We have created a popular tool that helps early-to-mid career professionals identify and strengthen their soft skills. It’s called The S3 Plan (The Soft Skills Success Plan)

Regardless of your goals, one of the most crucial aspects of developing an effective plan to achieve your personal and professional goals is focusing on developing your soft skills and this free tool will help you with that process.

After you check out the excerpt below, you can download a free copy.

[Excerpt from the Soft Skills Success Plan]

Whether it is building a particular skill set or searching for keywords to put on a resume, when people are trying to figure out what soft skills they need to achieve their goals and objectives they often seek advice from their peers, parents, teachers, mentors, other professionals, or a combination of them all.

That’s a great idea because although 10% of your learning comes from education, 20% of your learning comes from others.

But did you know that 70% of learning occurs from skill-based and job-based activities? So, the real question is how do you find the soft skills that actual companies and organizations are looking for? It’s simple. And you probably already know this: you need to do a little bit of research.

QUICK & EASY RESEARCH PROJECT

Go do a quick online search for 5 to 7 job descriptions for positions you would be happy to have.

Write down all of the skills listed on the job descriptions. List the technical skills (i.e. programming, typing, creating spreadsheets, etc.) and soft skills (i.e. communication, creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, organizational skills, etc.) in separate columns. If a skill appears on more than one job description, only list it once, but next to it also write down the number of times it appears.

Hint for entrepreneurs: If you plan to start your own business then research the skill sets of five successful CEOs and/or entrepreneurs in your industry. Remember, you can also include job descriptions for jobs and internships that you are applying for on the journey to starting your own business.

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Want to continue working on your in-demand soft skills? Download your S3 Plan here.

The post The Soft Skills Success (S3) Plan first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

April is National Poetry Month. In celebration, check out “An Untitled Poem on Leadership” that was submitted and performed by winning group during the S3 Poster Project Competition (8th Annual Soft Skills for STEM Lessons Workshop 2024).

Check out the poem and the original post here.

The post An Untitled Poem On Leadership first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

In 1945, psychologist Karl Duncker gave research subjects a candle, a book of matches, and a box of tacks. He asked them to stick the candle to a wall so that when lit, wax wouldn’t drip on the floor.

What would your solution be?

The simple solution is to remove the tacks from the box, stand the candle in the box, and then tack the box to the wall. See what I mean? Simple.

But most people didn’t get it because they had a type of cognitive bias about what the box was for—holding tacks. They didn’t see the box for all that it could be. Think about that.

The ability to overcome cognitive bias gives you a competitive advantage because you’ll expand your perception of yourself and others. You’ll find better ways to maximize your skills and resources.

Million-Dollar Question:
What are you doing to expand your perception and overcome cognitive bias?

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ACTION STEPS AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. If you had to help someone to expand his perception of himself and overcome cognitive bias, what 3 tips would you give him? What makes you think these tips will work? Do you use these tips for yourself?

2. Write down your top 5 skills. What do you use those skills for? Think of 2 new ways or situations where you could use your skills. Which of your goals could be accomplished by using your skills this way.

3. Look at your list of top 5 skills. Write down 1 or 2 action steps you can do to improve each of your skills. How soon will you get started on your action steps?

4. Have you ever done something you didn’t think you could at first? (If your answer is “no” then imagine doing something you thought you couldn’t do.) What was it? How did you get yourself to do it? Did it help you to realize that you are capable of doing more than you think? Why or why not?

5. Functional fixedness is the type of cognitive bias that causes you to be blinded to any use of an object other than it’s typical use. Look around you and pick up the first item you see. What is it used for? Write down 3 unusual ways that it could be used. (Remember the candle box that could be used as a shelf.)

The post [VIDEO] Duncan Nugget #346: Overcome Cognitive Bias first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Maybe you can help me out. I have been banging my head against my desk for about 10 minutes now trying to remember the name of a movie.

It’s the one where somebody leaves the wrong voicemail on a person’s answering machine and then has to break into the house to get the voicemail before the other person hears it.

Do you remember that movie? If you do please let me know what it is. Thanks.

Now…

Have you ever wished you could get to a voicemail, text, tweet, or email before the person you sent it to read it? What about a resume, an essay, research paper or something along those lines?

Practically everybody has. It’s a terrible feeling. The sad part is, some people never even realize that there was a problem to begin with. Not cool.

If you checked out the last article I wrote on writing—6 Reasons Young Employees Need Better Written Communication Skills—then you already know that strong business writing skills are in serious demand and, at the same time, lacking in the workplace.

That article was focused on why writing skills are important to your career. This time, let’s focus on how to improve your writing skills so that you don’t have to break into someone’s office to save your job.

A 2004 report by The College Board (the SAT folks) noted that the most important aspects of writing in the workplace are:

— Accuracy
— Clarity
— Spelling
— Punctuation
— Grammar
— Conciseness

Here are 7 tips based on those aspects of writing:

1. Think before you write.

Most people just jump in and start writing or typing. That’s usually not a good idea. The more important the communication, the more time you should take to think about it before you start writing. Think about questions like these:

What is the main message I want to get across?

What questions am I supposed to be answering?

Who is going to read this? What does he or she really want to know?

Answering these questions will help you get your thoughts out with greater accuracy, clarity, and conciseness.

2. Brief is good, but incomplete is not cool.

Concise means to be as brief as possible while still being complete. If you want to drive someone bonkers, send her an email, memo, or report that could’ve been written with 100 fewer sentences. Grr… (Sorry, I’m having a flashback.)

Sometimes people go too far in the opposite direction. They confuse concise with incomplete. Incomplete sentences, thoughts, and ideas are a guaranteed way to befuddle your reader.

Be as brief as possible AND as thorough as possible.

3. Be careful writing on your mobile phone.

When writing emails on your phone you tend to write in slang, textese or txtspk because that’s what we’re anchored to do on mobile devices. If a quick response is needed, there are times when those things might be okay.

In many cases, however, slang, smiley faces, and txtspk are inappropriate. If you are not sure, get to a computer or tablet and stick to proper grammar.

Also, autocorrect can ruin you. How many times have you had to send a follow-up message like this? “Sorry. Stupid autocorrect.”

4. Read it out loud.

While you edit, read it out loud. If there are too many people around or if you are in a library then move your mouth as if you were reading out loud. This will help with the clarity of your writing. It will also help you catch spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes.

5. Let it marinate.

After you finishing editing, if you can, take a break. I understand this may not always be possible, but waiting 60 seconds and then reading it out loud again will help improve your accuracy, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

The more important the document, the more important this step is. Let it marinate for an hour or even overnight if time permits. Then come back and read it out loud one final time. I normally catch a few more mistakes or I see something that could be worded better.

6. Use another pair of eyes.

“I can’t believe I missed that! I read it like a hundred times.”

Sound familiar? It happens to everybody, but it happens less frequently to people who don’t solo-edit. (Yes, I made up that word.)

While you’re letting your work marinate, if possible, let someone else read it. The longer it is and the more important it is, the more you need someone else to read it. For example, you can probably solo-edit your emails, but you should use another pair of eyes for cover letters, presentations, reports, and other documents along those lines.

7. Take responsibility for your writing skills. Practice. Duh!

I probably should have started with this one. What you learn in high school or college may not be enough. But what are you going to say in an interview or performance review? “It’s my teacher’s fault I don’t know how to write.” Let me know how that works out for you, ok?

Duncan Nugget #1:
Write and succeed. 

Take some kind of business writing course when you can (here’s a list of free online writing courses) and use the tips you just learned to improve your writing skills and your bank account.

Million-Dollar Question:
How soon are you going to start using these tips to improve your writing?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How will improving your writing skills help you achieve your goals?

2. For you, what is the most challenging part of improving your writing skills? How do you or will you deal with that with challenge?

3. Name a scenario when it’s okay for you to be less formal in your business writing? What makes you believe that less formal writing would be okay in that instance? Find a professional you know and find out if he or she agrees with you? (Hint: When in doubt, it’s better to be formal.)

The post 7 Business Writing Tips For Students In The Workplace first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

This is part 3 of a 3-part power point video series. In this video I give you 4 main reasons that soft skills help you build a competitive advantage and several suggestions for improving your soft skills. Time: 11min. 24sec. 

Also in this series:

Part 1: What Are Soft Skills? A Simple Definition (6:18)

Part 2: What Are The Most Important Soft Skills To Master? (8:55)

A List of Soft Skills and Related Terms

Related article: Q & A: What Are Soft Skills and Why All the Fuss?

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ACTION STEPS/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What soft skills would give you a competitive advantage in your dream career? Why would they give you a competitive advantage? What are you going to do to master those skills?

2. In the video, you learned that soft skills are transferable. Write down the name of a great athlete or entertainer. What soft skills does he or she have that would help him or her be successful your dream career?

3. Write down the name of a successful entrepreneur, educator, or leader. What soft skills does he or she have that would help him or her be successful in your dream career?

The post [VIDEO] Soft Skills: Building Your Competitive Advantage first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

This is part 2 of a 3-part power point video series. In this video I group soft skills into 5 Soft Skills Clusters and help you figure out which ones you should focus on so that training and development becomes a simpler process. Time: 8min. 55sec. 

Also in this series:

Part 1: What Are Soft Skills? A Simple Definition (6:18)

Part 3: How Can You Use Soft Skills To Build Your Competitive Advantage? (11:24)

A List of Soft Skills and Related Terms

Related article: Q & A: What Are Soft Skills and Why All the Fuss?

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ACTION STEPS/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Write down 3-5 soft skills that you want to improve on. (Here is a list of soft skills if you need it.) Do you consider these to be strengths or weaknesses? Why is getting better at these skills important to you? What is one thing that you can do to begin working on the skills you listed?

2. In your opinion, what are the 5 most important soft skills for a person to have? Why do you think these skills are so important? Which one has the biggest impact on your day?

The post [VIDEO] What Are The Most Important Soft Skills To Master? first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

“Well… what happened?”  

“I told him if he wanted a job, send me an email and he sent me a text disguised as an email.”  

“Nooo. Really? Man… that’s messed up. I think he’s doing pretty good in school.”  

“For me that’s even worse. He’s in college! I mean really, Al… does he even know what punctuation or a complete sentence is?!”  

—irritated business owner talking to Al Duncan about a potential employee

Duncan Nugget #359:
When you communicate, you shape a person’s perception of who you are.

You shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, right?

Well, most of us do. I work hard not to, but it happens and when it does, I tend to feel guilty about it. It’s a completely different story, however,  when it comes to the contents of a book or a person. I feel perfectly fine—no guilt whatsoever—about making an assessment based on the quality of the contents.

1. Your communication is not part of your cover, it’s part of your contents.

Just like the employer judged the young guy in the conversation you just read, at school and in many professions, people will assess the quality of your contents based on your written communication.

2. Poor writing skills can cause people to overlook your other skills.

The young guy in the conversation has a lot of other great skills. I know because I’ve seen his resume, but after that email the business owner wasn’t interested in looking at his resume. Think about that while you read the rest of these reasons.

3. Millions of workers and students lack adequate writing skills.

Written communication is one of the skills that employers, colleges, and universities find most lacking in the workforce.

While writing this article, I searched for proof—research and statistics—to verify that claim. So, I typed “employees lack…” in the search bar. I didn’t even have to finish typing the phrase because Google instantly completed it with “…writing skills in the workplace.”

4. Poorly written communication is costly to employers and employees.

In the Harvard Business School Publishing Guide To Better Business Writing, I read that businesses are spending over $3 billion annually to correct poor writing! According to another article, “Poor Writing Costs Taxpayers Millions,” state governments spend $250 million a year on remedial writing instruction for employees.

Confusing emails, flawed reports, and poorly written presentations are a waste of time and money. These things could keep you from getting a promotion or get you fired. Not cool.

5. They might ask you for a writing sample.

Since effective written communication skills seem to be on the endangered species list, it’s becoming more common for employers to ask potential employees for a writing sample. Even if you manage to get in the door with subpar writing ability, getting a promotion or a job in management is going to be a lot tougher.

Imagine that you are in the middle of an interview or performance review and they ask you for a writing sample. How would you feel about it?

6. Strong written communication skills can give you a competitive advantage.

Effective communication, oral and written, is a valuable commodity. Research shows that written communication consistently ranks among the soft skills most desired by employers, colleges, and graduate schools.

With effective writing, you can produce:

— Accurate reports that are clear and easy to understand.
— Persuasive sales copy, white papers, and press releases.
— Concise emails and memos that motivate readers to take action with little need for clarification.

The bottom line: If you have an in-demand skill that is lacking in the workforce, you have a competitive advantage.

Million Dollar Question:
Why do you want to improve your writing skills and how soon will you get started?

HEY! Check out the next article in this series: 7 Business Writing Tips For Students In The Workplace

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. If you had to create a list of the top 5 skills for an employee to have, would writing make the list? If yes, where would it rank and why? If not, why wouldn’t it be important to you as an employer?

2. Other than the reasons listed in the article you just read, what are 3 reasons writing is important for your success?

3. In your opinion, why do so many people lack effective written communication skills? How would you go about solving this problem? How would your solution help you right now?

The post 6 Reasons Young Employees Need Better Written Communication Skills first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Duncan Nugget #144:
Soft skills are personal abilities that help you perform better and interact better with other people.

This is part 1 of a 3-part power point video series. In this video I give you a simple definition of soft skills—one that works well with teens and young adults. Time: 6min 18sec 

Up next (both will be available on Monday; links will not work until then.):

Part 2: What Are The Most Important Soft Skills To Master? (8:55)

Part 3: How Can You Use Soft Skills To Build Your Competitive Advantage?  (11:24)

A List of Soft Skills and Related Terms

Related article: Q & A: What Are Soft Skills and Why All the Fuss?

For more great resources and training visit Soft Skills for STEM

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ACTION STEPS/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Based on what you learned watching the video, if you had to explain soft skills to an elementary school student, what would you say?

2. Write down a quote, proverb, or wise saying you’ve heard that is focused on a soft skill? Where did hear or read it? How do you know it’s a soft skill? Do you use it in your life? Why or why not?

The post [VIDEO] What Are Soft Skills? A Simple Definition first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF-TV) – It was graduation day for a hundred young people who took part in a Summer Work program. That would be notable in itself..but these teens were considered “at-risk”. It was a life changing experience for some…

Original article here: “At Risk” Youth Rewarded After Six Week Program

The post [VIDEO] Al Duncan Delivers Soft Skills Training For Summer Work Program first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. — Several hundred young people ages 16 to 24 from throughout the region turned out for the 2014 Westchester County Youth Workforce Summit.

The free event, in its third year, was held at the Crowne Plaza in White Plains on April 16 and featured an array of distinguished guests, including featured speaker Al Duncan, an award-winning youth advocate, publisher, and an internationally recognized motivational speaker who provided insightful tips on landing the right job and advancing one’s career.

“Your circumstances – good or bad – do not determine your outcome,” Duncan told the crowd. “Your choices do.”

Read the entire article:
Youth Summit in White Plains Draws Hundreds | White Plains, NY Patch________________________

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. – A Youth Summit for young adults interested in finding employment will be held Wednesday, April 16, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains. “Youth Summit – Roadmap to your Future: Destination Success” will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Men and women ages 18­24 are invited to register for the event online.

The event is sponsored by The Business Council of Westchester, the Westchester­Putnam Investment Board and Berkeley College.

Al Duncan, a nationally acclaimed youth advocate, will facilitate an
interactive summit that includes:

— Building Your Personal Brand
— Speed Networking
— Budgeting
— Dressing for Success

Original article: Youth Jobs Summit Set For Wednesday In White  | The White Plains Daily Voice

The post Youth Summit Featuring Al Duncan Draws Hundreds first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

This behavior-based interview question is a variation of the “tell me about a time when…” You could be asked this type of question during an interview for college, grad school, an internship, or a job. Here’s the key to giving a solid answer.

Tell a story and be specific.

Seriously. Be specific.

A vague answer to this type of question will cost you a lot of points. In order to ell a story that focuses on your strengths and provides relevant you might want to use the STAR method. Check out this article to get some great tips on how to use the STAR method and tell compelling stories.

More examples of this type question:

What did you do when you…?

1. Did your best but things still didn’t turn out right.

2. Had to work with a difficult person.

3. Failed to complete a project on time.

4. Had too much to do and not enough time to do it.

5. Had to come up with a creative solution to a tough problem.

6. Were frustrated at school or work.

7. Had to deal with a difficult customer.

8. Fell short of your boss’s (or teacher’s) expectations.

9. Were managing or leading a group of people and had to keep them motivated.

10. Easily accomplished a task and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

The post Interview Question: What Did You Do When You…? first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

ATLANTA, GA The 7th Annual Atlanta Committee on Teaching about the United Nations (CTAUN) was held in March of 2014 at Georgia State University’s College of Education. Conference attendees discussed models for implementing and promoting positive youth programs that empower and educate through a call to action.
Among the outcomes of the conference was the production of a document entitled “Youth in Danger: Strategies for Action—Locally and Globally”, which provided specific suggestions of actions that could be implemented, with a focus on empowering and improving situations for youth in the Southeast region of the United States.

Keynote speakers included Hawa Diallo, the public information officer in the NGO Relations section of the UN’s Department of Public Information and Al Duncan, an award winning youth advocate and publisher.

Original: CTAUN Newsletter (pdf)

The post Youth Advocate Delivers Closing Keynote Address At United Nations Event first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

February 22, 2014 12:00 pm  •  By DIONNE GLEATON, T&D Staff Writer

Nearly 1,300 fifth-graders were recently offered some nuggets, but not of the chicken variety. These nuggets were given to inspire them to improve their character to become better people.

The fifth-graders converged at Claflin University’s Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Physical Education Center for the Orangeburg County Community of Character Initiative’s 12th annual Outstanding Character Recognition Program on Jan. 24.

A student from each of the county’s 17 elementary schools was honored for their winning essay on a character trait. The fifth-graders also received an inspiring message on character development from Al Duncan, president and chief executive officer of Decatur, Ga.-based Al Duncan Enterprises LLC. The mission of ADE is to help young people build a competitive advantage by providing evidence-based soft skills training to youth service organizations and institutions.

Duncan, an award-winning youth advocate, publisher and motivational speaker, said he offered the audience his own “Duncan Nuggets” on a few topics, including…

Read the full article: Youth advocate, publisher challenges fifth-graders to make good choices:

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“The response to his keynote was so positive that we had more attendees go to Al’s breakout session following his keynote than have ever before.” —Alicia Frye, Senior Coordinator of Camps and Conferences, Ferris State University

2014 Keynote Speakers | Michigan Career Education Conference

The post Al Duncan Keynotes the 2014 Michigan Career Education Conference first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

What do you plan to do?

What do you plan to have?

Million-Dollar Question:
What do you plan to give?

The post 4 Questions To Ask Yourself first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

While I was doing research for The Soft Skills Success Plan, I spoke to quite a few chief executive officers and other executives. I found it interesting that the soft skills they wanted in their employees were often the same soft skills in which the CEOs wanted or were receiving coaching for themselves.

But just because that’s what I found from a few dozen interviews, it doesn’t mean this trend is universal. Fortunately, I came across the 2013 Executive Coaching Survey administered by Stanford University and the Miles Group. The results were similar to my interviews, but they were more accurate and more data was available.

Here are the top 7 soft skills that CEO’s work on:

1. Conflict Management

Out of all of the skills on the list, conflict management came in number one by a large margin. That’s because conflict is like fire—it’s good or bad depending on how it’s managed.

If you think about it, I’m sure you can understand that regardless of the decision a CEO makes, someone will be unhappy. Where there is unhappiness there will be conflicts which can kill morale and stifle productivity. For great CEOs, that is unacceptable.

On the other hand, conflict is also good for dealing with groupthink—irrational decision-making based on conformity and the desire for harmony—by creating new perspectives on problems.

So, conflict is not only expected, but in some instances it’s desired. Which means the CEO has to be skilled at managing it. (Click here to check out additional Conflict Management videos and articles.)

2. Communication

The survey listed communication and listening skills separately, but they go hand in hand. You can’t manage conflicts without strong listening and communication skills. Remember, exceptional communication skills can be a leader’s best friend. (Click here to check out additional Communication videos and articles.)

3. Delegation and Sharing Leadership

No matter how good you think you are, you cannot do it all. The Art of Delegation separates average leaders from exceptional leaders. Putting the right person with the right tools in the right position at the right time ain’t easy. If you can do that, in most scenarios you will give your team a competitive advantage. (Click here to check out additional Leadership content.)

4. Planning skills

According to NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), the ability to “plan, prioritize, and organize” is one of the skills employers desire most in their employees. Without this skill, productivity suffers. I’m sure you know the old saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Not cool. (Here’s a video about the importance putting your plans in writing: Duncan Nugget® #1: Write & Succeed)

5. Mentoring and Developing Others

There is a great deal of research that proves the value of mentoring. But you don’t need research to see that developing others can be a vital aspect of delegation, sharing leadership, and team building.

In his classic book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell provides, not one, but 3 laws that specifically relate to mentoring and developing others.

The Law of Empowerment (12): Only secure leaders give power to others.

The Law of Reproduction (13):  It takes a leader to raise up a leader.

The Law of Explosive Growth (20): To add growth lead followers—to multiply, lead leaders.

6. Team Building

People often think teamwork and team building are the same, but they aren’t. Team building is the formation of the team and the management of how it functions. Teamwork is the combination of behaviors, attitudes, and actions of group members. Just because you are an awesome team player doesn’t mean the you are an awesome team builder.

The process of team building centers around putting the group together, strengthening relationships, facilitating performance, and managing conflict. Teamwork centers around things like communication, mutual respect, doing your job, maximizing your strengths and managing your weaknesses. It’s also about following defined leadership and decision-making procedures.

By the time you get to be CEO, however, you will have undoubtedly put together quite a few successful teams for various projects. But you still have to keep your skills sharp. Team building goes hand-in-hand with delegation and sharing leadership. Many CEO’s believe there’s still room for improvement. (Article: The “I” In Team: 4 Philosophies Of An Awesome Team Player)

7. Decision Making

“Improving your decision making skills” should be a constant goal for everybody. Your results are primarily a reflection of your decisions.

Duncan Nugget® #15:
Your circumstances don’t determine the outcome, your choices do.

The other skills that CEO’s showed interest in working on are: compassion/empathy, persuasion, interpersonal skills, and motivational skills.

NOTE: Click here for a complete list of soft skills, definitions, and related terms.

Million-Dollar Question:
As the CEO of your life, what action steps will you take to master these skills and use them to build your competitive advantage?

ACTIVITY

A Soft Skills Development Plan

CEOs and other successful professionals develop their skill sets on purpose so, you want to do the same.

1. Get a blank piece of paper. At the top-center of the page write down your dream career. If you haven’t really decided on your career yet then write down the name of a successful person you admire.

2. Make two columns underneath your dream career. Label the first column “Skills”. Label the second column action steps.

3. Writing one skill per line, in the “skills” column answer the following question: What are the top 3-5 soft skills I need to be successful in this career? (Alternate: What are the top 3-5 soft skills that helped this person to be successful?)

NOTE: If you need some ideas here’s a list of soft skills.

4. In the “action steps” column answer the following question: What actions are you taking to improve in each skill? If you are not taking action, what is one action step that you could take? (Write at least one action per skill.)

5. Start taking the actions steps you wrote down and you will be working your own soft skills development plan.

The post [ACTIVITY] 7 Soft Skills CEOs Work On first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

I recently gave a MLK Celebration Lecture at Darton College. The overall theme for the celebration was “What are you doing for others?” My talk was focused on one of the things that enabled Dr. King to be such a powerful servant leader—his skill set. His fight for truth and justice and his selfless service have left us many priceless lessons. I believe, however, that we can also gain wisdom by exploring his skill set.

MLK had a skill set that allowed him to:

— Communicate at an exceptional level 
— Build powerful relationships
— Get people to believe in his values and vision
— Deal with an unimaginable amount of pressure, stress, and adversity
— Become a master of influence

A skill set that helps a person to embody those attributes is worth of study. Based on all that he accomplished, it’s easy to see that Dr. King mastered many soft skills such as leadership, public speaking, collaboration, teamwork, and teambuilding to name a few. For right now I would like to focus on 3 of the many soft skills that MLK mastered:

1. Exceptional Communication Skills

2. Adaptability

3. Grit, Diligence, & Perseverance

Exceptional Communication Skills

MLK was one of the greatest communicators in history. But he was more than just an amazing public speaker, he also had strong written communication skills.

The thing that really set him apart was his ability to use stories and metaphors to create a high definition image of his goals and aspirations in other people’s minds. He understood how to present his vision in high definition so that although it wasn’t universally accepted, it was universally understood.

Effective communication makes most employers’ lists of essential skills for the ideal employee. It’s a skill that will get you hired and help you get a promotion. If you’re an entrepreneur or salesperson, it’s a skill that will help you close the deal. It’s a skill that is the foundation of most other soft skills.

Adaptability

The “I have a dream” part of the speech that Dr. King gave at the March on Washington in 1963 wasn’t originally in the written version of his speech. He added it while he was speaking. His Chief of Staff, Wyatt Walker said, “It’s trite, it’s cliche. You’ve used it too many times already.” Dr. King agreed with him.

As he was giving his speech, however, Mahalia Jackson (legendary gospel singer) hollered out, “Tell them about the dream, Martin.” A few seconds later she said it again, “Tell them about the dream.”

And “tell them about the dream” is exactly what he did.

Without the ability to adapt, Dr. King would never have extemporaneously added the ‘I have a dream” portion of his speech and one of the iconic lines in history may have never been.

One of the keys to adaptability is deliberate practice. At times, Dr. King would spend a couple of dozen hours per week working on his sermons. When you focus on consistently improving a particular skill or deepening your understanding of a topic, you begin to master it in such a way that , even in the heat of the moment, you can use it in ways you may have never imagined.

Another key to adaptability is being open to different perspectives. Dr. King was able to build relationships with exceptional people from all walks of life. Although he was surrounded by great individuals, he still had to be humble, curious, and respectful enough to consider their perspectives and advice.

Fortunately for us, he listened to Wyatt Walker and Mahalia Jackson. The result speaks for itself.

Grit, Diligence, and Perseverance

Dr. King had the ability to make a tough choice and then take consistent action based on his decision. In other words, he had the grit, diligence, and perseverance to consistently put his skills and to knowledge to use.

That is a lot harder than it sounds. How many people do you know that fail to maximize their skills and knowledge?

Duncan Nugget® #19:
Knowledge is power IF…you use it.
(Watch the video here.) 

Research by Angela Duckworth (she runs the Duckworth Lab at the University of Pennsylvania) shows that the level of a person’s grit—the perseverance and passion for a long-term goal—is a powerful predictor of future success. And as a baptist minister, there is little doubt that Dr. King was extremely familiar with the Book of Proverbs and the concept of diligence—careful and persistent work or effort.

Grit, diligence, and perseverance are so close to being synonymous that I tend to list them as one skill. Regardless, of whether or not they are lumped together or separated, without grit, diligence, and perseverance, there can be no lasting success because those skills help you to navigate through failure.

Duncan Nugget® #21:
Failure is only permanent if you quit. 

It would take a dozen articles or more to thoroughly cover the soft skills mastery of MLK, but as you begin to master the 3 skills we just talked about, you’ll be building your competitive advantage that will allow you to attain the heights of achievement and the depths of fulfillment.

Million-Dollar Question:
How will you work on using the lessons of Dr. King to master your soft skills? 

_________________
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What are the top 5 soft skills Dr. King had? Why do you think these are his top skills? How could these skills help you in your career?

2. Nobody is perfect for every job. Based on his skill set, what jobs or positions do you think would’ve been a bad fit for Dr. King? Please explain your answer.

3. Of the 3 soft skills you read about in this article, which do you find most challenging and why? Have you started working on any of them? If yes, describe what you are doing.

4. Dr. King had trusted friends and advisors he called on for advice. Who do you go to for advice? Why do you value this person’s advice? What skills does he or she have that helps him/her be successful?

5. Write down one of your most important goals. Describe how you will use the 3 soft skills you read about in the article to accomplish your goal.

The post [AUDIO] A Lesson On Soft Skills Mastery From Martin Luther King, Jr. first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

“Just win the game!!!”

Although he was in extraordinary pain, that was Kevin Ware’s message to his teammates. There was 6:33 left in the first half of a 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Elite Eight game. Kevin and his fellow Louisville Cardinals were up against the Duke Blue Devils. A coveted spot in the Final Four was on the line.

Kevin, a 6’2 guard in his sophomore year, jumped up to contest a shot. When he landed, there was a crack and then screams. Some of his teammates nearly fainted, fans looked on in horror, and TV announcers had to gather themselves. I was watching the game in real time and I felt horrible.

Kevin had just suffered one of the worst injuries in sports history. He had broken the tibia in his right leg. As he lay on his back with his right leg in the air, you could see the bone starting to stick out of his leg. The footage was so gruesome that it was cut out of the instant replays.

They rushed Kevin to Methodist hospital, where the bone was reset, a rod was inserted in the tibia and the wound from the break was closed during a two-hour procedure.

Although they missed his play on the court, his courage and selflessness served as inspiration to his team. His cry of , “Just win the game!!!” not only inspired his teammates, it has inspired millions of people.

When Kevin left the game, Louisville was winning 21-20. They went on to win that game 85-63. Next they won their Final Four game and then the national championship game.

Kevin Ware is a stellar example of an awesome team player. We can learn a lot from his story.

Duncan Nugget® #306:
You can shine as an individual, but you win as a team.

According to research done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, year after year, Teamwork and Collaboration are consistently ranked in the top 5 skills employers want in job candidates.

Being an awesome team player could be a big part of your competitive advantage.

Teamwork and collaboration are the actions of individuals working together in order to achieve a desired outcome. Exceptional teams and collaborations work best when team culture helps each member to embody core values and to understand the boundaries for behavior. Team culture should allow for sharing and conflict—the challenging of the feasibility of ideas.

To make all of this happen, you need awesome team players—team players that have the following philosophies about teamwork. I call them The Four “I’s” in Team.

1. “When the team wins, I win.”

Let’s look back at the story of Kevin Ware. Although he was in terrible pain and uncertainty, he still mustered up the courage to try to ease the minds of his teammates. Kevin was an awesome team player because he had a “when the team wins, I win” philosophy.

If you want be an awesome team player you’ve got to stay focused on the game—the goals and desired outcomes of the team. When the team wins, you win.

By the way, if you are worried about this philosophy taking away your individuality, then you might want to read The Benefits Of Individuality where I answer a question about whether or not it’s a good idea to assert your individuality.

2. “I got your six.”

What does that mean?

Imagine that you are standing in the center of a giant clock face. In front of you is 12:00—your “twelve.” Behind you is your “six”, a blind spot that could lead to your doom. On a battlefield, your “six” is your most vulnerable position.

When someone says, “I got your 6,” it means he or she is watching your back. In return, that person expects you to have his “six” as well. Awesome team players are able to prove to their teammates that, “I got your six.”

In life, your “six” represents skills and abilities you don’t have that your teammates do have. Your “six” represents issues you are  unaware of and potential problems that you can’t see.

The reason that it’s so important that you and your teammates adopt an “I got your six” philosophy is simple. Typically, you can see other people’s mistakes and shortcomings before you can see your own. As an awesome team player, it’s your duty to find a way to help. Maybe it’s advice or maybe it’s lending a hand, either way, you’re ready to do whatever the team needs you to do to help win the game.

To really have a person’s six you have to:

— Stay focused on team goals.
— Clearly understand the mission. 
— Thoroughly know your teammates. 
— Value others and their contributions. 
— Earn the trust your teammates.

A final, point about this philosophy. It doesn’t mean that you are responsible for someone else’s job. If one of your teammates is slacking on his/her responsibilities then you or the team leader needs to address it. Which, brings us to the next philosophy.

3. “I refuse to let it fester.”

When they were growing up, my dad, my uncles, and my aunts came up with a hiding spot for food they didn’t like. There was a drawer in my grandmother’s kitchen that wasn’t being used so, when they didn’t want their vegetables or anything else they dumped them in the drawer. Apparently, they didn’t have trash bags back then. Ha!

Obviously, this was a stupid idea. Soon, the food began to fester and the kitchen was filled with a rotten smell. My grandmother turned into somebody from CSI and got to the bottom of things. She found the drawer. Not good. Apparently, they did have belts back then. Can you say “spanking”?

Whether it’s vegetables you hate to eat or a problem that you need to address, it’s a horrible idea to dump it in a drawer and let it fester.

On great teams, there will be positive and negative conflicts. As an awesome team player, you work hard on your conflict management skills. You strive to keep the conflict centered on ideas and issues, not individuals.

If there is a mis-communication or if you are unsure about any aspect of the game plan, you ask clarifying questions. You refuse to let issues fester. There won’t be any rotten smell coming out of the drawer because of you.

4. “No matter what, I get stuff done. “

As an awesome team player you get the job done. Period. Although you know that your teammates have your six, you don’t use that as an excuse. You take care of business.

You might make mistakes, but you don’t make the same mistakes twice. You do everything within your power to finish the game. You might get injured, get sick,or have personal problems to deal with, but you have the grit and self-discipline to complete the mission.

For all of that to be true, you have to:

— Be adaptable.
— Get better.
— Know your role and duties.
— Know your strengths.

You do those things through personal development and deliberate practice. The better you are, the better the team is.

Remember, awesome team players are in high demand in the 21st Century workplace. So, if you embody the 4 philosophies you just read about there is a great opportunity to build a strong competitive advantage.

Million-Dollar Question:
What makes you an awesome team player?

___________________
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In your own words, write down a description of an awesome team player. What parts of what you just wrote describe you? How do you know this describes you? Give an example or tell a short story that proves you fit the description.

2. How does the description you wrote relate to the 4 philosophies you learned about in the article?

3. Which of the philosophies of an awesome team player best describes you?

4. Do you agree with the 4 philosophies? Why or why not? Can you think of another philosophy that would be a great addition to the list? If you can think of another one, what makes this philosophy so important?

5. If you were mentoring someone who needed to improve his or her teamwork, what would you say to this person? What would you teach him or her? Why do you think these things would be effective? How do you use your advice? What daily action steps are you taking to improve your teamwork?

The post The “I” In Team: 4 Philosophies Of An Awesome Team Player first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

One crucial key to the health of an organization or movement is to make sure your people are inspired by the mission just as much as they are inspired by your individual greatness.

Million-Dollar Question:
Are your people inspired by you AND the mission?

The post Duncan Nugget® #35: Leadership — Mission or Individual? first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Five Soft Skills Clusters
(download pdf)

In order to facilitate training, development, practice, and application across various areas of life—not just career development—I have developed a simple framework (The 5 Soft Skills Clusters) that includes key behavioral indicators.

Communication Skills
The ability to send and receive clear messages

Decision Making & Problem Solving Skills
The ability to recognize, create, and choose effective options & solutions

Teamwork & Collaboration Skills
The ability to work with others toward a common goal or objective

Self-Management & Professionalism Skills
The ability to demonstrate behaviors and character traits on par with the highest standards of your role or position

Leadership, Influence, & Persuasion Skills
The ability to inspire and move people to action

NOTE: There are dozens of soft skills in each cluster. Many soft skills fit into multiple clusters. For example, conflict management is part of teamwork, leadership, problem solving, and communication. If you find yourself thinking, “This skill could be or should be part of a different cluster,” you are probably right.

Definition of Soft Skills

Soft skills are personal abilities that improve human performance and facilitate effective interactions amongst people. (Duncan, 2013)

1. Soft skills are also known as: character skills, character strengths, interpersonal skills, noncognitive skills, people skills, performance values, essential skills, and power skills.
2. Introductory video series on soft skills: What Are Soft Skills and How Can They Give You A Competitive Advantage?
3. To suggest edits or additions please let me know on LinkedIn or use the contact page.
4. Sources are either cited (linked to) throughout or listed at the bottom of this page.
   

Communication Skills

Examples:

Active Listening

Communication

— Verbal (Oral) Communication
— Nonverbal Communication
— Written Communication

Negotiation

Presentation Skills 

Public Speaking

Rapport

Storytelling

Writing

Decision Making & Problem Solving Skills

Examples:

Creativity

Critical Thinking

Decision Making

Innovation

Problem Solving

Resourcefulness

Teamwork & Collaboration Skills

Examples:

Collaboration

Cooperation

Dependability

Diversity 

Teamwork

Team Oriented

Team Player

Self-Management & Professionalism Skills

Examples:

Adaptability

Attitude

Character

Character Strengths

Compassion

Concentration

Conscientiousness

Curiosity

Creativity

Diligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI, EQ)

Empathy

Enthusiasm

Flexibility

Focus

Grit

Growth Mindset/Fixed Mindset

Initiative

Integrity

Optimism

Organizational skills

Perseverance

Persistence

Personal Responsibility

Resilience

Self-Control

Self-Discipline

Self-Regulation

Time Management  

Work ethic

Leadership, Influence, & Persuasion Skills

Examples:

Conflict Management

Conflict Resolution

Delegation (Sharing Leadership & Authority)

Influence

Leadership

Leadership Agility

Persuasion  

Selling

Talent Management

Team Building

miscellaneous terms related to soft skills

Action step

Active Learning

Behavioral Indicators

Character Education (Character Development)

Coaching

Competitive Advantage

Customer Service

Deliberate Practice

Determination

Ethics

Executive Functions

Fail-Forward

Global Competence

Goal setting

Interpersonal

Intrapersonal

Mentoring

Motivation

Networking 

Noncognitive skills

People skills

Performance values

Personal Branding

Personal Development 

Personal Effectiveness

Personality

Philosophy

Professional Development 

Pro-Social Behavior

Positive Youth Development (PYD)

Self-Efficacy

Self-Improvement

Self-Reflection

Social Responsibility

Social Emotional Learning

Volition

Willpower

Youth Development

Sources:

1. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory: An Introduction
2. Comparative Analysis of Soft Skills (Michigan State University)
3. Critical Thinking Community
4. Curious About Curiosity
5. Emotional Intelligence Consortium
6. Emotional Intelligence Glossary of Terms
7. FindYouthInfo.gov
8. Heckman Equation
9. How Children Succeed: Q & A with Paul Tough
10. Leading In The Heat Of Conflict
11. MDRC
12. Mentor
13. Merriam-Webster Dictionary
14. The Resilience Research Centre
15. The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance
16. Three Kinds of Empathy
17. University Of Michigan Center For Research On Learning And Teaching
18. VIA^® Institute On Character
19. Wikipedia

The post 5 Soft Skills Clusters – Soft Skills Development Framework first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

This is a growing collection of videos, activities, posters, and articles on various aspects of personal branding. We’ve arranged them into a multi-part series to make them easier to use with your group. This collection meets key areas of the following national standards:

• Common Core State Standards
• American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
• Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS)

Some of the aspects of personal branding covered are:

• How to differentiate yourself from the competition
• Mastering the internal aspects of personal branding
• How a strong personal brand helps you build a competitive advantage.
• How to tell stories in professional settings
• People’s deciding factors. What makes them choose you?
• How to clearly explain you goals and plans to decision makers
• Developing an accurate picture of your strengths and weaknesses
• Discover the importance of focusing on your strengths

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #131: Personal Branding Starts On The Inside

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Understand that personal branding is a lot more than the external aspects that people tend to focus on.
2. Discover 3 of the internal aspects of personal branding.
3. Assess the level of your grit, diligence, and work ethic.

Developing Your Personal Brand

Learning outcomes from studying this article and completing the assigned questions:

1. Understand exactly what a personal brand is.
2. Know the importance of personal branding for career success.
3. Begin laying the foundation for developing a strong personal brand.

[ACTIVITY] Introduce Yourself The Easy Way: Your Personal Brand Statement

Learning outcomes from doing the activity and completing the discussion questions:

1. Discover a simple, professional way to introduce yourself, regardless of your age.
2. Understand the aspects of creating a strong personal brand statement.

[VIDEO+ACTIVITY] Duncan Nugget® #60: Present Yourself In High Definition

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing both activities:

1. Be able to clearly explain your goals and plans to someone else such as an employer, college recruiter, or colleague.
2. Turn vague goals into vivid, short stories that outline specific goals and desired outcomes.

How To Tell Your Story In Professional Settings

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Recognize the power of storytelling in professional settings.
2. Master a simple process for telling powerful stories.
3. Begin using your stories to strengthen your competitive advantage.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #56: Point Of Differentiation

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Understand the importance of differentiation in the hiring process.
2. Begin developing points of differentiation that will separate you from the competition.
3. Know how to use your stories to differentiate yourself.

[ACTIVITY] Q & A: The Benefits of Individuality

Learning outcomes from studying the article and completing the activity:

1. Learn about potential advantages and disadvantages of individuality.
2. Begin exploring your strengths and top skills.
3. Create actions steps for improving your best skills.

[ACTIVITY] Duncan Nugget® #211: The Deciding Factor

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the activity and discussion questions:

1. Discover the importance of knowing a potential employer’s deciding factors.
2. Begin learning how to figure out people’s deciding factors.

Duncan Nugget® #145: The New “Average”

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Know that in today’s competitive market you want to be more than “good.” Being good is not good enough.
2. Understand the importance of finding ways to go from “good to great.”
3. Begin exploring how you measure progress on your goals and desired outcomes.

The post Personal Branding Collection first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

It’s Thanksgiving and I’m running around asking people if they remember the “Five Fat Turkeys” song. Nobody remembers. They’re just looking at me like I’m crazy. Lol.

Do you remember the song?

Five fat turkeys are we.
We spent all night in a tree.
When the butcher came ’round,
We couldn’t be found
And that’s why we’re here, you see!

In the face of great adversity, when life is trying to butcher you, if you can hold out and be as resourceful as five turkeys climbing a tree then you will definitely be alright. You’ll be singing, “That’s why I’m here, you see!”

Million-Dollar Question:
Are you as resourceful as a turkey?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The post [VIDEO] Duncan Nugget #499: Resourceful As A Turkey first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

A lesson we all know, but sometimes forget: Always be thankful.

Million-Dollar Question:
What are you thankful for?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The post [PICTURE] I’m Thankful For… first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

This is a growing collection of videos, activities, posters, and articles on various aspects of goal achievement. We’ve arranged them into a multi-part series to make them easier to use with your group. This collection meets key areas of the following national standards:

• Common Core State Standards
• American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
• Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) 

Some of the aspects of goal achievement covered are:

• Setting clear, relevant, and attainable goals
• Developing an action plan and understanding the importance of action steps
• Identifiying potential career goals
• The importance of planning in writing
• How to track and monitor your progress on specific goals
• Overcoming procrastination
• Intrinsic Motivation

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #1: Write and Succeed

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Understanding that writing down what you want to accomplish can give you a competitive advantage.
2. Being able to identify a primary goal and action steps for accomplishing it.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #350: What You Don’t Want

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the actions steps & discussion questions:

1. Understanding the influence your unconscious mind has on goal achievement.
2. Knowing the importance of stating goals in positive language.
3. Have all of your goals written in positive language.

[POSTER] Duncan Nugget® #24: Your Comfort Zone

Learning outcomes from studying the poster and completing the discussion questions:

1. Make an honest assessment about whether or not you are stretching yourself.
2. Know the Values–>Beliefs–>Habits–>Performance->Results process.
3. Understand that sacrifice, effort, and diligence produce great rewards.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #77: When The Pot Is Hot

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Identify an immediate action step to take on something you’ve been procrastinating on getting done.
2. Understand the importance of starting on an idea when it’s “hot”.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #136: Who Is Motivating You?

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Understand the importance of self-motivation in achievement.
2. Discover sources of intrinsic motivation.

[POSTER] Duncan Nugget® #14: Your Performance Today

Learning outcomes from studying the poster and completing the discussion questions:

1. Develop a greater sense of urgency about creating and completing action steps.
2. Come up with the steps necessary for you to put forth maximum effort.
3. Create a process to facilitate using newly acquired knowledge.
4. Understand that learning is a life-long process.

3 Keys To Help Young People Track Progress On Goals

Learning outcomes from studying the article and completing the discussion questions:

1. Develop a simple system for tracking your progress on your goals.
2. Understand that goal achievement is a continuous process.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #78: Seize The Opportunity (Dealing with procrastination.)

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Begin developing a strategy for beating procrastination.
2. Know the difference between patience and procrastination.
3. Understand how procrastination can cost you future opportunities.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #149: The Aspects of What You Expect to Accomplish

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Begin developing a strategy for mastering the various aspects of accomplishing your goals.
2. Discover overlooked aspects of what you expect to accomplish.
3. Create action steps and develop the mindset for dealing with the challenging aspects of achieving your goals.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #19: The Gap Between What You Know And What You Do

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Learn how to avoid common excuses that lead to wasting one’s knowledge.
2. Understand that without action, there can be no goal achievement.
3. Begin developing a process for closing the gap between acquiring knowledge and using knowledge.

[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #281: Bogeys and Birdies

Learning outcomes from watching the video and completing the discussion questions:

1. Learn to set challenging goals.
2. Explore the difference between “fear of loss” and “desire for gain”.
3. Understand the importance of risk-taking.

The post Goal Achievement Collection first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

So, how’s it going this week? Busy as usual? All kinds of stuff driving you nuts as usual?

Okay. Here’s the deal. It’s time for your one minute of chillaxation. (Translation: chill + relaxation)

Duncan Nugget® #363 :
Relaxation is vital to high productivity and stress management. 

I take one minute out of every hour that I’m working to chillax. C’mon now! You deserve one minute out of an hour, don’t you?

ONE MINUTE.

Is it really going to hurt you to stop what you’re doing for one tiny minute? Let me answer that for you. NO. I bet you daydream longer than that.

How many hours do you spend in class, study or work everyday? Eight? Ten or twelve? More than that? That’s around 720 minutes or more.

From now on at least one minute out of every hour is yours.

Stop whatever you’re doing. Close your office door. Close your room door. Go outside, go to the bathroom, or just close your eyes and stay where you are.

Take a deep breath and hold it for 10 seconds. Then exhale for ten seconds. That’s 20 seconds. Do this three times and there’s your minute of chillaxation.

During this moment you will only be imagining a completely relaxing scenario for you.

Getting a massage, chillin’ on the beach, fishing, curled up reading a good book, or some good old-fashioned, couch-potato-TV-watching-napping-on-and-off, on a lazy afternoon. Or whatever tickles your fancy.

Go ahead and do it right now. Everything else can wait for one minute.

Take your minute.

Million-Dollar Question:
When are you going to take a minute to chillax? 

_________________
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What are 3 things you do to relax? How do you find time to do those things? Is that enough? Why or why not?

2. Does your chillaxation ever turn into laziness? What do you do to get back on track? What is one thing you could do to keep from getting off track in the first place?

3. What are the top 2-3 reasons people don’t have time to relax? How do you avoid letting those things keep you from proper relaxation? 

The post Chillaxation first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Q: Hello Mr. Duncan, I had the pleasure of listening to you speak today at The Hilton in Danvers, Ma. I was a parent supplying transport who was able to attend as a student was absent from our group.

One question I left with, and it may be too personal, but was why your income, employment ceased in regards to playing the sax. I understood the spending part, but why did you lose the job? If this is something you do not discuss I clearly understand and respect your privacy.

I hope lot’s of good comes from this gathering. The youth need to take charge, of themselves and in educating others. You really are motivational. —Heidi S., Massachusetts

Heidi, thank you for the kind words. The reason my income from playing the saxophone stopped is because in addition to wasting all of the money I was making on clothes, partying and other stupidness, I was also ruining my professional relationships in the music industry. (Ex. showing up late to rehearsals.) In my early 20’s I just wasn’t very responsible.

It got to a point where people who had been booking me for performances were reluctant to help out. Although I understand that it was all on me—I should have made better choices—I was too immature to have all of that money and prestige without any guidance.

It’s embarrassing, but I don’t mind sharing. As you learned at my seminar, I’m a completely different person and I always hope that talking about my past mistakes will help others to avoid doing the same. If you have any other questions feel free to let me know. Thanks again.

______________________

Got a question? Use this form to ask Al.

The post Q & A: Why Did Your Income, Employment Cease In Regards To Playing The Sax? first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

In most cases college interviews are not mandatory. They are, however, highly recommended because they can give you a competitive advantage. A great interview could be the difference between acceptance and rejection.

Before I give you 5 questions your interviewer could ask you, let me answer a question that you may have.

What criteria do they use to make a decision?

Duncan Nugget® #211:
When someone makes a decision about you and what you have to offer, many times the deciding factor isn’t what you think it is.

[Watch Duncan Nugget® #211]

The list of criteria on which they base their decision changes slightly from school to school. So, to make it simpler I teach people to focus on 3 areas. Regardless of the criteria, these are the 3 main areas the college is assessing:

1. Strengths – Your top skills, qualities, and characteristics.

2. Weaknesses – Your below average skills, inconsistencies, and character flaws.

3. Potential – Do we believe in the quality of your future performance at this institution?

They assess these areas by asking questions about your:

—Career objectives

—College objectives

—Grade Point Average – Overall, core classes, and by semester.

—Activities, Awards, and Honors

—Work experience

The formula is simple. If your strengths and potential are strong enough to overshadow your weaknesses and you have a great interview, your chances of getting an acceptance letter are high.

QUESTIONS

I’m just going to focus on 5 main questions, but if you want to check out more questions and additional tips for college interviews I recommend The College Interview from the Emma Willard School’s website.

1. Tell me about yourself. Please, don’t start with “Um…” Some form of this question is asked in just about every interview so, you need to be prepared with a brand statement that immediately establish the value that you bring to the table. For help on answering this question check out Introduce Yourself The Easy Way.

2. Tell me about a challenge you overcame. This a great time to tell a story that outlines how your skills and characteristics help to deal with setbacks and obstacles. For help on how to tell a story check out Personal Branding: Tell Your Story.

3. Why are you considering attending this college? What makes you think this college would be a great match?

4. Tell us about your future. This question will be asked more than once in different variations like, “What do plan to major in?” and “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”

5. Why should we accept you? They might not ask this so directly. It may be a question like “What can you contribute to our college community?” Regardless of what form this question comes in just remember that it’s a chance for you to highlight what you do best. And using a story to do this would be awesome.

Million-Dollar Question:
How are you preparing for a great college interview?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & AN ACTION STEP

1. What are 3 things you can do to get ready for a college interview? Why do you believe these things will help you prepare?

2. If you were interviewing a student to be accepted at a college where you were in charge of admissions, what criteria would you use? What are 3-5 questions you would ask? How would these questions help you make your decision?

3. If you had a friend who was nervous about his or her interview, what advice would you give him or her? Would the same advice work for you? Why or why not?

4. ACTION STEP: Practice answering the 5 questions in the article with someone you know. Then find a few other questions (do a search or use The College Interview) and let your partner ask you those as well. (Hint: Let your partner pick random questions.) Do this with 3 or more different people before your interview. And don’t wait until the night before!

The post 5 College Interview Questions You Could Be Asked first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

When it comes to resume writing services, I’ve heard great stories and horror stories. So, in a nutshell, a did-it-myself resume can be just as effective as one written by a professional IF you know what you are doing.

The two initial questions most employers have are:

1. Does this resume look professional and is it appealing to the eye? (Of course, this doesn’t matter if you had to copy and paste it in to an online application.)

2. Why should we bring you in for an interview? (Wow us. Please.)

If you know how to make your resume professional and appealing; if you know how to make your resume give a captivating snapshot of your story, then there’s no need to pay to have it done. Take that money and go get some books or audio programs on improving other aspects of your career.

WARNING: A lot of people think their resumes are up to par, but they are mistaken. Trust me. Just ask any employer how many jacked up resumes he or she sees. So, even if you think your resume is awesome, have it reviewed. Not just proofread, but reviewed for effectiveness.

Whether or not you are confident about writing your own resume you might want to read a book or two to get some ideas. A great book on resume writing is Knock ‘Em Dead Resumes by Martin Yate.

Once you have done your reading and explored your resources (think Career Centers, mentors, or someone in HR) if you are still having a hard time and you have the money then a professional resume writing service could be helpful to you.

Depending on what services you want (resume, cover letter, etc.), I’ve seen prices ranging from $100-$500 or more, which can seem expensive unless it helps you land a great paying job. Then you just got back a huge return on your investment. Think about that.

The challenging thing about professional resume writing services is making sure they are reputable and have a track record of success. So, do your research if you go this route. Also, keep in mind that even if you do get a professionally written resume, it still needs to be edited and adapted to each specific position you apply for.

Million-Dollar Question:
Do you know how to make an employer and
search-friendly resume that gives a captivating snapshot of your story?

If not, then you need to learn or pay somebody to do it.

______________________

Got a question? Use this form to ask Al. 

The post Q & A: What Is Your Take On Professional Resume Writing Services? first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

On the way back from a gig in Brooklyn, N.Y., my flight was delayed. Same old story, right? Nowadays it seems as if I have a better chance of seeing a two-legged dog walking upright like a human than I do of seeing an entire round trip flight with no delays. As they say on Twitter:

#SomethingIsWrongWithThat

There were no problems with the plane, the weather, or the crew. I was on the seat, the seat was on the plane, the plane was on the runway, and the runway was on… lockdown.

No planes were being allowed to leave LaGuardia International Airport because of a problem in the air traffic control tower. The radar wasn’t working so, they couldn’t track and monitor the planes after take off. No way they were going to allow that to happen.

While I sat there for 45-minutes, it dawned me on that goal achievement works the same way.

Duncan Nugget® #348:
The ability to accurately track and monitor
your progress is one of the secrets to
becoming a real goal-getter. 

Maybe your goals are all written out, you know where you’re headed, and you’re ready for take off. But if you don’t have radar—a way to precisely track and monitor your flight (progress)—then that’s a problem the control tower (your mind) needs to immediately resolve.

In order for you to track and monitor your goals, they have to be measurable. Here are 3 keys to help you quantify your goals.

1. Action Steps: This is an easy way to track your progress. You want to come up with some immediate action steps that you can start to take today.

You can put your action steps on a to-do list. Write them down or use an app on your phone, tablet, or computer. Once you complete the list KEEP IT. It feels great to look back at your to-do list and see that you’ve completed dozens or 100’s action steps. And it also helps you to see where you need to be more diligent about getting things done.

2. Circle of Wisdom: You have to be determined to add successful people to your circle. Building relationships with exceptional individuals turns your circle into an awesome source of wisdom.

This is especially true when you surround yourself with people who have the courage to call you out on your excuses. They help to hold you accountable for achieving your goals. They know you. They can see if you’re making progress. They see if what you say is in alignment with what you do.

In addition to holding you accountable, they help you to grow. Their success will inspire you to strive for more.

NOTE: If you are a minor, you should have at least one adult in your Circle of Wisdom. Other than that, age doesn’t really matter. It the success that’s important.

You might want to find a mentor because having great one is a resource that gives you a competitive advantage. You gotta have a Circle of Wisdom and you need a strong mentor or two in your circle.

3. The Numbers: There are multiple ways to use numbers to track your progress. Here are some examples:

– An entrepreneurs financial goals can be tracked by cashflow, profit, and loss. 

– Academic goals can be tracked by GPA and learning outcomes. 

– Athletic goals are tracked using all kinds of stats, but the one that is universally agreed on is championships.

Know your numbers. Your numbers are your visible results. Your numbers provide quantifiable evidence about your progress.

Keep in mind, numbers aren’t everything. If you’ve been completing the right action steps, but your numbers don’t reflect that, then this is where getting great feedback and advice from your Circle Of Wisdom is priceless.

Use the 3 keys you just read about to track your progress. Be a real goal-getter. And remember, ALL of us can get better. Work on it. Today.

Million-Dollar Question:
Are you determined to track your goals
like a real goal-getter?

_______________________
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How do YOU track progress on your goals? What are the 3 main benefits of tracking your goals?

2. What are your next 3 actions steps for accomplishing your main goal? How soon will you complete your action steps?

3. If you had the perfect Circle Of Wisdom, what would it be like? Describe it. What types of people would be in there? Why do you want to surround yourself with those types of people? What are you doing to meet those types of people?

4. Do you agree with the statement, “numbers don’t lie”? Why or why not?

5. If you’ve been working hard on a goal, but your numbers aren’t good, what would you do about it? Why?

The post 3 Keys To Help Young People Track Progress On Goals first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Whether it’s parents fussing at children, students complaining about teachers, co-workers arguing, or couples fighting, conflicts often end with a stack of hurt feelings and enraged people.

If you really want to resolve the conflict, it’s not cool to say things like: “You idiot! How stupid can you be?!”

But what if he really is an idiot?

I feel your pain but, even if you’re dealing with a genuine idiot, those types of statements actually make things worse because they are value judgments about the individual.

When resolving conflicts, focus on the issue, not the individual; the problem, not the person.

Think about it. It’s easier to resolve the issue or problem, when you avoid making value judgments about a person. Instead, focus on the aspects of the issue you want to resolve.

Million-Dollar Question:
When dealing with conflict,
do you focus on the individual or the issue? 

______________________
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How do you deal with conflicts and arguments? Is your method effective? Why or why not? How could you improve your method?

2. What helps you to separate the individual from the issue? When is this most challenging for you?

3. Is it easy for you stand your ground and disagree with other people? Do you like to argue? Why or why not?

4. What are 3 suggestions for dealing with conflicts would you give to a “quiet” person?

5. Many times when people have a conflict they act they are mad about something, but they are actually angry about a different issue. That’s called the real issue. Do you focus on the real issue? If yes, how do you focus on dealing with the real issue? If no, how can you do a better job of dealing the real issue?

The post [VIDEO] Duncan Nugget #36: Individuals and Issues first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

A few years ago, I caught a glimpse of a talk show and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I started talking to myself. (Don’t act like you’ve never talked to yourself.)

Did I just see what I think I saw?!

Yeah, I did. I saw a two-legged dog walking upright like a human!

Now, I don’t know how you would’ve reacted, but it tripped me out. I was flabbergasted. The dog, named Faith, was born with two-back legs, but only one, severely deformed front leg. Because of atrophy, that leg was eventually removed.

The talk show host asked the owner how she was able to teach Faith to walk upright. The owner said, “The first thing I had to do was get Faith to believe that it was possible.”

Think about that. In order to get past the illusion of impossibility, the dog had to believe.

Duncan Nugget® #285:
Belief is a powerful weapon for conquering the illusion of impossibility.

I kept thinking the same thing over and over again: “No excuses. If a biped dog can learn to walk upright, you have no excuses, man. No excuses.”

I was also thinking, “Now that’s what you call real dogged determination!”

Million-Dollar Question:
Is your belief strong enough to conquer
the illusion of impossibility? 

The post A Lesson On Belief From A Two-Legged Dog first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Duncan Nugget #319:
When you build people up, you build yourself up.

SUMMARY: In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month (October), Al talks about why you can’t bully your way to success.

Million-Dollar Question:
Do you spend your time tearing people down
 or building people up? 

__________________
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What are 3 things you are willing to do to help stop bullying? Explain why you think these things will help.

2. What are 3 things you are willing to do to help build someone up? Explain why these things will help people.

3. If you knew someone who was being bullied in school, at work, or anywhere in life, what advice would you give him or her? Why would your advice be effective?

4. What makes some people fall into the trap of thinking they can make themselves feel better by making other people feel bad? How do you avoid falling into this trap?

5. One area of bullying is called cyberbullying. What are some steps that people can take to protect themselves online? What should a person do if someone is bullying him online? Is it ever okay to argue with people online? Why or why not?

The post [VIDEO] Bullying Prevention Message: Build People Up first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Before a recent speaking engagement, a superintendent of schools and I had a conversation.

“We’re glad you’re here. These students need some motivation.”

“I’m here to help, but I don’t really motivate people.”

“What do you mean? You get students motivated. That’s why we hired you.”

“Don’t worry. They’ll be motivated. I’ll do what I do best—give them tools to motivate themselves.”

“Oohhh… Well…I guess that’s even better!”

Yup. That is better because the person who is waiting for someone or something else to motivate him will be left behind.

It’s your life. Get motivated. From within. Self-motivation, also known as intrinsic motivation, is a valuable asset on your path to success.

Being self-motivated is one of the top characteristics that employers want in their employees. They want self-starters—people with initiative.

Self-motivation could be part of your competitive advantage.

Million-Dollar Question: 
Are you sitting around waiting for
somebody else to motivate you?

_______________________________________

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In your opinion, what is the main thing that kills a person’s motivation? How do YOU deal with that problem?

2. Although self-motivation is intrinsic, extrinsic motivators like money, can still help give you the drive to succeed. List the top 5 things that motivate you. How many things on your list are extrinsic? How many are intrinsic? Which ones motivate you more, the intrinsic or extrinsic motivators? Why?

3. If you had a friend who was having a hard time being self-motivated, what advice would you give him or her? Why do you think your advice would be helpful?

4. Do you think it’s a leader’s responsibility to motivate the people around him/her? Why or why not?

5. What are 3 things you would do even if you didn’t get paid to do them? What would motivate you to do these things even if they didn’t pay you? How can you use those same motivators to help you achieve your goals?

The post [VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #136: Who Is Motivating You? first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Duncan Nugget® #60: Present Yourself In High Definition
Click here for activity, discussion questions, and the original post.

The post Featured Video (Week of 9/1/13) first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Join the K-State College of Business Ambassadors as they kickoff K-State’s Professional Advantage program with this year’s keynote speaker Al Duncan. Mr. Duncan—an award-winning youth advocate, publisher, and international authority on soft skills—will talk about the steps necessary for students to start “Building A Competitive Advantage in the 21st Century.”
The Kickoff Convocation is free to K-States students and will be held on Tuesday, September 10th. In addition to his keynote, Mr. Duncan will also be conducting two workshops and a book signing. The K-State College of Business Ambassadors are a select group of current College of Business Administration (CBA) students who represent the CBA and its students.

Original post: https://blogs.k-state.edu/kstatebusiness/professional-advantage-kickoff-event-featuring-al-duncan/

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It’s a crazy, competitive world. So, in order to succeed, people are always looking for a competitive advantage. Developing a strong personal brand is a part of that process. Unfortunately, many people think that personal branding is only about working on things like their resume, social media, online reputation, and appearance.

Think about that.

All of those things are external, but personal branding is also internal. It has lot to do with what’s going on inside of you. Only focusing on the external is like a baker only focusing on the icing.

What about the cake?

What about what’s inside?

What about your character?

Get your SELF together first and everything else will begin to fall in place because personal branding starts on the inside.

What’s in your life tends to be a projection of what’s in you.

Million-Dollar Question:
What does your personal brand look like
on the inside?

_______________________________________
ACTIONS STEPS AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(NOTE: Grit, diligence, and work ethic represent some of the internal aspects of personal branding. Grit is passion and motivation to accomplish a long term goal. Diligence is careful and persistent effort. It takes grit and diligence to have great work ethic.)

1. On a scale of 1-10, rate your level of grit. Write down an example or story from your life that proves you have grit. Next, write down what you will do to take your grit to the next level.

2. On a scale of 1-10, rate your level of diligence. Write down an example or story from your life that proves you are diligent. Next, write down what you will do to take your diligence to the next level.

3. On a scale of 1-10, rate your work ethic. (HINT: According to research, work ethic is one of the character strengths most desired by colleges and employers.) Write down an example or story from your life that proves you have  good work ethic. Next, write down what you will do to take your work ethic to the next level.

4. How well does your public image line up with your self-image? If they don’t line up as well as you would like, what will you do to get them in alignment?

5. Personality is a big part of your personal brand. What are some aspects of your personality that you would like to improve? How do you plan to improve them.

The post [VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #131: Personal Branding Starts on the Inside first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Duncan Nugget® #344:Your Strategy for Dealing With Failure
Click here for action steps, discussion questions, and the original post.

The post Featured Video (Week of 8/25/13) first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Which tastes better, Pepsi or Coke?

In a study done at Baylor College of Medicine, most people said they preferred Coke. But the researchers also monitored people’s brains while they tasted Coke and Pepsi.

When people knew what brand they were drinking, their brains lit up more for Coke than for Pepsi. But, the researchers changed things up. They told people they were drinking Coke even when they were drinking Pepsi and guess what? People’s brains lit up more for Pepsi.

Think about that. It wasn’t just the taste. It was an effect of their expectations.

That’s life.

If you are convinced ahead of time that something is going to be bad or good, many times it will be. Not because of the experience, it’s because of the amazing effects of your expectations.

Million-Dollar Question:
How are your expectations
influencing what happens in your life?

_________________________
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Think about a time when you were going to do something new. Did you think of all the good things that could happen first or did you think about all of the bad things? What effect do you think that had on your experience? Is that how you normally approach new situations?

2. Think about a time when you met someone new. Did you notice all of the differences between the two of you first or the similarities first? What effect do you think that had on how you related to the person? Is that how you normally relate to people?

3. How do you feel about the following statement? “Be prepared for the worst, but expect the best.” Do you think this is a useful principle to live by? Why or why not?

4. Do you think it’s a good idea to always “think positive?” Why? Can you think of a situation when only thinking positive can make things worse or set you up for failure?

5. Have you ever expected something turn out a certain way, but it turned out completely different? What happened? Did it turn out better or worse? How did your expectations impact the outcome?

The post [VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #311: The Amazing Effects of Your Expectations first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

If you are going to start, make it a good start.

I know… “Duh!” Who doesn’t know that, right? But yet and still many people fail to set themselves up properly. The following questions are ideal for helping students, educators, parents, and other professionals working with young people get off to a great start at the beginning of the school or program year.

You and the group you are working with should answer these questions in writing. They will make for a great group discussion.

1. Why am I here? Why am I going to school, work, or participating in this program?

If your answer is “Because my mom made me,” or “I have to,” I have one word for you: lame.

Your why is your single point of focus. It’s different then a goal, it’s the reason you remain motivated and determined to meet your goals. It’s what drives you to do what you do. The stronger your why, the higher your level of determination and motivation. So, you gotta have a strong answer to this question. It should be your reason, not someone else’s.

Your why could start off like this:

• I go to school because…
• I go to work because…
• My main reason for doing this is…

2. What is my main goal for this year? What are 3-5 immediate actions steps that I can take to get closer to my goal?

“If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.” Ever heard that before? It’s 100 percent true. Your main goal is your primary target. Keep in mind that people often have a goal, but no actions steps to go with it. That doesn’t make any sense Executing a plan full of action steps will greatly increase the chances of hitting your target.

3. What is the main thing I want to improve? What are 3 actions steps that will help me to improve? 

Get better.

That’s what it’s all about—improving on your skills and accomplishments. And remember, the main person you are competing against is… YOU.

4. What is something new and exciting that I want to learn? How will it help me to get better and be happier in life?

You need something to keep life from getting stale. New and exciting things give your life a jolt—a shot of energy that can replenish your motivation and determination. Not mention, all of the new possibilities and opportunities that could come out of your new experience.

5. What do you dislike most about what you have to get done? How will you keep that from distracting or stopping you?

A lot of times we just complain about what we don’t like instead of creating a plan to change or deal with it. Not cool.

Be careful. Your dislike’s can really drain your motivation and deplete your determination. It’s best to identify them and create a plan that helps you to deal with them in an effective manner. Dislikes aren’t going anywhere. There will always be something you dislike. The secret is to keep it from becoming an excuse not to do what you need to do.

6. What two resources will I do a better job of using?

Last semester, a student was complaining to me that she was having trouble finding scholarships. I asked her if she checked in the career center or guidance office. Of course, she said, “No.”

I responded, “Really?! Well, go there and ask for help.”

She went there and found all kinds of books and websites that helped her apply for scholarships. Everybody—from students to professionals—has people and other sources of information that we could make better use of and when we do, it makes life a little bit easier.

7. What are my expectations for this year?

Your expectations play a major role in how things turn out for you. Why? Because of the effect your expectations have on your actions and decisions.

Duncan Nugget® #311:
If you are convinced ahead of time that something is going to be bad or good, many times it will be. Not because of the experience, it’s because of the amazing effects of your expectations.

(Click here to watch Duncan Nugget® #311 on video) 

So, make time to think about your expectations and the possible impact on your desired outcome. Remember, if you answer these seven questions in writing you’ll be off to a great start.

Million-Dollar Question:
What are you going to do to make sure you get off to a great start? 

The post [ACTIVITY] 7 Questions To Ask Yourself At The Beginning Of The Semester first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Center for Leadership and Community Engagement | CWU Leadership Conference 2013:

Join the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement as we host CWU’s 5th Annual Leadership Conference. Guided by this year’s keynote speaker Al Duncan, the conference will feature the theme “Mission Possible: Agents of Success.”

Through his inspirational voice, Mr. Duncan will explain how success can be found in anyone and how every student can rise to be successful in whatever field they wish to pursue. To learn more about Mr. Duncan’s experience please visit http://www.alduncan.net/. Joining Mr. Duncan are some tremendous facilitators from both on and off the Central Washington University Campus. While many of these facilitators have specialized practices focused within the four colleges of Central Washington University, each is looking to have any student take away valuable professional development skills from their workshop, regardless of major.

The Conference is free to Central Washington University students and will be held on April 4th. Lunch will be provided to those who register by the March 29th deadline. The conference welcome will begin at 8:30 AM; concurrent sessions will begin at 9:00 AM and run throughout the day, ending at 4:00 PM. Students are welcome to register for any of the sessions that they are available to attend.

The post The Central Washington University Leadership Conference 2013 first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Al Duncan Enterprises, LLC joins America’s Promise Alliance and its Grad Nation Campaign. At Home, in School and in our Communities Al Duncan Enterprises LLC Supports the Call to Reduce the High School Dropout Rate and Improve the lives of America’s Young People.

ATLANTA, GA — March 8, 2013 — Today Al Duncan Enterprises, LLC announced they have become a partner of America’s Promise Alliance (America’s Promise) and will work with them to help reduce the nation’s high school dropout rate and ensure that America’s children and youth have the resources they need to lead healthy, successful lives.The mission of Al Duncan Enterprises, LLC is to help young people turn unlimited potential into exceptional performance by providing evidence-based resources and solutions to youth serving organizations and institutions. This directly relates to the Five Promises outlined by America’s Promise, so the ADE team is excited about becoming a national partner.

Founded in 1997 with General Colin Powell as its founding chair, America’s Promise is the nation’s largest partnership dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. Its strong national network of more than 400 partners is comprised of organizations representing all sectors of American life. Through America’s Promise, these partners are working together to end the dropout crisis and see that more children and youth experience the Five Promises in their lives—Caring Adults, Safe Places, A Healthy Start, Effective Education, and Opportunities to Help Others.

“Ensuring that our young people are equipped to perform at an exceptional level is a crucial component of ensuring the continued growth and prosperity of our great nation,” says Al Duncan, President & CEO. “We are excited to join with America’s Promise Alliance and all of its partners because they are leading the charge.”

As an official partner, ADE will support and take part in the work of America’s Promise to ensure that more of the nation’s young people experience the Five Promises and are prepared to finish high school prepared for college and the 21st century workforce. ADE will also be an active partner in supporting the work of the Grad Nation campaign, a large and growing movement of dedicated individuals, organizations and communities working together to end the dropout crisis. The goal of Grad Nation is to raise the national high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020, with no school graduating fewer than 80 percent of its students on time.

“Creating stronger communities where youth feel supported and encouraged is essential to America’s future strength and vitality,” said John Gomperts, president and CEO of America’s Promise Alliance. “By coming together in common purpose, we demonstrate our commitment and the fact that we all have a role to play in the success of our children and youth, and we are infinitely more powerful as a united force. We’re thrilled that Al Duncan Enterprises, LLC has joined this movement.”

The work of America’s Promise includes signature initiatives like the 100 Best Communities for Young People competition and Grad Nation Communities. America’s Promise also supports and distributes numerous reports highlighting the latest research and data for communities and youth development practitioners. This includes the annual Building a Grad Nation report on the dropout crisis as well as resources on parental engagement, career exploration and communications. As a partner, ADE will have early access to all America’s Promise commissioned research, tools and information.

To learn more about America’s Promise Alliance, visit: www.americaspromise.org.

The post Al Duncan Enterprises, LLC Joins America’s Promise Alliance And Its Grad Nation Campaign first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

DANVERS, MA—On Tuesday, March 5, 2013 the Essex District Attorney’s Office will partner with Al Duncan Enterprises, LLC to put on District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s Youth Summit.Teams of five students (9th and 10th graders) and a faculty member from 60 area high schools will attend. The youth summit will be high energy, with evidence-based leadership training and will motivate students to “Be an Agent of Positive Change in Your School.”

ADE will provide all programming and the curriculum for the summit. Al Duncan was also one of the keynotes speakers at the 10th Annual Essex County School Safety Conference.

8:00 am-11:30 am Doubletree Hotel. 50 Ferncroft Road Danvers, MA

The post Al Duncan Enterprises, LLC Partners With Essex District Attorney first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

ATHENS, GA—Be inspiring! Be a catalyst of positive change on your campus! Be a leader! These are the basic ideas behind the 17th Annual Georgia Collegiate Leadership Conference… Activation Energy: The Chemistry of Leadership. We invite you to join us February 9th, 2013 to learn what it takes to be an inspiring leader and further develop the elements of leadership you already possess. A full day of keynote speakers, student and advisor-geared leadership workshops of your choosing, and networking opportunities awaits you.

The post Al Duncan Keynotes the Georgia Collegiate Leadership Conference first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

COLUMBIA, SC— Al Duncan keynotes the 15th Annual Wanda Hendricks-Bellamy Student Leadership Conference (WHBSLC). This was a South Carolina TRiO event.

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Friday, Jan 11 7:00p
The Westin Buckhead Hotel (formerly the Suisshotel)
Atlanta, GA
The Gala & Awards ceremony will be held in the Grand ballroom at the Westin Buckhead Hotel on January 11, 2013 at 6 pm. This red carpet event will honor outstanding leaders and philanthropists.

The Keynote Speaker will be Al Duncan, an award-winning youth advocate, publisher, and internationally recognized authority on soft skills who travels the world “Equipping Young Minds For Exceptional Performance.” The Dukes foundation is a youth mentoring program.

The post The Dukes Foundation 10th Anniversary Gala and Awards first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Pop quiz.

A bat and ball costs a dollar and ten cents together. If the bat costs one dollar more than the ball, how much does the ball cost?

Got it?

The ball costs ten cents, right? Wrong.

When Daniel Kahneman—the Nobel Prize winning psychologist—gave that problem to students at Harvard, M.I.T., and Princeton, more than half got it wrong! They were thinking too fast. (The ball is 5 cents and the bat is a dollar and five cents.)

Because life is so busy, we develop cognitive biases and mental shortcuts. We skip steps to save time and brain power. But mental shortcuts like assumptions, stereotypes, and snap judgments can cause us to make bad decisions, ignore good advice, and ruin opportunities.

Be careful. Slooow down. Think. Slowly. Like the problem with the bat and ball, you probably know the right answer.

Million-Dollar Question:
Are you thinking too fast?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What are 3 scenarios where thinking too fast could cause you some serious problems? What are 3-5 steps you can take to make better decisions in those types of scenarios?

2. Thinking fast is not always bad. What are 3 scenarios where mental shortcuts can help you out?

3. Think of a famous incident—any incident at all—where someone was thinking too fast. What happened? Why do you think mental shortcuts caused a problem? How could have thinking slow helped out?

The post [VIDEO] Duncan Nugget #355: Think. Slowly. first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

This special Christmas Dinner was the 7th for Opportunity Knocks for Youth. The organization of some 25 mentors works with at-risk teens, mostly in Cobb County…

Read the rest here: Opportunity Knocks for Youth shows that gifts come in many forms…(East Cobb Patch)

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Iman Victoria Wilson is the 2012 national winner of the Blacks In Government Information Superhighway Student Competition. An honors student in the 11th grade at Monroe Comprehensive High School, Iman has received the Girl of the Year Award from Girl’s Inc. She epitomizes the organization’s mantra: “Strong, Smart and Bold.” Iman is also the Sunday School secretary for Institutional First Baptist Church in Albany, GA.

Iman enjoys reading, meeting new people, listening to music, and spending time with her family. Her positive and polite attitude is magnetic. She aspires to attend Spelman College. Her post graduate plans include attending Harvard School of Law and eventually becoming a successful criminal defense attorney. Let’s take a quick peek inside the mind of this young leader on the rise.

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Iman, congratulations on winning the Information Superhighway Student Competition. What made you decide to enter the contest? Was it your mom? Ha! Also, exactly what did you have to do?

Actually, it was my parents idea to enter the contest, but I’m definitely glad that I did. My job was to design an 8 page website on the given topic which was “Building Proper Relationships Through Online Social Networking: The Do’s & Don’ts For Your Friends & Followers.” I also had to create a 4-6 minute oration to accompany my website.

Your winning topic is a topic that can help a lot students and professionals manage their personal brands. How many do’s and don’ts are there and what are the most important ones?

The do’s and don’ts are endless since social networks make changes and improvements on almost a daily basis. Most importantly you should always remember to be safe when chatting online and be mindful of your postings and pictures. I know individuals that have posted things they’ve regretted and now worry if it will hinder their ability to get into college or get a job later in life.

Do you know how many students were competing in the competition? And how many levels were there?

At the local level 10 students competed. At the regional level 15 competed and at the national level 15 competed.

And you beat’em all. Awesome! What’s the deal with the website? Is it up? Can people use it?

The website hasn’t been published. It’s been saved to a CD-ROM.

Well, hopefully they’ll publish it for it you. Let me know when they do. When you did your oration, how many people did you have to present to? How did you handle the pressure?

I presented my oration in a crowd of a little over a hundred people. I know for sure that I called on God twice as many the times as the [number of] people in the room, but I kept reminding myself to remain focused and relaxed.

What was the most challenging thing about the contest for you?

The most challenging thing about this contest was giving up eight of my Saturday mornings to design my webpage. When you’re there you’re thinking about all of the other things you could be doing like
sleeping in, chatting with friends, etc. But the end result was worth the sacrifice.

You describe yourself as “Strong, Smart, and Bold.” Please give me an example that demonstrates that. Also, how will those characteristics help you to excel as a leader?

I believe that I am strong because with each of life’s challenges or even failures I use them as motivation to stay the course and do better with the next chance or opportunity given. I am smart because I am always seeking and in search of different ways to increase my knowledge. Reading, observing and analyzing experiences and situations have become habitual for me!

I am bold because I dare to be me. I learned early on that most leaders never conform to the crowd. They develop their own style and chart their own path.

True! What is the best piece of advice you have ever gotten and where did it come from?

The best piece of advice I received came from a Marilyn Monroe quote that I read: “I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they’re right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself. And sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

Iman, thanks for sharing! I wish you continued success.

Thanks!

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Hey! Are you a positive, high achieving young person? Would you like to be interviewed by me? Do you know any positive, high achieving young people I should interview?

I’m looking for outstanding young leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs to feature in my new Q&A interview series called The Young And Exceptional. If you would like to be featured in this series please fill out the form located here. Be sure to include a short bio (100 words or less) in your message.

The post The Young and Exceptional™: Iman Victoria Wilson first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Purpose called. But…
She was sent straight to voice mail.
She didn’t leave a message. 
But Purpose is persistent so…
she will call again.

Million-Dollar Question: 
Will YOU answer the call?

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Helping someone choose a major, career, or find his/her purpose can be challenging. The following discussion questions should help to get him/her thinking about his/her passions, skills, strengths, and weaknesses. These questions work well for a group discussion, but it is often beneficial to use them as an individual research project.

Remember, finding your purpose normally requires a great deal of patience, diligence, questioning, experimenting, and exploring that includes failure and success. The rewards are awesome.

1. Describe an awesome day for you. What would you be doing? Where would you go? Can you have a career doing any of those things?

2. Is there something that you do better than most people? How can you become even better at it? Is it possible to build a career based on it?

3. Are people always asking for your help or advice? If yes, about what? Can you have a career giving advice or helping people do this type thing?

4. What do you love to learn about? What types of careers are based on this subject?

5. If you had to teach a class on something, what would it be? Why?

6. What do you do that people consistently compliment you on? Is it possible to have a career based on this?

7. What would you do if you knew you were guaranteed to succeed? Is it possible for you to have a career based on this?

The post [POSTER] Duncan Nugget® #240: Purpose Called first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.

Here’s a cool little story about blame. Maybe you’ve heard it before.

“This is the story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody knew that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.

Consequently, it wound up that Nobody told Anybody, so Everybody blamed Somebody. And nothing got done.”

Unfortunately, there was a time in my life when I blamed anything and anyone else, except for myself, for my lack of success. Not cool.

You cannot blame your way to success.

Personal responsibility is required. Blame is the arch enemy of personal responsibility. Therefore, blame is lame.

Million-Dollar Question:
Do you choose blame or personal responsibility?

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ACTIVITY AND DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR DUNCAN NUGGET #330

It can be extremely challenging to get people to take responsibility for their success. The following activity and discussion questions are great for helping to reinforce the principles of personal responsibility.

NOTE: If you do not have time to do this activity then you can still have a group discussion or individual assignment based on the questions at the end. 

Whiners and Designers

Summary

Teams/Pairs will have 15 minutes to translate 10 phrases from Whiner language into Designer language.

Discussion Questions

1. “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” Do you agree with that statement? Why or why not?

2. “It’s not what happens to you in life, it’s what you do about it.” Is that the language of a Whiner or Designer? Do you live your life according to that principle? Why or why not?

3. What is the relationship between personal responsibility and the quality of your character?

4. Is it ever okay to blame someone else for what happened? Why or why not?

5. At times it is very hard to accept personal responsibility. Why? How can failing to accept personal responsibility result in negative consequences?

The post [VIDEO+ACTIVITY] Duncan Nugget #330: Blame Is Lame first appeared on Duncan Nuggets Soft Skills Training | Young Professionals.