Tag Archives: Leadership Speaker

Channeling My Creativity with Coffitivity

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

Channeling my Creativity with Coffitivity

Coffitivity

             Raise your virtual hand if you are anything like me in the fact that you need ambient noise to study, work and/or be creative! I have NEVER been able to study, read or really concentrate in work/study environments without some sort of background noise. I have an attention span of about 5 minutes then I’m off in la-la land if I don’t have some sort of noise around me.
               Even when I am performing surgery, I always have to have music playing in the Operating Room because it helps me concentrate and improves my focus! So, imagine my delight when I came across a website that plays ambient coffee shop noise straight from my laptop ( Que my Happy Dance)! In med school, I studied in coffee shops so much that my family told me I should buy stock in them LOL! Coffee Shops are where I get my best blogging done as well. I can go into one of my favorite coffee shops at 1pm and Literally be the last person they are kicking out at 9pm….yeah, I get down like that!
Coffitivity was launched in March 2013 by four friends and recent college graduates in Virginia. Within just a few short months they have been named one of the 50 TOP Websites of 2013 by TIME Magazine!!!!!After just one afternoon of blogging from home using the Coffitivity website to provide ambient coffee shop noise, I was Officially a fan! I was in my coffee shop element and my work was extremely productive that afternoon.

Here’s my interview with Ace Callwood, one of the creators of Coffitivity:

Dr. Carmen April: Start off by giving me the names of the founders of Coffitivity……
Ace Callwood: My name is Ace Callwood and I’m one of the Co-Founders. Our Graphic Designer Co-Founder is Nicole Horton. The man with the plan and the brains behind the whole thing is Justin Kauszler. Then our heavy lifting web developer is Tommy Nicholas
Dr. Carmen April: Tell me a little bit about your educational background and then about your college major.
Ace Callwood: Justin, Nicole, and myself graduated last year from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.  We did four years each and we all graduated in 2012.  Justin and I both majored in entrepreneurship, which is where we actually met.  I actually run the entrepreneurship program at the university now. It’s my day job.  Justin and I majored in entrepreneurship at the Business School at VCU.  Nicole is actually an interior designer by trade.  She was in the School of the Arts at VCU and majored in interior design.  Tommy Nicholas went to VCU his freshman year and transferred to the University of Virginia (UVA).  He graduated in 2011 and he majored in business and African American Studies.

Dr. Carmen April:    Are all of you guys from Virginia?
Ace Callwood: Yes, Nicole and Tommy are both Richmond born and bred.  Justin and I are military brats so I’ve been up and down the east coast but did high school in the Hampton Roads area.  Justin is actually from Hampton Roads as well.

Dr. Carmen April: This is the first time that I had ever heard of a university having entrepreneurship as an actual major versus Business, Marketing, or Human Resource Management.  When did they put that program in place?
Ace Callwood: Let me clarify that entrepreneurship is a subset of Business Administration and Management.  It’s a concentration of learning how to be a manager.  The core of our curriculum is focused on entrepreneurship and small business management.  There’s actually quite a few schools throughout the country with this major.  More and more people are getting excited about this, I’ll put it that way.  Here at the university, we teach disruption which occasionally gets people fired from a couple of jobs because they think too freely.  But at one point, they’ll settle into a good fit if they go out and get the job.  As the prime candidate for the job, they can go and shake things up to do some revolutionary innovations.  That’s what we push for with our students.
Dr. Carmen April: So that’s what you do full-time.  What’s your official title with the university?
Ace Callwood: I’m the Coordinator for Entrepreneurship at the School of Business.
Dr. Carmen April: Tell me where the idea for Coffitivity came from. Were you sitting around in a coffee shop one day and the idea came to you?  How did it come about?
Ace Callwood: Yes.  As I mentioned, Justin and I (I may refer to him as Jay here and there) work together on several projects now. Our first start-up actually conceptualized a self-working bike rack called CycleStay.  That was a huge project for us to work on for a year and a half.  Part of our curriculum is a business plan competition that is the majority of our grade.  We hired Justin for this project in our senior year.  After his graduation, we continued the project and ran it.  We were getting a lot of work done in coffee shops.  We brought Nicole on board to look at some of the designs that we were doing for CycleStay.  We were in and out of coffee shops over the course of two or 3 months, looking at the brand, how that would fit, and what it would look like.  We went through a sprint of four or 5 days in some of our favorite coffee shops.  Justin went back to the day job the next Monday or Tuesday and according to him, it was dead quiet in the office.  He was banging his head against the keyboard. He asked his boss, who is the mentor for both of us, if he could work in a coffee shop.  She looked at him like he was crazy.  Justin was in this environment where he couldn’t get the creative juices that he needed going and he realized, “hey, I can do some awesome work in coffee shops.  If I can’t get into a coffee shop, I can bring it to me.” That was his inspiration for Coffitivity and coincidentally, because Justin and I both work in academia- we read a lot of research and white papers.  I had just finished reading a white paper that indicates that playing a moderate level of ambient noise can produce creative cognition.  Like with everything we read, we pass that information on to each other.  Three or four weeks prior to Justin having his revelation, I told him about the research and thought nothing of it.  Fast forward a couple of weeks, he’s in this environment where everything’s a shock to him and then realize that “hey, this is what I want to do.  This sounds like a good idea at the time, there’s research to back it up, and we just need to run with it.”
Dr. Carmen April: How did you come up with the name Coffitivity?
Ace Callwood: The research actually cites creativity being boosted with ambient noise.  It was coffee, and creativity.  We did spend a day or two mulling over the spelling.  Coffee, c-o-f-f-e-e or coffie with an “i”.  We thought that Coffitivity would be a little bit easier to say, to look at, and understand phonetically.  That’s a pretty simple ten second story there.
Dr. Carmen April: How do you plan to increase revenue from Coffitivity?
Ace Callwood: An IOS app is coming out as well as our Mac app.  We’re super excited to have those in the Apple store.  We’re looking at a couple of merchandise options as well so people can have Coffitivity stickers to throw on their laptop, maybe a mug or two, or a thermos. It’s not quite up and ready yet, but those are in the pipeline.
Dr. Carmen April:  What has been the response to the website?

ACe Callwood: We officially launched on March 4, 2013.  It’s just over three months old and it absolutely exploded.  Our first day live, on the 4th, we had one hundred and twenty-ish views.  I think 124, something like that. I joked that our moms looked at it 120 times a piece and that was it LOL!  We told our friends and family, “Hey this is the thing that we built.  We built it for us and we’re going to use it.  If it works for you, that’s awesome!” The second day, we had 47,000 views and 49,000 views the third day.  So yeah, it absolutely blew up! We got a call from our server saying, “Hey you crashed our server.  You need to pay us more money to put the website online.” It was just a hectic day, that second and third day.  At that time we didn’t even have a Twitter account yet.  We got that geared up the second day.  It was wild!


Dr. Carmen April: How did the word spread that fast?  Because I was assuming that social media and Twitter may have been what spread the word, but you guys didn’t even have the Twitter account up yet.

Ace Callwood: Tommy Nicholas is our Growth Hacker.  We call him that because he does the majority of web development now. He is awesome at connecting, at the right place and right time, and making posts count.  We posted some information at the right time and it got picked up by the tech community.  The Hacker News bumped it up to the front page for a day and a half, maybe two days.  From there, I think Life Hacker picked it up first.  Within the first week, we had Life Hacker, Popular Science, Mashable, The Net’s Web, and I think Gizmodo.  We just had the big tech players pick this up.  That drove a huge amount of our traffic.  Our viral  mechanics were built into the site.  They were very calculated. That has been huge.

Dr. Carmen April: I also read that Time magazine recently ranked you guys among the 50 best websites of 2013!!!


Ace Callwood:  They did!  We had no idea.  They never told us, nobody gave us a heads up.  We were stuck in traffic and Reggie, who does our analytics stuff asked, “What is techland.time.com ?” We ended up following the link to Time magazine’s top 50 websites.  It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least!
Dr. Carmen April: You mentioned a little while ago about a smart phone app that will be coming out.  When is that set to launch?
Ace Callwood: No set date yet.  We’re still working on playing the Apple review game right now so we could get it bounced back for any number of reasons.  Fingers crossed that it’ll get out in the next two weeks and that’ll be for Mac and IOS.  It’s all pending review, submission, and how fast we can get it hooked up.
Dr. Carmen April: Lastly, tell me what is next for you guys?  You certainly shouldn’t reveal everything, but what else can you reveal that you guys have in the pipeline?
Ace Callwood: Somebody asked that the other day and I told them we were going to start a boy band.  That’s actually not going to happen, but it makes for a great story LOL!  Justin and I have cleared the dance moves.  Right now, we’re going to sprint for the app.  Getting that out is huge! Very soon and hopefully within the next week or when the app launches- we’ll be doing cool redesigns for the site.  You’ll see more audio tracks.

Dr. Carmen April:  Do you know where most of the traffic is coming from?

ACe Callwood:  Yes. Our top listening city is actually Seoul, Korea.  They’re number one on the list, followed by New York City.  We have the usual suspects- DC, London, and Richmond, VA.  We’ve got San Fran as a top city, I believe, so a bunch of awesome cities.  Right now, the top listening country is the U.S.  Number two is Great Britain and then Japan is number 3.  But yeah, the list goes on.  Korea, China, Canada, Great Britain, France, Russia.  I think that we’ve been on every continent but Antarctica!Dr. Carmen April:How do you balance, since this is not a full-time gig for you guys yet, your full time career at the university with this venture?

ACe Callwood:    Balance, that’s an interesting word.  I can’t say balance because according to my life, there’s a lot of not sleeping.  We’ll put it that way.  Justin and I actually got our first vacation since we graduated last week.  So it’s the first time we’ve been out on absolute leisure, but other than that it’s goes in circles all the time.  Justin works in the entrepreneurial space at the university as well, so we work together in our day jobs very frequently.  For me, being in the classroom once or twice a week- I got to use Coffitivity as a case study for my students.  The fact that we’ve done so much with our start-up is actually beneficial to our jobs which is awesome, in the form of experience, in the form of publicity, and just a lot of things.  It’s a great working relationship to be in the space we are in our day jobs and our site gig.  Everything kind of balances itself out.
Dr. Carmen April: As a young entrepreneur myself, I know what you mean about balance and vacations.  I’ve had to take my mini-vacations, which may be an extended weekend or something.  But as far as the big 7-10 day trips to France, I can’t swing that because I’m not at the point where I can leave my business for that long.
Ace Callwood: Exactly, we didn’t even have Wi-Fi at the beach!  The team was still back here working on the app releases and other stuff, so we ended up paying the next door neighbor at the beach for Wi-Fi. We had to be on one side of the house to be able to connect, so we made it work and it was good to almost be forced to unplug. Justin and I are type A’s who don’t unplug if we don’t have to, but we should.  It was a good R and R for us to get our heads straight and have some time to think about where we’re going with the project and what the next projects will look like, whether it’s over the next couple months or the next few years.
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Need to channel your creativity today? Visit www.coffitivity.com and let your creative juices start flowing!
Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

               Dr. Carmen April is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.

5 Leadership Lessons Learned From The Early Failures of R.H. Macy

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5 Leadership Lessons Learned From The Early

Failures of R.H. Macy

Macy's Leadership

               I was in Macy’s Department Store recently shopping for a new ensemble to wear for an upcoming speaking engagement. Since I’m constantly thinking about all things Leadership, I thought about the story of how Macy’s got started. Macy’s was founded by Rowland Hussey Macy, who between 1843 and 1855, opened four retail dry goods stores, including the original Macy’s store in downtown Haverhill, MA to serve the mill industry employees of the area. Each one of Macy’s original stores FAILED! Macy did not let those failures stop him and instead learned from them. Here are 5 Leadership lessons learned from the early failures of R. H. Macy:

1.) Failure is only permanent if you don’t learn from it.

              We all fail. Period. Show me a person who has not failed and I will show you a person who has never tried anything new. R.H. Macy had 4 stores to fail when he started out. Most people would have thrown in the towel after just 1 store failure! He refused to let those business failures be the end of his story and he tried again. Failure is an opportunity to start again with more insight. The smartest leaders and business people will most likely agree that they have learned more from their failures than they have from their successes.

2.) Learn how to Re-strategize

               After the failure of the first 4 stores, he decided to move to New York City from Haverhill, MA. He staked out a niche for himself in a brand new environment. When you encounter failure, as you most certainly will if you ever expect to make progress in anything, you must master the art of the “Pivot”. Continuing to do the same things that have not been working is insanity, but learning how to pivot away from what is not working and develop a new strategy is sometimes exactly what is needed to finally experience the expected result.

3.) Every Expert was once a novice – We must all start somewhere!

                After the failure of Macy’s first 4 stores, he moved to New York City in 1958 and established a new store named R.H. Macy & Co. on Sixth Avenue, much further north than where similar stores were located. On the first day of business in October 28, 1858, his sales totaled $11.08, equal to about $301.47 today. I would venture to guess that now Macy’s probably makes that amount in sales just about every second of the day!

4.) Establish your BRAND early on

              Ever wonder where that iconic Macy’s Logo originated? As a teenager working on a Nantucket whaling ship, R.H. Macy got a tattoo of a star. That star became the logo that continues to serve as the identification of the Macy’s brand throughout the world. Some leaders have a hard time thinking of themselves as a “brand” or understanding the importance of it. However, if you think of it this way, BRAND = REPUTATION, that makes it a lot easier to understand. We all have a reputation. What is your Leadership reputation? Realize that you have the power to craft your Brand Reputation in a manner that represents your authentic Leadership Style!

5.) Be so good at what you do that your name becomes synonymous with quality, class and trustworthiness

                 There’s no doubt that the Macy’s brand is well-respected throughout the world for quality service and products. In order to be a respected leader you must gain the trust of your team and build a reputation that others respect. Your team should be confident in knowing they can look up to you to lead the team in a shared vision.

                The next time you are shopping at Macy’s, think about the fact that had R.H Macy given up on is endeavor to have a successful department store, there would be no Macy’s Department stores for you to frequent in almost every mall in America. There would be no Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, no beautiful Christmas Day Display in the window at the Macy’s in New York City. This company is where it is today because Mr. Macy did not let a temporary setback stop him from trying again!

Is there a Leadership vision, goal, or endeavor you gave up on because of a one time failure? If its success is important enough to you, declare to yourself  Today that you will try again!

– Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

               Dr. Carmen April is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.

How Your Dominating Thoughts Control Who You Are

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How Your Dominating Thoughts Control Who You

Are

wisdom

                I’ve been reading a lot from Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich lately and can’t express enough how it’s one of the BEST books I’ve ever read! I could write a million blog posts inspired by the information Hill shares in this book – it’s just that good! One of the concepts in the book is stated this way, “Each of us is what we are because of the dominating thoughts we permit to occupy our minds”.

                  Let’s look at examples of this from both sides of the coin. In cases of verbal and emotional child abuse, children who are told they are stupid, ugly and worthless have a hard time healing emotionally from that abuse as they get older. They internalize that abuse and it can become reality.

              In Napoleon Hill’s book, he highlights that a common thread among the world’s wealthiest, most successful people is that they are persistent in their ideas of acquiring personal success and wealth. The concept of persistence is important here. These individuals think positively on ways to get what they want and don’t give up at the slightest of setbacks.

                It’s almost intuitive that we express what we think about most, but seeing it written in this manner in “Think And Grow Rich” was really an Aha Moment for me! Not too long ago, I experienced some entrepreneurial struggles that I just couldn’t seem to find the right solution for – that is, until I changed my mindset! Instead of thinking, “How in the heck am I going to figure this one out?”, I started believing that the solution to the problem was already out there, I just had to open my mind to receive it. Every time I began to get upset about the situation, I started the practice of shutting the negative thoughts down and replacing them with positive affirmations of receiving the solution. Had I continued to let toxic ideas manifest in my psyche, garbage would have begun to flow out! By thinking on positive outcomes, I began to explore more positive solutions to the problem. In the end, I found a solution to the problem, in large part, because of my outlook and the thoughts I let occupy my mind!

Identify a negative thought you have been allowing to dominate your mind. What single thought can you use to think positively, instead.

— Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

             Dr. Carmen April is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals.

You can follow her daily #Leadership insights on Twitter @DrCarmenApril

5 Tips to Make Networking Work Better for You

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Networking, Success, Uncategorized by

5 Tips to Make Networking Work Better for You

2013 Nashville Emerging Leader Award Finalist Reception 

(Photo Credit: Nashville Chamber of Commerce)

               I love Networking! I frequently attend Networking events because it’s awesome to walk into a room with other business-minded individuals and make mutually beneficial business connections. When I first moved to Nashville 3 years ago (almost 4 years ago now), I knew only 2 people – My sister, who was in Dental School at the time, and a college friend/sorority sister. That’s it! So, when I took the leap of faith to start my own medical practice after living here for only 2 months, my lack of connections in Nashville was a HUGE obstacle for me. However, I networked the pure HECK out of Nashville and have made so many connections that, as I look back on it now, astonishes me!

I’m was honored to be a 2013 Nashville Emerging Leader Award Finalist! Here I am networking with some of the attendees at the Finalist Reception in June 2013

(Photo Credit: Nashville Chamber of Commerce)

              I believe that being able to effectively network is an art form. For me, networking did not come second nature. Even though I love to sit down and talk for hours with people that I know and am familiar with, walking up to random people and saying “Hi, I’m Carmen April. How are you? Tell me what you do for a living” was not always as easy for me as it is now. Just like anything you want to become good at, it requires repetition and practice. Making meaningful business connections is essential to both my medical practice and my blog so being comfortable in large networking environments is a MUST!

(Photo Credit: Nashville Chamber of Commerce)

Here are 5 Tips to help you make the most out of Networking:

1.) Attend Events that are specifically structured for Networking. When you attend events that are designed specifically for networking, everyone shows up with the same intention. You are not left wondering if the people you meet have ulterior motives for chatting with you. Everyone is there, or should be there, to make meaningful business connections. I have taken my enthusiasm for networking to some laid-back social gatherings and, unfortunately, have had people look at me like I have 3 eyes on my forehead when I walk up and introduce myself the way I do at networking events. This is not to say that networking does not take place at social gatherings; in fact, it should!

2.) Dress Professionally. We form opinions about others in the first 7-9 seconds of meeting them. Don’t you want the lasting impression someone makes of you to be a positive one, especially when business is involved?

 

3.) Have your Elevator Speech Prepared and Practiced. An Elevator Speech is your 30-45 second description of who you are, what you do and how you and your business can be of benefit to others. You should be able to clearly articulate this description in the time that it takes you to ride in an elevator with someone from the bottom to the top floor in 30-45 seconds or less. You risk loosing someones attention when you ramble. Because the most common question asked of you during networking will be, “So, tell me what you do for a living?”, you should practice your response (Elevator Speech) because you know it will be asked. It should roll off your tongue like butter!

4.) Have Business Cards on Hand. Your business card should be clean with your name, business logo, phone number,  business email address and business website listed. I can not tell you how annoying it is to receive an old, crinkled business card that has probably been sitting in someones pocket or wallet for who knows how long. Your business card is a tangible piece of your professional brand and it can speak for you in your absence. I keep business cards that I receive during networking by scanning it into one of my favorite apps – Evernote, and also placing it in a business card holding folder that I keep in my office. Additionally, I write down where I met the person, the date and the year, directly on the card.

 

5.) Follow-up. What is the point of networking if you are not going to make use of the meaningful connections? Networking is for making the initial connections, but it should not stop there. If you meet someone at an event and identify that you can be of benefit to their business, they can be of benefit to your business, or vice versa, you should set up a time to grab coffee, lunch or a cocktail. Send an email to those connections after the event saying that you enjoyed meeting them and would like to meet them again for coffee, etc and discuss ideas. The follow-up is usually where the real connections come about.

 I hope these tips help you on your next Networking excursion!

–Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

                Dr. Carmen April is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.

Leadership the Starbucks Way: The 5 Ways of Being

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Leadership The Starbucks Way: The 5 Ways of Being

Starbucks 5 ways of being

Starbucks is one of the great American companies I really admire. Not only am I obsessed with their Carmel Apple Spice drink (give me a Venti please!), but I simply love the experience of walking into a Starbucks store! Most of my friends and family know of my obsession and give me Starbucks gift cards for my birthday, Christmas, etc. I love the experience so much that I usually stay for hours. You can call Starbucks one of my “satellite offices”. I love to blog, read, and people-watch in Starbucks.

                Everything about the Starbucks experience is intentionally crafted by Starbucks Leadership. The friendliness of the partners (Starbucks employees), detailed attention to your order, cleanliness of the store and cozy atmosphere don’t just happen by chance. Starbucks Leadership has created a structure called “The 5 Ways of Being” that provides a framework for the partners to express their own individuality while still upholding the core principles of the company. The 5 Ways of Being are as follows:

1.) Be Welcoming

               I don’t think I’ve ever gone into a Starbucks and not been greeted with a welcoming remark that can be as simple as “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, How are you today?”, “How can I help you.”. People like to be recognized and feel welcomed when they come into a new space. If I’m not personally recognized and welcomed within a minute of walking into an establishment, ie. restaurant, store, etc, I usually don’s stick around too long. Starbucks partners do a great job of welcoming each and every customer who walks through their doors. If you are a regular, you will probably be greeted by name. In Dale Carnegie’s Book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, he discusses how a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” acknowledging your colleagues and team members by name is important in establishing good report.

2.) Be genuine

               Starbucks identifies 3 key components to being genuine and calls partners to connect, discover and respond. Most of us can tell if someone is being genuine or not. When I walk into Starbucks I want to know that the employees are genuinely interested in providing great customer service. Genuine interest can come in the form of the Starbucks partner asking about how my day is going, asking about what I do for a living, talking about the weather, etc. Asking these questions forms connections, and initiates discovery of what’s important to the customer. Any Leader can show a genuine interest in their team by asking questions and initiating conversations that establish good working relationships.

3.) Be Considerate

                Being considerate should be a no-brainer. However, I’m sure I’m not the only person who has ever walked into a cafe, restaurant, store, etc and encountered an employee who was in their own world, talking on the phone, talking with other co-workers and ignoring customers. The customers who come to Starbucks for a great cup of coffee and a pleasant experience want to know that the employees are being considerate to them. Starbucks deals with “being considerate” on a corporate level as well. The Leadership wants the directors, managers, and partners to know that they are concerned about their well-being as part of the Starbucks team. Speaking and interacting with people in a professional manner is important in Leadership. Learning how to handle difficult team member situations and Crucial Conversations by praising in public and reprimanding in private is a good example of being considerate as a Leader.

4.) Be Knowledgeable

                  Knowledge is Power and the more you know about your company, industry and what your customers want and expect, the better. It’s difficult to have confidence in a leader who doesn’t know the ends and outs of not only WHAT they do, but WHY they do it. Equipped with that knowledge, a great Leader can know how to best serve their team(s) and add value to their customers. Starbucks invests heavily in training their partners. A great example of ongoing learning is that Starbucks gives its partners a free pound of coffee every week so they are continually becoming more knowledgeable about the company and the taste of its products.

5.) Be Involved

                At Starbucks, being involved means active participation “in the store, in the company, and in the community.” Partners are encouraged to be active in the store, addressing the needs of the customers on a daily basis and making the experience special for each person. Leadership at Starbucks makes it a point to actively respond to concerns, ideas and suggestions from partners. Leaders at any level should be accessible to their team members to foster communication and execution of vision and goals. Consistent involvement from all levels of Leadership is important to making the partners and customers feel valued. Community involvement is a way in which Starbucks provides opportunity for their partners to give to others and make a difference in individual communities. No matter what industry or business you are in, corporate structure or entrepreneur, being involved in what matters to the community is a perfect way to stay connected to it.

How can you use Starbucks’ 5 Ways of Being to better organize your Leadership strategy?

– Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

            This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

Leadership Spotlight: Xerox CEO Ursula Burns

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Leadership Spotlight: Xerox CEO Ursula Burns

Ursula burns

                After one of my recent speaking engagements where I was presenting on Leadership for Young Professionals, an attendee came up to me and expressed her frustration trying to “move up the Corporate Ladder”. I hear this all the time from young professionals who are working diligently for companies and aren’t sure what they can do to get ahead and assume more leadership responsibilities.

              One name immediately came to mind as an example of a business executive, CEO in fact, who started as an engineering intern in her company and later became the first African-American Women CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. This woman in Leadership is Ursula Burns. I told this young lady at the conference that I wanted her to Google Mrs Burns and read about her career journey with Xerox. I’ve never met Mrs. Burns personally, but would one day love to because I truly admire her story!

              Ursula Burns was raised in a New York City housing project, but had a mother who told constantly told her “Where you are is not who you are.” That mentality pushed her to pursue higher education at New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She then received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia a year later. In 1980, she began her career as a mechanical engineering summer intern at Xerox. She later joined the company as an employee and served in various roles with product development and planning. She then took on larger leadership roles, leading teams in the color and fax divisions and office network printing divisions. In 2000, she was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up manufacturing and supply chain operations. She then took on the broader role of leading Xerox’s global research as well as product development, marketing and delivery. In April 2007, Burns was named president of Xerox, expanding her leadership to also include the company’s IT organization, corporate strategy, human resources, corporate marketing and global accounts. At that time, she was also elected a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Burns was named chief executive officer in July 2009. That same year, Forbes named her the 14th Most Powerful Woman in the World!

              I love this piece of advise Mrs Burns shared in a 2013 Wall Street Journal Article when she talks about not taking things so seriously. “Ninety percent of this stuff is just not that serious,” she says. “We get crazy about it.” Burns says she often thinks back to her mother’s advice to stay grounded. “Continually go back to the basic stuff,” she says. “Be prudent. Enjoy it.”

               Having started out at Xerox as a summer intern, Mrs Burns worked her way up through the company to become CEO. If you look closely at the time frame, it was almost 30 years from the time she started as an intern (1980) to the time she was named CEO (2009). Leadership Development is just that – Development. It takes time. There is no magic formula to create it overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t “move up the corporate ladder” in a day, either. Understand that Leadership Development is a process. Mrs Burns is a perfect example of a leader who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way because she has the experience of working in numerous areas of The Xerox Company.

Are you frustrated because you’re not accelerating in your company as quickly as you desire? Take the time to figure out what leadership roles can you participate (Career and Community) to showcase your talents.

– Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

           This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on this Entrepreneurship and life leadership for college students and young professionals.

3 Examples of Everyday Leadership in Action

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3 Examples of Everyday Leadership in Action

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                When I’m speaking on Leadership to groups of college students and young professionals, I’m often asked about specific paths to leadership when their lack of experience may be a barrier in consideration for leadership positions. At the top of my list of advice is getting involved in Leadership through community and civic involvement. You don’t have to be a CEO, Corporate Executive, Entrepreneur, President of an Organization, etc to be a leader. If your actions are inspiring others to learn more, do more and become more, you are a Leader! This is what we call Everyday Leadership.

               Everyday Leadership is demonstrated by those who want to do great things for the community and are excited to use their talents to do just that! I’ve listed 3 examples of people I think are great examples of Everyday Leadership because of the way they are committed to making change in the communities.  They are leading the way by helping others to live better lives!

1.) Mitch Albom of Detroit, MI –Mitch Albom is an internationally renowned and best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold more than 35 million copies worldwide; have been published in forty-nine territories and in forty-five languages around the world; and have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically acclaimed television movies. Albom has also founded 8 non-profit charity organizations in the Detroit area! The organizations include S.A.Y. Detroit, S.A.Y. Detroit Health Clinic in partnership with the Detroit Rescue Mission, A Time To Help, Working Families/Working Homes, A Hole in the Roof Foundation, The Heart of Detroit, and the Detroit Dream Scholars. The work he is doing in the city of Detroit is outstanding! Mitch Albom is an example of Everyday Leadership in Action!

2.) Becca Stevens of Magdelene House and Thistle Stop Cafe in Nashville, TN –  Becca Stevens is one of the premier preachers and speakers in the United States proclaiming love as the most powerful force for social change. She is an Episcopal priest and founder of Magdalene, residential communities of women who have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction. She founded Thistle Farms in 2001 which currently employs nearly 50 residents and graduates, and houses a natural body care line, a paper and sewing studio and the Thistle Stop Café. She demonstrates that love is good business and raises millions of dollars annually for the organizations she runs. I’ve heard personal testimonies from women who are in a significantly better place today because they were able to find a safe haven at Magdalene and chart a new course for their lives while there. I frequent the Thistle Stop Cafe in Nashville for coffee, pastries, sandwiches, etc and always feel good about supporting such an awesome organization. Becca Stevens is an example of Everyday Leadership in Action!

3.) Halle Berry – We all know Halle Berry as the beautifully talented Oscar Award Wining Hollywood Actress. You may not, however, be as familiar with her involvement with the Jenesse Center in Los Angeles. The Jenesse Center is a Los Angeles Based Women’s Shelter with 6 locations around the city. The center provides a safe place for women and their children who are getting away from domestic violence situations. For the past 10+ years, Halle Berry has been involved with this center. A couple of years ago, she became the Chairperson of the center’s annual giving campaign. She acknowledges that the women who arrive at the shelter are dealing with much bigger issues than being concerned that she is “Halle Berry, the Hollywood Actress”. They appreciate that she is a woman who cares for them and whom they can talk to and confide in. Halle Berry is an example of everyday Leadership in action!

              What community organization do your admire? Identify a couple and make it a point, this week, to reach out to them to ask about volunteer opportunities. Diligently working in your community is a way to sharpen your leadership skills as well as help others when and where they need it.

— Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

               This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

An Important Key to Making Leadership Decisions

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An Important Key to Making Leadership Decisions

               Let’s face it – we all get the same 24 hours in each day. No more and no less. How is it then that some people seem to successfully juggle a million activities on their daily schedules while others have difficulty managing the few activities they have. Well, this quote from Seth Godin hits it right on the head! It’s not that we need more time, we simply need to be more decisive in making important decisions.

Life coach, nashville life coach

                The indecisive back and forth game we play out in our heads actually wastes more time than coming to a solid decision then subsequently planning out the specifics as it relates to that chosen decision.

Leaders are charged with being decision makers. Even though you may be tempted to delay important decisions, don’t punt them until “later”. More time to decide may not be your answer, but your decisiveness probably is!

What important Leadership decision have you been delaying lately? Trust your leadership instinct and be decisive, now!

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

           This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

3 Ways to Overcome Fear of Failure in Leadership

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3 Ways to Overcome Fear of Failure in Leadership

           Some Leaders fall short of achieving desired results because they allow the fear of failure to stagnate progress. Fear is crippling because it initiates a cycle that leads to inactivity and insufficiency of the skills needed to obtain what you desire. This then leads to more fear and the cycle repeating itself.

Fear Cycle

The way to break the cycle and gain strength is to jump out of this vicious fear cycle early on. Eleanor Roosevelt says “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face.”

Here are 3 things you can do to “gain strength, courage and confidence” and move forward with pursuing your goals:

1.) Name Your Fear – When you admit your fear, you deflate its power! When you name your fear, you remove the confusion over what is causing your fear in the first place.

2.) Figure out WHY you have developed this fear. Did something go wrong? Did someone say something to you that was discouraging? Do you think you’re not talented or gifted enough to accomplish your goals? Getting to your “WHY” will lead you to “HOW” you can break out of the cycle.

3.) Replace the images of fear with images of Power! Fear can have such a powerful grip on your mind that it will cause you to be absolutely consumed with it. Realize that you have the power to control your thoughts. Memorize a mantra or inspirational quote and every time the feelings of fear creep into your mind, repeat this over and over until it becomes the controlling thought. Napoleon Hill, in his best seller “Think and Grow Rich”, states it best when he says, “Each of us is what we are because of the dominating thoughts we permit to occupy our minds” That’s POWERFUL and very much true! When you leverage the power of shutting down negative thoughts with positive affirmation, you create a door of opportunity to break out of that dreaded Cycle of Fear!

Dominating Thoughts

What Fear do you have today that is inhibiting you from the Leadership success you desire?

– Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

        

        This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

Leaders Cultivate Climate

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Leaders Cultivate Climate

            Sir Richard Branson has built a successful empire with his Virgin Brand and I love reading his advice on business and success. This Leadership quote of his stood out to me recently because it is a philosophy I use in my business:

VirginLogo“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to” – Richard Branson

              I work hard to train my team to do everything I don’t do, ie – everything in my office that does not directly involve diagnosing and treating patients. I personally train them through a series of over 100 training videos I created as well as with hands-on instruction. I know that at any time my employees can leave and get a job with any other doctor’s office and excel due to the hands-on learning and training they’ve received from me. This training not only makes my office run efficiently, but it makes me feel empowered to know that I am directly involved with the professional development of others.

              What’s awesome is that I’ve had pretty much the same team since I started my business almost 3.5 years ago! My team knows that I value their hard work and dedication to making my practice successful. I practice positive reinforcement on a daily basis and always end the day by saying “Thank You”. Those two little words are super encouraging to those working with you and for you. We all have a desire to feel useful and appreciated in our work and careers. When your team members feel valued, they will stick around. The mark of a great leader is cultivating a climate in which team members are excited about staying with you as part of your team!

What does your current business/job climate say about your Leadership Skills?

Train people well

— Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

             This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.