Category: People & Relationships

Article Contributed by Gary Jordan

It seems to go without saying – people are the most important part of any business. Their strengths, their contributions, their ideas, are essential. But working with those strengths, recognizing those contributions and ideas, isn’t always easy. Every person is different, but when it comes to business, we all have the same goal – to succeed. You want your business to succeed, your client wants to succeed and anyone vested in your business – your support team – is rooting for success as well.

The question is, how do we all come together in the most productive, effective way? How do we put everyone’s strengths to the forefront of a particular goal or task to get the desired results? We come together. We work hand in hand. We recognize every person’s natural abilities and we work with those abilities to get the best results.

The importance of YOU

YOU are the center of your business. You are its heart and soul, its pulse, its reason for being. Your contributions, your ideas, your ambitions and dreams are set to reality only by YOU. So how do you put your best foot forward and keep it there? With our help. Our goal is to help you recognize your fullest potential by unveiling your hidden talents and discovering your abilities. Learning who you truly are, connecting with your strengths and using them in every aspect of your business can only result in success. And once you discover who you naturally are, the way you communicate, the things that inspire and motivate you, then you are on the right track to reaching out the most helpful hand possible to your client, and that is the first link to success.

The importance of your CLIENT

The second link to success is your client. They are the reason you are in business. While they look to you for leadership and guidance, they also have a lot to offer, and you will also see the benefit of determining their qualities and incorporating them into your business. Once you discover your true you, you can successfully connect with your client to establish and maintain the always-important know, like and trust factor that must exist in any business/client relationship. Effective communication with your client  allows irreplaceable connection and interaction, and while embracing their contributions does the same, developing a deep understand of who they are guarantees the greatest success. And with the unity of you and your client comes the third link in success – your support team.

The importance of your SUPPORT TEAM

Once you and your client have linked hands, the most powerful connection left is reaching out to your support team, the people who complete the circle – the people you hire. While understanding who you are, and understanding who your clients are, is the best start to establishing the most effective communication and interaction between all parties, hiring the right people should not be left to chance. Running a successful business is both an art and a science, and once we have helped you to thrive in the most effective way possible, success rolls right into place – guaranteed.

Establishing all the right connections – between you, your client and your support team – is easy with the help of ACI for Entrepreneurs. Connection between people is the element, the true core, of success. Communicating clearly and accentuating the strength of everyone involved results in a successful business that makes more money in less time.

About the Author:

Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley.  He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents.  For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit www.yourtalentadvantage.com.

Article Contributed By Mystique

The word ‘Pushover’ was in my mind from the day I watched an Episode of “Friends” (the most popular sitcom showed on ABC). In that episode the character ‘Rachel’ played by Jennifer Annistonwas bit of a pushover, which means a person that is easily defeated or taken advantage of. It’s not a born defect rather a fear of anything or insecure feeling which makes you act like a pushover. I’ve seen people acting like total pushovers on their jobs which most of the time put a bad affect on your social profile. So I’m writing about some disadvantages of being a pushover on the job.

So think what you want to be while you’re on a job, a Pushover or a Person who comes front and speaks for his rights.

About the Author:

Mystique is a new Job Blogger and wants to share his job experience with the job bloggers. Mystique likes to write about the factors that help you get a job, surviving on the job, the job environment and how to get kicked out of it too, on his new blog The Job Factor. He is an avid gamer, computer geek, web designer and a jobber too.

Article Contributed by Skip Weisman

You’ve probably heard the phrase “be careful what you wish for”, haven’t you? Let’s assume you have.
That was my exact thought at the age of 26 when I was thrust, unexpectedly, into the role of Vice President/General Manager of one of Minor League Baseball’s most successful franchises in the mid-80s in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Overnight I went from being comfortable in my role as assistant general manager into the top position of a $3 million business.

In looking back on that experience early in my career in baseball management, I realized I got into the game for selfish reasons and never envisioned myself as a leader. Well, to be fair, at that age many young men are self-seeking when it comes to their career aspirations. Wisdom comes with age and experience!

But at that age, I never really aspired to be a leader, I just wanted to work in baseball.

I’m making this point because it took me a long time, probably 10-12 years, before I felt comfortable in my leadership role. It took me that long to realize how important investing time and energy is in what I refer to as Level 1 Leadership Communication.

Let me explain. Knowing these basic level skills provides an important foundation on which you build the trust and respect you need to lead people most effectively. It also provides the foundation from which you are then be able to get great results from your more advanced techniques. I call these Level 2 & Level 3 Leadership Communication.

Level 1 Leadership Communication is about becoming self-aware and defining yourself as a leader, then committing to be the type of leader you want to be, and then acting congruently and consistently with that definition.

To help you get a better grasp on this, I have created two separate, but related, exercises. One is called the WHO-WHAT-HOW Exercise, described below. (Don’t just read about it; I encourage you to take out a piece of paper and work on this exercise):

WHO-WHAT-HOW Exercise:

WHO – Define who you want to be as a leader. Identify the traits, personality characteristics and the communication style you are committed to applying in your leadership role. If you know or have admired other leaders whom you would like to emulate, list them and their traits.

Example:

• Detail oriented,
• punctual,
• early riser,
• physically fit,
• healthy diet,
• communicates with directness but with compassion and empathy,
• open minded,
• curious,
• true open door policy.

WHAT – What are the specific details behind each of the traits, personality characteristics and the communication style you want to use.

Example:

• Ask a lot of questions,
• listens actively and responds appropriately,
• always uses appropriate eye contact,
• is early for every meeting,
• always prepares meeting agenda in advance and lets others review it for comments and adjustments before providing final copy in advance,
• always has time for others when requested either in the moment or schedules a specific time as close as possible to the time the request is made,
• always follows through with an answer to questions/requests in a timely fashion,
• always maintains and projects appropriate emotional demeanor.

HOW – How are you committed to manifesting these traits and how are you committed to showing up as a leader. This is where the aspiring Champion Leader commits to applying those traits, characteristics and actions into specific daily behaviors in leading their organization.

Example:

• I promise to be early and prepare in advance for all meetings.
• I will maintain a positive attitude and apply the most appropriate emotional responses to situations so that I can be a role model for those I lead.
• I promise to lead by example in terms of my personal health and physical fitness, and
• will treat all those who come before me with respect, empathy, compassion and genuineness.

The “HOW” section is the leader’s personal promise and standard statement to themselves and to those they lead. It is something those that aspire to be great leaders are willing to hold themselves accountable to and are willing to have those they lead hold them accountable to.

The WHO-WHAT-HOW exercise is a very powerful process offering a solid strategy for Level 1 Leadership Communication.

Once your WHO-WHAT-HOW is complete it is meant to be a living, working document that should be evaluated, and adjusted regularly, if required. It is also a great model to launch a 360 feedback process from those you lead, which will allow you to make adjustments that will have the greatest impact and results in leading your team and organization.

About the Author
Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert. He’s the author of the white paper report titled, “The 7 Deadliest Sins of Leadership & Workplace Communication: How Leaders and Their Employees Unknowingly Undermine Morale, Motivation and Trust in Work Environments.” The white paper is available as a free download for a limited time at www.HowToImproveLeadershipCommunication.com. If you’d like to learn how you can improve your work environment by improving communication contact him directly with any questions, or for a complimentary Strategy Session at 845-463-3838 or e-mail to Skip@WorkplaceCommunicationExpert.com

Article Contributed By Skip Weisman

You’ve probably heard the phrase “be careful what you wish for”, haven’t you? Let’s assume you have.

That was my exact thought at the age of 26 when I was thrust, unexpectedly, into the role of Vice President/General Manager of one of Minor League Baseball’s most successful franchises in the mid-80s in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Overnight I went from being comfortable in my role as assistant general manager into the top position of a $3 million business.

In looking back on that experience early in my career in baseball management, I realized I got into the game for selfish reasons and never envisioned myself as a leader. Well, to be fair, at that age many young men are self-seeking when it comes to their career aspirations. Wisdom comes with age and experience!

But at that age, I never really aspired to be a leader, I just wanted to work in baseball.

I’m making this point because it took me a long time, probably 10-12 years, before I felt comfortable in my leadership role. It took me that long to realize how important investing time and energy is in what I refer to as  Level 1 Leadership Communication.

Let me explain. Knowing these basic level skills provides an important foundation on which you build the trust and respect you need to lead people most effectively. It also provides the foundation from which you are then be able to get great results from your more advanced techniques. I call these Level 2 & Level 3 Leadership Communication.

Level 1 Leadership Communication is about becoming self-aware and defining yourself as a leader, then committing to be the type of leader you want to be, and then acting congruently and consistently with that definition.

To help you get a better grasp on this, I have created two separate, but related, exercises.  One is called the WHO-WHAT-HOW Exercise, described below. (Don’t just read about it; I encourage you to take out a piece of paper and work on this exercise):

WHO-WHAT-HOW Exercise:

WHO – Define who you want to be as a leader. Identify the traits, personality characteristics and the communication style you are committed to applying in your leadership role. If you know or have admired other leaders whom you would like to emulate, list them and their traits.

Example:

-Detail oriented,

-punctual,

-early riser,

-physically fit,

-healthy diet,

-communicates with directness but with compassion and empathy,

-open minded,

-curious,

-true open door policy.

WHAT – What are the specific details behind each of the traits, personality characteristics and the communication style you want to use.

Example:

-Ask a lot of questions,

-listens actively and responds appropriately,

-always uses appropriate eye contact,

-is early for every meeting,

-always prepares meeting agenda in advance and lets others review it for comments and adjustments before providing final copy in advance,

-always has time for others when requested either in the moment or schedules a specific time as close as possible to the time the request is made,

-always follows through with an answer to questions/requests in a timely fashion,

-always maintains and projects appropriate emotional demeanor.

HOW – How are you committed to manifesting these traits and how are you committed to showing up as a leader. This is where the aspiring Champion Leader commits to applying those traits, characteristics  and actions into specific daily behaviors in leading their organization.

Example:

-I promise to be early and prepare in advance for all meetings.

-I will maintain a positive attitude and apply the most appropriate emotional responses to situations so that I can be a role model for those I lead.

-I promise to lead by example in terms of my personal health and physical fitness, and

-will treat all those who come before me with respect, empathy, compassion and genuineness.

The “HOW” section is the leader’s personal promise and standard statement to themselves and to those they lead. It is something those that aspire to be great leaders are willing to hold themselves accountable to and are willing to have those they lead hold them accountable to.

The WHO-WHAT-HOW exercise is a very powerful process offering a solid strategy for Level 1 Leadership Communication.

Once your WHO-WHAT-HOW is complete it is meant to be a living, working document that should be evaluated, and adjusted regularly, if required. It is also a great model to launch a 360 feedback process from those you lead, which will allow you to make adjustments that will have the greatest impact and results in leading your team and organization.

About the Author:

Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert. He’s the author of the white paper report titled, “The 7 Deadliest Sins of Leadership & Workplace Communication: How Leaders and Their Employees Unknowingly Undermine Morale, Motivation and Trust in Work Environments.” The white paper is available as a free download for a limited time at www.HowToImproveLeadershipCommunication.com . If you’d like to learn how you can improve your work environment by improving communication contact him directly with any questions, or for a complimentary Strategy Session at 845-463-3838 or e-mail to Skip@WorkplaceCommunicationExpert.com

Legendary stories abound about locker room oratory as 21st Century coaches channel Knute Rockne to rally the players before heading out on the field for the Championship game.

Yet, if you ask many coaches and athletes what the pre-game speech is like prior to most big games you would learn that the talk was rather subdued and matter of fact.

The reason for this is athletes don’t need to get motivated for the championship game, they know what it means to get to that level of success, what the stakes are, and how unlikely it is they will have the opportunity to play at that level ever again.

Often, you find the real motivational talks take place at key moments along the journey to the big game.

The best coaches know when to pull out the motivational talk, when to let the team leaders speak, and when to trust the professionals they hired to motivate themselves.

In 10-years of coaching business leaders it seems that this is probably the number one area they struggle with most trying to maximize motivation from their team of employees.

This leadership communication challenge hovers around what I call the “3 T’s of Leadership Motivational Communication:”

. Texture (what to say)

. Timing (when to say it), and most importantly,

. Tone (how to say it)

Even when the 3 T’s are aligned properly, sometimes its still not enough to deliver the desired results. This is due to other factors in the work environment impacting motivation. Often, there are de-motivators sabotaging the best motivational sessions.

Human motivation is a dicey, sometimes confusing, and always a multi-faceted thing too, many organizational leaders ignore and just keep spewing forth the Rocknesque oratory, with little to show for it in terms of results.

There are six different motivational theories that are always at play in work environments that unless a business leader understands, the confusion and frustration will continue.

About Skip:

Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert. He’s the author of the white paper report titled, “The 7 Deadliest Sins of Leadership & Workplace Communication: How Leaders and Their Employees Unknowingly Undermine Morale, Motivation and Trust in Work Environments.” The white paper is available as a free download for a limited time at www.HowToImproveLeadershipCommunication.com. If you’d like to learn how you can improve your work environment by improving communication contact him directly with any questions, or for a complimentary Strategy Session at 845-463-3838 or e-mail to Skip@WeismanSuccessResources.com