longest field goal ever made. With time running out, Tom kicked the ball while 66,000 fans screamed and cheered. The ball went up and through the goalpost to give New Orleans a 19-17 win over Detroit and Tom Dempsey the record. Although three others have tied it, his record still stands today.

The moral of the story is: never let someone else place limitations on your potential. With Level 10 Determination, you can become whatever you want to be. Are you determined to win each day? Do you respond to setbacks with a high level of determination? Are you willing to stay determined to be the best in your field? If the answer is “yes” to these questions, you are on your way to the highest level of success. If the answer is “no,” you need to utilize Level 10 Determination, beginning today, to change the course of your life. 

Copyright 2013 P.D.C.W.W.E. Inc. 

By Sue Rice 

“It only takes a split second to smile and forget, yet to someone that needed it, it can last a lifetime. We should all smile more often.”

― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free 

Years ago, I met an individual in my profession who changed my life forever. She represented humility, friendliness, generosity, and a genuine interest in every person she met. She walked into a room and instantly brought energy, enthusiasm, and a brightness that made everyone smile. 

One of the most important ways we can live our lives at our very best every day is by giving a smile to everyone we see and, more importantly, to everyone who sees us. As individuals, we each have the opportunity to impact lives on a daily basis simply by presenting ourselves with a smile – not just on our face, but with our actions as well. 

Living life to the fullest and expressing joy while doing our very best in every activity we participate in can change lives even when we are not aware of it! The best gifts I have received are hearing of the moments I have impacted someone’s life in a positive way and brought a smile to their face. Many times the instance was years ago. 

As Paul writes in our creed, “I will live my life at Level 10…Every Day…Every Time…Without Fail…No Exceptions.” This is not just about the way we live, but also about maximizing the opportunities we have to positively affect the lives of those around us. Wow – think about how many people can be impacted by bringing joy to others’ lives. 

It’s easy, and it only takes a second. Next time you walk down the street, or through your office, smile at everyone you see and brighten someone’s day! 

Copyright 2013 P.D.C.W.W.E. Inc. 

Sustaining Excellence November 11-14

Sustaining Excellence is a three-and-a-half-day elite management and leadership event that will provide you with the information and practical tools to prepare you for success at the highest level. 

Develop yourself and your leadership skills with proven methods designed to:

• Improve your leadership knowledge, attitude, skills, and habits
• Accelerate performance with unique relationship building techniques
• Provide you with key strategies to build a winning team
• Increase business efficiency with process-driven exercises

Don’t miss this opportunity to take your team to new heights by becoming a better leader, coach, and mentor!

November 11-14, 2013

Space is limited!

For express enrollment, call Doug Smith at 800.823.7698

Traci L. Day

The word mentor comes from the Greek language and means “a wise guide.” Although many praise the benefits of mentoring, finding this person in a career can be challenging. The fact remains, if you’re out there looking to find a mentor, your chances are better than if you’re waiting on a mentor to find you. The key is to know when you need to find this person. 

You know you need a mentor when…

1. You are not sure where to go: It is important to wake up excited about your future and keep your eye on where you intend to be. You need someone to help you determine your vision, keep you pointed in the right direction, and keep you focused. You know you need a mentor when you feel uninspired in your career. This person will keep you engaged and on the right track.
2. You are not sure if people know about you: You need to be on the radar in your career. You need to build a good reputation and promising career trajectory. People need to be talking about you in a positive way and associating you as a “go-getter” in your field. A mentor assists in developing you as your brand.
3. You are not sure of opportunities to take or interests to follow:  You need to build a relationship with a professional who can advise you on positioning your career and achieving goals. Someone who pushes you to advance yourself and assists in showing you how. 

Before approaching a possible mentor, you should ask yourself what you’re hoping to achieve from the relationship, and is what you want consistent with what the possible mentor can offer? Think mentor, not savior. You need to be realistic about the time commitment for mentoring and keep this in mind when approaching someone about becoming your mentor. Do they have time?

Is your thought process career-related support or psychosocial support? Career-related support includes coaching or sponsorship and usually the outcomes are in the form of higher compensation and career advancement. In comparison, psychosocial support develops the mentee’s sense of identity and competence in what they’re doing. The outcomes of this type of support usually come in the higher levels of job satisfaction and career commitment. 

Therefore, it may be necessary to think beyond one person when seeking a mentor. Maybe you need to consider multiple mentors to cover all needs. You might approach one person for psychosocial support and another person for the career-related support. You may want subject expertise or advice on one particular career area.  Either way, you will more than likely need different mentors at different stages as your career advances and changes. The most important aspect of this process is to recognize that you have a mentor need and take the necessary steps to find the right person, at the right time, in your career.

Some Key Characteristics of a Mentor:

Patient, Inspirational, Honest, Visionary, Dreamer, Knowledgeable, Understanding,  Giving, Tough, Ethical, Trustworthy, Open-minded, Approachable, Available, Caring, Dependable, Tactful, Considerate, and a Great Listener.

Copyright 2013 P.D.C.W.W.E. Inc.

By Michelle Plogher

Woople has a new feature! Our learners will be excited to begin using one of our latest features, which is the New Content tab. You can find this tab toward the upper right of your Woople® screen. By clicking on this tab, you’ll see all of the latest, cutting-edge content that has been released in the last seven days as part of your current subscription!

Whether it’s a Channel or Course, a series or segment, you’ll be able to view it straight from the New Content tab. Simply click on the View button to the right of the title, and Woople will take you directly to that newly released content.

Log in today to take advantage of this new feature! We’re excited to hear your feedback on this recent addition as well as our latest releases! Happy viewing!

Copyright 2013 Woople, LLC.

By Doug Smith

Have you ever had that one person you wish you had said “Thank You” to more often when you look back over your career?

Remembering back just over two years, standing in the lot of an Acura dealership in Alpharetta, GA, waiting on that “Up Bus” to roll in when my phone rang with a number I was not familiar with. Of course, being the car salesman I was, and viewing the opportunity to make some money, I answered. How was I to know that it was opportunity knocking in the form of Tony Pate, and that this phone call would change the course of my life forever. 

Fast forward a couple of months. I began working with Woople under Tony’s leadership and guidance. Over the next 22 months, for the first time in my professional career, I had someone in a leadership role investing time and effort in me and my development. Not just as an employee and team member, but as a person. Tony laid out a plan and showed me the pathway that would lead me to success. He guided me, coached me, and kept me on that pathway in the best ways he knew how. He genuinely took my development personal and it showed. As with any teacher and coach, we did not always see eye to eye, nor did we always agree with how to keep me on the path – that is until I had the ability to look back and recognize that one ever-present trait that Tony had with me. Tony always had my best interests at the center of his coaching me.

With Tony recently retiring from Paul Cummings Enterprises and Woople, I have realized that I did not tell my teacher and coach “Thank You” enough. Now that I do not get to see him on a daily basis, I wish that I had. Tony has, and always will have, a legacy within the walls of our company, whether it is in the Community Collaborative Education Centers in Chattanooga or Liberty, within the name written walls at the Level 10 Retreat and Conference Center in Wildwood, or beyond.

I would like to take this small space in this article and give a very large “THANK YOU” to my teacher, coach, mentor, and friend, Tony Pate. I am the man I am today because you took a chance on me two years ago and provided your guidance along my journey. I appreciate all you have done for my family, and for the wisdom you shared. May your “Energy, Excitement, and Enthusiasm” for the things you love never fade.

Copyright 2013 P.D.C.W.W.E., Inc.

Copyright 2013 Woople, LLC