By Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta, CSP, CPAE Decisions are a part of life, especially the difficult ones. The ones that you have to weigh out a little more than most because they can mean a change of direction, new opportunity, new job, or a choice in a relationship. Every day we’re faced with crossroads and opportunities to choose. I had a radio show, then I was offered a speaking job. When I was speaking full time, I was offered a television show. Each time, I had a big, difficult decision to make. I’m glad I made them. For every great decision I’ve made in my life, I’m sure there Read More
Quit Being a Victim
Quit Being a Victim
By Connie Podesta, Hall of Fame Speaker Straight talk? If you’re 25, 65+ years old or anywhere in between and you’re still blaming your parents for a few (or many) things you believe are responsible for the condition of your life right now – then you’re totally on the wrong path. Now I’m not saying to discount any negative childhood messages or experiences. I’m definitely 100% an advocate for children who’ve been through trauma and I know what that means moving into adulthood. What I am saying is that when you reach the age of adulthood, it’s time to use your awareness of what you’ve been Read More
Quit Underestimating the Importance of Childhood Messages
Quit Underestimating the Importance of Childhood Messages
By Human Behavior Expert & Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta Straight talk? If you’re 25, 65+ years old or anywhere in between and you’re still blaming your parents for a few (or many) things you believe are responsible for the condition of your life right now – then you’re totally on the wrong path. Now I’m not saying to discount any negative childhood messages or experiences. I’m definitely 100% an advocate for children who’ve been through trauma and I know what that means moving into adulthood. What I am saying is that when you reach the age of adulthood, it’s time to use your Read More
Quit Shifting the BLAME
Quit Shifting the BLAME
By Hall of Fame Speaker, Award Winning Author. Connie Podesta, CSP, CPAE While accountability is a common topic in organizations these days, I encourage my audiences to think about that concept as a promise. When employees are hired, they are essentially making a promise to the company to perform the duties of a particular job. It’s an emotional commitment as much as a legal contract. But if employees don’t consider themselves totally responsible for doing their jobs correctly, the promise is missing. The sense of commitment is lost. Trust erodes. And we all know it’s virtually impossible Read More
Quit Allowing People to Sabotage You
Quit Allowing People to Sabotage You
By Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta Nothing throws a wrench in a meeting like the sneers of passive-aggressive people. Sitting there, arms folded, huffing and puffing. But they never really say what’s bugging them. Ugh! The next move is yours, and it’s pretty clear-cut. If you don’t shut down that sabotaging behavior now, you’re basically giving them a free pass to be rude. They are getting away with it, and you’re letting them. The only solution is to take a stand—and take action. I know what you’re thinking now: “But Connie, I don’t like conflict.” I get it. Most people don’t. Read More
Quit Allowing Yourself to Be Manipulated
Quit Allowing Yourself to Be Manipulated
By Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta Oh, this topic is a doozy, but it’s universal. Everyone on the planet has come into contact with people who use manipulative emotions like hurt and anger to get their own way. Sometimes it’s obvious. Other times, interactions leave us blindsided by feelings of guilt or fear. No doubt about it, manipulative behavior can be powerful. It’s also a skill that gets tested and perfected from a very young age. I call it the “birth of a jerk” phase. Sounds harsh but stay with me here. Somewhere around three or four years old, kids begin testing Read More
Quit Talking So Much
Quit Talking So Much
By Communication Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta Raise your hand if you’re a “talker”. I know I’ve been guilty of it. I remember as a kid, a teacher saying to me that I wouldn’t amount to much because I talked too much! Fortunately for me, I grew up to be a keynote speaker, so I learned to leverage that particular skill! As a former therapist and human relationship expert, I’ve also learned a whole lot since those school days about what connects us and what divides us as human beings. As leaders, spouses, partners, parents, friends – all of those roles require communication skills. In Read More
Quit SELLING from a Place of Desperation Rather Than Success
Quit SELLING from a Place of Desperation Rather Than Success
By Sales Keynote Speaker and Human Behavior Expert Connie Podesta Bottom line? People want to buy from salespeople who project confidence, not desperation. In the video below, I share two personal stories of my experience as a new speaker. The first, an occasion where I acted completely out of desperation and literally ended up spending more to get myself to the multi-day event than I made. The other was when I ignored the completely blank you’ve-got-no-bookings calendar in front of me and answered an event manager’s question to whether I was available in July with two very strong Read More
Quit Leading Everyone the Same
Quit Leading Everyone the Same
Avoiding the Leadership “Golden Rule” Trap Read More
Taking Care of Yourself is Smart Business
Taking Care of Yourself is Smart Business
A Leader-to-Leader Thought for the Day By Business Leadership Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta As leaders, we are aware that our employees will produce more. Sell more. Lead better. Collaborate easier. Increase production. And attract more customers when they are being positively supported, engaged, respected and encouraged. In other words, the better we are at creating and sustaining a healthy environment for our team, the healthier, happier, and more productive they will be. What we often forget, however, is that a healthy work/home environment always starts with a healthy Read More