GRAF BOYS  HOLIDAY GREETINGS

Amazing what can happen in a year!  A year ago as I composed this greeting I was trying to start a speaking business and get involved in some other consulting task…without much luck I can tell you.  I was also monitoring my treatment I had ten months earlier for Prostate Cancer, praying each day that I had beat it!

Mai Tai Anyone!

I also have also have been cancer free for the past year.

 I am now living on Kauai, while this makes it difficult to spend as much time as I would like with my sons we seem to work it out.

 Life has changed for my sons as well, with Dad moving to Kauai Shane and Chad needed to find a place to live, after several attempts with friends they ended up back at their grandparents in the “mother-in-law” quarters.

Shane is working at Banana Leaf Pasta Café and also spent some time this past summer working for a flooring company as a laborer, all has been a great experience for him and he is looking at going back to school this coming summer.

Shane

 And of course he is playing soccer, as much as he can.  You might remember last year Shane went to Portland Oregon to try out for a semi-pro team that was going to become a 2011 member of the MLS.  He made it all the way to the last day and had a great experience, out of the some 40 to 50 participants the team only took one!  Needless to say he had an “awesome” experience.

Chad

 Chad spent this past year working at the Hawaii Kai Sports Center, Banana Leaf Pasta Café and getting his certifications to be a lifeguard.  He was accepted into the Honolulu City & County Lifeguard training program in October in which he passed with flying colors and is now an employee of the City & County of Honolulu as a lifeguard.  You can usually find him at either Waikiki or Ala Moana Beach Park. 

 Of course he is still surfing every chance he gets, whether it is body surfing or just surfing he just is at home in the water.

 Roderick aka Hot Rod, turned 5 this past August and is now going to the “big school”, Kindergarten at Mae Mae Elementary.  He really enjoys school and has made a bunch of new friends. 

Hot Rod

 Hot Rod has had change in his life too…with me moving to Kauai I am no longer able to be with him as before which was 50% of the time, so some adjustment needed to happen and honestly mostly from me!  Yet we have been able to spend considerable time together and he loves coming to Kauai!  He is the bona fide slide expert at the pool and loves coming to the office and checking in on everyone, going to the kitchen to check in with the Chef and hang with the bell guys out front.

 This past year Hot Rod has been on a glider ride, visited the Big Island, been to the water park, and more.  He is truly a joy and loves to be adventurous.

Our lives have been truly blessed this past year and I know we are all looking forward to 2011 and what adventures it will bring. 

 Thank you all for being our family and friends, we love and care about you all.  May God Bless you this coming year and beyond.

 Wishing you all a very joyous, healthy and prosperous 2011!

 Robin, Shane, Chad & Hot Rod

 FYI – My new contact info is:

General Manager

Kauai Beach Resort

4331 Kauai Beach Drive

Lihue, HI  96766

www.kauaibeachresorthawaii.com

 rgraf@aquaresorts.com – business

 rbngrf@gmail.com – personal

 ph.  808-635-1525

 Also the older boys and I are on Facebook, and I am on Links In, and Plaxo.

New Years Resolutions are great ways to get yourself motivated, achieve goals you have thought about or haven’t got to yet or just to keep things moving forward.  The problem is that many times the New Years Resolutions we set for ourselves are not realistic…The key is to set realistic goals for your resolution.  If you haven’t exercised consistently for a long time the chance that you will now go to the gym everyday is probably not going to happen.  You would be better served if you put I am going to go for a walk at least three times a week for 30 minutes and go from there.

I have set my resolutions, and sorry I am not going to share them with you as I feel they are personal and you should share them with people who are close to you and will help achieve your goals.  I also believe that sometimes we set too many resolutions and that it would be impossible to achieve all of them, so my advice is to start small, feel the satisfaction of success and then set new goals.  Where does it say you can only set goals once a year?

When I do my resolutions I make two list, one is of personal goals I want to achieve and the other are professional goals.  I limit my goals to about five for each list, however this is not a magic number but more of a guideline.  I usually end up with around seven or eight goals combined.

I wish you all luck on your resolutions and remember keep them realistic, attainable and make sure you are selfish in at least one (such as I want to do a surf trip to Bali) and generous (such as I will donate more to charity or give my time more freely to ???) in more than one. 

~RG

I’m not sure about you but 2009 could be described by me personally as being the worst year of my life!  I had Prostate Cancer, didn’t have a job, I had been separated from my wife for a year, the economy wasn’t helping things and on and on…I’m sure many of you probably have similar or worst stories to share about 2009.  In reality I could really just say “you know 2009 sucked, and I shouldn’t have had to go through all this, and…” you get the point.  It really would have been easy to do…BUT I DIDN’T!   While I am still struggling in terms of finances (this is the first time in over 35 years that I haven’t had a steady pay check, in fact I haven’t had a pay check in 12 months) I have to admit that 2009 has been a great year for me!  I took the first three months of 2009 completely off, yes I interviewed for a couple of jobs and I was definitely happy when they didn’t come through.  I traveled and visited with friends and family.  I got to spend real-time, not “quality” time with my son Hot Rod who is now 4 years old.   I beat my cancer and am now 10 months cancer free!  I am in great physical condition according to my doctors.  I got to spend more time with my adult sons, especially after they moved in with me recently.  And I have renewed my christian faith and was baptized on December 6, 2009 and have been attending New Hope Diamond Head Church regularly since March.  2009 has given much to be thankful for!Of course there has been the other side of the coin as well. while I am involved in several different enterprises, a speaking/training business which I originally started on my own “Bringing About Positive Results” and a marketing position where I market in-room welcome video’s to hotels neither has yet to “bear fruit” or MONEY…it will come, but when I am not sure and I also am not sure if this will continue to be my path.  Unfortunately in economic times like these (and I do not believe we have seen the worse yet here in Hawaii) usually the first things cut other than employees is marketing and training the two businesses I am involved with.

Shane, Chad, Hot Rod and Me at China Walls

I will be shutting down my web-site for Bringing About Positive Results as I am now a part of the Q-Principle and I am also associated with Welcome to Oahu In Room Visitor Television.  I do truly love to get in front of employees and speak about the basics and passion of the service industry, and I do love to speak on motivational topics as I can see in the attendee’s faces that I am making a difference and truly this is all I want to do is make a difference, a positive difference.  Whether this be through my current enterprises or if I am back in the hotel business the key for me is to be involved with people, share my passions and experiences to hopefully improve on others peoples lives and experiences.

So while 2009 has been challenging I have to say that without the challenges I have faced this past year I would not be who I am today on this last day of the first decade of the 21st century, because I can assure you that a year ago on this very same day I was a different person!

My Baptism Team

I will be doing a series of post this coming week, as I want to talk about New Years Resolutions, the best thing’s and the worst thing’s in your life this past decade, and what will the next decade bring us.

Happy New Year Everyone, may you be happy, healthy, prosperous, generous and loving…

~RG

Hot Rod and Me

Top of Koko Head Stairs

As an athlete I often use sports scenarios or comparisons in my leadership teachings.  For example a sprinter who has natural-born speed will do well most of the time, however the sprinter might find that they aren’t as strong at the end of their races because they haven’t worked on strength and endurance to carry their natural ability all the way to the end.  In order to be the very best sprinter they work on what their weakness is to become a better all around sprinter…

This carries through in leadership and managing as well.  For example, ask yourself what are you good at?  Communication, follow-up, people skills, numbers, etc.  And then ask yourself what you are not good at?  Just like the sprinter your natural ability will come to you easily, without working at it.  However your weaknesses will be extremely evident if you don’t work on them.

In my Coaching for Results seminar I work with you on finding your strengths and weaknesses and then develop a plan to work on your opportunities and then pass them on to your team.

It’s a no-brainer!

~RG

Here is a small part of the presentation; we discussed the different types of leaders, you know the types; the compassionate leader, the micro-managing leader, the intimidating leader and so on…I then asked them to think of what type of leader they believe they are and then I asked them to revisit that thought after my presentation.

The truth of the matter is we usually are not the best judge of what type of leader, or for that matter what type of person we are.  In actuality it’s the way people think and speak of you when you are not around that really defines what type of leader or person you are.  So the “million dollar” question is how can we make sure we are leading in a manner that is productive for the organization, compassionate for those being lead, and developing for the future.

Well I don’t have enough space to give you my thoughts here but I will share with you a few principles I feel are imperative to effective leadership:

• Set Expectations – you can’t expect your employee’s to exceed or meet your expectations if you don’t let them know what they are!
• Know what you are good at…and what you’re not – focus on your weaknesses as your strengths will always rise to the top
• Be a Coach, Mentor, Trainer – if you see something being done incorrectly don’t ignore it, address it as a coach, mentor, trainer
• Accountability – if you set the expectation then make sure you hold your employee’s accountable to meet the expectation
• Consistency – be consistent in your mood, in dealing with employees
• Communicate – people don’t read minds
• Reward – nothing brings morale up more than recognizing a good job, which could just be showing up to work every day with a smile!

If you think you could use some help in developing your leadership team, give me a call.  You can reach me through my website “Bringing About Positive Results”.

Be Positive!

~RG

Breast cancer takes the lives of about 40,000 women a year, a huge number but one that has been declining over the past several years.  Some of this is attributed to early detection and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.  If you have been reading my previous post then you will know that I have been advocating regular check ups, know your family history and educate yourself about Prostate Cancer.  Early detection will help you defeat this terrible disease!

Right now you can help with the battle against prostate cancer by donating to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).  The Safeway Foundation has partnered with the PCF in donating matching funds up to $1 million if donations are received by December 31, 2009.  You can donate online by going to www.pcf.org/progress.

There is no excuse for being uninformed about prostate cancer anymore.

~RG

In my last post regarding my progress I informed you that after 90 days my PSA test showed no evidence of cancer, in fact my PSA count was 0.0!  If you remember I mentioned that I would be getting test every 90 days just to make sure, and if after a year there is no sign of the cancer returning then I can go back to regular check ups, which for me will be every 6 months instead of every year.

I also want to tell you that I had my annual physical a month ago, so regardless of my other check ups I am still staying true to having my annual check ups.  My physical came back with flying colors, low blood pressure, low cholesterol, etc. etc.  My General Physician was very happy with my results.

Last week I had my 120 day PSA test, this is the time since I had my brachytherapy treatment.  Again whenever you are dealing with something that wants to kill you there is anxiety, and yes again I had anxiety and was nervous.  When my doctor came into the waiting room I could tell the test were fine, in fact he said congratulations something my Dr. doesn’t use too often.  After six months my PSA was a 0.4 which is very good.  My doctor had to remind me that you will basically never had a 0.0 reading as long as you have a prostate.  Since my treatment didn’t involve removing the prostate then I will continue to show some reading of PSA, the key is to make sure it isn’t cancerous or continuing to elevate.  You are good up to about a 1.3 or so PSA reading before you really need to be concerned, but again this is what regular check ups are for and to consult with your doctor and get those lovely DRE’s, which I had to have this time around.

So keep your thoughts and prayers with me, and make sure if you are over 40 you are discussing Prostate Cancer with your doctor.  Remember early detection will not only save your life but also your lifestyle!

~RG

However “Leaders Are People Too”!  They have the same issues many of us have, financial concerns, relationship problems, health issues, etc.  And yes this does affect their performance and yes this can affect their ability to lead.  In my “Bringing About Positive Results” programs I have developed a seminar to help leaders overcome these obstacles.

I.                  Leadership – “Leaders Are People Too”

• A seminar aimed at supervisory and middle management.  This program uses the over 30 years of leadership experience from the mistakes to the triumphs and gives the attendees the basic tools for successful leadership.
• No fancy acronyms, slick vocabulary or new age management techniques.  This seminar will use the basic principles of leadership found in every book, classroom or seminar and put real life experience into an easy to follow, motivating and passionate learning experience.

Stay Positive!

~RG

• A seminar designed to bring the reality of how important each member is to the total success of the organization.  This program also educates the attendee on how what they do at work affects not only their family, friends and co-workers but also their community at large.
• This is an energetic, fast moving yet easy to understand seminar that will motivate your team into realizing that each encounter they have with a customer, co-worker and manager has a direct affect on the success of the organization and the community they live in.

Guaranteed to hit home how important each individual is, regardless of their position.  Delivered with passion and energy where you can see in the attendee’s eyes, facial expressions and emotions the message getting through.

Check out the “Bringing About Positive Results” web-site and sign up on the Contact page.

Stay Positive!

~RG

Robin Graf, Difference Maker

Please go to my web-site at www.bringingaboutpositiveresults.comand understand that this still a work in progress and I welcome your feedback and of course your support.  Also please check out my Facebook and Twitter pages as I will be updating regularly with tidbits of information.

Thank you all for your support, and STAY POSITIVE!