Tweets of the Week

@apanjabi: Love the power of EO. Helped two people connect for mutual benefit & also leveraged on a connection myself. Follow@eouae

@zahrasays:Thanks for making my first GLC an incredible experience, pumped to be on the board this yr!#AmazingTime&Frienships

@DaveKerpen: @entrepreneurorg #forum meeting, a highlight of every month! (@ Ca Va Brasserie w/ 2 others)

@GSEAcompetition #EO hit a member milestone today – 8,500 influential #entrepreneursfrom around the world! Congratulations, @EntrepreneurOrg!#EOThrive25

@simonmundell Just finnished presenting to @EntrepreneurOrg El Salvador. Amazing group. Very welcoming. SCS #RESULTS_EO

An Anecdote from Japan

By Leo von Wendorff, an EO Boston member and CEO of Virtual Knowledge Workers, Inc.

As a business owner, I get to do business with people from many different cultures. Fortunately, I had great exposure to international business professionals early in my learning years. One of these is our Client Relationship Manager, when I worked for General Motors, and I fondly remember her time in Japan.

She’s a smart girl, but no matter how smart or accomplished you are, a speaking engagement in a part of the world completely different from your own culture will be nothing less than nerve-wracking. True enough, on her road to success, she was invited to speak at a conference in Japan. This was the highlight of her professional career at the time. Read more

Effectively Handling Leadership Transitions

By Beth Armknecht Miller, president and executive coach at Executive Velocity, Inc.

In the October 2009 edition of Chief Learning Officer, Michael D. Watkins’ article “The Eight Toughest Transitions for Leaders,” outlined the top transitions that most business leaders have to navigate during their career. The transitions are:

• Promotion
• Leading former peers
• Diplomacy (authority versus influence)
• New organization
• International move
• Organizational turnaround
• Corporate strategy realignment
• Business portfolio change

Watkins suggests that in order for a leader to transition successfully, a leader must not only be capable of adapting his personal style and competencies, but he must also be able to focus on the organization’s need to build a plan for organizational growth. Read more

Four Rules of Building Customer Loyalty

By Brian Tracy, professional speaker, best-selling author and success expert

If sales are the engine that drives your business, then good customer service and building a high level of customer satisfaction is the fuel. Your ability to satisfy your customers to gain customer loyalty is the critical determinant of your success in driving sales and growing your business.

There are four levels of customer satisfaction, all based on the degree to which you meet customer expectations. The higher the level you achieve, the more success you will have and the more you will build customer loyalty. Read more

Five Public Speaking Tips Every Entrepreneur Should Know

By Scott Danielson of VoicePro®

What’s your secret? At VoicePro, our clients consistently ask us for public speaking tricks and secrets. Though everyone’s method is different, there are five secrets about public speaking that everyone should know:

#1 Everyone Gets Nervous: There’s nothing “normal” about speaking in front of large groups of people. The body knows it.  That’s why it sends a rush of adrenaline through your system right before a presentation (the fight or flight response in action). The difference between an experienced speaker and a novice is how they harness that nervous energy.

Start by shaking out the tension in your muscles and breathe deeply. Then shift your attention to the well-being of your audience and frame the speech as a conversation. With this more positive mindset, you can use the adrenaline surge to speak with passion. Read more