Intro: He used to be an out of work, drowning in debt, actor. Who was so broke he passed out chocolates as a job in New York Times Square. Now, he is a financially fit husband and dad living a kick ass life of travel and fun, and will never have to punch a time clock again. Delivering only the best business tips to the pros. Buckle your chin strap, you just stepped into training camp with Coach Jimmy.
About Jenelle
Jimmy: Well hello there and welcome to another episode of training camp. I am your host, Coach Jimmy, and I am so thankful you are joining us today because, like the title says, this is training camp where we bring you the secret home business tips from the pros, and I have an amazing pro lined up for you today. I am so excited to bring in our next guest, just to brag on her a little bit. She didn’t ask me to, but I feel obligated to, because she is one of the coolest ladies I have ever met. Obviously she is an amazing wife, mom and business owner, and in 6 short years is a multi-million dollar earner with her home business. What I love the most about her is that it is not all just about her. When I have time to spend with her and her team I have just never been around a team where I have seen more amazing leadership. When I see leadership, I just want to climb back and find out where does that leadership come from. That has brought me to my guest here today, Jenelle Summers. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today.
Jenelle: Thank you Jimmy. It is seriously my pleasure; I love doing this stuff. It is an honor to be on here today.
Jimmy: Thanks, so we have been friends for awhile now, and I always love picking your brain and I love our conversations. I always feel like we come out of them with a nugget here and a nugget there, and specifically, I wanted to bring you on today to talk about leadership. Your team is just filled with amazing leaders that have gone on to create teams of their own. I just wanted to know where that comes from and where you find these leaders. So, I want to start straight up with a question about leadership. Do you think that leaders are found? Is it just a lottery of finding someone that is an amazing leader, or do you feel like anyone can be developed to be a leader with the right steps?
Jenelle: I definitely feel like anyone that has a certain character and integrity about themselves, anyone that has that, can be developed into a fantastic leader. I really feel like you don’t need to be looking for the luck of the draw, and looking for these rock stars, who are just shining diamonds somewhere. I really feel like if you just find good people that have the right integrity and the right character, and they just have that within them. That desire to do more for themselves and the desire to do more for others and it could be way deep down, but if it is there, that person can be an excellent leader.
Jimmy: That is awesome, and I love that, and the reason I love that so much is because, as a business owner, I want things that I am in control of, or a skill set that I can get better at. If you just said it was the luck of the draw, that is great for the lottery winner, right? But it is really discouraging for those of us that didn’t draw the lucky ticket. So, if it is something we can control, and if it is a skill like anything else, that we will stay disciplined to take some of the tips you are going to give us today to get better at, than anyone can start developing leaders within their own team as well.
Jenelle: Yes, exactly.
Jimmy: Where do you feel like that starts from as far as finding leaders?
Creating Leaders Starts With Yourself
Jenelle: Well, I really think it starts with yourself. I mean you definitely have to be positioning yourself in a way, acting and behaving as a leader would act and behave. You have to position yourself as someone that when things get tough, you take the high road. The way you communicate with other people, the way you react when things aren’t going well, all of those things really define what kind of leader you are. It gives your team something to emulate. They realize, ok this would be unacceptable. This isn’t something a leader would do. Also, it has to do with the kind of vision that you are presenting to your team, and learning to see the vision and then also learning to develop action plans for the team. That is tough; that is something you know you have to work on, and you have to see the bigger picture. Even though on a daily basis, you are being hit with this fire and that fire, and you feel like you have to put out fires, you really just have to see the bigger picture. What is our vision, what are our goals, where are we going? Start putting action plans into place. It really takes digging deep to do that and so I think you as a leader doing that, your team sees that and says ok; that is what I need to do when things get tough. That is what I need to do when my team is starting to tank a little bit. I need to dig deep and find out what more I can do for my team. So, if you are doing those things and you are thinking outside the box, and you are constantly saying oh no, we aren’t done yet, we aren’t giving up yet. If you are constantly having that attitude and that mind set, they start to adopt that.
Jimmy: I really love that, so I have to ask, having this vision for your team, is that something you had from the beginning of starting your business? Did you come into this with I love this idea, you are on board from the beginning and had this huge grandiose leader vision, or did you have to start from somewhere and learn how to obtain that mindset.
Jenelle: I definitely had to learn to obtain that mindset. There is no doubt about it that once I committed to the business, before I committed; I made sure I understood the business. I know now, when someone is coming into the business; they can’t have that vision until they understand the business, and it’s potential. So once I understood it, and I was committed, then I started to develop that vision, and I started to realize the big picture of everything. I realized that every time I talked to my team, and trained my team, I need to make sure I am conveying that. I need to make sure that I am not just telling them, ok do these tasks and watch this training. I need to make sure I am always instilling in them that vision of what this business can do for their lives. That it is not just about having financial freedom that it is about having these choices and having a lifestyle, where you are in control because I know for myself, I have never been motivated by money. In my previous corporate career, I mean I just was not motivated by money. I am a very hard worker, and I love to work hard, and I am a doer, but I am not motivated by money. So, in realizing when it comes to creating a vision that what appeals to people would be different based on their goals and their dreams. Constantly putting out there the different things they will be able to do with their life, if they pursue this business.
Jimmy: That is fantastic, and that takes me right to where I wanted to go with my next question. As you know, as a top recruiter in your specific business and bringing in so many people to a really large team, that most of these people don’t necessarily see the big vision, see the potential to what this can be. Where do you start with somebody to help them understand that?
Jenelle: Yea, which is a really good point. That is very true, when they come into the business; they have that seed of hope; they have that desire, but there is still that other voice in them that says” Nah you can’t do this. You are not ever going to be like one of those people; you are not ever going to be a top coach.” So there is definitely that little bit of self-doubt. They have not yet built a strong belief system within them. It is my role as a leader and our roles as leaders to help develop that belief system within them. I truly do believe in them, and that is why they are on my team. That is why I am going to spend time with them, because I know they can do this. They have that within them. So one thing that I do, is when someone joins my team, I have them complete what I call the about me form. It is just some open ended questions to introduce themselves. What are your goals for this business, how much time are you willing to spend on the business per day, what are your expectations, what do you hope this business will do for you, what is your story? All of those kind of things. What are your fears and hesitations? That is a big one.
So from that, I can kind of access where their mindset is. That is the first and most important thing in anyone’s business; your mindset. I can assess that, ok; their expectations are too high, and they are going to tank quickly, because they are expecting this to explode overnight, and they are going to be making millions by next year. Or their expectations are so low, that they are not going to be willing to do the little tasks and watch this training or that training because they are expecting they are only going to ever make 50 bucks a month or something. I really need to assess, what are their expectations, and try to reel them in too. Look here is what is possible, here is what is totally realistic, here is what it is going to take, and here is where you can go with this. So I bring them to a common ground and give them some realistic goals and realistic expectations, so they are not going to burn out too soon. Or if their expectations aren’t too high, then they are never evening going to start.
By doing the about me form, I feel like I can really assess where they are now with their mindset. Then I can help developing where I see their weaknesses. For example, if I see one of their major weaknesses, is their belief in themselves, because of previous labels in their life and self doubt and low self esteem, I feel like I need to get them into hardcore personal development, and assess that and start going down that path with them. With each person, I really feel like they are all completely unique, and if I can just assess what their strengths and weaknesses are and of course I lift them up with their strengths. I said look; you got this incredible story, and you have these experiences that I know you think they are a huge tragedy in your life, but at the same time use those experiences to share with other people. How you overcame them. Use these experiences to show you became stronger as a person. So there really is a lot I can pull out of that about me form.
Jimmy: I think that is great and I know that was a big struggle for me as well to share those stories that you are a little embarrassed by or define you in a negative way that really if we can help people see that that’s your power. That is what really is going to attract certain people to you and I think that is great. Do you find it more challenging on one side or the other? Do you find it more challenging for the person that has the low expectations, to see the big picture, to want to do the task and plug into the training, or do you find it more challenging when you have, the super go-getter that wants everything done today, to not squash that enthusiasm, but rein it back a little and give it some structure?
Jenelle: Gosh, that is a great question. I have often asked myself which one is the tougher one to coach. That is tough, sometimes I think it really is the one that has the high expectations, because you have to have that belief in yourself, and the belief in the business and understand the business and what is realistic. If they just have these unrealistic expectations, I mean this business takes time, and it is about building relationships, and it is about learning how social media works. All these different components and it is not going to happen over night. So when someone has these high expectations, and they are a real go getter, or the other end of it they are perfectionists, and they want everything to be perfect and they want to be number one this, and number one that, and so they can easily get discouraged. So, I don’t know, I think it can go either way. I’ve had some that had their expectations too high, but I was able to rein them in, and they rein themselves in, and they are taking off. And I have completely on the other end of the spectrum, someone who has absolutely never been in a leadership role their entire lives. They have never been in a management role, making ten dollars an hour, no college degree. You know, never been in a leadership position in their lives yet now, are making six or seven figures easily. So, it’s cool, it’s just really cool, because it’s not me, it’s not me, it’s them. I just need to be there to equip them.
That is another thing I think you have to realize as leaders, is that, when I first joined in the business, I was kind of disappointed with the people I wasn’t able to get going. Who weren’t jumping on board, and weren’t working their business. I kept thinking, what am I doing wrong as a leader? It is just part of this business, there are certain people, that even though are are doing everything right,and you are equipping them and you giving them the right training, and you are saying the right things, that they are just not at the right place in their life right now.
Jimmy: Don’t you find it, this is the thing that I know that drives me a little bit bonkers is when I see someone with what I think is crazy potential. Maybe they are an influence in a certain area, and they do have that outgoing personality and they seem like a perfect team member and they don’t see it. It probably goes back to that belief system. That they are setup for the most success out of the gate, and they don’t quite get it, which brings me to my next question, which is mind set, and sometimes what people think of their self-worth. Do you have a go-to tool, book, audio, something that you recommend for those people that the mind set is really what is holding them back?
Jenelle: I have a whole list of personal development suggestion for audio, and for books that I like. Of course, I always turn to my sister’s training. I always recommend people listen to my sister’s trainings.
Jimmy: For the people that don’t know, Jenelle’s sister is Chalene Johnson, so business professional runs in the genes somewhere, with smart success and marketing impact academy. There is something in the DNA there to be successful business women; that is pretty cool.
Jenelle: Thank you, I appreciate that but I have to tell you Jimmy, Chalene is very outgoing and she is an awesome public speaker and she is comfortable on camera and all these things..And that is not me, I have always been growing up the very very shy one, never seen as a leader. Not seen as the social butterfly, nothing like that. Much more an introvert and shy. And so coming into the business, prior to understanding it, I thought I would never fit that mold, I would never be able to do that. I am not social enough; I am not this, or I am not that. And so I think a lot of the people we are bringing into the business have those same types of fears, that they don’t fit the mold. That they are not going to be successful because they don’t fit that mold. So I think it is interesting that you say that, but yea that’s why I am such a strong believer in personal development because that is what helped me realize even though I am a different personality type, doesn’t mean I don’t have something to share. We all want I think to be able to give to other people. That is what makes us feel fulfilled. At least that is the type of team member you want, the type of person that just genuinely likes to help other people. And through personal development I realized, ok I do like helping other people, just because I am shy doesn’t mean I don’t like helping other people. I love helping other people. I love to teach; I love to train people. I love to share has worked for me. I do love all those things. So if I can do this, if I can build up the confidence and build on the leadership skills to do this. Anyone can.
Jimmy: And that is so awesome, saying that and somebody seeing you on camera right now or listening to you speak may think well this is how you have always been. She has had this confidence to be in front of people, to be on camera. And again, like I said before, if it is something you can practice, and it is something you can get better at. You know; I wasn’t this comfortable doing interviews or public speaking. It was years of training and so I think that should be encouragement for anybody in any type of business, that look, you can get better at these things if you are willing to put in the time. So you said your sister is a great place to start with the mindset. Once you given them some tools, whether it is some audio or a book. They have started working on the mind set, what do you feel like is the next step in developing that leader once they have committed to that personal development. You have had your about me; you have kind of set expectations, where do you go from there?
Jenelle: Well, once I have had that first step and basically what that entails, just to give an example what that looks like is, when initially when they join, I send them a text right away. You know, because that is when they are most excited, you want to get in their heads and go, we are going to do this. And so I really feel like immediate interaction is really helpful. Then I send them an email, and we get on the phone and we do what we call a getting started right call and that is where I go over their information that they presented to me in their about me form. And I really talk about their hesitations and their fears. And I clarify some things, so they can start relax, and take a deep breath.
Because a lot of people coming into a business like this they think ok I am just going to have to be iffy, I am going to have to push friends and family members into things I don’t want to. They have a lot of these fears, and hesitations. And so at least in our business, I can say, ” Look, you are not going to have to do that, and I would never want you to do that.” I would never do that. So I can really put them at ease with a lot of things. And so, before we get off that first phone call, and then again in that phone call I am also going over expectations and all that stuff, and vision and all that. High-level stuff, big picture stuff. Then we set a follow up call, and I say before we talk again, which will be in another week. Here are a couple of trainings. So I set them up with a couple of training’s to start with. Couple of trainings that I feel like are absolutely critical.
What that does, is that always gives them a “what’s next.” And that is one of my rule of thumbs, you always have to have a “what’s next?”. It’s not going to be in their first month, or first quarter, that they are going to turn into a leader. It is going to be many layers of building this foundation, where they start to get a taste of success. They start to get a feel for, what they can do. They start to understand that if they just take these baby steps, things start to get better. Things start to get smoother. And then, at that next level you can say,” Ok, you have completed X, Y, and Z, we are ready to take it to another level.” And so what I do, is I usually have some time of training, I have an actual accountability training type group that I setup and they have to qualify to be in that group. To take it to the next level of training. So here again, I am putting forth some training’s, some baby steps and some assignments. And they have to qualify to get to that next level, so that shows me that they are committed. And it is not a matter of, do you have this personality, do you have this look. It is, are you doing the work that is going to be required at this next level. Are you developing those core competencies that you are going to need?
Jimmy: I think that is great, and then also that allows you to know where to spend your time. Because I am sure not everybody takes the opportunity to go through the qualification, to do the next thing. In so many different types of business, there are times where there are wasted effort and wasted time. Where your time is valuable, obviously you are an expert in what you do, but you want to work with those people that will activate the expertise you want to share. I want to share with everybody, and where it probably breaks both our hearts is when you pour in to somebody that doesn’t see the opportunity, or doesn’t take advantage of that they have a mentor that is willing to share everything with them. But they don’t take those steps. So I love the idea of, here you do this and you qualify for the next piece, but until this is done, I can’t take you any further. I really like that idea.
Jenelle: Right, I think that is really helpful because they are going to in getting to that next level where I think they develop into that leader. I know there are going to be some stumbling blocks. I know they are going to stumble here and there. And I need to see are they getting to the point where they can overcome these things. Because in order to be a leader, you have to know how to react and how to behave and how to think outside the box when things get tough. And so even though when they hit those points, I know they have these moments of self-doubt and can I do this. And what I am saying to them, is you absolutely can, and you have been equipped, and here is training. Now you got to find it within yourself to do, you got to eat that pride, you got to do those things you know you need to do and you know you can do. But I think it is great to put it out there ahead of time, so that they always know there is something next and something to be striving for. And that also gives them that big feeling of accomplishment when they hit those goals, and they qualify for those different groups.
Jimmy: Well I was going to ask about recognition, but in a way that is a form for recognition. It is like a video game, like yay you get to go to the next level. You know, you don’t have to replay this level again, you get to go to the next level and learn new things and so I think that in itself is recognition because, when they are in that next group or training, with other people around them if you do it in groups. I know some people do it, then you know you are among your peers. Hey, everybody in here, did what I did and therefore I belong here. It really helps with the mind set as well.
Recognition As A Form Of Reward
Jenelle: It definitely does. It is definitely a form of recognition. I mean I know when I first started my business, I was all hyped up, I was all excited. I didn’t know what to do, but I was building my team, and I started giving away these prizes. And you know, people would earn those prizes. But then as soon as they earned the prize, they were back to their normal habits and not growing their business. I was so frustrated to understand, what does it take to get to people to see the big picture of this; that is not about winning a T-shirt or Book or whatever. That it is about, changing your life, and having a business that is your own, that supports the whole family. And you know, be able to do amazing things. So, having these groups and having to qualify for them, I think that shows me who is in this for the long term, for the bigger picture of things. But that being said, I still think that is still very important to do recognition also as a form of reward. Just to show that you appreciate and acknowledge what they do, because that is a big deal. I think more so than them getting something, it is just the fact that you acknowledged how far they have come. And you want to reward them, and you see them as a valued member of the team. You view them as a leader. I think that is a really big deal to people.
So I think as a leader you have to find creative ways especially when your team is small I think you can find really creative ways to recognize and reward your team and find smaller milestones that you can recognize. I mean all of us have corporate right behind us who are recognizing certain milestones and so I think it’s natural for some of us to think, “Ok, I will recognize my team for those same exact milestones”. When in fact, when we really should scale it down and recognize for much smaller milestones. So that every team member coming on board feels important and recognized instead of having to get to some amazing rank to feel that recognition and reward.
Jimmy: Absolutely, cause that can feel overwhelming, you know you look at this huge mountain, and they are like, ” I am never going to get where Jenelle got. And they didn’t have the opportunity to see you come through those ranks as well. And every one of those were just as exciting to you at the time as where you are in your business now. So I think we as leaders have to go back and remember how exciting those times were us. And give them that recognition and excitement to keep them rolling as well. So once you have somebody, obviously believing themselves, you see them as a leader before they do. Because I think, that is really big about seeing their potential and not where they are to raise their bar. So what is the next step? Is there a ceremonial kicking the bird out of the nest? Time to fly little chick, or what is that next thing to take that ownership. Like I said in the beginning, you have so many leaders that have created their own culture and their own teams, what is that transition to help take ownership and go work without being attached to you all the time.
Jenelle: Right, well what I do I encourage them to duplicate the same systems that I have created. I encourage them to take what I have created and tweak it. You know make it their own, make it better. Of course, the way I created something is not the best way to do it. So I encourage them to duplicate my systems and use them as a blueprint and tweak them and make them better. And to start some new things. Like I said, I have this training that they go through when I feel like they are at the next level, and they have to qualify. I have my coaches take their coaches, through that same process. And so every now and then, I will have a coach that will say, “Look, can I just have mine go through your process.” And we just have to have a conversation at that point, and I am more than happy to take more under my wing and help them too. If I feel, there is a legitimate need and reason for that to happen. More often than not, it is just that person doesn’t want to bite the bullet, and go off on their own and fly on their own and do this training themselves. As long as they have been through it with me, I have given them the training, I have equipped them with what to do, how to do it, when to do it, all of that. They need just to do it.
I think too often, people at think; it is just natural for us to think our situation is different. Our situation is more difficult, right? Sometimes I will have a coach that thinks, “Yeah, but you know, I am scared or I have never been a leader before”. What I think helps, is constantly telling stories, whether it be stories with the struggles I have had, and I think that is what resonates with them most because we have a connection. Going through the struggles, I had, how I felt, and explaining to them some of the dumb things I did as a leader. How many mistakes I had to make but that were so crucial in me learning to become a better leader. Unfortunately, they are going to have to make a few mistakes and their own for them to really learn. They don’t have to feel like, “I don’t have to host this training for my coaches because I am not going to be able to do it perfectly yet, I am not going to be able to do it like she does or he does”. That is ok, in fact that is perfect that you are not going to be able to. Because you are going to quickly learn what to do and what not to do, and the only way for you to do that is for you to start doing it and just jump in. So yeah, we do have to have that conversation, but that is how I encourage that they start soaring on their own.
Jimmy: And there are two really key things just listening to you that I thought of immediately. Number one, That permission to fail. We talked about it at the beginning, that specifically those perfectionist types, that they think it has to be all perfect of I have to know it immediately. There is the old proverb, ” Ignorance on fire, is better than knowledge on ice.” Just go put it out there. And the other thing, I was never a very good student in school, but my mom would have me teach her what I learned. Once you can teach it to someone else, you become better at that. So I loved the fact, that instead of yes, everybody is going to come through my training, that you said no, you have the blueprint, you go make it yours and you go figure it out. Once they start teaching it they are going to become more efficient in those skills as well.
Jenelle: Yes, exactly. So true. They have to just start doing these things so they can learn. And it’s a good point, that you said you had to be able to teach it yourself. And I think that is one thing I try to instill into my coaches right from the beginning with the very first email that I send them. At the end, I say, please save these documents and this email because you will need it for your future team. So right from the beginning, I am trying to plant that seed that says ” Look, everything I am teaching you right now, lock it in and be prepared to reiterate to your own team.” That what I did as a new coach. I was constantly absorbing as much information as I could. Mainly because I knew I was going to have to train someone in the future. If you train your coaches to always view training’s in that sense, like look, I know you may already know this stuff, but do you know it well enough yet that you can host a training on this. Because if you don’t, you need to hear it again. You need to hear it two or three times maybe.
Jimmy: And I think that is great. Again, two things right there. I love the fact that you planted a seed from the beginning that you will have a team. You covertly planted that seed that there is that expectation of, I already believe in you so much that I know you are going to need these documents. The second thing is, and this is something I was constantly reminded of, is the fact just because you have been through a training one time, or you have been through something once. Doesn’t mean you know it quite yet. You know; the doctor doesn’t show up to one class in college and then he is ready with a scalpel and goes into surgery. That these things have to be repeated as well. Jenelle, this stuff have been amazing. If you were to leave the people checking this out with one tip when it comes to finding leaders,or maybe not about prejudging somebody. What would you give that one tip of really being able to see that potential in people?
Putting Yourself Out There
Jenelle: Well I think you just nailed it on the head right there. When you are putting yourself out there, you want to be the type of person that you would want to attract. I think that is a huge piece of it. And then as you are attracting people, not prejudging them. Because you know when I first came to the business I thought OK well, this person would never want to become apart of my business because they are already too successful. Or this person would never want to become part of my business because they don’t show they have the leadership skills or whatever. You can not prejudge because you don’t know the fire that can be within someone’s gut. You don’t know when it will suddenly be there. It may not be there the day they join your business. So you have to be very repetitive too in your training’s. Because someone might hear from you on a day when suddenly it all clicks. And it is like the clouds separate, and they are like, I am ready to do this. I have had this opportunity in my back pocket; I have been ignoring Jimmy’s emails to this point, but I have a drawn a line in the sand, and I am going for it starting today. That can happen at any time with any of these people that we have on our teams. So as long as you are being the type of person that wants more for themselves, that wants more for other people. What you need to do from there is to equip them and not only work with the willing, but challenge the willing.
Connect with Jenelle
Jimmy: I love that, that is fantastic. Jenelle, obviously you are an amazing public speaker, you are amazing teacher. You do very well on camera. If somebody is listening to this, and want to see more of you, where can people find you and connect with you besides here.
Jenelle: Well I would be so flattered. Jenellesummers.com and they could also email me at jsum_home@yahoo.com.
Jimmy: That is fantastic, and we will put both of those in the description for the show. Jenelle, thank you so much, I always learn so much when I get to chit chat with you. Thank you for taking the time. Guys, that is another episode of training camp, I hope you are enjoying these episodes as much as I am putting them together. Bring you the best pros I know to help you in your home business. If you are really enjoying these, please subscribe, share, tell your friends about it and we will see you next time on another episode of training camp.