IAM always fascinated by the people who lift huge weights, particularly in competitions like the Olympic Games. I often wonder what a weightlifter says to himself as he paces up and down, rubbing his hands with resin powder and taking huge breaths.
What if he says: “That looks really heavy — it’s heavier than anything I’ve lifted before. I’ll probably drop it, make a real fool of myself and even injure myself.”
Do you know what will happen if he thinks such negative thoughts? Chances are that he will drop it, and perhaps injure himself as well.
Of course, he doesn’t tell himself to fail. This weightlifter, who has trained for years to do precisely this thing, is probably saying to himself: “You’re going to lift that bar and push it right through the ceiling! You’re going to break the world record! You’re going to win this competition and everyone in the world will see you doing it!”
In the day-to-day tasks that you face in your life, you should think as this sportsman does and tell yourself that you will succeed in whatever you do.
If you think negative thoughts, that’s what your subconscious will focus upon. If you think illness, you’ll become ill.
If you think gloom and doom — that’s what you’ll get. But if you think health, happiness and success — you’re already halfway to achieving these.
As Abraham Lincoln once said: “Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
We all face difficult situations in our lives, some people more than others. But even when things get tough, focus on the positive things in your life, the things you can do and not the things you can’t.
Think about what you have achieved in the past, not what you haven’t. Look at where you’re going, not where you have been.
There’s a story about a young man who really believed in the power of positive thinking. His workmates used to tease him and, of course, he was challenged by their taunts.
He told them one day that positive self-talk was so powerful that if he told himself he could fly through the air, he’d be able to fly.
“Prove it!” they cried. So off he went, up to the 20th floor of the building they worked in.
He jumped off and was heard to cry as he went past a 10th-floor window: “Well, it’s all going great so far!”
It’s one thing to be positive, quite another to be foolhardy. The lesson to learn is that in all the things we face in life, we should focus on the positive aspects.
Say, for example, a customer complains to you about some aspect of your product or service. It’s so easy to think: “I’ve messed up, I’m going to lose this customer’s business, this is a disaster!”
But it’s far better to think: “Okay, I’ve made a mistake, what can I learn from this so that I don’t do it again and improve my service standards even more?”
Ironically, if you apologise and go on to solve a customer’s problem, he will forgive you and become even more loyal.
There will always be challenges to face with customers and the people who work with you. Focusing on the positive will make it so much easier for you to deal with them.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Develop a winning attitude
THE job market has traditionally rewarded those who have made the extra effort in school with higher compensation and better opportunities for advancement.
But, there are signs that this attitude may be changing. As the expression goes, “one’s qualifications (ability) get one hired, yet one’s performance (attitude) results in one being fired”.
It is crucial to understand that possessing good qualifications is a prerequisite for any career to soar.
But it is your attitude towards your job, colleagues, clients and superiors that is a far more important and accurate determinant of performance and advancement.
The lack of professionalism at work is not easily raised and discussed as it involves the emotional intelligence of the person.
Superiors generally gloss over these issues and simply do not promote the individual.
REALITY CHECK
To take your career sky-high, your first challenge is to do a reality check. Ask yourself:
● How much am I doing to keep abreast of developments in my field?
● How much am I investing in my own development?
● How competent am I when engaging with others?
● What is my overall attitude to those whom I serve, work with and report to?
BENEFITS OF WORK
The workplace offers intrinsic benefits like career development, in terms of skills learned, social interactions, financial discipline plus other core skills such as computer literacy.
It also offers opportunities for personal development. Ask potential employers about their attitudes and practices toward training, promotions, exposure to travel and new situations, job rotation and performance appraisals.
These aspects of employment will develop your skills and nurture your character. Together, these will ultimately help you carve a career that “knows no limits”.
Seek out companies with a great working environment as it cultivates in you a sense of respect and dignity, irrespective of your rank.
CAREER OR JOB
What differentiates a career from a job? A career is viewed from a long-term perspective. It involves making an investment that over time is expected to yield rewards. On the other hand, a job is more transient and refers to the role you currently occupy. It is driven by the attitude of “what’s in it for me?”
Great careers create a sense of passion and pride in people. When you make the size of the wage packet a priority, you usually sacrifice other important and beneficial aspects of the job that are crucial for your development and progress.
TAKING RISKS
If you are looking for a career that has no limits, you must be willing to take some risks.
Careers that are fulfilling and exciting involve challenges, taking responsibility, being empowered, being accountable and, where necessary, taking appropriate risks.
Many people look for positions that are secure and pay a reasonable wage, and are then content to go with the flow. The trouble with most streams is that they flow downwards.
Instead, look for employment that forces you to swim against the tide, make you think, and allows you the opportunity to engage with others who are different and even difficult.
WHAT’S YOUR VISION
Write down a three-year plan of how you want to develop.
● Your career — what are your personal aspirations and hopes regarding promotions and increased authority?
● Academic skills — what courses and types of training will further enhance your hard skills?
● Social skills and network — how will you expand your circle of friends and contacts as well as enhance your relationshipbuilding skills?
● Your finances — what are your objectives and how will you achieve them?
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE
Finally, to turn your hopes and dreams into reality, you need to reflect on where you want to see yourself in the next three years. Your plan provides a road map of the way forward — you have to do the driving.
Not everything will work according to plan, but at least you have a blueprint that tells you when you are going off course. This gives you a head start over others who do not have a clue where they are going.
But, there are signs that this attitude may be changing. As the expression goes, “one’s qualifications (ability) get one hired, yet one’s performance (attitude) results in one being fired”.
It is crucial to understand that possessing good qualifications is a prerequisite for any career to soar.
But it is your attitude towards your job, colleagues, clients and superiors that is a far more important and accurate determinant of performance and advancement.
The lack of professionalism at work is not easily raised and discussed as it involves the emotional intelligence of the person.
Superiors generally gloss over these issues and simply do not promote the individual.
REALITY CHECK
To take your career sky-high, your first challenge is to do a reality check. Ask yourself:
● How much am I doing to keep abreast of developments in my field?
● How much am I investing in my own development?
● How competent am I when engaging with others?
● What is my overall attitude to those whom I serve, work with and report to?
BENEFITS OF WORK
The workplace offers intrinsic benefits like career development, in terms of skills learned, social interactions, financial discipline plus other core skills such as computer literacy.
It also offers opportunities for personal development. Ask potential employers about their attitudes and practices toward training, promotions, exposure to travel and new situations, job rotation and performance appraisals.
These aspects of employment will develop your skills and nurture your character. Together, these will ultimately help you carve a career that “knows no limits”.
Seek out companies with a great working environment as it cultivates in you a sense of respect and dignity, irrespective of your rank.
CAREER OR JOB
What differentiates a career from a job? A career is viewed from a long-term perspective. It involves making an investment that over time is expected to yield rewards. On the other hand, a job is more transient and refers to the role you currently occupy. It is driven by the attitude of “what’s in it for me?”
Great careers create a sense of passion and pride in people. When you make the size of the wage packet a priority, you usually sacrifice other important and beneficial aspects of the job that are crucial for your development and progress.
TAKING RISKS
If you are looking for a career that has no limits, you must be willing to take some risks.
Careers that are fulfilling and exciting involve challenges, taking responsibility, being empowered, being accountable and, where necessary, taking appropriate risks.
Many people look for positions that are secure and pay a reasonable wage, and are then content to go with the flow. The trouble with most streams is that they flow downwards.
Instead, look for employment that forces you to swim against the tide, make you think, and allows you the opportunity to engage with others who are different and even difficult.
WHAT’S YOUR VISION
Write down a three-year plan of how you want to develop.
● Your career — what are your personal aspirations and hopes regarding promotions and increased authority?
● Academic skills — what courses and types of training will further enhance your hard skills?
● Social skills and network — how will you expand your circle of friends and contacts as well as enhance your relationshipbuilding skills?
● Your finances — what are your objectives and how will you achieve them?
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE
Finally, to turn your hopes and dreams into reality, you need to reflect on where you want to see yourself in the next three years. Your plan provides a road map of the way forward — you have to do the driving.
Not everything will work according to plan, but at least you have a blueprint that tells you when you are going off course. This gives you a head start over others who do not have a clue where they are going.
Think big!
A common practice in business branding is to make your small company appear big. Small companies often complain of their lack of resources to compete with the bigger established companies.
However, there is good news for emerging small companies. You don’t have to blow a big hole in your pocket to appear big. Here are some tips:
Global presence
One of the ways to instantly look big is to have several locations worldwide. Prestigious locations include New York, London, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong or even Singapore.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to implement this is to locate virtual office providers who provide business address, fax and phone line rentals at low affordable rates.
Now, you can be creative and stretch your dollar in a few ways. Look around for friends who own businesses worldwide and collaborate so that both of you can display each other’s addresses on your marketing collaterals, assuming you have an office.
Alternatively, you may look towards your distributors and partner suppliers as possible opportunities to showcase your global presence, without spending a cent!
Create departments
One of the essentials that a businessman requires to appear like a multinational is to engage a virtual receptionist. Nothing destroys a company’s image faster than the boss of the company answering the calls himself.
Simply outsource this function to an affordable business centre or engage a virtual administrative assistant who will forward the calls to your mobile after screening them.
Big companies all have one thing in common: departments. It is easy to create departments within one’s business or company despite having only a few personnel.
Simply create various e-mail addresses bearing such departments and engage virtual receptionists, virtual admin assistants or virtual sales assistants to handle incoming calls.
Alternatively, you may engage utility-based virtual receptionist services so you only pay for what you use on a low monthly subscription package. After all, most small companies have very few calls.
Great office
It would be nice to have a great-looking conference room to meet potential clients. It is important therefore to locate good business centres which can give the impression that the office is uniquely and solely your own.
The virtual office provider that you engage preferably should provide a conference room for your use. You could always rent a workstation as well at a fraction of the cost of an office and use the conference room on a utility basis.
Or do what I do and meet at Starbucks. The one around the corner from my house now has Wi-Fi, so I can collaborate on a document with an employee online using MSN, take a call on my cell phone (routed through my office phone via my virtual receptionist), and meet a colleague - all over a cuppa.
Online branding
Fortunately, there are many resources online that a business may outsource to appear big, such as intranet systems and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems for a modest monthly sum.
In this technologically advanced age, it is in the best interests of a competitive company to have an impressive website to promote its products or services. Websites serve two purposes: they strengthen the company’s branding strategy and offer clients or business partners an avenue to know more about you.
A professional website is critical in portraying the right image to the client. Invest some time in ensuring that your website makes you appear as reliable and professional as you should be.
Strapped for cash? Simply purchase professional website templates for less than US$10 (RM34) online.
Some web hosting companies come with free web design templates incorporated into their packages. Web design to a business is similar to interior design to a home and it’s a worthwhile, one-time investment in terms of time or money.
Be sure to list yourself in all major search engines and commence Internet marketing efforts as early as possible. It will help a lot if clients are able to locate you simply by keying in your company’s name into a major search engine such as Yahoo, Google or MSN.
Offline branding
Pay attention to the details in terms of your corporate branding. Items such as logos, name-card design, letterheads or brochures all reflect the image and professionalism of your company.
Invest some money in engaging a designer to create a common corporate theme for all your marketing collaterals including your company’s website. Remember to keep things simple and relevant to the nature of your business. Use a freelance designer or student designers to reduce costs if established designers are too expensive.
These are some of the ways in which you may make your company stand out from the rest and fend off potential competitors. Don’t let the lack of resources restrain you, it’s how resourceful you are that matters. Being frugal frees up funds that can be spent on other critical areas of your business
However, there is good news for emerging small companies. You don’t have to blow a big hole in your pocket to appear big. Here are some tips:
Global presence
One of the ways to instantly look big is to have several locations worldwide. Prestigious locations include New York, London, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong or even Singapore.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to implement this is to locate virtual office providers who provide business address, fax and phone line rentals at low affordable rates.
Now, you can be creative and stretch your dollar in a few ways. Look around for friends who own businesses worldwide and collaborate so that both of you can display each other’s addresses on your marketing collaterals, assuming you have an office.
Alternatively, you may look towards your distributors and partner suppliers as possible opportunities to showcase your global presence, without spending a cent!
Create departments
One of the essentials that a businessman requires to appear like a multinational is to engage a virtual receptionist. Nothing destroys a company’s image faster than the boss of the company answering the calls himself.
Simply outsource this function to an affordable business centre or engage a virtual administrative assistant who will forward the calls to your mobile after screening them.
Big companies all have one thing in common: departments. It is easy to create departments within one’s business or company despite having only a few personnel.
Simply create various e-mail addresses bearing such departments and engage virtual receptionists, virtual admin assistants or virtual sales assistants to handle incoming calls.
Alternatively, you may engage utility-based virtual receptionist services so you only pay for what you use on a low monthly subscription package. After all, most small companies have very few calls.
Great office
It would be nice to have a great-looking conference room to meet potential clients. It is important therefore to locate good business centres which can give the impression that the office is uniquely and solely your own.
The virtual office provider that you engage preferably should provide a conference room for your use. You could always rent a workstation as well at a fraction of the cost of an office and use the conference room on a utility basis.
Or do what I do and meet at Starbucks. The one around the corner from my house now has Wi-Fi, so I can collaborate on a document with an employee online using MSN, take a call on my cell phone (routed through my office phone via my virtual receptionist), and meet a colleague - all over a cuppa.
Online branding
Fortunately, there are many resources online that a business may outsource to appear big, such as intranet systems and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems for a modest monthly sum.
In this technologically advanced age, it is in the best interests of a competitive company to have an impressive website to promote its products or services. Websites serve two purposes: they strengthen the company’s branding strategy and offer clients or business partners an avenue to know more about you.
A professional website is critical in portraying the right image to the client. Invest some time in ensuring that your website makes you appear as reliable and professional as you should be.
Strapped for cash? Simply purchase professional website templates for less than US$10 (RM34) online.
Some web hosting companies come with free web design templates incorporated into their packages. Web design to a business is similar to interior design to a home and it’s a worthwhile, one-time investment in terms of time or money.
Be sure to list yourself in all major search engines and commence Internet marketing efforts as early as possible. It will help a lot if clients are able to locate you simply by keying in your company’s name into a major search engine such as Yahoo, Google or MSN.
Offline branding
Pay attention to the details in terms of your corporate branding. Items such as logos, name-card design, letterheads or brochures all reflect the image and professionalism of your company.
Invest some money in engaging a designer to create a common corporate theme for all your marketing collaterals including your company’s website. Remember to keep things simple and relevant to the nature of your business. Use a freelance designer or student designers to reduce costs if established designers are too expensive.
These are some of the ways in which you may make your company stand out from the rest and fend off potential competitors. Don’t let the lack of resources restrain you, it’s how resourceful you are that matters. Being frugal frees up funds that can be spent on other critical areas of your business
Manage less, inspire more
ACCORDING to recent research, chief operating officers have cited high-quality staff as the top factor that has contributed most to the growth of their companies.
Interestingly, finding, hiring and retaining qualified employees have also become one of their biggest operational challenges in managing their companies’ rapid growth.
One of the top reasons people usually give for leaving their job is, more often than not, their immediate superior or management.
Managing people should no longer be simply viewed as just a responsibility, but an extremely important skill that managers should constantly hone and improve to deal with the diverse personalities and cultures in a team or company.
An acute global shortage of talent across all industries made it critical that business managers know exactly what energises and motivates their staff to keep the invaluable human capital within the organisation.
Here are some management insights on how managers can effectively get the most out of their staff and motivate them to put in their best always:
1 ADOPT A PEOPLE-FOCUSED CULTURE
There is a reason why some of the world’s top organisations attribute their success to their people.
By treating their employees as the most valuable asset of the company, they achieve impressive results and become more competitive across many fronts.
Such companies tend to create a favourable brand perception (internally and externally) by treating their staff right and, naturally, become desired employers to work for.
A people-focused culture energises employees and inspires them to achieve more than what they think is possible, especially if they know they are part of the company’s growth and success.
Employees enjoy working where their contributions are valued. Their morale is boosted when they are given more responsibility, autonomy and freedom.
They are more likely to articulate the company’s shared vision and bring their best ideas to work.
2 BE A LEADER, NOT A MANAGER
Many business managers are often trapped in the daily running of their companies or assigned divisions. The point is, micro-managing all aspects of a business does not make you a great leader.
To remain competitive in today’s world, organisations need inspiring leaders who can inject enthusiasm into the work environment and make employees excited about their jobs.
When a conservative and rigid management insists on total control, employees will merely do what they are told.
Genuine leadership uses talents cleverly to bring about real and limitless productivity, as employees begin to emulate and internalise their leaders’ positive attitude and approach to work, especially when these leaders support them wholeheartedly in whatever they do.
To bring out the best in people, never lead by intimidation. It is more important that you earn the trust, respect and consideration of your people so that they are encouraged to put in exceptional performance for you and the company.
People do what they have to do for a manager, but they will offer their very best for a great leader.
3 ENCOURAGE RISK-TAKING AND INNOVATION
When a company becomes too entrenched in rules, regulations, guidelines and policies, it kills creativity and innovation within the workplace.
Employees will clock in their hours daily and perform their assigned duties as contracted, but with hardly any interest in achieving the company’s mission, vision and goals.
An organisation that does not challenge its people to think, create, innovate and contribute will only give rise to more people with a “Why rock the boat?” mentality.
Build a culture that encourages and empowers people to take a certain level of risk.
With the knowledge that mistakes are permissible, employees will be more open and proactive in sharing their thoughts, ideas and opinions on how to make things better.
Many innovative products and ideas, such as sticky notepads, correction fluid and band-aids, are the brainchild of ordinary people who gave their employers a significant competitive advantage within their industry.
Employees are the best creative resource for innovative ideas and solutions as they are closest to the business, its customers and processes.
The best way to tap into this resource is to instil confidence by showing trust and celebrating those who are willing to take risks, and supporting those who try and fail.
4 STRETCH AND CHALLENGE
Challenge your staff constantly by setting and exacting the highest standards, spurring them on to achieve what are seemingly impossible targets. By ensuring that everyone is working to meet these standards, you are generating enthusiasm among the workforce and creating a competitive spirit within the company.
When a company inspires its people to make such targets a reality, they get excited about their work and are eager to achieve the vision by maximising their own capabilities. Keep up the energy of the organisation and recruit people who share the same kind of passion for the work you do.
Inject fun, challenges and opportunities into your business so that employees look forward to coming to work and contributing their best to the company.
Interestingly, finding, hiring and retaining qualified employees have also become one of their biggest operational challenges in managing their companies’ rapid growth.
One of the top reasons people usually give for leaving their job is, more often than not, their immediate superior or management.
Managing people should no longer be simply viewed as just a responsibility, but an extremely important skill that managers should constantly hone and improve to deal with the diverse personalities and cultures in a team or company.
An acute global shortage of talent across all industries made it critical that business managers know exactly what energises and motivates their staff to keep the invaluable human capital within the organisation.
Here are some management insights on how managers can effectively get the most out of their staff and motivate them to put in their best always:
1 ADOPT A PEOPLE-FOCUSED CULTURE
There is a reason why some of the world’s top organisations attribute their success to their people.
By treating their employees as the most valuable asset of the company, they achieve impressive results and become more competitive across many fronts.
Such companies tend to create a favourable brand perception (internally and externally) by treating their staff right and, naturally, become desired employers to work for.
A people-focused culture energises employees and inspires them to achieve more than what they think is possible, especially if they know they are part of the company’s growth and success.
Employees enjoy working where their contributions are valued. Their morale is boosted when they are given more responsibility, autonomy and freedom.
They are more likely to articulate the company’s shared vision and bring their best ideas to work.
2 BE A LEADER, NOT A MANAGER
Many business managers are often trapped in the daily running of their companies or assigned divisions. The point is, micro-managing all aspects of a business does not make you a great leader.
To remain competitive in today’s world, organisations need inspiring leaders who can inject enthusiasm into the work environment and make employees excited about their jobs.
When a conservative and rigid management insists on total control, employees will merely do what they are told.
Genuine leadership uses talents cleverly to bring about real and limitless productivity, as employees begin to emulate and internalise their leaders’ positive attitude and approach to work, especially when these leaders support them wholeheartedly in whatever they do.
To bring out the best in people, never lead by intimidation. It is more important that you earn the trust, respect and consideration of your people so that they are encouraged to put in exceptional performance for you and the company.
People do what they have to do for a manager, but they will offer their very best for a great leader.
3 ENCOURAGE RISK-TAKING AND INNOVATION
When a company becomes too entrenched in rules, regulations, guidelines and policies, it kills creativity and innovation within the workplace.
Employees will clock in their hours daily and perform their assigned duties as contracted, but with hardly any interest in achieving the company’s mission, vision and goals.
An organisation that does not challenge its people to think, create, innovate and contribute will only give rise to more people with a “Why rock the boat?” mentality.
Build a culture that encourages and empowers people to take a certain level of risk.
With the knowledge that mistakes are permissible, employees will be more open and proactive in sharing their thoughts, ideas and opinions on how to make things better.
Many innovative products and ideas, such as sticky notepads, correction fluid and band-aids, are the brainchild of ordinary people who gave their employers a significant competitive advantage within their industry.
Employees are the best creative resource for innovative ideas and solutions as they are closest to the business, its customers and processes.
The best way to tap into this resource is to instil confidence by showing trust and celebrating those who are willing to take risks, and supporting those who try and fail.
4 STRETCH AND CHALLENGE
Challenge your staff constantly by setting and exacting the highest standards, spurring them on to achieve what are seemingly impossible targets. By ensuring that everyone is working to meet these standards, you are generating enthusiasm among the workforce and creating a competitive spirit within the company.
When a company inspires its people to make such targets a reality, they get excited about their work and are eager to achieve the vision by maximising their own capabilities. Keep up the energy of the organisation and recruit people who share the same kind of passion for the work you do.
Inject fun, challenges and opportunities into your business so that employees look forward to coming to work and contributing their best to the company.
Are You the "Motivator"
We're all aware of how important teamwork is and how an inspired team, working together toward a clearly defined goal, can accomplish tremendous results. But how do you get all co-workers to pull together and realize they are a vital link in a much bigger picture?
Remember that individuals make a team. Individual contributions add up to the greater whole. Ask for the team's ideas and suggestions and base specific goals on these. Be sure each team member understands his/her role in the overall plan.
Communicate clearly. Present information in an organized, easy-to-follow way. Make it clear; communication within the group is a two-way process. Acknowledge everyone's thoughts, ideas and fears equally. And above all, be honest.
Be a good example. Maintain firm, fair and clearly understood standards. Tackle unpleasant tasks as soon as possible. If criticism is necessary, make it constructive. Keep emotions in check.
Delegate. No one can do everything. Understand which jobs don't need your personal touch and trust them to someone else. Match jobs to skills and abilities, providing necessary training and encouragement. Provide goals and guidelines.
Accept change. Discuss changes - also suggested changes - with your team thoroughly. Reassure team players that the changes are positive, clearly pointing out the benefits. Encourage all members to express their feelings about what's happening and tend to wounded egos appropriately.
Praise with specifics. Focus on performance & behavior and not on the person. Do it regularly and in a timely fasion.
By Vera Haitayan
Remember that individuals make a team. Individual contributions add up to the greater whole. Ask for the team's ideas and suggestions and base specific goals on these. Be sure each team member understands his/her role in the overall plan.
Communicate clearly. Present information in an organized, easy-to-follow way. Make it clear; communication within the group is a two-way process. Acknowledge everyone's thoughts, ideas and fears equally. And above all, be honest.
Be a good example. Maintain firm, fair and clearly understood standards. Tackle unpleasant tasks as soon as possible. If criticism is necessary, make it constructive. Keep emotions in check.
Delegate. No one can do everything. Understand which jobs don't need your personal touch and trust them to someone else. Match jobs to skills and abilities, providing necessary training and encouragement. Provide goals and guidelines.
Accept change. Discuss changes - also suggested changes - with your team thoroughly. Reassure team players that the changes are positive, clearly pointing out the benefits. Encourage all members to express their feelings about what's happening and tend to wounded egos appropriately.
Praise with specifics. Focus on performance & behavior and not on the person. Do it regularly and in a timely fasion.
By Vera Haitayan
Four Steps to a Super Attitude
Decide How to React
It is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to what happens to you, especially when you have unexpected problems of any kind.
In this newsletter, you learn powerful strategies you can use to keep yourself thinking and acting positively and creatively.
Here are four things you can do to assure that your attitude is the very best it can be, under all circumstances.
Focus On the Future
First, whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts, and your mental images on the future.
Think About the Solution
Second, whenever you're faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback, rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.
Look For the Good
Third, assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, "Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.
Seek the Valuable Lesson
Fourth, assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.
Decide to Be Positive
A Positive Mental Attitude is indispensable to your success. You can be as positive as you want to be if you will simply think about the future, focus on the solution and look for the good. If you do what other successful people do, if you use your mind to exert mental control over the situation, you will be positive and cheerful most of the time. And you will reap the benefits enjoyed by all successful people.
Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, become solution-oriented with every difficulty you face. Make a habit of looking for the answers to your questions, the solutions to your problems.
Second, seek for the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty.
Third, think on paper. Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then take the most logical next step to solve it
It is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to what happens to you, especially when you have unexpected problems of any kind.
In this newsletter, you learn powerful strategies you can use to keep yourself thinking and acting positively and creatively.
Here are four things you can do to assure that your attitude is the very best it can be, under all circumstances.
Focus On the Future
First, whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts, and your mental images on the future.
Think About the Solution
Second, whenever you're faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback, rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.
Look For the Good
Third, assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, "Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.
Seek the Valuable Lesson
Fourth, assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.
Decide to Be Positive
A Positive Mental Attitude is indispensable to your success. You can be as positive as you want to be if you will simply think about the future, focus on the solution and look for the good. If you do what other successful people do, if you use your mind to exert mental control over the situation, you will be positive and cheerful most of the time. And you will reap the benefits enjoyed by all successful people.
Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, become solution-oriented with every difficulty you face. Make a habit of looking for the answers to your questions, the solutions to your problems.
Second, seek for the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty.
Third, think on paper. Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then take the most logical next step to solve it
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Managing Stress - Hire the Right People
Managing Stress - Hire the Right People, By Lorraine Pirihi
Managing stress is not easy if you don't have the right people in your business or team.
One of the biggest challenges any business owner or manager has is hiring the right people.
I've recently discovered a simple, inexpensive yet very effective way which will help you get it right.
This week I've asked Nathan Chanesman, Managing Director of Myprofile Pty Ltd. to please explain…
"Without quality employees who share your vision and work ethic your business is not going anywhere.
So how do you find the "right" employee?
We've all experienced hiring the "wrong" person. It's a nightmare. Hiring mistakes costs money, time and worse can easily ruin your business and your health! A recent survey in Forbes Business Magazine revealed, "Hiring the wrong person is the prime cause of business failure in the USA". For most employers it's a lottery, hire someone and hope it works out.
People problems take the most toll on us personally producing significant emotional wear and tear.
What if you had a tool that could tell you in advance of hiring, if the candidates applying have the right attitude and behavioural style to do that job successfully.
Now that would be something! Well read on. It's now possible to predict behaviour quickly and accurately.
People can do most jobs if they are qualified and skilled for that position. However some people have a more natural aptitude for a particular type of job. Their behavioural style closely matches the job and as a result, they do better, are less stressed, can't wait to get to work, are enthusiastic and stay with you longer. The ideal employee! These are the people you need to hire.
Which Behavioural Style Are You?
Four dominant styles define everyones behaviour
Whilst we are all different, our behavioural habits and style are more predicable than we think. We each have a dominant style and this determines how we manage at work, at home, in our relationships, how we communicate and importantly what careers we are best suited to.
D - Drivers. These are people who want to get things done. Active and fast paced, more interested in tasks than relationships. Often strong willed and very assertive, they push to have things done their way.
P - Promoters. These are people who want to be noticed. Active and fast pace they are relationship oriented rather than tasks. Often very expressive, chatty, friendly and usually dramatic. Do things more intuitively.
S - Supporters. These are the people who want to get along. Very social and relationship oriented and not as vocal or enthusiastic as Promoters. Very dependable, work slower, great team players, amiable, want to help, show concern and want take care of everyone.
A - Administrators. These are people who want to get it right. Task oriented, not big on relationships, not very social and don't express their feelings. Very analytical, cautious and risk averse. They work at a slower more methodical pace and are less assertive and less expressive.
Each style has it's own behavioural patterns. Some styles don't get along, others are more suited to each other.
Interestingly the population is evenly spread, in other words 25% are one of four styles and more significantly 75% are of a style different to yours.
As an employer it is important that you know your style and that of your employees. Each style thinks differently, reacts differently, communicates differently, works at a different pace, handles emotions differently, manages stress differently and solves problems differently. Not necessarily worse, not better just differently. As an employer your style is most likely going to be different than your employees so you need to know who your staff are and how to communicate with them."
The Final Word
Managing stress at work can be kept at a healthy level if you understand what behaviourial type you are and those around you.
Managing stress is not easy if you don't have the right people in your business or team.
One of the biggest challenges any business owner or manager has is hiring the right people.
I've recently discovered a simple, inexpensive yet very effective way which will help you get it right.
This week I've asked Nathan Chanesman, Managing Director of Myprofile Pty Ltd. to please explain…
"Without quality employees who share your vision and work ethic your business is not going anywhere.
So how do you find the "right" employee?
We've all experienced hiring the "wrong" person. It's a nightmare. Hiring mistakes costs money, time and worse can easily ruin your business and your health! A recent survey in Forbes Business Magazine revealed, "Hiring the wrong person is the prime cause of business failure in the USA". For most employers it's a lottery, hire someone and hope it works out.
People problems take the most toll on us personally producing significant emotional wear and tear.
What if you had a tool that could tell you in advance of hiring, if the candidates applying have the right attitude and behavioural style to do that job successfully.
Now that would be something! Well read on. It's now possible to predict behaviour quickly and accurately.
People can do most jobs if they are qualified and skilled for that position. However some people have a more natural aptitude for a particular type of job. Their behavioural style closely matches the job and as a result, they do better, are less stressed, can't wait to get to work, are enthusiastic and stay with you longer. The ideal employee! These are the people you need to hire.
Which Behavioural Style Are You?
Four dominant styles define everyones behaviour
Whilst we are all different, our behavioural habits and style are more predicable than we think. We each have a dominant style and this determines how we manage at work, at home, in our relationships, how we communicate and importantly what careers we are best suited to.
D - Drivers. These are people who want to get things done. Active and fast paced, more interested in tasks than relationships. Often strong willed and very assertive, they push to have things done their way.
P - Promoters. These are people who want to be noticed. Active and fast pace they are relationship oriented rather than tasks. Often very expressive, chatty, friendly and usually dramatic. Do things more intuitively.
S - Supporters. These are the people who want to get along. Very social and relationship oriented and not as vocal or enthusiastic as Promoters. Very dependable, work slower, great team players, amiable, want to help, show concern and want take care of everyone.
A - Administrators. These are people who want to get it right. Task oriented, not big on relationships, not very social and don't express their feelings. Very analytical, cautious and risk averse. They work at a slower more methodical pace and are less assertive and less expressive.
Each style has it's own behavioural patterns. Some styles don't get along, others are more suited to each other.
Interestingly the population is evenly spread, in other words 25% are one of four styles and more significantly 75% are of a style different to yours.
As an employer it is important that you know your style and that of your employees. Each style thinks differently, reacts differently, communicates differently, works at a different pace, handles emotions differently, manages stress differently and solves problems differently. Not necessarily worse, not better just differently. As an employer your style is most likely going to be different than your employees so you need to know who your staff are and how to communicate with them."
The Final Word
Managing stress at work can be kept at a healthy level if you understand what behaviourial type you are and those around you.
Employee Motivation - The 8 Basics
Building a team of motivated people in your business is vital to get the very best results, but so many managers focus on the 'ra-ra-ra', rather than the important things - the things that make people feel comfortable in their working environment. Here are eight that you might want to have a think about:
The Weather
Is it too hot, or too cold. Your people need an environment which is, like Goldilocks said, 'Just right'. So is the office too stuffy in summer? Or too icy in winter? Is it draughty? Do people get wet when accepting deliveries, because the outside roof leaks? Literally make sure that external factors are as they wish.
The Breaks
Sometimes working in a day-to-day job can get boring and exhausting. So people need to know when their breaks are and that they wil be able to take them - it's not that complicated. Yet often, they just aren't able to have this basic courtesy in place. Planning and caring for your people's needs is vital. It's what you would want for yourself, isn't it?
Holidays
And vacations/holidays are important too - some would say it's the most important thing on the working year calendar. So enable this to happen, when they need to know, so that they can plan their invaluable time away from the business and refresh.
Being Heard
You people need you to listen to then and hear them - really hear what they are saying and respond with action and/or acknowledgement. Be out there creating good, open relationships with your people and take in what they say - what's important to them - and deliver solutions to make conditions great.
Achievable Goals
By being really, really clear about what you expect from your employees, you will set the scene for committed staff. Through knowing exactly what their performance should look like to be judged excellent, by you, gets buy-in, big-time. So be clear, give them the resources to achieve success and they will be well onside.
Being Thanked
As they do a good job for you each day - tell them. It's easy - just say 'Thank You'! Appreciation for achieving success, especially when it's from the boss is so important. So recognising excellent performance, even for small tasks, cost nothing and takes but a moment - worth building into your day job activities - every day!
Challenge
People like to do new things, to explore, to seek out and utilise their potential, Sometimes this means they will have to be 'stretched' in what they do. With a helping hand, to support, coach and grow the skills of your people, you are setting in place a keen, ambitious and ready-for-the-next-experience star in the making. So find new ways to develop them.
Security
In today's business climate, it isn't always easy to build the best future consistently - things change too much, too quickly. But you can go some way to ensure that it is a safe place to be. With this level of security, your people will loosen up and feel capable of being with you, rather than against. It is a measure of your own leadership as to how well this works.
By Martin Haworth
The Weather
Is it too hot, or too cold. Your people need an environment which is, like Goldilocks said, 'Just right'. So is the office too stuffy in summer? Or too icy in winter? Is it draughty? Do people get wet when accepting deliveries, because the outside roof leaks? Literally make sure that external factors are as they wish.
The Breaks
Sometimes working in a day-to-day job can get boring and exhausting. So people need to know when their breaks are and that they wil be able to take them - it's not that complicated. Yet often, they just aren't able to have this basic courtesy in place. Planning and caring for your people's needs is vital. It's what you would want for yourself, isn't it?
Holidays
And vacations/holidays are important too - some would say it's the most important thing on the working year calendar. So enable this to happen, when they need to know, so that they can plan their invaluable time away from the business and refresh.
Being Heard
You people need you to listen to then and hear them - really hear what they are saying and respond with action and/or acknowledgement. Be out there creating good, open relationships with your people and take in what they say - what's important to them - and deliver solutions to make conditions great.
Achievable Goals
By being really, really clear about what you expect from your employees, you will set the scene for committed staff. Through knowing exactly what their performance should look like to be judged excellent, by you, gets buy-in, big-time. So be clear, give them the resources to achieve success and they will be well onside.
Being Thanked
As they do a good job for you each day - tell them. It's easy - just say 'Thank You'! Appreciation for achieving success, especially when it's from the boss is so important. So recognising excellent performance, even for small tasks, cost nothing and takes but a moment - worth building into your day job activities - every day!
Challenge
People like to do new things, to explore, to seek out and utilise their potential, Sometimes this means they will have to be 'stretched' in what they do. With a helping hand, to support, coach and grow the skills of your people, you are setting in place a keen, ambitious and ready-for-the-next-experience star in the making. So find new ways to develop them.
Security
In today's business climate, it isn't always easy to build the best future consistently - things change too much, too quickly. But you can go some way to ensure that it is a safe place to be. With this level of security, your people will loosen up and feel capable of being with you, rather than against. It is a measure of your own leadership as to how well this works.
By Martin Haworth
You’re the boss, you decide
You’re the boss, you decide
THE battle to remain employed has been lost - the new battle is to remain employable.
Welcome to the brave new world of the 21st century. All around us, the old certainties are fast disappearing to be replaced by the new, the unknown and the uncertain.
Consider some of the paradoxes. The economy is changing. The iron rice bowl is no more. Jobs for life have gone.
Unskilled, low value-added jobs are fast-disappearing. Full-time jobs are being replaced by contract or part-time work.
We are rapidly transforming into a knowledge-based economy driven by information technology, research and development and the provision of advanced services.
Organisations are changing. They are flatter, leaner and more flexible, having to respond to the changing environment, customers and clients faster.
Fewer people are being employed; and they have to work harder, faster, smarter and be multi-skilled and creative with a new, more open mindset.
The market is changing. Consumers are older and wiser, demanding sophisticated value-added products and services.
If you cannot deliver a better product or service at a cheaper price in a fast-changing market place, your competitor will!
Aim to be employable
There is no such thing as a career path any more. It is crazy paving, and you lay it yourself.
The old employment paradigm has shifted forever.
In the past, organisations were paternalistic, offered job security, had defined career paths, practised succession planning and had focused job descriptions and titles with narrow and specific responsibilities and clear reporting lines.
The new organisational reality is very different.
The company is no longer responsible for your job security. No employer anywhere, in any organisation, can guarantee you a job.
The old psychological employment contract has been replaced by a looser, less structured working relationship. The emphasis is on employability, not employment.
Careers must be self-directed and highly flexible.
You have to take more responsibility for your own development by building a portfolio of skills and talents, being capable of switching roles rapidly and multitasking with ease.
Career resilience is the new mantra of our times. Be responsible for yourself, adopting a “self-employed” mentality even if you are working for a large organisation.
Knowledge is the new currency of business, and lifelong learning is no longer an option, it has become mandatory for survival.
Invest in yourself
As an employee, you must know the skills you have and how these skills can be marketed to other employers.
Continually update and upgrade your skills and be aware of new roles you may be required to fill.
Develop skills aligned to business needs, an attitude that is focused yet flexible and a dedication to continuous learning and personal excellence.
Deliver a solid performance in support of your organisation’s goals.
It is vital that you discover, or rediscover, yourself through self-awareness. Understand your personality and work style, what drives you and what your preferences are in a work situation.
Invest in yourself through developing an understanding of your work behaviour.
Complete a proven personality-profiling tool such as Disc or Myers-Briggs and reflect on the feedback.
Be aware of the key characteristics of employability and what employers value in the people they hire and promote.
There is a new emphasis on effective communication and interpersonal skills, with a growing awareness of the need for EQ (emotional quotient) as well as IQ.
Good teamwork is required from people with positive and flexible attitudes.
There is a growing demand for problem-solving, creative and innovative thinking skills, with an increased willingness to take risks.
Continuous learning is a necessity together with a commitment to personal excellence.
And if you are developing a managerial career, do be aware of the new managerial realities. You need to become a coach €” to nurture and develop the skills and abilities of your staff.
Learn to delegate and empower, manage transition and change, and develop managerial leadership based on influence, not power.
THE battle to remain employed has been lost - the new battle is to remain employable.
Welcome to the brave new world of the 21st century. All around us, the old certainties are fast disappearing to be replaced by the new, the unknown and the uncertain.
Consider some of the paradoxes. The economy is changing. The iron rice bowl is no more. Jobs for life have gone.
Unskilled, low value-added jobs are fast-disappearing. Full-time jobs are being replaced by contract or part-time work.
We are rapidly transforming into a knowledge-based economy driven by information technology, research and development and the provision of advanced services.
Organisations are changing. They are flatter, leaner and more flexible, having to respond to the changing environment, customers and clients faster.
Fewer people are being employed; and they have to work harder, faster, smarter and be multi-skilled and creative with a new, more open mindset.
The market is changing. Consumers are older and wiser, demanding sophisticated value-added products and services.
If you cannot deliver a better product or service at a cheaper price in a fast-changing market place, your competitor will!
Aim to be employable
There is no such thing as a career path any more. It is crazy paving, and you lay it yourself.
The old employment paradigm has shifted forever.
In the past, organisations were paternalistic, offered job security, had defined career paths, practised succession planning and had focused job descriptions and titles with narrow and specific responsibilities and clear reporting lines.
The new organisational reality is very different.
The company is no longer responsible for your job security. No employer anywhere, in any organisation, can guarantee you a job.
The old psychological employment contract has been replaced by a looser, less structured working relationship. The emphasis is on employability, not employment.
Careers must be self-directed and highly flexible.
You have to take more responsibility for your own development by building a portfolio of skills and talents, being capable of switching roles rapidly and multitasking with ease.
Career resilience is the new mantra of our times. Be responsible for yourself, adopting a “self-employed” mentality even if you are working for a large organisation.
Knowledge is the new currency of business, and lifelong learning is no longer an option, it has become mandatory for survival.
Invest in yourself
As an employee, you must know the skills you have and how these skills can be marketed to other employers.
Continually update and upgrade your skills and be aware of new roles you may be required to fill.
Develop skills aligned to business needs, an attitude that is focused yet flexible and a dedication to continuous learning and personal excellence.
Deliver a solid performance in support of your organisation’s goals.
It is vital that you discover, or rediscover, yourself through self-awareness. Understand your personality and work style, what drives you and what your preferences are in a work situation.
Invest in yourself through developing an understanding of your work behaviour.
Complete a proven personality-profiling tool such as Disc or Myers-Briggs and reflect on the feedback.
Be aware of the key characteristics of employability and what employers value in the people they hire and promote.
There is a new emphasis on effective communication and interpersonal skills, with a growing awareness of the need for EQ (emotional quotient) as well as IQ.
Good teamwork is required from people with positive and flexible attitudes.
There is a growing demand for problem-solving, creative and innovative thinking skills, with an increased willingness to take risks.
Continuous learning is a necessity together with a commitment to personal excellence.
And if you are developing a managerial career, do be aware of the new managerial realities. You need to become a coach €” to nurture and develop the skills and abilities of your staff.
Learn to delegate and empower, manage transition and change, and develop managerial leadership based on influence, not power.
Be a master of change
THE world today is polluted with so many negative issues such as fuel hikes, inflation, violence, terrorism, disease and so on that affect you emotionally and mentally. To be a master of change, you should first control your energy and transform these negative feelings into positive ones. For example, the fuel hikes raised the world’s awareness and many countries started looking for solutions to overcome this situation. This is how the hybrid car came to be.
Due to the economic crisis, some people may collapse psychologically but others are strong enough to face the fact and continue to be strong for themselves and their family. Obviously the second group has the stronger positive energy. They are able to convert their sadness and anger into positive energy to move forward in their lives. You too must decide to transform any negative feelings into a positive state.
Explore Your Hidden Power
Any negative feeling you have can be a turning point if you are able to handle it well. It may not provide you with joy but it may also be the seed of courage you need. When you experience any negative feeling, it is unwise to fight it. Negative feelings are like quick sand; the more you fight, the deeper you sink.
Take fear, for instance. The more you fear handling a new and important customer for your company, the more likely you are going to lose the customer. However, when you see it as a challenge and think positively, you will do better. Your boss has seen the potential in you, which is why he allowed you to handle this major customer. Thinking in this manner will encourage you to want to succeed and perform your very best.
Fear can be a positive energy in the way that it gives you the courage to step forward and take action when faced with new challenges. Therefore you should first understand your fear and then overcome it by taking the right action. Do not let your past experience prevent you from advancement. Take charge of your own energy and your effort will bear fruit.
At Lawrence Walter seminars, participants discover our definition of challenge, which is an opportunity to improve themselves, change the system, strategise and add new knowledge so that they can move on to the next level.
Start Your Day with an Exhilarating Energy Level
Kick-start your day with high energy! This will influence the people around you positively. Your colleagues and even your boss will start feeling good whenever you are around. But where do you obtain this high energy?
In fact, the energy is already in you - you are your energy. How you start your day will very much influence your energy level. If you usually oversleep, skip breakfast, arrive late at work and get scolded by your boss, then mess up everything you touch during the day, you will very much convince yourself that “Today is a bad day”. However, it is you who have spoiled the mood of your day!
To get a good start for the day, you can organise your own timing – avoid rushing and panic. Instead, learn to control your time in the morning. Schedule and make a checklist of things to do for the day. This will motivate you to create a sense of enjoyable urgency and help you make good use of the many opportunities in a day to do well. Make a passionate decision to energise yourself in the morning.
Avoid Negative Energy
Human beings are easily influenced by others. When the people around you contain more negative energy, the probability of you reacting negatively will be higher. If you allow the negative energy to flow in you time and again everyday, then a new negative habit will be formed. Some people are even addicted to those negative habits.
Here are some examples of negative sources and what you can do with them:
Some people have the bad habit of pointing out or highlighting the negative aspects of everything, which hold them back from taking action. Maybe they were even depressed at some point. Therefore you need to be mentally strong to prevent your energy from being sucked by these negative people.
In order for you to maintain your positive energy, there are a few methods that you may use when facing people with negative energy. Change your topic of conversation. You may ask the person to think of any happy occasion and lead him to look at all the beautiful things in life or at work. When both of you are talking about good things, there is no way for negative feelings to sustain. If this person is your close friend, then share subjects of common interest that lead him or her to a positive feeling. It could be a movie or a hobby that you have just come across or experienced.
Sometimes, people in your office who are often critical may also affect your energy level. Yes, they could be providing some useful information for improvement but it may also drain your energy. Therefore, you should control your emotions wisely and be mentally strong. If possible, ignore them or stop them immediately when they start giving unnecessary and petty comments, then tell them the impact of their verbal abuse towards you.
Your Own Negative Energy
There are times where you feel like a deflated balloon and feel too exhausted to do things. At this point, you need to transform your negative energy like anger, frustration and depression by sending positive words and positive thoughts to your mind. Injecting the right thoughts can stimulate you instead of putting you down. Think of what wealth can bring you rather than poverty; what success can bring you rather than failure.
The way you think actually affects the inner child in you. Using words like stupid, weak, ugly, unlucky, failure or any other negative labels on yourself can bring long-term, internal damage to your self-esteem. Do you know that these negative inputs can stunt your energy growth, sap your energy or even lead you to failure in life? In order for you to live a better quality life, start your day with positive thinking and recognise the good things in your life. This will rejuvenate you to move towards your ambition and dream.
Make the Change Now
Have you come across a time when you suddenly feel so energetic, especially when you are involved in certain activities? That is the time when you are building a positive mindset and creating positive energy within yourself. Being the architect of your mind’s landscape is very important in helping you gain, rebuild and sustain positive energy. Start today!
by Dr Lawrence Walter Ng
Due to the economic crisis, some people may collapse psychologically but others are strong enough to face the fact and continue to be strong for themselves and their family. Obviously the second group has the stronger positive energy. They are able to convert their sadness and anger into positive energy to move forward in their lives. You too must decide to transform any negative feelings into a positive state.
Explore Your Hidden Power
Any negative feeling you have can be a turning point if you are able to handle it well. It may not provide you with joy but it may also be the seed of courage you need. When you experience any negative feeling, it is unwise to fight it. Negative feelings are like quick sand; the more you fight, the deeper you sink.
Take fear, for instance. The more you fear handling a new and important customer for your company, the more likely you are going to lose the customer. However, when you see it as a challenge and think positively, you will do better. Your boss has seen the potential in you, which is why he allowed you to handle this major customer. Thinking in this manner will encourage you to want to succeed and perform your very best.
Fear can be a positive energy in the way that it gives you the courage to step forward and take action when faced with new challenges. Therefore you should first understand your fear and then overcome it by taking the right action. Do not let your past experience prevent you from advancement. Take charge of your own energy and your effort will bear fruit.
At Lawrence Walter seminars, participants discover our definition of challenge, which is an opportunity to improve themselves, change the system, strategise and add new knowledge so that they can move on to the next level.
Start Your Day with an Exhilarating Energy Level
Kick-start your day with high energy! This will influence the people around you positively. Your colleagues and even your boss will start feeling good whenever you are around. But where do you obtain this high energy?
In fact, the energy is already in you - you are your energy. How you start your day will very much influence your energy level. If you usually oversleep, skip breakfast, arrive late at work and get scolded by your boss, then mess up everything you touch during the day, you will very much convince yourself that “Today is a bad day”. However, it is you who have spoiled the mood of your day!
To get a good start for the day, you can organise your own timing – avoid rushing and panic. Instead, learn to control your time in the morning. Schedule and make a checklist of things to do for the day. This will motivate you to create a sense of enjoyable urgency and help you make good use of the many opportunities in a day to do well. Make a passionate decision to energise yourself in the morning.
Avoid Negative Energy
Human beings are easily influenced by others. When the people around you contain more negative energy, the probability of you reacting negatively will be higher. If you allow the negative energy to flow in you time and again everyday, then a new negative habit will be formed. Some people are even addicted to those negative habits.
Here are some examples of negative sources and what you can do with them:
Some people have the bad habit of pointing out or highlighting the negative aspects of everything, which hold them back from taking action. Maybe they were even depressed at some point. Therefore you need to be mentally strong to prevent your energy from being sucked by these negative people.
In order for you to maintain your positive energy, there are a few methods that you may use when facing people with negative energy. Change your topic of conversation. You may ask the person to think of any happy occasion and lead him to look at all the beautiful things in life or at work. When both of you are talking about good things, there is no way for negative feelings to sustain. If this person is your close friend, then share subjects of common interest that lead him or her to a positive feeling. It could be a movie or a hobby that you have just come across or experienced.
Sometimes, people in your office who are often critical may also affect your energy level. Yes, they could be providing some useful information for improvement but it may also drain your energy. Therefore, you should control your emotions wisely and be mentally strong. If possible, ignore them or stop them immediately when they start giving unnecessary and petty comments, then tell them the impact of their verbal abuse towards you.
Your Own Negative Energy
There are times where you feel like a deflated balloon and feel too exhausted to do things. At this point, you need to transform your negative energy like anger, frustration and depression by sending positive words and positive thoughts to your mind. Injecting the right thoughts can stimulate you instead of putting you down. Think of what wealth can bring you rather than poverty; what success can bring you rather than failure.
The way you think actually affects the inner child in you. Using words like stupid, weak, ugly, unlucky, failure or any other negative labels on yourself can bring long-term, internal damage to your self-esteem. Do you know that these negative inputs can stunt your energy growth, sap your energy or even lead you to failure in life? In order for you to live a better quality life, start your day with positive thinking and recognise the good things in your life. This will rejuvenate you to move towards your ambition and dream.
Make the Change Now
Have you come across a time when you suddenly feel so energetic, especially when you are involved in certain activities? That is the time when you are building a positive mindset and creating positive energy within yourself. Being the architect of your mind’s landscape is very important in helping you gain, rebuild and sustain positive energy. Start today!
by Dr Lawrence Walter Ng
Best Comfort in a Crisis for staff
Employees want their boss to be a great communicator during crises, but cash is still the best way to comfort them, says research.
Communications consultancy CHA commissioned a survey of 1,000 working people to identify what measures best raise morale during times of economic uncertainty. Only one respondent claimed to be happy with the status quo, with the majority saying the single best way to keep them motivated would be money.
A culture of communication and appreciation is also important, according to CHA’s chief executive, Colette Hill, with celebrations, honesty and constant communication highlighted as important morale boosters.
Where pay reductions are essential, they should be incentivised by flexible working options. Individual feedback also underlined the importance of little gestures — buying chocolates or a cheap lunch for the team or investing in a decent coffee machine will help raise people’s spirits.
The best ways to engage people during tough times
Pay rise, including bonus or incentives.
Staff party or night out, with food provided by the office.
Praise, encouragement and recognition.
Reassurance about job security.
Flexible working, reducing pay by reducing hours.
Senior management should be positive, involved and honest.
Communication.
More staff and training.
Communications consultancy CHA commissioned a survey of 1,000 working people to identify what measures best raise morale during times of economic uncertainty. Only one respondent claimed to be happy with the status quo, with the majority saying the single best way to keep them motivated would be money.
A culture of communication and appreciation is also important, according to CHA’s chief executive, Colette Hill, with celebrations, honesty and constant communication highlighted as important morale boosters.
Where pay reductions are essential, they should be incentivised by flexible working options. Individual feedback also underlined the importance of little gestures — buying chocolates or a cheap lunch for the team or investing in a decent coffee machine will help raise people’s spirits.
The best ways to engage people during tough times
Pay rise, including bonus or incentives.
Staff party or night out, with food provided by the office.
Praise, encouragement and recognition.
Reassurance about job security.
Flexible working, reducing pay by reducing hours.
Senior management should be positive, involved and honest.
Communication.
More staff and training.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
3 Powerful Tips to Help You
Here are 3 powerful steps you can take to free yourself from frustration and to start enjoying the good life so many are enjoying right now:
1) Know "where you are." Have you ever been lost in a residential area and no one was around to ask for directions? Now if you are somewhat familiar with the area, it’s easy to just turn around here and there and find your way back. But the worst part about being lost is when we are lost and we haven't a clue where we are.
So, where exactly are you on your journey now? Do you know exactly how much money you owe? And how many assets you have? What are your strengths? And what are your weaknesses? Here’s a good exercise to help you know "where you are":
Draw a map of your life and make every square a city. Name each square with an aspect of your life. One city can be your family, friends, knowledge of your field, spirituality, work, charity, financial, etc. Then rate each city from one to ten. Ten means you are doing extremely well, and one means it needs immediate help.
What I just shared with you is like having a balance sheet for your life. Put all your weaknesses on one side and your strengths on the other side. Put your strengths to work and strengthen your weaknesses. You can read more books, go back to school or find a mentor.
Perhaps you can learn 50 to 100 power words this year in order to get a verbal advantage. Whatever you do, keep in mind that a better year begins with a better you. The readers of No Condition is Permanent know about this.
2) Do an inventory of friends. That’s right. Make a list of who your friends are, and how they relate to the direction your life is going in. When companies want to increase their revenue, they get rid of unnecessary employees or ones that are holding them back. So when you are ready to increase your worth, you need to get rid of unnecessary friends. I am talking about those that only cause you grief and are a pain in the "you know what."
If you want to accomplish great things, you need to surround yourself with great people or people who have accomplished great things. You might say, “well, how do I find these great achievers you are talking about?” If you own a copy of No Condition is Permanent, refer to it for the answer.
You and I know fully well that some so-called friends are not worth the aggravation. They are draining, and they sap the life out of you. Consider this: Small people are always talking about things, but great people talk about ideas and concepts. Do you find yourself mentally stimulated when you are with your friends? If you are not, then you should be.
3) Quit killing time. Have you ever heard people say, “I'm just killing time.” Those people should be on death row for first degree murder. If they only realized how precious time really is. I have a wealthy friend who once told me that he can make millions of dollars any time he wants. He can purchase more homes, cars, and other luxuries. But the only thing he can never buy himself is more time.
His point is that he values his time more than his money. Wow! People who have little regard for time always find themselves engaging in activities that have nothing to do with improving their lives or that of those around them. They are routine people. They just do the same old things; they are just going through the daily motions. They love to shoot the breeze and just chill.
Listen, you are entering a new year, and you are not getting any younger. You may have lost so many opportunities. As a reader of my newsletter, you are important to me. I can’t stand by and watch you squander your time and procrastinate. That’s why I am encouraging you to find out "where you are" and start taking action to change your life. Take my advice. Inventory your friends and stop killing time.
1) Know "where you are." Have you ever been lost in a residential area and no one was around to ask for directions? Now if you are somewhat familiar with the area, it’s easy to just turn around here and there and find your way back. But the worst part about being lost is when we are lost and we haven't a clue where we are.
So, where exactly are you on your journey now? Do you know exactly how much money you owe? And how many assets you have? What are your strengths? And what are your weaknesses? Here’s a good exercise to help you know "where you are":
Draw a map of your life and make every square a city. Name each square with an aspect of your life. One city can be your family, friends, knowledge of your field, spirituality, work, charity, financial, etc. Then rate each city from one to ten. Ten means you are doing extremely well, and one means it needs immediate help.
What I just shared with you is like having a balance sheet for your life. Put all your weaknesses on one side and your strengths on the other side. Put your strengths to work and strengthen your weaknesses. You can read more books, go back to school or find a mentor.
Perhaps you can learn 50 to 100 power words this year in order to get a verbal advantage. Whatever you do, keep in mind that a better year begins with a better you. The readers of No Condition is Permanent know about this.
2) Do an inventory of friends. That’s right. Make a list of who your friends are, and how they relate to the direction your life is going in. When companies want to increase their revenue, they get rid of unnecessary employees or ones that are holding them back. So when you are ready to increase your worth, you need to get rid of unnecessary friends. I am talking about those that only cause you grief and are a pain in the "you know what."
If you want to accomplish great things, you need to surround yourself with great people or people who have accomplished great things. You might say, “well, how do I find these great achievers you are talking about?” If you own a copy of No Condition is Permanent, refer to it for the answer.
You and I know fully well that some so-called friends are not worth the aggravation. They are draining, and they sap the life out of you. Consider this: Small people are always talking about things, but great people talk about ideas and concepts. Do you find yourself mentally stimulated when you are with your friends? If you are not, then you should be.
3) Quit killing time. Have you ever heard people say, “I'm just killing time.” Those people should be on death row for first degree murder. If they only realized how precious time really is. I have a wealthy friend who once told me that he can make millions of dollars any time he wants. He can purchase more homes, cars, and other luxuries. But the only thing he can never buy himself is more time.
His point is that he values his time more than his money. Wow! People who have little regard for time always find themselves engaging in activities that have nothing to do with improving their lives or that of those around them. They are routine people. They just do the same old things; they are just going through the daily motions. They love to shoot the breeze and just chill.
Listen, you are entering a new year, and you are not getting any younger. You may have lost so many opportunities. As a reader of my newsletter, you are important to me. I can’t stand by and watch you squander your time and procrastinate. That’s why I am encouraging you to find out "where you are" and start taking action to change your life. Take my advice. Inventory your friends and stop killing time.
DESIRE YOUR FUEL TO ULTIMATE SUCCESS
DESIRE YOUR FUEL TO ULTIMATE SUCCESS
Most people possessed determination and perseverance but yet they could not accomplish what they have set-forth in Enliven International. They all wonder why… Why can’t I become successful?
The answer lies within each individual. You must turn your desire for success in Enliven International into a fireball. It has to become an obsession within you. When you have a burning desire, you will not only
be on fire but you could ignite anyone who comes near you.
Desire motivated inventors like Thomas Edison to dream of a lamp
that could be operated by electricity. Despite ten thousand failures, he relentlessly pursued his venture. Desire creates the power. Desire is the effort of an unexpressed possibility within you, seeking expression
without, through your action. You do not succeed because you do not
know what you want, but because you do not want it intensely enough.
The difference between desire and drive is the difference between expressing yourself and proving yourself.
Desire alone is not enough. But to lack desire, means to lack a key ingredient to success. Many a talented individual failed because they
lacked desire. Many victories have been snatched by the underdog
because he wanted it more. So if you desire intensely and you act upon
it, then everything stands within your reach.
Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply
a course to develop his achievement muscle. It is a strengthening of his powers to accomplishment. A passionate desire and an unwearied will
can perform impossibilities or what may seem to be such to the cold,
timid and feeble.
Not only must you know what you want, but you must really want what
you want – if you are to get what you want.
Therefore, it is inevitable that you must realize the fuel to ultimate
success in Enliven International is found within you. Your burning desire will see you through to ultimate success in Enliven International
Most people possessed determination and perseverance but yet they could not accomplish what they have set-forth in Enliven International. They all wonder why… Why can’t I become successful?
The answer lies within each individual. You must turn your desire for success in Enliven International into a fireball. It has to become an obsession within you. When you have a burning desire, you will not only
be on fire but you could ignite anyone who comes near you.
Desire motivated inventors like Thomas Edison to dream of a lamp
that could be operated by electricity. Despite ten thousand failures, he relentlessly pursued his venture. Desire creates the power. Desire is the effort of an unexpressed possibility within you, seeking expression
without, through your action. You do not succeed because you do not
know what you want, but because you do not want it intensely enough.
The difference between desire and drive is the difference between expressing yourself and proving yourself.
Desire alone is not enough. But to lack desire, means to lack a key ingredient to success. Many a talented individual failed because they
lacked desire. Many victories have been snatched by the underdog
because he wanted it more. So if you desire intensely and you act upon
it, then everything stands within your reach.
Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply
a course to develop his achievement muscle. It is a strengthening of his powers to accomplishment. A passionate desire and an unwearied will
can perform impossibilities or what may seem to be such to the cold,
timid and feeble.
Not only must you know what you want, but you must really want what
you want – if you are to get what you want.
Therefore, it is inevitable that you must realize the fuel to ultimate
success in Enliven International is found within you. Your burning desire will see you through to ultimate success in Enliven International
Shame or pride?
If you are a senior executive in an organisation, I can hear you say, “What do you mean there are only two types of management?” Let me explain.
During my 35-year career of teaching sales, management and leadership skills all over the world, I have observed every type of organisation and its approach to leading or managing people.
I have discovered that there are generally only two approaches to running an organisation regardless of its business model and its many diverse challenges, opportunities, cultures and history.
They are pride-based management or what I often refer to as responsibility management, and shame-based management, which I refer to as accountability management.
What’s the difference and how do these vastly different approaches to leading and managing people ultimately impact the success of the organisation?
Shame-based
This style or approach is driven by the need for senior management to have total control over every aspect of the organisation €” from its sales strategies and their implementation to its pricing, new product development, hiring procedures, bonus programmes and everything in between.
This control is evidenced by a multitude of rules, policies, micro-management approaches, strict procedures or guidelines, incentives, quotas and a general lack of trust of employees and their willingness to work effectively without close supervision.
Here are two examples.
Company A was losing money due to the poor management style and bad decisions of its senior managers.
At a weekly management staff meeting, the conclusion was that to save revenue they would start charging employees 25 cents for coffee at the various coffee locations throughout the buildings.
When this decision was implemented, the organisation was doing in excess of 100 million dollars a year in revenue. In less than 12 months, they were doing less than 20 million.
Why? Punishing employees for the corporation’s poor performance took its toll on individual productivity. The employees just stopped caring.
Company B was a 200-million-a-year organisation with a long and prosperous history.
To prevent mistakes and failures, the president decided to create a large bulletin board in the cafeteria called The Wall of Shame.
Every day, items were posted of the mistakes that were made by a variety of individuals. The focus was on what was wrong and the errors made rather than what was right and the good things the employees did.
Pride-based
There are many other words that have been used over the years to describe this management approach.
Jerry Bellhume in his book, Lead People and Manage Things, suggests that it shouldn’t be that difficult a task to run a successful enterprise as long as you follow some pretty basic premises.
When you have a problem in your organisation, look up the ladder for the cause and down the ladder for the solution. Most organisations reverse this process. They look up the ladder for the solution and down the ladder for the cause.
If you have a problem in the organisation that you lead, you are either tolerating it, encouraging it or unaware of it. In any case, look in the mirror for the cause. And look to the people who will implement its solutions and your employees.
Here are some ideas on how to create and foster a pride-based management style.
1. If you don’t trust your people, they won’t trust you. This needs no further clarification. If it does, you have bigger problems than you will ever be aware of.
2. Never give responsibility without authority. When you give responsibility without the authority to use resources, make decisions or take a creative approach you are sending a clear message that you don’t trust your employees to do anything the way you want it done.
3. You get the behaviour you reward. If you don’t like any behaviors you are getting from an employee, department or group, stop evaluating the behaviours and take a closer look at the direct or indirect reward systems that are in place that are encouraging repeated behaviours in this area.
4. Delegate outcomes, not methods. When you delegate methods, you send a clear message that you want something done just the way you would do it. However, there might just be a better way, unless, of course, you are perfect.
5. The job of a manager is to create the right motivational climate. You can’t motivate anyone for the long term. You can use threats or fear, but the ultimate success of these depends on the employees’ concern for the threat.
You can threaten to fire someone but if they don’t care, it won’t work. You can try and motivate with incentives but if the employee doesn’t need or want what you are offering, it won’t work either.
The key to successful employees and therefore a successful organisation, is to send a clear and consistent message that you value, trust, respect and care about your employees.
Make sure it is not just for the moment or as long as they achieve one of your short-term objectives.
Remember, you are responsible to people, not for them
During my 35-year career of teaching sales, management and leadership skills all over the world, I have observed every type of organisation and its approach to leading or managing people.
I have discovered that there are generally only two approaches to running an organisation regardless of its business model and its many diverse challenges, opportunities, cultures and history.
They are pride-based management or what I often refer to as responsibility management, and shame-based management, which I refer to as accountability management.
What’s the difference and how do these vastly different approaches to leading and managing people ultimately impact the success of the organisation?
Shame-based
This style or approach is driven by the need for senior management to have total control over every aspect of the organisation €” from its sales strategies and their implementation to its pricing, new product development, hiring procedures, bonus programmes and everything in between.
This control is evidenced by a multitude of rules, policies, micro-management approaches, strict procedures or guidelines, incentives, quotas and a general lack of trust of employees and their willingness to work effectively without close supervision.
Here are two examples.
Company A was losing money due to the poor management style and bad decisions of its senior managers.
At a weekly management staff meeting, the conclusion was that to save revenue they would start charging employees 25 cents for coffee at the various coffee locations throughout the buildings.
When this decision was implemented, the organisation was doing in excess of 100 million dollars a year in revenue. In less than 12 months, they were doing less than 20 million.
Why? Punishing employees for the corporation’s poor performance took its toll on individual productivity. The employees just stopped caring.
Company B was a 200-million-a-year organisation with a long and prosperous history.
To prevent mistakes and failures, the president decided to create a large bulletin board in the cafeteria called The Wall of Shame.
Every day, items were posted of the mistakes that were made by a variety of individuals. The focus was on what was wrong and the errors made rather than what was right and the good things the employees did.
Pride-based
There are many other words that have been used over the years to describe this management approach.
Jerry Bellhume in his book, Lead People and Manage Things, suggests that it shouldn’t be that difficult a task to run a successful enterprise as long as you follow some pretty basic premises.
When you have a problem in your organisation, look up the ladder for the cause and down the ladder for the solution. Most organisations reverse this process. They look up the ladder for the solution and down the ladder for the cause.
If you have a problem in the organisation that you lead, you are either tolerating it, encouraging it or unaware of it. In any case, look in the mirror for the cause. And look to the people who will implement its solutions and your employees.
Here are some ideas on how to create and foster a pride-based management style.
1. If you don’t trust your people, they won’t trust you. This needs no further clarification. If it does, you have bigger problems than you will ever be aware of.
2. Never give responsibility without authority. When you give responsibility without the authority to use resources, make decisions or take a creative approach you are sending a clear message that you don’t trust your employees to do anything the way you want it done.
3. You get the behaviour you reward. If you don’t like any behaviors you are getting from an employee, department or group, stop evaluating the behaviours and take a closer look at the direct or indirect reward systems that are in place that are encouraging repeated behaviours in this area.
4. Delegate outcomes, not methods. When you delegate methods, you send a clear message that you want something done just the way you would do it. However, there might just be a better way, unless, of course, you are perfect.
5. The job of a manager is to create the right motivational climate. You can’t motivate anyone for the long term. You can use threats or fear, but the ultimate success of these depends on the employees’ concern for the threat.
You can threaten to fire someone but if they don’t care, it won’t work. You can try and motivate with incentives but if the employee doesn’t need or want what you are offering, it won’t work either.
The key to successful employees and therefore a successful organisation, is to send a clear and consistent message that you value, trust, respect and care about your employees.
Make sure it is not just for the moment or as long as they achieve one of your short-term objectives.
Remember, you are responsible to people, not for them
Total recall
A GOOD memory is an asset for everyone, but it is essential for job seekers. Have you ever failed to recall key information during an interview, or do you get overwhelmed by a ton of information you have to remember while preparing for one?
There are several memory techniques to help you improve your memory in a very short time. However, before you start your journey of developing a super memory, you need to be aware of and understand certain stumbling blocks in your way. What are these blocks?
1 DISBELIEF
Most people, including job seekers, have such a high level of disbelief in their memory capacity that they don’t even try to memorise new information. For a job seeker to do well in an interview, he has to have as much information as possible about the prospective employer’s company.
What causes such disbelief in their memory power? The simple answer is “lack of awareness”. The brain is the most amazing machine on the planet. If you train your brain, nothing is impossible. Make sure that you assign your memory its true value.
Many people brag about their memory, but don’t do anything to make it good. You just can’t wish to improve your memory. You need to act. You have to give your memory a good workout. The next time you want to memorise anything, just make a committed effort. Believe that you can do it. You will be surprised with the result.
2 LACK OF INTEREST
If you have to memorise any information, you have to be interested in it. Trying to memorise information without being interested in it just wastes your precious time.
Try to find ways and means of making the information fun to learn. Try to find an expert on the subject and discuss the topic with him. The expert can explain the same information in a way that makes the subject come alive.
When you are preparing for an interview, it is a good idea to talk to someone in the organisation you want to work in. It’s not that difficult to get in touch with some employees if you try. Doing this helps you to better understand the organisation and makes the process more interesting because you can now ask questions and get reliable answers.
Here’s a tip: If the information is not interesting enough, it’s your duty to make sure it is interesting.
3 DISUSE
The fastest way to forget information is to not use it in your day-to-day life. Research indicates that people forget about 80 per cent of the new information they learn in less than 24 hours. So use the information you collect as much as possible.
After putting in some effort to compile as much data as you can about the organisation you want to join, you will have a fair idea about its different aspects.
However, if you don’t take proper measures to retain the information, you may forget much of it before the interview. Here are some things you can do to make sure that the information is retained in your brain for a long time:
● Explain the information to someone else.
● Discuss the points with your friends.
● Write a summary in your own words.
● Write an article about it.
● Think about how you can pass on the information to a five-year-old child.
By doing any of the above tasks, you are now making the process of learning and memorising an enjoyable one.
Memory improvement is not possible unless you kick the three stumbling blocks out of your way. If you take action in eliminating these traps, you will not only do better in your interviews, you will also effectively cope with “information overloads” once you are on the job.
There are several memory techniques to help you improve your memory in a very short time. However, before you start your journey of developing a super memory, you need to be aware of and understand certain stumbling blocks in your way. What are these blocks?
1 DISBELIEF
Most people, including job seekers, have such a high level of disbelief in their memory capacity that they don’t even try to memorise new information. For a job seeker to do well in an interview, he has to have as much information as possible about the prospective employer’s company.
What causes such disbelief in their memory power? The simple answer is “lack of awareness”. The brain is the most amazing machine on the planet. If you train your brain, nothing is impossible. Make sure that you assign your memory its true value.
Many people brag about their memory, but don’t do anything to make it good. You just can’t wish to improve your memory. You need to act. You have to give your memory a good workout. The next time you want to memorise anything, just make a committed effort. Believe that you can do it. You will be surprised with the result.
2 LACK OF INTEREST
If you have to memorise any information, you have to be interested in it. Trying to memorise information without being interested in it just wastes your precious time.
Try to find ways and means of making the information fun to learn. Try to find an expert on the subject and discuss the topic with him. The expert can explain the same information in a way that makes the subject come alive.
When you are preparing for an interview, it is a good idea to talk to someone in the organisation you want to work in. It’s not that difficult to get in touch with some employees if you try. Doing this helps you to better understand the organisation and makes the process more interesting because you can now ask questions and get reliable answers.
Here’s a tip: If the information is not interesting enough, it’s your duty to make sure it is interesting.
3 DISUSE
The fastest way to forget information is to not use it in your day-to-day life. Research indicates that people forget about 80 per cent of the new information they learn in less than 24 hours. So use the information you collect as much as possible.
After putting in some effort to compile as much data as you can about the organisation you want to join, you will have a fair idea about its different aspects.
However, if you don’t take proper measures to retain the information, you may forget much of it before the interview. Here are some things you can do to make sure that the information is retained in your brain for a long time:
● Explain the information to someone else.
● Discuss the points with your friends.
● Write a summary in your own words.
● Write an article about it.
● Think about how you can pass on the information to a five-year-old child.
By doing any of the above tasks, you are now making the process of learning and memorising an enjoyable one.
Memory improvement is not possible unless you kick the three stumbling blocks out of your way. If you take action in eliminating these traps, you will not only do better in your interviews, you will also effectively cope with “information overloads” once you are on the job.
Cut them some slack
HAVE you read any of the articles in the media about stress at work and how many workdays are lost because of it?
There are many reasons why people get stressed. Dealing with other people is one of the main causes of negative stress. Dealing with customers, your boss, the people who work for you and other colleagues can be extremely stressful.
I continually hear comments like: “Why does he want me to do that?” or “How am I supposed to know what she’s thinking?” or “Why do they behave like that?”
We can get extremely stressed when people don’t see things the way we do. Well, let me make something really clear — other people don’t see things the way you or I do and they might never do.
Every human being is different, but some of us share similar tastes and values and that’s why we become friends. However, as you well know, even your closest friends and the person you share your life with, still see the world differently from you.
Your customers, your boss, your staff and your colleagues all see the world and situations differently from you — and they’re not necessarily doing or saying something just to annoy you! In any situation, there will always be “the way I see it”, “the way you see it” and “the way it is”.
If I have to meet someone, I am always on time (the way I see it). Some people who meet me always turn up late (the way they see it). It’s up to me to make allowances for this when making an arrangement to meet these people (the way it is).
There is absolutely no point in getting stressed over the fact that these people don’t see timekeeping in the same way I see it. Getting stressed is bad for me and it doesn’t change the situation.
When you are dealing with other people think to yourself: “Do they decide how I’ll behave or do I decide how I’ll behave?”
Let me tell you a quick story. Two men used to leave the same office every night and walk to the bus stop. On the way, one of the men would stop and buy a newspaper from a news-stand at the side of the road.
The old man who ran the news-stand was always grumpy and ill-mannered. However, the man who bought the newspaper was always polite and courteous to the old man. One evening the man’s friend said: “I don’t understand why you’re always so polite and courteous to that guy, he’s always so rude.”
The other man replied: “I will not allow that man’s behaviour to decide mine. I will decide my own behaviour and I’ll always treat him with courtesy and respect; how he behaves is up to him.”
So don’t let your customers or anyone else “stress you out”. Just remember, they just see the world in a different way.
As an oft-quoted Sioux Indian saying goes: “Great Spirit, help me never to judge another until I have walked a mile in his moccasins.”
There are many reasons why people get stressed. Dealing with other people is one of the main causes of negative stress. Dealing with customers, your boss, the people who work for you and other colleagues can be extremely stressful.
I continually hear comments like: “Why does he want me to do that?” or “How am I supposed to know what she’s thinking?” or “Why do they behave like that?”
We can get extremely stressed when people don’t see things the way we do. Well, let me make something really clear — other people don’t see things the way you or I do and they might never do.
Every human being is different, but some of us share similar tastes and values and that’s why we become friends. However, as you well know, even your closest friends and the person you share your life with, still see the world differently from you.
Your customers, your boss, your staff and your colleagues all see the world and situations differently from you — and they’re not necessarily doing or saying something just to annoy you! In any situation, there will always be “the way I see it”, “the way you see it” and “the way it is”.
If I have to meet someone, I am always on time (the way I see it). Some people who meet me always turn up late (the way they see it). It’s up to me to make allowances for this when making an arrangement to meet these people (the way it is).
There is absolutely no point in getting stressed over the fact that these people don’t see timekeeping in the same way I see it. Getting stressed is bad for me and it doesn’t change the situation.
When you are dealing with other people think to yourself: “Do they decide how I’ll behave or do I decide how I’ll behave?”
Let me tell you a quick story. Two men used to leave the same office every night and walk to the bus stop. On the way, one of the men would stop and buy a newspaper from a news-stand at the side of the road.
The old man who ran the news-stand was always grumpy and ill-mannered. However, the man who bought the newspaper was always polite and courteous to the old man. One evening the man’s friend said: “I don’t understand why you’re always so polite and courteous to that guy, he’s always so rude.”
The other man replied: “I will not allow that man’s behaviour to decide mine. I will decide my own behaviour and I’ll always treat him with courtesy and respect; how he behaves is up to him.”
So don’t let your customers or anyone else “stress you out”. Just remember, they just see the world in a different way.
As an oft-quoted Sioux Indian saying goes: “Great Spirit, help me never to judge another until I have walked a mile in his moccasins.”
Can you take a punch?
IT IS common in your career to experience hurdles that sour your job satisfaction and confidence and threaten to derail your career progression. Some, such as career burnout and a mid-life crisis, can have a more significant and lasting effect than others. However, each hurdle needs to be identified and tackled before it harms your progress at work.
Tackle stress and avoid career burnout
It is important to know how and when you get stressed. This allows you to avoid executive burnout.
Have a clear understanding of what is expected of you at work and accept that you cannot do everything. Prioritise and make more time for the most important tasks.
Occasionally, say “no” and manage the expectations of your boss. Learn to delegate some of your tasks.
This sounds easy to do but can be tough if you have very high standards, or you don’t trust anyone but yourself to get the job done. If you want to free yourself, you have to learn to let go.
Identify someone whom you can confide in and “let off steam” when you need to. Although this is an old cliché, a problem shared is a problem halved.
Clearly define the borders between work and personal life, and discuss these with the key stakeholders (your manager, colleagues and family members) so that their expectations are well managed.
Protect your personal time by ensuring certain periods are kept completely “free” for you or your family and that this time is absolutely sacred and nonnegotiable.
During your workday, try to secure at least one free hour to take a break. Enjoy a good lunch, go for your regular exercise session, read the newspaper or take a walk.
People have different sleeping requirements, so determine your minimum need and stick to it, otherwise you may under-perform on the job.
Conquer boredom at work
Boredom affects even high-flying executives and entrepreneurs who have already achieved a lot in their career.
They are competent and successful professionals who are well-respected throughout the organisation, yet they may find that the work has become routine and offers them nothing new to learn.
Repetitive, tedious work, excessive control by managers, limited job variation and career progression opportunities within a company can lead to job boredom, which is also a common reason for staff turnover.
It can be a contributing source of stress for employees who feel a lack of challenge or appreciation. Due to reduced productivity levels and the sheer amount of idle time spent just being under-utilised, job boredom can be even more damaging than overwork.
In fact, many people feel unmotivated and unexcited because they have been feeling bored at work for some time.
Therefore, employers need to design workspaces and assign responsibilities to keep their workers involved. Limiting task repetition, varying assignments, and encouraging employees to participate in the company’s mission are some ways to engage them at work.
If your work consists of repetitive tasks such as data entering, talk to your boss about training for a different task to combat boredom and match your skills and strengths.
When boredom threatens to overwhelm you, take a break or vacation so that you can recharge your energy levels before returning to work. The best way to cure boredom is curiosity. Learn more about your company as if you were a newcomer.
Prevent a mid-life crisis
A mid-career crisis is like a wake-up call. It is often characterised by a questioning of personal identities and values, which results in dramatic career shifts by those considered successful in their organisational roles.
Many people find that they experience emotional upheavals in their early thirties, while others don’t experience a career crisis until they are in their forties or fifties.
A mild form of the mid-life crisis may be a slight loss of enthusiasm for the work you used to love. However, in its serious form, you may want to quit your job, leave the family or take off for a long journey around the world.
Middle-aged professionals may find it difficult to embark on a new career chapter and thus are reluctant to change at work, even though they feel depressed or resentful. However, they should realise that it is up to them to take control of their lives and move to a more fulfilling career.
Instead of trying to avoid a mid-career crisis, consider the benefits of being prepared for one. Mid-lifers should ignite their passion and energy for work.
Some people may want to just stay in their current jobs and focus on making their personal lives more meaningful. Others may determine that it is not a new job they need but rather a few adjustments. Sometimes a change in the work setting can make a huge difference in job satisfaction.
You can also seek advice from a headhunter or career counsellor, enrol in a course to upgrade your skills, scan the classifieds or look for a hobby. Be positive and use this midlife milestone as an opportunity to recreate yourself, your life and your career
Tackle stress and avoid career burnout
It is important to know how and when you get stressed. This allows you to avoid executive burnout.
Have a clear understanding of what is expected of you at work and accept that you cannot do everything. Prioritise and make more time for the most important tasks.
Occasionally, say “no” and manage the expectations of your boss. Learn to delegate some of your tasks.
This sounds easy to do but can be tough if you have very high standards, or you don’t trust anyone but yourself to get the job done. If you want to free yourself, you have to learn to let go.
Identify someone whom you can confide in and “let off steam” when you need to. Although this is an old cliché, a problem shared is a problem halved.
Clearly define the borders between work and personal life, and discuss these with the key stakeholders (your manager, colleagues and family members) so that their expectations are well managed.
Protect your personal time by ensuring certain periods are kept completely “free” for you or your family and that this time is absolutely sacred and nonnegotiable.
During your workday, try to secure at least one free hour to take a break. Enjoy a good lunch, go for your regular exercise session, read the newspaper or take a walk.
People have different sleeping requirements, so determine your minimum need and stick to it, otherwise you may under-perform on the job.
Conquer boredom at work
Boredom affects even high-flying executives and entrepreneurs who have already achieved a lot in their career.
They are competent and successful professionals who are well-respected throughout the organisation, yet they may find that the work has become routine and offers them nothing new to learn.
Repetitive, tedious work, excessive control by managers, limited job variation and career progression opportunities within a company can lead to job boredom, which is also a common reason for staff turnover.
It can be a contributing source of stress for employees who feel a lack of challenge or appreciation. Due to reduced productivity levels and the sheer amount of idle time spent just being under-utilised, job boredom can be even more damaging than overwork.
In fact, many people feel unmotivated and unexcited because they have been feeling bored at work for some time.
Therefore, employers need to design workspaces and assign responsibilities to keep their workers involved. Limiting task repetition, varying assignments, and encouraging employees to participate in the company’s mission are some ways to engage them at work.
If your work consists of repetitive tasks such as data entering, talk to your boss about training for a different task to combat boredom and match your skills and strengths.
When boredom threatens to overwhelm you, take a break or vacation so that you can recharge your energy levels before returning to work. The best way to cure boredom is curiosity. Learn more about your company as if you were a newcomer.
Prevent a mid-life crisis
A mid-career crisis is like a wake-up call. It is often characterised by a questioning of personal identities and values, which results in dramatic career shifts by those considered successful in their organisational roles.
Many people find that they experience emotional upheavals in their early thirties, while others don’t experience a career crisis until they are in their forties or fifties.
A mild form of the mid-life crisis may be a slight loss of enthusiasm for the work you used to love. However, in its serious form, you may want to quit your job, leave the family or take off for a long journey around the world.
Middle-aged professionals may find it difficult to embark on a new career chapter and thus are reluctant to change at work, even though they feel depressed or resentful. However, they should realise that it is up to them to take control of their lives and move to a more fulfilling career.
Instead of trying to avoid a mid-career crisis, consider the benefits of being prepared for one. Mid-lifers should ignite their passion and energy for work.
Some people may want to just stay in their current jobs and focus on making their personal lives more meaningful. Others may determine that it is not a new job they need but rather a few adjustments. Sometimes a change in the work setting can make a huge difference in job satisfaction.
You can also seek advice from a headhunter or career counsellor, enrol in a course to upgrade your skills, scan the classifieds or look for a hobby. Be positive and use this midlife milestone as an opportunity to recreate yourself, your life and your career
Sunday, October 05, 2008
The Art of Kaizen
What in the heck is kaizen? Well, for starters it's the one thing all successful people do that virtually guarantees their prosperity. And if you practice it consistently your success is inevitable.
So what is it?
Kaizen is a Japanese word which, in English, most closely translates to "Continuous Improvement." The concept of continuous improvement has been around for thousands of years in the Japanese culture.
It was synthesized into the philosophy of Total Quality Management by Dr. W. Edwards Deming when he was given the task of revitalizing Japan's economy immediately following World War II.
If you look at Japan's economy today you can see the effectiveness of this philosophy - they're a powerhouse.
But how does the philosophy of kaizen apply to you? Easy. Take the words "Continuous Improvement" and stick a "Self" in the middle.
"Continuous Self Improvement" is the single most important concept to apply to your life if you hope to be successful. Plain and simple.
Northrop Frye, a Canadian literary critic, has said that:
"The mind best fitted for survival in any world is the mind that has discovered how knowledge can be joyful, leading to a friendship with wisdom that is pure delight. That mind is ready to tackle any kind of knowledge with intentness of will."
Mr. Frye is distinguishing between a trained mind and a mind dedicated to learning. He is suggesting that the trained mind has acquired techniques that, in our world, will probably be out of date in ten or fifteen years.
Training is not the important thing - it's the readiness to take on the training that's important.
Our nature is to want to improve our private world. We are all living in a world that falls short of the world we want. We each have a vision of what paradise is, a better place we're trying to reach, for ourselves as well as our families.
I suggest to you that the best way to reach this better world is to become a more effective person. And that's only achieved through kaizen.
Occasional self-improvement is fairly common and easily achievable.
Continuous self-improvement is virtually unachievable, but striving for it is the single most effective way to approach your personal paradise.
How can we go about this self-improvement? First, write on the back of a three-by-five card, in large letters:
IMPROVE TODAY
Put the card in a prominent corner of the mirror you use when you comb your hair in the morning & brush your teeth at night.
Look at it every day (including weekends). Before you leave in the morning, think about what you will do that day to improve yourself. Before you go to sleep at night, think of some way you improved yourself during that day.
There are thousands of ways for you to improve yourself. The general categories are to do something new, to do something better, and to increase your awareness.
Examples include:
-extending your exercise time, thereby improving your fitness
-reading a nonfiction book
-improving your time management
-learning how to make something using tools, or how to paint, or cook
-shining your shoes
-starting to sort and recycle your garbage
-changing your diet so you start eating healthy foods
-participating in a community service project
-offering or listening to advice
-learning a foreign language
-caring for someone
-revising your itinerary to make it more productive
...and so on.
Particularly useful things to learn (if you haven't already) are how to improve your memory, speed reading, typing, and computer skills. These will help you make better use of your time - your most precious asset.
The list is endless. Choosing ways to improve yourself is the easy part.
What's difficult is maintaining enthusiasm for the rest of your life and having the discipline to make kaizen a part of your daily schedule.
The Japenese have become very good at it. They work at improvement in the quality of their products, the efficiency of their service, and their daily living habits.
The secret of maintaining kaizen...
The most important aspect of staying enthusiastic during your pursuit of continuous improvement is your interest level - your attitude.
I know a family where a sixth-grader came home with a report card that was all D's and C's. His father asked why. "I can never remember anything" was the answer.
If you ask this same child about baseball, he can give you the earned run averages and win-loss records of every pitcher on his home team, as well as the batting average of each player.
Memory obviously isn't the problem - it's a lack of interest in the subject matter.
Most of the effective people I know are concerned with the issue of self-improvement. Those who are already good want to get better.
They recognize that when you sharpen your skills in one area it has a positive impact in other areas - they're all interrelated.
Your physical health affects your mental health; your spiritual strength affects your social and emotional strength; your emotional strength affects your relationships...it goes on and on. They're all related.
As you improve in one area, you increase your ability in other areas as well. As you become more involved in continuing education, you increase your knowledge base and you increase your options.
How does kaizen affect your economic security?
Despite what you might think, economic security does NOT lie in your job; it lies in your own power to produce - to think, to learn, to create, to adapt.
That's true financial independence. It's not having wealth, it's having the power to produce wealth. It's within you.
In spite of all the good things that come from self-improvement, it is extremely difficult to achieve results on a daily basis. It's hard. It's work. But it's also fun. It gives a wonderful sense of satisfaction - a feeling of accomplishment.
Somehow you have to give yourself daily reminders of the points brought up in this lesson.
Find ways of reminding yourself that self-improvement results in many benefits. Keep reminding yourself what those benefits are and how they will enhance your life.
If you succeed in keeping this awareness high, you'll maintain your enthusiasm and you'll be more likely to sustain the positive spiral that comes from continuous self-improvement.
And remember, no matter how good you become, there will always be room for improvement.
So what is it?
Kaizen is a Japanese word which, in English, most closely translates to "Continuous Improvement." The concept of continuous improvement has been around for thousands of years in the Japanese culture.
It was synthesized into the philosophy of Total Quality Management by Dr. W. Edwards Deming when he was given the task of revitalizing Japan's economy immediately following World War II.
If you look at Japan's economy today you can see the effectiveness of this philosophy - they're a powerhouse.
But how does the philosophy of kaizen apply to you? Easy. Take the words "Continuous Improvement" and stick a "Self" in the middle.
"Continuous Self Improvement" is the single most important concept to apply to your life if you hope to be successful. Plain and simple.
Northrop Frye, a Canadian literary critic, has said that:
"The mind best fitted for survival in any world is the mind that has discovered how knowledge can be joyful, leading to a friendship with wisdom that is pure delight. That mind is ready to tackle any kind of knowledge with intentness of will."
Mr. Frye is distinguishing between a trained mind and a mind dedicated to learning. He is suggesting that the trained mind has acquired techniques that, in our world, will probably be out of date in ten or fifteen years.
Training is not the important thing - it's the readiness to take on the training that's important.
Our nature is to want to improve our private world. We are all living in a world that falls short of the world we want. We each have a vision of what paradise is, a better place we're trying to reach, for ourselves as well as our families.
I suggest to you that the best way to reach this better world is to become a more effective person. And that's only achieved through kaizen.
Occasional self-improvement is fairly common and easily achievable.
Continuous self-improvement is virtually unachievable, but striving for it is the single most effective way to approach your personal paradise.
How can we go about this self-improvement? First, write on the back of a three-by-five card, in large letters:
IMPROVE TODAY
Put the card in a prominent corner of the mirror you use when you comb your hair in the morning & brush your teeth at night.
Look at it every day (including weekends). Before you leave in the morning, think about what you will do that day to improve yourself. Before you go to sleep at night, think of some way you improved yourself during that day.
There are thousands of ways for you to improve yourself. The general categories are to do something new, to do something better, and to increase your awareness.
Examples include:
-extending your exercise time, thereby improving your fitness
-reading a nonfiction book
-improving your time management
-learning how to make something using tools, or how to paint, or cook
-shining your shoes
-starting to sort and recycle your garbage
-changing your diet so you start eating healthy foods
-participating in a community service project
-offering or listening to advice
-learning a foreign language
-caring for someone
-revising your itinerary to make it more productive
...and so on.
Particularly useful things to learn (if you haven't already) are how to improve your memory, speed reading, typing, and computer skills. These will help you make better use of your time - your most precious asset.
The list is endless. Choosing ways to improve yourself is the easy part.
What's difficult is maintaining enthusiasm for the rest of your life and having the discipline to make kaizen a part of your daily schedule.
The Japenese have become very good at it. They work at improvement in the quality of their products, the efficiency of their service, and their daily living habits.
The secret of maintaining kaizen...
The most important aspect of staying enthusiastic during your pursuit of continuous improvement is your interest level - your attitude.
I know a family where a sixth-grader came home with a report card that was all D's and C's. His father asked why. "I can never remember anything" was the answer.
If you ask this same child about baseball, he can give you the earned run averages and win-loss records of every pitcher on his home team, as well as the batting average of each player.
Memory obviously isn't the problem - it's a lack of interest in the subject matter.
Most of the effective people I know are concerned with the issue of self-improvement. Those who are already good want to get better.
They recognize that when you sharpen your skills in one area it has a positive impact in other areas - they're all interrelated.
Your physical health affects your mental health; your spiritual strength affects your social and emotional strength; your emotional strength affects your relationships...it goes on and on. They're all related.
As you improve in one area, you increase your ability in other areas as well. As you become more involved in continuing education, you increase your knowledge base and you increase your options.
How does kaizen affect your economic security?
Despite what you might think, economic security does NOT lie in your job; it lies in your own power to produce - to think, to learn, to create, to adapt.
That's true financial independence. It's not having wealth, it's having the power to produce wealth. It's within you.
In spite of all the good things that come from self-improvement, it is extremely difficult to achieve results on a daily basis. It's hard. It's work. But it's also fun. It gives a wonderful sense of satisfaction - a feeling of accomplishment.
Somehow you have to give yourself daily reminders of the points brought up in this lesson.
Find ways of reminding yourself that self-improvement results in many benefits. Keep reminding yourself what those benefits are and how they will enhance your life.
If you succeed in keeping this awareness high, you'll maintain your enthusiasm and you'll be more likely to sustain the positive spiral that comes from continuous self-improvement.
And remember, no matter how good you become, there will always be room for improvement.
Dealing with Workplace Stress
One of the hardest forms of stress to avoid is workplace stress. After all, you need to go to work and there are plenty of things to worry about once you get there. However, that does not mean that workplace stress is unavoidable. Just like other kinds of stress, there are ways to manage workplace stress and there are ways to avoid it. Maybe you cannot avoid it entirely, but that is no reason not to try.
Workplace stress usually takes the form of everything needing to get done right now. You know the situation, there are a dozen things on your plate and they all need attention, but there are only so many hours in the day and you cannot attend to everything all at once. On top of that, the boss is breathing down your neck, asking you where the report/plan/program is and he also has a pile of other tasks for you once you finish that. It is a never-ending cycle, but it can be managed.
The first thing you need to do to avoid workplace stress is to focus on one task at a time. Do not try to multi-task, as it jars your system. Switching gears between projects does make demands on your brain and it takes a moment to change your thoughts from one place to another. Instead, if you focus on one project, you can keep your thoughts and energy in one place, preventing you from having to shift gears too often.
However, the big problem with trying to keep your focus is your coworkers. They will always be asking you for a quick minute or they will want you to answer their question, or they will want you to come over and help them on something. Try to deflect these as much as possible, as these can distract your focus. Thus, you must learn to say, "no." This is a highly effective word, though you may want to change it to, "No, not right now," or, "As soon as I am done with this." These little phrases can at least buy you some time to finish what you are doing, then switch comfortably to the needs of your coworkers.
There is another cause of workplace stress that can also cause you all manner of difficulty and that is when your concentration runs out. Oftentimes, you may find yourself focusing on the same page or the same computer screen for minutes at a time and you still have no idea what it is supposed to mean. This is not good, as it means that you are not being effective, your brain has shut down and the deadline is looming over you and you just need to get through this. Your best plan at this point is to walk away from your desk. Get up, get a cup of coffee (but not too often, as caffeine can heighten stress), go to the bathroom, anything. Walk the corridors for a minute or two and clear the cobwebs. This is highly effective both for ensuring that you are getting work done and for keeping workplace stress to a minimum.
Another way to prevent workplace stress is to learn some desk exercises. These can be simply squeezing a stress ball, or performing a few stretches while you are at your desk. By working your muscles at your desk, you can improve your circulation and help your keep alert and aware at work. Obviously, you are not going to get a full body workout while you are pecking at a keyboard, but it can help you at least keep your mind focused.
Finally, while you are at work you should examine your environment to see if it is right for you. How is the noise level? Is your desk set up properly? Are you comfortable? Is everything set up so that it is ergonomically correct? Your body needs to be comfortable if you want to work without distraction and distractions can lead to workplace stress. Thus, your work area needs to be set up for you. Take care of the little things around you and you will be able to work confidently and work well.
Workplace stress is, in many ways, part of working. However, by managing workplace stress properly, you can at least keep it to a minimum. And by doing that, work will be much more pleasant and you will be much more productive. So take care of yourself and the area around you and workplace stress will not control your day.
Workplace stress usually takes the form of everything needing to get done right now. You know the situation, there are a dozen things on your plate and they all need attention, but there are only so many hours in the day and you cannot attend to everything all at once. On top of that, the boss is breathing down your neck, asking you where the report/plan/program is and he also has a pile of other tasks for you once you finish that. It is a never-ending cycle, but it can be managed.
The first thing you need to do to avoid workplace stress is to focus on one task at a time. Do not try to multi-task, as it jars your system. Switching gears between projects does make demands on your brain and it takes a moment to change your thoughts from one place to another. Instead, if you focus on one project, you can keep your thoughts and energy in one place, preventing you from having to shift gears too often.
However, the big problem with trying to keep your focus is your coworkers. They will always be asking you for a quick minute or they will want you to answer their question, or they will want you to come over and help them on something. Try to deflect these as much as possible, as these can distract your focus. Thus, you must learn to say, "no." This is a highly effective word, though you may want to change it to, "No, not right now," or, "As soon as I am done with this." These little phrases can at least buy you some time to finish what you are doing, then switch comfortably to the needs of your coworkers.
There is another cause of workplace stress that can also cause you all manner of difficulty and that is when your concentration runs out. Oftentimes, you may find yourself focusing on the same page or the same computer screen for minutes at a time and you still have no idea what it is supposed to mean. This is not good, as it means that you are not being effective, your brain has shut down and the deadline is looming over you and you just need to get through this. Your best plan at this point is to walk away from your desk. Get up, get a cup of coffee (but not too often, as caffeine can heighten stress), go to the bathroom, anything. Walk the corridors for a minute or two and clear the cobwebs. This is highly effective both for ensuring that you are getting work done and for keeping workplace stress to a minimum.
Another way to prevent workplace stress is to learn some desk exercises. These can be simply squeezing a stress ball, or performing a few stretches while you are at your desk. By working your muscles at your desk, you can improve your circulation and help your keep alert and aware at work. Obviously, you are not going to get a full body workout while you are pecking at a keyboard, but it can help you at least keep your mind focused.
Finally, while you are at work you should examine your environment to see if it is right for you. How is the noise level? Is your desk set up properly? Are you comfortable? Is everything set up so that it is ergonomically correct? Your body needs to be comfortable if you want to work without distraction and distractions can lead to workplace stress. Thus, your work area needs to be set up for you. Take care of the little things around you and you will be able to work confidently and work well.
Workplace stress is, in many ways, part of working. However, by managing workplace stress properly, you can at least keep it to a minimum. And by doing that, work will be much more pleasant and you will be much more productive. So take care of yourself and the area around you and workplace stress will not control your day.
Employee Motivation - The 8 Basics
Building a team of motivated people in your business is vital to get the very best results, but so many managers focus on the 'ra-ra-ra', rather than the important things - the things that make people feel comfortable in their working environment. Here are eight that you might want to have a think about:
The Weather
Is it too hot, or too cold. Your people need an environment which is, like Goldilocks said, 'Just right'. So is the office too stuffy in summer? Or too icy in winter? Is it draughty? Do people get wet when accepting deliveries, because the outside roof leaks? Literally make sure that external factors are as they wish.
The Breaks
Sometimes working in a day-to-day job can get boring and exhausting. So people need to know when their breaks are and that they wil be able to take them - it's not that complicated. Yet often, they just aren't able to have this basic courtesy in place. Planning and caring for your people's needs is vital. It's what you would want for yourself, isn't it?
Holidays
And vacations/holidays are important too - some would say it's the most important thing on the working year calendar. So enable this to happen, when they need to know, so that they can plan their invaluable time away from the business and refresh.
Being Heard
You people need you to listen to then and hear them - really hear what they are saying and respond with action and/or acknowledgement. Be out there creating good, open relationships with your people and take in what they say - what's important to them - and deliver solutions to make conditions great.
Achievable Goals
By being really, really clear about what you expect from your employees, you will set the scene for committed staff. Through knowing exactly what their performance should look like to be judged excellent, by you, gets buy-in, big-time. So be clear, give them the resources to achieve success and they will be well onside.
Being Thanked
As they do a good job for you each day - tell them. It's easy - just say 'Thank You'! Appreciation for achieving success, especially when it's from the boss is so important. So recognising excellent performance, even for small tasks, cost nothing and takes but a moment - worth building into your day job activities - every day!
Challenge
People like to do new things, to explore, to seek out and utilise their potential, Sometimes this means they will have to be 'stretched' in what they do. With a helping hand, to support, coach and grow the skills of your people, you are setting in place a keen, ambitious and ready-for-the-next-experience star in the making. So find new ways to develop them.
Security
In today's business climate, it isn't always easy to build the best future consistently - things change too much, too quickly. But you can go some way to ensure that it is a safe place to be. With this level of security, your people will loosen up and feel capable of being with you, rather than against. It is a measure of your own leadership as to how well this works.
The Weather
Is it too hot, or too cold. Your people need an environment which is, like Goldilocks said, 'Just right'. So is the office too stuffy in summer? Or too icy in winter? Is it draughty? Do people get wet when accepting deliveries, because the outside roof leaks? Literally make sure that external factors are as they wish.
The Breaks
Sometimes working in a day-to-day job can get boring and exhausting. So people need to know when their breaks are and that they wil be able to take them - it's not that complicated. Yet often, they just aren't able to have this basic courtesy in place. Planning and caring for your people's needs is vital. It's what you would want for yourself, isn't it?
Holidays
And vacations/holidays are important too - some would say it's the most important thing on the working year calendar. So enable this to happen, when they need to know, so that they can plan their invaluable time away from the business and refresh.
Being Heard
You people need you to listen to then and hear them - really hear what they are saying and respond with action and/or acknowledgement. Be out there creating good, open relationships with your people and take in what they say - what's important to them - and deliver solutions to make conditions great.
Achievable Goals
By being really, really clear about what you expect from your employees, you will set the scene for committed staff. Through knowing exactly what their performance should look like to be judged excellent, by you, gets buy-in, big-time. So be clear, give them the resources to achieve success and they will be well onside.
Being Thanked
As they do a good job for you each day - tell them. It's easy - just say 'Thank You'! Appreciation for achieving success, especially when it's from the boss is so important. So recognising excellent performance, even for small tasks, cost nothing and takes but a moment - worth building into your day job activities - every day!
Challenge
People like to do new things, to explore, to seek out and utilise their potential, Sometimes this means they will have to be 'stretched' in what they do. With a helping hand, to support, coach and grow the skills of your people, you are setting in place a keen, ambitious and ready-for-the-next-experience star in the making. So find new ways to develop them.
Security
In today's business climate, it isn't always easy to build the best future consistently - things change too much, too quickly. But you can go some way to ensure that it is a safe place to be. With this level of security, your people will loosen up and feel capable of being with you, rather than against. It is a measure of your own leadership as to how well this works.
Succession plan
THE motivation to have your own business often includes the desire to have more control over and freedom with your time. But many business owners find, at least in the early years, that their working hours are much longer than expected.
A business owner can find herself stretched to breaking point by retaining all of the decision-making power and trying to do justice to the many job roles she is trying to cover on a day-to-day basis. Having built a business to a stage where it’s providing strong returns, it may even be time to inject fresh ideas and energy. As a business owner, it may be time to consider succession planning to ensure the successful continuity of your business.
WHY CREATE A SUCCESSION PLAN
You may wish to take a back seat for a while, perhaps to facilitate a change of lifestyle or to investigate a new project. If you head up a family business, you may simply want to give your children a chance to shine. If your business is experiencing a strong period of growth, you may want to stay at the helm while building a strong management team to support you or develop the business.
Another reason could be that you intend to sell your business. You will be in a better position to attract interested buyers if you have a proper succession plan in place that demonstrates continuity and stability within the management team.
Good business practice dictates that you ensure a smooth and successful handover to the next owner, especially if you are planning to remain in the business after the sale or start another venture. Good personal and professional networks will be vital in your future business ventures, and by generating the goodwill of your successor, you will be in a better position to maintain and even give a boost to your current business relationships.
The plan you put in place could well save your business in the event of your death or serious illness. Many business owners are very much the key-players in their business.
CREATING A SUCCESSION PLAN
Consider all the elements that make up the day-to-day running of your business. What are the strengths and weaknesses? Where are the opportunities and threats? Who among your team members holds the key competencies and responsibilities? What skills and experience are missing in your business? What procedures have been established that need to be formally documented? What systems need to be implemented to capture important information such as supplier or customer relationships that you keep in your head or personal diary?
The answers to these questions should be the foundation for the creation of a formal document outlining your succession plan. By documenting your plan, you create an easy way of reviewing and modifying it as you move through the process of handover.
Your business will also benefit from the insurance of having a physical document ready to be referred to in the event you cannot run the business. People are usually the greatest competitive advantage of any business, so you’ll want to ensure that your succession plans adequately address succession planning in your existing or future job roles.
Many businesses unwittingly fall into the trap of allowing key knowledge or expertise to lie in the hands of just one individual; whether it is the knowledge of something as important as the financial details of the business or something as seemingly trivial as the software the business uses. To ensure business continuity in times of transition, you should always ensure that more than one or two people have access to critical knowledge.
Consider the key external stakeholders who are important to your business. A big part of the successful handover of your business will be in making sure these relationships – whether they are with clients, customers, suppliers or partners - continue to be nurtured as you take a less prominent role.
Make sure you create opportunities for your customers and other key contacts to gradually communicate with your future replacement. If this is done smoothly, it will reduce anxiety among stakeholders when you tell them you’re leaving. Keep in mind the departure of a customer’s key contact in your business could be enough to allow one of your competitors to tempt him away!
Once you have completely evaluated your business situation, use this analysis to focus on your objectives and detail what you need to achieve to be able to start the succession process.
A business owner can find herself stretched to breaking point by retaining all of the decision-making power and trying to do justice to the many job roles she is trying to cover on a day-to-day basis. Having built a business to a stage where it’s providing strong returns, it may even be time to inject fresh ideas and energy. As a business owner, it may be time to consider succession planning to ensure the successful continuity of your business.
WHY CREATE A SUCCESSION PLAN
You may wish to take a back seat for a while, perhaps to facilitate a change of lifestyle or to investigate a new project. If you head up a family business, you may simply want to give your children a chance to shine. If your business is experiencing a strong period of growth, you may want to stay at the helm while building a strong management team to support you or develop the business.
Another reason could be that you intend to sell your business. You will be in a better position to attract interested buyers if you have a proper succession plan in place that demonstrates continuity and stability within the management team.
Good business practice dictates that you ensure a smooth and successful handover to the next owner, especially if you are planning to remain in the business after the sale or start another venture. Good personal and professional networks will be vital in your future business ventures, and by generating the goodwill of your successor, you will be in a better position to maintain and even give a boost to your current business relationships.
The plan you put in place could well save your business in the event of your death or serious illness. Many business owners are very much the key-players in their business.
CREATING A SUCCESSION PLAN
Consider all the elements that make up the day-to-day running of your business. What are the strengths and weaknesses? Where are the opportunities and threats? Who among your team members holds the key competencies and responsibilities? What skills and experience are missing in your business? What procedures have been established that need to be formally documented? What systems need to be implemented to capture important information such as supplier or customer relationships that you keep in your head or personal diary?
The answers to these questions should be the foundation for the creation of a formal document outlining your succession plan. By documenting your plan, you create an easy way of reviewing and modifying it as you move through the process of handover.
Your business will also benefit from the insurance of having a physical document ready to be referred to in the event you cannot run the business. People are usually the greatest competitive advantage of any business, so you’ll want to ensure that your succession plans adequately address succession planning in your existing or future job roles.
Many businesses unwittingly fall into the trap of allowing key knowledge or expertise to lie in the hands of just one individual; whether it is the knowledge of something as important as the financial details of the business or something as seemingly trivial as the software the business uses. To ensure business continuity in times of transition, you should always ensure that more than one or two people have access to critical knowledge.
Consider the key external stakeholders who are important to your business. A big part of the successful handover of your business will be in making sure these relationships – whether they are with clients, customers, suppliers or partners - continue to be nurtured as you take a less prominent role.
Make sure you create opportunities for your customers and other key contacts to gradually communicate with your future replacement. If this is done smoothly, it will reduce anxiety among stakeholders when you tell them you’re leaving. Keep in mind the departure of a customer’s key contact in your business could be enough to allow one of your competitors to tempt him away!
Once you have completely evaluated your business situation, use this analysis to focus on your objectives and detail what you need to achieve to be able to start the succession process.
Don’t tell me what to do
WHAT is micro-managing and what is not? Micro-managing has become a hot buzzword. I use it, and my clients use it.
The term can be misused. Perhaps it is time to better define the concept.
Micro-managing is usually synonymous with the “old way of doing things”.
“Dinosaur” managers use the micro-management approach. The term essentially means to supervise every small step in the workflow process €” hence, “micro”.
Those were the days
This method worked fairly well in the “old” production days, when assembly-line workers were uneducated and unskilled.
These workers normally did one routine step and that was it. They made few or no decisions. They had a minimum production quota.
Their breaks were monitored, their lunches were monitored and, of course, the time clock was monitored. Time was viewed as what was “bought” by the company.
Close supervision or micro-managing ensured that production levels were met. Management literally had to tell employees what to do and watch them to make sure they did it.
This system worked well when the workflow was simple.
Times have changed
As the business world became more complex, micro-managing became less effective. Time was not what the company bought and the worker sold. Productivity became the key.
As processes became more complex, workers were required to gain greater skills. Skilled workers became more in demand and could go elsewhere if not treated properly.
Skilled workers eventually found micro-managers offensive and, more importantly, optional.
After 2000, companies became more results-oriented. In an increasingly competitive business environment, they had to.
As time became even less of a factor in the results equation, motivation and innovation began to be understood as the real forces in productivity results.
Workers became employees and then associates and team members. Employees began to be viewed as assets and not just expenses.
Employers began to understand that employees could provide the greatest competitive advantage as well as the No. 1 management headache. In short, employees could make or break the company.
Don’t be an obstacle
Managers realised that good management meant maximising employee productivity, and this could no longer be accomplished by micro-managing.
Instead, knowing their staff and helping them to do their best was the best way to reach superior production levels.
Instead of being an obstacle, managers began to understand it was their job to remove obstacles, and time constraints were one of the last obstacles to fall.
Today’s managers are aware that they must constantly assess and improve their workplace processes.
They know that accountability is much more than putting in time and punching the clock.
They no longer insist on telling their employees how to do something because, often, the employee knows more about what he is doing than the manager.
Also, managers have learnt that employees not only can solve workplace problems, but they can create and innovate as well.
The employee that creates and innovates does not appreciate being treated like the assembly-line worker of the past. Many skilled employees feel their micro-managers do not appreciate their contributions.
Micro-managing was a process that worked reasonably well when the work was simple and the bottom line was simple.
As work became more complex, micro-managing lost its effectiveness.
In today’s workplace, micro-managing is responsible for many bad bottom lines, poor performances and bankruptcies.
With all the negatives, what’s to like about micro-managing?
The term can be misused. Perhaps it is time to better define the concept.
Micro-managing is usually synonymous with the “old way of doing things”.
“Dinosaur” managers use the micro-management approach. The term essentially means to supervise every small step in the workflow process €” hence, “micro”.
Those were the days
This method worked fairly well in the “old” production days, when assembly-line workers were uneducated and unskilled.
These workers normally did one routine step and that was it. They made few or no decisions. They had a minimum production quota.
Their breaks were monitored, their lunches were monitored and, of course, the time clock was monitored. Time was viewed as what was “bought” by the company.
Close supervision or micro-managing ensured that production levels were met. Management literally had to tell employees what to do and watch them to make sure they did it.
This system worked well when the workflow was simple.
Times have changed
As the business world became more complex, micro-managing became less effective. Time was not what the company bought and the worker sold. Productivity became the key.
As processes became more complex, workers were required to gain greater skills. Skilled workers became more in demand and could go elsewhere if not treated properly.
Skilled workers eventually found micro-managers offensive and, more importantly, optional.
After 2000, companies became more results-oriented. In an increasingly competitive business environment, they had to.
As time became even less of a factor in the results equation, motivation and innovation began to be understood as the real forces in productivity results.
Workers became employees and then associates and team members. Employees began to be viewed as assets and not just expenses.
Employers began to understand that employees could provide the greatest competitive advantage as well as the No. 1 management headache. In short, employees could make or break the company.
Don’t be an obstacle
Managers realised that good management meant maximising employee productivity, and this could no longer be accomplished by micro-managing.
Instead, knowing their staff and helping them to do their best was the best way to reach superior production levels.
Instead of being an obstacle, managers began to understand it was their job to remove obstacles, and time constraints were one of the last obstacles to fall.
Today’s managers are aware that they must constantly assess and improve their workplace processes.
They know that accountability is much more than putting in time and punching the clock.
They no longer insist on telling their employees how to do something because, often, the employee knows more about what he is doing than the manager.
Also, managers have learnt that employees not only can solve workplace problems, but they can create and innovate as well.
The employee that creates and innovates does not appreciate being treated like the assembly-line worker of the past. Many skilled employees feel their micro-managers do not appreciate their contributions.
Micro-managing was a process that worked reasonably well when the work was simple and the bottom line was simple.
As work became more complex, micro-managing lost its effectiveness.
In today’s workplace, micro-managing is responsible for many bad bottom lines, poor performances and bankruptcies.
With all the negatives, what’s to like about micro-managing?
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