I wish everyone a very happy 2011. Economically speaking, 2010 has been a recovery year for the most part. All indications point toward a continued recovery in 2011.
This is a great time to take advantage of new business and career opportunities as the recovery continues.
Happy New Year
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Great Financial Advice
Almost 30 years ago I heard a story called The Richest Man in Babylon and it left a lasting impression. It is a parable about gaining wealth. Although, I didn't really view it as gaining wealth as much as being about common sense money management.
The story can be summed up in one sentence and it is; a part of all you earn is yours to keep. The story goes on with rich detail about the lessons learned by a young laborer who wanted to be financially independent. He was neither greedy nor a cheat. He simply saved his way to prosperity over a period of time.
I recommend reading The Richest Man in Babylon because it makes great sense.
The story can be summed up in one sentence and it is; a part of all you earn is yours to keep. The story goes on with rich detail about the lessons learned by a young laborer who wanted to be financially independent. He was neither greedy nor a cheat. He simply saved his way to prosperity over a period of time.
I recommend reading The Richest Man in Babylon because it makes great sense.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Clarity in all that you do
Another key lesson that I have learned from several career coaches is that clarity is so important to success. We really need to understand what it is that we want to accomplish and what direction we are seeking.
This falls in line with goal setting because with good goal setting, we clarify the direction of our work. With clarity in objectives, we can establish a plan on how to get there. If we know what we want, we can put together a plan on how to get it.
If the goal is higher profit, then we need to clearly set a profit goal so that costs can be structured to reach that goal considering our revenue profit. If increased market share is our goal, then we can carefully measure our company or product's market share now and at the end of a campaign to raise that market share.
If our goal is to be well liked by everyone we encounter, we need to gear our every action and word to reach that end. Without knowing exactly what we want, it is difficult to impossible to get there.
Clarity in goals and expectation as well as clarity in plans to acomplish them are keys to success.
This falls in line with goal setting because with good goal setting, we clarify the direction of our work. With clarity in objectives, we can establish a plan on how to get there. If we know what we want, we can put together a plan on how to get it.
If the goal is higher profit, then we need to clearly set a profit goal so that costs can be structured to reach that goal considering our revenue profit. If increased market share is our goal, then we can carefully measure our company or product's market share now and at the end of a campaign to raise that market share.
If our goal is to be well liked by everyone we encounter, we need to gear our every action and word to reach that end. Without knowing exactly what we want, it is difficult to impossible to get there.
Clarity in goals and expectation as well as clarity in plans to acomplish them are keys to success.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Value of Service
I have gotten ideas, training, and tips from many experts. This coaching has been in the area of self improvement really although it may be sales training or management coaching. The experts keep coming back to service.
At a recent conference, I had the privelige of hearing Tom Reilly speak and his topic was Value Added Selling. The value that he spoke of kept getting back to exceptional service. You can learn more from Tom by going to his website at http://www.tomreillytraining.com/
Another excellent speaker and trainer, Bob Prosen, who spoke to a session that I attended on management, also refers to excellent customer service. You can find more from Bob at http://www.bobprosen.com/
I also refer you to the excellent book, Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service. I recommend checking out this book online at Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Delivering-Knock-Your-Socks-Service/dp/081440765X
While hard work is certainly a main ingredient to success, providing service is s key guide to the right kind of hard work.
At a recent conference, I had the privelige of hearing Tom Reilly speak and his topic was Value Added Selling. The value that he spoke of kept getting back to exceptional service. You can learn more from Tom by going to his website at http://www.tomreillytraining.com/
Another excellent speaker and trainer, Bob Prosen, who spoke to a session that I attended on management, also refers to excellent customer service. You can find more from Bob at http://www.bobprosen.com/
I also refer you to the excellent book, Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service. I recommend checking out this book online at Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Delivering-Knock-Your-Socks-Service/dp/081440765X
While hard work is certainly a main ingredient to success, providing service is s key guide to the right kind of hard work.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
A follow up on hard work paying off
There are a lot of things that I do not know. I don't know how I can make a million dollars. I don't know how manipulators of large amounts of money benefit greatly from money changing hands. I do now know how to "manipulate the system."
I do know this. Hard work will keep you going. No matter what your job is, do it to the best of your ability and do it day after day after day. When you give your very best effort at all times, good things will happen. People will eventually notice, and you will benefit.
That is a very simple formula, hard work on a regular basis equals stability. If you can't work hard at what you are doing because it is over our under your head, or if you just don't like it, find something that you can love. There is no substitute for passion. Knowledge and experience can help but they do not take the place of passion.
My favorite expert on the subject, Brian Tracy, advises you to not only work hard every day but work on yourself. Train yourself to benefit from your passion. Whatever it is that you love to do and can do it for a living, train and get better at it.
In his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins has a bit of solid advice for successful companies that can also apply to an individual. In order to achieve greatness three things are required: can you be the best at it, can it drive your financial engine, and are you deeply passionate about it. He calls this his Hedgehog Theory. I recommend reading the book.
If you have those things going on, you will automatically have hard work on your side, and you will be be successful. Hard work does pay off.
I do know this. Hard work will keep you going. No matter what your job is, do it to the best of your ability and do it day after day after day. When you give your very best effort at all times, good things will happen. People will eventually notice, and you will benefit.
That is a very simple formula, hard work on a regular basis equals stability. If you can't work hard at what you are doing because it is over our under your head, or if you just don't like it, find something that you can love. There is no substitute for passion. Knowledge and experience can help but they do not take the place of passion.
My favorite expert on the subject, Brian Tracy, advises you to not only work hard every day but work on yourself. Train yourself to benefit from your passion. Whatever it is that you love to do and can do it for a living, train and get better at it.
In his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins has a bit of solid advice for successful companies that can also apply to an individual. In order to achieve greatness three things are required: can you be the best at it, can it drive your financial engine, and are you deeply passionate about it. He calls this his Hedgehog Theory. I recommend reading the book.
If you have those things going on, you will automatically have hard work on your side, and you will be be successful. Hard work does pay off.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
More gains from a positive attitude
Sometimes, we enter into a situation with such a negative attitude or low expectation, the outcome is mostly predetermined. In business, there may be encounters with customers, or co-workers, or managers that you may think are going to be negative or non-productive. That attitude alone can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
There are times that we have attended tradeshows or conferences or visited with remote prospects that had very low expectations. I have learned that if I enter all such situations looking for the best outcome, the experience will be much better.
I have learned from other experienced people that my attitude can help to to turn situations around. Often, we can connect with people in an unexpected way. In other words, if I expect that the outome of a meeting to be that I make a sale and anything less is disappointing, I am limiting the outcome.
On the other hand, business networks can be formed from such meetings with otherwise limited expectations. In other words, just because I do not make a sale on a sales call, I might create a useful business partnership in a way that was not expected.
Always be prepared to make the best of every situation. Always be kind and respectful in all situations so that we can make the most of it. Always have a positive attitude.
There are times that we have attended tradeshows or conferences or visited with remote prospects that had very low expectations. I have learned that if I enter all such situations looking for the best outcome, the experience will be much better.
I have learned from other experienced people that my attitude can help to to turn situations around. Often, we can connect with people in an unexpected way. In other words, if I expect that the outome of a meeting to be that I make a sale and anything less is disappointing, I am limiting the outcome.
On the other hand, business networks can be formed from such meetings with otherwise limited expectations. In other words, just because I do not make a sale on a sales call, I might create a useful business partnership in a way that was not expected.
Always be prepared to make the best of every situation. Always be kind and respectful in all situations so that we can make the most of it. Always have a positive attitude.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
All Things Connected and Related
Each individual action and reaction is connected to your moods, attitudes, and behavior. Is your attitude affected positively when someone makes an effort to be either nice or helpful or both toward you? You may not feel it directly, but your mood and behavior is affected by others constantly.
Likewise, when someone is rude or mean to you, your attitude and behavior is affected negatively or even defensively. You either get into a bad mood or try to get even. Either be lived in the feel good frame of mind? Just think then how your words and actions toward other affect them. They do.
In his book How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less, author Nicholas Boothman discusses two very important concepts that fall in line with inter connectedness. One, in dealing with others, you can have a really useful attitude and be kind, polite, and helpful, or you can have a really useless attitude and be rude, abrupt, and self-centered. Which one will have the more favorable outcome for you in most cases? Again, actions, attitudes, and outcomes are connected and related.
The second important concept that I want to share from Boothman, is the KFC method. Simply stated, know what you want, find out what you are getting, and change what you do until you get what you want. Your actions directly affect what happens to you and how people perceive you. If you know that you want to have friends and be liked, then find out what your friendship status looks like, and change what you do until achieving the desired status.
Your words, discussion, and interactions with other people are not isolated incidents that have no further affect on you or others. Instead, your every action and inaction helps to determine what your future will look like. Your now is connected and related to your future and your now is connected to your past.
Good works, kind words, and acts of service are investments in your better future. Arguments, getting even, and self centeredness are investments in a more troubled future. All of what you do and say is connected and related and it is wise to carefully choose your words and actions.
As Boothman claims, if you know what you want, then do the things that you need to do to get there. Make the daily and continuous investments to get to where you want to be. It may sound like an over-used cliché but the longest journey does start with the first step.
Likewise, when someone is rude or mean to you, your attitude and behavior is affected negatively or even defensively. You either get into a bad mood or try to get even. Either be lived in the feel good frame of mind? Just think then how your words and actions toward other affect them. They do.
In his book How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less, author Nicholas Boothman discusses two very important concepts that fall in line with inter connectedness. One, in dealing with others, you can have a really useful attitude and be kind, polite, and helpful, or you can have a really useless attitude and be rude, abrupt, and self-centered. Which one will have the more favorable outcome for you in most cases? Again, actions, attitudes, and outcomes are connected and related.
The second important concept that I want to share from Boothman, is the KFC method. Simply stated, know what you want, find out what you are getting, and change what you do until you get what you want. Your actions directly affect what happens to you and how people perceive you. If you know that you want to have friends and be liked, then find out what your friendship status looks like, and change what you do until achieving the desired status.
Your words, discussion, and interactions with other people are not isolated incidents that have no further affect on you or others. Instead, your every action and inaction helps to determine what your future will look like. Your now is connected and related to your future and your now is connected to your past.
Good works, kind words, and acts of service are investments in your better future. Arguments, getting even, and self centeredness are investments in a more troubled future. All of what you do and say is connected and related and it is wise to carefully choose your words and actions.
As Boothman claims, if you know what you want, then do the things that you need to do to get there. Make the daily and continuous investments to get to where you want to be. It may sound like an over-used cliché but the longest journey does start with the first step.
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