9 Snap Judgments Managers Make in Job Interviews

9 Snap Judgments Managers Make in Job Interviews
By Jeff Haden | August 23, 2011


One of my favorite Gladwellian Theories (Malcolm Gladwell is the king of cool theories) is thin-slicing: the ability to find patterns and make decisions based on the combination of a limited set of data and a wealth of experience. Call them hunches, call them snap decisions, but more often than not thin-slice judgments turn out to be accurate.

Like where hiring employees is concerned.

I’ve interviewed thousands of potential employees and hired hundreds of them. Over time I developed the ability to quickly size up a candidate, sometimes even within a minute or two, based on one or two actions or comments. My snap judgments were rarely wrong. (Although I didn’t always avoid making one of the biggest hiring mistakes.)

I know what you’re probably thinking:“But that is so unfair. You owed it to every candidate to wait until the interview was over to draw an overall conclusion. You can’t make a hiring decision based on one or two minutes out of an hour-long interview.”

Fair enough. But keep in mind most interviewers do the same thing. In fact, the more experienced the interviewer the more likely they are to make snap judgments. Fair or unfair, we’re heavily influenced by first impressions or by what experience indicates are pivotal moments. If you’re the job candidate you can either complain about the unfairness of it all and blow the interview, or accept that fact and use it to your advantage.

Here are some positive thin-slices:
The candidate immediately thanks me for the interview and says they’re excited about the opportunity. I want you to be glad you’re here. I want you to be excited about the job. If you’re not thankful and excited now you definitely won’t be thrilled after six months on the job. Plus an overt “let me see if this job is a good fit for me” interview can often be painful for the interviewer; even if over the course of the interview you realize you really want the job, you probably already lost us. Emotion — positive emotion — is good.
The candidate needs to make “truck payments.” Years ago I was in charge of part-time employees at a manufacturing plant. Full-time employees were required to work heavy overtime but part-time employees were not, making coverage (and my job) difficult. When I asked a part-time candidate about their willingness to work overtime I loved the guys who said, “I’ll work all the overtime I can get. I bought a new truck and the payments are killing me.” Every job has a hot button requirement: Maybe it’s frequent travel, maybe it’s last-minute overtime, maybe it’s a particular skill… a candidate who finds out the position’s hot button and meets it is 90% home.
The candidate is late — but doesn’t tell me why. Say you’re late for an interview. Don’t tell me about traffic or bad directions or parking problems. Just say, “I’m sorry I’m late. If I’ve thrown off your day I will be glad to reschedule whenever it’s convenient for you.” Take ownership, don’t make excuses, and offer ways to make things better. Nothing ever goes perfectly, and knowing you will take responsibility and work to fix problems is impressive.
The candidate asks for the job. Salespeople ask for the sale, and candidates should ask for the job. Just say, “Thanks for the interview. I really enjoyed speaking with you. And I would really love to work here.” Why should I offer you something you’re not willing to ask for?

And some negative thin-slices:
The candidate complains. Most people know not to complain about their present employer, but any complaint is a downer. Say you notice a photo of my family standing front of the Colosseum. You say, “Wow, I’ve always wanted to go to Italy… I’ve just never been able to afford it.” Even gentle whining is a bummer. Don’t complain about anything, no matter how justified. Negatives always stand out.
The candidate isn’t ready. Don’t you hate when you’re standing in line at the grocery store and the person in front of you waits until all their items have been scanned and bagged before they reach into their wallet for their checkbook? The same is true in an interview: Have your resume and everything else you need all set to go. Hit the ground running and immediately focus on the interviewer. “Work” is a verb. Make “interview” a verb too.
The candidate tries to take charge. Everyone likes a leader… just not in an interview. Feel free to subtly shape the interview and lead the conversation into areas that showcase your strengths, but don’t try to take over. Employers need people who can lead and follow. Plus, be honest, you trying to take over is really irritating.
The candidate gets “comfortable.” I want you to be relaxed and at ease during the interview, but I also want you to sit up, sit forward, and show the interview matters to you. Kicking back says you don’t really care.
The candidate asks throw-away questions. Here’s the golden rule: When asked if you have any questions, don’t make a few up to try to impress me. If you have no questions, say so. Don’t ask about something you could have easily learned on your own. Don’t ask questions designed to make you look good. In short, don’t ask what you think I want to hear. Interviewers can tell, and it ends the interview on a down note.

http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/9-snap-judgments-managers-make-in-job-interviews/3960?tag=mantle_skin;content

Business Advice: 14 Things I Wish I Could Have Told Myself at 25

Business Advice: 14 Things I Wish I Could Have Told Myself at 25
By Jeff Haden | August 24, 2011

Stuff I wish I could have told the twenty-five year-old me (assuming I would have listened):



I probably should tell him about the hair too

Everybody wants something. Almost everyone acts out of self interest (especially when they claim they don’t.) Quid pro quo is the order of the day; in fact, the people most eager to volunteer advice or help tend to want the most in return. Assume all career or business assistance is part of an expected exchange, either now or in the future. Then you won’t be disappointed. But keep in mind that occasionally…
What a few people want is just to feel good about helping others. Rarely, but it does happen, someone likes to help simply because it makes them feel good. Those people are hard to find, though, because their names aren’t listed as sponsors on event programs or plastered on the sides of b-school buildings. When you find one, make them a permanent part of your life.
Everything before “but” is bull. “I don’t meant to be critical, but…” “I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but…” “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but…” Yes you do, yes you are, and yes I will. Disclaimers are anything but, indicating the true meaning behind what is said.
Boring people win. The people who achieve the most do a lot more of the boring stuff. Routine, rigor, attention to detail, churning away day after day… that is how you will succeed. Every elite athlete, entertainer, and successful business person you will someday know has put in thousands of hours of practice and effort. They are successful mainly because they are willing to do what other people won’t. Learn to enjoy the mundane and you will quickly outdistance the pack.
Stop brainstorming and start borrowing. Most people try to be original — and want to be perceived as original — primarily out of ego. Results are all that matter. Stop trying to think of something new. Someday you’ll spend two hours in a bottling plant and bring back more great productivity and quality ideas than you can implement in a year at your book plant. The store, the restaurant, the factory, the school… ideas you can borrow — ideas that you can see actually work — are everywhere. Borrow freely and often.
The women you really want to meet don’t care about the kind of car you drive. Darn it.
Training is great; advice is not. Advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer but wish you didn’t. Always ask, “How do I…?” because “how” leads to training and knowledge. Ask, “Should I…” and you get opinions often colored by individual perspectives. Always ask to be shown or taught. When you know how you can decide for yourself whether you should.
Visibility is everything. The people who get promotions and opportunities are the people who are seen and noticed. Spend the majority of your time doing great things, but spend at least 10% of your time getting the attention of the people who matter. Customers, partners, media… no one will discover you on their own. You absolutely must help them find you.
Always take out something. Initiatives, projects, decisions… you’ll constantly be tempted to add one more thing to make them even better. Addition almost always results in subtraction. The more you eliminate the more you can focus on what remains, so the stuff you leave out is as important as the stuff you leave in.
The people who say the least have the most to say. Bragging is a mask for insecurity. Truly confident people are quiet and unassuming. Hang around them. When they do speak you’ll be glad you were listening.
Your parents are a lot smarter than you think. And they only want the best for you. And they’ll always be there for you. And they won’t be around forever. So will it hurt you to call once in a while?
Always learn on the fly. Waiting until you’re ready means waiting forever. When you’re “preparing” there are millions of reasons to delay a little longer. Trust yourself. Learn a little and then jump in. Make mistakes, adjust, adapt, and develop greater skill by doing. You’ll save time and achieve more.
Don’t expect to get back what you give. Favors will not be returned. Sacrifices you make for others will not be rewarded. All the people you mentor, develop, promote, and work with will not call to see how you’re doing when you are suddenly let go years from now. When you give, give because you want to give; then you’ll never be disappointed.
You will only regret what you decide not do. You won’t regret broken bones from motorcycle racing; you will regret not taking a shot at a higher level of the sport. You won’t regret taking a particularly crappy job; you will regret turning down what was probably a great job. When you look back you will only regret a few of the things you did. (The rest, even if they were mistakes, will help make you the person you become.) What you will regret are things you decide not to do due to lack of confidence or fear of the unknown — like the businesses you should have started and the joint venture you turned down. Safe, in your life, will almost always equal sorry. Take intelligent business risks and trust you will be able to work through any challenges. If nothing else, you’ll have more fun.

http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/business-advice-14-things-i-wish-i-could-have-told-myself-at-25/4042

How to Live a Vital Retirement: Lessons From a Life Lived Well

How to Live a Vital Retirement: Lessons From a Life Lived Well

By Steve Vernon | Aug 29, 2011

My wife and I recently attended a memorial service for Helena, my wife’s mentor and work colleague for 25 years. Family and friends expressed sincere, heart-felt tributes to a uniquely vital woman who knew how to live life to the fullest.

Helena had a number of good things going for her — a loving husband; a large, extended family of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who loved her dearly; disciplined exercise habits, including regular ocean swims and a healthy diet; many friends who kept in regular contact with her; and a 40-plus year career in book publishing, one of the many passions that nourished her keen mind and critical thinking. She had a strong work ethic and a compassionate heart. Helena was truly larger than life.

It was inspiring to contemplate the arc of a life lived well. On the drive home, my wife and I half-jokingly, half-seriously said we wanted to have a similar memorial service for ourselves — that is, we want to live a life that would inspire similar comments from our surviving relatives and friends.

Later, we thought about other vital, age 70-plus people in our lives, and we analyzed the characteristics they have in common so that we could translate that inspiration into action. Based on their examples, here are the characteristics that we agreed made for a vital life:
Take a sincere interest in the lives of your family and friends. Ask what’s going on in their lives — demonstrate with your actions that you care about them and what’s going on with them.
Have a passion for something that makes a positive difference in the world. It can be a cause, a volunteer position, or paid work.
With all of your personal roles — spouse, partner, parent, grandparent, relative, and friend — be the best that you can be. Make time for others, and never take them for granted.
Take care of your health, and have vigorous activities and hobbies.
Be generous with your time and money.
Take the time to appreciate all the good things in your life. Many people make the mistake of taking for granted all that is going well, while obsessing on one or two things that aren’t going well.

We noted that all these age 70-plus people in our lives whom we admired shared similar qualities. For one thing, all were working at something they loved doing, either with paid work or through volunteering. These inspiring individuals include a portrait artist, an interior decorator, a writer and editor, a dance instructor, a yoga instructor, an active volunteer in church activities, and several workshop leaders. For all of these people, their work passion was a second or third career. They had all made major shifts in their lives after thinking about the type of work that would sustain them well into their later years, and then they worked hard to obtain the necessary skills and experience so they could succeed at these other careers.

In addition, all but one are self-employed. My experience is that in spite of the laws against age discrimination, it’s hard to convince someone to employ you when you’re in your 70s. That’s nothing to whine about — it’s just an observation that it’s likely you’ll need to make things happen on your own through self-employment, being an important part of a small business, or by volunteering for a cause you believe in.

Helena’s life had more lessons for us. While we didn’t know much about her finances, it was clear she was neither rich nor poor. But she must have taken the time to make sure she had enough money to support the life she wanted because the lack of money never seemed to impede her enjoyment of life.

This is consistent with my observations: You don’t need to be rich to have a fulfilling life, but you do need enough money to meet your needs so you’re not stressed out about making ends meet. And think of all the ways you can gain fulfillment that cost nothing! This means you need to do the proper work and planning to make it happen — you won’t get handed a good life on a silver platter.

I encourage you to try this wise advice that I’ve heard before: Write your obituary, and then live your life backwards to achieve it. And if you have your own stories and recommendations on how to live life well in retirement, please share them in the comments section below.


http://moneywatch.bnet.com/retirement-planning/blog/money-life/how-to-live-a-vital-retirement-lessons-from-a-life-lived-well/5036/?tag=fd-moreOnMW1

9 Traits That Make Great Employees Outstanding

9 Traits That Make Great Employees Outstanding
By Jeff Haden | August 26, 2011



Everyone knows great employees are dependable, reliable, proactive, great team players, have strong work ethics… all the standard (yet often uncommon) qualities. So what traits take a great employee to the next level and make them a truly outstanding employee?

The extra 1%: The qualities that often go unnoticed (and unremarked in performance evaluations) yet make a major impact on performance.

Here is my list of qualities that make an already great employee outstanding:
A little bit “off.” The best employees are a little different: Quirky, sometimes irreverent, happy to be unusual… they seem slightly “off,” but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and turn a vanilla group into a team with flavor and flair. People who aren’t afraid to be different stretch boundaries, challenge the status quo, and often come up with the best ideas. But for this to be a great quality, the people who are a little “off” also need to…
Know when to reel it in. A non-standard personality is a lot of fun until it isn’t. When times get tough, major challenges pop up, or situations become stressful, even the most eccentric should know when to set aside their desire to express their individuality and fit seamlessly into the team. Outstanding employees know when to play and when to be serious, when to be irreverent and when to conform, and when to challenge and when to back off. Tough balance to strike, but outstanding employees walk that fine line with ease.
Ignore job descriptions. The smaller the company the more important it is that employees think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done. When a key customer’s order is in danger of shipping late, outstanding employees know without being told there’s a problem — and jump in without being asked, even if it’s not “their job.”
Eager to prove others wrong. Self-motivation often springs from a desire to show that doubters are wrong. The kid without a college degree or the woman who was told she didn’t have leadership potential could have a burning desire to prove themselves. Education, intelligence, talent, skill — all are important, but drive is critical.
Praise in public. Few things can boost morale more than praise from a peer, especially a peer you look up to. Outstanding employees recognize the contributions of others, especially in group settings where the impact of their words is even greater. But they also know when to…
Complain in private. We all want employees to raise issues, but some problems are better handled one-on-one. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects because their performance allows greater freedom. The employee who comes to you after a meeting to discuss a sensitive issue that if brought up in a group setting would have set off a firestorm does you and the business a favor. And speaking of favors…
Ask questions for others. Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately. For example, an employee once asked me a question about potential layoffs. After the meeting I said, “Why did you ask? You already know what’s going on.” He said, “Yeah, I did, but a lot of other people don’t — and they needed to hear the answer from you.” Outstanding employees have a feel for the issues and concerns of those around them and step up to ask questions others are hesitant.
Start work on time. What does “on time” mean? Walking in the front door on time? Getting to your desk on time? Outstanding employees start working when the workday starts; they don’t get their coffee, hang around and chat, take care of personal stuff… they hit the ground running, on time. Granted, this might just be a pet peeve, but if your start time is 8 a.m. shouldn’t you be working at 8 a.m.?
Tinker. Some people are rarely satisfied — in a good way — and are constantly playing around with something: Reworking a report, tweaking a process, experimenting with a different workflow. Great employees follow processes. Outstanding employees go a step farther and find ways to make those processes even better, not just because they are expected to but because they can’t just help themselves.

That’s my list; what traits are on your list?

http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/9-traits-that-make-great-employees-outstanding/3958

Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams

Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams

Take 15 steps to realize your dreams

By Steven K. Scott


Take a big look at the paths followed by people like Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, and you’ll discover something that will change your life forever. Steven Scott spent years researching today’s achievers and distilled his findings into 15 “power secrets” that you can use to redesign your life!


Session 1: The Art of Dream Conversion
1. A life changing event
2. A chance meeting
3. What's keeping you from your dreams?
4. Cutting the chains

Session 2: You've Been Programmed for Mediocrity
5. The power of negative programming
6. Three things to reprogram yourself
7. An exercise in right-brain stimulation
8. An attitude adjustment

Session 3: Overcoming Fear of Failure
1. Detecting fear
2. Some questions to ask yourself
3. Defining failure
4. An exercise in examining the past

Session 4: Rising Above Criticism
5. Your worst enemy
6. Considering the source
7. How accurate is the criticism?
8. An important analogy
9. A perfect ten

Session 5: Expanding Your Know-How and Resources
1. The chain of lack of know-how
2. Two ways to cut this chain
3. Assessing your strengths and weaknesses
4. Dealing with limited resources
5. The five minute personality test

Session 6: Discovering Your Personality Type
6. Assessing your personality type - the lion
7. Assessing your personality type - the otter
8. Assessing your personality type - the golden retriever
9. Assessing your personality type - the beaver
10. Putting the personality types together

Session 7: Gaining a Clear and Precise Vision
1. A trip to California
2. Getting the directions
3. Focusing on the most important areas of your life
4. Defining your dreams

Session 8: The Dream Conversion Process
5. Attaining Henry Ford productivity
6. Examining your personal values
7. Stepping into the dream conversion process
8. Four critical goals

Session 9: Developing Babe Ruth Power
1. Swinging for the fence
2. Shooting for the moon
3. Applying this principle in business
4. Personal applications of this principle

Session 10: Developing Steven Spielberg Partnering
5. The power of partnering
6. What effective partnering will do for you
7. How to identify the right partners
8. Recruiting mentors
9. How to find the right mentors
10. How to motivate your partners

Session 11: Developing Helen Keller Positiveness
1. The three elements of positiveness
2. Responding to negative situations
3. Resetting your focus
4. The power of gratefulness
5. Treasure hunting
6. Seven keys to developing and maximizing relationships

Session 12: Developing Pit Bull Persistence
1. The single most important ingredient of successful people
2. A picture of persistence - Thomas Edison
3. Broadening the vision
4. Expect strikeouts
5. Dealing with others' strikeouts
6. Designing creative alternatives
7. When to listen to and when to tune out criticism

Session 13: Earthquake Persuasion Foundation
1. The difference between persuasion and manipulation
2. The importance of persuasion
3. Three foundational principles of effective persuasion
4. Effective communication
5. The dimensions of effective communication - hooks

Session 14: The Earthquake Persuasion Technique
6. Developing a strong statement
7. Salting
8. Using emotional word pictures
9. Six steps to developing powerful word pictures
10. Motivating people to act and giving a persuasive presentation

Session 15: How to Develop Laser Accurate Priority Planning
1. A game of crack the whip
2. Precious time
3. Ways we lose control of time
4. Dealing with procrastination
5. Seven steps to getting
the best investment return on your time

Session 16: How to Develop Oprah Winfrey Passion
6. Meeting Oprah Winfrey
7. Three elements of passion
8. Two ways to acquire passion
9. Crossing Niagara Falls
10. Living with true faith
11. A personal message from Steven


http://www.nightingale.com/prod_detail~product~Simple_Steps_Dreams.aspx

LCWords

..:. direction .:..

An ancient piece of wisdom: With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

Proverbs 3:5-6 CEV © ABS/BFBS 1997

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..:. desire .:..

A wise man wrote: Our eyes and our ears are never satisfied with what we see and hear.

Ecclesiastes 1:8 CEV © ABS/BFBS 1997

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..:. justice .:..

Praise: Lord God All-Powerful, your judgments are honest and fair.

Revelation 16:7 CEV © ABS/BFBS 1997

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..:. belonging .:..

The apostle Paul wrote to some followers of Jesus: Your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own.

1 Corinthians 6:19 CEV © ABS/BFBS 1997

=====================================================

..:. commitment .:..

The apostle Paul wrote to some followers of Jesus: Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know that he will reward you.

Colossians 3:23-24 CEV © ABS/BFBS 1997

=====================================================

..:. generosity .:..

The apostle Paul wrote: There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help.

Romans 10:12 CEV © ABS/BFBS 1997

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Building a Grade A Herd of Customers

Building a Grade A Herd of Customers

by Dan Kennedy

So there's herds and then there are responsive and loyal herds. We want to develop the best possible herd as we can have, which in a business sense means value, responsiveness, and equity. In business terms you want to build your list, and from it you get a herd of customers, clients, members, and so forth. Today, I want to talk about how not to wind up with a diseased herd, an inferior herd, or a low value herd, and how you can make changes to revitalize your dreadful herd.
1. Personality
The first component to creating a responsive herd is Personality. There are business arguments for not creating a brand based on your personality, but there are also arguments for being institutional rather than being personal. The most compelling argument against implementing a personal brand is what happens when you go to sell the company to some great big, giant, big dumb company? Is it an impediment or is it not an impediment? But by and large a personality driven business is infinitely easier to build herd value as compared to a non-personality driven business.
2. Philosophy
Another relationship factor is Philosophy. People either attach or fail to attach to a belief system. It doesn't matter if you are teaching something extremely technical; you can't sustain a relationship based on that training alone. However valuable it may be, it is fundamentally devoid of emotional connection. Relationship's are all about emotional connection. When you have a belief system that you stand for and represent, it will consequently result in your followers beginning to feel attachment to what you're doing.

Your beliefs need to be interwoven and reflected in everything that you do. I have one belief, and most of you probably know it. When I make business decisions I look for ways that we can be consistent not just with 'how to' but with 'why to' do something? This creates a philosophical connection.

This is a little more subtle, but some of you will notice I have not had myself depicted in a hammock sleeping and money flowing from the sky. Rather, I have myself depicted with more than two arms working feverishly doing two different things at the same time and money is appearing. Why? Because I happen to advocate work and I make things happen instead of it appearing as a mindless endeavor.

Do you have a philosophical component? Do your clients know what it is? And are they attaching themselves to it? There is a mission aspect to this because people tend to want to be attached and feel involved with something. Again that has a higher, more meaningful purpose than just growing their business, making more money, and certainly then transactions between parties.
3. Frequency

Now for a mechanical nature, frequency is very important. How frequently do we need to be in a customer's life? I say that you should be in their life pretty much daily. The value of a customer is either going up or going down in every single day. Therefore, if your primary connection with your customers occurs once a month then there are 29 days of value lost in that herd before you try and pump the value back up. That's a bad equation.

I recently had a meeting with the CEO of Tupperware, which is a classic direct sales company. And we talked a little bit about how that industry tried, for about a five year period, to eliminate a lot of the boots on the ground and manual labor. Instead, they were trying to move the whole thing online and use more efficient webinars and so forth. Some of the big companies nearly went broke doing it, but Tupperware never did it. He said something that I have used myself as an example many times and that is that no matter what religion you pick, it doesn't matter what outfit they wear or what hat they have on their head, what God they worship, what set of commandments they follow, the one commonality in all of religions is they try and get everybody to a meeting once a week.

Well, there's a reason for that. They need the frequency in order to get longevity. So there's a reason that there's church every Sunday. It's because seven days is about as far as they can let people go without losing them all together.

So consistency is really about institutionalized standards of things happening which creates a level of expectation and anticipation.
4. Dependency

When you can create something that results in your customers depending on you, it is quite possibly better than any of the other herd building techniques. For example, crack dealers don't have to work real hard to keep their herd together. They don't have to have a good location. They don't have to be in a good neighborhood. They don't have to dress well. They don't have to send out a customer newsletter. They don't have to have customer appreciation events. All they have to do is have crack and the right semantics, and they're good to go.

The next closest thing to it is true emotional dependency. If your clients don't pay attention for a week or two, do they start to feel withdrawal symptoms about not paying attention to you or not hearing from you? If you want to test this, just don't send your stuff out for a month and see how many people call. If the phone ain't ringing three or four days after it usually gets there I got news for you, you've got problems.
5. Motivation

A lot of people don't motivate their herd enough. Even people who appear to be successful by comparison to others in their type of business or their community lack the capability to be self-motivated and confident. The truth is, most people are not self-motivating individuals.

There's a reason why NFL players have a coach, and get a pep talk before they go out to play every big game. Logically this should not be necessary. These guys are getting paid millions of dollars to go out there and play the game. They've practiced all week to play the game. Some of them are five years, six years, and seven plus year veterans. They know how to play the game. They should not need somebody standing up on a chair giving them a pep talk and leading them in the cheer. But, watch what happens when a coach decides not to do that. There's a word for it, two words actually; Dallas, Cowboys.
6. Implementation

When it comes to tactical implementation you must think of the media that you can use. People respond to different media. Most people will welcome more frequent and constant contact if it arrives through multiple channels rather than one channel. So if you're only showing up one or two ways, it's easier to overdo it and your customers will more readily start to say, "oh my God is he here again" than if you're contacting them frequently through multiple channels.

If you stick to your narrow core range you will lose the interest of the herd and you will have longevity problems. You must expand the scope of your discussion with your herd over a period of time in order to hold their attention. Now, the good news about that is they want you to. So if they buy you as an expert about 'A' they want you to be their expert about B-C-D-E and F however unqualified you may be or however irrational that may be, they want it. So the foundation is there.
7. Referrals and Involvement

Ask yourself how many referrals actually generate business? That's a very good measurement because it's a higher standard.

Subjective measurements are necessary to evaluate where you stand with your client base. Are they writing to you like they would write to Elvis if he wasn't dead? Are you getting fan mail? Are they writing and telling you personal stuff? If so, that means they have a personal relationship with you.

Are they sending you gifts? Do they bring you stuff? Not necessarily big stuff. How many members of your herd made something for you last year? Did you get cookies? Well, that's a subjective measurement but it's an important measurement.
8. Success Reports

Is your herd looking to you for acceptance, acknowledgment, and recognition? Or, do you have to chase them down in order to get testimonials? Are they coming in voluntarily? Do they want to participate?

So, chatter online, chatter offline and in person. The most important thing to build your herd is you must measure and evaluate your success. You need to have measurements in place. You need to be cognoscente of it. You need to be working on it. Don't just be focused on how many followers. You must focus on value because all the equity, all the wealth, and all the sustainability is in the value based on the relationship, not the numbers and certainly not the list.

Quote

"It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste."
— Henry Ford: Founder, Ford Motor Company

Become Unbreakable: 10 Tips to Create More Personal Resilience

Become Unbreakable: 10 Tips to Create More Personal Resilience

By Robert Pagliarini | Aug 23, 2011


How much better would your life be if you were unbreakable? If you knew that no matter what happened that you would survive and persevere — and that maybe you’d even come out a little better? We cannot escape pain, difficulty, failure, tragedy, and heartache. Sooner or later it will find us despite our best efforts to protect ourselves. Instead of trying to bob and weave what life throws at us, I’d rather have the comfort of knowing that I can take life’s best shot and be able to get back up and move forward. To me, that’s empowerment. Having that kind of personal fortitude and resilience is a game changer. Instead of being dogged by fear and uncertainty, you will have inner peace and confidence that you will survive.



The American Psychological Association (APA) focused their research on resilience after the tragic events of 9/11. Resilience, according to the APA, is the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, and from sources of stress such as work pressures, health, family or relationship problems. They found that a resilient person is not only able to handle the crisis of the moment more effectively, but that they are also able to recover and get back on their feet more quickly.

According to the APA, you can create more personal resilience with these ten tips:

1. Make connections. Personal resilience doesn’t mean it’s all up to you. Having good relationships with close family members, friends, or others is critical to resilience and well-being. When tragedy strikes, the worst thing you can do is avoid friends and loved ones. Start cultivating your relationships today, so when you need support, you have a whole network of people to help.

2. Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. Don’t fall into the trap of all-or-nothing thinking, which says that everything is either perfect or terrible. There are always shades of gray. Focus less on the past and more on the future you want. Also, look for exceptions. In Solution Focused Therapy, exceptions are those times when the problem is gone or at least not as bad. Are there times in the current crisis you’re your problems don’t feel so insurmountable?

3. Accept that change is a part of living. Know that whatever you’re going through others have experienced before. You are not alone — change, in whatever form, is a natural part of life.

4. Move toward your goals. When the present is difficult, focus on a better future. What do you want your life to be? What goals do you have that you can start moving toward?

5. Take decisive actions. Avoid checking out by taking whatever control you have over your situation and doing something (however small) about it.

6. Look for opportunities for self-discovery. One of my favorite sayings is “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.” Tragedy and pain can be an opportunity to re-evaluate your life — where you’ve been and where you want to go. Ask yourself the tough questions and look for ways to grow.

7. Nurture a positive view of yourself. Be careful how you talk to yourself. Don’t accept blame when it isn’t warranted. Focus on your strengths and abilities to get you through.

8. Keep things in perspective. When something bad happens, it can color all aspects of our life. Your job is to put it into perspective. Don’t let one bad event taint your view of the other areas in your life.

9. Maintain a hopeful outlook. While easier said than done, just watch how you explain or think about your situation. As ancient Greek philosopher said, “People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.” When possible, take the more positive and optimistic view.

10. Take care of yourself. Do what you can to sleep well and eat well. Try to get some exercise and do things you enjoy. If you feel like nothing is enjoyable, do things that make you feel less horrible. In short, be nice to yourself.

Being unbreakable doesn’t mean that you can’t cry or need to act tough or mask your feelings by putting on a happy face. Being unbreakable means you give yourself the freedom to break, knowing you have the tools to put yourself back together again.

Are you ready to create more money, time, energy, and passion in your life? Learn how to live your best life now with these free resources:

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You can also join a community of passionate people at Richer Life who want to achieve more in life and at work. With your free membership, you can participate in conversations I have with experts, celebrities, authors, and thought leaders that are laser-focused on practical ways to drive more money, motivation, and meaning into your life. Take the first step toward creating a better life by joining Richer Life for free now!


http://moneywatch.bnet.com/career-advice/blog/other-8-hours/become-unbreakable-10-tips-to-create-more-personal-resilience/2680/

Quote

"Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure."
— Napoleon Hill: Author, Think and Grow Rich.

How Global Leaders Develop

How Global Leaders Develop
By Steve Terrell President and Founder of Aspire Consulting on 8/23/11 at 11:00 am EST

1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certifications


Description:
Global organizations face complexity in the dynamics of multiplicity, interdependence, ambiguity, and flux. These forces are driving an increased need for global leaders who possess new competencies that enable them to respond and lead effectively. Many global organizations are finding that their supply of global leaders, or even individuals with the potential to become global leaders, does not match the demand. In this webinar, Steve Terrell will present the results of his research into the developmental experiences global leaders identified as being important in their development as global leaders, as well as what and how they learned from the experiences. Conclusions from this study indicate that global leaders (a) develop through first-hand, cross-cultural and global leadership experience; (b) learn the importance and value of cultural sensitivity, relationships and networks, and curiosity or desire to learn as a result of their developmental experiences; (c) require a unique set of global leadership competencies to effectively fulfill their roles; (d) are driven by curiosity, openness, and a desire to learn; and (e) develop and learn intuitively, dynamically employing ad hoc learning approaches. Implications of these significant findings for global leadership development practitioners in all industries will be discussed

What You Will Learn
• You will discover the types of experiences global leaders found to be important in their development, and what made those experiences developmental for them
• You will find out what global leaders said they earned as a result of their developmental experiences
• Examine some of the traits and characteristics that seem to enable global leaders to grow and develop through their experiences

Who Should Participate: The information covered in this webinar will be of interest and value to individuals who are practitioners in global leadership development; global leader assessment, recruiting, and selection; and those who are interested in global leadership as a field of research and/or practice.


Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments
By Mette Norgaard Co-author of TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments on 8/30/11 at 11:00 am EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certifications)


Description:

Leaders must hit their marks. But this is especially hard in today’s “interruption age” – where the pace is fast, the meetings back to back, and the information flow never-ending. How can you achieve your goals – much less lead others effectively – in this landscape? By adopting a new set of achievable practices that allow you to bring more clarity, energy, and influence to every interaction. Most leaders feel the inevitable interruptions in their jam-packed days are troublesome. But in TouchPoints, Conant and Norgaard argue that these – and every point of contact with other people – are overlooked opportunities for leaders to increase their impact and promote their organization’s strategy and values. Through previously untold stories from Conant’s tenure as CEO of Campbell Soup Company and Norgaard’s vast consulting experience, the authors show that a leader’s impact and legacy are built through hundreds, even thousands, of interactive moments in time. The good news is that anyone can develop “TouchPoint” mastery by focusing on four essential components: head, heart, hands and touch

What You Will Learn
• How the authenticity of a leader is tested during every informal encounter every day
• How to promote a new and intuitive model of rational, active, and wise leadership practices
• Be introduced to four integrated commitments that are foundational to mastering the Touch: the commitment to inquiry, reflection, practice, and continuous improvement


Who Should Participate: Leaders, anyone interested in growth and networking


Top Teaming: A Roadmap for Leadership Teams Navigating the Now, the New, and the Next
By Larry Levin Author of Top Teaming: A Roadmap for Teams Navigating the Now, the New, and the Next on 9/20/11 at 11:00 am EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certification)


Description:

These are tough times for top executive teams who are faced with a new series of challenges and paradoxes that require new mindsets and thinking about driving success. Top Teams carry with them tremendous Collective Intelligence in their deep, operating experience, and the ability to exert significant influence over their company’s direction, focus, and performance. They have both the opportunity and obligation to navigate big change and make a significant difference in the future of their organizations. Ultimately, they are responsible for dealing with both the “Now and the New”—the current realities and the evolving future.

While all Top Teams have this responsibility, only some do it well. Even fewer do it well when under tremendous stress and pressure. Becoming a High Performing Team – a goal for most teams is now just the ticket of admission to today’s complex and ambiguous world. In my research and interviews with senior leaders, I have found that there are ten essential groups of practices that differentiate and elevate Top Teams from classic high performing teams and groups of talented individuals. These are the “must-do’s” that make the difference between great teams that drive great results and everybody else.


What You Will Learn:
- How the major challenges faced by Leadership Teams today differ from those in the past
- Learn the power of articulating the Senior Purpose of a team – what it is really FOR
- How to define the kind of team needed
- How to Define and Manage the Critical Intersections
- How to develop good teams
- How to Address and Resolve the Issues that Matter
- How to Focus on the Now and the New
- Driving the Fierce Urgency of “Now”: The Need for Execution Excellence
- How to Build Relational Intelligence (RI) and Collective Intelligence (CI)
- The Process of becoming a purposeful leader
- How to Make High-Performing Teams into Top Teams
- Demonstrating Courage in the Face of Uncertainty: Top Teams in Tough Times

Who Should Participate: Anyone who is in or supports a Leadership Team including C-level, VP, Managers and Directors, Functional Leaders, HR/OD/OE staff, consultants, and those who aspire to serve on leadership teams.


Agents of Change: Developing Effective Transformational Leaders
By Ricardo Bullock Lieutenant Colonel and recipient of the Bronze Star Medal on 9/21/11 at 2:00 pm EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certifications)


Description:

In the business world constant “change” is inevitable and many organizations are finding themselves unprepared to implement the transformation required to address what’s becoming the greatest challenge facing industries worldwide. This element of “change” impacts every aspect of the organization and decisions made by organizational leaders to address this changing environment is more often becoming the factor that ultimately determines the success or failure of an organization. In this webinar, Ricardo will address the challenges of organizational transformation and the many facets of developing effective transformational leaders.


What You Will Learn
-Understand the challenges of implementing Change
-Levels and types of Change experienced in an organization
-The framework for Transformational Leadership
-How to create a culture of change and transformation leadership in your organization

Who Should Participate: - Corporate Executive Leadership
- Organization Development (OD) professionals
- Human Resource (HR) professionals
- Educators in Leadership Development

Leadership in the Next Decade: The Growth Imperative
By Edith Onderick-Harvey consultant, speaker and leadership expert on 9/28/11 at 2:00 pm EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certification)


Description:

The world of work at the dawn of the new decade is one where leaders are functioning in an increasingly complex, diverse and dispersed business environment. It’s an environment marked by economic upheaval, global competition and global collaboration, breakneck technological advances and multiple work option, all of which mean different strategies will be needed to drive performance. However, sixty-percent or fewer executives and senior HR leaders surveyed believe that C-Suite leaders are skilled in most of the key leadership capabilities needed for their organizations to succeed in the next decade.

What You Will Learn
• The key forces impacting and rapidly changing the work environment.
• Five key abilities that leaders need to demonstrate to lead growth in the future
• Areas where leaders may be highly capable that may decrease their organization's abilities to compete in the future
• How to prepare leaders for success in the next decade

Who Should Participate: C-Suite Executives, Mid-Level Managers, Upcoming Leaders, Anyone who is interested and furthering their leadership development.
Winning Culture
By John Spence Named one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America on 10/12/11 at 2:00 pm EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certification)


Description:

Culture=Cash! During this information-intensive program, John Spence, one of America's top 100 business thought leaders, will explain why culture is one of the driving for creating a highly successful and profitable company. Through specific examples, tools, and techniques, John well clearly described the elements necessary to find, attract and engage highly talented people on your team – who will in turn deliver the quality products and services necessary to build loyal and engaged customers. John will also address the other side of culture, creating an ownership mentality of discipline execution and high levels of both personal and mutual accountability across the organization. This is a program that John has delivered to numerous Fortune 500 companies.

What You Will Learn:

• The latest research on exactly how culture impacts profitability.
• The core elements of a winning culture according to several national and international research projects.
• The elements of a high-performance team within the winning culture.
• How to manage and coach for high-performance.
• The nine steps for creating a culture of disciplined execution.


Who Should Participate: Senior leaders, division managers, regional managers, sales managers, team leaders.
Whole systems transformation: paradigm shifting for dramatic results (part one)
By Roland Sullivan Author and pioneer in enterprise wide transformation and change on 10/18/11 at 11:00 am EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certification)


Description:

Whole system transformation: Phase One. Transforming the executive team and the internal change agent:

Recent research from CEOs indicate their intense and urgent interest and leading and sustaining an ongoing change agent organization. Futurist, David Hule, says, “We have left the information age and moving into the “Shift Age”. Everything is in a state of shift. Companies and leaders need to be able to transform their company if they’re going to succeed in the next 10 years.” Whole systems transformation best starts by having each executive and the team as a whole transform themselves before they can initiate or in hand in the listing enterprise wide systemic and systematic change process.

This session will share a researched and proven methodology to transform organizations. Part one will give you an explicit step-by-step process that we believe you can adapt immediately to start the transformation journey. Part two will focus on measurement and engaging the entire system. In sum, the purpose of this presentation is to share the theory and proven best practice around guaranteed transformation of the leadership team as a prelude to their leading a dynamic shift for their entire enterprise.


What You Will Learn
• About the architecture of the whole systems transformational model
• The driving principles of this engaging, powerful, and innovative approach to realizing human talent and economic performance
• You will be exposed to a step-by-step process to transform the leadership team
• How to access additional resources following up on that are not available to the public

Who Should Participate: Directors, VP’s, and SVP’s of HR, Organization Development, Organizational Learning, Leadership Development, Human Resources Development, Change Management



Influencing Difficult People
By Deborah Slobodnik, Master Coach for Leaders and Teams on 11/2/11 at 2:00 pm EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certifications)




Description:

Getting real buy in to new strategies, programs or processes can be a challenge and frustration with some key stakeholders. This webinar provides proven and practical tips to getting real versus espoused buy in order to lower barriers to change. These tips are based on over 25 years experience as an executive coach, consultant and trainer where influence without authority is the main lever for real and sustainable change. It is also based on action research and best practices. This webinar will empower you to face your toughest customers.

What You Will Learn
1. Learn best practices for influencing without authority
2. Practice influencing a “difficult stakeholder"
3. Develop a realistic influence plan
4. How to tell when you are getting espoused verses real buy in

Who Should Participate: Human Resource Professionals, Executives and Managers


Harnessing the Potential of Your High Potential Women for Real Business Impact
By Lynne Morton Author, leadership coach, and recipient of the HR Leadership Award on 11/9/11 at 2:00 pm EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certifications)


Description: Are you one of those organizations that successfully recruits women, but is significantly less successful at retaining them? If so, you don’t reap the benefits of this key component of the workforce, the positive business results and the organizational culture that women offer. Lynne Morton will show you how to take on this important challenge. You will see what a powerful business impact High Potential women have on business results and on organizational culture. After understanding the importance of the business case, you'll learn specific ways to develop and retain High Potential women. She brings deep knowledge and personal passion, along with examples of creative approaches that have worked. An award-winning coach and consultant, Lynne will take you beyond the research onto a path for real personal and organizational enrichment.


What You Will Learn:

•How to recognize the differences in professional development between men and women
•How to structure learning initiatives that look at aspiration and potential in focused and aligned ways
•How to create a workforce that can take you to a higher level of success
•Steps for retaining a strong female workforce within your organization

Who Should Participate: Leadership or Executive Development, Succession Management, Talent Management, OD and HR professionals, Diversity Professionals, Line and Senior Management Executives, High Potential Women


Mastering the Art of Sales Conversations
By Mike Schultz Co-author of Professional Services Marketing and Rainmaking Conversations, President of Wellesley Hills Group on 11/16/11 at 2:00 pm EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certification)


Description:

Conversations drive everything in sales. First, you have to have them or you can’t sell anything. This means you need to be able to generate them with good prospects for what you sell. Second, you need to lead them with masterful skill and savvy. How to lead sales conversations, influence your prospects to want to buy, buy from you, buy a complete solution, and pay full price for it confounds many sales people selling high priced products and services. But it doesn’t have to. There are key principles that you can follow to lead masterful rainmaking conversations, and join the sales elite.

In this webinar, Mike Schultz, President of RAIN Group and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Rainmaking Conversations, will share with you the keys to mastering sales conversations, and help you become the most successful and influential seller you can be.


What You Will Learn
• How to maximize prospects’ desire to work with you
• The keys to discovering the largest set of prospect needs
• 16 principles of influence in sales
• 4 steps to leading masterful sales conversations

Who Should Participate: Executives, sales professionals, sales & marketing teams, business owners, and anyone who needs to lead sales conversations

Benchmark Research on Global Talent Management and Expatriate Assignments
By Louis Carter CEO, Best Practice Institute on 12/15/11 at 1:00 pm EST (1 HRCI Credit toward your PHR, SPHR, or GPHR Certification)




Become a part of a groundbreaking Study that seeks to identify the strategic outlook of global organizations on expatriate assignments and their role in organization development and global talent management. The study strategy includes literature reviews, personal interviews, categorization, and comparative analysis across companies. Each company being profiled is in the top 20 tier in its particular industry. We will examine both transactional and transformational elements of Global Expatriate Assignments/Talent Management. Secondary research sources indicate a need for clearly defined process and structure for candidate selection, organizational expectations, and performance management for expatriate assignments. To fully understand the scope and impact of the assignment BPI evaluated organizations at three levels; individual, organizational, and societal. The BPI study is the first empirical study that examines expatriate performance management at all three levels of analysis.











Praise for Best Practice Institute


"Enrolling in Best Practice Institute has proven to be extremely beneficial. I have access to live learning sessions covering a wide range of topics and perspectives. Live sessions provide opportunity for one-on-one interaction with accomplished change leaders who are excited to share their knowledge and learn from participants. I have found that BPI's webinars provide a high level of interaction, and you do not have to leave your home or office. The opportunity to have access to the experts brought together by BPI is unique and invaluable. The Institute is one of the best examples of what online communities can achieve. I encourage academics, as well as practitioners, to join the Best Practice Institute community for their own development and growth, as well as to contribute to the development of best practices.

- Elena Papavero, PhD, Best Practice Institute member

Get Your HR Certification through BPI

Each one-hour live webcast and archives (archives after May 1, 2009 only) is submitted to qualify for HR Certification Institute recertification credits. You can get your PHR, SPHR, GPHR and credits through BPI Webinars.

The Triangle of Truth

The Triangle of Truth

I have a love-hate relationship to conflict. I love it when things “work out,” but hate it when they don't. My fear of things not working out, of people's feelings getting hurt, or of me losing something important are usually high on my list of justifications for not saying certain things, not engaging in the conflict at all, or selling out on my deepest truth even in the midst of it.

However, as I look deeper at what my definition of “working out” really is, I realize that it's often some version of things going my way or some compromise that leaves me feeling like I'm the “good guy” and that the person or people involved still like, appreciate, or approve of me.

Can you relate to this? You may have a different version of this story, but most people I know and work with have a disempowered relationship to conflict and have come up with creative ways of avoiding it, not dealing with it, or manipulating themselves, others, or situations so as to not have to engage in conflict in a vulnerable way at all. However, as we've all noticed – this doesn't work or give us much power in our relationships or our lives, especially when it comes to conflict.

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview my good friend Lisa Earle McLeod on my radio show about her latest book called The Triangle of Truth. Lisa, a speaker, consultant, and expert in conflict resolution, teaches through her new book and in her trainings that in every conflict there are really three sides to it (like a triangle) – my truth, your truth, and then the higher-level solution. It's not about “compromise” or “right vs. wrong” in most cases – it's about being willing to engage in conflict in such a way that we allow something bigger, better, and more inclusive to emerge.

As the famous quote from Albert Einstein reminds us, “We can't solve the problems of today with the level of thinking that created them.”

In talking to Lisa about her book and the Triangle of Truth model that she teaches, I realized that my own fear of upsetting people or having them not like me, as well as my erroneous attachment to being “right” not only create more stress and separation in my relationships, they get in my way of engaging in healthy conflict, which thus robs me and those around me from coming up with higher level, more creative and inclusive solutions – which ultimately benefit all of us.

Here are the six principles Lisa teaches and how we can all use them to embrace conflict, resolve it easier, and come up with solutions that can serve everyone involved in the best way:

1) Embrace AND – So often we get caught in “either/or” thinking which makes us and those around us crazy, is quite sophomoric and limiting by its nature, and doesn't allow us to see or hear anything else than what we already “know” to be “true.”

2) Make Peace with Ambiguity – Based on our own fear and because so many of us, myself included, like to be in control – we often resist uncertainty. However, being comfortable with uncertainty and allowing ourselves to hang out in ambiguity gives us the openness, patience, and perspective necessary to allow creative solutions to emerge.

3) Hold Space for Other Perspectives – When we're able to listen to, understand, and appreciate where someone else is coming from (even and especially if we don't agree with them) we allow the space for something new to arise. It takes practice and trust to allow other people to share their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and perspectives with passion – and for us to just let them be. However, when we allow other people the space to share openly, they often gives us that space in return and we can then find out we're not always “on the other side” in the way we think we are.

4) Seek Higher Ground – Because we often avoid conflict or even when we get into it try to get out of it as fast as possible, we sometimes rush to come up with “solutions” or “compromises” just to stop the conflict. This compromising process often “works” on the surface, but doesn't address the deeper issues and won't give way to the higher level solutions. It's only when we're open to and actively look for those higher level solutions that they begin to materialize. This happens when we seek higher ground, instead of simply trying to “win” the argument or end it at all costs because we're uncomfortable or scared.

5) Discern Intent – With issues that mean the most to us or cut right the core of our most sacredly beliefs, we often have a hard time considering anything else than what we already believe to be true. In this process, we often vilify those who don't agree with us. “Those people” – the ones who think differently than we do -become “them,” in a negative way. When we look for and find the positive intention of others, even if we don't see things the way they do, we can get to the core of what's really true, not just what our ego wants to argue about.

6) Elevate Others – This is all about raising the conversation in our heads, with the other people involved, and about the whole situation. We can and do have impact on other people. We're able to elevate the conversation with others when we focus on being real and vulnerable (i.e. honest about how we really feel) and also focus on appreciating and empowering those we're engaged with (i.e. acknowledging them and being grateful for who they are). We can lift up the people around us and in the process lift ourselves up and create the higher level solutions we all truly want.

Resolving conflicts in an open, conscious, and positive way is a lot easier said than done. And, when we remember these simple (but not always easy) principles, as well as the metaphor of the triangle (our truth, their truth, and the higher truth/solutions), we're able to engage in conflict in a way that not only brings forth better and more inclusive solutions, but can actually create the kind of peace, growth, and harmony we really crave in our lives, relationships, families, communities, and workplaces!

How can you can you apply the “triangle of truth” model to your own life, work, and environment? Share your thoughts, action ideas, insights, and more on my blog here.


http://www.mike-robbins.com/newsletter/jan122010.html

True Wealth – Defined

True Wealth – Defined

True Wealth is a topic that’s been on my mind lately.

I think it’s because I have been challenged over the last couple years by this and have been trying to sort through my own definition of true wealth and its implications for my life.

In 2007 things were going well. Business was increasing, I was making more money and I had grand plans for taking it to the next level.

Then the 2008 Economic Tsunami hit!

And just like a lot of others, I had to deal with the aftermath. I had to evaluate our spending, savings, and ultimately what was truly important.

I firmly believe God used the Great Recession to check my priorities. In a weird sort of way, the recession was good for me!


And that’s when I realized that something needed to change.
I Can’t See, The Wipers Won’t Move Fast Enough!

Have you ever driven through a torrential down pour?

You know the kind where the rain is coming down so fast and is beating against the windshield so hard that it’s nearly impossible to see?

A few months back we were coming home from visiting some friends and we drove through a nasty storm on the highway. It was freaky. I wanted the wipers to move faster to keep up with the rain, but they couldn’t – I finally had to pull over because I couldn’t see a thing!

I’ll admit, during the worst part of the 2008 market meltdown, it was very tough for me to see beyond each hour of the day.

As a financial planner, I was feeling the weight of clients’ dreams, goals and investments on my shoulders – there were some days I felt so horrible that I just wanted to pull off the side of the road and wait for the storm to pass.

Every day, I heard story after story from panicked clients looking for answers to things that were so beyond our control and yet affected each one of us.

It was painful.

I don’t say that looking for sympathy, I simply want to give you an understanding of the journey I’ve been on to realize a huge life lesson that I hope others will learn too.
I Can See Clearly Now…

The rain is gone. Thank you Jimmy Cliff for summing it up perfectly for me.

Once the markets began to simmer down a bit, I began to think critically about what I had witnessed.

We weren’t out of the woods yet in terms of the economic crisis, but I started considering what was most important in life and in business.

I started working through a definition of True Wealth.

I started this blog as an extension of what I was thinking through and as a way to help others with personal finance and more importantly, understand the foundation of building your financial house.

I also reworked the mission and vision statements, revised the goals and reordered the priorities for my business to incorporate my understanding of True Wealth.

And I’d like to share my learning with you.
True Wealth and the 3 P’s

So here’s what I came up with:

True Wealth is not defined by commas or net worth – it is characterized by the quality of relationships; pursuing your passions and living life with a purpose.

In other words – it’s the pursuit of People, Passion and Purpose!

Or the 3 P’s as I’m calling it.

Understanding True Wealth encourages the pursuit of what’s most important, which improves happiness, enlivens the soul and blossoms contentment.

People

At the end of the day, life is about relationships. Unfortunately, we seem to forget that truth so often just like Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart did as well.

Sadly, he didn’t realize it until he was on his death bed.

How are you doing with investing into your important relationships? I know I need to continue to work on this.

Passion

What are you passionate about? If you could do anything, what would you do?

Those are the things that enliven the soul.

Whether it’s helping the poor; giving time to charity; using your personal finance learning to help others understand how to save money; using your passion of capturing memories on film to start a photography business (like my wife did); or using your creative talents for woodworking, cooking, writing or any number of other things.

Use your natural creative talents to live life with passion.

Purpose

Lastly, True Wealth is taking those passions you’ve identified and figuring out what sort of purpose you have with those.

Why are you here? What were you created to do. We all have a purpose.

True Wealth is figuring out what that purpose is and using your passions to build into people!

So that’s my journey. A long road, but a good one. And a lesson that I hope I continue to learn and you do too!
What Are Your Thoughts?

What do you think True Wealth means?

http://www.redeemingriches.com/2010/08/23/true-wealth/

True Wealth – Defined

True Wealth – Defined

True Wealth is a topic that’s been on my mind lately.

I think it’s because I have been challenged over the last couple years by this and have been trying to sort through my own definition of true wealth and its implications for my life.

In 2007 things were going well. Business was increasing, I was making more money and I had grand plans for taking it to the next level.

Then the 2008 Economic Tsunami hit!

And just like a lot of others, I had to deal with the aftermath. I had to evaluate our spending, savings, and ultimately what was truly important.

I firmly believe God used the Great Recession to check my priorities. In a weird sort of way, the recession was good for me!


And that’s when I realized that something needed to change.
I Can’t See, The Wipers Won’t Move Fast Enough!

Have you ever driven through a torrential down pour?

You know the kind where the rain is coming down so fast and is beating against the windshield so hard that it’s nearly impossible to see?

A few months back we were coming home from visiting some friends and we drove through a nasty storm on the highway. It was freaky. I wanted the wipers to move faster to keep up with the rain, but they couldn’t – I finally had to pull over because I couldn’t see a thing!

I’ll admit, during the worst part of the 2008 market meltdown, it was very tough for me to see beyond each hour of the day.

As a financial planner, I was feeling the weight of clients’ dreams, goals and investments on my shoulders – there were some days I felt so horrible that I just wanted to pull off the side of the road and wait for the storm to pass.

Every day, I heard story after story from panicked clients looking for answers to things that were so beyond our control and yet affected each one of us.

It was painful.

I don’t say that looking for sympathy, I simply want to give you an understanding of the journey I’ve been on to realize a huge life lesson that I hope others will learn too.
I Can See Clearly Now…

The rain is gone. Thank you Jimmy Cliff for summing it up perfectly for me.

Once the markets began to simmer down a bit, I began to think critically about what I had witnessed.

We weren’t out of the woods yet in terms of the economic crisis, but I started considering what was most important in life and in business.

I started working through a definition of True Wealth.

I started this blog as an extension of what I was thinking through and as a way to help others with personal finance and more importantly, understand the foundation of building your financial house.

I also reworked the mission and vision statements, revised the goals and reordered the priorities for my business to incorporate my understanding of True Wealth.

And I’d like to share my learning with you.
True Wealth and the 3 P’s

So here’s what I came up with:

True Wealth is not defined by commas or net worth – it is characterized by the quality of relationships; pursuing your passions and living life with a purpose.

In other words – it’s the pursuit of People, Passion and Purpose!

Or the 3 P’s as I’m calling it.

Understanding True Wealth encourages the pursuit of what’s most important, which improves happiness, enlivens the soul and blossoms contentment.

People

At the end of the day, life is about relationships. Unfortunately, we seem to forget that truth so often just like Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart did as well.

Sadly, he didn’t realize it until he was on his death bed.

How are you doing with investing into your important relationships? I know I need to continue to work on this.

Passion

What are you passionate about? If you could do anything, what would you do?

Those are the things that enliven the soul.

Whether it’s helping the poor; giving time to charity; using your personal finance learning to help others understand how to save money; using your passion of capturing memories on film to start a photography business (like my wife did); or using your creative talents for woodworking, cooking, writing or any number of other things.

Use your natural creative talents to live life with passion.

Purpose

Lastly, True Wealth is taking those passions you’ve identified and figuring out what sort of purpose you have with those.

Why are you here? What were you created to do. We all have a purpose.

True Wealth is figuring out what that purpose is and using your passions to build into people!

So that’s my journey. A long road, but a good one. And a lesson that I hope I continue to learn and you do too!
What Are Your Thoughts?

What do you think True Wealth means?

http://www.redeemingriches.com/2010/08/23/true-wealth/

7 Most Important Habits That Rich People Use to Build Wealth

7 Most Important Habits That Rich People Use to Build Wealth

Aristotle said that “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Being rich (having wealth, anyway) is not about having a lot of money or making a lot of money.

It’s about building wealth, keeping your money, and spending it wisely.

Here are the 7 best ways that rich people build wealth and keep it.
1. Learn the difference between an asset and a liability.

This is the most fundamental aspect to build wealth, yet most people have no idea what the real difference is.

A car, unless it’s a real collector’s item, is not an asset. It costs you money no matter how you look at it – it’s maintenance, upkeep, depreciation, etc. all mean you’re losing money.

A house can be either an asset or a liability, depending on its potential. The home you live in is probably not an asset, though you may have heard otherwise.

Most homes are no longer gaining value, so they are no longer assets. A home that you rent out for more than you pay in upkeep and mortgage, however, is an asset.

Learn the difference between the two fundamentals of wealth and you’ll understand that most Americans either purchase junk, spend their money on liabilities they mistakenly think of as assets, or they get wealthy by putting their money to work in things that make more money. To start making your money work for you save your money with the best bank rates.
2. Work hard and be diligent about your finances.

Don’t splurge on something you don’t need just because after months of saving you “deserve it.”

Nothing destroys good habits faster than going off the wagon. Why spend six months working hard to save up $1,500 if you’re just going to spend $800 of it on a “weekend getaway” to reward yourself?

Why not, instead, spend the money and that weekend working to improve your home’s front yard and thus raise its value? Or simply save the money and keep up the good work?
3. Live beneath your means and look poorer than you are.

If your income is $100,000 a year, live like you make $60,000 and save the rest or invest in things that will raise your income to $150,000 a year.

Living well beneath your means doesn’t mean living “poorly,” it just means you’re always prepared for when your $100,000 income suddenly drops to $65,000 because the market changed or your employer goes belly up.

Think of what that two years of $40,000 in savings would mean when your income disappears for a few months..
4. Have patience with your growth.

Most people do not make a fortune overnight and those that do often squander it the next day.

Building a fortune slowly, however, usually means that the person doing it has patience and perseverance and is willing to work hard and knows the difference between spending and investing.
5. Keep on learning and never get comfortable with your income.

In number 3, you were told to live beneath your means. Doing so gives you a feeling of comfort and stability, but also puts you in the habit of being frugal and aware of your spending.

Continue your education, whether it’s formal or informal, and keep building valuable skills you can use to build wealth. Learn to do your own auto mechanics, clean your own pool, wash your own cars, do your own handyman work, garden, or whatever else you might have an interest in learning.

Build skills and learn to whittle away at your expenses. The fewer expenses you have, the more money you’ll have to invest to make even more money. This is building wealth.

[Side Note from Jason: We need to be careful of the delicate balance that exists with being content with what God provides and also looking to steward our time, money and talents to the best of our abilities to make additional income.]
6. Live a balanced life and realize that gadgets and trinkets do not make you happy.

Truly wealthy people rarely have all of the latest gadgets and the gaudiest trinkets. In fact, the poorer a person is, the more likely they are to have a house full of dime store trinkets and baubles.

If you were to survey people who have built their own wealth and are truly balanced, happy, and wealthy, you’ll see that these rich people are rich because their lives are rich, not because they have a lot of shiny things to show off their wealth. The millionaire next door is never ostentatious.
7. Become happy and learn to only worry about what’s truly important.

Sure, getting bilked for $1,000 on a car purchase is not good. But can you do anything about it, and is it really worth the headache to?

If you need the car and it’s a good purchase regardless of the padded price tag, maybe the headache isn’t worth the trouble of making a scene. Perhaps a calm letter to the business owner explaining that you won’t be back there again and your friends won’t shop there either will be enough to both vent your frustration and get results in your favor. But obsessing over the lost thousand does no one any good. Least of all yourself.

These simple habits, which are more a lifestyle change than they are habits, are what set apart those who build wealth and those who just appear wealthy.

Paris Hilton is wealthy because of her father, not herself, and she shows off her riches because she truly doesn’t understand them. Her father, however, is not so flashy because he knows where the money comes from and how to keep it in his own hands.

Onlinebanksblog.com provides the latest bank rates news to help you find the best banking accounts to help you earn higher interest, pay lower fees, and get the most out of your bank accounts.

http://www.redeemingriches.com/2010/10/07/rich-people-build-wealth/

HBS Press Book The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators by Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal B. Gregersen, Clayton M. Christense

Some people are just natural innovators, right? With no apparent effort, they discover ideas for new products, services, and entire businesses. It may look like innovators are born, not made. But according to Jeffrey Dyer and Hal Gregersen, and Clay Christensen anyone can become more innovative. How? Master the discovery skills that distinguish innovative entrepreneurs and executives from ordinary managers. In

"The Innovator's DNA", the authors identify five capabilities demonstrated by the best innovators:
(1) Associating: drawing connections between questions, problems, or ideas from unrelated fields,
(2) Questioning: posing queries that challenge common wisdom,
(3) Observing: scrutinizing the behavior of customers, suppliers, and competitors to identify new ways of doing things,
(4) Experimenting: constructing interactive experiences and provoking unorthodox responses to see what insights emerge, and
(5) Networking: meeting people with different ideas and perspectives.

The authors explain how to generate ideas with these skills, collaborate with "delivery-driven" colleagues to implement ideas, and build innovation skills throughout your organization to sharpen its competitive edge.

They also provide a self-assessment for rating your own innovator's DNA. Practical and provocative, this book is an essential resource for all teams seeking to strengthen their innovative prowess.

Your Child’s Greatest Need

Your Child’s Greatest Need
Rob Flood
In 1979, my father, Larry, was the manager of computer operations for a major oil company. It was the dawn of the computer age and, at that time, computers were just beginning to change from luxuries to necessities. In an industry of high competition, time was just as valuable as money. Then, it happened.

For no apparent reason, the computer room (at that time, computers took up rooms, not laps or desktops) shut down—dead. The computer operators were not able to reboot the computer and could not find any reason for the problem. In an effort to get up and running, Larry called in the A-Team of technicians…no success. They called in the regional technicians…no success. The room was full of operators, managers, junior and senior technicians all scratching their heads.

The next day, an intern returned from vacation and wondered what the problem was. No one gave him a very thorough answer, convinced he had nothing additional to offer. He strolled around the room to kill time and then asked, "Shouldn't this button be pushed in?" He pushed it, and the computer rebooted.

The technicians and managers, my father included, had gone to great lengths to address the problems. Yet all the while, the solution was so simple; it's just that no one stopped to think of the basics.

In the same way, as parents we are so willing to give our children all we think they need. We give them food, clothing, and shelter. We give them entertainment and enrichment. We sacrifice our own hobbies, preferences, and personal interests on their behalf. Most of us would give our own lives to ensure their success and happiness. Yet is it possible that we are missing their most important need?

Corrie ten Boom once wrote, "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" As parents we should be asking ourselves, "Is prayer for our children a normal part of our daily lives … or is it something we do only when we feel helpless?"

The truth is, we can never pray enough. We need power from God to do all He's called us to do, and so do our children. In addition, we are raising our children in a world with values contrary to our own—a world that seeks to attack and destroy our children. And so much of the attack is out of our control. We can't defend them against all of these attacks, but we can always pray!

A Common Misunderstanding

With all of the needs children have, many parents wonder if prayer is actually their greatest need. This often stems from a very common misunderstanding. As parents we fall into the trap of believing that we are the ones providing food, clothing, and shelter. We think we are the ones giving them the love and care they need, building character into their lives, and teaching them spiritual truths. While we are often used by God as the vehicle for these needs, it is always God who provides all things, and it is God who is responsible for moving in their hearts (Matthew 6:25-33).

Even the most well intended parents cannot force their children to accept their love and care. While most children will not deny a free home and free food, not all will see these as tangible acts of love.

God is at work in the lives and hearts of your children. He is the One who restrains your children, and you, from being the worst among sinners. God orchestrates the events in their lives, and ultimately they will come to faith only when His Spirit draws them.

That's why praying for our children must top our list of parenting priorities. In their book, While They Were Sleeping, Anne Arkins and Gary Harrell write:

One of the most important things we can do for our children may occur in the still of the night—while all is quiet, and they are sound asleep. That is … to pray for them—faithfully, and fervently petitioning the Father on their behalf—involving ourselves in the work He is doing in their lives. Prayer changes things … prayer changes people. There are many times when far greater results come from quiet communion with God than from all the rhetoric available to mankind.
As parents, God calls us to much action. We are to take part joyfully in the care and nurture of our children. It requires much commitment and stamina. However, all might just be for naught if we fail to recognize our need for God's power, their need for God's power—their need for prayer.

Praying For Our Children

Even when we realize the importance of praying for our children, we often allow ourselves to be deterred, even discouraged, in the process. Here are a few suggestions to help you pray for your children with effectiveness and power.

A: Acknowledge before God that your children belong first to Him, then to you. Acknowledge that His love for them is even greater than your love for them. Acknowledge that He can and does influence them more than you do. Acknowledge your own dependence upon Him to fulfill the calling He's given you as a parent (John 15:5).

B: Be an example of Christian integrity for your children. Don't be their excuse for not living as they ought or doing as they ought. Be available to pray with, and not just for, your children. Be trustworthy as a model of Christlikeness for them. Recall what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1: "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." The calling is this: To be what you desire them to be.

C: Consistency is key. Don't give up on them. Allow consistency to characterize your prayer life for them as well as your love and care of them. Consider using a prayer guide such as While They Were Sleeping or a book like How a Man Prays For His Family to encourage regular prayer. Don't allow the behavior of your children to draw you away from praying. They will feel your lack of consistency; they will feel your consistency as well (Psalm 1).

It really can be that simple—and that challenging all at once. As complicated as parenting can be, how sad it is to know so many who have forgotten the simple and uncomplicated blessing of praying as parents. As we pursue effective parenting techniques, we have to remember the basic call to pray … to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

There comes a time when our children may not express their love to us in the same way. It may seem as though they are pulling away. Don't allow this tendency to create a distance. Pursue your children with great fervor. Pursue God on your children's behalf all the more. Stick it out, both in action and in prayer, until you release them from your home and into their own lives as adults.

As you do this, you will communicate to your children that they always have someone on their side fighting in their corner. They'll know you mean it, and it will give them great confidence. They may not always appreciate it. They may even try to push it away. If they do, consider these words from evangelist Charles Spurgeon: "If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for."

This is the type of sacrificial love and prayer our children need to see, feel, and experience from all of us. If our children succeed in life, let us thank God for His great work in their lives. If they wander into the things of this world, let it not be because their mom and dad failed to plead with God on their behalf. And, if and when they return, let us again turn our thanks and praise to God Himself, who is the great Father of us all.



http://www.familylife.com/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dnJHKLNnFoG&b=3576167&ct=10037561¬oc=1

Leadership Is Dead

Leadership Is Dead
Leadership is Dead, a new book by Jeremie Kubicek, GiANT Impact President & CEO, explains how to become truly influential by overcoming the desire for self-preservation, a tendency that sabotages many leaders today.

It's not that leadership itself is dead, it's the way in which many choose to lead that is.

It's all about influence.

The more you understand it, the better you'll be able to utilize it and maximize it for success.

That's what this book is about. Teaching you how to expand your influence, be significant and make a greater impact.

But be warned... Leadership is Dead isn't just about you. It's also about them (those who you lead) and how you can equip, inspire and lead them in a way that can very well change the world.

:: Visit leadershipisdead.com for more information, including free leadership resources


http://www.giantimpact.com/you/leadershipisdead

Tips on Increasing Self Discipline

Tips on Increasing Self Discipline
It has been said that those people who accomplish more and are respected more have the ability to delay gratification. Think about who we respect – doctors, professors, writers, black belts, successful business people. All of these have made sacrifices to get to where they are today.
I like to be self disciplined but truthfully, I am not. What I do is use tricks to keep me on track. The following are 8 tricks I use:

1 – lead me not into temptation. I simply do not have tempting stuff around me. If I want cookies in the evening, I need to either go out to a store or get out the flour. Either of which is usually enough deterrent to keep me from eating them. I have even gone so far as to not have a TV.

2 – Plan. A small amount of planning keeps me on track. This can be as simple as planning what things I want to accomplish that day to planning what health snacks I want to have on hand. I set out my workout clothes every night and have my work clothes packed in my gym bag so I head straight to the gym.

3 – Set goals. The act of setting goals starts them in motion. The more you revisit them, the more you keep on track.

4 – Track what you do. It seems odd but the simple act of logging what you do or do not do is a great way to keep you on track. This works well for diets, workouts and just about anything. What gets measured and tracked, gets done.

5 – Ask yourself “what would I like to accomplished by the time I go to bed”. This simple question can keep you on task.

6 – Get a coach. This person can be a friend or a paid coach. Coaches tend to push and keep you on track. I always thought it was strange to pay someone to tell you what you already know you should do but years of working with a personal trainer has taught me that I push harder when I am coached.

7 – Increase to pain of not doing something. Simple – do not allow yourself to do what you find pleasurable until you complete the tough job.

8 – Increase the pleasure of success and make it more immediate. For example, writing an article has very little instant reward. So rewarding myself with a tea for successfully completing it can work.

9 – I use the mantra “successful people do tough things” I am a successful person so that drives me to do the tough things.

10 – Tell other people your goals. If your goal is to stop something (like smoking), your friends and enemies alike will enjoy pointing out when you are failing. If your goal is a positive like reading a book per week, tell your positive, supportive friends – they will help prod you and support you.

11 – It is all about habits. “We are the product of what we repeatedly do” – Aristotle. Habits do not even take work. You just do them. I suspect you do not even have to think to brush your teeth. You just do it. It is a habit.

12 – It is all about systems. Build systems to help you accomplish your goals. Systems might include your support, your organization, your methods of doing things efficiently.

Self discipline can be learned. You can choose to be self disciplined. It is not easy but it is what will make you a success.


http://resources.jimestill.com/2010/05/tips-on-increasing-self-discipline/

9 Secrets on How to Become a Millionaire

9 Secrets on How to Become a Millionaire
I was inspired to write this article when I read Keith Cameron Smith’s Book “The 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class“. The book resonated with my ideas so well that I almost could have written the book. I have taken some of his ideas, meshed it with my own to create this short article on How To Become a Millionaire.  Another interesting point is I do not think people should aspire just to money.  It is best if money is the byproduct of another passion.

1. Millionaires think long-term. I believe that the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people has to do with the ability for delayed gratification. If you think about those people in society whom are respected and successful – they often have a lot of education, which means they delayed making money and worked hard; they delayed gratification. This is also true of great sports figures or Olympic athletes, they spend hours working out and practicing their craft instead of sitting in front of the television.

2. Embrace change. We all wish for the good old days, but the fact is the good old days will never happen again, change is opportunity. Accept it, prepare for it, study for it and you will thrive.

It’s not survival of the fittest, it’s survival of the most adaptable and our world changes rapidly, the more we can adapt, the better we can do.

3. Be a constant learner (this is one of Hillary Clintons’ Leadership Secrets). I’ve even gone so far as to not have a television. Instead I read, I believe it feeds my mind more. I believe in being a constant learner, I ask myself everyday before I go to bed “what did I learn today?”.

I also choose topics I feel I need to know more about and I study them. That’s the habit of Millionaires.

4. Ask empowering questions. In most cases, empowering questions are how. How can I do this or how can I do that, as opposed to why. If you ask why, you often get the reason and it reinforces an unsuccessful loop.

Asking a big how question also inspires greater action than a small how question. How can you increase sales by 5% comes back with almost no changes to doing things the same way. How can you increase sales 60% creates a change that you’ll need to do something dramatically different.

5. Be frugal. Now I don’t mean cheap – I mean frugal. Frugal is about getting good value for money, so I’m often willing to spend a higher price if I feel the value I’m receiving is better value.  I am known for “throwing pennies around like manhole covers”.

6. Start now. I’ve found that life is much easier for me because I started hard and worked hard from a very young age. That created a momentum effect that has now made my life much easier.

7. Be grateful. I’m a big believer in having an attitude of gratitude. I know I lead a charmed life and I appreciate everything in life.

8. Be giving. To not be generous with both time and money creates the lack of abundance and a fear there is limited resources. Being generous creates the opposite effect.

For myself, the toughest one is time, since I am a time management guy and my time is so valuable.

9. Study time management. I’m a big believer that most of my success has to do with using my time well, which is largely having proper goals, knowing what needs to be done and then setting my priorities.

Although the title of this article is ‘How to Be a Millionaire’ and many people aspire to that, money in itself is a hollow goal. Money is a byproduct of doing something that I love and getting fully involved and immersed in it.


http://resources.jimestill.com/2010/05/9-secrets-on-how-to-become-a-millionaire/