Maximizing the Human Potential

Can I Really Do This?

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When I am working with leaders and talking about setting big goals, there is often an element of self-doubt. I really try to get people to go beyond their comfort zone and into uncharted territory, it’s natural to question your ability. It is important to fight this doubt, and really convince yourself that you can do it. This week I am going to talk about dealing with self-doubt and how you can overcome it. I’ll also offer a challenge that will improve your results!

Can I Really Do This?

Growth is an important part of life, and it’s not just for kids. All of nature had a fundamental need for growth. As humans, we have a need to continuously grow intellectually. We desire to have new experiences through travel, learn new skills and become a better version of ourselves. This is precisely why I encourage people, and organizations, to set goals well beyond anything they’ve ever done before. Chasing the big goal requires you or your organization to push beyond their current situation. In other words, to grow.

Self-Doubt
When you decide to do something you’ve never done before, it is likely you’ll doubt your ability to be able to accomplish the goal. Your subconscious, your paradigm, will give you all kinds of reasons that you can’t accomplish a goal. You’ll begin to question your own ability, your own experiences, your own talents. You’ll find yourself blaming the economy, lack of time, or lack of resources, for not starting. It happens. It happens to me and, it’ll happen to you.

The Good News
Throughout your life, you’ve been accomplishing things you’ve never done before. I am sure there was self-doubt along the way, but you didn’t let it stop you. Think of learning to ride a bike? Maybe starting your first job? Or even going out on your first date. At one point in time, these were all new experiences. You probably fell several times learning to ride a bike. At your first job, it is likely you didn’t know what to do and someone had to show you how to perform your duties. I’ll let you remember your first date, but I am sure you were nervous!

These challenges were accepted, because the end result was worth being temporarily uncomfortable. You saw other people riding a bike, and you wanted to be one of those people. You knew that you needed to get a job so you could buy the things you wanted. You knew going on that first date could lead to a meaningful relationship.

When self-doubt creeps in, when you lose faith that you can accomplish your dreams, take action to convince yourself you can. Remember all the other goals you’ve accomplished. Look at successful people and study them. You’ll find that they are no different than the rest of us, except that they pushed through the self-doubt and believed in themselves. Repeat affirmations to yourself and refuse to let anyone (including yourself) or anything cause you to doubt your abilities.

The Challenge
Recommit yourself to achieving those goals. If your goal doesn’t cause any doubt, aim higher!

Are you ready to put self-doubt behind you?

Click the link below and Let’s Continue the Conversation!

Shaffer Ingenuity can help you find what really drives you and provide you the tools to achieve those goals!

Continue the Conversation!

P1050175
Upcoming Events

I am excited to announce that have finalized our next live event “Mastering the Mental Game!” This is going to be entertaining and life changing! You won’t want to miss it.

Click button below to sign up now!
Space is limited!

▪ When: Saturday November 11th COMING UP!
▪ Time 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
▪ Open discussion to follow
▪ Where: Charles I. Ecker Business Training Center
6751 Columbia Gateway Dr.

Columbia, MD 21046

You can now follow me on Twitter! Follow me @AJShaffer27

Do you have a corporate training event, know of any group that may benefit from learning about the true secret to goal setting and achieving? Please contact me about talking to your group or corporate event!

I’m ready to Master The Mental Game!

Publication1
Now Available

My book Maximizing the Human Potential is available on Amazon. Make sure to pick up your copy!

Get my copy of Maximizing The Human Potential!

Quote of the Week

“Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.”

-Colin Powell

Learn More

I am always looking for opportunities to share some inspiration with others. If your company or club is looking for a guest speaker for a meeting, workshop or other event, I welcome the referral.

To learn more about any of our services from speaking engagements to personal and professional development training please visit my website.

To learn about the Thinking Into Results program for corporate leadership and peak performance or personal transformation, please contact me or visit my TIR website.

Kind regards,
Andrew Shaffer,
Shaffer Ingenuity

Employee Engagement

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I have two things this week. I recently sat for an interview with Sheri Hill, a RE/MAX Realtor in the Millersville, MD area. She hosts a local blog called parkbench Annapolis where people can find information about local events and companies. Please checkout her blog, and be sure to check out the results of her interview with me!

On Friday’s I go to a networking lunch. The reason I go isn’t because of the food, although it’s not bad, but I go because the group resonates with me. Every week, we have an opportunity to talk about ourselves and there is a thought provoking discussion that follows. From this discussion, we typically get some nugget of advice we can take with us to help our business. However something else happens. Often times people hang around for a while after, and socialize. This is when the real magic of the event happens. We talk to each other. Not so much about what we do, but as friends. We build relationships; relationships that go beyond what we do. People attend this meeting because the conversation is engaging, and it brings meaning to their Friday lunch hour. This week I am going to talk about employee engagement and how it can help your career and your business! I’ll also offer a challenge that will improve your results!

Employee Engagement

Many companies these days focus on “employee engagement”. At one company I worked with, engagement was talked about, used as leverage against management in performance reviews, and used as a punch line during after-work happy hours.

Organizations like Gallup were paid to come in and administer a survey to be used as a metric for measuring the level of engagement of the employees. Based on the results of the Gallup survey, we would be required to create action plans with our teams. The idea was to work on something that will get your team engaged and working towards a common goal. Most of the time, teams would pick something easy to do, something they knew they could accomplish without too much interference with their “real jobs.” As you might imagine, this didn’t really get teams engaged and had very little impact on actual engagement.

In these cases, I found that “focusing” on engagement often had the opposite result from the intended effect, and many times company leadership completely missed the point. The word “engagement” lost it’s true meaning and become a chore. When that happened, people found excuses for not following through. They’d blame some outside circumstance for their lack of employee engagement.

Why is Engagement Important?
There is a lot of research that explains why employee engagement is important to the performance of a company. Engaged employees tend to have less absenteeism, lower turnover, and higher productivity. This translates to higher profit margins for the company. I understand this because at times I’ve been not very engaged with my work, and when this happens I tend to procrastinate, and I am not nearly as efficient as I could be. In these instances, it will take me longer to complete a task than if I were really interested in completing the task. Let’s just say that when I was inefficient, I wasted one hour a week in low productivity. Now if we extrapolate that to fifty employees, a hundred employees, or even a thousand, those hours can really add up each week. It’s no wonder why companies find engagement important.

Engaging Employees is NOT a Chore!
Improving morale or engagement is something basic and really does not need specific action plans or surveys to accomplish. It does not have to be a chore! Cultivating and creating an inspired workforce is something that leaders should be doing every day. Some simple best practices leaders can do on a daily basis include listening to your team members, and genuinely being interested in them. Listen to your team and find ways to resolve problems. Actively show team members that their opinions and concerns are valid and are worth taking action to resolve. Provide help, and show respect and loyalty to your colleagues and the company. Helping someone who is struggling shows you genuinely care, and they are more likely to help you when you need help.

The Problem with Surveys and Action Plans
In the opening example above, we see that surveys and action plans aren’t actually the key to employee engagement and increased enjoyment and productivity at work. These are additional tasks, to be completed and checked off a list. It is only by listening and using empathy, from a position of genuine intent, that we can bring about increased engagement and all the rewards of it. There are no real shortcuts here, and no room for insincerity. In order to show that you care… you have to care.

The Challenge
Find a cause that will get your team excited and inspired. Shoot for an over the top productivity goal, sales goal, or profit. Challenge your team to break through their comfort zone and really find success!

Do you need help finding an inspiring cause?

Click the link below and Let’s Continue the Conversation!

Shaffer Ingenuity can help you find what really drives you and provide you the tools to achieve those goals!

Continue the Conversation!

P1050175
Upcoming Events

I am excited to announce that have finalized our next live event “Mastering the Mental Game!” This is going to be entertaining and life changing! You won’t want to miss it.

Click button below to sign up now!
Space is limited!

▪ When: Saturday November 11th COMING UP!
▪ Time 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
▪ Open discussion to follow
▪ Where: Charles I. Ecker Business Training Center
6751 Columbia Gateway Dr.

Columbia, MD 21046

You can now follow me on Twitter! Follow me @AJShaffer27

Do you have a corporate training event, know of any group that may benefit from learning about the true secret to goal setting and achieving? Please contact me about talking to your group or corporate event!

I’m ready to Master The Mental Game!

Publication1
Now Available

My book Maximizing the Human Potential is available on Amazon. Make sure to pick up your copy!

Get my copy of Maximizing The Human Potential!

Quote of the Week

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”

-Jack Canfield

Learn More

I am always looking for opportunities to share some inspiration with others. If your company or club is looking for a guest speaker for a meeting, workshop or other event, I welcome the referral.

To learn more about any of our services from speaking engagements to personal and professional development training please visit my website.

To learn about the Thinking Into Results program for corporate leadership and peak performance or personal transformation, please contact me or visit my TIR website.

Kind regards,
Andrew Shaffer,
Shaffer Ingenuity

This Isn’t Working!

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Last week truly was an interesting week. The direction I was traveling on Monday completely changed paths by Friday. I am still working towards the same goal, but I had to take personal inventory this week. I came to the realization I was traveling down a road that I thought was going to take me closer to my goal, but it wasn’t working the way I had hoped. I had to sit back, evaluate my plan and come up with a new one. This was an AHA! moment when I had to take my own advice. While I have adjusted my plan, I never changed my goals. I was able to take what I had learned, and come up with a new strategy. Today’s article discusses what to do when you aren’t getting any closer to the goal, and it offers a challenge that I hope you accept. It could change your life for the better! Thank you for reading!

This Isn’t Working!

The objective of setting goals is to cause you to grow and to achieve something you’ve never accomplished before. Having a goal without a plan is just having a dream. You need to create a plan and take action with that plan as your guide. Take action… nothing will happen until you cause it to happen.

What Happens When the Plan Isn’t Working?
When you are creating a plan to achieve something you’ve never done before, there will invariably be some dead ends or strategies that simply don’t work. This is fine! It just means the plan needs work, but don’t change the goal!

Before taking off on an adventure towards a new goal, you should do some research. Find someone that has done what you want to do, and try to mimic what they’ve done. Obviously, they’ve cleared a path and if you follow that path then you’re likely to face less opposition. However, as with anything in life, no two paths are ever identical.

Step Back!
This is where you need to be able to take a step back and review your plan. Find where you need to make changes. This is always a pivotal time where you need to be careful. Let’s say you are in sales and a big part of your prospecting involves networking. You’ve been going to two networking events a week for months, but you aren’t getting any qualified leads! You aren’t filling your pipeline with prospects! You’re not making any money, in fact you’re spending money with no revenue. In the meantime, your kids need braces and the car needs new tires! Here is where you might say “networking doesn’t work!” But let me ask, is the problem really that networking doesn’t work? Are you networking in the wrong places? Do you talk to the same people at every networking event?

Seek Advice
Before you decide to quit networking all together, seek advice. This doesn’t mean asking your neighbor for his opinion, unless he is an uber-successful salesperson. Most people ask their buddies for advice in areas where their buddies aren’t experts. It would be ridiculous for someone to ask their neighbor for advice on a toothache. You probably want to visit a dentist for that. However, many people will go to their neighbor or buddies for career advice. We do this even if our neighbor is no more successful than we are, or in another line of work!

When you seek advice, get the right advice. Seek help from someone who has worked in your specialty, and has been there and done that! Find someone that is knowledgeable in what you need to resolve, and someone that you can trust. I like to use mentors in this area. Choose a mentor that has knowledge and experience. A mentor should be someone that has no vested interest in you, other than your success. This means they aren’t dependent on you and they don’t have baggage that might cloud their advice. A mentor is someone that is fully committed to helping you succeed.

Adjust the Plan
Don’t give up on the goal, but change the plan. Take the advice of mentors and other trusted advisors and create a new plan. Remember to change the plan, not the goal. If you’re traveling across country from New York to California and the bridge that will get you over the Mississippi River is unpassable, you’ll find a new way to get to California. California is the goal. If the original plan didn’t work, develop a new plan. In this case it will probably mean taking a detour to another bridge. This happens all the time. Often, when people face the plan adjustment, they change their goal instead. Maybe what I was going after was too lofty. Maybe I am not worthy to achieve that goal. There are many doubts that people have. Dismiss the doubts, and create a new plan!

The Challenge
The challenge this week is to look at what it is you’ve set out to do. Maybe even dust off your 2017 New Year resolutions that you fell short of. Were those goals worthwhile? Did you fall off course because you hit a challenge? Create a new plan and see if you can’t get those goals accomplished. It’s not too late to make 2017 THE YEAR OF YOU!

Do You Need Help Revising Your Plan?

Click the link below and Let’s Continue the Conversation!

Shaffer Ingenuity can help you find what really drives you and provide you the tools to achieve those goals!

Continue the Conversation!

P1050175
Upcoming Events

I am excited to announce that have finalized our next live event “Mastering the Mental Game!” This is going to be entertaining and life changing! You won’t want to miss it.

Click button below to sign up now!
Space is limited!

▪ When: Saturday November 11th COMING UP!
▪ Time 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
▪ Open discussion to follow
▪ Where: Charles I. Ecker Business Training Center
6751 Columbia Gateway Dr.

Columbia, MD 21046

You can now follow me on Twitter! Follow me @AJShaffer27

Do you have a corporate training event, know of any group that may benefit from learning about the true secret to goal setting and achieving? Please contact me about talking to your group or corporate event!

I’m ready to Master The Mental Game!

Publication1
Now Available

My book Maximizing the Human Potential is available on Amazon. Make sure to pick up your copy!

Get my copy of Maximizing The Human Potential!

Quote of the Week

“The greatest mistake a man can make is to be afraid of making one.”

-Elbert Hubbard

Learn More

I am always looking for opportunities to share some inspiration with others. If your company or club is looking for a guest speaker for a meeting, workshop or other event, I welcome the referral.

To learn more about any of our services from speaking engagements to personal and professional development training please visit my website.

To learn about the Thinking Into Results program for corporate leadership and peak performance or personal transformation, please contact me or visit my TIR website.

Kind regards,
Andrew Shaffer,
Shaffer Ingenuity

One Thing You Can Do That Makes You More Valuable!

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Who knew that running your own business meant so much hard work? It’s not all just “doing what you love to do”. I find myself doing a lot of selling these days, and one thing people ask is what makes my services different. This is such a common question, and it’s forced me to think about the answer in different ways. I know many businesses, and even individuals, who are interchangeable with their competition. They struggle to find how they can get the competitive edge and give better products or services. So, because they are like everyone else, they offer discounts. When you apply this to individuals that are all the same as the next guy, you’ll notice that they don’t advance their career in pay or position. Today’s article discusses finding what makes you different, and it offers a challenge that I hope you accept. It could change your life for the better! Thank you for reading!

One Thing You Can Do That Makes You More Valuable!

Be different! It worked for Apple, why wouldn’t it work for you? Apple’s whole philosophy is based on two words Think Different.

Conformity
From early in our childhood conformity is encouraged. Depending on where you grew up, and how you were raised, at some level conformity is encouraged. If not from your family unit, your school, your coach, your church, and from your friends. I am sure that at some point you did something that everyone else was doing just to be cool or to fit in with the crowd.

We go to school, and there are rules to get us all looking in the same direction at the same time. We speak only when it was appropriate and if not… there are consequences. As a parent now, I’ll use peer pressure. “Look at little Johnny over there being quiet. You should be quiet too!” Society generally imposes a set of norms or rules that most of us conform to on a daily basis. Few people challenge or even break social norms, because they have been conditioned to fear the consequences.

Let’s Think About This…
From early in our lives, most of us were led to believe that to be successful you have to go to college, get a job, and work your way up the corporate ladder. Perhaps after a few years of that we can go out on our own, but only after we’ve developed a valuable, marketable skill set that can be used to… make someone else rich! The more we learn, the harder we work, the more successful we’ll be. Sure, that makes sense.

I have a few questions… Do you know of anyone that is successful that hasn’t followed these rules? A successful entrepreneur that hasn’t graduated college? Um… Steve Jobs?

And, do you know someone that has followed all the rules and worked hard every day, that barely treads water? Does that resonate with anyone? Is it you?

Be Unique
Before you decide to quit networking all together, seek advice. This doesn’t mean asking your neighbor for his opinion, unless he is an uber-successful salesperson. Most people ask their buddies for advice in areas where their buddies aren’t experts. It would be ridiculous for someone to ask their neighbor for advice on a toothache. You probably want to visit a dentist for that. However, many people will go to their neighbor or buddies for career advice. We do this even if our neighbor is no more successful than we are, or in another line of work!

When you seek advice, get the right advice. Seek help from someone who has worked in your specialty, and has been there and done that! Find someone that is knowledgeable in what you need to resolve, and someone that you can trust. I like to use mentors in this area. Choose a mentor that has knowledge and experience. A mentor should be someone that has no vested interest in you, other than your success. This means they aren’t dependent on you and they don’t have baggage that might cloud their advice. A mentor is someone that is fully committed to helping you succeed.

Adjust the Plan
Last week I discussed plans to be successful. Find someone successful and follow what they did. I also said that this isn’t an exact blueprint. No two people are exactly the same. We all look different and have different personalities. So why would the path one person take work out perfectly for another person? Why on earth should we all have the same pattern to success? It makes no sense.

The point is, you have to be unique. This goes back to creating a dream and a vision that is right for you. Every great philosopher in the world will teach that we live in an abundant universe, where anything you want is available to you. How can that be? Well, we all want different things! We don’t all want to live on the beach or to drive the same car. Therefore, there is plenty to go around.

How Do You Differentiate Yourself From Your Competition?
When I meet with people and explain what I do, they’ll ask what makes me successful, or how do I differentiate myself from my competition. What makes me unique from my competition is my passion for improvement and a personal connection with my clients. I am not just putting someone through a program and hoping they succeed. My entire philosophy has been centered on helping everyone around me succeed, and as a result I partner with clients to help them succeed. The coaching I provide is based on a deep level of trust, faith, and understanding.

Differentiating yourself from others means bringing something unique, something special about yourself to the relationship. When you try to be someone else, you’ll fail. When you are yourself, and show your uniqueness, then you open yourself up to success.

The Challenge
Think about what you are doing, and are you doing it different than your competition. If you want to differentiate yourself from your competition, and the best way to do that is to be yourself, and tap into what makes you unique in the marketplace. You may have to undo years of programming, but it is the surefire way to grow! It’s not too late to make 2017 THE YEAR OF YOU!

Do You Need Help Finding How You’re Different?

Click the link below and Let’s Continue the Conversation!

Shaffer Ingenuity can help you find what really drives you and provide you the tools to achieve those goals!

Continue the Conversation!

P1050175
Upcoming Events

I am excited to announce that have finalized our next live event “Mastering the Mental Game!” This is going to be entertaining and life changing! You won’t want to miss it.

Click button below to sign up now!
Space is limited!

▪ When: Saturday November 11th Less than a week away!
▪ Time 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
▪ Open discussion to follow
▪ Where: Charles I. Ecker Business Training Center
6751 Columbia Gateway Dr.

Columbia, MD 21046

You can now follow me on Twitter! Follow me @AJShaffer27

Do you have a corporate training event, know of any group that may benefit from learning about the true secret to goal setting and achieving? Please contact me about talking to your group or corporate event!

I’m ready to Master The Mental Game!

Publication1
Now Available

My book Maximizing the Human Potential is available on Amazon. Make sure to pick up your copy!

Get my copy of Maximizing The Human Potential!

Quote of the Week

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

-Oscar Wilde

Learn More

I am always looking for opportunities to share some inspiration with others. If your company or club is looking for a guest speaker for a meeting, workshop or other event, I welcome the referral.

To learn more about any of our services from speaking engagements to personal and professional development training please visit my website.

To learn about the Thinking Into Results program for corporate leadership and peak performance or personal transformation, please contact me or visit my TIR website.

Kind regards,
Andrew Shaffer,
Shaffer Ingenuity

Your Secret Weapon against your competition!

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Prior to my career helping businesses and individuals Maximize the Human Potential, I spent my days managing engineering projects for a large company. Working with engineers offered a unique challenging to find engaged and motivated employees. Most (not all) engineers tend to be introverted and prefer to be left alone “to do their job.” The trouble is creativity flows when people collaborate. In an ever-competitive industry we were always being challenged to “do more with less” to keep cost down under control. This week I am going to talk about this unique situation and be sure to check out the challenge below that can change your life and your business for the better! Thank you for reading, and have a great Thanksgiving!

Your Secret Weapon!

The true discriminator between one company and another is the employees. Two companies in the same industry in the same geographical area have the same access to talent. They have the same access to customers, and to marketing. In fact, they can take advantage of the same resources… and still yield different results.

Sure, each company will have a different system, maybe a proprietary blend of processes and systems that make them unique, but without someone executing those processes and systems, nothing can happen. Actually, nothing in a company happens without human intervention. You can automate processes and procedures, but a human being has to be there at some level. People and culture make the difference in a company.

What is Culture?
A culture is really a set of habits that any given group has. There are family cultures, which we may refer to as traditions. There are societal cultures. Your school, workplace, community, church all have cultures associated with them. You can go from one school to another and see differences in cultures. People dictate the culture, and without people, there is no culture.

Do More with Less!
Last week I started on a similar topic with process improvements. We understand the importance of doing more with less. This helps keep cost down, gets products to market faster and improves profits. Sounds great, right?

The trouble is, most people get stuck in their habits. So, when they are being asked to do more with less, they work harder but keep doing their job the same way! This is a lose-lose situation. In this scenario people work harder, maybe even longer hours to get the same results! If someone does the same thing over and over again, it is only logical that they’ll get the same results. And, if you do that one thing harder, or with more energy, you just get the same result faster! In the end you have the same product, and burned out employees.

Why This Fails
People are creatures of habit, so when they have a job to do they go about it the same way every time. The longer someone has been doing something, the more ingrained the habit. If someone is successful in sales, they most likely have a pattern to their sales call. They are comfortable and familiar with that system, and probably get a certain amount of success.

However, people’s buying habits have changed over the last 20 years and even over the last 10 years. Let’s say someone is in the market to purchase a car. You can’t sell a car the same way you did 20 years ago. Today if someone goes onto a car lot they already know what the car is worth. If they don’t, they can pull out their phone. With a few swipes, they can be looking at the same car from dozens of dealers. The way to sell cars 20 years ago and now are completely different. So, if a sales person wants to be successful in today’s competitive market, they must adapt to these new ways of selling.

There Has to Be a Better Way!
Business leaders know that an engaged workforce drives productivity, creativity, and profits. In a scenario where the employees are engaged, they are being creative. Creative employees will they help drive the changes necessary to “do more with less”. This is important, because people resist being changed. However, if the change their idea, and a product of their own creativity, then they are more willing and likely to change.

Management telling an employee they have to do more with less kills morale. Creating a culture where the employees are creative and naturally looking for self-improvement boosts morale…and results! This is where employees are empowered to be creative. They will find satisfaction because they are learning and growing. Do you want to do more with less? In other words, do you want to improve efficiency organically? Then create a culture of self-improvement through empowerment!

The Challenge
This week focus attention on creating an engaged workforce drives productivity, creativity, and profits. Have your team identify an area that can be changed, and empower them to make the change. The creativity and improvement may help you rise above your competition!

Do you want help creating an engaged workforce that drives productivity, creativity, and profits?

Click the link below and Let’s Continue the Conversation!

Shaffer Ingenuity can help you find what really drives you and provide you the tools to achieve those goals!

Continue the Conversation!

P1050175
Upcoming Events

Coming in December!
I am offering three (3) weekly webinars, based on my book Maximizing the Human Potential. You will learn how to create YOUR vision, steps for creating the success YOU desire, and how to overcome the doubt that holds you back! These are made available so that you can take immediate action to get the results you are looking for. Additional information can be found on my website, or contact me today to join immediately.

Do you have a corporate training event, know of any group that may benefit from learning about the true secret to goal setting and achieving? Please contact me about talking to your group or corporate event!

I’m ready for a change!

Publication1
Now Available

My book Maximizing the Human Potential is available on Amazon. Make sure to pick up your copy!

Order the book behind the RESULTS!

Quote of the Week

“No company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.”

-Jack Welch

Learn More

I am always looking for opportunities to share some inspiration with others. If your company or club is looking for a guest speaker for a meeting, workshop or other event, I welcome the referral.

To learn more about any of our services from speaking engagements to personal and professional development training please visit my website.

To learn about the Thinking Into Results program for corporate leadership and peak performance or personal transformation, please contact me or visit my TIR website.

Kind regards,
Andrew Shaffer,
Shaffer Ingenuity