Issue Number: Volume VIII No. 11 Publisher: Kituku & Associates
Date of Issue: November 2009.  © 2009—Overcoming Buffaloes in Our Lives. All Rights Reserved.

Reflecting on the hardships created by the current economic turmoil, I am reminded of the words of Booker T. Washington that,
The circumstance that surround a man’s life are not really important. It is how the man responds to the circumstance that is important.
His response is the ultimate determining factor between
success and failure.


It is guaranteed that bad things will happen to people. However, how we respond to devastating experiences determines whether we will be victors
or victims.

In chapter 27 of Overcoming Buffaloes at Work & in Life (www.overcomingbuffaloes.com), I share a story of how an old donkey turned misfortune into opportunity. The donkey had given its owner service for many years. When it was too old to work any longer, the farmer thought of putting it to sleep, but he was not ready emotionally.

Sometime later, as the donkey was grazing it fell into a pit. The farmer thought, "Oh, well, since the donkey is just waiting for death, I will cover it with soil instead of trying to help it out of the pit." He shoveled soil into the pit. When the donkey felt something strange on its back, he shook his body and the soil fell off. The farmer continued shoveling soil and the donkey continued shaking it off its back. Soon the donkey, stepping on the soil that was intended to bury it, stepped out of the pit and lived its full life.

Setbacks in life are sometimes the most effective foundation for new beginnings.
How can we learn to turn our own “burial materials” (bad experiences) into steppingstones?
 

 
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1. Accept a simple life truth—there are things, especially bad experiences that are beyond your control. They don’t happen to you because you are not good at what you are doing. Bad things happen daily to good people. It's part of our learning and growing process. Be open to new beginnings by staying active mentally, spiritually and physically.
2. Resist the temptation to blame yourself or others. Blame leads to bitterness, which can lead to massive stress, illogical decisions and actions. Blaming is a pure waste of time and it delays and destroys one’s creativity for building a better future.
3. Reflect on the meaning of life and refocus on your purpose. Faith helps us face the future with hope.
4. Set goals that reflect the future you hope to experience.
Act on your goals. Deciding to do something is different from
doing it. Doing it is what brings spiritual, personal or professional success.
5. Take risks without wasting effort and creativity by worrying about a past you can never have back.
Learn to create and/or recognize doors of opportunity.

 BONUS:

6. Help others. We heal faster by helping others heal from their wounds. I repeat lesson # ONE of the Top 45 Must Know Life Lessons for Top Achievers…that, “What we do for ourselves can get us by. What we do for others is what gets us ahead; whether in our profession, spiritual pursuits or relationships.”




The purpose of your story for a workplace audience is to improve the bottom line. Even in those employee appreciation programs where entertainment may seem the focus, there is an undeniable expectation of increased productivity after your story is heard. The three questions to ask yourself when using your story are:
(A) How does the story improve a client’s bottom line?
(B) Can a story have multiple applications?
(C) How can a story be tailored to address a specific client’s needs?

To make a positive impact on your audiences’ professional and personal endeavors and generate repeat engagements, consider the essentials below. If addressed well within your story, a small positive change in any of these aspects will create a huge improvement in your client’s bottom line.
 

Your story must inspire people to act now and be creative with limited resources, especially in these times of unprecedented uncertainties in workplaces. Your story must evoke the emotional chord that moves people to action beyond awareness, to change even when it’s painful, to let go of the past and believe in and focus on a future that is not necessarily clear.
 

Your clients, just like you, work for customers. Customers pay salaries. Your story’s goal must be to help clients improve customer service by providing better products and/or services, staying close to customers so that they can monitor their needs and expectations and deliver better products and/or services than anyone else so that they won't have to worry about competition.
 

Personal accountability/ownership of an individual’s decisions and actions is a key element often missing in struggling teams and organizations. Here is where your story must put an entire organization’s success on the shoulders of each employee or team player. From the receptionist to the top officers, each employee must act as the CEO of his or her decisions and actions—knowing that a simple mishandling of a situation by a single employee can bring a great company down.
 

Team dynamics is a crucial element that clients want addressed in your story. Your story must be the foundation for effective communication, coordination, collaboration and conflict resolution. It has to point out that the success of any team, like that of a wolf pack, depends on individuals’ commitment and contribution, while the success of an individual depends on the strength of the team and its ability to function with inherent differences.
 

People change when they overcome any form of challenge. Tailor your story to challenge them to focus on: opportunities instead of obstacles, what can be achieved as opposed to why failing is possible, a future they can possibly achieve instead of a past that has gone to oblivion and the talents, skills and experiences they already have instead of those they might lack.
 

The ultimate call to action is the understanding, belief and willingness to be involved in something bigger than a job/career. When your story inspires people to think and act beyond self, you have not only changed lives, you have also changed the world for your audiences. Their bottom line is never the same again.

 A story is like a Bible verse—it has different applications for different times and different groups. Your job is to tell your story in a way that your audience receives it as their own—based on their challenges, expectations and the world they know or don’t know. If they can’t see how your story relates to what is going on in their world, your story is meaningless and in such a case, their world remains unchanged.
 

There is only one way to make your story address any of your clients’ needs—your dedication to learn their challenges, concerns and expectations. Spending the time to interview 6-12 members of an organization will provide you enough information to help tailor your story to that organization’s needs.

The mechanisms of how you tell your story matters. Your pauses, gestures, vocal variations and all other aspects of public speaking are necessary. The most important one, however, is how you care for your audience. The way you prepare and deliver your story is the barometer your audience reads on how much you care about their concerns and the time they are investing to listen to you. Make your story their steppingstone to a rewarding tomorrow.


Please DON’T register if you don’t value
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Those traveling to Boise who need our special discounted room rates-$69/night, please call our office today—(208) 376-8724.

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If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.

Gerald R. Ford. U.S. President.

 

Develop the platform image that captivates audiences all the time

Know what makes each of your presentations memorable

Learn to make any audience listen, learn and call you back

Top tips to turn your fear of public speaking into a profitable possession

3 strategies you need to know and relate with any of your audience’s expectations

Learn how to make your information lead to maximum audience learning experience

How to use your uniqueness and deliver presentations skillfully

Why, when and which tangibles to use for maximum presentation impact

How to catapult your business and declare your presence and expertise
with products:

 


 

That are bought—thus keeping your cash flow healthy without
you leaving home

 

That get you paid booking

 

That create market awareness within days

How to produce Top Selling products with minimum budget

How to package your products to maximize profit


Getting from unknown to a celebrated and well paid speaker/trainer or consultant

How to charge morally acceptable fees you don’t feel guilty about

9 proven ways to market your business with minimum budget for maximum returns

How to create a dominant presence and derive rewards in a
competitive market

The Be-MISH strategy that gets you paid for your expertise and
speaking skills

The 7 streams of income that keep dollars flowing into your business

Strategies for leveraging your services to add value for clients and increase your fees

How to skyrocket your profits and minimize your costs with every engagement

     

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Do you have the tools you need to overcome buffaloes at work & in life? Are any of the following aspects important to your professional and personal success?
Learning how to set yourself apart at work and in life
Re-discovering talents and resources you need for growth
Thriving by repeatedly providing exceptional service
Being part of something bigger than a career
Bouncing back after setbacks
Moving forward without leaving your life behind
 


 


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Holidays often provide the opportunity to be with loved ones, rest from hectic schedules and renew our spiritual focus. However, we have come to associate this time with gift swamping—and for many folks this can be a stressful experience.
 

I happen to be a Recovered Holiday Stress Sufferer. Before coming to America in the mid 1980s, Christmas season had a different flavor. It means eating a meal that ordinary folks could only afford once a year. This was a time when distant relatives would show up and share goat meat. My memories include listening to men who had consumed several calabashes of traditional liquor speak English—the symbol of progress, even when they did not understand the language.

The challenges of making sure that all who send you a card or gift get a card or gift from you started in 1987. This was my second year in Laramie, Wyoming. Friends sent me cards and gifts. Then I learned I had to reciprocate their gesture. Shopping has never been my strength and for years I had a hard time during the Holidays. There was the pain of going through the list of what to get for whom and then the guilt after missing someone. I had to leave behind this pain and guilt.
 

1. Go to a restaurant and check for a table with senior citizens and anonymously pay for their meal
2. Visit someone (not a relative) who is home sick
3. Take a veteran out for lunch
4. Pay and have pizza delivered for firefighters, police or paramedics anonymously
5. Share your talents with young people, especially those with mental or physical challenges
6. Cook and/or serve a meal at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen facility
7. Visit someone in prison
8. Write a thank you note or an encouragement piece to someone who is not expecting you to
9. Call someone who helped your personal or professional endeavors and thank them for their contribution
 

 BONUS:

10. Visit people who: have lost loved ones; have lost their jobs and those with other needs

A special gift to yourself could include sleeping enough, exercise, reflections on your past and how it relates to the future you envision; learning something new; saying no to what may negatively interfere with your goals; setting achievable goals.
 

 

Native of Kenya, Africa, and resident of Idaho since 1992, Vincent has been a featured speaker and trainer at numerous Real Estate conferences and training programs. An award winning speaker and writer, he is one of the less than 7% of all professional speakers to earn a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), the highest award for professional speakers. Dr. Kituku has worked with championship sports teams and trained leaders on how to inspire productivity all the time. What sets Vincent apart is his ability to weave life experiences in Africa with corporate America and culture in providing solutions for personal and professional growth.


Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku is known as a research-based motivational speaker. He presents motivational keynotes and training programs on leadership, employee motivation, overcoming buffaloes at work (change), customer service and living and working with cultural differences. Vincent is the founder and president of Kituku & Associates, LLC, a business that is dedicated to developing leaders and employees in business and in life.

What has set Dr. Kituku apart is the ability to use his experience in research to evaluate/assess client needs and then tailor his keynotes/training presentation to meet their objectives. Harold G. Delamarter, President/CEO, Prestige Care Inc. said, "Before the Retreat, Dr. Kituku gained as much information as possible about our company and the industry we are involved in. He made telephone calls to management team members to tailor his seminar very closely to the needs of our employees and the circumstances they face each day in the present economy. Dr. Kituku was so widely received in July, the decision was made to ask him to return to again present to our company in October."

Vincent's clients list includes Cisco Systems, Micron, Hewlett Packard, Genworth Financial, US Fish and Wildlife, US Air Force, Women Council of Realtors and National Association of Mental Health. He has been the motivational speaker for the successful Boise State Football Team since 1998. Dr. Kituku works have been featured by numerous publications including the Presentations Magazine, SkyWest Magazine, National Speakers Association Magazine and many newspapers which publish his weekly columns. Vincent holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation that is earned by fewer than 7% of all speakers worldwide.
 


If results are important to you, then
Dr Vincent Muli Kituku is the speaker/trainer for your group.
Call (208) 376-8724, or email Vincent directly at Vincent@kituku.com



Read Dr. Kituku’s newest articles online at: www.kituku.com, Idahopress.com, Casper Star Tribune Idahostatesman.com, Argus Observer, Business IQ, Post Register, Idaho Catholic Register, Idaho Press Tribune, Idaho Senior Citizen News, and Presentations Magazine.

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