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WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
 Hi Everyone,
When I began my journey of “this works and that doesn’t,” I needed my mentors to be women. Perhaps because of some past experiences, I wasn’t very open to what a male mentor would have to say. As a result, some of my best mentors have been women. For example . . .
As a speaker and seminar leader, I learned as much from author Louise Hay about how to handle an audience as I did from the information she presented. In Oprah Winfrey, I saw someone who had the courage to divorce herself from sensationalized negativity and teach an entire country about personal integrity, honest relationships, and community accountability. I figure we all have an audience for whom we must take responsibility, and I thank Oprah for the example.
When I say I attended hundreds of Marianne Williamson’s seminars and that I own a hundred of her lectures on audiotape, I am not exaggerating. When it comes to a belief in a higher power, a belief in myself exactly as I am, and a belief in the goodness of people, Marianne provides a foundation for all of that, and she does it with humor, confidence, and loudness. Yeah, God has a sense of humor, he doesn’t mind that I too am loud, and I thank Marianne for teaching me that.
Thanks to the brilliant example from my mother, who has also joined me in my company for the past 20 years, I learned life and business lessons that have made me into the leader I am today. She showed me that compassion, forgiveness, seeing the whole person, and understanding that people’s personal lives have a lot to do with their performance at work all need to be on my radar as well as whether a person performs well at work.
This month’s newsletter contains powerful information from some inspiring female leaders and mentors. I hope you’ll enjoy their messages as much as I do. Let’s all strive to create safe places for the wonderful women in our lives—at home, in our communities, and in our work environments.
Thanks for helping me live my fantasy of spreading this BE NICE message and giving nice people a voice.
XOXO, Winn
A BE NICE Story
Do you have a BE NICE story to share? Send it to editor@BeNiceOrElse.com. If it appears in the newsletter, you’ll receive a BE NICE T-shirt and CD!
Leadership is not a position or a title. True leadership simply means having influence over another human being, which makes all of us leaders. This woman had influence over a total stranger and she chose to access her leadership, use the BE NICE culture, and make a difference.
 Dear Winn
Not too long ago I was in the drive-through line at a fast food restaurant in Clarksville, Tennessee, home to the 101st Airborne Division. For some reason, I was depressed—one of those things you can’t put your finger on. I didn’t know how to “fix it” and make myself feel better. I only felt more frustrated, and thought I’d go out for a quick bite to eat.
As I was driving up to the pay window, I noticed behind me a young man, probably not more than 20 years old, still in his desert fatigues (BDUs, I think they call them). He looked tired and dusty and was all alone in his car. Then I had an idea. I asked the clerk at the window, “How much is the young man’s bill, the one who’s right behind me?” She told me and I paid his bill for him.
As I was getting my food at the next window, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the pay window clerk talking to the soldier and pointing at my car. Oh, No! I thought. I’d feel uncomfortable if he thanked me.
As I pulled to the exit lane, I was detained by traffic. Before I could pull onto the street, the young soldier pulled up alongside me. “I just got back from Iraq, my second tour,” he said. “No one knew I was coming today and I was kinda bummed out cuz there was no one to meet me. I came over here to get some real American food, and then you did this for me. Thanks for making me feel that I got a welcome home greeting after all.”
I told him I was happy to do it. Then, as I drove away, I realized my depression had also lifted. I was happy to do it—made happy to do something for someone else.
Theresa Jensen Lacey
Author and professional speaker
www.tjensenlacey.com
BE NICE News
Winn Claybaugh Interviewed on Vortex Network
 Winn Claybaugh appeared on the popular Vortex Network radio program Health and Harmony on May 21. The author of Be Nice (Or Else!) talked about what it takes to become one of the happiest and most successful people you know, just by being nice. He also identified some factors that keep people from being nice, talked about how to overcome them, and explained how boosting your self-esteem can help you awaken your own niceness factor as well as those around you.
CLICK HERE to listen to Winn Claybaugh on Health and Harmony radio.
 BE NICE Message Is Reaching Millions
The BE NICE revolution is spreading fast! Winn Claybaugh’s timely and topical articles regularly appear on numerous high-traffic Web sites, including . . .
Wellness.com: A premier lifestyle site drawing over 1.7 million people per month
Beliefnet.com: A top-5,000 site that reaches over 1.4 million people each month
SheKnows.com: Another top-5,000 site that draws over 471,000 monthly visitors
DrLaura.com: Syndicated radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s Web site, which reaches more than 54,000 people per month
Monthly Audio Message
Jerri Rosen
CEO and Founder of Working Wardrobes
 In 1990, Jerri Rosen and five friends found themselves disturbed by growing statistics of domestic violence. Setting out on a mission to help, the group gathered clothing and accessories, stored them in Jerri’s office, and held the first Day of Self-Esteem. Serving 67 women from six shelters, the life-changing event was the first of its kind in Orange County, California, and the beginning of Working Wardrobes. Slowly branching out, the organization began helping women from all walks of life get back to work.
In 1997, Jerri introduced an idea to expand Working Wardrobes and help men return to work. A partnership with George Zimmer and the Men’s Wearhouse led to a men’s Day of Self-Esteem, adding ex-convicts, former drug abusers, and homeless veterans to the list of people receiving help.
In 2000, another audience was added for services: emancipating and at-risk youth. An extensive series of workshops for this group includes career coaching, presentation skills, values and ethics discussions, and a separate Day of Self-Esteem.
 Today, Working Wardrobes annually serves 4,500 men, women, and teens emerging from a variety of life crises including homelessness, catastrophic illness, alcohol and substance abuse, traumatic financial losses, domestic violence, and others. Days of Self-Esteem have become exciting annual events that draw hundreds of corporate and community volunteers. A year-round Career Center provides professional wardrobing and grooming services, as well as an array of career development services such as résumé development and interview coaching. Three upscale resale boutiques and a vintage and thrift shop provide funding stability. A Cinderellas for Life event provides prom dresses, etiquette, skin/health care, and goal-setting workshops to hundreds of underprivileged teens.
CLICK HERE to discover how Working Wardrobes builds self-esteem for men, women, and teens and what you can do to help.
For more information, visit Working Wardrobes at www.workingwardrobes.org.
If you enjoyed this month’s audio message, you’ll love our MASTERS Audio Club. CLICK HERE for more information.
People Profile
Melissa Yamaguchi
Melissa Yamaguchi and her husband Billy opened the Yamaguchi Salon and Coastal Spa in October 1992. Since then, they’ve added five more salon/spas in California, plus a line of spa products used in top spas throughout the United States. They plan to open two additional salon/spas in the near future.
A passionate advocate for the salon/spa industry, Melissa served as the first president of the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) and the first female president of The Salon Association (TSA). She has been interviewed several times for Winn Claybaugh’s MASTERS Audio Club series and for numerous consumer and trade publications, including American Salon, Spa, DAYSPA, Better Homes and Gardens, Vogue, and W magazines.
Melissa has received substantial recognition for her innovation and skills in operating spas and salons. Her company was the first in the industry to incorporate feng shui into its services, products, and seminars. In her role as Minister of Culture, Melissa makes sure every employee knows what the company stands for and represents the company’s culture in every way, from how they dress and answer the phones to the appearance of their collateral marketing materials.
With a mission of teaching people about energy and choices, Melissa spends the majority of her time speaking to audiences about the 3,000-year-old tradition of feng shui and its application to business and life. “We’re dedicated to promoting the tenets of feng shui, which has closely been associated with landscape and interior design,” Melissa says. “When studied on a deeper level, the principles are really based on an individual’s energy.”
When speaking to women, Melissa focuses on recognizing, respecting, and honoring the individual’s energy. “I believe that once you have captured the essence of who you are, then you can fit into your societal role easier. As women, where do you find the balance between running a multimillion-dollar company, doing the laundry, darning socks, and changing diapers? When I teach groups of women, I talk to them about defining those roles and understanding the tasks for each one. Once they know their core energy and who they are, then it’s easier to fill those roles and understand how to switch within them easier. It’s all centered around honoring energy.”
For more information, visit www.yamaguchibeauty.com or e-mail Melissa at myamaguchi6@aol.
Corporate Corner
Build a Women-Friendly Workplace
By Winn Claybaugh
 In my industry, the beauty industry, approximately 80% of the workforce consists of women. The percentage of women in your industry or company may not be that high but if you have even one woman working for you, how about doing all you can to create a culture and environment that supports women? Here are five quick ideas for creating a more women-friendly workplace:
Support philanthropic causes and organizations that solely support women and women’s issues, such as violence against women, domestic abuse and rape, or breast cancer.
A lot of offices tend to be clinical, sterile, and uninspiring. How about adding a “woman’s touch” and creating a more inspiring, friendly, nurturing environment with color on the walls, plants, music, flowers, and anything else that might brighten up your workplace? If you need to, let the experts take this one over, meaning the women in your office.
Create a task force or committee made up of the women in your office, the spouses of your male employees, and perhaps your female clients. Empower them to find ways to improve your culture and address the needs of women to create a safer, more friendly environment. Come up with some ideas about what’s working and not working.
Take a good look at your leadership team. Does it represent a healthy cross section of women, men, generations, and cultures? Seek out people who bring variety, perspective, and insight to your company. Open your team to people of every gender, color, religion, heritage, sexual orientation, interest, belief system, and lifestyle. Not only will you expose your organization to fascinating cultures, you’ll also liberate it from some of the negative beliefs that can accompany stereotypes.
Some companies are notorious for creating male-dominated events, such as weekend golf tournaments. Why not create a company event or activity that appeals to the interests of your entire team? If you’re not sure what that might be, poll your team to find out.
It’s very “old school” thinking to give all the power to the men. The generation entering the workforce today has been raised to respect both men and women as leaders. You will definitely broaden your horizons, attract more customers, and create a healthier work environment by giving more power to both women and men.
Do Something!
Create a Stress-Free Work Environment
By Sasha Rash
Human beings are hardwired for stress. The “fight or flight” instinct triggered by stress was designed to keep us alive, and stress activates chemicals in the body that help us accomplish difficult tasks. However, our modern-day reaction to stress can get us into trouble. Inappropriate and unhealthy responses to stress have been tied to heart attacks and high blood pressure. Whether you work as a stay-at-home mom, a business owner, a money manager, or any other career, here are seven tips to help you create a less stressful environment.
- Listen more. Life is less stressful when you’re not talking. Being present and listening gives you information and frees you from having to be creative or come up with answers.
- Work for someone or something bigger than yourself. People who work successfully in stressful jobs or life-and-death situations usually do it for something outside themselves. You have to define that “something” for yourself.
- For at least two minutes each day, reverse your feet and head. If you practice yoga, do a headstand. Or lie down on the floor with your legs and feet on the wall above your head. This rejuvenating activity redirects gravity as well as your thinking.
- Check out for a minute or two. To end a stressful situation or transition to a different energy level, lie on your back with your feet and arms gently spread, palms up, neck loose, shoulders down, and eyes closed. In this “small death of the moment,” you’re reborn on a higher level.
- Get quiet. Our senses are constantly bombarded by phones, e-mails, people, and other stimuli. Shut it all off and get quiet for a few minutes.
- Eliminate violence. Few of us are on the “front lines” with our physical safety at risk, but we often surround ourselves with incredibly violent images, media, and conversation. To reduce stress, minimize the amount of violence you allow into your life.
- Manage your money. In our culture, money represents the basic need for food and shelter. When we make irresponsible financial decisions our basic instinct kicks in and the response is stress. Making solid financial choices may not give instant gratification or make others happy, but over time you will be healthier.
Sasha Rash is an entrepreneur, cosmetology school owner, salon owner, and past president of The Salon Association.
Quotes of the Month
“When you get to the top, stay there and make sure other women join you.”
— Maureen Reagan
“A woman is like a tea bag, you cannot tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”
— Nancy Reagan
Winn Claybaugh’s Be Nice (Or Else!) The Newsletter!
Copyright © 2008 by Winn Claybaugh. All rights reserved.
Editor: Gail Fink
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