Sunday, February 12, 2012

A Phenomenal life indeed !

What do you want to do with your life ? For intance :

1 ) Your core values indecate where are you going in life !

2 ) Humanity is so rare thus we can put our selves on a higher level !

3 ) Do want less or more ?

4 ) Get ready to maximize your revenue !

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Growing Organizational Wholeness

In today’s ever-changing workplace, how do you maintain a sense of organizational wholeness? In discussing this concept, Dr. Ronald T. Brown breaks wholeness into four quadrants: head, hands, heart, and holy-heroic. By balancing the four quadrants and fostering an environment where the four work together, individuals and initiatives are able to thrive effectively.

Here’s a closer look at how Brown defines the quadrants:

  • Head – This quadrant deals with the strategic aspects of an organization – seeing, hearing, thinking, speaking. This, then, encompasses executive leadership, strategic planning, policies, politics, structure, and knowledge management. Brown likens this to the archetype of a king, exercising overall leadership to set and enforce policies and plans.
  • Hands – Just as it’s the hands that carry out the work of the head, this quadrant deals with the operational functions of an organization. It’s the hands that manage and organize operations and human resources, develop funds and resources, measure and monitor progress, and manage performance and projects alike. Brown likens the hands to a warrior, boldly moving forward with confidence, strength, and ability to make things happen.
  • Heart – The heart is where we nurture relationships and care for ourselves and others, both in life and in organizations. This includes nurturing community as well as relationships, developing training and education, developing leadership, mentoring, networking, and developing both teamwork and a sense of team. The archetype Brown connects here is the lover, caring deeply for people and their development and well-being.
  • Heroic – Of the four quadrants, this is the least obvious. Brown defines it as the part of our nature that reaches out to transformational aspects of the organization – mission and purpose, vision for the future, courageous goals, mythology/identity and culture, and innovation. It’s a quasi-spiritual part of the group embodied by a prophet, catalyzing deep change with purpose and meaning.

So how do you engage these four quadrants? Be sure to balance your leadership team with individuals possessing strength in distinct quadrants. But beyond staffing, here are some additional ways to strengthen your organization’s sense of wholeness:

  • Tear down silos and walls that inhibit success – Far too often, the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, so to speak, in a business. Whether those silos arise from institutional challenges or a group’s fear of losing its power position, silos hurt more than they help. With increased communication, all stakeholders can more effectively carry out your organization’s business, and everyone benefits by the increased productivity.
  • Engage in a shared vision – The entire group will move together more cohesively if they have a common destination toward which they’re journeying. Setting measurable, fixed goals and then reviewing the group’s progress and benchmarks periodically helps everyone gauge how far they’ve come as well as what more is needed to hit the target.
  • Intentionally set ego aside – Some groups have difficulty seeing past personalities and position to appreciate the ideas that can come from any and all levels. Appreciate these fresh voices and viewpoints, regardless of the sources, and try to glean wisdom from even the ones that your first reflex is to brush off.

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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Sharing the Vision

What is it that makes you passionate and motivated? For conductor Benjamin Zander, it’s classical music – and as a leader, he works to help his musicians catch the vision.

“It’s one of the characteristics of a leader that he not doubt for one moment the capacity of the people he’s leading to realize whatever he’s dreaming,”�Zander told the audience at TED in 2008.�

As a musician matures, he or she learns to play with passion and engagement –�and their impulses are reduced as they focus on the entire piece instead of notes. Likewise, as a leader, our focus should be on the long line of the vision.

Zander had a leadership revelation the moment he realized that he, as the conductor, doesn’t make a sound. Rather, all of the conductor’s power is in making his players powerful, helping them to carry out his vision.

“I realized my job was to awaken possibility in other people,” he said. “If their eyes are shining, you know you’re doing it. If the eyes are not shining, you have to ask the question: ‘Who am I being that my players’ eyes aren’t shining?’ That’s a totally different world.”

Successful leadership is not about wealth or fame or power. It’s about shining eyes. Share your passion with colleagues and employees, and as that enthusiasm and sincere drive shines through, they will catch the vision and help your dream become reality.�


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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Five Steps to Success

Is success merely a matter of chance? More often than not, those who seem to have all the luck have created their success by upping their opportunities. The best leaders are those who lead by example, and their track records tend to be filled with successes resulting directly from hard work and focus. Although talents and drive have their place in the accomplishment equation, don’t discount these five factors anyone can implement to increase their success:

  • Spell out specifics – When working toward a goal, go into detail about what you want to accomplish. Having a definite, tangible end to reach leads to a higher rate of success than a vague idea. Are you more likely to improve your health by setting out to “eat right and exercise” or to “work out three times a week, eat 1,500 calories a day, and stop eating after 8 p.m.”? Definite boundaries help you gauge whether or not you’re actually approaching that goal.
  • Be optimistic AND realistic – Making things happen takes hard work and positive thinking. While you should imagine your possibilities beyond your boundaries, remember to also be realistic. What will it take to reach that end goal? It will take tenacity and time, planning and persistence. Mapping out the journey in your mind first, including potential obstacles, will help you find the strength to push forward when discouragement comes.
  • Challenge your willpower – Think of willpower and self-discipline like a muscle or a foreign language: use it or lose it! The more you exercise self-control, the stronger it grows, and the easier it becomes to do so. Flexing your willpower muscle can be as simple as choosing one healthy habit you’d rather not do, like working out daily or giving up a favorite indulgence, if only for a set amount of time (e.g. no dessert for a month). Will that simple sacrifice change your world? Not necessarily – but will the impact of setting an improving goal and accomplishing it make a difference? Absolutely! Conquering small challenges builds the confidence necessary to tackle major obstacles.
  • Practice patience – Remember to be patient with yourself. Don’t throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater if you fall short early on. Chalk it up to experience and keep pursuing your goal with this added wisdom. Being able to step past setbacks with an eye fixed on the end prize is integral to long-term success.
  • Break through your barriers – Improvement should be focused on bettering your best. Many of us impose false limits on our own possibilities, thinking that our intelligence, personality, or looks are set and unchangeable. However, research shows that fixed ability is a fallacy. Reach your fullest potential by embracing your ability to change and grow. When you focus on getting better as opposed to being good at something, then you’re able to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.


As you focus on how to increase what you can control, you’ll be able to increase your opportunities to succeed. By gaining into what you’ve done right – and wrong – in the past, you’ll be able to lead by example and inspire others to achieve past their self-imposed limits.


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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Following Examples to Success

Recently I came across a blog post that discussed the brilliance and drive of Erez Lieberman-Aiden, a brilliant interdisciplinary mathematician with a whole slew of noteworthy accomplishments under his belt – and before turning 30 at that. The blogger made the argument that emulating Lieberman-Aiden would be a great way to defeat procrastination. While I don’t disagree, I think the case can be made that finding someone who has accomplished your dreams and following the principles along their path to success is a tried-and-true way to make any worthy life goal a reality. There’s a great deal of power in seeing that someone has actualized what might seem like a far-off idea or dream, taking cues from the steps they took.

How can you best analyze and emulate another’s success? Here are some tips:

  • Look for principles, not circumstances – Each individual may travel a different path, but there are always lessons to be learned by looking beyond specific details and finding what it was the person did to succeed. Don’t fall into the trap of attributing the success – or lack thereof – to environment or circumstances. While those do have an effect, they’re generally beyond your control. How you act and react within those boundaries is where the real difference lies. Look at what steps others have taken to rise above roadblocks. How can you use their story as a case study and learn best practices for business and life from them?
  • Read between the lines for character – Similar to the point above, there are often attributes successful leaders have honed over the years. What character traits do you want to improve in yourself? Find someone who radiates that trait and watch them closely. What small actions show that trait? It can sometimes be a “fake it ‘til you make it” situation – start with the actions that reflect that trait, and the trait will grow. Remember that everyone has traits that come more naturally for them than others, so be patient with yourself as you cultivate these characteristics.
  • Push past what’s easy – Rarely do the movers and shakers in life take the easy way out. It’s their tenacity and vision to push past the crowd and take the road less traveled that makes them stand out and succeed. They’re willing to take on the challenges and sacrifices that so many would rather avoid. It’s not wise to choose difficulty for difficulty’s sake, either, but as obstacles arise, remember that those challenges are part of the journey. Instead of folding, use them to become stronger. Study how other leaders have made it past challenges – it often involves staying true to themselves and their vision.
  • Make an action plan – The best way to actualize a goal is to make an action plan, complete with objectives, strategies, tactics, measurements, and milestones. Begin with the end in sight, as Stephen R. Covey teaches, and then work backward, setting milestones and midway goals, complete with deadlines. Again, look to the example of those who have succeeded before you. What steps did they take along the way? What setbacks did they face? Is there a way to plan for those sidesteps when making your action plan? Don’t forget to celebrate those small victories along the way.


“Overnight success” is a myth. People may achieve prominence in an instant, but even in the rare case that happens, they’ve been working for years to hone their skills and develop the character traits to achieve their goals, including a myriad of milestones along the way.�


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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

LEARNING YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE

Have you ever encountered a boss whose approach to power and leadership baffled you?

According to Harvard Business Review, one’s instincts where power is concerned – both giving and receiving it – stem from conditioning in one’s life since childhood, particularly within the family unit. In researching power styles, author Maggie Craddock observed that “the building blocks of anyone's signature power style are rooted in the ways they have been conditioned to respond emotionally and behaviorally to the first authority figures they encountered in life, namely, their caregivers.”

In other words, those whose caregivers asked for the child’s opinion in making family decisions are likely to be adults who appreciate when colleagues take time to connect and build a trust-based relationship. Conversely, those raised by authoritarian caregivers usually build their power relationships based in fear, which can lead to disliking consensus building and preferring independent leadership.

Most people’s power styles are a blend of the following four profiles, according to Craddock. Where do you fit into the mix?

  • The Pleaser – These are the folks who, lacking the attention they craved early in life, are hardwired to care for others. They hunger for validation and connect with others at a personal level as a means of gaining power.
  • The Charmer – As a child, these individuals often had to care for a parent’s emotional needs. Consequently, these individuals have little respect for formal authority and may resort to manipulating others to get their needs met. Charmers have an intense focus that both intimidates and seduces others into compliance.
  • The Commander – Sports, religion, military, or any larger system that reinforces discipline or a strict code of conduct has often featured strongly in the family of a Commander. Accustomed to that active scope of thinking, Commanders tend to foster a sense of urgency as they focus on results.
  • The Inspirer – Self-expression is more important than conformity in the families of Inspirers. These innovative thinkers operate with a consistent commitment to the greater good, an example set by parents who made sacrifices to achieve excellence.


Remember, no power style is inherently good or bad – each has its share of strengths and challenges. Recognizing how you react to power will help you to react accordingly, strengthening the advantages while minimizing the drawbacks.


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Sunday, January 8, 2012

TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More

Many companies underestimate the importance of teams in fulfilling their overall mission. In reality, every company with more than one employee needs to assign tasks to a team —� not an individual. In today’s complex and fast paced workplace, you’ll get left behind if you try to make it alone.

That’s because no one can contribute everything, but everyone can contribute something. One team member might have outstanding leadership talents while another team member excels at providing administrative support.

A huge benefit to team building is being grouped together with like-minded people who are all working toward the same goals. A side-benefit to this is being surrounded with the positive attitudes and actions of people that will progressively motivate you to reach your own potential.

When working with a team, many individuals discover abilities that were unknown to themselves and to the team as a whole. Stretching boundaries and known limits within a group will allow more ground to be covered in a shorter period of time. Plus, a team can act as a support group to weaker team members and assist in overcoming obstacles that would have seemed impossible if tackled alone.


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Thursday, January 5, 2012

LEARNING YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE

Have you ever encountered a boss whose approach to power and leadership baffled you?

According to Harvard Business Review, one’s instincts where power is concerned – both giving and receiving it – stem from conditioning in one’s life since childhood, particularly within the family unit. In researching power styles, author Maggie Craddock observed that “the building blocks of anyone's signature power style are rooted in the ways they have been conditioned to respond emotionally and behaviorally to the first authority figures they encountered in life, namely, their caregivers.”

In other words, those whose caregivers asked for the child’s opinion in making family decisions are likely to be adults who appreciate when colleagues take time to connect and build a trust-based relationship. Conversely, those raised by authoritarian caregivers usually build their power relationships based in fear, which can lead to disliking consensus building and preferring independent leadership.

Most people’s power styles are a blend of the following four profiles, according to Craddock. Where do you fit into the mix?

  • The Pleaser – These are the folks who, lacking the attention they craved early in life, are hardwired to care for others. They hunger for validation and connect with others at a personal level as a means of gaining power.
  • The Charmer – As a child, these individuals often had to care for a parent’s emotional needs. Consequently, these individuals have little respect for formal authority and may resort to manipulating others to get their needs met. Charmers have an intense focus that both intimidates and seduces others into compliance.
  • The Commander – Sports, religion, military, or any larger system that reinforces discipline or a strict code of conduct has often featured strongly in the family of a Commander. Accustomed to that active scope of thinking, Commanders tend to foster a sense of urgency as they focus on results.
  • The Inspirer – Self-expression is more important than conformity in the families of Inspirers. These innovative thinkers operate with a consistent commitment to the greater good, an example set by parents who made sacrifices to achieve excellence.


Remember, no power style is inherently good or bad – each has its share of strengths and challenges. Recognizing how you react to power will help you to react accordingly, strengthening the advantages while minimizing the drawbacks.


http://socl.tk/8b

Sunday, January 1, 2012

LEAVING A LEGACY

Recently a software company in Orem, Utah, celebrated its 25th anniversary. In gathering recollections of the company’s history for the milestone, a friend of mine at the company remarked how impressed she was by the comments her colleagues shared.

“So much of what I took for granted as part of our corporate character – a family-like environment, a culture focused on working hard while playing hard and having fun, a commitment to serving our community – originated with the founder who passed away several years ago,” she told me. “His leadership and legacy extends to this day, even to those of us who started years after his passing. It’s like the folklore and oral histories of old – stories of the founder’s generosity and quality character still serve to inspire new employees to follow in his wise, kind footsteps.”

What fascinated me in hearing this story is how the business founder’s leadership style was likely just an extension of who he was. I doubt he consciously set up a culture in the company he started in his basement decades ago – rather, as the company grew to the global presence it is today, it retained the personality and values forged in those startup days.

Think for a moment about what you would want your employees or business associates to say about your legacy 25 years down the road. What are some character traits, principles or qualities you would hope they’d mention? How is your heart and soul manifested in your business? People connect best with people and stories – and that gives you a great opportunity to break past business barriers and connect with your customers and colleagues. As you infuse what you value or what makes you passionate into your business, your company story will come to life, and your legacy will be able to take root.�


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