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	<title>Productive Leaders</title>
	<link>http://productiveleaders.com</link>
	<description>Increasing Leadership, Productivity and Communication</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:00:53 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<language>en</language>
	
	<item>
		<title>Want referrals? Be referable!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Many people rely on referrals and repeat business to sustain their  livelihood.  But there is a difference between repeat business and  business loyalty that makes your clients happy to refer you to other  people.
I have a friend who has been with his insurance company since he was  17 years old. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/09/07/want-referrals-be-referable/</link>
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		<title>Fresh Peach Cobbler and Happy Labor Day</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Fresh Palisades Peaches!!!!
They are so juicy and delicious fresh from the farm, but they  also fabulous as a dessert, tucked nicely under a cobbler crust.  (My friend Deborah Hoskins went peach shopping two weeks ago and she put the cobbler idea into my head for the season. ) 
Fresh Peach Cobbler
4 large fresh [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/09/04/fresh-peach-cobbler-and-happy-labor-day/</link>
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		<title>Delivering Effective Presentations: Tricks Professional Speakers Know</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
Not everyone loves delivering speeches or presentations, so knowing a few tricks make it easier.
In some instances, using power point or other visual aids is helpful.  In other situations, an after dinner speech for example, the speech by itself reigns supreme.
Look at your audience and the setting to determine the best forum for the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/08/10/effective-presentation-tip/</link>
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		<title>The How of a LinkedIn Profile: How to Build a Great Profile</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
The Steps:
Step 1: Go to
www.LinkedIn.com and start filling in the blanks for a new profile.
Use your common email address as a secondary and use your business email for your primary (you don’t want business contacts to find you at your college email address at ILOVESPRINGBREAK89 @ hotmail.com), but you need to have an email on [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/07/13/linkedin-profile/</link>
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		<title>Negotiation at home and at work</title>
		<description><![CDATA[To  celebrate that June is a popular month for weddings, in this newsletter  we are celebrating the relationships that make our home and business  lives possible.
In  business, as in any long term relationship, keeping the end in mind is  crucial to a lasting and fulfilling connection.  More and more [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/06/08/negotiation-home-and-work/</link>
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		<title>Want to thank a veteran?  Hire them!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Memorial Day, 2010
Want to thank a veteran? Hire them and strengthen your work force in the process
Some of my business friends were lamenting the lack of commitment and dedication of their workforce.   One gentleman claimed he could not get people to follow directions.  
“How many former military people do you have?”  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/05/31/want-to-thank-a-veteran-hire-them/</link>
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		<title>Put me in, Coach</title>
		<description><![CDATA[An 8 year old gave me a great quote last night.  We were talking about baseball, and I asked him what position he liked best.  Eyes shining, wide grin, he beamed, “First base or pitcher.  Hmmm, I like pitcher best.  When you are the pitcher, you always get the ball.”
What a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/05/24/put-me-in-coach/</link>
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		<title>How to attract and keep great people</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently surveyed over 200 managers, and asked what their biggest management challenges are in the current business environment.  Not surprisingly, all of their responses dealt with personnel.  Many leaders broached the difficulties involved with attracting and keeping great employees.
How do we make working with us more appealing to an employee than working [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/05/11/how-to-attract-and-keep-great-people/</link>
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		<title>Buying a Fire Truck One Cookie at a Time</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently joined an organization which provides philanthropic support to my local community. They hold two fundraisers per year to support very worthy community projects such as the Girl Scouts, the Little League, the Food Pantry, and the Fire Department.
One of the fundraisers involves a community sale with furniture, household items, plants, and an old-fashioned [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/04/24/buying-a-fire-truck/</link>
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		<title>The Importance of the Follow-Up</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
This month the topic is on developing a plan for following up with our business contacts.
Many people attend networking functions to meet people who can help them grow their business.  They make a business connection, yet they don&#8217;t actually get business from those business leads simply because they don&#8217;t follow up.
How many times have [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/04/13/follow-up/</link>
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		<title>Happy Easter!!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Happy Easter!
Easter is a time of rebirth and new life.  In addition to the religious aspects of Easter, most people like the idea of celebrating spring as a time of growth, fresh opportunity, and an end of winter.  (Chocolate bunnies and those malted-speckled eggs are great too.)
It is easy to fall into the routines of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/04/03/happy-easter/</link>
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		<title>Snow and Mess</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It is snowing, and my dogs are having a marvelous, snowy time.  They love the snow.  They love standing in the snow, crunching the partially frozen top layer of previous snowfalls, and they love chasing each other in the snow.  This is “dog tag” and while I don’t quite understand the rules, it involves lots [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/03/26/snow-and-mess/</link>
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		<title>How Start and Maintain a Business Plan</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
One of a leader’s most important (and some argue, the most important) qualities is the ability to plan for the future. Leaders have to respond to changes in the economy, innovation by the competition, fluctuating consumer preferences, new marketing techniques, and advancing technology. Leaders have to make decisions based on imperfect information without the benefit [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/03/09/how-start-and-maintain-a-business-plan/</link>
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		<title>Credit Card Rules Changed!!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Congress got involved with credit card companies.   As a result, the credit card companies recently changed the rules regarding how it can charge customers.  The credit card changes went into effect February 22, 2010.  Consumers with credit cards should be aware of their rights under the new laws.  
1. Interest [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/02/27/credit-card-rules-changed/</link>
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		<title>Happy Valentine&#8217;s Day!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today is my perfect Valentine’s Day.  I get to watch the Daytona 500.
I realize that watching NASCAR may not be every girl’s dream for Valentine’s Day, a day usually hallmarked by, well, Hallmark, candy, champagne, roses, and heart-shaped chocolate boxes.  But it works for me.
On Valentine’s Day we celebrate love, and that means [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/02/14/happy-valentines-day/</link>
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		<title>Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but product value is in the eye of the buyer.</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
Leaders need to put themselves in the position of their consumers.  The theme of this article is to encourage leaders to experience their product or service from their customers’ perspective.



Buy your product, and then try to return it. Do the internet search.  Price compare.  Actually make an order to see how well [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/02/09/eye-of-the-buyer/</link>
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		<title>Bless are they&#8230;..</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Blessed are they…..
There are those people in every organization who perform the myriad of tasks that everyone takes for granted.
If you haven’t done any of these in a while, then you owe someone a thank you.
I once had a boss who, when my time with the organization was complete (my tour was finished) and I [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/01/29/bless-are-they/</link>
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		<title>How to Avoid Procrastination</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It is minus 4 degrees at my house right now.  The temperature did not get higher than 7 degrees today.  On really cold days, when I am snowed in, I stay home.  Why fight Mother Nature?
Being trapped in the house and my office makes me ridiculously productive.   No transit time, no spending time doing my [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/01/21/how-to-avoid-procrastination/</link>
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		<title>The January Hangover</title>
		<description><![CDATA[~ 7 Financial Strategies to Lead Into a Successful 2010 ~

January always seems a bit like a Monday morning. Lots to do, and not nearly enough coffee. Pass the aspirin and start planning now.

Assess the debt. If you personally did your part to single-handedly stimulate the economy over the holidays, we thank you. January is [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2010/01/10/the-january-hangover/</link>
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		<title>Start the Year with Organized Finances</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Get Finances Organized!]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/12/31/start-the-year-with-organized-finances/</link>
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		<title>A Warm White Christmas</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I left the white snow to go the white sandy beach for Christmas, not because I am a sunbather (ha!) or because snow is cold (it is), but because my sister and her kids, my brother and his kids, my cousin  (who is a awesome) and parents all decided to head to FL for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/12/23/a-warm-white-christmas/</link>
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		<title>Leading Through the Holidays</title>
		<description><![CDATA[~ 10 Ways to Enjoy the Joy with a Stress-Free Holiday ~

Leadership is not just a position at work. Leadership also means taking responsibility at home, and that means ringing in theholiday with as much joy, and as little stress, as possible.
The holidays mean wonder, joy and a celebration of abundance, but it can also [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/12/10/leading-through-holidays/</link>
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		<title>Raspberry Shortbread Cookies</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I love these cookies.  Make sure you get seedless jam.  Raspberry –Almond Thumbprint Shortbread (makes 7 dozen cookies)
2 cups (1 pound) butter
1 1/3 c sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
4 cups flour
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
Cream butter, add sugar and extract.  Blend in flour.
Roll into 1 inch balls.  Make a thumb indentation in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/12/02/raspberry-shortbread-cookies/</link>
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		<title>Black Friday and the Free Market &#8211; 30 Days of Gratitude</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Black Friday
I love Black Friday, the day when retailers’ books go from red to black because of the profits they make on the day after Thanksgiving.  It is a dance, of sorts, between the retailers, trying to woo customers into spending as much as possible, and the consumers who are trying to buy products [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/30/black-friday-and-the-free-market-30-days-of-gratitude/</link>
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		<title>Chocolate Kahlua Pie</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Frozen Kahlua Chocolate Pie
This is a different, light dessert.
1 graham cracker crust
1 small can evaporated milk
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
12 oz Cool Whip
1/3 cup Kahlua
Heat milk over low heat and add chocolate chips.  Stir until chips are melted.  Stir in marshmallows and stir until melted.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/29/chocolate-kahlua-pie/</link>
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		<title>Mary&#8217;s Cranberry Sauce &#8211; 30 Days of Gratitude</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Mary’s Cranberry Sauce/Relish
One of my friends asked about a cranberry relish/sauce.
I use this for everything – Emily’s Layered Cranberry Ring, and Cranberry Bread.  Just dump it into a cranberry bread recipe or a mix.  It is also great with turkey or ham as well.
1 package cranberries ( fresh, in the produce section)
2 oranges
½ [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/28/marys-cranberry-sauce-30-days-of-gratitude/</link>
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		<title>Emily&#8217;s Cranberry Ring</title>
		<description><![CDATA[My friends Emily used to make this every Thanksgiving.  It takes a bit of effort, with the thickening of the jello, but it is worth it.  Emily passed away 4 years ago, and I remian profoundly thankful for her.
Layered Cranberry Ring
1 package raspberry gelatin
1 cup hot water
1 14 oz can crushed pineapple
1 cup [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/26/emilys-cranberry-ring/</link>
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		<title>Mary&#039;s Apple Cake &#8211; 30 Days of Gratitude</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Mary’s Apple Cake
Spray Pam in a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1 cup oil
½ cup applesauce
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
Cream together.  Add:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
Stir in:
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
4 cups chopped apples
Mixture will be VERY thick.
Bake 50-60 minutes until toothpick [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/26/marys-apple-cake-30-days-of-gratitude/</link>
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		<title>30 Days of Gratitude &#8211; National Speakers Association Fall Conference 2009 Phoenix, AZ</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I am returning from a National Speakers Association (NSA) conference in Phoenix, Arizona.  (I know, who listens at Speakers Conferences?  It begs the question.)
What struck me was how many people, and I mean literally, every single person I spoke to, was willing to share their best practices on marketing, platform skills, book publishing, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/23/30-days-of-gratitude-national-speakers-association-fall-conference-2009-phoenix-az/</link>
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		<title>30 Days of Gratitude &#8211; The Elevator Speech</title>
		<description><![CDATA[As I got into the elevator at the airport, I was struck with how fabulously happy and grateful I felt that moment.
A friend dropped me off at the airport, other friends called to make sure I was going to the National Speakers Association conference, and still more friends called to see when I was returning. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/19/30-days-of-gratitude-the-elevator-speech/</link>
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		<title>30 Days of Gratitude &#8211; Weekend Edition</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I consider myself a fairly organized person, although those closest to me might disagree.  My business files are always maintained extremely well, but my office is not picture perfect.  It is neat, and I can generally find anything I want quickly, but apparently I have my problems stem from areas that cannot be [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/15/30-days-of-gratitude-weekend-edition/</link>
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		<title>Once Upon a Pancake &#8211; 30 Days of Gratitude</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Once Upon a Pancake
I love the idea that we get to eat cake for breakfast.  Same ingredients, syrup instead of frosting, but cake for breakfast.  Since I seldom eat dessert after dinner (I am usually way too full), I think it is helpful to occasionally celebrate the of the day with cake.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/15/once-upon-a-pancake-30-days-of-gratitude/</link>
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		<title>30 Days of Gratitude &#8211; continued</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Things I Could Do Without, But Am Really Glad I Don’t Have To
1.	Morning coffee
2.	Evening tea
3.	Hot showers
4.	Red wine
5.	My car
6.	Running both computers at once
7.	My GPS
8.	My IPOD
9.	Online banking
10. NASCAR
]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/14/30-days-of-gratitude-continued/</link>
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		<title>Veteran&#039;s Day</title>
		<description><![CDATA[On this Veteran&#8217;s Day, I am grateful to every single person I ever served with, for, and everyone who served before and after my time in the service.  (That is a boatload of prepositions.)  I cannot imagine how my life would have turned out if I had not joined the military.   The people [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/11/veterans-day/</link>
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		<title>30 Days of Thanks &#8211; Producing the Manual</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I am thankful that the pieces of my printing puzzle are coming together to make the binder version of the manual happen.  I am thankful that I have wonderful friends who helped me with the cover designs.  I am thankful that the right people are in the right place at the right time [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/11/30-days-of-thanks-producing-the-manual/</link>
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		<title>Friends who make me laugh</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I have a fairly humorous family and some absolutely hilarious friends.  One of my friends writes a blog that just makes me laugh out loud and giggle.  It is at http://scotchandcupcakes.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-want-to-live-in-catalog.html
What a wonderful gift!  If you know of other really funny sites, please let me know!
Mary Kelly
www.ProductiveLeaders.com
]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/10/friends-who-make-me-laugh/</link>
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		<title>Efficiency Wages</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
My dad used to say, &#8220;People work for money. If you want loyalty, get a dog.&#8221; He wasn&#8217;t trying to be cynical &#8211; he was trying to give me advice. (For the record, my dad still loves to give me advice.)
As a teenager, I was working a boring job that was located many miles away [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/10/efficiencywages/</link>
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		<title>Mary&#8217;s 30 Days of Thanks &#8211; The Lawrence Welk Show</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The 30 Days of Thanks
Last night I was at the Memorial Hospital, where I volunteer at the family room outside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
The hospital has 13 channels, and one of them had the Lawrence Welk Show.
I love that music, and was quite pleased when one of the families left that show on the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/09/marys-30-days-of-thanks-the-lawrence-welk-show/</link>
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		<title>30 Days of Thanks &#8211; Nov 7, 2009</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The 30 Days of Thanks
Intro:  My friend Mika (http://www.mthvirtualassistance.com/2009/11/07/30-days-of-thanks-day-2/) joined her friends in a project called 30 Days of Thanks. The idea of doing a journal of thanks for the 30 days of November seems like a terrific way to focus on abundance and joy.
Feel free to join us!
Today I had the honor and privilege [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/11/08/30-days-of-thanks-nov-7-2009/</link>
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		<title>Happiness in Airports</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I spend lots of time in airports.  And today I saw genuine concern and random acts of kindness all over.
A man helped a 30-year-old woman get checked in.  It was the first time she had flown, and she didn&#8217;t know how the bag check system worked.
People cheerfully stood aside to allow two frenzied [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/10/27/happiness-in-airports/</link>
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		<title>Leading through a recession</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
Current economic times call for innovation, flexibility,  a change of focus, and adaptability in business. And all of this can make a company stronger and better able to compete in the coming years.

Nobody likes to see their friend, neighbor or family member lose a job, and certainly rising unemployment is disheartening for many. The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/10/10/leading-through-recession/</link>
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		<title>Nobel Peace and Prize Money</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I love that the universe has a prize for people who promote peace.  And just 11 days after President Obama took office, the Nobel Peace Prize submission was due.   He won.  The prize money is $1.4 million.  Not bad work for 11 days of work.  Of course, it is [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/10/09/nobel-peace-and-prize-money/</link>
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		<title>The Importance of Great Friends</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I am daily reminded of the importance of wonderful friends, mostly because I have amazing people who allow me to come into their lives.  I regularly invade the homes of my friends when I travel, and they very cheerfully put up with my crazy schedules.  They also allow me to sleep with their dogs.  So [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/10/02/the-importance-of-great-friends/</link>
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		<title>A Big Cheer for Volunteers</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I am impressed that tough economic times have increased the level of volunteerism in America.
I was at the Denver USO today, where engineers, doctors, teachers and many others make coffee and serve sandwiches to military service members and their families.   Many of the volunteers were military themselves, are or were part of a military [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/09/22/a-big-cheer-for-volunteers/</link>
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		<title>Save Time and Resources</title>
		<description><![CDATA[“I’m so busy!” “I was going to do it, but I ran out of time!” “Summer flew by!”
You hear it every day. People feel as though they are short on their most valuable resource: time. Time isn’t something we get back, so it is important that we seize the opportunities we have to make the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/09/10/save-time-resources/</link>
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		<title>Why I like Nascar</title>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the main reasons I like NASCAR is that the teams racing each other try hard.  The teams truly exert effort to make their driver successful.  Driving a car 600 miles at 200 mph with less than 2 feet separating you from the next guy is hard to do for hours on end.  And [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/09/07/why-i-like-nascar/</link>
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		<title>Books, Tapes, and Awesome Librarians!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[My library account said that I had two items that were overdue.  I knew my items were not overdue.  I knew this with the same certainty that I know that I will, at some point this week, misplace my car keys.  Lose car keys, yes.  Lose library materials?  Never.
I know [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/08/23/books-tapes-and-awesome-librarians/</link>
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		<title>Making a DIfference</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a conversation with a friend, and I confess that I was getting a bit irritated.   She was upset because she was reassigned for the school year to difficult class in a different school district.  She was upset because she thought these students would be less prepared, have fewer resoures, and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/08/09/making-a-difference/</link>
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		<title>Work &#8211; Life Balance</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I heard someone mention work-life balance.
Work is part of life, and while I agree that working nonstop can be tedious, not having work is worse.  Work is healthy.  Work is productive.  Work provides a schedule and a discipline that helps organize the day.  Oh, and there is the idea that we [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/07/20/work-life-balance/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Worried about the economy?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[With the dismal news about the dismal science, the economy, it is not surprising that people are feeling alarmed by the thought of rising taxes, decreasing government services, loss of their 401 (K) contributions, and generally feeling sad about the short term future.
My solution?  Give it away.  Try to find something that you [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://productiveleaders.com/2009/07/17/worried-about-the-economy/</link>
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