Susan K. Wehrley

The sole purpose of a business is to grow. This can take on many dimensions – acquisitions, grabbing more market share, or new product or service, just to name a few. Many people get stuck and never grow because they think, “This is how we have always done it!” Or, when they want to grow and make changes, they do not understand the steps needed for a smart calculated risk.

Dopamine – a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and anticipation of reward – creates the motivation and energy needed to obtain results, according to Robert Sapolsky, neuroscientist and primate researcher. When a reward is created, and anticipated, employees work for the reward and a rise of dopamine occurs.

Staying open to optimism is a habit we all can learn, no matter what our position in life.

One of the biggest reasons companies call me for coaching and consulting is due to internal strife. They know it inhibits growth, but oftentimes are too close to the situation to see their way out of the chaos and into the creative opportunity for growth.

One of the greatest reasons my clients hire me for executive coaching is to help them get clear. Anxiety has a way of creating fog in our minds and speeds up our internal processor, creating confusion instead of clarity.

When we allow the E.G.O. to be present at work, we create an organization filled with internal competition.

Stress can cause massive physical changes in the body. When we perceive a threat, the body floods with stress hormones and our adrenalin accelerates the body's ability to respond rapidly. Heart rate and breathing increase, muscles tense and we sweat more as the body goes into "fight or flight" mode to deal with the perceived danger.

The one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs' death this month reminds us of the entrepreneurial spirit and American dream we all hope to achieve, whether we are considering opening up a business, already have one, or are working within a company as an employee.

Whether I am coaching leaders, executives, employees, salespeople or individuals for personal growth, often the need to improve one's listening becomes a focus, if greater success is the goal.

Most of us live our life (both personally and professionally), managing it by goals and our “to do list” (initiatives). We promise ourselves to accomplish our action list and are hard on ourselves when we do not. This “to do” list becomes the measurement of our self-worth.

I recently attended the American Heart Association's Heart Ball, and asked my ballroom dance partner to be my guest. I thought with the Eddie Butts Band playing, how much more fun could it be than to dance all night long?

Valentine's Day reminds us of the message of love. However, we generally don't think of love as it applies to business. Yet there is so much to gain when we bring “love” into the workplace. Much like a long-term relationship, we can find that the love is gone one day, when we don't take the steps to ensure it is active.