JANUARY 2018 UP MAG

Honoring our
Military
Agape Love
Do more
than exist
with So
Amplified
Upward Performance 2018
January

CONTENTS
5 | Can you handle the truth
14 | Agape Love
15 | The Truth
16 | The mental health in HR
29 | Meet the team
In Every Issue
9 | Military Recognition
12 | Ask the therapist
11 | Amplified
3 | Women Leaders Rock
17 | Book spotlight
32 | Brainteaser
Page 31
Upward Performance 2018 2

Contact us and/or Join our Facebook group:
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Upward Performance 2018 3

Can you handle
“The Truth”
By Nikita Lawrence
The Wealth Success Leadership Strategist
Oftentimes it can be a rather daunting task to candidly share our
unvarnished truth about a given subject, project, employee, or
supervisor when called upon for our thoughts or feedback in the
workplace, or as leaders, in a round table discussion. In the wake of
restructuring, downsizing, and outsourcing, the last thing you want to
do is “ruffle any feathers”, right? A million hypothetical questions may
quickly swarm through your mind at about a hundred miles per
second until you finally work up the courage to delightfully refrain
from giving your true feedback. You know, the flavorful insight that
you share at the dinner table with your spouse, or what you share
with your girlfriend over drinks after a rough day at work. You may be
thinking to yourself, when your boss is asking for your thoughts, he or
she doesn’t really, really, want my unvarnished truth, right?
How do you say with the utmost political correctness the last year has
been dreadful? Is there a proper term to use that would sound more
tactful than dreadful? Perhaps challenging would much better
suffice? Yes, challenging sounds much more acceptable than dreadful,
awful, horrific, or any other words that may have truly come to mind.
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What are the risks of being “too honest”? What if the tables turn on
you? What if you then become the source of scrutiny? What if your
boss who you feel already doesn’t really like you, grows to like you a
lot less as a result? What about your own past mistakes or failures?
What if you get fired for giving negative feedback? And the list can
go on, and on, and on.
Let’s pause for a second, and let me ask you a question. Can you
handle the truth? Can you handle hearing the truth? What’s
interesting about the word truth is that one person’s truth, based on
their values, morals, experiences, vision, education, and
environment may not be factual or even remotely true for someone
else. Are you perhaps uncomfortable with having a courageous
conversation because you aren’t confident in your value or insight as
a person?
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Are you insecure in your position or perspective because it’s maybe
a little skewed based on your own slight emotionalism? Could it be
you are uncomfortable having a courageous conversation because
you also really would rather not be on the receiving end of
feedback? Maybe? Maybe not.
Many have heard it said, feedback is a gift. But how really does it
transform from drab criticism into a beautifully packaged gift that
makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside?
Feedback is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “Information about
reactions to a product, a person’s performance of a task, etc. which
is used as a basis for improvement.” So, what does this mean? I
believe it means we only will grow to the degree that we can
effectively evaluate, adjust, improve, maintain, and then reevaluate,
repeatedly. Feedback is an essential aspect of growth.
When feedback is provided in a manner that is not honorable or
respectful, it will not accomplish the goal of “improvement”. When
it is delivered with dignity, honor, and respect, it will challenge the
individual to progress and grow, results that will yield much
appreciation and gratitude.
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It is often when we grow, we will
experience a few growing pains. As
we shed of our comfortable shells to
become our better and best selves,
there are habits, thoughts and old
perspectives, that we must leave
behind as we embrace the new
opportunity that eagerly awaits.
It may not always feel good, but we
must have assurance it’s working
together for our good.
The next time that you are called
upon to provide or receive feedback
just remember, all beautiful flowers
begin as tiny ordinary seeds in the
soil, and with the right
ingredients (water, sunlight, climate) blossom into amazing creations
that smile and make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. The same is true
for fruit that grows. The same is true for you! Embrace your journey
into the Amazing Creation you were born to become.
About the author: Nikita Lawrence, The Wealth Success Leadership
Strategist, Team Synergy Expert, and Executive President of the
Wealth Success Chamber Enterprises LLC is a certified speaker,
teacher, coach, and International Best-Selling Author of The Secret
of the Wealth Success Chamber. As a highly desirable leadership
expert and Women in Leadership Advocate, she is a thought leader
and mentor to many. Connect via www.wealthsuccesschamber.com
or www.instagram.com/wsl_strategist
References:
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/feedback Lawrence, Nikita. The Secret of the Wealth Success Chamber. April 2017.
Upward Performance 2018 7

Honoring Military Service Members
“ We are publicly demonstrating with every publication our
appreciation for the sacrifices and successes made by our past
and present service members – Jennifer Logan”
A message from the
founder, Jennifer Logan
We are asking you to help us
in honoring, remembering,
recognizing and appreciating
those who have served and
those now serving. Send your
submission to:
info@upwardperformance.com
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January 2018
Military Service Member Spotlight
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT KEVIN L. DANLEY
Chief Master Sergeant Kevin Louis Danley began his military career in 1989
when he entered the United States Air Force. After completion of Basic
Military Training (BMT) and the Security Police Academy at Lackland Air
Force Base (AFB), M-60 Machine Gun School at Camp Bullis, TX and Air
Base Ground Defense at Fort Dix, NJ, he was assigned to the 39th Security
Police Flight at Incirlik Air Base (AB), Turkey. He performed duties such as
entry control, protection of nuclear weapons and the defense of personnel,
equipment and resources from hostile forces. Chief Danley participated in
Operations DESERT SHIELD, DESERT STORM, DESERT CALM, PROVIDE
COMFORT, PROVIDE COMFORT II, SOUTHERN WATCH, ENDURING
FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM.
In 1996, Chief Danley became a member of the Oklahoma Air National Guard
where he served as a Personnel Specialist and retainer. He went on to serve
in those same capacities as a member of the Maryland Air National Guard. In
1999, Chief Danley was assigned to the National Guard Bureau where he
served in several capacities within Recruiting and Retention until he departed
in 2011 for his assignment with the New Jersey Air National Guard as Force
Support Squadron (FSS) Superintendent for the 108th Wing, Joint Base
McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey Air National Guard. Chief Danley retired
1 July 2015.
EDUCATION
1994 Airman Leadership School, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma
1999 Associates in Applied Science, Criminal Justice, CC of the Air Force
1999 Basic Instructors Course, McGhee-Tyson ANGB, Tennessee
2000 Noncommissioned Officer Academy, McGuire AFB, New Jersey
2002 BS in Business Management, National-Louis University, Evanston, Illinois
2004 Associates in Applied Science, HR Management, CC of the Air Force
2006 USAF Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Correspondence
2008 Diversity Champions Workshop, Little Rock, Arkansas
2009 ANG Leadership Challenge Program-I, Quonset, Rhode Island
2010 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Course, National
Defense University
2012 Chief Master Sergeant’s Executive Course, Arlington, Virginia
2012 ANG Leadership Challenge Program-II, Westampton, New Jersey
2013 Gettysburg Leadership Experience, Gettysburg, PA
2014 MBA, Strayer University, Herndon, Virginia
2014 Professional Manager Certification, CC of the Air Force
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
AF Outstanding Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster
AF Organizational Excellence Award with one oak leaf cluster
Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf
clusters
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal with one bronze star
AF Overseas Ribbon Short
AF Recruiter Ribbon with one oak leaf cluster
USAF NCO PME Graduate Ribbon with one oak leaf cluster
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with one bronze star
STATE AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
New Jersey Commendation Medal
New Jersey Good Conduct Ribbon
New Jersey Merit Award Ribbon with three devices
New Jersey State Service Ribbon
New Jersey Governor’s Unit Award Ribbon
Support this Veteran owned business: http://www.mariescafe45.com/
Contact information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-danley-mba-412b3119/
Upward Performance 2018 9

Do more of what
makes you happy!
Upward Performance 2018 10

Watch the video at
https://youtu.be/R3b0FVLdNQU
Contact us via:
fb.me/soamplified
Do more
than exist!
Upward Performance 2018 11

Well Balanced Moms Have More Fun
-Etienne Logan II, MSW, CSAC, CP
Let me ask you… When was the last time you had lunch with some girlfriends, or went on a
girl’s night out? When was the last time you went on a romantic weekend getaway with your
spouse? If you can’t remember, we must talk.
It’s so easy to fall into the mommy guilt trap. We feel guilty if we take time for ourselves, so
we end up taking care of everyone in the family but us. It’s easy to lose ourselves in the quest
to become Super-Mom. Along the way we get stressed out and aggravated. It’s important to
do something just for us to stay balanced moms. Here are some ways for you to get started on
your journey to rediscover YOU.
Get together with some girlfriends. One of the best ways to rediscover yourself is to spend
some time with your girlfriends each week. Have lunch together, go to the movies to watch
the latest chick flick, or plan a girl’s night out every occasionally.
If you are having a bad day, call one of your girlfriends to vent, or just chat. You’ll be surprised
how much better you feel and how it puts things back in perspective that seemed like the end
of the world a few minutes ago.
Spend a romantic weekend with your spouse – anywhere but at home. Go away for a
romantic weekend with your spouse a few times a year. Rekindle your passion for each other
and fall in love again, instead of being just partners in dealing with the everyday “stuff’
involved in raising kids.
Go on a date every week. Get a sitter once a week and go on a date with your significant
other. Spend some time reconnecting with each other. If you have an activity that you both
enjoy, take a class together.
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Pamper Yourself. Do something every week to pamper yourself. Go get a new haircut. Visit your
favorite nail saloon for a manicure, pedicure or to get your nails done. Call your favorite day spa
and schedule a facial. Get a massage.
If you are on a budget, pamper yourself at home. Send Dad and the kids to the park. Take a hot
bubble bath and paint you toenails. Honey makes a quick facial. Place a cloth in warm water and
apply to your face to open the pores. Smear on honey, and leave on for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse
off with warm water.
Don’t feel guilty about taking time for yourself a few times a week. Your kids will appreciate it
when they get a balanced and fun mom in return. You will be more relaxed, happier and be able
to enjoy your family. After all, that’s why you had kids in the first place, didn’t you?
Ask the Therapist
Mr. Etienne Logan II, MSW, CSAC, CP
Have a question to ask the therapist? E-
mail: info@upwardperformance.com
Upward Performance 2018 13

Donnica Weathers Crossland
God’s LOVE – Agape
As we have entered into a new
year let’s show more of God’s love
to one another. It’s easy to love
those close to us, but can you love
that person that you know has
done you wrong? The bible says
love your enemies…try it you
might just make their day!
God’s LOVE
Agape
• His love is unconditional & holy
• He loves more than anyone can love
• He forgives, He grants, He blesses us
• His blessings have no limits
• His love is so powerful that heart & mind gets peace & joy
• He always listens & never ignores
• He never lets you down, never returns your prayer back
• God’s love can never be summed up in words or feelings
• It’s the best gift anyone can ever get
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Upward Performance 2018 15

The Mental
Health in
Human
Resources
As HR professionals, we encounter many
mental health issues that sometimes we are
not equipped with the tools to be of real
assistance. The fact of the matter is that we
are equipped if we are truly in the human
aspect of Human Resources. Please let me
explain….
We spend many times assisting managers
with writing employees up on seemingly
frivolous occurrences such as attendance.
Instead we should focus on the mental health
of the employee and why the occurrence is
happening in the first place. Let’s face it,
people have lives when they clock out.
Sometimes it is difficult to separate home and
work. Unbeknownst to us, our female
employees sometime deal with domestic
abuse and or male employees are faced with
marital troubles. These instances can have an
impact on attendance as well as being able to
perform the essential functions of the job
hired to do. So how does it in a resource
transform into a mental health professional
within an eight hour day or 40 hour week?
We perform these miracles by tapping into
the humanistic part of our position and our
talent. When we realize someone is hurting,
do we not want to assist them with their
pain? Of course we do. I think it’s our
responsibility as professionals to not assume
the worst but to find out the source of the
problem
Monica Adams Pennywell
We accomplish getting to the source of
the problem by asking questions,
listening and above all being a human
being. Sometimes we neglect our
responsibility as human resources
professionals by looking at the bottom
line and not realizing if the employee
base is not happy and mentally sound,
productivity suffers and the company
ends up wasting recruiting dollars on
recruiting when we could have solved
the problem internally in the first place
by utilizing our talents of counseling and
relating to our employees as opposed to
taking the easy way out and terminating
the employee. Our employees are our
most valuable asset and investment .
We should encourage our mangers to
treat our employees as such. It takes
money to recruit , train and pay benefits
to an employee. This cycle is wasteful
management and shows lack of respect
to the company’s core values. We
should encourage better mental health
awareness and exercise better fiscal
judgment as Human Resources
professionals.
Monica Adams Pennywell
Upward Performance 2018 16

Book
Spotlight
A quiet bookworm, Tangela
Holloway has always been content
working at her an independent
bookstore in the sleepy little town of
Eufaula, Alabama. But lately, Tangie
discovers that she’s bored and
frustrated, especially since the man
she’s been dating for two years
seems to care more about his
business than he does her. When
Reese Turner rides into town on his
Harley, Tangie’s heart feels like it’s
beating for the first time. She not
only sees the most exciting man
she’s ever met, but also a chance to
experience something other than
backyard BBQs and fishing at the
lake.
After ending a drama-filled
relationship with a high-maintenance
fashion model, Reese wants nothing
more than to make a road trip to
Florida with his motorcycle club.
Never did he expect a quick stop at
a small town bookstore would
introduce him to a shy bookworm
who makes him re-think his vow to
remain single and unattached.
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Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072R147RV
Nook - http://bit.ly/2twWU9M
Paperback - https://www.createspace.com/7262080
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072R147RV

Three traits
that leaders
need to
develop to be
successful in
the modern
world
For many years, social scientists have studied leadership and the
qualities that make leaders efficient. Because of these studies, there
are known leadership traits that make successful leaders. Is it intellect?
Not truly, because if that were the situation then all doctors, lawyers,
and engineers, would be great leaders by now. Here are some
significant merits that every good leader ought to possess.
Communication
What you want to accomplish may seem clear in your head, but if
you're trying to clarify it to somebody else and you're met with a blank
expression, that’s when you know there is a problem. If this has
happened to you, then you might want to perfect your skills of
communication. It is critical to be in a position to describe what you
want to be done in a brief and clear way. You can’t work towards the
same goal if you are not in a position to communicate your vision to
your team.
Training of new associates and forming a dynamic work atmosphere
depends on fine lines of communication. Your team will learn to trust
and count on you if you make a point of talking to them on a daily basis
and make yourself physically available for important discussions.
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Positive attitude
Do you want to keep your group energetic and interested in company
progression? This can be achieved by providing refreshments such as
coffee, apples, oranges, bananas or almonds occasionally in the office.
Keep in mind that everybody on your team is an individual.
Project confidence when interacting with the team. Your high-energy
will easily transfer onto those you work with. Your attitude set the
mood and it is contagious.
If you have a team that is feeling happy and upbeat, the probability is
that they won't mind working that overtime to devote their best work
to the brand.
Approach
Human beings are not all the
same, a basic concept that is
often overlooked. There are
alternate personality traits,
language barriers, different
education backgrounds,
cultural perspectives, and
different value systems that
significantly affect how
information is handled and
understood.
Some people work well under stress; others don’t. It is important as a
leader to have the ability to improve your approach to every
individual, centered on the condition at hand. Your capability of
executing this concept will play a huge role in your ability to get the
best work out of your team and other partners along the journey.
Jennifer Logan, Founder of Upward Performance, LLC
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-Sandi Hawkes
TAKE BACK
YOUR TIME AS A
BUSINESS
PROFESSIONAL
Time is something many of us take for granted. As busy entrepreneurs we are
constantly managing interruptions in our day. We must constantly strive to
focus and stick to the daily plan to achieve those goals. We must wisely
manage and use the precious hours in each day to be productive and achieve
our goals.
One of the biggest distractions and time drains can be social media, if not
used properly. It is a great asset to promote our businesses, products and
services, yet it can become a “black hole” shifting our attention to things that
don’t get us to our daily goals. The other distractions can be email and
browsing the web. These are essential tools for learning and managing our
businesses, but we must set time blocks to use them. One very effective
browser tool tracker is https://www.rescuetime.com/. I tried a trial for one
month and was shocked at the analytics that made me realize the exact
percentage of time I spent on tasks that were not delivering the intended
results – profits. RescueTime helps you understand your daily habits so you
can focus and be more productive and who doesn’t want that?
It tracks time spent on applications and websites to give you an accurate
picture of your day and generates detailed data and reports based on your
daily activity. They also offer a product for organizations:
https://www.rescuetime.com/orgs. We are all being tracked by search
engines, but I believe this is a tool well worth trying for free or the premium
version with a 14-day free trial.
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Listed below are some premium features that busy entrepreneurs may find
useful:
• Track time away from the computer
(meetings, phone calls, etc...)?
• Get alerts when you achieve your daily goals?
• Block distracting websites to stay focused?
• Keep a log of your daily accomplishments?
• More detailed reports and filters?
• Faster data processing?
• 14-day free trial?
• Unlimited report history
To install RescueTime follow the site directions to download and install the
executable file. As a current free user, here are my stats for 11-27-17. The total
time logged below shows previous use which can be disabled at any time. The
uncomfortable transparent truth was I wasted a whopping 63 hours on
distractions! That’s time I can never recover. I highly recommend this
accountability partner to keep you on track if you find yourself a victim of
“distractions”.
As my mother used to say, “Get up on time, don’t let it get up on
you”.
Total Time Logged
122h
51m
That's 5 days
2 hours
51 minutes
and 37 seconds!
Total Productive Time38h 38m
Total Distracting Time63h
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Photographer: JD Mason
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Seeking co-authors
Email: info@upwardperformance.com
For details
Upward Performance 2018 24

Upward Performance 2018 25

Upward Performance 2018 26

Strategy Marketing Sales
www.iamacorporatedropout.com
Upward Performance 2018 27

Resume and Cover Letter
Interview preparation
Virtual HR Generalist on demand
Job Description creation
Evaluation creation
Recruitment flyers
Orientation playbook
I-9 Administration
Reference check services
Interview and prescreening services
Policy and procedure crafting
Job Offer
Virtual Leadership classes
Job elimination guidance- HR
Visit us www.upwardperformance.com
Upward Performance 2018 28

Meet Our
Team
Military Ambassador
Donald Robinson
Technology Expert
Jayla Logan
Sales Ambassador
TeJuana Mendoza
Editor
Alec Saunders
Article Contributor
Sandi Hawkes
Founder
Jennifer Logan
Article contributor
Donnica Weathers Crossland
Human Resource Expert
Monica Adams Pennywell
Human Resource Consultant
Asharae Saahir
Health and Wellness Director
Etienne Logan II
Upward Performance 2018 29

No More
Manic
Mondays!
Upward Performance 2018 30

To influence the people in
the world you need to be
yourself and not just like
everyone else!
-JL
Upward Performance 2018 31

Found on brainteaser.com
1)You are driving a bus. At the first
stop, two women get on. The
second stop, three men get on and
one woman gets off. At the third
stop, three kids and their mom get
on, and a man gets off. The bus is
grey, and it is raining outside. What
color is the bus driver’s hair?
2)A plane crashes on the border of
the U.S. and Canada. Where do they
bury the survivors?
1. Whatever color your hair is! Remember, you are the bus driver!
2. You do not bury the SURVIVORS!
Upward Performance 2018 32

Watch the video at
https://youtu.be/zdDpZRKrFi0?t=6
www.upwardperformance.com
Upward Performance 2018 33