Super Tuesday

419 delegates.
10 states.
4 candidates.

Who will win?

You may be saying – who cares? To which I would respond: a lot of Republicans do.

But don’t worry, this isn’t going to be some political tirade (because I’m not a donkey) this is about you winning – winning your race.

Don’t think you are in the running? Haven’t proclaimed your candidacy?

Wake up and smell the Starbucks (I gave it up for Lent, so these days I would have to say, wake up and smell the fresh-brewed Keurig K-cup), of course you are in the running! You declared your candidacy the minute you entered the workforce. And there are no age or citizenship qualifications in this race - just you and your reputation are all that qualify you to win or lose the career election.

So…who’s managing your campaign? Who’s running attack ads on you? Who’s voting for you?

Haven’t thought about your career in this way? Maybe you should.

Think about how differently you would act if you knew all of your dirty career secrets were going to be public knowledge? That you were going to have other candidates attacking you and trying to take you down. Haven’t I just described your competition? Aren’t they trying to take you down so they can win, either your job or your customers?

So how do you run a campaign that gets you all the votes?

Here’s how to win your career election:
1. Build a positive reputation. Your reputation precedes you. You have heard this saying millions of times. And before social media it was 100% true, now it’s 500% true. With the revolution of social media, it’s easier than ever for someone to learn everything about you, good and bad, way before you ever meet. Keep this in mind while you are building your image and interacting with colleagues, customers, your family and friends. Every step you take, word you chose, and action you make builds your reputation. Walk positively, speak positively and act positively. This will guide you to a positive reputation. How’s your reputation? Positive? Are you positive about that?

2. Get endorsements. Want to win a race? Find someone to endorse you. Get someone to publicly announce they are supporting you and your efforts and it will work wonders. Especially if it is someone who also has a positive reputation, is trusted and looked to as an influential person. And the best person would be someone you have done business with, not your mom (sorry Mom!). This person can speak to your strengths (and shocker, your weaknesses) but also talk to how you work, how you serve, how you communicate, and how you perform - your end results. Who is willing to endorse you? Do you have more than one?

3. Fight fair. Represent yourself with integrity by fighting fair. If you are going to go up against a competitor, talk about the facts, not your opinions of them. No one gets ahead by trash-talking the competition. It makes you look petty and low. Instead, find a way to elevate yourself by singing your own praises. Highlight your own competitive advantages instead of harping on their disadvantages. Fighting fair allows you to look good two-fold, by showing how you believe you are the best and also how you are a bigger person. It’s easy to attack the other party, it’s a lot more difficult to look in the mirror and talk about what YOU bring to the table. How fair are you fighting?

This Super Tuesday, people are casting their votes on a republican candidate for their party’s presidential nomination. And today, people are casting their votes on you and your competition. Who will win? Will it be you? Or will you be forced to withdraw from the race?

I’m your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email at hirestephanie@gitomer.com or by calling 704-333-1112.

Passion Cake

I love cake. Chocolate cake, marble cake, cheesecake, ice cream cake, pineapple upside down cake, wedding cake, cupcake, pretty much any way you want to bake it, I'll take a piece of cake. And, I love Buddy the Cake Boss.

Do you know Buddy? Owner of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, star of his own TLC show, Cake Boss, you know, BUDDY? Well, Buddy is my perfect slice of passion cake.

Never heard of passion cake? Well that's probably because I just made it up! But here's what I'm talking about.

Passion cake (noun), as defined by the Melish Dictionary of Made Up Words: is a person who lives, breathes, dies, emulates, and exudes passion throughout their career, making it appear as if it's a piece of cake to accomplish being the best.

Buddy is a piece of passion cake. He is arguably one of the best cake bakers and decorators of our generation. Don't believe me? Catch an episode. You won't just salivate over the delicious cakes he produces, you'll also be amazed at the passionate energy he displays as he works on some of the most impossible works of cake art. He's a cake genius who's made himself THE BEST and surrounds himself with THE BEST. His army of family and employees share his passion for cake. It's a little family business that's struck it rich, one cake at a time.

Ready to be a passion cake? Sure you are. Here are the first few steps you need to start baking.

1. Identify - First things first, you have to identify the main ingredient in your passion cake. What is your passion? What do you love more than anything else? What makes you smile? What makes you want to jump out of bed or stay up all night? What gets you excited? What's the passion that shines out of you for everyone to take notice? Not sure? Can't identify it? Spend some time writing down your favorite activities, past times, or memories and see if there is a common denominator.

2. Evaluate - After you identify your main ingredient, you have to evaluate what you're currently baking. Are you in a position that uses that passion? And uses it to it's fullest? No? It's time to evaluate if you're ready, willing, and able to make a change so you can do what you love. Life's too short to be a piece of passionless cake.

3. Implement - Start baking! Get a plan together. Write down what you need to do to start putting your passion in action. You can start slow (think cupcake) and work your way up to it, or jump all in (think fully decorated wedding cake). You be the judge on that. Whatever you do, don't make excuses. The time is NOW!

4. Surround - Pick out your other ingredients. Surround yourself with a support system. People, who share your passion, vision, dream, or just want to see you happy. These people will help keep you accountable and be your biggest co-bakers.

It's never too late to start baking your own piece of heavenly passion cake. The moment you say the time has passed you by is the moment you've allowed your cake to burn.

By the way, did I mention I love cake?

I'm your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.