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Vol. 4 No. 2, February 2012 Copyright 2012 by Wolf J. Rinke

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1. NEW CPE--HOT OFF THE PRESS
2. NUTRITION NEWS YOU CAN USE
3. HOW TO SAVE UP TO 16% ON CPEs
4. LEAD EFFECTIVELY … ESPECIALLY DURING TOUGH TIMES
5. SPECIAL REQUEST FROM THE EDITOR
6. HUMOR BREAK
7. ABOUT THE EDITOR
8. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

INSIGHT BREAK
As a leader 85 percent of your success comes from your team members.
--Wolf J. Rinke
Source: Leadership: Helping Others to Succeed (See below.)

1. NEW CPE--HOT OFF THE PRESS
Leadership--Helping Others to Succeed
(Anthology), W. Bennis, P. Schroeder, W. J. Rinke, G. Mitchell, et al., C225, 24 CPEUs, $139.95.
According to one expert reviewer: "This is an outstanding well-written book [(227 pgs) and study guide] that covers the discipline of leadership from the perspective of leadership researchers and experts. The format of the book not only makes it an easy read, but provides timely and in-depth information on leadership. It is both a theory and a 'how to' book which differentiates it from most leadership books which dwell only on theory. At a time when both our country and industry are over-managed and under-led, I believe this book is a must read for everyone. I feel so strongly about the timeliness and appropriateness of the contents of this book, I am going to adopt it as required reading in one of my senior-level capstone classes." This high impact CPE program will enable you to:

  • Improve your and your team's performance
  • Apply specific steps to increase your probability of success in a new leadership role
  • Implement reward and recognition strategies that will achieve improved performance and job satisfaction
  • Motivate different generations more effectively
  • Master specific steps that will increase the level of trust in your organization
  • Apply specific rules to increase team motivation
  • Discover the power of pushing decisions down to the lowest possible level
  • Conduct effective job interviews
  • Lead effectively during tough times
  • Plus much, much more.

For more information and customer comments, click here.
Approved by ADA, CBDM
Suggested Learning Need Codes for the Prof. Dev. Portfolio:
1000, 1040, 1050, 1070, 1110, 1120, 1130, 1140, 6000, 6070, 6080, 7000, 7010, 7020, 7030, 7040, 7050, 7070, 7090, 7160, 7180, 7190, 7200

2. NUTRITION NEWS YOU CAN USE
MILD DEHYDRATION EFFECTS YOUR MOOD
This study evaluated the effects of mild dehydration, produced by intermittent moderate exercise without hyperthermia, on cognitive function in young woman (age 23.0 ± 0.6 y). Researchers found that 1.36% dehydration resulted in degraded mood, increased perception of task difficulty, lower concentration, and headache symptoms.
ACTION STEP: Increased emphasis on optimal hydration is warranted, especially during and after moderate exercise. Get up to date on how you can help clients manage their hydration during exercise. When you enter the keyword "Dehydration" in the search field at www.easyCPEcredits.com you will find two different CPE programs: C189 and C195, to help you with this.
Source: L. E. Armstrong, et al., Mild Dehydration Affects Mood in Healthy Young Women, J. Nutr. 2012, 142 (2): 382-388; http://jn.nutrition.org/content/142/2/382.abstract.

3. HOW TO SAVE UP TO 16% ON CPEs
To save up to 16% on all of our easy to use, high quality CPE products go to www.easyCPEcredits.com and use the coupon on the "home page."
Now you can save even more by ordering e-courses
Hurry-coupon expires 5/15/12.

4. LEAD EFFECTIVELY … ESPECIALLY DURING TOUGH TIMES
By Wolf J. Rinke
You are a leader. May it be at home, at church or in your professional state or national association. Virtually all of us, at one time or another, are thrust into a leadership role. And when that happens, you are likely confronted with challenges, may it be tough times, change initiatives, or lack of resources. Here is what you can do to be effective:

Tell Team Members More than they Want to Know
I introduced this concept in Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies for Building High-Performance Organizations (C199, http://www.wolfrinke.com/CEFILES/cemgt.html#C199) to stress the importance of providing team members with the big picture to empower and motivate them. This becomes even more critical during a crisis because according to Sutton when people feel threatened they have an increased need for predictability, understanding, control and compassion.
Achieving all of these, with the exception of compassion, requires that you are absolutely transparent, which James O'Toole and Warren Bennis defined as: "The degree to which information flows freely within an organization, among managers and employees, and outward to stakeholders." (HBR, June 2009.) Transparency is absolutely essential if you want to build trust, another component critical to managing and leading people. Building trust, according to O'Toole and Bennis, requires that leaders at times ignore the lawyers and create a default position of "When in doubt, let it out." And during those rare circumstances when "letting it out" would cause irreparable harm to the organization, tell your team members why you can't tell them, and then patiently and repetitively answer their questions. If you are skeptical about "letting it out" let me reveal a truism I've shared with executives I've coached since the early 1990s: "There are no secrets in organizations, period." With the advent of the internet that truism has become even truer today (if there is such a thing).
So quit trying to hoard and control information. Instead be absolutely up front about your current circumstances and how you got there. If there are things you and your leadership team could have done better, fess up and say so. Perhaps even more important tell your team members what you plan to do in the future to address the current challenges. And, of course, ask for their input. But don't just ask for it, act on it, and if you don't, tell them why not. Because the front line and your customers usually have answers to many of your problems. And when you think you're done, tell them again, and again …using a wide variety of media-in person, internet, e-mails, blogs, etc. etc. Once you say to yourself: "If I explain this one more time, I'm going to puke," you are you somewhere close to telling team members more than they want to know.

Be Visible
Your team members are watching you all the time. And, according to Sutton, they tend to interpret what you do in a negative light. So when you have a closed door meeting with your team the grapevine will crank up and assume the worst.
To overcome this, you have to make time to be more visible. You may even want to go so far and literally knock down the walls between you and your team members. That, according to executive coach, Maureen Moriarty, http://www.seattlepi.com/business/400177_workcoach16.html, is what Japan Airlines CEO Haruka Nishimatsu has done. Nishimatsu desk now sits in the middle of the office, without even a cubicle separating him from his people, so that his employees can walk up to his desk at any time and talk to him.
Or do what one of my clients, CEO Jesper Moeller of the Toms Group in Copenhagen does; make it a habit to lunch with your people in the cafeteria on a regular basis. This level of visibility will get you closer to your team members and enable you to figure out what is really going on, while at the same time giving your employees first hand information about you, so that the negative grapevine has less of an opportunity to flourish.

Show More Empathy than You Think is Wise
Showing empathy means that you see the world through your team members' eyes. You've got to understand their fears, apprehensions and motivations. This is a great time to practice your active listening skills. (For help with this read The Power of Communication: How to Increase Your Personal and Professional Effectiveness, C197 http://www.wolfrinke.com/CEFILES/cepd.html#C197) And keep in mind that when you deliver news, especially potentially bad news, at the time of delivery you are in different mental place than your team members. You've already had a chance to digest the news and work through the anxiety that all of us struggle with during any type of change-even if it's good for us. They, on the other hand, are likely hearing it for the first time and need lots of TLC to deal with it.
Showing empathy also means that you get to know your team members-I mean really get to know them. Don't be like some of the executives I coach and delude yourself. Instead be tough with yourself. Grab your calendar, and look at the last five working days. How much time did you dedicate to nurturing the relationships with your team members? I don't mean how much time did you spend telling them what to do. I'm talking about how much time did you spend talking with them . . . not at them? Talking with them about their concerns, their fears and apprehensions. And don't forget to ask them about their spouses, their children, their aging parents, and the many personal challenges they face? Being there for them with compassion, assistance and time off when they have professional or even personal challenges like a sick child, an aging parent or even worse a death in the family. Here is an important realization for you to take advantage of: "When the 'yogurt' hits the fan, your team members will not do it for your organization. However, they may do it for you." So let me ask you, how much empathy have you shown them lately?

Practice "Pragmatic Optimism"
During or any type of challenges, acting giddy and telling people they have nothing to worry about is just not going to cut it. Instead I encourage you to demonstrate "pragmatic optimism." (Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?)
I identified three types of optimists in How to Maximize Professional Potential & Increase Your Earning Power in Nutrition & Dietetics (http://www.wolfrinke.com/CEFILES/cepd.html#C187):
Type 1-the unrealistic optimists have learned it's important to think positive. Unfortunately they only learned half the lesson. They talk a good game, but have no fire-in-the-belly, or a clearly defined action plan. When things don't go the way they expect, they are stranded. Ultimately they become discouraged, and give up. They may continue to smile, maintain a superficial positive attitude, and pretend that everything will turn out for the better. Often it will not, and they become disillusioned and cynical.
Type 2-the eternal optimists are like the people I've met in Jamaica. Regardless of what happens to them, no matter how bad things get, they're governed by the axiom: "Don't worry, be happy." In the face of adversity, they invoke a higher order, shrug it off, and just go on with it. They are almost on the right track. Many have dreams, but most lack passion, fire-in-the belly, action plans, energy, and the will to persevere when the going gets rough. In short, they talk a good game, but they don't persist.
Type 3-the pragmatic optimists recognize we live in an imperfect world, a world in which success is not a straight line, and were nothing goes only one way. Instead it is fraught with obstacles, pain, hard work, sweat, blood, and tears. (Sorry I didn't mean to get that dramatic.) Pragmatic optimists accept setbacks, tragedies, losses, and disasters as the normal order of things, as lessons from which to learn, and as challenges to be mastered. Because they do not perceive obstacles and set-backs as failures, they are able to deal with them constructively. (President Barack Obama strikes me as a pragmatic optimist.) In short, they have the capacity to persevere, and more importantly they have the ability to help their team members do the same.
For more up-to-date leadership strategies read: Leadership--Helping Others to Succeed, W. Bennis, P. Schroeder, W. J. Rinke, G. Mitchell, et al., see "Hot Off the Press" above or click here.

5. SPECIAL REQUEST FROM THE EDITOR
Please join me in supporting Donna S. Martin, EdS, RD, LD, SNS, a candidate for the office of Treasurer-Elect of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Formerly ADA).
January is the time of year when we focus on making New Year's resolutions. As one of your 2012 resolutions, I challenge you to VOTE this year - not only as a United States citizen - but also as a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, beginning online on 2/1/12.
Check out all of the candidates at www.eatright.org/elections
Connect with Donna on Facebook: http://facebook.com/donnamartinfortreasurer or join her on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/donna-martin-eds-rd-ld-sns/15/224/7ab
Please share this message with your dietetic friends and colleagues. If you would like to discuss any professional issues with Donna, email her at donnamartinfortreasurer@gmail.com.

6. HUMOR BREAK
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISING

  • If you're going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
  • I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years … just getting over the hill.
  • The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say: "She looks good, doesn't she."

7. ABOUT THE EDITOR

Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, RD, CSP is the president of Wolf Rinke Associates--an accredited provider of easy to use CPE home study programs for nutrition professionals since 1990 available at www.easyCPEcredits.com. He is also a highly effective management consultant and executive coach who specializes in building peak performance organizations, teams and individuals, and an author of numerous CPE home study courses, audio/video programs as well as several best selling management, leadership and self-development books including Make it a Winning Life--Success Strategies for Life, Love and Business. In addition he is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and seminar leader who delivers customized presentations that combine story telling, humor and motivation with specific "how to" action strategies that participants can apply immediately to improve their personal and professional lives. Preview a demo at www.WolfRinke.com or call 800-828-9653. If you have questions, or would like him to address a specific issue or topic please e-mail him at WolfRinke@aol.com.

8. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

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