The most common question I get asked regarding my business is about the name. Grace Delivers. People are intrigued, curious, inspired…sometimes a bit perplexed. A myriad of questions often follows. Who is Grace? What does she deliver? Is this a religious thing? How did you come up with that name?
I always smile and wonder where to start. The reality of it is, the name of my business came to me over the course of a sabbatical that I embarked upon when choosing to move to Hawai’i at the age of 30. As I took a vacation from my “Type A” persona and allowed myself to “let go” deep into inquiry of what my purpose in life really was, it seemed that every time I turned around I was confronted by the word grace. On the yoga mat, in the jungle, at my chiropractor, in my favorite songs, on the dance floor, in bumper stickers, jumping off of pages of books. You get the picture. It was as if my sabbatical was all about understanding what the word grace really meant, and how to embrace it in my life. This was not about work, this was about my inquiry into enlightenment, detachment and balance.
As my reflections on grace continued, I looked at how grace applies in the business mediums that I am passionate about- marketing, event planning, public relations, communications and fundraising. It is grace that always seals the deal. The pitch, the connection, the executed party, the presentation, the intricacies of relationship management, being the hostess with the mostess, creative thought, the concept of community….one word to success? Grace.
If you look in a dictionary, you might find the definition of grace to be listed like the below.
1. Seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement, form, or proportion.
2. A characteristic or quality pleasing for its charm or refinement.
3. A sense of fitness or propriety.
4. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill.
Grace is all of that, and so much more. Grace brings balance. It is a humbling yet uplifting presence that puts the perfect finishing touch on most everything. Associated with the softness of feminity, however making every man stronger. It is the magic that accompanies the work of every brilliant business person. And in these challenging economic times, it is grace that will help you weather the storm.
So how does grace apply to the principles of business? Grace is:
- Pure commitment to purpose.
- Compassionate and effective leadership.
- Style that has substance and flair.
- The fine tuning of details.
- The deliverance of creativity.
- The facilitation of clear connections.
- Innovative strategic thinking.
- Refined empowerment.
- Clarity arising from chaos.
- Embracing your nature.
- The art of delivery.
Create, connect, inspire. Grace always Delivers. Bring it into your life today and let me know how we can help! Visit www.gracedelivers.com.
“Whatever you think you can do, or believe you can do, begin it, because action has magic, grace and power in it.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Branding Identity Crisis? Inquire Within.
Posted in branding communications social media by on Jan 19 2011
Once upon a time, businesses would open with a smiling face and a new sign on the door. Fast forward to 2011, launching and managing a business has a myriad of faces all trying to herald one voice…enough to make anyone have an identity crisis without the proper meditation.
There’s a lot of information flying around about the fast-changing world of marketing and brand development/management in light of the continued evolution of digital media and consumer savvy. Internet marketing, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon….the list of branding mediums could seem to go on and on. Sanity tip to self: as a small business owner, be discerning about the information you receive and how it may (or may not) directly relate to your business or efforts of sales.
Everyone agrees that consumers are taking different routes to gain and share information regarding buying decisions. Different exposure opportunities have been created and are gaining momentum across technology platforms, and customers are interacting with their brand choices in different ways than before.
I hold strong to the premise that every client has a different story and is a different story- what works for one may not work for another. So at the base of any marketing evaluation, you need to define what you are offering and who your customer is. Then you can move into determining what strategies suit best and are most cost-effective and resourceful.
In my book, at the foundation of it all rests traditional marketing strategies….present a good product, back it up with your company brand, follow up with the right attention to detail and make your customers happy. Happy customers say good things, refer and come back for more. As Joe Calloway says in Becoming a Category of One, “Your brand is who you are, what you promise and your ability and willingness to keep that promise. Consistency of performance can be the most powerful differentiator of all.”
Recently, a CEO of one of Maui’s most prominent and reputable businesses emailed me an article for insight. It was written by David C. Edelman and titled “Branding in the Digital Age” and published in the Harvard Business Review.
In this article, David Edelman outlined a few important points regarding the new rules of branding in light of the evolution of social media in consumer spending practices.
1) Identify your customer.
2) Identify touch points that your customers are most open to influence at, and strategize about the best ways to leverage and interact with them at these points.
3) Understand the CONSUMER DECISION JOURNEY. Think about how your product would be presented along the way of the CONSUMER’S DECISION JOURNEY of “consider, evaluate, buy.” Then move into the CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PLAN that emphasizes the coherent brand experience, extending the boundaries of the brand itself into the realms of “enjoy, advocate and bond.”
4) Allocate resources effectively and cost efficiently.
Twitter! Facebook! YouTube! Oh My! So many choices, so little time…don’t fret. In the playground of business, be yourself (define your brand) and go make friends (in the way that best suits your interests and goals). You can’t be everything to everyone, but you are sure to find success if you shine on the right stages.
You can review David Edelman’s “Branding in the Digital Age“ and order a copy at: Harvard Business Review Online.
Find out what Grace Delivers can do to support your business branding efforts today!
There is a lot of intention toward gratitude during the holidays. It’s a time for us to sit back and reflect on all of the blessings in our lives…a dose of spirit served up with a big pretty bow. This is not your grandma’s egg nog. No, this is something deeper, lighter and more divine. What is it about gratitude anyway?
Well, it’s all about how you look at things. Is the glass half full or half empty? Will you choose to support, or destroy? Are you a leader, or a drag? Are you entitled to, or are you gifted by? You catch my drift. It’s all about choices, your choices. Growth comes from viewing situations, both positive and negative, as mirrors that can show the path of evolution- to a higher level of performance, balance, wellness and success. And then having gratitude for it all.
As in life, as in business. Do you believe that energy can dictate the success of a situation? Not only do I believe it, I know it and I see it often. In my work as a consultant, I often times find myself in situations that are broken, splintered and sometimes even carry a toxic undertone. Coming soon to an office near you: anywhere, anyone. You know the kind….where you are walking on eggshells, no one is excited to come to the table, people are not supporting each other, there is no clear path forward and typically there is an aftertaste of a mess. Remediation is needed…NOW.
When I find myself in this type of situation, I always return to gratitude. Existing in gratitude, communicating gratitude and transferring gratitude. Facilitating a positive energetic exchange between all parties, so that we can get on a forward moving path to a set of common goals and objectives. Appreciating each and every contribution, and supporting (rather than attacking or demeaning) those that need a little help along the way.
Defensiveness could be one of the top killers of productivity. When you put someone on the defense, their “fight or flight” sympathetic response starts firing. It is no longer about we, it is about me. When it shifts from we to me, the idea of reaching a collective “team” goal is hidden under an individual effort of survival.
The key to getting people to do what you want, and do it well, is ultimately making them happy. Happy people are devoted and operate with integrity. Tasks become a pleasure and not a chore. With authentic gratitude being the supporting current of your flow, your energy will be positive and uplifting. You will soon see that people like you more, listen to you more, do better work and ultimately support your bottom line.
There are things all around you that remind you the gratitude really is the sweet nectar of life. It’s in the smiles, the invitations, the shared stories, the surprise gifts…the offering of a hand to help, and a few extra minutes taken to get the job done right. All you have to do is tune in, and soon enough you will see that gratitude graces every success story.
So this holiday season, get extra cozy with gratitude and see how you feel.
And look up, I’ll meet you there. With a cup of egg nog.
Mele Kalikimaka!
On the eve of Makahiki, the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, I stood on the summit of Mt. Haleakala in a memory that seems like a dream. As close to the stars as you can get (9700 feet), I chanted a blessing with a good friend and cultural mentor, Daniel Kanahele. The seven sisters rose in all their brilliance and the moon lit up the desolate landscape, leaving us wondering what planet we could have been transported to.
Holiday time is upon us and there are lots of reasons to celebrate, but one you might not know about is Makahiki, which begins November 17th with the rising of Pleiades at the same time as the setting of the sun.
The ancient Makahiki festival, in honor of the Hawaiian god Lono, spanned four consecutive lunar months (approximately November-February), during which no work was allowed and war was forbidden (kapu). It was celebrated in three phases. The first phase was a time of spiritual cleansing and making ho’okupu, offerings to the gods. The second phase was a time of celebration, dancing, sports, singing and feasting. The third phase was a time to pay taxes.
In our celebration of the eve of Makahiki, Daniel took me on the road less traveled. The summit of Haleakala (Kolekole) is sacred to Kanaka Maoli (native Hawaiians). Believed to be the home to 40,000 Hawaiian gods and goddesses, the summit is near to wao akua, a level of earth stratosphere where gods and goddesses are believed to reside and culturally guide everyday living. We proceeded through the gates and past the prohibited signs to the two sacred altars built within the 18-acre Science City, home to about a dozen observatories and numerous large and small telescopes, some of which are owned by the U.S. Air Force and remain top secret.
Credit: Rob Ratkowski
Daniel spoke to me about the federal government’s Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), a proposed project that would bring the world’s largest optical solar telescope to the top of Haleakala, a 143-foot tall telescope with a 13-foot-diameter main mirror that would help provide the sharpest views ever of the sun. The telescope is highly controversial due to the continued desecration of a sacred location, as well as the additional environmental, cultural and ecological ramifications that would accompany the construction of a project of this capacity.
How do you mitigate spirituality? That was a question that Daniel posed to me as we sat behind the altar that is slated to be destroyed by the building of the telescope. As we sat and watched the Pleiades rise higher into the night sky, a bright laser burst over our heads from a nearby building, directed straight into space like a scene from a Star Wars movie. And I wondered….what is really important in the grand scheme?
It seems like my life has turned into a sequence of “firsts…” since I moved to Hawai’i: the first time I jumped off a waterfall, my first time standing at the end of a rainbow, my first baptism at a fish pond, the first time I scaled down a cliff, my first time as a minority, the first time I ate a purple potato…the list goes on and on. A laser being shot over my head into space was for sure a first. But by far the most enlightening part of moving to Hawai’i has been my introduction to the Hawaiian culture and learning about the spiritual base of living and loving that was the backbone of ancient Hawaiian practices. The sharing of mana (life force) between people, animals, plants and the heavens is a concept that is simple and beautiful: embracing the circle of life both in this world and those beyond in a way that is whole, authentic and powerful. To be welcomed into Hawai’i comes with a responsibility to hold and respect the Hawaiian spirit.
As we enter into Makahiki, embrace your right to cleanse of the past and open to the future. But think carefully of what that means to you, and the people who will come after you.
During this time of spiritual cleansing, this is an informative video discussing some of the destructive effects of the proposed Advanced Technology Solar Telescope on the spiritual practices of Native Hawaiians, addressing some thoughts surrounding the mitigation efforts of the telescope project. As an avid supporter of technology, education and economic development, I stand in a place of reverent reflection on the subject. The key that Daniel has taught me is “kama’aina”: that we acknowledge, respect and reflect, becoming acquainted and familiar with the issues and cultures that are active in our communities.
Holy Trash…and Chemicals in Your Face!
Posted in client stories events messages from maui by on Oct 27 2010Our newspaper headline would read, “Remarkable turn-out and trash collecting for first annual North Shore Clean Up and +H2O launch.” The North Shore Clean Up was a HUGE success, and I reveal some numbers below. A launch for +H2O, the event was in collaboration with Community Work Day’s “Get the Draft and Bag It” island wide campaign and in partnership with Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter. A great example of just how much can be done when a community is mobilized…THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED, please check out the +H20 blog post here to see supporting partners and sponsors.
HOLY TRASH! Just what was recorded by Community Work Day for our clean up efforts: 4 hours – 169 volunteers – 4 miles – 13,400 pounds of trash of solid wastes and metals including 8 recovered cars – 1713 cigarette butts – drug pipes and syringes – 212 food wrappers – 159 plastic bags – 339 caps and bottle lids. That is the abridged listing. The North Shore of Maui is now a much cleaner, and safer, place.
HOLY DOLLARS! $3500 raised at Elevate Party to benefit +H20 Water Charities Fund to build a well for a future international project and $500 donated by Ocean Vodka for +H2O to collaborate with Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter on a local clean water initiative.
+H20 is well on its way to making some waves locally and internationally, uniting a global network of passionate water enthusiasts dedicated to clean water and clean living initiatives for communities around the world. Based on Maui, Hawaii, the +H2O network celebrates the sport of windsurfing and extends inspiration for clean living practices that are in support of health, wellness and environmental balance. +H2O is proud to be working with Water Charity, a high impact international organization with a proven track record of successful clean water projects in communities around the world. The +H2O Water Charity fund has been created to fund selected projects in specified surf locations as chosen by the +H2O watermen team. To be part of the +H20 community, check them out on Facebook or the website and learn more.
More pictures can be found at Grace Delivers’ Facebook photo album of event here.
So, in the world of Grace Delivers, we continue to be blessed with amazing projects, surrounded by inspiring people and embraced by the beauty of the natural environment. Ain’t life grand!
BUT our newspaper headline could read: ”Chemicals blowing in your face? Just a thwarted attempt to ruin a clean water initiative and community clean up party.”
As over 120 people started to gather to check in for the North Shore Clean Up at Baldwin Beach Park on a busy Saturday morning on the North Shore of Maui, Hawaii, people were dumbstruck as they watched a helicopter come low and near to do TWO rounds of what we can assume to be pesticide/herbicide spraying on the sugar cane fields. Chemicals dumped on the community- adults and children at a state park- as they gather for a clean up and the launch of +H2O, a clean water initiative activism project. The irony.
The wind was blowing ferociously and onlookers noticed a chemical smell, commented on feeling lightheaded and nauseous. There were lots of questions. What was that spraying in the wind? Was it dangerous to our health? Why did they only choose the one spot, and hit it twice, located just feet from a community park in the late morning on a busy Saturday? Just hundreds of yards from our ocean? Literally, almost on top of a gathering of people. Although this type of aerial spraying practice is known to happen and its safety is MUCH debated, no one had ever seen it at that time of day, so close, with so many people in the range of being affected. See for yourself, you will understand our concern.
The irony of it? The North Shore Clean Up was organized to launch +H20, a global community of water enthusiasts dedicated to raising awareness for clean water initiatives, started here on Maui by a group of windsurfing icons, Levi Siver, Jake Miller, Keith Teboul and Pascal Bronniman. It is a known fact that the leaching of chemicals from agricultural spraying into groundwater is a major source of water pollution.
In regards to the chemical spraying…we’d like some answers. If a representative from Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. would like to contact me, I would be happy to let everyone know that our worst fears are not confirmed. We hope that they would make corporate decisions to operate with more discretion about chemical spraying, respect for the community and health and well-being of the citizens of Maui. Perhaps their actions are in accordance with rules and regulations, but if that’s the case, our group of community do-gooders (including representatives from +H20, Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter, Community Work Day, local and national businesses and more) would like to object and propose that they operate with more consciousness.
Gaia by Waldo Retamales
Does it sometimes seem that the world’s challenges are too big to solve? That corporate business cannot change and align with more peaceful co-existence strategies? Read on. This post we explore four efforts that bring sustainable concept design to the new business paradigm: we can succeed in the world with fruitful business models rooted in social responsibility and an intrinsic understanding of human rights and environmental awareness.
I had the pleasure of getting to know the below profiled efforts at the World Congress on Zero Emissions, held in Honolulu last month. Timely, no (it’s been a busy month!)…but nonetheless…timeless.
By assigning value to important things that don’t have an assessed market value- including culture, education, community, economics and the environment- systems can change. And in the new business paradigm, they are changing.
Tomoyo Nonaka, Chair of Gaia Initiative, Former Chair and CEO, Sanyo Electric
In 2005, Tomoyo Nonaka became chairperson and CEO for Sanyo Electric. In October 2004, a M6.8 earthquake had hit a Sanyo semi-conductor factory, devastating business and leaving Sanyo in a position of crisis with crashing numbers and a lot of nervous executives.
Upon her taking chairperson position, she created the new corporate vision ‘Think Gaia’ and started to restructure many business divisions under the new vision; for Sanyo to become a leading company to solve environmental problems with its technology. She created a three-year Evolution Plan aimed at reorganizing the business portfolio and improving the corporate financial structure and conditions.
GAIA is the name of the Greek goddess of Earth. The ‘Think GAIA’ vision recognized Earth as a living planet where nature and all life were intimately interwoven. Taking inspiration from this concept, Sanyo vowed to promote a harmonious balance between technology and the environment through all its future products. What can Sanyo do for life and the earth? Provide products in the interlooping “Life and Earth” lifestyle; apply cutting-edge technology, to learn and spread wisdoms of living in sync with nature.
The ‘Think Gaia’ vision was created to make Sanyo profitable by shifting their business platform. They restructured their money losing business (primarily home electronics business) and focused their business powerhouses (solar business and rechargeable batteries, eneloop and hi-brid automoble batteries) to the Think Gaia vision.
Ms. Nonaka shifted a classic two-dimensional return on investment valuation metric; taking the conventional “Efficiency/Revenue” axes and adding “contribution or threat to Gaia” to create a 3-axis valuation grid. It did not take long for the company profit & loss statement to show the benefits, demonstrating a remarkable turn-around and moving towards financial profitability once again.
“My ‘Think GAIA’ vision – people just take it lightly, calling it too naive, or green, or childish, or womanly. But this is a fundamental thing for Sanyo.”- Tomoyo Nonaka, Executive Chairperson and CEO, Sanyo Electric Company Ltd., in 2006
(reference: Gaia Initiative website, ICMR, Case Study and Wikipedia.com)
Javier Morales, Spain
El Hierro, one of the smallest of Spain’s Canary Islands, is heading towards being completely carbon neutral. The island, with a population of around 10,000, will be powered by a combination of wind and hydroelectric power.
Most of the island’s power is taken from its 10 megawatt hydroelectric infrastructure. Excess wind power is used to pump water uphill into one of two reservoirs. The potential energy of that water then becomes a gigantic battery for times when the wind isn’t so strong. This unique system allows for wind power to become a steady, instead of intermittent, source of power.
The wind turbines also power a desalination plant for the island’s population. A diesel generator is maintained just in case the carbon-neutral system fails.
As Javier Morales, one of the masterminds behind El Hierro’s plans explained, the world is a living being and an island is a system: by diversification one becomes more competitive. Community planning must create: diversity, zero waste, dynamic system, and flow and interaction. Wastes should be the basis of the next project.
A balanced system comes from thriving nature, thriving agriculture, healthy people, clean water and leisure time to enjoy ourselves and be spiritually happy. You may not the change the world, but you can change yourself and when you do, everyone around you has to respond.
(reference: www.treehugger.com)
Chad W. Adams, Vice President Sustainable Development
Bio-Logical Capital conserves, restores and develops significant landscapes to sustain people and nature and to produce strong returns on invested capital.
They bring together investors, landowners, local communities and other partners to protect, enhance and responsibly develop large properties with multiple revenue opportunities such as sustainable forestry and agriculture, renewable energy, tourism and recreation, environmentally appropriate real estate development, and payments for conservation and ecosystem services.
As a real estate company, they deal with land, soil, water and human settlement. They look at natural systems for solutions, envisioning peaceful ways to co-exist with nature and addressing systemic problems with conflict resolution, energy, local knowledge and initiatives.
Conventional developers often use a single revenue model to produce short-term gains at the expense of nature, people and long-term economic value. Bio-Logical Capital sees a better way—to enhance property values and deliver attractive investment returns by conducting rigorous project evaluation and design, creating multiple revenue streams and respecting communities both human and natural.
They bring together partners and landowners who share their vision of enhanced, sustainable, integrated landscapes where business, community and nature prosper and thrive.
(reference: www.biologicalcapital.com)
Anders Nyquist, Sweden
“Our impact on the environment and the global growth of the human population demands a change to the ecocycle; we need an adapted way of planning and building. Traditional western infrastructure and way of planning for growth are not sustainable. What is sustainable then? What is the cycle of energy, water, material, air, sound, light and people in a society? Ecocycle design brings happy and healthy living, addressing social, ecological, economical and technical balance. Reduce, re-use, recycle, renew and rethink. EcoCycleDesign is a holistic way to design buildings and cities and it combines beautiful design with system design, high quality, less carbon footprints and energy saving. EcoCycleDesign includes cost efficiency, sustainability, energy saving, recycable material, high quality, good indoor environment and health.”
(reference: www.ecocycledesign.com)
You can access all presentations from the featured presenters at the World Congress on Zero Emissions website, and also see video clips of panel discussions including very noteworthy people in Hawaii’s clean energy future.
