Rita Young Allen discusses the importance of intentional engagement in both business and life. As the world faces unrest and uncertainty, intentional engagement is the only way to navigate through challenges with sanity. In business, leaders must engage employees by giving them freedom, valuing their opinions, and encouraging development. High employee engagement leads to better performance, satisfaction and retention. In life, people must rediscover their passions and intentionally engage with family, friends and careers. Social media can foster engagement if used to connect, build relationships and promote brands in an authentic way. Intentional engagement in both spheres is key to finding meaning and purpose.

1. Intentional engagement In Business; In Life. Finding Meaning, As the World Turns…violently. Rita Young Allen, M.A. www.RitaYoungAllen.com (All underlined links are clickable)

3. As the World Turns… Our world is turning violently out of control. Fear and Unrest permeates every industry. Individuals are losing jobs and quitting jobs. Many who planned on retirement income, now have none. Social unrest has consumed every avenue of life. Social Security could, very soon, be no more. Intentional Engagement in Business and Life, you say, is the last thing on our minds today…BUT…Intentional Engagement is the ONLY thing that will bring us through this violent spin with any sanity left on the other side.

4. Example… Article: The Future of Advertising from fastcompany.com by Danielle Sacks, November 17, 2010 “Twenty creative directors, planners, media strategists, and account executives from agencies across the country are down on all fours on the floor of a 100-year-old tenement on Manhattan's Lower East Side. They are each staring down at a blank poster-size sheet of paper, contemplating their most abject fears about their careers, their livelihoods, and their future. They have reason to worry...

5. …The first person stands up. "I walk around in fear and loathing, dazed and confused," he says. Another confesses, "I'm a person who's petrified to fail." One by one, they exhale the cold fears of an entire industry: "I feel like I'm standing here and there are a thousand baseballs dropping from the sky and I don't know which ones to catch." "I left my cushy job at a global agency. Actually, I didn't leave; I was pushed out." "I kind of feel like the digital world is a gated world. It's wide open, but I don't even know enough to walk in."

6. Do your employees have freedom…Do they have Permission to Fail? “The better a man is, the more mistakes he will make, for the more new things he will try. I would never promote to a top-level job a man who was not making mistakes…otherwise he is sure to be mediocre.” ~ Peter Drucker… …The Man Who Invented Management!

7. Do your employees have freedom…Do they have Permission to Fail? This first question is vital because as we feel the rug being pulled out from under us, our first response is to tighten controls, issue more orders, all in a futile attempt to maintain control. By this action, leaders destroy the very positive organizational behavior that they are reacting to achieve. Their own fear causes them to become the opposite of what their employees and associates need to sustain confidence and security in their position.

8. Are You a Theory Y…or Theory X Leader? Leadership This will directly determine your ability to intentionally engage in Business or in Life. Employees do not leave jobs, they leave leaders.

9. Positive Organizational Behavior B = f (P/E) Behavior is a function of both the Person and the Environment (system). ~Kurt Lewin 1936

10. Intentional Engagement…in Business…Q12What is your Engagement Ratio? (Gallup, Inc.) The 12 Elements of Great Managing…..

11. Intentional Engagement 1. I know what is expected of me at work. Do ALL your associates have details of what you expect of them?...or are they attempting to do a job with vague boundaries and disconnected guidelines? Do you regularly touch base with them to be sure that new developments have not created confused direction for them?

12. Intentional Engagement 2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to do a job without the right or the adequate materials and equipment. This speaks very loudly that you don’t care about the associate, only what they can do for you. Are you cutting corners in the wrong areas?

13. Intentional Engagement 3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day. Do you have associates in wrong positions? Can you even comprehend how much it is costing your company if you do? If you labor and spend the money up front to be very sure that all your employees are in the positions that allow them to use their talents, gifts and abilities on a daily basis, you will both be happier AND more prosperous (and happiness does matter!).

14. Intentional Engagement 4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work. In years past this would have been a very difficult thing to do for any leader, especially if there were hundreds or thousands of employees. In today’s world, no matter how many employees there are, it’s a piece of cake. The advent of Social Media has provided the resource to do it in minutes! Recognition is the gas to fuel dedication, passion, loyalty and perseverance.

15. Intentional Engagement 5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person. Do your associates feel that they mean more to the business than just what they can contribute? Do they feel that their livelihood and well-being genuinely matter? Do they feel a sense of “community” of which they are an intricate part? If not, turnover will be rampant and discontent will flourish.

16. Intentional Engagement There is someone at work who encourages my development. None of us are islands. We need supportive encouragement as we travel our life journey. “Using” the talents, gifts and abilities of an associate for the betterment of the business is what they are there for, but, giving back to them by facilitating and encouraging their development speaks loudly that you care about them, not just what they can do for the company. None of us like to feel “used.”

17. Is YOUR company advancing?? Jack Welch’s, General Electric CEOTop 3 in research results for Business Advancement…. #1 – Employee Engagement #2 – Customer Satisfaction #3 – Free Cash Flow

18. Intentional Engagement 7. At work, my opinions seem to count. Without the words ever coming out of your mouth, this attitude can be established, “Just do the job you were hired to do. I know how to run this business and have been doing it for a long time. You were hired to do a particular job, so do it and don’t interfere in matters that you don’t know anything about.” (Theory X)

19. Intentional Engagement 8. The mission or purpose of my organization makes me feel my job is important. The sense of “community” is one of the most powerful driving forces of mankind. When someone feels that their community (job, cause, family, friends, etc.) has a mission or purpose that is worthwhile and positive, then they will feel that their “job” within that community is important and life-giving. Guess who’s responsibility it is to give them that sense of mission, purpose and community?

20. Intentional Engagement 9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work. The motivation for any associate or fellow employee to do quality work is derived from the other 11 components of this Q12. If any associate is not committed to doing quality work, it is because they are unhappy with their leader, unhappy with their job, in a misfit position, feel their opinions don’t matter, etc. When an associate feels this way, they will spend more time gossiping, complaining and avoiding responsibility than they will doing quality work. Positive Corporate Culture

21. Intentional Engagement 10. I have a best friend at work. The reason the buddy system and teamwork are so vital is that they give the opportunity for human connection. When solid and quality human connection occurs, human capital is at it’s highest. Everyone needs someone at work that they feel they can talk to, confide in and socialize with. Loners, as we call them, are usually not a vital contributor to the growth of the organization and turnover among them is high.

22. Intentional Engagementin Business 11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress. Yearly evaluations can be devastating. The reason, most of the time, that they are is because the employee is hit with voiced deficits of which they had no comprehension. They then feel betrayed that their manager would let them work an entire year and then tell them that they are not adequate in certain areas. The assumption then is that the manger used these supposed deficits to give them a smaller raise which breeds mistrust. Someone should talk with associates about their progress on a regular basis. Positive Organizational Behavior

23. Intentional Engagementin Business 12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow. The source of life is growth. When we are not growing, we become stagnant. Do you have avenues for your associates to further develop for the betterment of themselves as well as the company? This could come in many forms…seminars, workshops, training, etc. If they feel that no one at work encourages their development, they will feel used only for what they can give.

24. The Human Side of Enterpriseby Douglas McGregor Comments from Marvin Weisbord (author of Productive Work Places) after reading The Human Side of Enterprise... “Before I finished the first chapter, I knew which assumptions fit my values. Yet when I looked around our company, I saw Theory X everywhere: time clocks, narrow work rules, jobs so subdivided even an idiot would be bored, grown people treated like children, never let in on decisions, having no consequential information about the business or even their own work…..

25. …expected to deliver for management and not to reason why, all in return for a $5 raise every six months, a turkey at Christmas, and a chance, if they didn’t die of boredom in the mean time, to become supervisors. This title (supervisor), I observed, gave people who had been treated like children the license to make decisions for other. More, it required that they pretend they knew how. After all, that’s what their boss did.”

26. What is your cost?Of a disengaged employee??Of replacing an employee?? $63 vs. $392 – Safety Incident average cost. $38K replacement of $60K employee and some believe replacement costs equal the salary. The Art of Negotiation and the Power of Positive Confrontation

27. Intentional EngagementTake-aways for Business (Keynote/Training) Positive Leadership Direction. Dropping “X” Leader Traits. Positive Organizational Behavior. Improving Employee Performance. Employee Satisfaction. Employee Stability.

28. Intentional Engagement…in Life! What were you put on this Earth to do?Are you living your Passion?Have you lost your song?

29. Have you lost your song? “What so many of my patients have in common is not the specifics of their disease, but rather their inability to hear their personal life song. It’s as if the negative messages they’ve received and the traumas they’ve experienced since childhood have caused them to become tone-deaf to the true and unencumbered voice of their own souls.” Dr. Mitchell L. Gaynor, Oncologist

30. Intentional Engagement in Life ~You had a song at one time. ~When you got up in the morning, you were excited to face the world…you couldn’t wait for your next business deal…you couldn’t wait for your next endeavor! ~Then.....Job pressures, bills, responsibilities, family demands, began to drown out that song. ~Until today…you don’t even know if it’s still there…

31. Intentional Engagement in Life ~It’s still there! ~Have you missed it? ~The flame IS still burning deep down inside even though it’s only a spark!

32. Intentional Engagement in Life ~We are all “engaged” in life. ~But only a very small percentage is intentionally engaged. ~Life is pulling most folks instead of them directing life. ~Are you INTENTIONALLY engaged?...in every area? Why not? ~Do you know HOW to become intentionally engaged?

33. Intentional Engagement in Life ~Are you well on your way to becoming like the man who worked at the steel mill for 30 years and hated every minute of it? ~He was not intentionally engaged in life; he had developed a rote of life that required nothing of him but the basic human functions of motion. ~Reclaim Your Schedule…Recharge Your Life

34. Intentional Engagement in Life ~Family… ~Are you intentionally engaged with your family? ~Do you KNOW what your kids are doing? ~Do they have YOU, or just your provision? ~Does your daughter have that place with you that fulfills her deep desires to be loved? ~Does your son have that place with you that fulfills his deep desires to feel adequate in every way?

35. Intentional Engagement in Life ~Are you the husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, that consistently garners the highest praise from your family? ~Or are you “living your life and they just need to live theirs?” ~If so, you will NEVER have the ability to be intentionally engaged in life because intentional engagement is not “looking out for #1” as we were falsely taught in the 70’s.

36. Intentional Engagement in Life ~Friends… ~Do you know how to intentionally engage in the lives of your friends while not meddling? ~Do you have friends that after spending time with them you feel drained? ~Do you have friends that after spending time with them you feel as if you could conquer the world? ~Which kind of friend are you. ~One is intentionally engaged; the other is self-serving.

37. Intentional Engagement in Life ~Livelihood… ~Do you love your job? ~Do you work for a paycheck or does your paycheck work for you? ~Are you in a job just to draw that paycheck?...anxiously awaiting every Friday and dreading every Monday? ~If money were no issue, would you still be doing this job? ~For You Ladies…

38. Intentional Engagement in Life ~You must stand up and say, “No More!” ~You must decide that life is not going to pull you around by the nose any longer. ~You must CHOOSE your engagements and choose them so that you WILL be able to intentionally engage. ~This may require a paring down or a peeling back of the layers. ~BUT, you will then be able to live a fully engaged life, not a life by rote. ~The Business of Bliss

39. Intentional Engagement in Life ~You must decide what drives you… money…fulfillment…prestige…happiness…position…things…etc. ~Are you fighting every day to fill a void that was created by an absent parent, a mean teacher, an unfaithful love? ~There is a vast difference between being driven and being intentionally engaged. One is uses up your life; the other builds up your life.

40. Engage Yourself! ~Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. ……What is called resignation is….. confirmed desperation. ~Henry David Thoreau

41. Intentional EngagementTake-aways for Life (Keynote/Training) ~Find your Song and re-kindle the fire inside. ~Reclaim Your Schedule and Recharge Your Life. ~Reclaim Family, Friends and Livelihood. ~Relaxation and Holistic Living. ~Anger and Stress Management. ~The Melody of Hope and The Healing Power of Sound.

42. My Wellness Links Holistic Living Fitness for Life Stress Management Anger Management Relaxation Management of Loss The Healing Power of Sound The Melody of Hope

43. Intentional EngagementSocial Interaction/Social Media Intentional Engagement, which is built on Social interaction (including social media) is the over-arching remedy for a conflicting corporate culture, a negative organizational behavior, turnover and leadership. As a former executive in the corporate world, Rita understands the limitations leaders face. She helps leaders understand that discipline doesn’t have to be negative and that leadership can always be positive…even in negative situations!

44. Intentional EngagementSocial Interaction/Social Media Social Media is the newest kid on the block, only this kid is bigger, and stronger, and smarter than all the other kids. BUT, this kid has the potential to be your best friend and most verbal promoter...OR, your most damaging enemy. Life will never be the same because of this new kid and those who hesitate or refuse to create a positive on-going relationship will go down with the Titanic.

45. Social Media for Business is understanding how to go… From: Blogging > Messaging > Tagging > Bookmarking > Forums > Profiles > AND how to monitor your on-line presence! To: Lead Generation Lead Qualification Brand Awareness Engagement Customer Service Product Development

46. You must talk about more than just your product…You must connect and engage with the bigger picture.

47. Benefits of Social Media Massively promote your Brand Free Marketing Public Testimonials Lead Generation Build Relationships Expert Positioning Selling Products and Services Listening

48. Intentional EngagementTake-aways for Social MediaPersonal and/or Business(Keynote/Training) Understanding Social Media Simple Concept. Basics for LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog. How to set up accounts/profiles. Frame Your Risk and Monitor on-line presence. Social Media by Generations. Old Marketing Methods vs. Social Media. Difference between Personal Social Media and Building a Collaborative Infrastructure for Business Social Media.

49. For an intentionally engaging keynote and workshop that will put your conference over the top…talk to me!Engage yourself! Rita Young Allen, M.A. 205-317-3604 President, National Speakers Association of Alabama

50. My Social Media Links My Website One of My Blogs My Facebook Profile My Linkedin Profile My YouTube Channel(437 Videos) My Global Speakers Profile My Twitter Account My NSA Profile My Book-A-Speaker Profile My Email

51. Some of My Video Links What’s Your Passion – Intentional Engagement in Life Leadership Social Interaction/Media Benefits of Social Media Sales and Marketing Misty (Jazz Solo) Amazing Grace (Solo) Video Testimonial

52. Some of My Additional Links Social Media Start-Up Package Web 1.0 – 2.0 – 3.0 Building Your Own Private Social Network Business Consultant Services Intentional Engagement Leadership Strategy Mastermind Group Building Your Own Business The Wide World of Network Marketing Private Personal Consultation Services Communication Rather than Dialing for Dollars Prospecting and Qualifying Public Speaking Classes

53. The Power of Music… “If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once a week; for perhaps the parts of my brain now atrophied would thus have been kept active through use. The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness, and may possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character, by enfeebling the emotional part of our nature.” ~Charles Darwin

54. Thanks foryour timeand I lookforward toMeeting you! …The Intentional Engagement Strategist 205-317-3604 Email Rita President, NSA Alabama

55. Rita Young AllenKeynote, Seminar, Workshop, Training, Consultation205-317-3604Rita’s EmailEngage Yourself!