“Women now drive the world economy.”

Continuing on the 02.10.2010 countdown to 50…November 10. Actually the mini-celebration was held on November 11.

A small group of authors, speakers, and ministry folks were invited to a meeting with Dr. John Townsend (co-author of the best-setting Boundaries series). I was blessed to be a part of this gathering. As it turned out, all in attendance were women.

Allison Bottke, Victorya Rogers, Dr. John Townsend, Thelma Wells, Jody Capehart

Karen & Dr. John Townsend

Dr. Townsend started out by quoting  Harvard Business Review, to this group of female leaders and entreprenuers.

As a market, women represent a bigger opportunity than China and India combined.

Women now drive the world economy.

Globally, they control about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending, and that figure could climb as high as $28 trillion in the next five years. Their $13 trillion in total yearly earnings could reach $18 trillion in the same period. In aggregate, women represent a growth market bigger than China and India combined—more than twice as big, in fact. Given those numbers, it would be foolish to ignore or underestimate the female consumer. And yet many companies do just that, even ones that are confident they have a winning strategy when it comes to women. [Source: The Female Economy, Harvard Business Review]

Okay…so he had our attention. For the next hour he taught and discussed with us the six principles he’s found to help leaders of any size business be  ”Successful Leadership in Difficult Times.”

This message was timely and hit the bulls eye for me. I’d actually sent an email the night before this meeting to a friend asking questions to which Dr. Townsend answered. Amazing how God does that!

I look forward to getting a copy of his newest book, Leadership Beyond Reason: How Great Leaders Succeed by Harnessing the Power of Their Values, Feelings, and Intuition

About the Book

A human behavior expert reveals that what leaders know about themselves is more important than their leadership skills and job knowledge.

Who we are on the inside can determine leadership success more than what we do or what we know. In Leadership Beyond Reason, Dr. Townsend explores the critical role of the leader’s internal world, the world of passion, emotions, intuition, creativity, values, self-awareness, conscience, and spiritual life. Unveiling links between personal and organizational success or failure and the contents of a leader’s “heart,” the author shows that leaders excel not just through skill and smarts but by connecting with others using  competencies, like curiosity, attention, reality assessment, distortion detecting, relationship building, ownership, and living with ambiguity. This is the leadership book only a world-respected psychologist could have written, and it is revolutionary in its insight.

Update to the 02.10.2010 Club

WOW! I can’t believe that it’s already November 2009. Where did the summer go? I also realized that I haven’t updated the 02.10.2010 Club on my journey toward the BIG 50 since June.

Looking back over the things I did, there was at least one activity that was new for me each month from July – October.

July 10 – had a long lunch with a new speaker friend at a wonderful Chinese restaurant. When I returned home in the late afternoon, I found that my A/C wasn’t working properly.

Here in Texas we were in the middle of multiple days of 100+ degree weather. I immediately called the property manager, however, with it being late on a Friday afternoon, I knew my chances of getting immediate help were slim to none. Next, I contacted a couple of friends who might offer a cool place to stay. Nadda…I learned I had “fair weather” friends not scorching weather friends. So…what is a girl to do? What any Texan pioneer woman would do…I spent the night sleeping outside under the Texas stars.

The next morning the A/C repairman was out bright and early and within a couple of minutes had solved and fixed the problem. The poor mouse that ran across the electrical thingys outside was fried and gone to the great cheese house in the sky.

August 10 – actually spent the afternoon and evening of August 9 at Lake Granbury with the Singles Group from First Baptist Church, Grapevine, TX having a wonderful day of boat riding, skiing, eating, and just fun fellowship.

September 10 – kicked off the North Texas Christian Writers Conference with the Faculty dinner at El Paseo in Keller, TX. This was my first year to be a presenter at this great conference. My topic was, “Is Your Web Site Working For You…or Against You?” I highly recommend this writers conference to anyone who is interested in taking your writing career to the next level. Mark your calendars for next year’s conference on September 17-18, 2010.

October 10 – drove up to Denton, TX to catch a few minutes of a writers workshop lead by Jodi Thomas. She’s a New York Times Bestselling author, three time RITA award winner, and has been inducted into the Romance Writers Hall of Fame. After the workshop, we had lunch together at an English pub in downtown Denton. I’m currently enjoying reading her novel, Twisted Creek.

November 10 – ??? There’s nothing on my calendar…yet. Stay tuned…you just never know what will happen next

The Hourglass Principle by Ray Kelly III

Having worked for seven years as a course developer at the national training center for a Fortune 350 sales organiazation, I often saw things that made me cringe. Integrity and ethics of the sales force were sometimes taken to the edge to get the deal.

As new books come across my desk from various sources, I was intriqued by the title and concept of The Hourglass Principle: Maintaining Your Integrity in Sales and Life by Managing the Middle by Ray Kelly III (Bethany Press International. 2009).

Book Description

In The Hourglass Principle YOU, the sales person, are that central point in the middle in which all the grains of sand flow. The difference is that in sales the grains of sand are information. All the information from your company that needs to be conveyed to a customer or prospect flows from you, the sales person, to the customer. Likewise, all the information from your customer flows from you to your company. That central point of information is YOU. How you choose to use that information flow defines who you are as sales person but also as a human being. It defines the type of sales person and the reputation you will carry throughout your sales career. In sales, there is no way to separate your career personality from your personal life. The two will always be linked together.

Being in the middle of a sales deal is where every sales person wants to be. In that position they have the ability to influence the direction of a deal and establish priorities that are the most important to the customer. Being in the middle allows the sales person to sway the customer to focus on their strengths versus their competitors strengths. It is crucial for sales success that you be the central point for any major sales opportunity.

There are eight pillars of being in the middle that are your keys to success.

1. Be trustworthy.
2. Keep your integrity. Direct your moral compass.
3. Become a person others want to follow.
4. Treat as you want to be treated.
5. Admit your mistakes.
6. Ask questions.
7. Finesse not fight.
8. Timing is everything.

The Hourglass Principle was designed to keep you focused on what is in the center of the deal you are working and the center of your life. It is a focal point for the central core that defines you as a sales person and as a human being. If used as a continual mental reference then you will be able to keep your priorities intact. You will be able to focus your energy on what is truly important in your career and in your livelihood by not sacrificing moral values.

About the Author

Ray Kelly has been a top producing sales person for his entire 25+ year career. He has sold to both consumers and Fortune 50 companies. His experience extends across many sales domains. Ray is a Christian, who is married, with two children, and believes there is no need to sacrifice your moral ethics to win a deal. Ray has successfully managed multiple sales forces and employed the tactics in this book to create success for himself, those he has managed, and his employers. Ray has often been called a Rainmaker by his executive management team for his ability to be in the middle of major sales opportunities and to make sales happen. Customers enjoy Rays forthright attitude and ability to work on their behalf within his own organization. The Hour Glass Principle was designed to encourage sales integrity throughout the world of sales. Ray Kelly Consulting was created to assist corporations and individual sales people in understanding that they do not have to violate their ethics, moral code, personal worth, or selfesteem in order to have success in sales. Ray Kelly Consulting provides coaching to sales professionals and sales managers worldwide about the enormous benefit of being able to successfully manage the middle of any sale without sacrificing their integrity. For more information about this book, including the ability to have Ray speak to your corporate sales team or church service about the concepts discussed in The Hourglass Principle.

For more information about The Hourglass Principle and/or Ray Kelly, please visit TheHourglassPrinciple.com.

Would you like a FREE copy of this book? Please post your comment on this blog by Friday, September 25. Your name will be entered into a random drawing (US residents only).