Welcome to Life Warm Up's and Pete Hinojosa's Blog!

You can reach Pete at pete@questld.com

Friday, June 15, 2012

Our Mission at Omega Quest and Quest Leadership Dynamics

Mission
Building Stronger Leaders, Stronger Relationships and Stronger Teams in your Community
 
A Couple of Questions for You:
•Do you want to positively impact youth in your community?
•Do you work for a company or business that wants to strengthen its bond to the local school and families in your community?
•Are you looking to pass on leadership skills and character education to the next generation of leaders?
Quest leadership Dynamics is on a mission to connect businesses to the local schools and the schools to their community.
Company Overview
Omega Quest was developed as a passion to help youth. During my first year teaching High School, I had a student come to me and tell me that she wanted to commit suicide. I knew that I could help her see that her life was worth living. I also realized that she was probably not the only one that needed help. From that I created small “Life Warm Up’s” for my students. It caught on and in less than five years after the incident the momentum was created for a Youth Camp. That was 1997. In the last 15 years the camp has remained, but the information has turned into a Leadership and Mentor Curriculum that is now a Texas State Elective for High School Students. The most unique part of my leadership curriculum is the use of the Model of Human Behavior as the foundational piece of the curriculum. There are a lot of character and leadership curriculum's, but none have combined the character of the child with the personality of the child. Each session has been specially honed and written from 20 years of my own classroom experience. As a company we have gone from trying to save one life to now reaching thousands of students each year.
More than 15 School districts and 40 High Schools have used the leadership program in the last five years.

My mission has always been to impact youth positively and to do that you have to reach the parents. It was a natural transition to help parents learn what I was learning as I spent so much time with their children. The more the students shared the more I learned and the more I could help create connections with parents. This led to speaking to businesses. Knowing that eventually the youth I was working with would end up in the business world helped me look for opportunities where like-minded businesses had the philosophy or mission to support the local schools or community.

The second most unique part of my company has been my commitment to education. Because of the tight budgets of schools across the country, I have created a special relationship with businesses. When I work with them or train their staff, my company will in turn match IN KIND a service to their school in their community. This is my way of staying connected to the school system while creating a win/win for all involved. The company receives first class training and all of the name recognition from the local school and community.

Omega Quest and the Community:My commitment to education has now helped me connect the business world to the families and the families to the schools. I recently proposed my idea to my local school district. I have lived in the same community for the last 40 years. The only teaching job I wanted was at the High School I went to – the same High School where I started this whole journey. It has taken my career to see this dream get to this point. My goal is to do exactly what I mentioned, to work with local businesses and then match In KIND to the local school districts to impact youth. In January of 2012 I created my first partnership with Insperity a locally owned business. I have trained parts of their staff and then matched $10,000 of services over to my local school district – Humble ISD.
The relationship with Humble ISD is getting exciting. We are now creating a leadership track starting in 8th grade and culminating in a Leadership Certification for High School Seniors. This will now utilize my entire Leadership and Character Curriculum for more than 4000 students each year in more than 8 middle schools and 6 high schools. That is only the beginning, because each student is connected to a family so the ultimate impact for our community will be more than 5000 families every year for the duration of the project. The best part of the goal is that the student will Intern at the end of their junior year to practice their leadership skills by connecting with a local business.

This goal connects the youth to their family and ultimately the youth to the community. My goal is to meet that need of the local businesses and ultimately create a model for all communities to follow.

Quest Leadership Dynamics is the Leadership wing of Omega Quest and is based on the belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals. We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service in the industry. Our mission is to build - Stronger Leaders, Stronger Relationships and Stronger Teams in your Community and Prove the Results!
If you are a business owner and are looking for World-class training which in turn will be matched for your local schools and youth then please contact us.
 
Sincerely,
A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa
pete@questld.com

Monday, March 26, 2012

Adjust for Influence

Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -
Building Your Influencer Inc. Company
Life Warm-Up™ 

Howdy All!

Remember the theme for this year is, “Living a Life of Influence!”

Adjust for Influence
  • Each person has the capacity to “adapt and adjust” his/her behavior temporarily in an effort to meet others’ expectations or to be more successful in certain relationships.
  • It is important to understand that our behaviors – natural preferences and predictable differences – can help us identify how we would like to be treated.
  • Knowing that we have certain ways that we like to be treated is a great insight to apply when working with others.
  • They too would like to be treated according to the way that makes them feel best.
  • If you discover who people are, you know an important part of their “people puzzle” that we often miss.
  • You can observe behavior through the ‘DISC’ personality grid and know what to do and how to better treat them.
    • The “D” personality likes to move fast and forward. "Just get to the point!"
    • The “I” personality likes to inspire and influence. "Stop being so serious and loosen up - let me tell you a funny story."
    • The “S” personality likes to be laid back and listen. "How are you doing? How can I help you? I love to listen and be a part of the team."
    • The “C” personality likes to be cautious and calculated. "Are you sure we covered all the details? I have one more question just in case."
  • Knowing about others preferences helps you adjust to meet them where they are at…and that is what Influence is all about!

Visit the previous weeks Life Warm-Ups™ to find out more about how to influence or understand each personality type.  Or you can purchase Pete’s book Influencer Incorporated for a full description of each of the four perspectives.

Have a great week,

Sincerely,
Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this week's Life Warm-Up™!
A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa
Founder and President
Omega Quest®

Friday, March 16, 2012

Adapt for Influence

ENJOY YOUR SPRING BREAK!

Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -
Building Your Influencer Inc. Company
Life Warm-Up™ 
Howdy All!

Remember the theme for this year is, “Living a Life of Influence!”

Adapt for Influence
One goal when it comes to influence is to understand ourselves first, then others.
  • What is my basic pace that I like to move at throughout the day? (Outgoing or Reserved)
  • What is my basic priority as I make decisions? (Task and Results or People and Relationships)
  • How fast or slow would I like to move forward while doing a task? (Let's do it NOW! or Slow down and take a step back, It's time to make a plan.)
  • Do I want to hear the details or do I just want to get the bullet points and make a decision and then move on to the next task? (Thank you for fully explaining that, I have one more question. or Just get to the point!)
  • Do I like to talk more than listen, or would I prefer to listen more than talk? (If you don't want my opinion then don't ask for it. Reply: I didn't. Well you looked like you did. or It's better to remain silent and think about what you are going to say, so you say it just right and your meaning is clear.)
Once we truly understand ourselves we can adapt and adjust our needs or tendencies in the moment to work, live and be more effective with others.
Influence is about seeing ourselves for who we really are (understanding ourselves) and then, one step-at-a-time, adapting (our behavior) to meet the needs of others.
Each of the four types of personalities has a style of behavior that is comfortable to them, but these various styles may make others uncomfortable.


  • Influencing the Dominant Personality – “D”


  • Influencing the Influence Personality – “I”


  • Influencing the Steadiness Personality – “S”


  • Influencing the Compliance Personality – “C”

  • If your tendency is to handle tasks or problems quickly and decisively *(D) then you may come across as…
    • Uncaring to the *(I) personality. (That wasn't very friendly.)
    • Forceful or unemotional to the *(S) personality. (Why are yelling?)
    • Reckless to the *(C) personality. (You should really slow down and think about what you are saying.)
    • Right on to the (D) personality. (Now you are talking, let's do it!)
    You can see that we connect with others only when we learn how to take our eyes off our own needs and preferences long enough to see their point of view – and make them feel they are important and that their point of view is understood.
    It helps to remember when interacting with others “different” is not always “wrong” – it could be just different. (The "D" style prefers to move forward and make things happen,  however you could easily misinterpret their tendency and feel overwhelmed or even irritated if you don't understand their point of view.)
    As we adjust to others more accurately and consistently, our ability to influence others as we communicate with them will noticeably improve.
    • *The (D) stands for the Dominant Personality
    • *The (I) stands for the Influencing Personality
    • *The (S) stands for the Steady or Supportive Personality
    • *The (C) stands for the Compliant or Cautious Personality.
    Visit the previous weeks Life Warm-Ups™ to find out more about how to influence or understand each personality type.  Or you can purchase Pete’s book Influencer Incorporated for a full description of each of the four perspectives.

    Have a great week,

    Sincerely,
    Pete Hinojosa

    Thank you for reading this week's Life Warm-Up™!
    A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa
    Founder and President
    Omega Quest®

    Saturday, March 3, 2012

    Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -
    Building Your Influencer Inc. Company
    Life Warm-Up™ 

    Howdy All!

    Remember the theme for this year is, “Living a Life of Influence!”

    Personality Influence
    I like the idea that I heard this week from a woman who was dating a man. She said, “I love being with you because I always feel better about myself when I am around you.”
    That is what influence is all about – where the person you are interacting with likes themselves more around you, not less.
    They feel loved, understood and accepted just because they are with you!

    So here are some Influencer Insights for you:
    1.      When people feel understood, accepted and safe and can be themselves, they always produce better results.
    2.      It’s difficult to truly motivate another person without understanding their needs.  As you interact with another person according to their personality style and pattern they will naturally feel more comfortable and understood when they are with you.
    3.      It’s not the other person’s responsibility to learn your personality or mine; it’s our responsibility to learn and adapt to theirs. As mature adults, we need to accept our obligation to adjust to others. As we do this more accurately and consistently, our ability to communicate with others will improve noticeably. Not to mention our influence in that person’s life.
    4.      You can willingly adjust your personality to match the environments and relationships that you are in with other people.
    Application Keys to Influence:
    • Know your own personality.
      • What is my pace? (fast, slow)
      • What is my priority? (task, people)
    • Decide the pace that is needed.
      • If you are faster paced and are working with someone that is slower paced then modify your pace to meet their needs.
      • If you are slower paced and are working with someone that is faster paced then modify your pace to meet their needs.
    • Decide the priority that is needed.
      • If you are task oriented and are working with someone that is people oriented then modify your priority to meet their needs.
      • If you are people oriented and are working with someone that is task oriented then modify your priority to meet their needs
    • Yes, I understand that it seems as though you are about to do all the work of adapting and changing your style; however, since the only person we can change is ourselves we have to start somewhere.
    • So, to really influence another, tune in your personality style to the other person’s needs.

    Have a great week,

    Sincerely,
    Pete Hinojosa

    Thank you for reading this week's Life Warm-Up!
    A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa
    Founder and President
    Omega Quest
    281.360.0861 office

    Influencing the Compliance Personality – “C”

    Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -
    Building Your Influencer Inc. Company
    Life Warm-Up™ 

    Howdy All!

    Remember the theme for this year is, “Living a Life of Influence!”

    Influencing the Compliance Personality – “C”

    The “C” personality is a combination of Slower-Paced and Task-Oriented.
    “C” stands for Compliance and can be summarized with the following descriptors:


    • Competent
    • Cognitive
    • Cautious
    • Consistent
    • Critical thinking
    • Conformist
    • Careful
    • Conscientious
    • Correct
    • Cold
    1.      Everyone has to a lesser or greater extent the “C” traits. 
    2.      The stronger the “C” tendency the more you like to move slowly while effectively completing a task. 
    3.      The lesser the “C” tendency the more you like to speed up and interact with people.
    4.      Again no one is strictly just a “C”.
    5.      You are a unique blend of all four personality traits.
    6.      However, if you notice someone that likes to move more slowly while working on tasks then in order to influence them we must learn to adapt our pace and priority to meet their own.
    7.      Influence is not about losing your identity or having to compromise.
    8.      Influence is the ability to understand where others are coming from and impact them positively.
    9.      Something a High “C” might say, “Why exactly are we doing this?  Has anybody actually ever done this before?  Is there anything I can do to make this process more productive and effective? Just in case maybe we should slow down and really pay attention to the details.”
    10.  When you walk away from an interaction the thoughts of the other person should be, “Wow, they seemed to really understand where I was coming from, I want to be around them more!”
    11.  That’s influence!

    Interact with Influence with a “C” by:
    • Be factual and organized
    • Allow them to ask as many questions as they need when appropriate
    • Focus on procedures and details when developing a plan of attack
    • Be specific and accurate and logical
    • Be results-oriented when working with them, but give them time to process
    • Know that they are motivated by doing the job correctly not necessarily quickly

    Have a great week,

    Sincerely,
    Pete Hinojosa

    Thank you for reading this week's Life Warm-Up!
    A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa
    Founder and President


    Omega Quest
    281.360.0861 office

    Influencing the Steadiness Personality – “S”

    Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -
    Building Your Influencer Inc. Company
    Life Warm-Up™ 
    Howdy All!

    Remember the theme for this year is, “Living a Life of Influence!”

    Influencing the Steadiness Personality – “S”

    The “S” personality is a combination of Slower-Paced and People-Oriented.
    “S” stands for Steadiness and can be summarized with the following descriptors:


    • Supportive
    • Stable
    • Secure
    • Service-oriented
    • Sweet
    • Submissive
    • Shy
    • Status quo
    • Sentimental
    • Soft
    1.      Everyone has to a lesser or greater extent the “S” traits. 
    2.      The stronger the “S” tendency the more you like to move slowly while building relationships. 
    3.      The lesser the “S” tendency the more you like to speed up and create change.
    4.      Again no one is strictly just an “S”.
    5.      You are a unique blend of all four personality traits.
    6.      However, if you notice someone that likes to move more slowly and build relationships then in order to influence them we must learn to adapt our pace and priority to meet their own.
    7.      Influence is not about losing your identity or having to compromise.
    8.      Influence is the ability to understand where others are coming from and impact them positively.
    9.      Something a High “S” might say, “How is everyone doing?  Is everybody comfortable?  Is there anything I can do to help you?”
    10.  When you walk away from an interaction the thoughts of the other person should be, “Wow, they seemed to really understand where I was coming from, I want to be around them more!”
    11.  That’s influence!

    Interact with Influence with an “S” by:
    • Be patient and friendly
    • Allow them to take their time and warm up to you and others when appropriate
    • Focus on working with them as a team when developing a plan of attack
    • Be willing to allow time for processing changes
    • Be calm and non-confrontational when working with them
    • Know that they are motivated by a safe, predictable or steady environment
    Have a great week,

    Sincerely,
    Pete Hinojosa

    Thank you for reading this week's Life Warm-Up!
    A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa
    Founder and President
    Omega Quest
    281.360.0861 office