Denver Leadership Speaker Mary C. Kelly Says Being Thankful Leads to Being Profitable

DENVER, Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gratitude leads to profits, said Colorado Leadership Expert Mary C. Kelly, PhD, president of ProductiveLeaders.com.

"If you are in business, you have reason to be thankful. Yes, there are uncertainties regarding taxes, regulations and healthcare (small business top three concerns), but you are still in business. Ideally, you are also profitable," said Kelly, a retired Navy Commander, who presents speeches and consults with companies and associations for leadership and management.

"So let's be thankful while we move forward. How can we as businesses be thankful?" said Kelly, a motivational leadership speaker.

She offers these tips for business people who ask "How can we create abundance?"

1.    Don't operate from a place of fear about your business's future. Yes, there are going to be challenges. If running a business was easy, everyone would do it. Being fearful means you are focusing on failure, not success. To be open to generate more business, we have to be thankful for what we have.

2.    Don't operate from a place of scarcity. You attract your focus. This is like driving a car on an open road in the middle of Kansas and seeing a tree and then just focusing on not hitting the tree. What happens? You hit the tree. Direct your attention to future possibilities, not past failures. Focus on abundance.

3.    Know that every day is a new opportunity. Yes, it sounds cliche. Today is 86,400 seconds. How are you going to use them to extend your gratitude to others?

4.    Being thankful means doing something about it.

Say thank you to those people who helped you with a bit of advice, a referral, or a resource when you needed it.

Find a way to reach out to those mentors, whether they realized it or not. Let them know how they changed your business or your life. Send a card. Stuck for what to say? Try, "Five years ago you told a group of us to _____ and I have done that every since. It changed how I deal with customers forever."

5.    Help others grow their business. The best way to push yourself forward is to help others. Not sure how to help other people? Ask who their perfect client would be and make an introduction. Tell your friends about the people you are trying to promote.

Use social media to promote others. Make an introduction on LinkedIn. Make comments on their blog, website, or Facebook page to generate buzz on what they are doing. At the very least, share in their happiness with a positive comment.

6.    Be grateful for your profits. Not sure if you have profits? You are not alone. Many business owners do not know their expenditures and their revenues. Not knowing where your profits and losses are is like jumping in the middle of the ocean without knowing how to swim. Business owners just don't know their revenues and expenditures. If you need to start tracking your revenues and expenditures, try this free downloadable profit and loss template at www.ProductiveLeaders.com/free-stuff

7.    Wherever you are in business, like life, you are two steps ahead of someone else. It is your responsibility to reach behind you and give someone else a good push forward. In NASCAR, getting behind someone else and pushing them is called bump-drafting. Like racecar driving, you help someone else best when you are at a high level of performance. Some of the people around you would appreciate a well-timed push to the front, so look for someone who might benefit from a healthy push forward.

"December is a time for celebrating friends and family, gathering together, and trying to help those in need. Wouldn't it be great if we practiced being thankful every day, and not just during the holidays?" she said. "We can accomplish greatness if we pause to practice gratitude."

About Mary C. Kelly

With over twenty years of leadership experience and a diverse background leading teams in the U.S. and abroad, Dr. Mary Kelly makes productivity and leadership a reality for all levels of an organization. She trained over 40,000 military personnel and led multi-cultural teams in 11 countries.

Dr. Kelly delivers tools that increase productivity and profits.

She is a renowned leadership coach, speaker and author, specializing in maximizing available resources. She has extensive experience in human resources, finance, insurance, organizational leadership, and project development.

Sheis a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and spent over 20 years on active duty in intelligence and logistics. She has masters' degrees in history and economics, and a PhD in economics.

She is the author of 10 books, including Master Your World.

SOURCE Mary C. Kelly