“Kristi went through the fire. She has an empowering story to share.”

The 2011 Positively Powerful Woman Award for Nonprofit Leadership will be given to entrepreneur, speaker and author Kristi Lee for her leadership role in the founding of the National Association for Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Phoenix Chapter, the NAAAP Mentor and Professional Development Programs; for her service to the State of Arizona as Commissioner of the Governor’s Asian American Advisory Council, and for her  co-founding of the global organization Bridging The Gap Consulting which works to facilitate educational, trade and developmental interests of United States individuals and the people of China.

Kristi has an extensive business background with more than 20 years in marketing and retail. Her previous corporate experience includes responsibility for product and marketing decisions for more than 2,300 Albertson’s Food and Drug stores in 38 states, and negotiations with national brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, Maybelline and Revlon.

Kristi is  the Vice Chair for NAAAP.  NAAAP Phoenix’s mission is to be the proving ground for Greater Phoenix Asian American Professionals, forging leaders of tomorrow through professional development, cultural awareness, community service and mentorship.  She helped create the Professional Development program in 2008 and created the vision for the NAAAP Mentorship Program in 2009.  She is also the facilitator for Public Speaking workshops for the NAAAP leadership team. Kristi has been a Commissioner of the Governor’s Asian American Advisory Council, and a member of the Business On Board program sponsored by the Arts and Business Council of Greater Phoenix.

About the Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix (A&BC) and the Business on Board Program:The Executive Director of A&BC is Debbie Paine, the first recipient of the Positively Powerful Woman Award for Nonprofit Leadership. Eugene “Gene” Kochert of Intel Corporation is Board President and Jeannette Thomas is the Community Development Manager. Their mission is to grow leaders and inspire involvement to enrich the entire community. BoB is a dynamic six-month training program that identifies, recruits and trains business professionals for nonprofit arts and human services board positions with modules on Board Rules and Responsibilities, Effective Nonprofit Board Leadership, Legal and Ethical Responsibilities, Fundraising, Financial Responsibility, Diversity, Advocacy and Politics, and The Art of Networking.

In addition to the BoB and educational programs, the Council has become a one-stop shop for the arts by including opportunities for governance training, new educational opportunities for artists, and functioning as a strategic partner for capacity building. The Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix provides increased benefit to business by way of exposure throughout the community, growth and enrichment in leadership skills and experience for executives and key management, and business-to-business opportunities.

Kristi is a founding partner of Bridging the Gap Consulting, a firm that specializes in cultural sensitivity training, conversational business Chinese, corporate and individual training on how to conduct business in China, Her company also coordinates Chinese students with exchange programs as well as summer camps and provides translation services for all versions of media and presentations.

Kristi recently co-authored, License to Dream – Every Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom Through Network Marketing, which was launched worldwide. She and her co-authors were featured in the highly respected Networking Times March 2011 issue, “The Rising Economic Power of Women”.  She is an accomplished speaker and sales trainer and has great passion for empowering women around the world.

Five years ago, faced with her corporate job moving out of state and going through a divorce, she went on to build a successful network marketing business with Send Out Cards, an international greeting card and gift company.  She has team members in 30 states, Australia and Canada and is in the top 250 income earners of the company.  In December 2010, she received the prestigious “Freedom Award” voted by the top leaders of Send Out Cards in Arizona for “Exceptional Leadership and Dedication”.

About the Awards Program. The Positively Powerful Woman Award is given to servant leaders who have founded or lead legacy organizations that have stood the test of time. On May 20th, 11:30am to 2pm, at the Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix we will honor women as royalty for their hard work, resourcefulness and diligence. Following the Luncheon will be networking and “Conversations On Leadership” for professional & business development. Positively Powerful Guest Speakers include Diana Gregory, Susan Ratliff and Dr. Kay Lovelace-Taylor. You will leave inspired to go for your vision with new friends and information that will assist you in getting where you want to be…faster. The public is invited to attend. Dr. Joel P. Martin Triad West, Inc. president is the producer.

“WRITE! Make writing a top priority. Just as you’d schedule a doctor’s appointment or meeting with your boss, schedule time every day that you’ll commit to write. Vow to work on your book X-number of hours each day or week, then fiercely guard that time. Get up early, stay up late, compose during your lunch hour, skip our favorite TV show. Just write!”

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There’s a great book recommended by Dr. Adrienne Anderson, CEO of Global Consortium called “Boomers, Xers, and Other Strangers.” She a maven of the link between social policy, economics, and diversity. (Not the flavor of the month kind of diversity but the diversity that is global and drives business strategies.)

Then click on Marcia Petrie Sue’s website where she offers “makes good sense and dollars” tips. For the rest of her strategies, click here:

Tear Up historical job descriptions. I mean really people aren’t doing what’s written on them, so there is a gap between reality and the written word. Gen Y wants the reality of the job, not some over stated litany of words that is outdated. (Who doesn’t?)
Become a facilitator or mentor. Dump your roles as an authority. It does not work with Gen Y. (Aren’t you glad there’s a benefit in dropping the all-knowing, all-seeing mantle?)

One more quick tip, check out your use of technology. Some of the best advertising is now on YouTube and that’s where you’ll find Gen X and Y. Get your viral marketing going if you haven’t already. Join and contribute to The Positively Powerful Learning Network where the focus is on learning that makes a difference. There are brilliant people everywhere like you. Share your tips about creating organizational wins with and through the diversity of generations. Last for today, visit TED and see, hear, and feel what other people committed to sharing brilliance are up to. Baby Boomers, this YouTube gift is like the old school cartoons that were played in the theaters with the main features, it’s running with “Wall-E”. Enjoy.

“Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.” George Carlin

Karen Armstrong in her presentation for the 2008 TED wish: Charter for Compassion , provides a suggestion for an  older and different meaning of the word belief.  Treating the word belief as a verb, she teaches, it becomes “What I give myself to” changing that word to be much like how we use “committed” or “commitment”

Don’t feel Challenged by your beliefs, they are yours!

What I like about this interpretation is that it is clear that it is personal. It’s about what I say I am willing to do and allows lots of room for others to want and do something different.

Our work is based on a 24,000-person study recently published as Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization (Collins, 2008), which reveals a ten-year, 24,000-person study that shows corporate leaders how they can use their tribes—the groups that naturally form within any company—to maximize productivity and profit within their own firms.

Why  should culture be important to you? Because it’s the invisible glue that holds a group of people together – any group, your family, the people you like to hang out with, your online community, Positively Powerful People, etc. Culture is the system of agreements, the experiences, the beliefs, values, attitudes, that are subscribed to, that are bought into willingly or unwittingly. A group so aligned is a “tribe” (aka community) a term I also read about on Seth Godin’s blog. By the way, if you’re interested in more great open source knowledge, get Seth’s Tribe’s Casebook. There are many entries about different tribes. Here is one about a tribe of courageous people.

Tribes You Don’t Want to Belong to Jon Morrow

Sometimes, you don’t get to choose the tribes that you belong to. They choose you, and there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m a member of one of those tribes. It’s called the Tribe of the Disabled. Some of us were born into the tribe. Others were brought into it by an accident or mistake. But regardless of how we arrived, no one wants to be a member….

Still, we have common leaders, people that inspire us. Christopher Reeve was one of those leaders. He inspired us with his audacity, his activism, and his compassion. We were so sad when he left us, but that’s the way this tribe is. Our leaders don’t last long.

It’s an unusual tribe, I know. For the longest time, I didn’t want to be a part of it. I believed that accepting my membership would weaken me, like I would be accepting my own death. So many of us die, after all. It’s the most common way out of the tribe.

But you know what? I was wrong. This tribe isn’t about death. It’s about courage.

I’m creating a new kind of workshop for women called, “Positively Powerful Women Celebrate!” and Karen’s writing inspired me to keep going for my dream no matter what. My dream began when I spoke before a very influential group of women in business and law. I asked them, “How many of you give to yourself as much as you give to others?” Only one hand was raised. I decided then that it was necessary to create a celebratory event that would provide them and other women with bold, invigorating opportunities to fully unleash their dynamic selves. I design trainings, train and speak all over the world. I know the power of transformational experiential education where instead of sitting listening to someone else talk or teach in one-way communications (even though I am a motivational speaker), or reading a self-help book (even mine), people get involved and learn by doing in a safe environment through dynamically facilitated action modules that give them previously unknown possibilities and ways to accomplish their heart felt goals and objectives. I believe that women are ready for this and we’ll see… Now, back to Karen’s stories:

Walt Disney is remembered as an innovator, a creator, a folk hero and a legend. Walt Disney was a self-made success in the American tradition. But apparently it wasn’t always easy. Walt Disney was forced to file bankruptcy five times on his way to success. Many people would have given up and quit with the stress and failures of that many bankruptcies but not Disney. He pressed on and the rest is history. The world is a more magical and wonderful place for it. Aren’t you glad he didn’t give up?

Ray Croc, the founder of McDonalds was 52 years old when he came up with his idea to sell hamburgers. He was in need of some investors so he presented his plan to a few people who could help him out. These two men with their vast business acumen and years of practical experience reviewed his plan. On a Monday morning as the one came to his office, Ray was waiting for him and his answer. He took Ray into his office and he told him that they had run the numbers, they had reviewed the plan, and they knew what could work and what was not a good business decision. After much study they had determined that it was absolutely impossible for Ray to make any money selling hamburgers. Well, Ray disagreed. He pressed on and the rest is history….

Okay, there are people who have overcome obstacles on their way to success, but what about ordinary, everyday people? Well, here’s another story. Just a few short years ago Lori McKenna was an “everyday, 30-something” stay-at-home mom. She had married at a young age and she was busy raising five kids and taking care of a household and a husband. But she still dreamed. And she wrote down those dreams in the form of music. Lori is a songwriter. But she didn’t know how her dreams might come true or if they even could come true. It seemed impossible. Her family responsibilities seemed to have taken over her life and there were times I’m sure that she felt the pain of thinking that her dreams and aspirations were in vain. But a couple of years ago, some of her songs were brought to the attention of Faith Hill. Yeah, that would be Faith Hill the country music superstar. Faith is at the point in her career where she can pick and choose the songs that she records. Well on Faith’s last CD, Fireflies, she chose three of Lori McKenna’s songs- “Stealing Kisses” (a beautiful song but very haunting, haunting lyrics), “If you ask” and “Fireflies”. Now Lori McKenna is described as an “Acclaimed singer, songwriter” when just a few short years ago, Lori was just a stay-at-home mom trying to get all the laundry done and the house cleaned and only daydreaming of her songs being heard.

What is your dream?…Dreams are the high-octane fuel, the premium ice cream and the combustible electricity in the game of life. They keep you going, they sweeten it up, and they serve up the energy. Just having dreams makes life better, sweeter and more satisfying to the soul….Keep on dreaming because “Fairy tales can come true, they can happen to you, if you’re young at heart” Remember, Your Life is supposed to be Good! Joy and Blessings, Karen

My new Positively Powerful Women Celebrate! fabulous dinner and one day workshop will begin the evening of May 16th (5:30 to 9pm) with great food and awards to inspirational women who have founded some extra-ordinary organizations, then continue the next day with experiential (action learning ) workshops that I have designed in such a way that women leave with new thinking, possibilities, joy, action plans, and direction. I am an international training designer and facilitator and this is my passion. If you are a woman and in the area May 16 and 17, join me. The cost for everything and all meals is $250. The location is Scottsdale, AZ. For info/registration visit http://www.triadwest.com/events.htm

Here’s to the dreamers!

Perhaps the poverty of some of the people is what you remember most thanks to the media.

The Haiti I knew and loved was vibrant, colorful, musical, beautiful artwork, historical. Do you know the book The Three Musketeers? Alexander Dumas was Haitian. There is so much more to learn about this nation. Here is a TED.COM video of Edwidge Denticat.  She opens with history and then moves to her evocative stories.

In the midst of an earlier crisis, Haitian author Edwidge Danticat reminds us of the contributions of Haiti’s vibrant culture and people. This reading offers a timely message for today — as the nation struggles in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Edwidge Danticat immigrated to the United States at 12, publishing her first short story in a youth magazine only two years later. Spending her teenage years in a Haitian neighborhood in Brooklyn, Danticat was able to capture the isolation and memories of her experience with authentic eloquence in her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, which was selected for Oprah’s Book Club.
Danticat has continued to share the stories of her past in the novels Krik? Krak!, The Farming of Bones, The Dew Breaker, and Brother, I’m Dying. She has taught creative writing at New York University and the University of Miami, and is a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur “Genius Grant.”

“We all have our traditions, which have both positive and negative repercussions. It all depends on how we integrate them in our lives and whether they serve us or hold us back.”

Edwidge Danticat

If you feel your faults and defects prevent you from seeing the faults and defects of others, remember, you may be the only contact with God someone may have today. Be proud of that.” Iyanla Vanzant

I read that quote this morning. It is from Iyanla’s One Day My Soul Just Opened Up. One Day… is one of my ‘bedside books’, a stack that I have beside my bed and use nightly to clear off of the daily news of fear and anguish that is so prevalent at ‘Live at 10.’

This quote answers the question I’ve gotten several times from others and ask myself occasionally: How can I coach someone when my life is in disarray. How can I lead others when I am not walking my talk? And so on. These are tough questions for any leader. Leaders are coaches who motivate, who see-feel-hear and inform on someone else’s action. They are role models. They are supposed to know “the path” to fulfillment, to ask the questions that support someone’s goal accomplishment. Yet there are those times in ones life when the choices one makes deliver up a situation that ‘may have him/her not look’ good – not be the role model he/she desires to be. For example, I have a friend who is a great trainer and coach. Recently he and his wife got a divorce. I hadn’t heard from him for a while and when I finally did I asked where he’d been and how he was doing. He answered, after the divorce he felt like a sham (fake). In his thinking, he was asking himself “How can I coach others on having a committed relationship when I just ended mine?” When he is in front of the room leading a training, his focus isn’t on all that went “wrong” but how can I serve. It is only afterwards that he doubts.

In this challenging economy, there are leaders going through tough times. Coaches who are struggling for whatever reason. Not all people, not all leaders and not all coaches all of the time. So if you are one of those finding yourself doubting yourself, remind yourself of Ilyanla’s great quote. You can also  paraphrase it to this: “If you feel your faults and defects prevent you from seeing the (magnificence) of others, remember, you may be the only contact with God someone may have today. Be proud of that.” Then remind yourself of what Mark Twain said, “…when all is said and done, the one sole condition that makes spiritual happiness and preserves it is the absence of doubt.”

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Dr. Joel Martin and George Fraser

Networking works when you fully understand that there is inherent value in every human being and every human relationship regardless of title or position. Only when we mature enough to stop prejudging people as to their worthiness of our assistance can we truly give without expectation. When you give first, without expectation, you are networking for the benefit of others, and therefore the law of increasing returns will reward you tenfold.

There are no expectations to this law. Had the people in my life prejudged me because I lived in publicly subsidized tenement housing or because I mopped floors at La Guardia Airport, I would never have had the assistance I needed to fully blossom and maximize my full human potential. This probably would be the case with most Black people. This is the spiritual and philosophical underpinning of effective networking.

Networking works when you understand that there is very little that you can do or have in life without working with other people. Therefore, you work diligently on building and developing your infrastructure of human resources.

Networking works when you understand that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Networks must be built upon a foundation of established relationships, first of all, but they can extend beyond. Building that essential foundation, however, takes time. To create one, you must have an established rapport with your key core of networking contacts.
Networking works when you can comfortably and successfully match needs and resources. Creating a win-win situation is the optimum, and although it may not always be exactly an even exchange, often things work out that way in the long run.

If, at first glance, you do not appear to have an established network base of close friends and contacts, you need not despair. You probably do have the necessary foundation, but you simply have not yet recognized your friends and other associates as the base of your network.

As adults, on average we each know at least five hundred to seven hundred people on a casual or social basis. If you multiply that number of contacts by the number of people each of them knows, then your extended network of secondary contacts—friends of friends, colleagues of colleagues—is mind-boggling! There have been many studies to document the power of the extended network, but one of the most renowned is that of sociologist Mark Granovetter. Entitled “The Strength of Weak Ties,” it was presented in the American Journal of Sociology.

Granovetter found that acquaintances are more likely than family or friends to give individuals direct information and to recommend opportunities to them. These acquaintances, he found, are often only two or three contacts away. With the right interpersonal skills, you can be successful in attracting their assistance, even though you do not have personal relationships with them.

“Thank you!” Perhaps most important to making networking work is showing appreciation for the contributions of your fellow networkers. Remember how your mother labored to instill gratitude in you? (“Now, say ‘thank you!’”) Well, as usual, your mother knew best. Expressing gratitude is positive reinforcement. It works.

I make a point to thank people just for making a call for me or sending me some special article they think I might be interested in. All of this takes time, but it is time invested toward a larger reward…that of being a positively powerful person.

Thank you, Dr. Martin, for your insightfully written book – How To Be A Positively Powerful Person.

The above post was written by George C. Fraser and first appeared as the introduction to How To Be A Positively Powerful Person written by Dr. Joel P. Martin. George C. Fraser is the CEO of FraserNet and Producer of the PowerNetworking Conference. Dr. Joel Martin, Triad West President is the PowerNetworking Conference Director of Education. This year’s conference is June 25 to 27th in Atlanta, GA.

George Fraser is the author, of CLICK and Success Runs In Our Race. He is considered by many to be the new voice for African Americans and one of the foremost authorities on networking and building effective relationships.A popular speaker , George C. Fraser’s inspiring talks on success principles, effective networking, wealth creation, business ethics, and valuing diversity, are as popular among corporate professionals as they are among college students. His views have been solicited by CNN and the Wall Street Journal. Over the past decade, the prestigious publication, Vital Speeches of the Day, has selected, reprinted and distributed worldwide, four of Mr. Fraser’s speeches–a first for any professional speaker in America.

He has implemented effective success strategies that span hundreds of diverse industries and include several Fortune 500 companies. Over the last five years, he has focused on assisting small business owners in achieving explosive success. Brett and his highly effective programs transform businesses from the inside out…with stunning results. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of individuals have been touched by his unique approach to business and life.
Says Brett, “I love what I do. I get great satisfaction in giving small business owners direction and insights that can transform their lives and their businesses. I believe that small business owners have more power and influence to make a difference than any other group on our planet. And I believe that the language of business is a universal language that transcends politics, religion, race, gender, and cultural boundaries. Together, if we transform our businesses, we can transform the world.”

What you won’t read about is how long he struggled to bring his vision for his book to life. But he did as he shared at the Positively Powerful Breakfast in Scottsdale, AZ this November when he gave us highlights of his new book “THE 5 LAWS THAT DETERMINE ALL OF LIFE’S OUTCOMES”. Our attendees learned a lot with Brett especially the difference between Average People and Successful People. His 5 LAWS follow.

• The Law of Vision
• The Law of Frequency
• The Law of Perception
• The Law of Accountability
• The Law of Leadership

Each law is backed by scientifically proven formula and life stories that are designed to inform and empower. I was honored to write the Foreword for Brett’s book and to have him speak at our event. I endorse it and recommend it to others.

Here is what Stephen Covey says about “THE 5 LAWS THAT DETERMINE ALL OF LIFE’S OUTCOMES”

“The 5 Laws set you up to win, teaching you how to be better, break negative patterns, and build upward momentum. Your behaviors inded predict your future, and the inside-out approach of Brett’s work will put you on the path to success.”

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