Chris Locurto: Entrepreneur, Leadership Coach, Life Strategy, Blogger

Rude customers are a breed of their own. Today I’m answering a question from Vanessa:"I just recently had a situation with one of my customers and a representative that was assisting the customer. The rep took the call and felt the customer was being rude and was upset and possibly yelling at the rep. As soon as I heard that, I told the rep to place the customer on hold and I would handle the call...."To read the full post, go to: http://chrislocurto.com/how-to-handle-rude-customers/

Many of you have asked to hear from past LifePlan attendees and today is the day! Stephen Scoggins and April Browning are joining me on the podcast to talk about their LifePlan experiences.They're going to unpack what it means to go through a LifePlan and give you the ins and outs of this 2-day process of discovery.Read the full article: http://chrislocurto.com/lifeplan-podcast/

This is a topic that's been heavy on my mind lately. I see so much of it in every aspect of our world. Many people have a lot of hurt and reasons to be bitter but if you're spending time being bitter, you're holding on to poison. You're destroying yourself from the inside out.Read the full post: http://chrislocurto.com/is-bitterness-holding-you-back/

On this episode I'm joined by Andrea Waltz, author of Go For No!: Yes Is the Destination, No is How You Get There, to talk about fear, rejection and overcoming the word "no." Andrea has made it her mission to liberate people from the fear of failure and share an entirely new mindset about the word "no."Read the full post: http://chrislocurto.com/overcoming-fear-of-failure/

When you need help but don't reach out, you stop growing. As a leader, you're not only holding yourself back but you're holding the whole team back when you don't ask for help. Tap the collective intelligence of your team! It will only grow your team - you're not the only one with great ideas. You'll get buy in, respect and loyalty. When you don't ask, they know it. When somethings not working well and your team sees that you're not able to pull it off, they know it!Read the full post: http://chrislocurto.com/how-pride-holds-you-back/

Your life and your decision making process comes from your root system. In LifePlan, I spend time tying what's happened in a persons life to their root system - family, influences, leadership, friends, etc. Whatever has happened in your past shapes the decisions you make today.Read the full post: http://chrislocurto.com/understanding-your-root-system/

The lies that we're told, the lies we tell ourselves, and the lies we believe hold us back.Read the full post at http://chrislocurto.com/the-lies-we-believe-podcast/ ‎

In this podcast I'll explain:- How wine grapes are grown and how this relates to you and your business- What makes a great farmer and how that farmer harvests a perfect grape- The process of destroying perfect grapes to make great wine- How farming and the process of wine making relates to you and your businessTo read the full article, check out: http://chrislocurto.com/what-you-have-…mmon-with-wine/ ‎

Do you ever feel discouraged by family or friends? I have. As I look over my life, there have been many times that someone close to me told me I couldn't do something. There are enough things in life to challenge you, make sure you've got healthy boundaries with negative people.Read the full post at: http://chrislocurto.com/dont-be-discouraged-podcast/ ‎

When we exercise regularly, we're stronger emotionally, physically and mentally. Stress levels are down at work and our decision making process is better... read the full post at http://chrislocurto.com/the-importance-of-exercise/

I've been writing a series of posts on business plans - why you need one, how to write one, the importance of mission and vision, etc. I wanted to talk about it on the podcast because it's a topic that comes up all the time.If you're starting a new business, creating a new division in your company or launching a new product, you need to know the ins and outs and be able to explain every detail of the new venture. Many entrepreneurs write a business plan for an investor, which I don't recommend. Instead, I think a business plan should exist to answer questions like...Read the full post at http://ChrisLoCurto.com/business-plans/

On todays podcast, team member Joel Fortner joins me to answer your questions about strategic planning! In this episode, I dig into my strategic planing process and answer questions like:- Why does strategic planning matter?- What's involved in a strategic plan?- How do you implement and follow through once you've got the strategic plan?- What kind of information do you get out of a strategic plan?- How far ahead do you plan out the future of your company?- How often do you revisit a strategic plan?- When do you re-vamp a strategic plan?- Will you make more money and increase revenue? Read the full post and ask your question at http://ChrisLoCurto.com/your-strategic…tions-answered/

Today's podcast is my response to a great question that came in on the blog from Matt Hamm:Chris – how do you decide the next right steps when processing through growing a business? Is there a particular order that you recommend?Read the post and share your comments at http://ChrisLoCurto.com/steps-to-grow-your-business/

Every time I do a LifePlan, I spend several hours going over the major turns in each participants life. Major turns are key events from your past that help you gain perspective on where you're at and where you're going. It's literally a process of sharing the major changes from your life, like moving as a kid or marriage, loss, accepting Christ, etc. It doesn't have to be something big, heavy and deep but it very well could be.Typically, we get around 10 to 15 major turns or changes in each LifePlan. Of course this depends on age and experience too. Some people have 10, others have 18. There's no right or wrong number but a major turn isn't just a continuation of an event, it's something that actually changed the direction of your life.Here's what I want you to do:Think back as far as you possibly can and start writing down the major turns in your life...Read the full post at http://ChrisLoCurto.com/how-your-past-…ge-your-future/

In the spirit of the Olympics, today I'm sharing a story from childhood. I spent a good chunk of my youth training to be in the Olympics. I was downhill slalom skier and competed on a team in Northern California. We were good and we knew it and in full disclosure, I was pretty cocky.I had two incredible ski coaches, Mike Spalding and Chuck Frye. One day, at a competition, Chuck reminded me to take off my jacket before competing and I went against his better judgement. I had been on a big wining streak and I didn't think it would affect my performance. I was cold and I had beaten the guys I was about to race anyway.As I went down the course, I felt slow. When I hit the finish line, I'd lost by a couple of a hundredths of a second. In that moment, I knew I should've listened to my coach. For the first time, I realized the importance of great coaches in my life.In life and business, it's so important to have somebody that's been there to help you along. Every time I do a LifePlan, I talk about the importance of

Grace. It's something we all need. Oddly enough, it's not something that we give very freely. Every single one of us has junk in our lives. Instead of judgement or ridicule, we need to give grace and receive grace.All too often we kill our wounded. At the very point a family member, friend or co-worker needs our love and grace, we turn our back. We roll our eyes at their failure. We walk away. Why? Maybe it's our own shame. All the failure and imperfection in our life-being is reflected in that moment. Maybe we're so overwhelmed with baggage from our past, or problems in the present, that we can't possibly think about extending help to someone else.Folks, don't kill your wounded. It's very possible that someone on your team or in your family or church desperately needs you to come behind them and offer support. Maybe they did something bad. Hate the sin, not the sinner.Add your comments at: http://ChrisLoCurto.com/dont-kill-your-wounded-podcast/

Last month, I taught about celebrating achievement on CLo.TV and today I'm digging deeper into celebrating your team and how each personality style wants to be recognized for their achievements. Read the full post here: http://ChrisLoCurto.com/celebrate-achievement-on-your-team-podcast/

I can't say enough great things about Crystal Paine, the Money Saving Mom. Not only is she an incredible entrepreneur, but she's also a phenomenal influence to so many folks who are tired of just surviving.Crystal joined me on the podcast a few weeks back to talk about her journey as an entrepreneur, as well as her new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. Problem is, she's so deep with great information that we didn't even get to the book!In rockstar fashion, Crystal was gracious enough to do another interview so we could dive into her newest release on the 9 simple strategies to stress less, sleep more, and restore your passion for life.And trust me when I say, YOU NEED THAT! We ALL need more of that in our life!

Back in December, we released our VALUES Motivators Test. The VALUES profile tests what you value most in life. For leaders, having a team member in a position where their motivators aren’t utilized can be a huge waste of time, energy, and money. It is vital to have team members operating in their strengths with both their personality style and values!To read the full post and learn more about vales & motivators, go to: http://ChrisLoCurto.com/what-do-you-value/

Michael Hyatt joins me on the podcast today to talk about his incredible new goal setting course, 5 Days To Your Best Year Ever (http://www.bestyearever.me/chrisl).You can absolutely make 2014 your best year ever but it's not just going to happen. Making resolutions and having goals is a step in the right direction but to actually achieve meaningful goals, you need an action plan. In the Skype interview, Michael and I talk about:- How to write S.M.A.R.T. goals (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, time-bound)- Why looking into your past can change your future- How to get motivated and stay motivated- What happens if you don't achieve your goal(s)- Why you should focus on 5 to 7 goals that are career and life oriented- How to get off your "BUT"- What to do about people that don't support your goalsI'm giving away the course to one lucky reader but if you're not that lucky person, you've got to sign up for Michaels course before Jan 16! After 11:59pm on Thursday, the store closes. Why? Michael found tha