Team SWIFT Weekly News
For the week of January 20, 2013
Team Resources
Join the Team SWIFT Facebook group for up to date information and support.
Team SWIFT DropBox
If you have not accessed the Team DropBox you are missing out! Invitations have been sent out to everyone along with a welcome letter. If you have not received them, contact me and I can resend.
Welcome to the TEAM!!!
So far in January we have added 115 designers! You all are phenomenal!!
Team SWIFT now has 286 team members.
Mentor - Alaina Cash (NC)
Shannon West (NC)
Mentor - Ali Morrison (TX)
Meagan Forrey (TX)
Maria Perry (TX)
Mentor - Alma Tooley (CA)
Daisy Becerra (CA)
Mentor - Amanda Burgermeister (MI)
Michelle Brown (MI)
Mentor - Amy Fisher (VA)
Stacey Jones (VA)
Mentor - Andrea Sams (CA)
Melissa Gandy (CA)
Mentor - Angela Mast (MI)
McKenzie Poet (MI)
Heather Matteson (MI)
Mentor - Barbara Johann (GA)
Carrie Chapman (GA)
Karen McCord (SC)
Mentor - Carrie Chapman (GA)
Sheila Hardesty (MD)
Mentor - Cheryl Fain (KY)
Dusty Stanley (KY)
Misti Vaughn (KY)
Mentor - Cindy Estacio (CA)
Patricia Orozco-Kirby (CA)
Mentor - Courtney Gagnon (MI)
Lisa McQuarrie (MI)
Mentor - Crystal Vandercook (MI)
Joanne Schebil (MI)
Mentor - Dianne Goodson (SC)
Faye Groomes (SC)
Emily Greenwood (SC)
Mentor - Doreen Madley (MI)
Corrine Mead (MI)
Mentor - Erica Jimenez (TX)
Shara Smith (TX)
Mentor - Erin Brackett (TN)
Samantha Huntley (WA)
Kari Eldreth (TN)
Pamela Darnell (TN)
Sara Wagner (TN)
Mentor - Janna Whearty (NY)
Kristen Lake (NY)
Mentor - Josephine Tofani (AL)
Bari Walton (AL)
Britney Hope (AL)
Mentor - Joy Barr (GA)
Heather Romero (GA)
Mary Widmann (GA)
Mentor - Judi Shadden (GA)
Vanessa Silman (GA)
Mentor - Karen McCord (SC)
LoriBeth Akin (GA)
Mentor - Kathy Yonkers (MI)
Amber Bailey (MI)
Mentor - Katie Blackmore (TN)
Kim Hanson (TN)
Mentor - Kristie Mansfield (CA)
Crystal Ludin (CA)
Mentor - Kristy Youngblood (SC)
Judi Shadden (GA)
Jessica Radke (GA)
Mentor - Lacey Adelmann (CA)
Jessica Modar (CA)
Mentor - Linda Williams (TN)
Nichole Roberts (VA)
Mentor - Lindsey Lanasa (IN)
Julie Jenkins (GA)
Mentor - Lisa St. Pierre (VA)
Angela Allen (MI)
Mentor - LoriBeth Akin (GA)
JoLeigh Penton (FL)
Mentor - Lori Colindres (SC)
Angel Miano (SC)
Mentor - Lorri Gail Moffatt (GA)
Cyndi Riley (SC)
Voniece Matthews (GA)
Dustie Chason (GA)
Natasha Coleman (MS)
Darlene Bruggeling (AE)
Michele Snell (TX)
Carol Hackett (GA)
Dawn Hadley (GA)
Mentor - Maryanne Barna (NJ)
Elizabeth Brandt (PA)
Mentor - Melissa Davis (NM)
Tina Borek (NM)
Mentor - Melissa Fitzloff (ND)
Nikkie Gullickson (ND)
Mentor - Michele M. Bradley (MI)
Megan McComb-Taylor (MI)
Kristi Muscat (MI)
Shannon Lang (MI)
Jen Weatherston (MI)
Sara Rockov (MI)
Mentor = Michele Eliason (FL)
Amie Shoebottom (FL)
Mentor - Miranda Bennett (TN)
Theresa Eidson (TN)
Mentor - Misty Sweet (NC)
Donna Guill (NC)
Jesica Cook (NC)
Melissa Blochaviak (NC)
Mentor - Nicole Milford (GA)
Alison Prosnak (GA)
Mentor - Nikki Pirvu (TN)
Stephanie Brown (TN)
Bridget Chandler (TN)
Kim Sexton (TN)
Amber Townsend (TN)
Mentor - Rebecca Hammonds (VA)
Beverly Statzer (TN)
Mentor - Rene Altamirano (CA)
Ellisenia Contreras (CA)
Mentor - Sara Thompson (MN)
Denise Zentner (MN)
Mentor - Sherri Smith (NE)
Rebekah Smith (NE)
Lyndsy Tridle (NE)
Katie Ziemba (NE)
Kelley Stahl (NE)
Mentor - Sonya Bowling (KY)
Renee West (KY)
Mentor - Tammy Miller (VA)
Brandy Puckett (VA)
Jamey Robinette (VA)
Kelly Puryear (VA)
Tammy Templeton (VA)
Stephanie Jimmo (VA)
Mentor - Tara Freeland (CA)
Laura Burg (CA)
Kristen & Leslie, Coelho Sisters (CA)
Olivia Calvillo (CA)
Mentor - Theresa Ogden (CA)
Tiffany Burns (MO)
Mentor - Tina Graham (TN)
Sally Treder (CA)
Mentor - Whitney Robinson (MI)
Veronica Gottschalk (MI)
Mentor - Whitney Tilson (TN)
Tammy Peterson (TN)
Ivy Palmer (TN)
SOAR Nashville
If you are attending and haven't mentioned it to me, please send me over and email so I can make sure you get your attendance gift from me.
Track me down at the event or shoot me a text so we can meet up:
586.944.8718
I look forward to meeting each and every one of you!
$99 Anniversary Challenge
Everyone should have received this email.
If you have not, send me a note and I can send it to you.
There are a few designers who have the $99 in PV but have not sent me a note saying "I did it"....
Please note to be entered, this step can not be skipped!
Follow directions close to participate!
To mark my one year anniversary with Origami Owl, I am going to throw you a challenge! Challenge entries will be calculated on the 1st of February and chosen via random.org.
The challenge:
Have a PV of $99 or more in the month of January and be entered to win.
The proof:
Reply to this email when you hit $99 in personal volume claiming "I did it" along with your name and designer ID.
[To view your Personal Volume, log into the Back Office, click on Commissions, then Volumes, and it will list your Total PV for each month. If you have any questions, please let me know}
The Prize:
$100 in OO product (of your choice)
National Convention
Have you heard the news? We’re planning another BIG event and we want you to join us! Here’s the scoop…
When: July 12 & 13, 2013 (plan to arrive mid-day Friday and leave on Sunday)
Where: Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, AZ
Early Registration: $175 – Registration will be open in February
Hotel: Make reservations now at the Sheraton, Downtown Phoenix. Rooms are $99 a night and can be booked by clicking here. The $99 discounted rate will be available until June 21. Discounted rooms are available from July 10 - 14 so you can extend your stay if you choose.
We can't wait to see you there!
Be a Responsible Mentor
Good mentoring relationships can be richly rewarding, not only for the person being mentored, but for the mentor too. Mentors can, among other things, provide exceptional learning experiences for their mentees and, in doing so, expand their mentees' awareness, insight and perspective.
Here are 10 things you can do to be a good mentor:
1. Be credible
The best mentors I've encountered have been people that have credibility in, and have personally achieved success in, the area where I'm looking for support. For this reason, most people will seek the guidance of different mentors to help them develop specific skills or qualities, or to help them reach important decisions. Being credible doesn't mean that you need to have all the answers. The best answers for your mentee will come from their own thinking, with the help of your wisdom to support them.
2. Be a positive role model
Good mentors are respected by their mentees. A mentee can learn a lot from their mentor simply by watching how their mentor behaves in any particular situation. Good mentors will also look out for experiences, or even create situations in which their mentees can become involved to learn new things, for example, providing a look behind the scenes or a glimpse at how other people live or do things.
3. Be genuinely interested in your mentee as an individual
A mentoring relationship is a very personal one, which is often very important to the mentee, so, as a mentor, you need to get to know your mentee personally, about their hopes and dreams, so you can help them in a way that meets their personal best interest. For this reason, a parent is often not a good mentor for their child, as their parenting relationship and emotional connection will influence their guidance. That's not to say that a parent can never provide a mentoring moment for their child - they can - however, aparent can't be as objective as a person who's independent of the parenting role. In the same way, a manager is also not the best person to mentor someone on their team, as they'll often have a conflict of interest to contend with, between what's in the best interest of each individual and what's in the best interest of their team.
4. Share your experiences and insights
In doing so, choose stories that you feel are appropriate and helpful, but do so in a neutral way, without any attachment to how your mentee will use this learning. Be open to sharing your mistakes and failures too, as these are often where our biggest lessons are learned. It will also help your mentee be aware that challenges will arise, and the way you dealt with the situation might also help them gain insight about how to build resilience.
5. Ask open questions
Asking your mentee open questions will help you as a mentor to identify their real needs, values and passions. It's also a great way to get your mentee to think through situations themselves and draw out the consequences of the various choices or courses of action they can take. During these conversations, you can share your wisdom, without making decisions for your mentee. That's their job.
6. Act as a sounding board
Mentees benefit greatly from the opportunity of having a good mentor listen to them. Allow them to explore their thoughts and ideas openly with you. This will often help them unravel their thinking and gain insights about a situation as they share their concerns with you.
7. Provide a fresh perspective
One of the benefits of working with a mentor is that a good mentor will often provide their mentee with a fresh perspective on an issue. A good mentor will often have the clarity of distance from an issue or problem that's needed to provide objective feedback to their mentee. They can also hold up a 'mirror' to the mentee to, for example, let the mentee see what their behaviour looks like to others.
8. Provide helpful feedback
Not all feedback is helpful. A good mentor knows this and will deliver feedback in a way that will help their mentee gain insight to further develop specific qualities or skills. For example, a good mentor will always ask for permission to give feedback before doing so. Giving unwelcome feedback can be detrimental to any mentoring relationship. Instead, explain what you'd like to talk about first and highlight the benefits of doing this.
9. Acknowledge achievements
Highlight for your mentee any achievements they might have forgotten, to help build their confidence. Remember to celebrate their successes on your mentoring journey too
10. Offer your advice but only if your mentee asks for it
It can be very tempting for a mentor to just jump in and offer advice before a mentee has actually asked for it, especially when you've dealt with a similar situation yourself. Being a sounding board for
your mentee, allowing them to discuss the situation with you, then helping them to think through the situation by asking them questions to draw out the consequences of various actions, is always more empowering for a mentee than advising them what to do. It helps them work through the issue and come to their own conclusions. By doing so, you ultimately help them to learn to think through issues themselves and trust their own judgement, both valuable life skills.