Candace Reese

Feature spotlight for Black History Month by DangerousLee.Biz.  View the article here.

Whitney’s music was a huge part of my youth and adulthood–her songs were a soundtrack to a lot of my personal life.  As we very well understand, music is a universal language.  What seemed to be an timely death provoked a sound of sadness that rang not only across the nation, but around the globe, as her unparalleled career exhibited global branding success at its best.  As I always tell my friends, colleagues and clientele:

NOTORIETY + ACCESS = TEMPTATIONS

Whether you enter an elevated space in your industry as part of your normal life, or whether it’s completely uncharted territory, the vast opportunities to partake in whatever (and whomever) you desire becomes a daily routine.  It’s not about the strong surviving, because the strong are continuously tested as much as the presumed weak.  But it’s about employing and remaining in the company of the proper support system (not cheerleaders), in order to keep your mindset in tact and ward off the unfortunate enticement of vices that are detrimental to ones career and livelihood.  Do not be deceived; what could have been the driving force behind this tragedy is not just limited to the entertainment industry.  High-level entrepreneurs and executives are not immune.  Actually, anyone who is offered a level of “access” is quite vulnerable.

In respect and honor of her fans, including myself; her family, and all of those who were deeply influenced by her life, I wanted to be very thoughtful in my words when posting this message.  Given the fact that as I write, there is no current determination of her cause of death, and I choose to refrain from making assumptions on her precocious demise.   However, as someone who is a seeker of opportunities to educate, empower, and inspire others through practical life lessons, I will notate a few points to be gained by this amazing individual:

1. Follow your own CEO Ritual.
2. Attract yourself to like-minded individuals who celebrate your professional and personal endeavors enough to encompass you with kindness, wisdom and TRUTH.
3. LISTEN and FOLLOW the guidance from those trusted individuals.
4. When you are using the true gifts and talents graced from your Source, there is nothing you cannot accomplish, and your legacy of light will outshine your humanity.

The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

~ Whitney Houston 

Rest in peace, lovely lady…

Embrace the process. Don’t be another statistic due to seeking fame & notoriety at the cost of not building your brand with substance & for longevity. 

I learned a new phrase from one of our Envision Global clients last weekend: Mission Drift. When I was discussing an idea with him that I felt would add value to his platform, he quickly replied, “Sounds good, but is it mission drift?”

I instantly understood what he meant, but in this case, I helped him to understand this was yet another layer to his vision that would work very well with his life mission and philanthropic work. However, I was quite pleased that he understood the difference between an opportunity that may look good on paper, or allowing your brand to be so all over the place that no one can really understand what you are truly seeking to accomplish, versus a value-add to your business or organization.

Have you taken a moment in 2012 to identify your mission drift?

Release & empower your real goals.

Related Article:

Finish the Mission

I participated in a blog posted today by the International Association of Women Entrepreneurs that posed a question about the impact of Dr. King on their leadership and entrepreneurial style.  My response is below.

7. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ~ An Inspirational Leader

Dr. King exhibited the absolute best in his leadership style. The strength of his mission was completely aligned with his kind and peaceful nature. I have certainly followed Dr. King’s leadership model, as I seek to call out the greatness in the people who work with me, in order to receive optimal results. Through his legacy, I have discovered my passions and my voice as a leader.

Inspiration + Effective Leadership + Gratitude = SUCCESS

I will add that a true leader is quite different than a manager.  True leaders understand how to SERVE others.

How has Dr. King’s legacy impacted your leadership style? 

Read the entire list from other inspirational entrepreneurs:

Martin Luther King Jr Had a Dream & You Do, Too!

Related articles

• Inspirational Lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (inspirationalperspective.com)
• Going Green for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (almostallthetruth.com)

Have you ever stopped for a moment to ponder whether staying to true to your unique self is actually propelling you into your goals or not? And…is what you consider unique really that different at all?

I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year; I only wish to positively evolve and properly determine where and whom I am destined to serve.  But I’ve also been on a very intentional and purposeful mission to release anything that is holding me back from where I need to be most useful, no matter how difficult the decision may seem.

When I examine myself and figure out exactly where I want to be in this moment, as well as where I want to go from here, I have to be operate in complete transparency about my real capacity, passion and the valuable contribution I actually bring to the space that I am seeking that is totally different from everyone else.  I’m also not so arrogant that I don’t understand where I may need to release my own agenda and play by the rules at times, until I may actually change the game itself.

Sometimes, it really comes down to what do you want more? As for me, I choose to release anything that is adversely affecting my personal and professional evolution, and I embrace the limitless empowerment that mindset brings into my life.

Have you taken a few moments this New Year to ponder who and how you will serve others?

We can get quite busy serving the wrong people in business, politics, and philanthropic causes, which can lead to bitterness, mental/emotional fatigue, and even feelings of failure.  It behooves us to carefully identify the true source of our professional and personal passion for giving, and who is actually worthy of our time, energy and financial gifts.  Position yourself to offer up your best self for the duration of your commitment.

Cash from Compassion?

Here are a few of my 2012 business goals shared with Apptivo:

1. To optimize our global reach
2. To remain and improve upon being a company and strategists of value to our clientele
3. To provide even more unique resources to our clientele
4. To build more effective and purposeful relationships
5. To increase and set record revenues

I would only add: To incorporate more philanthropic efforts than ever before…

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She began telling us that she frequented the restaurant many times over the years, so she knew that when she arrived and had to complete her phone interview, she needed to park away from the the valet area.  However, as she parked momentarily, the attendant came over and began banging on her window when she wouldn’t respond to him parking her car.  She became very upset by this occurrence, and upon completing the interview, she asked to speak with the owner of the restaurant.  He was in a meeting, so the manager came outside and was dismissive of her frustration with the behavior of the attendant.  By the time she sat down with us, she told the server that she would not need the menu, and that we needed to find another location for dinner.

Being the solution-oriented person that I am, as well as knowing the owner and his wife, I wanted to make things right for my client.  I asked the server to find the owner for me, but my client was determined that she was not planning to stay, regardless.  This was actually the second time in a month that I had received that type of response from her on service that was less than exemplary from service providers that I suggested, so admittedly, I was a bit bothered.  However, I’ve learned to respect, and agree to disagree with the opinions of anyone in and beyond my personal and professional space.

The challenge with these situations is that my client and my colleague who agreed with her are not alone in their actions.  You may never get another shot at not only making a first impression, but maintaining a lasting relationship with your customer base.  Your service culture should not only encourage customers to continue to patronize your business, but to provide positive endorsements and referrals.  Unlike my client, I would never walk away from an establishment without insisting upon calling out the excellence in their service offerings.  As a business owner, I wouldn’t want to be penalized for how a staffer or consultant poorly handled a situation without being made aware of it, and given the opportunity to provide a remedy.  Alternately, if a service provider is notified and still not willing to expedite the level of service that I expect, then I have no problem, as my client so eloquently put it, voting with my feet (walking away).

Creating an environment of excellence in client service is the best investment you can make into your business.  As I repeatedly stated in my years of business, it’s not that the customer is always right, it’s just our job to make them feel like they are.