The current climate has meant that many people are experiencing something thet thought would benver happen to them a few years or months ago, Redundancy. This can be a very traumatic experience or it could be the best thing that happens to you. This depends on your viewpoint. People don’t like change and when change is forced upon us it is even more stressful. The key thing to say here is, if you are ever in this position what will you approach be?

Coping with Redundancy needn’t be a lonely experience. There are many things you can do that can make the experience something that can be life-changing. A very good friend of mine and fellow coach specialises in Wendy Dashwood-Quick has put together 45 Steps You Absolutely Have to Take to Succeed after Redundancy.

The guide covers what you need to do to prepare for redundancy right to the attitude and steps you can take to ensure you succeed after being made redundant.

One of the keys areas that is covered is ATTITUDE. When you are made redundant you have a choice , you either spend the next year telling everyone how awful being made redundant was, or re-write history and move forward with style, grace and determination. Again , if you act ‘as if its OK and you’re handling everything  well, eventually you WILL handle everything beautifully, and attract into your life just what you need.

What you think about you become, so make sure you’ve got some optimistic thoughts in your mind. Your subconscious believes everything you tell it, so think strong, think big, think great. Make sure the instructions you give your mind are clear and positive. Be careful what you wish for you might just get it.

The C***** C***** has focused peoples minds on how to ensure their businesses survive. The two things that often go in a downward market is marketing and training. Ironically these are the two things that will determine how well you do in a tough market, i.e. who knows about you and how skilled are the people working for you.

I am not going to emphases the huge benefits of training in this posting, (however please do see www.performancecoachingandtraining.co.uk for more details!!!) One of the most cost-effective ways of marketing is networking. You ask any business and they will say that the word-of-mouth referral is the best. It is personal, it shows trust and the turnaround from enquiry to business is much shorter. There are many aspects of networking that you can familiarise yourself with to ensure it works for you.

One aspect is the support you give to others. You can get all you want and desire from networking events by helping others get what they want. Ask yourself this, if you went to an event and there were people there who were solely focused on getting what you want, either by getting you contacts, giving you referrals or giving you advice, would you want to help them as well,? Of course you would. The difference here is that don’t go to networking events expecting others to help you.

One golden rule in networking, is go to events with the intention of seeing how you can help others, with the expectation of not expecting anything back. The nature of how business works and the ways humans operate is that we are all looking to make our business flourish and our lives easier. We like people who know their stuff and we especially like people we like. We are naturally attracted to them. 

Networking is a slow burn. By going to events regularly people get to know you, you get to know people. You expertise will be talked about and you will talk about other experts. By giving to others, they will like what they see and tell others about you. This is the funnel that will generate business for you, that is fun, effortless and profitable. Above all have fun, if you are feeling nervous when you go to events you can be sure many others are too, even the seasoned networker, I should know!!!

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through, and you’ll get the lesson.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Was that Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care

Living the lives we do, we sometimes don’t appreciate what we have. We all want to do so much, for ourselves, families friends, and the two factors that we believe conspire against us is Time and Money. I say believe because it is an easy get out. We don’t have the money to do what we want, we’re too busy working to get the money which means we don’t have enough time to have or do what we want.

There is a way of getting more done, and thus getting what we want – SLOW DOWN.  We all know we can only do one thing at a time, but we still strive to get more that one thing done at a time.

By slowing down, it doesn’t mean you go slowly, it that when we are more self-aware of what we are doing we slow down on the things that matter most in our lives. I recently read a blog (see below) by Micheal Neill who put it perfectly. For more on Micheal Neill goto www.geniuscatalyst.com.

When we are in a hurry, we tend to get sloppy and things go undone or worse still, half-done. Our best intentions often go out the window and our values shift, expediency and ‘getting stuff done’ leapfrogging their way up the list above such old-fashioned priorities as treating people with respect, doing things right the first time and even enjoying the process.

Stress is a hurrier’s constant companion, as there’s never enough time and there’s always too much to do with it. As time gets short, tempers get shorter, and a frayed nerve often snaps in the face of a loved one.

While there are any number of ‘outside-in’ approaches to getting more done with less stress, effective time management evolves naturally out of our understanding of the 6th secret:

No matter what seems to be going on in our lives, we don’t to do anything. That’s insane”, one client told me when I first introduced this idea. “I don’t know about you, but I have to go to work in the morning.”

“Do you?” I responded. “What would happen if you didn’t?”

“If I didn’t go to work, then I’d lose my job!”

Ignoring the likely fallacy of that statement, I continued.

“So you choose to go to work because you want to keep your job?”

“Fair enough,” he said, though he didn’t look happy about it. “But I have to eat! If I don’t eat, I’ll die!”

“OK,” I replied. “So you choose to eat because you want to live?”

The reality is, every single thing you do or don’t do is a choice. And while personally I’m a big fan of making choices that lead to things like money and food, nowadays in most cultures you don’t even have to do that to survive. If you never got up from where you’re sitting right now, someone would eventually come to check on you, if only to find out what that extraordinary smell was.

And at that point, if you continued to choose not to move or speak or feed yourself, some other people, (usually dressed in white with friendly smiles and a lot of upper body strength) would come by and scoop you up, give you new clothes to wear and a lovely padded room to live in. They would even feed you more than enough to stay alive, though admittedly the quality of that life would be somewhat less than what you are probably accustomed to.

So the corollary to our secret (”you don’t have to do anything”) is this:

Everything that you do (or don’t do) is a choice

Given that, why would anyone ever choose to do anything they didn’t want to do?

Two reasons:

1. Because they think it’s necessary to do that thing in order to get or maintain something that they want

2. In order to live up to an idea or ideal of how they think they’re supposed to be in the world

In other words, we do what we do (and don’t do what we don’t do) either because we want to, because we think it is a pre-requisite towards getting something else that we want (i.e. because we “have” to), or because we think it will make us into the kind of person we want to be (i.e. because we “should”).

The question ‘why?’ gets a bad name in some coaching circles because when it’s asked about anything which happened in the past, the answer is invariably a story filled with confabulations that could usefully be edited down to the phrase “because it seemed like a good idea at the time”.

But when we ask the question in the present about what we are planning for the future, we quickly get an insight into our motivation.

If we hear a lot of ‘need to’, ‘have to’ and ‘musts’, we may have fallen into the trap of thinking there’s something we have to do to survive. If there are lots of justifications and rationalizations, chances are we’re doing something because we think it will help us to reinforce our self-image or live into the kind of person we ’should’ be. But when the answer is some variation on ‘because I want to’, chances are that we are following our inner wisdom.

Here’s a simple chart to make the difference clearer:

The more quickly you can recognize the difference, the easier it will be to recognize it as a choice and if you want to, choose something different.

What does it take to become prosperous? What is it that separates top achievers and the rest of the world? Is there a chance that some people are just born winners and some are genetically predisposed to being less fortunate?

Of course, there are many ways which can influence what we become in life, but one of the most important key factors is to have passion in what you do, to achieve whatever we have set our sights on. The resolve we have will then push us to take action. It will push us to territories not yet discovered, outside your comfort zone, it will push us to discover solutions and keep perservering. And as we continue to try, one thing is certain; we will get better. For as long as we stay focused, success are certain.

Passion and desire are the powers of any vision. It transmutes obstacles and sees way beyond problems. It is desire that inspires our actions and is the source of our faith. Whatever it is you want to bring into our reality, know that it is the power of your resolve that will bring your dreams to life. Regardless of how unlikely the prospects may be, if we stay focused and hold on tenaciously to our vision with unwavering faith, what we desire can be actualised.

Discover how to realise your dreams by waking up to the power of desire. You can be an expert, you can see your dream come to life, you can succeed, you can, you can, you can! Your dedication can mean the difference between being an achiever or being a loser. You can be be an achiever!

How to Become an Ideal Leader

When you are at work, do you get frustrated because things don’t seem to be happening the way they’re supposed to be? You see people milling around but nothing gets accomplished. And in the daily hustle and bustle, do you feel that your goals remain just that – goals. Then maybe its time for you to stand up and do something about it.

Most people are content just to stand around listening for orders. And it isn’t unusual to adopt a follow-the-leader mentality. But maybe, somewhere inside of you, you feel the desire to make things happen – to be the head, not the tail. Then maybe leadership just suits you fine.

Some people believe that great leaders are made, not born. Yes, it may be true that some people are born with natural talents. However, without practice, without drive, without enthusiasm, and without experience, there can be no true development in leadership.

You must also remember that good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their natural skills. This takes a commitment to constantly improve in whatever endeavor a person chooses.

First of all, let’s define leadership. To be a leader, one must be able to influence others to accomplish a goal, or an objective. He contributes to the organization and cohesion of a group. Contrary to what most people believe, leadership is not about power. It is not about harassing people or driving them using fear. It is about encouraging others towards the goal of the organization. It is putting everyone on the same page and helping them see the big picture of the organization. You must be a leader not a boss.

First of all, you have to get people to follow you. How is this accomplished?

People follow others when they see a clear sense of purpose. People will only follow you if they see that you know where you are going. Remember that bumper sticker? The one that says, don’t follow me, I’m lost too? If you yourself do not know where you’re headed to, chances are people will not follow you at all.

You yourself must know the vision of the organization. Having a clear sense of hierarchy, knowing who the bosses are, who to talk to, the organization’s goals and objectives, and how the organization works is the only way to show others you know what you are doing.

Being a leader is not about what you make others do. It’s about who you are, what you know, and what you do. You are a reflection of what you’re subordinates must be. Studies have shown that one other bases of good leadership is the trust and confidence your subordinates have of you. If they trust you they will go through hell and high water for you and for the organization.

Trust and confidence is built on good relationships, trustworthiness, and high ethics. The way you deal with your people, and the relationships you build will lay the foundation for the strength of your group. The stronger your relationship, the stronger their trust and confidence is in your capabilities.

Once you have their trust and confidence, you may now proceed to communicate the goals and objectives you are to undertake. Communication is a very important key to good leadership. The knowledge and technical expertise you have must be clearly imparted to other people.

Also, you can not be a good leader and unless you have good judgment. You must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and actively seek out a solution. It is this judgment that your subordinates will come to rely upon. Therefore, good decision-making is vital to the success of your organization.

Leaders are not do-it-all heroes. You should not claim to know everything, and you should not rely upon your skills alone. You could recognize and take advantage of the skills and talents your subordinates have. Remember being a leader takes a good deal of work and time. It is not learned overnight. Remember, also, that it is not about just you. It is about you and the people around you.

So, do you have the drive and the desire to serve required of leaders? Do you have the desire to work cooperatively with other people? Then start now.

If you are going to be successful on the internet or any home business as far as that is concerned, then, integrity must come before your financial success. Many people are financially successful on the internet, but some have forgotten the meaning of true success.

As Jim Rohn (One of the all time favorite motivational speakers) says, quite often, it is far more important of who you are becoming, then, what you are earning. Jim even goes so far as to say that you should work toward becoming a millionaire, not for the money, but because of who you will become in achieving the goal.

The stress is on becoming a better person. A person who has integrity. Integrity is being able to be counted on, to be depended upon, if you say that you are going to provide a service or product for a certain amount of money, then you do it. You are looking out for your customers, as well as yourself.

In most cases your reputation will precede you! You may think that no one is discovering your flawed business manners, but actually, the word is spreading and on the net, it spreads quite rapidly.

One of the universal laws of success is that financial success follows hard work with honesty. In other words, “help enough people get what they want and you will find that you receive what you want.” However, if you are just looking out for you, you are only hurting yourself in the long run. Wouldn’t the internet be so much better if we were all watching out for each other?

One important lesson I have learned when it comes to making a sale is that people buy from those whom they trust. If they trust you they will buy from you. If your integrity is guiding you as you make your presentation to others it will come across to your potential buyer. You are more likely to make that sell with your integrity guiding you, then, any other aspect in your presentation.

It does not matter how well you intellectually present your service or product, if they detect flaws in your character you might as well close up your brief case and go home.

Perhaps, even of a greater reward for being a man or women of integrity is that you will sleep better at night just knowing you did your best to sincerely help others achieve their dreams. What can be more rewarding, then, to help others reach their goals?

If you have children, perhaps, that would be the ultimate reason to permit integrity to lead you. Your children will have someone that they can be proud of and more importantly someone whom they can trust!