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Greatness Magnified

“How do I get it all done?” Three Perfectly Imperfect Tips for Busy People

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I really resonate with the advice: “get it done rather than get it perfect.”

There are so many things that we’re learning. Technology, new job functions, how to handle this new phase our kids are in… How do you get all the “normal” stuff done while there’s this constant state of change all around you and not lose sight of your greatness at the same time?

Stop trying to get it perfect before you get it done.

We have a desire and need to be able to understand how to do something before we can get started on it. We want to have one more review before we send it off. We don’t tell people about our interest until we’ve done more schooling, reading, practicing… But it holds us back from accomplishing incredible things. And, the longer we’re stuck in that inaction cycle the more we feel frustrated with ourselves, making it less likely we’ll put ourselves out there. We get caught in a trap where we’re not recognizing the greatness, paying close attention to what we can’t do as well as we’d like.

Can you relate?

There are all kinds of things that I don’t know how to do in business but I’ve just realized I need to start anyway. Just the fact I launched my biz with no biz training or plan is evidence of that (if you’re curious, learn more here). But turns out this not knowing has been a living laboratory for me. Join me in exploring a few places for practicing being perfectly imperfect but making progress anyway.

  1. Social Media

In the social media realm, we all know the whole game is continually changing. Not only are their new platforms all the time, the existing platforms keep changing (e.g., the introduction of IGTV to Instagram). But one thing that hasn’t changed is that when it comes to video, picture quality, and sound, authentic rules over polished and perfect. Unless you’re an influencer with millions of followers, no one expects perfect quality, makeup, background. They want value, value, value…give that and the rest is forgiven. By still getting out there on social media, you gain. More likes mean more folks see that post on their Wall. More followers mean you have more contacts as prospective bosses, clients, friends. More putting yourself out there builds confidence of being the real you.

  1. “Get It Done” Rituals

Of all the things on your to-do list, just pick one and do it. It doesn’t have to be the most important thing, it doesn’t have to be the thing that you know how to do. Just tackle one. You’ll discover that great feeling of achieving something which will propel you into a motivated state to tackle something else (juicy dopamine hit anyone?!) Sometimes, it’s more important to just accomplish something, even if it is not the most pressing thing, because it gives you the motivation to move forward, and then move onto that next most important thing.

  1. Role Modelling

My husband and father are working on renovating a big beautiful barn because this is where the home of Greatness Magnified is going to be in about a year or so. They’re not perfect as they’re self-taught and their talents lean in different directions given it’s an extension of their natural gifts. As a result, the barn won’t be perfect – the most exceptionally designed or perfectly laid out or exact right angles – but people aren’t coming for the barn. They’re coming for the motivation, education, and inspiration that happens in the training, retreats, and events that will happen there. If we waited to have the barn perfect and spend money on folks to make it that way, it would be years down the road before we’d be moving in. And the cost factor would likely be prohibitive. What matters most is that they’re contributing, giving, and nurturing; their way of supporting the business to grow, and make others happy. Expecting perfection, would not allow others to feel motivated to continue. Just appreciating that momentum is what’s most important. Their passion, heart, and soul they put into building it, together, will make it better than anything else anyway!

If you find yourself getting caught up in the perfectionism cycle, or feeling immobilized at the magnitude of change and learning in front of you, I hope you think of one of those three suggestions and examples.

And BTW, if you want more info and insight about how I launched my biz with this same “get it done” “perfectly imperfect” approach, you’re welcome to grab a resource I put together on www.greatnessbiz.com.

What tips do you have in getting it done?

Guest Blog Post – How to Be Resilient During Family Crises

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By: Summer Masterson-Goethals, Masterson Law

As a family lawyer and mediator, I deal with situations that can become overwhelming for all parties. Divorce, child custody battles, visitation modifications, paternity and the like are all high-stress issues that take a high toll on members of the family. Crises can tear families apart, but they can also have the exact opposite outcome and bring the family closer together. The way these situations are handled determines the ultimate result.

In this blog, I discuss strategies for you to use to help your family stick together and be resilient during tough times.

One of the invaluable tools that you can use during tough times is the concept of recognition. What this essentially means is acknowledging what is great, not only in yourself but also in those around you.

Unleashing the power of Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness™ (F.R.O.G.), as described by recognition expert Sarah McVanel, is key to getting through tough times. Recognizing the greatness in yourself, as well as in your family members, can help identify strategies that turn negative situations into ones that promote cooperation, unity, productivity, and equal contributions.

Here are four ways to use the concept of recognition to help you get through tough family situations:

1.Do something unexpected. Make a nice gesture like offering a small gift or bringing a favorite snack for him or her to eat during a long negotiating session.

Surprising, unexpected acts like this send a positive message that says, “Yes, this isn’t fun, but thank you for your efforts.” It shows that you appreciate their commitment to working things out, even when negotiations become testy. It demonstrates that you understand the sacrifices that everyone will have to make.

2.Utilize a Think Tank Approach. When faced with a family crisis, sit down with other family members, even the kids, to determine what you’re doing right. Then, brainstorm together about what you can do differently or improve upon.

View this not as a complaint session, but as a time to generate positive ideas. By asking for feedback, you show family members that you value their opinions. It provides everyone with a sense of ownership.

Ideas and feelings that come out of such sessions can be surprising. You may find out that others have similar feelings to your own, or that your efforts have been more appreciated than you thought.

3.Recognize Everyone’s Strengths. Learn more about yourself by taking this free survey provided by the Via Institute on Character. Ask your family members to do the same. By taking this 15-minute survey, everyone will find out their best character qualities and learn how to use those strengths to foster well being.

This exercise is particularly helpful when you feel stuck and need new ideas. By mapping out your strengths, you can help everyone get through the trying times.

4.Measure and celebrate milestones. Breakthroughs are critically important. Reaching an agreement or getting through that tough situation is a big accomplishment. Note when you make progress to avoid feeling burned out.

Recognize how far you’ve come. Be mindful that you make these simple acts of recognition for everyone’s efforts. This helps everyone do their best no matter how tough things become. Celebrate, and do something to make everyone feel good about it.

Employing some of the points listed above helps you to recognize the good qualities in each family member during tough times, often when they least expect it. Recognize accomplishments and celebrate them, no matter how small they may be. Brainstorm and ask for input. This can be especially helpful with children who may feel lost in the process.

Also, employ the increasingly popular technique of mindfulness. This can also help everyone get through family crises. Mindfulness will encourage you to take an honest look at yourself and help you recognize what your strengths are. Don’t forget to ask family members for support when you’re feeling low. Finally, journal and make lists of successes that occur along the way to help you monitor your progress. It can serve as an excellent reminder of all the positives in life.

Summer Masterson-Goethals is an experienced divorce attorney at Masterson Law serving families, businesses, and individuals in Springfield, Missouri.

How to Recognize Your Audience: Transferrable Lessons from the Speaking Profession

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Listen in or read Sarah’s interview with Jane Atkinson, a well-respected speaker, and coach. Jane and Sarah discuss how the exponential power of recognition can have a significant impact on your success as a speaker, whether it’s how you deliver your message at work, for small groups or on the main stage in front of thousands of people!

Sarah:                   I’m so lucky to interview Jane Atkinson, a well-respected speaker, and speaker coach. Jane, you have some great insights and wisdom from having seen speakers progress, or not progress, in their career, and how recognition can have a pretty big impact on that. And I know your wisdom fits both those who speak for a living as well as those looking to have a bigger impact when they share their ideas in a meeting, present at a team meeting, or even present to their board of directors. So, let’s kick it off by me asking you for some words of wisdom about how to recognize those listening to you present.

Jane:                     Well, I think that there are a lot of things that you can do to have tremendous recognition for your client, so in my world, it’s professional speakers who have a client who has a goal. I think the best thing that you can do to recognize them, sure, you can send them a beautiful gift and a promotional product after the event is done or when you get the booking, but one of the things I think will have the most long-lasting impact is really giving them something of value that they can hang onto, so there might be language in your presentation that can become sticky, and what you might offer them are ways to keep the language alive for a long time after the program is going.

Maybe there are little coffee mugs or something that can keep it going, and I think from our perspective, from a speaker’s perspective, the best form of feedback is to go into a boardroom six months after you have spoken to this company and hear them using your language. Doing a great job and giving them some language that really sticks, that they can hang on to and start to build into their culture in order to make this a thing that goes beyond them, the ripple effect.

Sarah:                   I really love that, Jane, because oftentimes, we think about recognition in terms of something you have to give to people, that it’s something extra, it’s something different, but I agree. When you do an exceptional job and people can remember what you’ve said, it’s transformative in a way that truly helps people solve a problem. Recognizing their time is precious and you’re there to help make things better for them. What additional specific suggestions can you pull from the professional speaking world to help speakers of every type recognize their audience?

Jane:                     Well, this is not even just a secret for this audience. It’s a secret for everybody because not a lot of professional speakers are using a specific form of recognition.

Joe Calloway gave me this one and he does it brilliantly in his business. The key is making the audience the heroes of your presentations, and Joe even takes it one step further and he might make the CEO or the leader the hero of his presentation by moving it out of a presentation mode into him interviewing the leader of the organization to pull out the kinds of things that we want the audience to know, so that’s one idea, but also let’s say you have a three-part formula that you’re going to unveil in your presentation.

You can ask ahead of time for the person running the conference, “who are three people who are well-liked and respected that I might be able to interview to get some firsthand knowledge of the audience?” and so they’ll give you three people and you will go and do your research and you will ask them questions that are really specific to your formula, and when you say, “This is my idea,” and you say, “And Susan Jones just used this idea. Stand up Susan,” and then you’re recognizing Susan and Susan becomes the hero of your story. This works if you’re in a small or large group. Whether you’re an outside hired speaker like Joe or an internal speaker.

Sarah:                   I wish that I had this sage advice back when I was doing corporate presentations! I reflect on how many times I and others would be trying to communicate a burning platform and create that sense of urgency only for it to fall flat. And I’m realizing now it’s because we were trying to convince them of our idea, not bring them in to be the hero and partner in the possibility.

Shifting gears a little, one of the things I love about what you do is you start your presentations (even your book) with a compelling vision that as an audience member or reader I can feel. It’s for me. I’m the centre of it. You say, “Picture this,” or, “Imagine” and then you put us into this desired future which actually you may or may not know from the solution-focused approach that I write about that is actually a wonderful way to get people super excited, because you’re presenting their best hope. To your point, you have to know them well enough to know what that best hope is and really care about it to create it.

Jane:                     Yeah, and that comes with your research, with understanding the company or the association (and you have the upper hand if you’re a member of it), knowing their values, knowing what’s important to them, and also knowing their pain points, because if you can help solve their pain points, well, then you’ve really, really done a great job. Honestly, if it was up to me, and I were going to get either a box of chocolates afterward or a really amazing speech or presentation, I would take the really amazing speech any day. So, we think sometimes that trinkets or swag or flash equal recognition, but I actually think it’s the whole package.

Sarah:                   Yes, that old adage it’s how you make them feel. Have you left them better off? One of the ways you know you’ve done that is when afterward folks say, “Wow, it’s like you were speaking to me” or, “You know what, I never thought of it that way,” or, “I’ll never forget that story of so-and-so.” I think that is one of the best forms of recognition that you can get in return, and that’s the reciprocal part of recognition, right? Is that you recognize and value your audience, and then they recognize you back.

Jane:                     It feeds you. It keeps you going, and I think that you can ask a question; “Well, how long would you like this message to last?” A lot of people who are putting on an event, they might be thinking just about that event, but what if it’s the cultural shift that they’re trying to achieve? What if they’re trying to make it a culture of recognition? How do we make it last longer than the presentation or speech? What will allow us to go deeper on this idea?

Sarah:                   It’s really believing that your audience can and will be able to make positive change from what you share. And, to do this, it’s not one-way sharing of information (or worse telling people what they’re not doing right, how they need to do better, what they don’t know). It’s honouring what’s working, what they value, what is working even a little.

When I speak on recognition, I have to be careful not to make the audience feel they’re being scolded for not recognizing enough. Instead, I give them “calls to action” where they can practice more recognition, no matter how much they’re already doing. And the best part, often the people behind the scenes – the bathroom attendant, the registration clerk, the meeting organizer – gets a kudos I’ve given the audience as the call to action. An ED of an association I just spoke for shared, “When I was sitting there listening to your talk, I never would have thought that it was my staff who would get the recognition. I just assumed the members would bring this back to their workplace but you wouldn’t believe how over the moon my staff are being recognized! They’re used to being behind the scenes and everyone forgetting about how hard they work to make everything happen.” The audience feels good, the members feel good. How do we make people in the audience the heroes?

Jane:                     Oh, and honestly Sarah, I have to tell you, I have to work hard at this. This is something that comes naturally to you because you think about it 24/7, but I am not as good at it. I just ran a meeting, and in the meeting I should have recognized my assistant who had done so much hard work to get it ready more, and you gave me some great ideas on what to do after the fact, but I really felt that and I thought, “Gosh, I think it becomes a part of your DNA when you do it often enough,” and so I could use some more of that recognition DNA rubbing off on me.

One of the fallback positions I have is, “Okay, as long as everybody walks away with what it is that they need, great, then we’ve done a good job and we’ve had a good meeting,” but at the same time there might be that one person who’s going, “You know, I did a lot of work for that and I didn’t get recognized.”

Sarah:                   Such a great point. And thank you for sharing that Jane. I think it’s always really valuable when somebody who’s really well-respected, professional and poised also acknowledges where they’re working on something, so thank you for that.

Jane:                     I’m a constant work in progress. No question about it.

Sarah:                   So am I. Thank you so much, Jane, for your time today. I know this is really, really valuable because speaking is part of every professional’s job. There isn’t a single person who doesn’t have to do a very brief presentation at a team meeting or pitch a new client or speak for the whole organization! I love all the insights about how to recognize your audience, including specific members, making them the heroes and leaving everyone better off by having been in the audience. Super valuable Jane. Thanks so much.

Jane:                     You’re welcome.

Sarah:                   If you’d like to connect with Jane, you can reach her at https://speakerlauncher.com/ jane@speakerlauncher.com

6 Productivity Hacks: Get More Focused and Have Time for What Matters Most

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“I want to recognize more but…” One of the biggest barriers I hear from clients as to why they can’t recognize daily is that they feel overwhelmed. They are too busy. There is no time.

I get it. Busyness is a huge issue (which is why I did a recent VLOG on strategies to tackle it). There are so many competing priorities, how can one more thing get added to the pile?

However, what if something like recognition wasn’t another thing to do? If your busyness and lack of focus on it were actually stealing your time – think of how much time and effort it takes to hire and retrain when good people leave for greener pastures! What if there were simple strategies for redirecting your time to what matters most?

I have some efficiency tools to share with you that not only save you time, but they also help you to stop doing some of the things you don’t like doing anyway! Curious what they are? Here are six juicy productivity hacks I swear by.

  1. Leverage technology for efficiency whenever possible

There are several great tools for little to no fee to help with efficiency. A great example is self-scheduling apps like Calendly or group meeting selection tools like Doodle. No more back and forth emails to book a time with busy people; in just a few clicks, you can find the perfect time to meet, and stay out of email jail!

  1. Tackle the most important thing – first.

My wonderful virtual assistant blocks my schedule every workday I’m home until 9:30. It allows me to ensure I have enough sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, get the kids off to school, tackle one biz project at the start of every day, and then my official biz day starts. Before 9:30, I get part or even all of one important task done (versus feeling that dread all day long, “oh my gosh, what if I don’t get to it?”)

Now, you may be thinking, “Sarah, that wouldn’t work for me because I work for somebody else.”

I get it. However, is there no flexibility in blocking your time? And I don’t mean come in a half hour earlier; haven’t you found this just turns into your new start time after a while? I mean, can you block even one chunk of time at the beginning of your workday once a week to start? Ask any Executive Assistant to the CEO if they block their boss’s time (and the answer is yes, they do); so why can’t you?

  1. Down with (most) meetings

Do you have to go to all the appointments and meetings in your calendar? In previous leadership roles and with leaders I coach, when selection criteria is introduced (e.g., only attending if there is an agenda, cannot get the information from the minutes, an action is required), it is amazing how few meetings actually make the cut. And if you must go, do you have to physically be present or can you attend virtually? It’s amazing how freeing it is to have gaps in the schedule.

  1. Annual review

Review, on an annual basis, the things you are doing in your work or business and make a conscious effort to cut out 15% of tasks. If you’re in a team do this together. You will be amazed how many “nice to do” things you’re spending your time on that are actually optional. Every year, when I do my business planning, this is how I evaluate my time. I allow myself to have three core projects a year (which is tough because I love to have a variety of creative projects), and everything else is on hold. Then I look at the tasks that take up most of my time and force myself to cut 15% (either by deciding it’s worthy enough to keep so I’ll outsource it or not worthy enough for anyone to do it so it’s gone).

  1. Renewed approach to to-do lists

If you’re like me, you like to do lists. And no doubt you have a loooonnngggg one. Here’s an efficiency hack: have three lists versus just one.

  • 5-minute or less tasks
  • Today tasks
  • This week tasks (anything longer than this week isn’t a priority

The genius behind the 5-minute or less list is that when you’re stuck waiting because someone’s late calling you, a videoconference hasn’t started yet, or you get done your task sooner than planned, rather than just hopping on email, social media, or snacking (or worse, wasting that 5 minutes reading over your to dos and still not getting anything done) you can quickly knock something off the list!

  1. Blocking time

If you have a big project that requires thinking time, focused effort and no distractions, there’s no way I know how to efficiently and effectively do it other than blocking time. It’s not easy, I know. Writing my new book, I blocked the month of July to write. Some days, I’ll admit, I didn’t feel like writing, but I knew come August my time was up so I just kept going anyway. My speaking coaching, Jane Atkinson, blocks her mornings as productivity time. Others I know block one full day a month or week. Amy Porterfield (online marketing guru) goes away for the weekend once a quarter to “fix her business” as she’s growing versus reacting to problems. Whatever your thing is, you need to carve out the time.

Don’t forget to honour blocked time for rest and recharging too. Cutting into that vacation, your weekends and even dinner time with your family will catch up with you. Research shows you’re actually more focused and productive after a rest, so consider it an investment and not negotiable!

Okay, so now you’ve found time every day, you can get back to the important stuff, like spending time out of your office, where the value is created, with your staff. You can have time to learn, mentor someone or be mentored. You have the clarity to notice the extraordinary that happens in people’s ordinary lives and recognize it in the moment. And an infinite number of other important things that aren’t yet a priority for you.

What suggestions do you have to help yourself do a little less and more efficiently? Feel free to comment below! For more tools and resources head on over to www.greatnessmagnified.com or my YouTube Channel and subscribe for weekly updates!

This Employee Has to Go…Or do They? The Underlying Impact of an Unhealthy Employee Experience Culture

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When I worked full-time in organizational development, I supported over 100 teams get back on track in times of overwhelming change, interpersonal tension, and incivility. In every one of those teams, there was someone (or a number of people) who were pointed out as “the problem”: “If only they left everything would be fine!” Sometimes they did…but things didn’t change magically overnight. Often times they weren’t going anywhere, and yet we had success turning things around.

Not only is it rare that an individual, as disruptive as their behaviour may be, cause all the problems. That they alone are the root of the issue. Are things in life usually that simple? (And if it was, I think we’d only have a few books on our shelves versus the 100+!)

Sure, employees engaging in disruptive behaviour require feedback and expectation clarification. Sometimes they were surprised (never having received direct feedback), other times they were defensive, other times saddened. Regardless, change on their part, 9.9 times out of 10, didn’t lead to an overnight turnaround.

So what else is going on? What we found was that in every team we needed to do an intervention with, there was an underlying problem with the employee experience.

By pointing fingers, we don’t address what is going to most help. And frankly, what likely contributed to the unhealthy behaviour in the first place.

We are starting to move away from talking about the (often) top-down theories of employee engagement to understanding the employee experience, which is a more holistic, employee-centred way of understanding the way an individual experiences the organization from before they onboard to when they exit (here is a great article to dig in further.) Just like we’re moving away from talking about customer service to the customer experience, we’re realizing the same is true for staff and leaders.

Companies that shift away from looking at micro problems, finger pointing, and top-down culture creation, to that of understanding how talent truly is their competitive advantage, in turn, co-create the ideal employee experience that retains the best people, fuels healthy collaborative cultures, sparks innovation and continuous improvement and better self-manages standards of behaviour.

What are some of the signs of how well your company or team is doing in the employee experience department? Here are four visible signs:

1.Quit or commit

Take stock of your revolving door. Discover how many people are getting a “refund” on their employee experience by quitting. Check out the positive flip side, how many are committing? How many give discretionary effort, time and ideas voluntarily for the betterment of their team, customers, projects and the long-term future of the organization?

2.Play games or play by the rules

People who do not play by the rules are telling you, “You know what, I don’t buy into it around here.” Or, “I have given more than I have gotten back so now I’m taking something back for me.” There are also people who say, “I want to improve things around here.” When they feel and experience that their ideas matter, their voice is heard and they are valued, they naturally want to make things better.

3.Complaints versus Compliments

A complaint is merely a poorly worded request. So, if folks are complaining, what are they asking you for? What is your culture lacking? Sure, some folks lean on the negativity side regardless, but if the employee experience was truly positive, there would be little to complain about and certainly, they wouldn’t have a captive audience or co-conspirators! Other teams, you’ll notice compliments and recognition are aplenty; individuals notice healthy, positive, helpful behaviours and aren’t hesitant to acknowledge it when they see it.

4.Early retirement or Lifer

Sure, we talk a lot about how many times we switch jobs in our lifetime (anywhere between 7 and 15 depending on the study), and how unlikely it is we’re going to retire from the first organization we join. However, it’s not the end of career retirement we’re worried about here’s. It’s folks being, “on the job retired”; you know, those individuals come in and do only the bare minimum. In contrast to employee experience individuals who feel so much love for the company, they go above and beyond without being asked or expected to. When people feel valued, visible and their efforts appreciated, of course, they’re more likely to give their job more “life”. The kind of Lifer you want around doesn’t just put in the time but gives the best of him or herself.

BTW, want a cool infographic? Grab it free on my website here. What are the other signs the employee experience needs work? Post below!

10 Tips to Start a Facebook Movement: Grow a Fabulous Facebook Group FAST

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One of the best compliments I ever received is that my brand matches what people hear and see me do. There is authentic alignment. One of those places I work hard to add value is on social media. Well, it’s not too hard…recognizing greatness all around you is easy when it’s…everywhere!

Do you have a clear message of value you’re putting out through social media? If you did, what might it do for your career, business or relationships? What might it do for you?

When you can do an even better job

 I began to notice in the Spring a lot of people sharing they were having a difficult time. Divorce, strained relationships with their teens, the loss of someone they loved, self-doubt. Posts, DM, coffee conversations, folks approaching me after a keynote. I thought surely there was something I could do. Surely there was a way to help contribute a glimmer of hope and recognize the greatness all around us.

It occurred to me that there’s an opportunity with Facebook. What if we could pull individuals together for some positivity-based conversation on a daily basis? What if we could recognize what was working versus just talk about what wasn’t or comparing ourselves as not good enough. From this idea, the group, Great Happy People was born.

There were, of course, many skeptics who wondered the benefit of yet another Facebook group. There were others who asked me why I’d waste my time with something that couldn’t make me money (we have a strict no selling policy on the site). Funny why we always have to justify our gut instincts with a logical reason, isn’t it….

Just Serve

Thought leader, Gary Vee professes, “Serve, serve, serve first.” It’s short-sighted of us to think that there isn’t benefit if we’re from a service-based mentality, but perhaps more importantly, I wasn’t doing this to make a sale. These individuals were reaching out to me for advice and to perhaps to just unload.

How do we build a community of support? If I am going through a difficult time, ultimately that’s what I’d want somebody to do for me, and so we acted. How did we create this incredible community?

Today there are over 3,000 individuals who share hope, positivity, and encouragement on a daily basis. We share things that make us laugh, feel lighter, and make us grab the box of Kleenex. We share what people may need at the most difficult times of their lives (without it being therapy, of course). People who have never met providing timely, sincere support and encouragement to perfect strangers. It’s, in a word, inspirational.

So how can you create that kind of service through a Facebook Group? Here are 10 things that I believe are the successes and what has worked for this community of Great Happy People.

10 Tips for Starting a Facebook Movement Fast & Fabulously

1. Come up with a relatable name

Identify a name that people can resonate with. “Hey, that’s me!”

2.Rules

It’s essential folks know what is okay and not okay. Things like: No bullying, no solicitation, and sales, etc. May seem obvious but you’d be surprised. Recently, I’ve added no political persuasion, and no religion, even if it’s positive because we don’t want anyone to feel isolated from this group. This was from direct feedback from folks feedback.

3.Invite your raving fans first

I invited 20 people through an invitation-based system that I knew either wanted, needed, or could really benefit from this group. Next, I encouraged them to invite other people to be part of our great, happy family. Rinse and repeat.

4. Encourage personal sharing

The next thing we did was encouraged people to share pictures and a description of what made them a Great Happy Person to allow them to feel a sense of belonging. People shared the most wonderful pictures, which got people connecting and getting to know each other!

5.Provide a warm welcome

Almost every day (it depends on how many new folks join…and what my day looks like!), we welcome all the new members and encourage them to introduce themselves with pictures if they choose to! We’ve started adding a fun GIF or picture to the welcome message to keep it interesting for those in the group too. I love seeing existing members welcome our newest joiners!

6.Encourage participation

Encourage and nurture by taking the responsibility of reinforcing and supporting what people contribute. Daily we have at least a dozen posts of folks sharing videos, articles, live videos, and pictures. It’s their group, it keeps the momentum alive, and it keeps people motivated knowing they are the Great Happy Person the group is named after! Occasionally the posts break the rules, so I just delete it and sometimes have to block a member.

7. Keep on inviting

When it comes to Facebook groups, do you just add people or invite them to join? If you choose to add them, ideally you’ll check with them first to be sure this is something they would like to be included in. Sometimes I know them or what they stand for and I just add them (most are appreciative, and a handful don’t like it so I ask forgiveness). The beauty is, people won’t know that this is available to them unless you help them find and understand what it’s all about.

8. Encourage posting and provide updates

Regularly share posts from the Group on your own wall and encourage people to do the same. The benefit of this public group is that anyone can share posts that they’re inspired by, which means that all of the people that follow them that see that particular post, they may choose to click over and join that group. Provide updates on the growth of the community because who doesn’t want to be part of something trending and gaining momentum? Offer a prize to the person who can predict the size of the group by a certain date and time. I offered a book that I had recommended and I shared a lot of quotes from, directly related to the topic of that group, called the Little Book of Like: The Danish Book of Happiness and not a self-promotion book.

9. What’s the core goal?

Understand what your core goal is for the group; just one. My number one goal is to have as many happy people from around the world recognize their greatness and the greatness of others on a daily basis, which is why so many of the strategies I’ve shared with you are about encouraging growth and sharing. You may have a different goal of your group, or of the groups that you belong to, but know what it is because it directly impacts how you interact with your community.

10.Celebrate

When we reached the goal of a thousand people, we celebrated. People responded and so thrilled to be part of that. Celebration within the group, the support you have created and ask the questions, “Why do you keep coming back? What do you get out of it?”

11.Bonus Tip: Ask for help

When I was about to go on vacation and our group had grown to over 1500 folks, I knew I needed help. I didn’t want to leave the FB group unchecked and unsupported or to lose momentum while I was away, nor did I want to take time away from my husband on vacation by checking the group every time we had wifi. So, I asked the top posters if anyone wanted to be a second admin. An amazing woman Yvonne Nasri stepped up and loves up our community with as much care and kindness as I do. So grateful to her.

Give and Get Back Too…

You will be surprised at the things people share. Things that bring tears to my eyes. How they needed it more than ever before. That they’re going through a difficult time. How it helps them to get focused at the beginning of their day. How it inspires their family. That they share it with a teenager. There are so many different reasons why people are part of the group, but every one of them is beautiful, inspiring, and delicious, and that keeps me going.

The most surprising thing is how much I get back every day by seeing the conversations in the Group. You can have an intention to serve but get back so much too.

What I know is paying off immediately is a good feeling that I have, that hit of endorphins and oxytocin when I see people doing good for each other and that I’ve been a part of creating. If you want to join our Great Happy People community, you are welcome to our positive movement. It is truly a wonderful, grounding and inspiring place to hang out.

 

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