Aloha Fest and Aloha Leadership; It's a Small World!

Emceeing Aloha Fest in Boulder this past week was a fantastic experience! Not only were the thousands of people who attended treated to amazing Polynesian food and culture, but the spirit of Ohana was everywhere. Perhaps this is true in every small community, but whenever I attend a Hawaiian event I meet people that I instantly bond with. And sometimes, it happens after the event.

I left my briefcase next to the stage on Saturday night and didn't realize my mistake until I pulled into our driveway. A not-so-convenient 90 minute commute from Boulder. A call to the event organizer produced no results, so I fretted a bit about my misfortune and forgetfulness.

Three days later, I attended an ISES event (http://isesdenver.com/) to hear one of America's networking and networthing experts speak, my friend Sarah Michel CSP(http://www.perfectingconnecting.com/) I was fortunate to sit next to "Alyson", a complete stranger. We chatted after lunch, and as we talked it became apparent that we both had been at Aloha Fest that weekend. Further conversation revealed that Alyson's husband had helped me on stage. Another minute, and Alyson exclaimed "Mark has your briefcase!"

It truly is a small world, when you take the time to talk to strangers. And in Hawaii, no-one is a stranger. Check out some great video of Polynesian dancers at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6haG_7pDsE

I had a great conversation recently with Leigh Branham SPHR, founder and principal of Keeping the People Inc. Leigh's made a life-study of why good people leave jobs, what businesses do to drive them away, and what those same businesses can do to hang on to their talented workforce. Among the statistics that leap out at me from Leigh's work are the following:

• 88% of employees leave their jobs because of reasons other than compensation.
• 60% of employees feel ignored or taken for granted.
• When measuring areas of leadership focus, "Developing direct reports" came in 67th. Of 67 competencies.

People have questioned whether "Aloha Leadership" concentrates on so-called "soft skills" - the inference being that soft skills don't add to the bottom line. The answer is "Yes", Aloha is about developing soft skills; treating people fairly, being transparent in your leadership, recognizing that diversity is a strength and not a hindrance.

Soft skills are more critical to bottom line performance than compensation. Leigh Branham's work, along with that of myself and others proves that. If you can't pay people enough to influence them to stay (how many times have you heard someone say "I wouldn't take that job for all the money in the world!") then your leaders have to be adaptable enough to lead without a carrot or a stick.

When you adopt the principles of Aloha in your leadership practices, you and the people around you feel more valued. Employees have a stake in the success of their business because they know the business has a stake in their individual success. If that sounds like a place you'd like to work, then make the changes yourself.

Learn more about Leigh's work at http://www.keepingthepeople.com/ To find out more about Aloha Leadership, call our offices at 303.594.3097 or email Mike Faber at mike@mikefaber.com

Aloha!

Aloha Fest Comes to Boulder!

Anytime is a great time for Ohana ("Family" in Hawaiian) to congregate, and the local Hawaiian community will descend on Boulder, Colorado on September 18-19 to watch the Universities of Colorado and Hawai'i do battle on the football field. The "Warriors", or "Rainbow Warriors" as they have been known, have been playing football since 1921 and began playing a Division One-A schedule in the early seventies.

Football as we know it is a violent sport, though it's far tamer than it was at the beginning of the 20th century. President Theodore Roosevelt actually considered banning football from college campuses due to the many injuries and deaths of participants. Rule changes, including the forward pass and elimination of "wedge" blocking helped stem the carnage, and build the game we know today.

Football, however, has to take a back seat to the manly, and ancient, Hawaiian sport of "lava sledding." As described on www.mythichawaii.com, lava sledding means riding a steep, hardened lava field while atop a 12-foot board at speeds approaching fifty miles an hour. Something tells me the ancients didn't have helmet laws back then! Better to play a round of "Konane", a board game that sounds like a pastoral blend of checkers and chess.

Hope to see you at Aloha Fest, where I'll be emceeing Saturday's activities on the main stage. For more information, please see www.coloradoalohafest.com