Business Speaker

Why Do You Complain?

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:19:00 +0000

Why Do You Complain?
March 23rd, 2008 Did you know that complaining is severely damaging to your health, financial success and your entire life?

Studies have shown people who complain frequently tend to have poor health, less satisfying and enduring relationships, and don’t tend to do as well in their jobs or make as much money.

The key to getting what you want in life is focusing your energy and attention on what you do want, rather than what you don’t want. By complaining, the focus is always on what’s wrong, what’s going badly.

So why do people continue to do it?

Well first of all, it’s a habit.

Most people have been doing it their entire lives.

In fact, the majority don’t even realize they’re doing it half the time.

Most people complain much more frequently than they think they do.

Don’t believe me? For the next 24 hours, pay attention to how many people begin a conversation with you by whining about something that didn’t go the way they wanted it to.

The most common reasons why people complain (and why it can be so difficult to stop) is:

- It’s a good conversation starter.

It’s much easier to begin a conversation with someone and find a common ground by complaining. (Can you believe it’s going to rain AGAIN today?…).

To get over this particular hurdle, rather than use a complaint to start talking to someone - complement them. It’s a much more positive way to start a conversation.

- Complaining keeps people from taking action.

This is the #1 reason most people complain. That way they can procrastinate and have plenty of excuses why they aren’t reaching their goals. There’s always a reason why it’s not possible to do what needs to be done. It’s much easier to complain about it than it is to find a solution.

Not only that, but for some crazy reason, we’ve been taught that it’s okay to talk negatively about yourself, but it’s not okay to “brag” about what’s going well!

- Preexcuses failure

Another very common reason people complain is to pre excuse failure. For instance, walking to a meeting late while complaining about how bad the traffic was, how there was a huge line at the dry cleaner, etc.

It takes all the responsibility off of that person, they no longer have to own up to the fact that they should have left earlier or been more prepared.

The first step to stop complaining is to become aware of it, then replace that complaint about what you don’t like, with what you do want.

The goal is not to act like everything is great and pretend you are no longer bothered by anything, but instead to seek out solutions.

Instead of playing the victim and simply stating that the situation is not what you want - figure out what you DO want, and seek to create that.

What can you do about the situation? Don’t look for problems, look for solutions.

Posted in Personal Growth

Compare Your Position

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:10:00 +0000

Compare Your Position

If You Can..
If you can start the day without caffeine;
If you can get going without pep pills;
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains;
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles;
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it;
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time;
If you can forgive a friend's lack of consideration;
If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when,
through no fault of your own, something goes wrong;
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment;
If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him;
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend;
If you can face the world without lies and deceit;
If you can conquer tension without medical help;
If you can relax without liquor;
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs;
If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice
against creed or color, religion or politics; then, my friend, you are
almost as good as your dog.

Power Play For Team Members

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Power Play For Team Members

Some of the below are debatable but in general good advice.

The 48 Laws of Power
by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers

Law 1
Never Outshine the Master
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
Law 2
Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.
Law 3
Conceal your Intentions
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.
Law 4
Always Say Less than Necessary
When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.
Law 5
So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life
Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.
Law 6
Court Attention at all Cost
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.
Law 7
Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.
Law 8
Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary
When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains – then attack. You hold the cards.
Law 9
Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.
Law 10
Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
You can die from someone else’s misery – emotional states are as infectious as disease. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.
Law 11
Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.
Law 12
Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.
Law 13
When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest,
Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.
Law 14
Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.
Law 15
Crush your Enemy Totally
All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.
Law 16
Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.
Law 17
Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.
Law 18
Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous
The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.
Law 19
Know Who You’re Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs’ clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then – never offend or deceive the wrong person.
Law 20
Do Not Commit to Anyone
It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you.
Law 21
Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark
No one likes feeling stupider than the next persons. The trick, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.
Law 22
Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
When you are weaker, never fight for honor’s sake; choose surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you – surrender first. By turning the other check you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.
Law 23
Concentrate Your Forces
Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.
Law 24
Play the Perfect Courtier
The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the mot oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.
Law 25
Re-Create Yourself
Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.
Law 26
Keep Your Hands Clean
You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-paws to disguise your involvement.
Law 27
Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.
Law 28
Enter Action with Boldness
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
Law 29
Plan All the Way to the End
The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.
Law 30
Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.
Law 31
Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.
Law 32
Play to People’s Fantasies
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes for disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.
Law 33
Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usual y an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.
Law 34
Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated; In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.
Law 35
Master the Art of Timing
Never seem to be in a hurry – hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.
Law 36
Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.
Law 37
Create Compelling Spectacles
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.
Law 38
Think as you like but Behave like others
If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.
Law 39
Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.
Law 40
Despise the Free Lunch
What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.
Law 41
Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes
What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.
Law 42
Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual – the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoned of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them – they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.
Law 43
Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.
Law 44
Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of Mirror Effect.
Law 45
Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.
Law 46
Never appear too Perfect
Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.
Law 47
Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.
Law 48
Assume Formlessness
By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.

Business, school or life the list below works.

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:18:00 +0000

Business, school or life the list below works.

16 Things I Wish They Had Taught Me in SchoolPublished by Henrik Edberg April 2nd, 2008 in Productivity, Relaxation, Personal Development, People Skills, Career & Work and Success.
I am 28 now. I don’t think about the past or regret things much these days.
But sometimes I wish that I had known some of things I have learned over the last few years a bit earlier. That perhaps there had been a self-improvement class in school. And in some ways there probably was.
Because some of these 16 things in this article a teacher probably spoke about in class. But I forgot about them or didn’t pay attention.
Some of it would probably not have stuck in my mind anyway. Or just been too far outside my reality at the time for me to accept and use.
But I still think that taking a few hours from all those German language classes and use them for some personal development classes would have been a good idea. Perhaps for just an hour a week in high school. It would probably be useful for many students and on a larger scale quite helpful for society in general.
So here are 16 things I wish they had taught me in school (or I just would like to have known about earlier).
1. The 80/20 rule.
This is one of the best ways to make better use of your time. The 80/20 rule – also known as The Pareto Principle – basically says that 80 percent of the value you will receive will come from 20 percent of your activities.
So a lot of what you do is probably not as useful or even necessary to do as you may think.
You can just drop – or vastly decrease the time you spend on – a whole bunch of things.
And if you do that you will have more time and energy to spend on those things that really brings your value, happiness, fulfilment and so on.
2. Parkinson’s Law.
You can do things quicker than you think. This law says that a task will expand in time and seeming complexity depending on the time you set aside for it. For instance, if you say to yourself that you’ll come up with a solution within a week then the problem will seem to grow more difficult and you’ll spend more and more time trying to come up with a solution.
So focus your time on finding solutions. Then just give yourself an hour (instead of the whole day) or the day (instead of the whole week) to solve the problem. This will force your mind to focus on solutions and action.
The result may not be exactly as perfect as if you had spent a week on the task, but as mentioned in the previous point, 80 percent of the value will come from 20 percent of the activities anyway. Or you may wind up with a better result because you haven’t overcomplicated or overpolished things. This will help you to get things done faster, to improve your ability to focus and give you more free time where you can totally focus on what’s in front of you instead of having some looming task creating stress in the back of your mind.
3. Batching.
Boring or routine tasks can create a lot of procrastination and low-level anxiety. One good way to get these things done quickly is to batch them. This means that you do them all in row. You will be able to do them quicker because there is less “start-up time” compared to if you spread them out. And when you are batching you become fully engaged in the tasks and more focused.
A batch of things to do in an hour today may look like this: Clean your desk / answer today’s emails / do the dishes / make three calls / write a grocery shopping list for tomorrow.
4. First, give value. Then, get value. Not the other way around.
This is a bit of a counter-intuitive thing. There is often an idea that someone should give us something or do something for us before we give back. The problem is just that a lot of people think that way. And so far less than possible is given either way.
If you want to increase the value you receive (money, love, kindness, opportunities etc.) you have to increase the value you give. Because over time you pretty much get what you give. It would perhaps be nice to get something for nothing. But that seldom happens.
5. Be proactive. Not reactive.
This one ties into the last point. If everyone is reactive then very little will get done. You could sit and wait and hope for someone else to do something. And that happens pretty often, but it can take a lot of time before it happens.
A more useful and beneficial way is to be proactive, to simply be the one to take the first practical action and get the ball rolling. This not only saves you a lot of waiting, but is also more pleasurable since you feel like you have the power over your life. Instead of feeling like you are run by a bunch of random outside forces.
6. Mistakes and failures are good.
When you are young you just try things and fail until you learn. As you grow a bit older, you learn from - for example - school to not make mistakes. And you try less and less things.
This may cause you to stop being proactive and to fall into a habit of being reactive, of waiting for someone else to do something. I mean, what if you actually tried something and failed? Perhaps people would laugh at you?
Perhaps they would. But when you experience that you soon realize that it is seldom the end of the world. And a lot of the time people don’t care that much. They have their own challenges and lives to worry about.
And success in life often comes from not giving up despite mistakes and failure. It comes from being persistent.
When you first learn to ride your bike you may fall over and over. Bruise a knee and cry a bit. But you get up, brush yourself off and get on the saddle again. And eventually you learn how to ride a bike. If you can just reconnect to your 5 year old self and do things that way - instead of giving up after a try/failure or two as grown-ups often do – you would probably experience a lot more interesting things, learn valuable lessons and have quite a bit more success.
7. Don’t beat yourself up.
Why do people give up after just few mistakes or failures? Well, I think one big reason is because they beat themselves up way too much. But it’s a kinda pointless habit. It only creates additional and unnecessary pain inside you and wastes your precious time. It’s best to try to drop this habit as much as you can.
8. Assume rapport.
Meeting new people is fun. But it can also induce nervousness. We all want to make a good first impression and not get stuck in an awkward conversation.
The best way to do this that I have found so far is to assume rapport. This means that you simply pretend that you are meeting one of your best friends. Then you start the interaction in that frame of mind instead of the nervous one.
This works surprisingly well. You can read more about it in How to Have Less Awkward Conversations: Assuming Rapport.
9. Use your reticular activation system to your advantage.
I learned about the organs and the inner workings of the body in class but nobody told me about the reticular activation system. And that’s a shame, because this is one of the most powerful things you can learn about. What this focus system, this R.A.S, in your mind does is to allow you to see in your surroundings what you focus your thoughts on. It pretty much always helps you to find what you are looking for.
So you really need to focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. And keep that focus steady.
Setting goals and reviewing them frequently is one way to keep your focus on what’s important and to help you take action that will move your closer to toward where you want to go. Another way is just to use external reminders such as pieces of paper where you can, for instance, write down a few things from this post like “Give value” or “Assume rapport”. And then you can put those pieces of paper on your fridge, bathroom mirror etc.
10. Your attitude changes your reality.
We have all heard that you should keep a positive attitude or perhaps that “you need to change your attitude!”. That is a nice piece of advice I suppose, but without any more reasons to do it is very easy to just brush such suggestions off and continue using your old attitude.
But the thing that I’ve discovered the last few years is that if you change your attitude, you actually change your reality. When you for instance use a positive attitude instead of a negative one you start to see things and viewpoints that were invisible to you before. You may think to yourself “why haven’t I thought about things this way before?”.
When you change you attitude you change what you focus on. And all things in your world can now be seen in a different light.
This is of course very similar to the previous tip but I wanted to give this one some space. Because changing your attitude can create an insane change in your world. It might not look like it if you just think about it though. Pessimism might seem like realism. But that is mostly because your R.A.S is tuned into seeing all the negative things you want to see. And that makes you “right” a lot of the time. And perhaps that is what you want. On the other hand, there are more fun things than being right all the time.
If you try changing your attitude for real – instead of analysing such a concept in your mind - you’ll be surprised.
You may want to read more about this topic in Take the Positivity Challenge!
11. Gratitude is a simple way to make yourself feel happy.
Sure, I was probably told that I should be grateful. Perhaps because it was the right thing to do or just something I should do. But if someone had said that feeling grateful about things for minute or two is a great way to turn a negative mood into a happy one I would probably have practised gratitude more. It is also a good tool for keeping your attitude up and focusing on the right things. And to make other people happy. Which tends to make you even happier, since emotions are contagious.
12. Don’t compare yourself to others.
The ego wants to compare. It wants to find reasons for you to feel good about yourself (“I’ve got a new bike!”). But by doing that it also becomes very hard to not compare yourself to others who have more than you (“Oh no, Bill has bought an even nicer bike!”). And so you don’t feel so good about yourself once again. If you compare yourself to others you let the world around control how you feel about yourself. It always becomes a rollercoaster of emotions.
A more useful way is to compare yourself to yourself. To look at how far you have come, what you have accomplished and how you have grown. It may not sound like that much fun but in the long run it brings a lot more inner stillness, personal power and positive feelings.
13. 80-90% of what you fear will happen never really come into reality.
This is a big one. Most things you fear will happen never happen. They are just monsters in your own mind. And if they happen then they will most often not be as painful or bad as you expected. Worrying is most often just a waste of time.
This is of course easy to say. But if you remind yourself of how little of what you feared throughout your life that has actually happened you can start to release more and more of that worry from your thoughts.
14. Don’t take things too seriously.
It’s very easy to get wrapped up in things. But most of the things you worry about never come into reality. And what may seem like a big problem right now you may not even remember in three years.
Taking yourself, your thoughts and your emotions too seriously often just seems to lead to more unnecessary suffering. So relax a little more and lighten up a bit. It can do wonders for your mood and as an extension of that; your life.
15. Write everything down.
If your memory is anything like mine then it’s like a leaking bucket. Many of your good or great ideas may be lost forever if you don’t make a habit of writing things down. This is also a good way to keep your focus on what you want. Read more about it in Why You Should Write Things Down.
16. There are opportunities in just about every experience.
In pretty much any experience there are always things that you can learn from it and things within the experience that can help you to grow. Negative experiences, mistakes and failure can sometimes be even better than a success because it teaches you something totally new, something that another success could never teach you.
Whenever you have a “negative experience” ask yourself: where is the opportunity in this? What is good about this situation? One negative experience can – with time – help you create many very positive experiences.
What do you wish someone had told you in school or you had just learned earlier in life?

Workplace Change is inevitable.

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Workplace Change is inevitable.

Like it or lump it change will happen. The best thing to do is accept it and try to influence it. The article from Management Issues below will help

The only thing that stays the same in business is change – and with the economy experiencing a major shakeup, every day presents new challenges and opportunities. How managers adapt to the changing horizon can make the difference between surviving or thriving.
window.google_render_ad();
In other words, the tried and true may have worked well up until now, but is it the best way to continue?
Engaging change is now an item on every company's "to do" list, and employers need these changes to work right away. Earlier this year I penned a column entitled It's time to rethink the way you think," in which I outlined why most change efforts fail.
In that column I cited findings from research psychologist Jeffrey Schwartz and executive coach David Rock, listing three things a company should do to give their change efforts the very best chance of succeeding. Those three things were Focus (on the big picture), Expectation (of an "a-ha" moment of insight), and Attention Density (the amount of attention devoted to a subject over time).
Because the recent events on Wall Street are having an impact on Main Street, the need for Focus, Expectation, and Attention Density are greater than ever. There's no denying that change is on the horizon. But there's even more we can do to help things flow smoothly.
How we engage change personally can make a huge difference – and I'm convinced we can have greater success on a individual level if we follow a few simple practices, such as:

1. Stay Involved:

Whether we're a high-profile superstar or an unsung hero, the work we do contributes to a common good. If we back off in the face of change, important connections and communication lines start to fade away. Instead of withdrawing, refocus and think "excellence." In every aspect of your job, ask yourself, "If someone else were looking at my work, would they consider it to be excellent?"
Aside from an internal attitude of staying involved, we can also join a committee or a project team. Our purpose should be to stay plugged into the projects occurring throughout our organization.

2. Keep an Eye on the Big Picture:

Since our workplace is more than just our own workstation, we can look at how change is occurring at all levels. Even the picture outside the organization needs to be considered: Baby Boomers are aging, global markets are expanding, technology is improving, budgets are getting tighter, and consumers are better-informed and more involved than ever before.
We must also keep an eye on changes in our individual industries. To could involve staying active in professional associations, reading industry journals, attending conferences, and even surfing the Internet for industry news.
Also, our company's long-term goals (including Vision and Mission statements) should directly influence how we interpret what we see happening around us.

3. Talk and Listen:

We will better be able to interpret the events around us if we stay in tune with others about what's going on. This means not only talking with others about what we're seeing, but seeking out and considering their observations, too.
Not only can we can learn from others in our work area, but also from people in other parts of the company—or even from outside the company. Ask people their perspective of how recent changes are affecting their work and how they're dealing with the obstacles.

4 Look for Ways to Be of Value:

As I've said many times before, solving problems is part of every job. Therefore, since change always brings new problems, we must resolve to be part of the solution.
Think of it this way: It's one thing to identify a problem, it's something else to solve it.
Most leadership development programs have self-awareness as a foundational starting point. That practice is equally valid in the face of change. Knowing our strengths and weaknesses gives us a better idea of how to adapt as needed.
For example: Conduct a personal SWOT Analysis. Compare your strengths and weaknesses with the opportunities and threats that accompany any change. Then decide how to capitalize on your strengths and what needs to be shored up on your weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities and also minimize any threats.

5. Be Flexible:

Look for ways to blend changes into your normal routine. Think in terms of creating new traditions, or new systems.
Naturally, we need to maintain efficiency and effectiveness, but flexibility allows us to roll with the changes instead of slam up against them. We can be flexible in our attitude and our responsibilities. One person I know put it like this: "Be keen on finding efficient ways for adapting to new realities."

6 Learn From Your Network:

Since our network of contacts are probably facing similar changes, they serve as a sounding board as well as a safety net. Former classmates, former co-workers, people you know who have "been there" are all people from whom we can learn. I like the Benjamin Franklin quote, "If we don't hang together, we're going to hang separately."
From a purely pragmatic standpoint, we should gather details about change so we can determine how it affects us.
Bottom line: How we approach change affects its impact on us. We can work to accommodate it, or we might get flattened as it rolls over us. As always, what we do is a choice.

Experience Say's No

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:21:00 +0000

Experience Say's No

Not that simple.

We would all like to do what we want, but it is not that simple. To say we can have what we want is patiently not true, no matter how hard we try. On the other hand we can have goals we are aiming for and reach some of those goals. In the real world there are pressures and responsibilities.

This is from: Think Simple Now.

Lessons from Following My Passion
Here is a summary of lessons I’ve learned through this experience:

Anything is possible if you want it bad enough
When you follow your heart, not only will you contribute more to your organization, you will utilize less energy and you will feel happier.
We are all naturally gifted at certain disciplines. You’ll know when you find it, because you can quickly grasp new concepts, you find it enjoyable, and doing it comes easy to you; almost like breathing.
Doing something that is not natural to our abilities and interests is like swimming against the current. You’ll eventually get to the shore, but it will take you longer and will excerpt extra energy.
Doing things that come natural to us and align with our interests feels like swimming along with the current. You’ll get to the shore smoothly and with little effort.
When you are clear about wanting something, take action towards its attainment, and persist until you reach it, the universe will conspire to make it a reality. Your energy and determination will move people, and they will find ways to help you.
Insecurities and negative self-talk derived from fear achieves nothing, except to convince us that we are failures and losers. These are lies that only appear real in our imagination.
The roadblocks you encounter on the way to reaching your destination are actually gifts. Treat them as challenges that you were meant to experience and learn from. They are like small tests that the universe presents us with, as if asking: “How bad do you really want this? Have you given up yet?”
When you listen to your heart, follow your passion, and do what you love to do, it’s hard not to be outstanding. You’re almost guaranteed to succeed.

Leadership In A Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:02:00 +0000

Leadership In A Crisis

Are we looking for the kind of Leadership as stated below? Or, is there something we are missing?

What have you got to say?

This from My Creative Team

Leadership 101

Despite the financial mess we are in and the negative, woe is me media frenzy, America is going to be all right. In our relatively short national history, we have been through many trials and always have come out on top. It is the good people of this country - not the government, not elected officials - who are responsible for getting us through tough times. We will help family and friends and those less fortunate members of our communities. That’s what we do. It’s part of our character.
Americans don’t take orders very well, but we will take direction. From Bunker Hill to the beaches of Normandy, we have had leaders who have provided this function. George Washington, although not comfortable with public speaking, gave voice to the people by his actions. He suffered the same privations as his troops. And he acted audaciously - like his crossing of the frozen Delaware in the dead of night - when it was necessary.
During the financial panic of 1907, millionaire JP Morgan walked calmly onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and bought bank shares, restoring confidence in the markets.
There were the fireside chats of Franklin Roosevelt that reminded us of what we would have to do to defeat tyranny during World War II. Ronald Reagan, facing an economic malaise featuring mortgage rates as high as 17.5%, reminded us that we were Americans and we could do anything. He restored confidence and optimism in us and we worked our way out of the financial abyss.
What we don’t have right now is a leader who can give voice to the people, and remind us about our positive characteristics and abilities.
Today’s so-called leaders are too busy blamescaping. Now, there is plenty of blame to go around, but it goes back decades. So, as we discussed here recently - there is no need dredging it up right now. We need audacious leaders willing to direct our actions. Who will those leaders be? I’m guessing they won’t be elected officials. I’m also guessing that there will be a lot of local leaders ranging from the world of business to the church who mobilize us and remind us that we - as Americans - can do anything.
I’m sure some will criticize me for my positive outlook. It’s trendy to be negative and to complain about everything, not to trumpet American exceptionalism. But I believe what I’ve written and won’t apologize for it.
Marketers and communicators have the tools and the training, but do they have the audacity, do they have the fortitude to communicate from a positive position? Are you willing to lead? Let’s talk about how we can help our fellows weather this maelstrom.

Time Management

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:40:00 +0000

Time Management

On Monday 13 October I am giving a seminar on Time Management.

Some of you may have read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. If not here is a taster of a very good book. Anyone wanting to improve there Time Management would do well to read the book.

The Seven Habits
From: The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic, by Stephen R. Covey, Simon and Schuster, 1989.

1. BE PROACTIVE. Between stimulus and response in human beings lies the power to choose. Productivity, then, means that we are solely responsible for what happens in our lives. No fair blaming anyone or anything else.

2. BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND. Imagine your funeral and listen to what you would like the eulogists to say about you. This should reveal exactly what matters most to you in your life. Use this frame of reference to make all your day-to-day decisions so that you are working toward your most meaningful life goals.

3. PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST. To manage our lives effectively, we must keep our mission in mind, understand what's important as well as urgent, and maintain a balance between what we produce each day and our ability to produce in the future. Think of the former as putting out fires and the latter as personal development.

4. THINK WIN/WIN. Agreements or solutions among people can be mutually beneficial if all parties cooperate and begin with a belief in the "third alternative": a better way that hasn't been thought of yet.

5. SEEK FIRST TO BE UNDERSTANDING, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD. Most people don't listen. Not really. They listen long enough to devise a solution to the speaker's problem or a rejoinder to what's being said. Then they dive into the conversation. You'll be more effective in your relationships with people if you sincerely try to understand them fully before you try to make them understand your point of view.

6. SYNERGIZE. Just what it sounds like. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In practice, this means you must use "creative cooperation" in social interactions. Value differences because it is often the clash between them that leads to creative solutions.

7. SHARPEN THE SAW. This is the habit of self-renewal, which has four elements. The first is mental, which includes reading, visualizing, planning and writing. The second is spiritual, which means value clarification and commitment, study and meditation. Third is social/emotional, which includes service, empathy, synergy and intrinsic security. Finally, the physical element includes exercise, nutrition and stress management.

Articles and Stories

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:32:00 +0000

Articles and Stories

If you are thinking of writing an article then the information below may help.

A few pointers from My Creative Team.

Since the dawn of time mankind has been a sucker for a story. We may be wearing synthetics now instead of skins, but that one truth has not changed. Whether you are communicating with employees, customers or the media, a story has the most power.
I read a piece in Bull Dog Reporter not too long ago quoting Wall Street Journal Reporter Don Clark on the power of narrative to break through the media wall. Here is an excerpt from the article:
Know what constitutes a front-page piece—tell a story. “We’re not just looking for announcements,” says Clark. “We’re looking for great story elements. That’s how we work. For example, your story should include a level of drama—like a guy so upset with his company stock that he flew a plane into a mountain. But drama is just one element.” Some others:
Narrative: “What people want to read now is some narrative and a story line. For example, we tell stories through characters and people—not products,” Clark shares. “A good illustration would be somebody saying their plan worked just like they thought it would. Well, that’s not a story. We want things that are unexpected. We want to hear the stumbles, the roadblocks and the bad luck—then the good news at the end. But PR people always start with the good news.”
Conflict: “Similarly, journalists are interested in conflict,” Clark says. “For example, companies suing each other has plenty of tension. A lot of people want to say they have no competition. But that’s a great way not to get written about.”
Now, how can you incorporate storytelling into your organization’s publicity efforts? Just like Stephen King does. Start with the hero in his everyday, believable world. Then, take him on a journey into an unbelievable world. The hero completes his journey, returning to the old world inextricably changed. You also need a universal theme or a unique point of view that propels the story forward, like “good triumphs over evil,” or “the small outfoxes the large opponent.”
Next, remember the idea is not to sell the audience something, it is to engage them.
So, what’s your story? Weave one of your own to break through the clutter.

Laugh at Business

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:24:00 +0000

Laugh at Business

Sometimes it is good to laugh at ourselves.

"COMPETITIVE SALARY"
We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.

"JOIN OUR FAST-PACED TEAM"
We have no time to train you.

"CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE"
We don't pay enough to expect that you'll dress up; well, a couple of the real daring guys wear earrings.

"MUST BE DEADLINE ORIENTED"
You'll be six months behind schedule on your first day.

"SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED"
Some time each night and some time each weekend.

"DUTIES WILL VARY"
Anyone in the hospital can boss you around.

"MUST HAVE AN EYE FOR DETAIL"
We have no quality control.

"CAREER-MINDED"
Female Applicants must be childless (and remain that way).

"APPLY IN PERSON"
If you're old, fat or ugly you'll be told the position has been filled.

"NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE"
We've filled the job; our call for resumes is just a legal formality.

"SEEKING CANDIDATES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE"
You'll need it to replace three people who just left.

"PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS A MUST"
You're walking into a company in perpetual chaos.

"REQUIRES TEAM LEADERSHIP SKILLS"
You'll have the responsibilities of a manager, without the pay or respect.

"GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS"
Management communicates, you listen, figure out what they want and do it.

Translating Employee's Lingo . . .

"I'M EXTREMELY ADEPT AT ALL MANNER OF OFFICE ORGANIZATION"
I've used Microsoft Office.

"I'M HONEST, HARD-WORKING AND DEPENDABLE"
I pilfer office supplies.

"MY PERTINENT WORK EXPERIENCE INCLUDES"
I hope you don't ask me about all the McJobs I've had.

"I TAKE PRIDE IN MY WORK"
I blame others for my mistakes.

"I'M PERSONABLE"
I give lots of unsolicited personal advice to co-workers.

"I'M EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL"
I carry a Day-Timer.

"I AM ADAPTABLE"
I've changed jobs a lot.

"I AM ON THE GO"
I'm never at my desk.

"I'M HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO SUCCEED"
The minute I find a better job, I'm outta there.

Cover your Backside from a Stab in the Back

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Cover your Backside from a Stab in the Back

We all know there should be no reason to cover your back, but in the real world we sometimes have to. Below are a few tips from Cath Lawson.

I’ve learned from experience and mistakes that many business problems can be prevented by covering your ass to begin with. Here’s 7 ways to do this:

1. Get everything in writing - absolutely everything. Don’t forget about a single thing and never rely on the other company involved to do it. Put what they’ve agreed in writing yourself and ask them to send confirmation.

2. Never sign a serious contract without having a solicitor or expert look at it. If you’re dealing with a company who is trustworthy, they will actually ask you to get a solicitor to look at it. Be wary of a company who advises you not to bother using a solicitor.

3. Don’t offer credit without running a proper check. Put any quotes etc in writing, before you begin any work. And if someone doesn’t have credit, make sure they’re going to pay you at the end of the job. Tell them this is required, before you even begin and ask them whether they intend to pay by cash, cheque or card. This avoids any excuses when you’re done - and believe me, plenty of folk will try to make them - eg. lost cheque book etc.
window.google_render_ad();

4. Know where you stand re: employment laws etc. And make sure you have somewhere you can turn to for advice when you’re unsure. You don’t necessarily have to fork out legal fees. Signing up to an advisory service like the Federation of Small Businesses will give you access to this advice. But ignore the opinions of well meaning friends on these issues. People will often advise you to do what is fair, but fair doesn’t always equal legal.

5. Make Sure You’re Insured for anything that could go wrong, including theft or damage to expensive equipment.

6. Plan Ahead For Potential Problems. Make written plans on what you’ll do if disaster strikes. Your business may never suffer fire or flood damage, all your staff going down with flu, you winding up in hospital etc etc. But if you think of all the things that could go wrong and write down how you’d deal with them, it will be easier to cope if they do happen.

7. Never Over Promise. Don’t put yourself in a difficult situation by promising more than you may realistically be able to deliver. Your customers will love you more if you promise less and either deliver it, or do better.

Blog or Not To Blog

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:53:00 +0000

Blog or Not To Blog

I have been remiss over the last few weeks with this blog. I apologise, but I have been very involved with a charity event and time was short. Something had to give and I am afraid it was this blog.

With that said I will be back in action from now on.

E mail can eat up time when you should be doing something else.

How to Write an E-mail to an External Company

From Work Etiquette

Proper uniform use of e-mail etiquette will ensure that any correspondence which flows out of your company to either customers clients or other businesses will be perceived in a professional manner which is very important in terms of how your company will be viewed externally. There are far too many different rules of e-mail etiquette than can be discussed here and they will differ slightly from company to company. However, here are a few general guidelines and most reputable companies will have some kind of e-mail guidebook as to what is and what’s not considered acceptable when writing to an external company.

Style

Don’t make your e-mail a 1000 word long epic. E-mail takes far longer to read than the printed page and, in the busy world of global communications and the thousands of e-mails that are sent each day, keep it concise and to the point without using long rambling sentences. Check for spelling and grammatical errors too. Use short paragraphs and leave a spare line between paragraphs. Use numbers or bullet points to highlight any key information but don’t write whole words using capital letters as it will appear that YOU’RE SHOUTING! Try to come up with a succinct subject title which conveys exactly what the e-mail alludes to. For example, if you’re writing about a product an external company has ordered, include the actual product as well as the order number i.e. Ref: Your Order 45326/FG – Pneumatic Drills. It’s also important to read over the e-mail before sending it to check it makes sense and that there are no errors or inaccuracies which you are aware of.

Be Aware Of The Useful E-mail Tools But Know When And When Not To Use Them

E-mail can save you considerable time and there are many useful gizmos and widgets contained within most e-mail programs to enable you to save you time and to maximise your communication effectively. However, within that realm, there are certain things you should be aware of and how they might be perceived and it’s important you know about these before you use them.

Don’t send unnecessary attachments. They slow down mail servers and are one of the principal causes of spreading viruses. Used appropriately, they are very useful but because of increased concerns about viruses, you should only really send attachments to people you know or forewarn others you don’t know that you intend to send them an attachment otherwise an e-mail containing an attachment from a sender the recipient does not know is likely to get deleted even before the e-mail itself is opened.

Read Receipt Requests and High PriorityApart from the fact that people do not have to respond to a read receipt, in sending them, you are implying that you need to know the exact time the recipient picks up the e-mail which then can place great pressure on them to respond immediately. This can irritate people so, unless there’s a specific need to send a read receipt, for example, making sure someone has got the e-mail of some important information they’ve asked you to send them, don’t use this function. Also, don’t use the high priority setting unless your e-mail is urgent. Many people choose to high prioritise all of their e-mails which, unsurprisingly, often results in the recipients leaving these until last or ignoring them altogether.

Mail Merges bcc and cc

Be very careful when using cc and bcc.for copying in the same e-mail to multiple e-mail addresses. When you send an e-mail using the cc function, everybody can gain access to all of the addresses you have inputted as cc. In many instances, people do not like their e-mail addresses being on ‘public show’ for everybody else without their explicit permission so you should avoid that wherever possible and, if you’re going to copy in multiple recipients into an e-mail, it’s far better to use bcc (which stands for blind copy) and means that nobody is aware who the other recipients are. There are legitimate reasons why you would use both cc and bcc under different circumstances but be wary about copying other people into e-mails unless they have a valid need to receive the e-mail you have originally addressed to somebody else. We’re all inundated with e-mails these days and unless an e-mail has been specifically meant for somebody to be responded to, irrelevant ccs are just going to annoy people.

There are a vast range of things you should remember about e-mail etiquette, especially when sending e-mails outside of your own company. Those discussed here are simply some of the most rudimentary issues you should be aware of but it’s always good to ask your employer if they have their own e-mail guidelines so you can be sure you’re following their own specific e-mail protocol.

So you think your Laptop is safe from hacking.

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:43:00 +0000

So you think your Laptop is safe from hacking.

If you travel, then read the article below and heed it. I must admit I tend not to use my laptop in such wide open space where there is more chance of being hacked. It is risky in hotels and coffee shops, but airports are worse.

This from World Start.

I've seen your tip about safely traveling with your laptop and I was wondering if you could go a little more into the hot spot aspect of it. I've heard some stories before about airport hot spots and I would just like some more information on that if you have any. Thanks for your help!

A:Yes, after running the article on laptop travel safety, I have been getting e-mails left and right from all of you with comments on what you've experienced and so on. It's been very interesting reading through all of those and I thank you for sending them my way. Just yesterday, I received today's question in my e-mail and shortly after that, another reader e-mailed me and gave me some great information on this very subject. I literally said to myself, "Wow, this couldn't have come at a better time!" So, as you can see, I'm very excited to bring this tip to you today. If any of you travel quite frequently, I think you'll really get some good use out of it!
If you spend a lot of your time at the airport, you've probably noticed that the Internet access features have changed a lot in the past couple of years. Nowadays, you can find a wireless access point on every corner of every waiting area, in all of the restaurants, coffee shops, etc. They're everywhere! And because of that, it's so easy to just whip out your laptop and start using the Internet right in the middle of the airport. Now, while that's very convenient and high-tech, you also have to keep in mind that, in reality, you're using your computer in front of everyone around you. Everything on your laptop is basically there for all to see. That is, if you're not careful!
Don't get me wrong, airport hot spots are perfectly safe to use, but you still need to be cautious of your surroundings. For example, if you're at the airport, looking around for an available hot spot to use and you see one labeled as "Free WiFi" (or a similar name), beware. That kind of name should put an immediate red flag in your mind, because that name seems to be the basis behind a new hot spot scam that is hitting airports all over the world. Yikes! Read on for all the details.
Basically, what happens is a hacker sets up their own hot spot at the airport and they just wait for someone like you to come along and connect into it. Once you log in, the hacker can then root around your laptop and create havoc. For example, they can easily steal your username and password information, they can look at your personal files, they can lift your credit card information to steal your identity, they can infest your computer with spyware and other types of malware, they can spread spam all over your PC and so on and so on. There's no telling what can happen when a hacker gets free access to your personal computer. And this is especially true with Windows Vista users, because it's even harder to identify something like this on a Vista computer.
So, what's really happening when you start using the "Free WiFi" hot spot? Well, like I said before, hackers are able to generate their own hot spot and while you think you're connecting to the Internet, you're actually tapping into the hacker's ad hoc, or peer-to-peer network. It's usually set up by someone sitting near you in the airport, but with so many people using laptops these days, it's hard to figure out just who it is. So, while you're still able to use the Internet and browse the Web through their connection, all of your traffic actually goes to their computer for them to steal, etc. Plus, if you're set up to allow file sharing, the attacker can get in to your files and tamper with whatever they please. How clever, huh?
Of course, while all of this is going on, you have no idea whatsoever. You think you're just surfing the Web like you normally do and that nothing is out of the ordinary. Once the hacker has what they want from your PC, they leave you alone and it's not until a few days later that you realize something has gone terribly wrong. And by that time, you have left the airport, so you have no way of knowing who the attacker was. And on top of that, the next time you turn on your laptop, that ad hoc connection could still come through and if it does, it could broadcast your "Free WiFi" network ID for anyone to see. Others could then connect into it without your knowledge and do even more damage to your computer. How awful!
This type of scam is, unfortunately, becoming more popular everyday. There have been several reports of it going on in some of the bigger airports in the U.S., including LaGuardia in New York, the O'Hare in Chicago and LAX in Los Angeles. Several security companies have been doing some surveys in some of the bigger airports as well and the results aren't good. For example, at the O'Hare, more than 20 ad hocs were found during one survey and 80 percent of them were advertising the "Free WiFi" connection. This type of thing is bound to happen in other popular locations sooner or later as well, such as coffee shops and universities.
So, now that you know all about this new type of scam, please promise me you'll be extra careful when using your laptop at the airport. If you're going to use it, don't ever fall for one of the "Free WiFi" advertisements. You're better off sticking with the hot spots the airport itself provides for you. Don't just go around looking for a connection. Make sure it's secure and that you're going to be safe while using it. You could even ask an airport employee if you have to. Your computer holds so much of your life in its hands, so it's best to take a little extra time and find a hot spot that will protect you. I would hate to hear about anything like this happening to any of you!
Stay safe out there, my traveling buddies!

Start Up Branding.

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:09:00 +0000

Start Up Branding.

With unemployment as high as it is there are going to be a number of start up businesses. One of the most important part of any business is Branding. Before you do anything make sure you have it right. Once settled upon it is not easy to change it. Below is a good description of what branding is.

Below is from.

Life Tips.

Branding Options Entrepreneurs have a lot to think about when starting a business. This may include what angles to consider using when it comes to developing your brand. Your brand values should be reinforced in every communication piece sent to your customer, even through telephone communication or in person service. Your brand will come out in things like your business name, your slogan, logo, your products, packaging or even where your business is located, and the office you operate in. It could also come out in your employees, even their attire may reflect on your company. McDonald's and other fast food restaurants always enforce a uniform for employees. Your business may not need to enforce uniforms but it helps to create a picture of how almost anything about your business may reflect upon your brand. Don't overlook the small things. Consider your options carefully.

Lose Your Way Lose your Customers.

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:40:00 +0000

Lose Your Way Lose your Customers.

To me Starbucks is enjoying an experience. I am convinced that if they lose the experience they give me and other customers, they will lose us. If a company is onto a winner, do not change it. The old adage is true. If it is not broken do not fix it.

Yes companies have to expand. Yes they have to keep moving forward, but with caution, do not it change the winning game.

This from: My Creative Team Thinking

Tim Manners of Reveries has completed a survey about Starbucks that contains much food for thought. Before we get to the results, let’s explore the brand known as Starbucks.
Here’s what I think is wrong with Starbucks. It expanded too quickly, lost its sense of community, and was no longer an experience, but became just another place to get coffee. Because the brand decided it wanted to become a chain, it lost its focus on what made it special. Coffee was key to the experience, but Starbucks decided to focus on music and other add-ons. What’s that all about? Employees became retail clerks, selling commodities, not experiences. Lose the employees, lose the war.
But there is good news for Starbucks in the survey. People feel passionately about it. Many love it. Many hate it. Says Manners,
That the brand elicits such passionate reactions perhaps bodes well for its potential to mount a comeback. Indeed, many of the survey respondents sounded almost desperate for the Starbucks they say they loved and lost. The encouraging news for Starbucks is that roughly the same percentage of respondents said that they “liked” Starbucks about as much today as they did five years ago. However, the percentage saying they “loved” Starbucks has dropped precipitously, from 33 percent who said they loved it five years ago to just 10 percent today. In addition, the percentage saying they are “neutral” about Starbucks has increased to 39 percent, up from 23 percent who said they were “neutral” toward Starbucks five years ago.

Sorry at Work

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:56:00 +0000

Sorry at Work

We all need to say Sorry, but can we do it well.

From Work Etiquette

No matter how hard we try in business we’re only human and we’re not going to get things right every time. Apologising is often not an easy thing to do and, in many instances, such as dealing with customers who are unhappy with what they perceive as poor service, any apology is possibly going to fall on deaf ears and it’s also important to remember that you may be the victim of someone who’s either simply having a bad day themselves or are so fussy about certain aspects of your product or service that they feel an urgent need to complain, whilst hundreds of other customers may have been perfectly satisfied with the level of service or standard of product they’ve bought from you. Then, there are other situations in which you may have knowingly made a mistake or done something wrong for which you accept that only an apology from you is going to be necessary to make a start on repairing any damage or upset you might have caused. Therefore, this article aims to deal with both how you would go about making an apology to a customer and also to somebody you’ve slighted in some way where you’re fully aware that an apology is necessary.
Apologising to CustomersWhen apologising to customers, it’s important to do so promptly. Obviously, there may be occasions when you’ll only realise an apology is necessary when they contact you but whenever you find out that something has gone wrong, make sure that you apologise for an error or poor service or product and, wherever possible, be honest with your customer and try to tell them the reason why the problem has occurred. Whether it’s solely your responsibility or you’re apologising on behalf of your company’s error, you should always have a strategic plan in place to rectify the mistake before speaking to the client. Any form of compensation or other kind of incentive to make up for any distress you or your company have caused must be carefully thought through prior and be appropriate for the level of upset and perhaps loss which has been caused. In other words, you need to try to add value with regards to how you intend to make up for your mistake or else your customer might get even more annoyed if you’re trying to simply placate them with a few well chosen words.

General AdviceThe following advice would be appropriate in certain instances for both customers and clients and, perhaps even work colleagues too and is useful information if you want your apology to come across as genuine and unequivocal.
ResponsibilityYou must accept your responsibility and that you and/or your company are to blame without any reservations in doing so. By not accepting blame, your apology will seem very hollow and will give off the impression that you are simply paying lip service. Taking responsibility is one thing but that is not the same as admitting you were wrong. If you try to pass the buck or foist the blame on to somebody else, then an apology is once again going to seem meaningless if you insist that you did nothing wrong or if you give that impression.
Catalyst for ChangeAn apology must also be seen to indicate that you’ll be taking every step possible to ensure that the same mistake doesn’t happen again. Of course, you can never be sure about that in matters that might not be solely within your control e.g. a late delivery of a parcel by a courier company could easily happen again but in instances where you were solely to blame for the mistake, your apology must be seen to going some way to ensure that the mistake won’t happen again if it’s within your control, for example your workmanship, your behaviour or attitude.
Other things to be aware are not to let ignorance be an excuse. A problem might have occurred because of something you were unaware but whilst that might be an explanation, never let it become the excuse. And finally, don’t take it for granted that an apology will always automatically restore you to good standing. It is gracious to make the apology but let that simply be a start and do whatever you can over time to rebuild your reputation. Most people will accept that we’re all only human, that we can’t turn the clock back and that we’re all going to make mistakes. All we can do is apologise, rectify the matter the best we can and then try to move on. And, providing your apology is delivered sincerely, most people will, over time – and some need more time than others, – accept that and your relations with them will be fully restored.

Procrastination Rules That download or Anything Else in your Life

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:09:00 +0000

Procrastination Rules That download, or Anything Else in your Life.

Everyone of us put things off. Not just bad things but good ones as well. Why when we could do them and get on with other things. We can put off the silliest of things. Is it because we are lazy or is it some other more complicated reason?

What ever it is I hope the below article helps.

This from Slow Down Fast.com

Do you live by the old adage of putting off doing today what you can do tomorrow? Do you find yourself doing the easy things on your list first, and then running out of time and energy to do the tougher, and usually more important things? If so, you’re part of a large segment of the population who suffer from procrastination. There is a cause and there are cures for this highly prevalent “disease.”
Causes
1. You prefer to do the fun things first.

2. You’re not organized and do things at random.

3. You don’t know how to prioritize.

4. You don’t have all the information.

5. You need help but either don’t know who to ask or are reluctant to ask.

6. You REALLY don’t want to do the thing you’re putting off.

7. You’re afraid of failure.

8. You believe the task is too difficult and you’re overwhelmed.

9. You’re never in the “mood” to tackle the project.

10. You say you’ll do it, then break agreements with yourself.

11. You are a perfectionist.

12. You think you have to do it all yourself.

13. You’re not honest about the consequences of not doing the task.

Cures
1. Create a fun reward after you complete a task that doesn’t seem like fun.

2. Use a planner like Outlook or some sort of calendar system where you can look at all you have to do and figure out what to do when.

3. Read Stephen Covey’s book First Things First and learn how to distinguish between urgent and important tasks.

4. Look on the Internet or ask someone who’s done this before. All the information you need is most likely available somewhere.

5. Get over your fear of asking, and get the help you need.

6. Ultimately you have to decide if you REALLY want to do the thing you’re putting off.

7. When you don’t even attempt something, you’ve already failed. If you do it and you “fail,” learn from the experience as to what to do differently next time.

8. Look for ways to break large tasks down into bite size pieces.

9. The right mood may never come; just decide if you really want to do this and get any help you need.

10. Find someone to be accountable to. We tend to keep our commitments to others more than to ourselves.

11. Get over it. The need to do it “right” is a myth. There are degrees of rightness and you will have to accept less than perfect to get anything done. How about excellence?

12. Delegate what you don’t like to do or don’t have the skills for. That’s why there are experts out there. Do what you do best and delegate the rest.

13. Get clear about the consequences of not doing the task and determine whether it’s worth letting go.

When procrastination starts becoming a big enough problem, you will do something about it. And remember there’s lots of help available. Consider working with a life coach to get to the root of the problem and get ongoing support.

Personal Development Facts

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Personal Development Facts.

How do you view personal development advice? Have you thought about it from a practical point of view. For a quick idea of what I mean read number two below. This is an ideal article that could be debated. If you have views post them.

This from Illuminated Mind.

There’s a lot of fluff floating around in the personal development blog-o-sphere. I think there are certain things that people tend to shy away from writing about when it comes to personal development. Here’s 10 of what I believe are the most uncommon things you’ll never learn from a personal development blog, but should.

1. There is is no personal development ceiling
There will never be a time in your personal growth where you can say “okay, I’m done.” You can’t grow so much that you will ever reach a ceiling. The beauty of personal development is that you’ll find whenever you grow, achieve goals or find more personal freedom, your context changes. The more you grow, the more your life will take on an upward spiral of personal growth. The more things get better, the more you realize what you thought was a 10 was really a 7.
A lot of people tend to think if you “fix” certain parts of your life, you’ll reach some kind of ever-lasting contentment. True growth, however, isn’t linear.

2. Re-framing just doesn’t always work
A lot of personal development blogs will give you advice on how to be more happy. They’ll also try to tell you how to re-frame negative situations and see the positive side of it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, for every negative there is obviously a positive. It’s just the way the universe works. But sometimes negative situations just plain suck.
If I got hit by a car, I’m not going to be thinking about how I can re-frame this experience. I’m probably going to be more concerned with whether or not I’ll be able to walk again.

3. Acceptance is more important than happiness
Many people when pursuing personal development go on a happiness mono-diet. They want to be happy all the time and will do whatever it takes to make this happen. They have a realization that their life sucked because they were focusing only on the negative parts of their life. While this is a huge breakthrough for most people, many people don’t really “get it.” They go from one extreme to the other; instead of embracing both equally important sides of life (the good and the bad) and learning from them, they become Mary Poppins delusional.
Denying your negative feelings isn’t the path to greater happiness. Ignoring all the shitty parts of your life won’t make them go away.
As important as it is to appreciate the positive, we have to acknowledge and accept the negative. After all, if white wins over black, all we have left is empty space.

4. The outside is just as important as the inside
Ninety five percent of all personal development blogs will tell you in order to change your life, you need to change the inside. You need to change your beliefs and agreements that you have with yourself. Drop dis-empowering contexts and embrace empowering ones. Makes sense right? When learning this new-fangled concept people can get pretty crazy. They’ve been searching for happiness from the outside in and this seems to be pretty enlightening. They’ve been looking for fancy products, an exciting job, new cars, and Armani shades to make them happy.
They’ve realized that no matter how much of these things they acquire, their drug like bliss is fleeting at best. So we wisely start searching for happiness within. But internal happiness will not make you fall in love with a dead end job you hate, it will not make you “come to terms” with your abusive relationship and it will not put food on your table.
Just as we go from focusing on the negative to solely on the positive, we become extremists on the other side of the fence. In truth, there is no competition. Integrated and learning from the positive and negative are equally important.

5. Happiness creates productivity, not the other way around
Increased productivity is the result of increased happiness. Placing a complex productivity system on top of work you dread will be a short lived fix at best. We’re also often the most productive when what we’re doing has no purpose whatsoever.

6. Simply reading a bunch of productivity blogs will not improve your life
Reading seven thousand ways to hack your motivation and the ultimate guide to be a productivity samurai will not improve your life alone. Reading a list about 100 things to be happy about will not make you a happier person. Passively absorbing information will not revolutionize your life.
An inner coup against doing things that make you feel dead and liberating yourself requires hard work, introspection and action. While getting ideas and advice from other people can inspire you, what matters most is how you feel about your life and what you want. The only person that can figure that out is you.

7. Doing less of what you hate is as powerful as doing more of what you love
Sometimes quitting and dropping out of society and others expectations is just as powerful as doing more of what you love. In fact, I think you’ll find in order to really pursue your dreams, you’ll have to quit a lot of things and forget unwanted expectations; ones that other people would find normal and unnegotiable. They’ll probably find you absurd and completely insane.
Doing more of what you love will always involve quitting things that are really negotiable (but seem like they’re not) and dealing with some major critics. Don’t worry, your courage to live authentically just scares them. Who knows, maybe you’ll inspire them to come to terms with the fact that they’re living in drudgery and denial too.

8. The “Golden Rule” is flawed
Everyone knows the golden rule, do to others what you would have done to you. While this obviously has good intentions, it doesn’t work in all situations. Particularly, in relationships. If you do to your partner what you would have done to you, you’ll probably annoy them, piss them off and leave them feeling neglected. Real meaningful relationships are built on trust and interdependency.
If you really care about someone, you’ll do everything you can to find out how they would like to be treated.

9. Your search for happiness, can often make you miserable
Searching for happiness will often mean that you have to face a lot negative aspects of your life you’d rather ignore. You’ll have to deal with all the negative experiences you’ve had in your past and try to find ways to learn from them. Moving forward sometimes means taking two steps back in order to take a step forward.

10. Addiction to self-improvement can ruin your life
You would think if you’re all gung-ho about self improvement, there’s no chance your enthusiasm can back-fire. Unfortunately, addiction to seemingly positive pursuits can be just as detrimental to negative ones. Addiction to self improvement can cause you to spend all your time trying to improve, but never actually living.

The goal of self improvement is to learn and grow, not to get sucked into a vacuum of obsession. There are many ways self improvement can ruin your life. We just need to keep in mind that self improvement is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

How to Apologise

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:45:00 +0000

How to Apologise

We all need to apologise at some time and we should mean it. The following article will help perhaps see things in a better light.

The Following From Work Etiquette.

No matter how hard we try in business we’re only human and we’re not going to get things right every time. Apologising is often not an easy thing to do and, in many instances, such as dealing with customers who are unhappy with what they perceive as poor service, any apology is possibly going to fall on deaf ears and it’s also important to remember that you may be the victim of someone who’s either simply having a bad day themselves or are so fussy about certain aspects of your product or service that they feel an urgent need to complain, whilst hundreds of other customers may have been perfectly satisfied with the level of service or standard of product they’ve bought from you. Then, there are other situations in which you may have knowingly made a mistake or done something wrong for which you accept that only an apology from you is going to be necessary to make a start on repairing any damage or upset you might have caused. Therefore, this article aims to deal with both how you would go about making an apology to a customer and also to somebody you’ve slighted in some way where you’re fully aware that an apology is necessary.
Apologising to CustomersWhen apologising to customers, it’s important to do so promptly. Obviously, there may be occasions when you’ll only realise an apology is necessary when they contact you but whenever you find out that something has gone wrong, make sure that you apologise for an error or poor service or product and, wherever possible, be honest with your customer and try to tell them the reason why the problem has occurred. Whether it’s solely your responsibility or you’re apologising on behalf of your company’s error, you should always have a strategic plan in place to rectify the mistake before speaking to the client. Any form of compensation or other kind of incentive to make up for any distress you or your company have caused must be carefully thought through prior and be appropriate for the level of upset and perhaps loss which has been caused. In other words, you need to try to add value with regards to how you intend to make up for your mistake or else your customer might get even more annoyed if you’re trying to simply placate them with a few well chosen words.

General AdviceThe following advice would be appropriate in certain instances for both customers and clients and, perhaps even work colleagues too and is useful information if you want your apology to come across as genuine and unequivocal.
ResponsibilityYou must accept your responsibility and that you and/or your company are to blame without any reservations in doing so. By not accepting blame, your apology will seem very hollow and will give off the impression that you are simply paying lip service. Taking responsibility is one thing but that is not the same as admitting you were wrong. If you try to pass the buck or foist the blame on to somebody else, then an apology is once again going to seem meaningless if you insist that you did nothing wrong or if you give that impression.
Catalyst for ChangeAn apology must also be seen to indicate that you’ll be taking every step possible to ensure that the same mistake doesn’t happen again. Of course, you can never be sure about that in matters that might not be solely within your control e.g. a late delivery of a parcel by a courier company could easily happen again but in instances where you were solely to blame for the mistake, your apology must be seen to going some way to ensure that the mistake won’t happen again if it’s within your control, for example your workmanship, your behaviour or attitude.
Other things to be aware are not to let ignorance be an excuse. A problem might have occurred because of something you were unaware but whilst that might be an explanation, never let it become the excuse. And finally, don’t take it for granted that an apology will always automatically restore you to good standing. It is gracious to make the apology but let that simply be a start and do whatever you can over time to rebuild your reputation. Most people will accept that we’re all only human, that we can’t turn the clock back and that we’re all going to make mistakes. All we can do is apologise, rectify the matter the best we can and then try to move on. And, providing your apology is delivered sincerely, most people will, over time – and some need more time than others, – accept that and your relations with them will be fully restored.

How to Keep Your Job in Hard Times. I don't think so.

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:24:00 +0000

Job Loss Unstoppable.

The article below from Business Week tells you how to keep your job in hard times. Sorry but I disagree. If you are out because of cost cutting and you have been there long enough to have pushed your wages up. You are out, and a lower paid younger employee is in. I have seen it happen to people I know in the last year and Circuit City had a big clean out of employees who were earning to much. The days have gone when hard work was recognised, the accountant rules.

How to Keep Your Job in Hard Times
"Work your tail off," keep a high profile, and find a mentor, veteran job coaches say

By Carl Winfield

These are uncertain times for the U.S. labor market. Companies such as Merrill Lynch (MER), Sony (SNE) and Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), which have either posted losses or greatly diminished profits, are cutting staff as financial pressures mount. And while the U.S. unemployment rate has held steady at 5.5% for the last two months, there are no guarantees that workers—especially those between ages 50 and 60—will be able to avoid further cutbacks.
This does not mean older employees should start looking for positions at the local Wal-Mart (WMT) or the neighborhood car wash. Many have experience and knowledge they can leverage to keep their jobs. But with staffing budgets increasingly under scrutiny, it may pay to be proactive. The first and most important move workers should make: Look for new experiences with their current employer.
"People like to do what they're good at," says Melaine Kusin, vice-chairman at Heidrick & Struggles (HSII). "But it's just as important to volunteer for special projects and develop skills that can be applied to other parts of the business."
"Be Visible"
Employees can raise their profiles when they make the effort to join special committees or even help organize a companywide social engagement. "Conventional wisdom may say that you should keep your head down, especially during an economic downturn" says Meredith Haberfeld, an executive coach in New York whose clients include Credit Suisse (CS) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM). "But my suggestion is that you work your tail off to be visible about the results you're producing." Haberfeld also suggests executives toot their own horns.
But other consultants, such as New York-based Dale Kurow, advise executives to be careful about what they say in the workplace. "You want to be the 'squeaky wheel' in the sense that you're proactive," Kurow says. "But if you complain, you're probably going to be the first one out the door."
Becoming the life of the party may be a good way to call attention to yourself but, once all eyes are on you, workers have to put up or get shut out. The best way for executives to keep their jobs or move to the next level is to develop an understanding of the whole business, rather than the part that relates only to them.
"You need to take the lid off your thinking and take a look at how what you do relates to the rest of the business," says Kurow. "If you don't know how your part in the business is connected to the others, chances are you're not going very far."
Cultivate a Mentor
Workers who are more engaged with the day-to-day operations at their companies have a distinct advantage over those clock-punchers who focus solely on the tasks in their job descriptions. But staying in a job is also about building relationships. While it's advisable to work well with your peers, it never hurts to develop a close relationship with a mentor, particularly with someone higher up who can help keep you out of harm's way when the axman cometh.
"Partner with the CEO," says Ana Dutra, CEO of the Leadership Development Solutions group for Korn/Ferry International (KFY), "and with the corporate leadership."
The job market is getting tougher to negotiate for workers in all age groups. But according to coaches like Haberfeld, you can keep your job as long as you don't mind maintaining a high profile. Establishing yourself as a leader could make the difference between moving up or being moved out.
"The main element in your career plan has to change from doing what you have to do to impress your superiors to doing what you have to do to impress yourself," says Haberfeld.
Winfield is a reporter for BusinessWeek.

Discontented Employees.

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:57:00 +0000

Discontented Employees.

We all have bad days, the sooner these bad times are dealt with by a supervisor the better. The article below gives some basic ideas to help.

From My Managers Network.

Even the most dedicated employees sometimes become discontented with their jobs. They may feel they’ve gone as far as they can in their current position. They may question whether the organization truly shares their values. Or they may be experiencing conflicts with some of their colleagues. And when they feel dissatisfied, most employees either resign themselves to live with it—or they resign, period. But there’s another option, say Toronto consultants Louisa Jewell and Tracy Griffin. The founders of WhyDid YouGo.com, a site that gathers retention data for corporate clients, suggest this four-step process for helping these workers get back on course:1. Analyze. When you detect that previously satisfied workers are beginning to disconnect, intervene. Meet privately with the workers and explore the reasons behind their change in attitude. The first step in correcting the problem is defining it.2. Plan. Collaborate on creating action plans for addressing key issues. For instance, if an employee is experiencing personality conflicts with other workers, bring the parties together and try to facilitate a resolution. Always come up with a primary plan and a backup in case the first approach falls short.3. Act. Bring your plan to life by creating a series of action steps and setting a timetable for executing them.4. Review. Schedule follow-up meetings to discuss how the reengagement plan is progressing and to make any necessary adjustments. —Adapted from “How best to counter low job satisfaction,” by Janis Foord Kirk, in the Toronto Star

He Who Hesitates is Lost

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:40:00 +0000

He who hesitates is lost.

We all tend to weigh up decisions, but some take longer then others. Sometimes it is good to have a system to work out the best decision, other times intuition. All can be good all can be bad. If your decision fails then blame the system used. The problem is it may not be the system.

Perhaps the below article may help.

This from
Inspired Money Maker

Indecision can ruin your life.
Are you frustrated by indecision?
Do you consider yourself a person who is very good at “manifesting” things in your life and have the ability to see things from different perspectives and with different belief systems?
If so, let me explain how you can get totally stuck in an “indecision loop” that will drive you mad.
What usually happens is you get yourself into a situation where you start to feel a bit unsure about which direction is the best one to take in your life at that point in time. Typically you face a dilemma where neither direction seems perfect. So you start looking at the “good side” and the “bad side” of each decision. You compare and you compare, but you just can’t decide.
So this is what starts to happen next. You start looking for the benefits of Option 1. You see some minor benefits but then you start looking at the disadvantages of Option 1 as well. You compare the benefits and the disadvantages and you’re still unsure. So you look at Option 2 the same way.
Once you’re done comparing Option 2 with Option 1 both in terms of benefits and disadvantages, one option will typically seem better than the other. Let’s say Option 2 seems better, but only slightly. Even though it’s only a slightly better option you say to yourself “I think I’ll just take Option 2. We’ll see tomorrow.”
Now, because you’re a brilliant person at manifesting things, you wake up the next morning and while brushing your teeth you start to really think about things and all of a sudden you start seeing a lot more benefits in Option 1 than you did before. You just want to be 100% sure so you start looking at Option 1 again, and all of a sudden the benefits of Option 1 start to look so much better. However, you already feel like you’ve decided on Option 2 so you get dressed and head to work.
When you get to work, you turn on your computer and you receive an email. The email gives you some information that totally changes how you view Option 2. You also receive a phone-call from your spouse which somewhat relates to Option 2 and now that option is looking way worse. You think about it, go through your list of benefits and disadvantages again and you say to yourself “I think I’ll have to go with Option 1. But I’m just not sure yet…we’ll see.”
On your way home from work, you’re convinced Option 1 is the way to go. So you call your spouse and tell them that you’re going to go with Option 1. You get off the phone and just in case, you want to be really sure so you decide to look at all the benefits of Option 2 again one more time. All of a sudden you get a phone-call from one of your friends who tells you something that TOTALLY makes Option 2 a way better option. What were you thinking!? How could you even think about Option 1?!
Fast forward three weeks later and you’re still undecided, and every day you’re sending out “signals” to the universe as to which Option you like better and it’s attracting resources, news, and pieces of information to you to support your decision. However, because you’re undecided it’s sending you mixed signals in greater and greater quantity.
Both options seems great and both options seem useless, just depends which minute of the day you’re talking about. You flip back and forth, back and forth and drive yourself mad.
Ever been in this situation?
The FLAW in our approach to such a situation is that we are looking for EXTERNAL evidence to help us make a good decision. No such evidence will ever arrive because we create our own evidence. You want to convince yourself that Option 1 is the better option, you will! You want to convince yourself that Option 2 is the better option, you will too! It all just depends on what you choose to focus on and what you choose to dismiss and filter out. It also all depends on what you decide to manifest and attract.
So how do we get out of this endless loop? Stop looking for answers to your indecisiveness on the outside.
Look for answers within.
This phrase bears repeating again. Look for answers within. Listen to your intuition and choose what you WANT. Pick the direction that is more aligned with your values, your true self, with love and what you truly want out of your life. Then focus on it all from the point of view of “How could I make Option 1 work?” and “What’s great about Option 1?” and “Can I get around the disadvantages of Option 1 somehow?”
You’ll see that once you decide based no your internal compass and you start focusing all of your energy on the path you WANT to decide on, the external world will all of a sudden support your decision by providing you with the evidence you need to completely convince you externally (internally you already decided) that the decision is the right one to make.
At first this may seem like a flawed system because someone might ask “What if you pick the wrong path and convince yourself that it’s the right one?” However, this presumes that there is such a thing as “the wrong path” and “the right path”. For example, you may be trying to decide whether you should start a car blog or a cooking blog. What if you pick the wrong one? What if the cooking Blog is the one that will become successful, but you decide to listen to your gut and pick the car Blog instead?
It doesn’t matter, because maybe the lessons you learn by running the car Blog first will eventually lead you to discover something much more important that you wouldn’t have discovered by succeeding with your first Blog. Maybe you’re “supposed” to fail with your first Blog, and then when you start your second Cooking Blog you end up being super successful.
Here’s my advice. If you’re undecided, dream a little and pretend that one of the paths turns out super perfect. Which one seems better? Which one excites you more? Which one are you more passionate about? Does your gut tell you that it’s ok to go in that direction? Pick the more passionate, exciting, fun, intuitive one and say to yourself “I’m going to see if there is any possible way I could make this direction work. Let’s just try it and see.” Get off the fence and decide! Then stand back and watch as the universe showers you with “proof” that your decision is the right one.

New Job Worries

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:21:00 +0000

New Job Worries

If you are starting a new job the suggestions below will help. They are from Work Etiquette a very good web site for information on how not to rock the boat.

How to Fit in to a New Workplace

It doesn’t matter how much self-confidence you have starting a new job in a new workplace is daunting for everybody. Whilst you might begin your first day exuberant and excited about the new challenges ahead, you’re also likely to be feeling nervous, daunted and quite stressed. This is all perfectly natural, however, and it’s important to remember that your new employer, as well as the colleagues you’ll be working with, will not be expecting miracles straight away and that they’ll want to help you settle in as quickly and as smoothly as possible. They’ll have been the ‘newbie’ too at some time or other, remember. There are, however, some useful steps you can take to make the transition as smooth and as painless as possible.

ClothingProbably the first thing you’ll want to know before you even start work, if you don’t already know, is what the appropriate dress code is. You don’t want to look as if you’re going to a dinner dance if you turn up and everyone is dressed casually. Yet, neither will you want to turn up in jeans if everyone’s wearing business suits so, in order that you ‘blend in’ on your first day, it’s important to dress appropriately. Don’t just assume that “it’s this type of company so it will probably be OK to wear that”. Even within the same industry, there can be very different accepted dress codes.

Ask QuestionsDon’t be afraid to ask questions of both your immediate supervisor, your colleagues and your boss. They can’t expect you to know everything straight away so they’ll be expecting a barrage of questions from you anyway so you shouldn’t feel stupid asking a lot of questions. Remember, companies would rather you asked a hundred questions than blindly try to carry out your duties without really knowing what you’re doing as it can prove very costly both in monetary times and in time lost if you carry on regardless only to find that the errors you’ve made need to all be fixed later so, if you have any doubts about anything, you should just ask.

Learn How the Equipment WorksWhether you have an office job or you work in a manual capacity, you’re bound to come up against some kind of tools or machinery that you’ve never worked with before so find out the equipment you need to use and how it works. It’s often handy to scribble down a few notes or stick Post-It instructions up as learning how new machinery works can sometimes be complex and, if someone has taken a fair amount of time explaining how something works, you should try to grasp the basics straight away so that you don’t have to keep pulling them away from their work to repeat the instructions.

Be ProactiveAs a ‘newbie’ on staff, you’ll probably find that you won’t often be given too much to do over the course of your first few days as your employer will be more interested in helping you settle in initially and to just give you a ‘feel’ of what you’re going to be faced with later. However, if you find that you’ve taken to your new role like a ‘duck to water’, don’t just sit there idly twiddling your thumbs and staring out of the window but be proactive and ask your supervisor or colleagues nearby if you can do anything else for them. They may be glad of the extra help.

Be FriendlyIt’s important you don’t overpower your new work colleagues with ‘chit-chat’ during your first few days and don’t get involved in office gossip either – you’re there to work after all. However, that doesn’t mean you should bury your head in paperwork or hide behind your computer screen or machine either. Take your cues from your colleagues and if they are chatting away as they’re working, make sure you join in too. The sooner you get to know your colleagues, the more settled, comfortable and ‘part of the firm’ you’ll feel. Be considerate and respectful too.

Don’t Overdo It!Remember, you’ve been given this new job on your merits. This might be because of how you came across at interview, the skills you’re bringing with you and other personal qualities and it will probably be a combination of all three. So, whilst it’s important that you’re able to carry out your duties as best you can and as soon as you can, don’t try to over-impress by staying back and working late or taking on too many responsibilities above and beyond your job description too soon as you may find that you’ll be continually played on in the future.

Different people will settle into new jobs at different rates and, if you’ve joined the company alongside other new recruits at the same time, don’t get upset or frustrated if it takes you a little longer to settle in and to grasp new concepts and ways of doing things. Somebody will always be the quickest and somebody will always be the slowest – that’s just life. The key thing to remember is to simply do your best, to ask questions if need be and to be friendly and courteous. As long as you follow these tips, you should find that, within a few weeks, you’ll think you have been in the job for years and always remember, there’s always going to be another ‘newbie’ to take that label off you soon enough.

Quotes in Business

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:36:00 +0000

Quotes In Business

I came across the below quotes at Illuminated Minds. I often wonder how often quotes like these are used? I know I read them and think "Oh that is good." then forget them. I think the cartoon I added at the end shows a good example of how we progress through work.

What do you think?

From Illuminated Minds

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and have a conversation with one of the greatest minds in history? Well, you can’t sorry, they’re dead. Unless of course you’re clairaudient, be my guest. But for the rest of us, we can still refer to the words they left behind.
Even though these great teachers have passed on, their words still live, and in them their wisdom. I’ve made a list of seven what I believe are some of the greatest teachings by the world’s greatest minds.

1. Realizing Your Dreams
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”- Lawrence J. Peter
In order for us to achieve our dreams, we must have a vision of our goals. Writing down our dreams and creating a list of actions helps us stick to our plan. As it’s said “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. When we turn our goals into measurable actions, we gain clarity and are able to see the necessary steps we must take in order to achieve them.
Action: Visualize a life of your wildest dreams. What did you dream of doing when you were a child? What would you do if you had a million dollars? Create a vision for your goals and start breaking them down into small actions that you can take on a day by day basis.

2. Overcoming Fear
“It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, “Always do what you are afraid to do.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The best way to learn something is to dive right in to it. When we overcome our fear of failure, we learn that only those who are asleep make no mistakes. Fear is the only thing keeping us from experiencing a life of love and fulfillment. If we make a commitment to an uncompromisable quest for truth, we will realize that as we grow more into the truth, our fears start to disappear.
Action: You must define your fears in order to conquer them. Create a list of everything you’re afraid of and start facing them one at a time. Make a commitment to yourself now to not let fear rule your life.

3. Intention and Desire
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.”- Guatama Buddha
Our thoughts determine our reality. When we stop thinking about what we don’t and begin thinking about what we do want, our lives begin to transform. Instead of working against our desires and intentions, we move into alignment with them.
Action: Create a list of your intentions and desires. Wherever you go, take this list with you. Read it when you wake up and before you go to sleep.

4. Happiness
“Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.”- Benjamin Franklin
Happiness comes from an inner peace, understanding and acceptance of life; a perspective of truth that opens your eyes to the beauty of life all around us. Happiness cannot be achieved by external status, it must be an internal state that we realize when we see our innate perfection.
Action: Realize that happiness is a choice. In every decision you make ask yourself “how can I respond to make myself happy and fulfilled?”

5. Self Acceptance
“If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” - Jesus
When we stop trying to be what we are not, we realize our authenticity. Before we had knowledge, we were completely authentic. We learn to use knowledge to measure and judge, which is a powerful tool we have as humans. However we create an image of perfection in our mind of what we should be, but are not. We confuse knowledge for nature. We believe in the lie of our imperfection. When we realize this we can reclaim the truth of our perfection and live in love and acceptance.
Action: Make a commitment to never go against yourself. Practice non-judgment and realize that the same part of your mind that condemns you is the same voice that caused you to take the action in the first place. We don’t even have to believe what we say to ourselves.

6. Appreciation and Gratitude
“So much has been given to me, I have not time to ponder over that which has been denied.”- Helen Keller
How many times do we count our misfortunes rather than our blessings? When we take time to open our eyes to the miracle of life we can see the many gifts that have been given to us. Remembering all the beautiful aspects of life and all the reasons you are blessed can immediately shift our mood. We can move from sorrow and despair to appreciation and hope.
Action: Each time you find yourself complaining about something, re-direct your focus to something you are grateful for. Make a habit of transforming your awareness of troubles into an awareness of abundance.

7. The Art of Simplicity
“I made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it short.”- Blaise Pascal
Perfection is not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. As Bruce Lee once said “the height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” True mastery of our lives is realizing the simple joys of life, removing distractions and clutter from our lives.
Action: The art of simplicity is knowing what to take away. Practice recognizing when you’re spending your time on unimportant tasks and re-focus on the important.
This list is by no means exhaustive. There are other many great teachings that I did not include here because I felt like they were already expounded on thoroughly elsewhere, such as Einstein and Gandhi’s timeless classics. There are also great teachings to be found from our parents or friends.
If you have any lessons to add, I encourage you to share them with us in the comments below. Also, I want to give a special thanks to Manu from LifeTweak for inspiring me with his “10 Golden Lessons from Albert Einstein”.

Debate these eight questions.

noreply@blogger.com (John Locke) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Debate these eight questions.

There is plenty of room for debate about the questions below. I do not think you can generalize this way.

This from the Brazen Careerist

By Ryan Healy

8 On-The-Job Rules You Unfortunately Won’t Learn in College
College is a great place to learn how to work hard, party hard, and make friends. College also teaches us how to live on our own and why debt sucks. But, college doesn’t teach us as much about the business world because business in the real world is more about experience, confidence and the network you build. Here are 8 business rules you didn’t learn in college.
1. You don’t know how to manage yet.College cannot teach you how to manage. As nice as it would be, managers learn to be great from experience, and that’s it. Everyone is different, every situation is different and the only way to be a great manager is to have experiences in your back pocket that you can fall back on when you’re faced with a difficult situation. Over the past few months I’ve learned this first hand by learning to manage on the fly. It’s difficult, much harder than I ever expected, and I have a ton of respect for anyone who is great at it. You can take management courses and read management books, but you’ll never learn to be a great manager without doing it.
2. Everything’s a negotiation.Negotiations happen nearly every day in business. It’s amazing how many situations I’ve managed through that when I look back on them, I realize were actually a negotiation. Whether it’s Business-to-Customer sales, Business-to-Business sales, salary, equity, or direct report interactions, most of your conversations in the real world will involve some sort of give and take. College can teach you some basic principles, but you’re better off getting practice by trying to buy a used car if you want to learn how to negotiate in the business world.
3. Networking has changed. Unfortunately, colleges are behind the times. You would think with all the money they charge us, they would be ahead of the curve, but they’re not. College professors cannot teach you how to create a “new” type of network. New networks are created online, with lots of loose connections, managed with social networking sites like Linked In and Brazen Careerist. You create your network by establishing expertise in your field and gaining visibility with the right people who share the same interests. College might teach you how to network in person, but the new networking is done online, and it’s way more complicated and efficient.
4. You must create your own work.College provides you with assignments, tests, quizzes and projects. Each of these things is handed down from a higher power (your professor) and you are told what’s expected of you to earn a good grade. The business world is a whole different game. You will be handed assignments from a higher power (your boss) but there are also a million things you can do to go above and beyond. And if you want to advance in your company, join another company, or start your own, you need to learn how to create your own work, and that work you create must help the bottom line if you want to be considered successful.
5. Work is never done. I’ve learned a lot of things since starting Brazen Careerist, but one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that the work is never done. No matter how sure you are that you’ve done everything you can think of, there will always be something else to do when you wake up in the morning. If you’re sitting around at 10 pm and you’re bored with nothing to do, grab your computer and do a little work. Sure, you could put it off ‘til the morning, but I guarantee that when you walk in the doors to the office, you’ll have a full plate, no matter how much work you do the night before.
6. All work is not done sitting in front of a computer. I often feel like I should be doing more work when my day consists of phone calls, meetings and random discussions around the office. And it’s true, there is usually a lot of busy work I didn’t get done at the end of a day like this, but when you start moving up that proverbial ladder, work becomes less and less sitting in front of a computer, and more and more talking, managing, and brainstorming. In fact, when you get to the point where work is hardly sitting in front of the computer at all, work starts to become a lot more fun.
7. Everyone looks out for themselves.Some professors may be tough, but in general they all want you to succeed. Sometimes a curve will create a little competition, but for the most part your peers don’t care one way or the other if you fail or succeed. The business world is much different. Everyone is looking out for themselves. If you fail, your peers have a better chance of being promoted. If you started a company, people justify their choice to not take the same type of risk by secretly wishing for you not to succeed. The best bosses are supportive, but when it comes down to it, people look out for themselves. In business, you can’t trust everyone; it’s all on you to succeed.
8. Straight A’s will not make you a CEO, only a great entry level employee.Students with 4.0 GPA’s are recognized and honored at graduation and generally admired in school. But I do not want to work for anyone who got straight A’s in school. But I would happily hire anyone who got straight A’s. Why? Straight A’s means you are great at doing the work you are assigned. You study hard, work hard and were rewarded because of that. But leading a company or starting a company requires much more. It requires social skills, vision, and creating work when there is nothing tangible there. It’s no surprise that some of the world’s top business leaders were college drop-outs–you’ve got to be a little nuts to believe you can lead a massive organization or create something from nothing. So be wary if your CEO was a straight A student, he’s probably in the wrong position.