Category Archives: General Info

10 Success Principles from Barbara Corcoran, Real Estate Mogul and Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

Posted on by

It is amazing the things you can uncover when cleaning out piles of papers from over the years. While doing some New Year’s cleaning, I found some notes from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 Business and Leadership Conference keynote delivered by super successful real estate mogul and entrepreneur Barbara Corcoran. I found that these 7 year old notes I took are still fresh and pertinent.

Someone who built a multi-billion dollar business starting from the ground up with nothing (no old family money, no super wealthy backers) but grit and her own business savvy is certainly worth listening to. Here are Barbara’s 10 principles to succeed:
1. Be great at failure, since success most often comes after trying and failing multiple times.
2. Perceptions creates reality – so don’t stray away from going after publicity.
3. Everybody wants what everybody wants – very important for marketing a product or service.
4. Expand before you are ready.
5. Shoot the dogs early. If something is not working, don’t drag it out. Stop!
6. There are basically two types of people – expanders and containers. Recruit skills that are opposite of yours since both are important.
7. Recognition often motivates people better than money. Be generous with your praise and recognition.
8. Fun is good for business. Creating fun in your business helps drive loyalty.
9. During bad times, stay positive and remember the best is ahead.
10. You have the right to be here. This was a particularly important message for LGBT and other minority owned businesses. We all have something to offer.

Yes – hearing from the super successful is certainly one of the best ways to learn skills and principles that can help each of us succeed. And every year, the National LGBT Chamber continues to offer their annual excellent conference with outstanding keynotes, workshops and networking.

NOTE: Consider attending this year’s NGLCC International Business and Leadership Conference in Tampa August 13 – 16th!

* * * * *

Blog author Stan Kimer founded his own successful innovative diversity and career development consultancy in 2010 after a 31-year career at IBM. Check out my website and offerings … www.totalengagementconsulting.com and / or subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

An Important Book – Belonging at Work: Everyday Actions You Can Take To Cultivate an Inclusive Organization

Posted on by

Rhodes Perry of Rhodes Perry Consulting

In late October, I published the blog, “After Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Comes … BELONGING!” I shared two perspectives; from a North Carolina-based diversity and inclusion consultant (Gracie Johnson-Lopez) who recently spoke at our local HR SHRM chapter, and Rhodes Perry, founder and CEO of a leadership and management consulting firm in Portland, Oregon. I also mentioned that Rhodes was just about to publish his new book about this topic.

The book, Belonging at Work: Everyday Actions You Can Take To Cultivate an Inclusive Organization, is now out! I quickly ordered it and read it, and recommend it to all leaders who need to take that next step of assuring everyone on their team feels they belong so they can contribute their very best.

Rhodes starts the book with a little personal sharing of how his fear of disclosing his being a transgender man, coupled with a general lack of understanding and acceptance of transgender people while working at the White House, stymied his ability to show up as his authentic self at work. This then ended up adding additional stress to his daily responsibilities, foreshadowing his eventual departure for greener pastures.

Starting from his own base of personal experience, Rhodes shares several key concepts along with many practical suggestions on moving from diversity and inclusion to the next step of as he shares, “cultivating a culture of belonging.” Topics Rhodes expands on include:

• The concept of intersectionality; that almost everyone has some aspect of their diversity (gender, race, family status, veteran status, sexual orientation, etc.) that they “cover” at work.

Understanding the difference between equality and equity (graphic from the Interaction Institute for Social Change)


• Understanding the difference between equality and equity. Yes, there is indeed a difference. See graphic to the left and buy Rhodes’ book to understand more.

• The human need for and the power of fostering a sense of belonging at work

• How to apply an equity and empowerment lens by considering people, place, process and power

• How the fast changing global workplace has made belonging even more critical for business success, including the compelling business case for focusing on belonging

• And finally, very importantly, loads of practical actions to take in the workplace to promote belonging; because, at the end of they day, shouldn’t the outcome of reading a book like this be taking practical steps to increase personal and business effectiveness?

In addition to the book, Rhodes has an upcoming 30-Day Belonging Challenge. It offers readers of the book (or future readers) the opportunity to work with the concepts presented and allows them to have a hands on opportunity to put them into practice during the challenge, learning directly from the author himself.

I strongly recommend this book – here is the link to secure your copy. And do consider joining Rhodes’s 30-Day Belonging Challenge.