Sam Walton believed in himself and his concept more than anyone else — and it was that passion and belief that allowed him to overcome every single one of his personal shortcomings. It allowed him to swim upstream when everyone was telling him that his idea wouldn’t work. It allowed him to go out everyday and do the best that he could. Soon, that passion and belief became infectious and spread like a “fever” — a “fever” that continues to spread today.

Consider the following recent events in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.’s 40-year history:

• 2002: Received the annual Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership. This annual award is presented at an annual White House ceremony to companies that have demonstrated a deep commitment to initiatives that empower employees and communities while advancing strategic business interests. 
• 2002: Ranked #1 in Fortune 500 list.
• 2002: Recorded the biggest sales day ever — the day after Thanksgiving — $1.43 billion in sales.
• 2003: Named by Fortune Magazine as the most admired company in America.

At the start of this New Year, some of your clients — and perhaps you, too — may have visions of being the next Wal-Mart in your respective industries. For others, building the next Wal-Mart isn’t on the radar screen, yet the lure of owning a business is. There they stand on the edge of the entrepreneurial precipice, ready to leap — if only they knew more about their chances for entrepreneurial success. 

They have the passion. They have the belief. Yet, they hesitate.

Do they look to you for advice? Can you help? 

• Is there something you can do to assist them with their success? 
• Is there some way to help them assess their success potential as an entrepreneur? 
• Can you lead/guide/coach them where they need to go?

In this issue of Leading the Way, we will take a look at one of our most unique communication tools, the Entrepreneurial Style & Success Indicator (ESSI). The ESSI was designed to help individuals learn how to identify and better utilize their natural preferences for completing the entrepreneurial process. It assists learners to mobilize into profit their preferred way of developing ideas and finances and their other business resources. It also challenges them to increase their style flexibility for greater personal and professional success. 

"The ESSI is a wonderful diagnostic tool… . Entrepreneurs who have been narrowly focused upon their personal problems and predicaments are encouraged to do environmental scans, and to see themselves as part of a larger picture. Self-awareness for the entrepreneur is promoted in a non-threatening manner. This makes it easier for the facilitator to promote areas for improvement without encountering defensive reactions."

Sylvie Ryce Cornell, Owner
Creative Concepts Unlimited

1. Outside Entrance (Or what’s the newest happenings at CRG)
2. Gate Entrance (A tool to take on your journey)
3. On the Path (Someone out there who is doing it)
4. Back Home (Clean-up time)

Online Tools:

Update on Online Tools

1. Personal Style Indicator (PSI)*
2. Sales Style Indicator (SSI)*
3. Personal Style Indicator for Learners (PSI-L)*
4. Personal Style Indicator for Educational Leaders (PSI-EL)*
5. Values Preference Indicator (VPI)
6. Self Worth Inventory (SWI)
7. Stress Indicator & Health Planner (SIHP)
8. Entrepreneurial Style & Success Indicator (ESSI)*

*Note that each of these online assessments comes complete with their In-Depth Interpretations.

The online Job Style Indicator (JSI) has been completed and is going through final beta testing. Watch for an announcement early in 2004 about this amazing tool.

Access codes may be purchased by visiting our online store:
https://www.crgleader.com/assessmentsonline.

 
New Training Video Product:

Why?
Due to the expense of travel, some individuals have been unable to attend our live Train-the-Trainer events. And a number of our attendees say they were overwhelmed by the amount of information they received at the 3-day Training.

This past September, we professionally taped the full three days. The video is now in post-production; we expect to have the finished product available in the next few weeks. 

The cost of the video will be reasonable. You can view it as many times as you like and take as much time as you need to absorb all the excellent information.

If you are interested in learning more about this fabulous video, please email me at neal@crgleader.com. Simply type “video” into the subject line; I will forward information to you

• Part One presents an adaptation of CRG’s Personal Style Indicator (PSI) in the context of entrepreneurship. 

• Part Two, The Foundations of Entrepreneurship Assessment, provides insight into attitudes and historical factors that affect the potential success of people who want to become entrepreneurs.

The combination of these two assessments provides a single instrument that contains:

• an assessment relative to entrepreneurial style, and 

• an assessment that focuses on the factors associated with entrepreneurial success.

With its concentrated and well-organized summary of key knowledge and information, the ESSI assists the development of entrepreneurial potential and strength within individuals and organizations. This self-assessment is an important step in the decision-making and professional development process of people considering entrepreneurial ventures.

The ESSI identifies:

• factors required for entrepreneurial success, and

• the styles of behavior that may demonstrate a person’s ability to succeed in an entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial environment. 

Further, the ESSI guides individuals through necessary behavior-style modification to increase their effectiveness in entrepreneurial and business situations.

Whether used by individuals or groups, the ESSI can assess entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial potential, business and career planning and transition, research, team development, and conflict/tension resolution.

While many factors contribute to the success of an entrepreneur, the ESSI provides one more piece of the complex puzzle. 

A lower score on The Foundations of Entrepreneurship Assessment doesn’t mean you won’t ever be successful as an entrepreneur — just as a higher score does not guarantee you will be successful. It is evident, however, that individuals with higher scores are likely to achieve entrepreneurial success more easily than those with lower scores.

Our Entrepreneurial Style & Success Indicator is available both online and in a print-based version:

Print Version:
Printed ESSI

Online Version:
Online ESSI

One of our clients, Keystone Partners, is New England’s leading consulting firm specializing in career management. Keystone’s three dedicated divisions provide the expertise to solve the most complex career management needs. The divisions include:

• Keystone Associates, comprehensive career management services through executive level;

• Essex Partners, trusted advisors to leaders in transition; 

• and Camden Consulting Group, leadership development and executive coaching experts. 

Regional expertise is broadened to a global reach by a partnership with Career Partners International, a network of innovative and independently owned career management firms.

One of the key components Keystone uses with senior executives in career transition is the Entrepreneurial Style & Success Indicator (ESSI). According to Louisa Mattson, PhD, Keystone’s business psychologist, “The ESSI is the most comprehensive entrepreneurial tool we have found and it is a staple in our battery of assessments.” 

Dr. Mattson states many of Keystone’s clients choose an entrepreneurial career path; the ESSI has been very useful in helping these individuals transition from employee to entrepreneur. The tool has also been useful in identifying those with strong intrapreneurial abilities.

If you would like to learn more about Keystone Partners, please call 866-539-7278 or visit www.keystonepartners.com.

Address Changes:

As part of our two-tiered online Associate program, your commission checks are generated through our e-commerce system. The computer uses the mailing address you have entered in your online profile “Contact Information”. Please ensure that your address online is where you want your commission checks mailed. If you need to make changes please modify your profile on our website.

For those who are not taking advantage of the two-tiered online Associate program, simply email us your new mailing address and we will manually update your account.  

 
5 out of 6 professionals needed this — do you?

If you want to maximize the impact you are having with your clients and/or employees, attend an upcoming workshops in Vancouver (Abbotsford). You can totally transform the way you do business. Join the other professionals whose businesses were transformed after spending three days with us. 

• Alumni Price: US$399 (CAN$599) Reg: US$1500 (CAN$2250)
  

• Special Partner Pricing
  Bringing business partners? Please call me for our Partner discount: 604-852-0566
  
  As an Associate, you receive a 10% referral fee for anyone who pays and attends the 3-Day Train-the-Trainer Workshop.
  

• Price Increase Coming
  Act now and avoid paying the planned tuition increase starting February 1, 2004. Lock in now.

https://www.crgleader.com/trainthetrainer

 
Affiliate Sign-up Reminder:

• To receive credit for signing an Affiliate, please enroll each individual through your partner link.
  • Please do NOT send us a list of names you want to qualify as "Affiliates under me."
  • Note: When we discover that an individual is one of your Affiliates, we will honor your Affiliate relationship.
     

• If you are using our tools and have a unique story to share, please let us know: neal@crgleader.com.

Until next month, keep Leading the Way!

Neal Diamond
VP for Business Development and Associate Relations