My two countries, the United States and India, are going through a significant transition vis-a-vis technology, entrepreneurship and innovation. And their destinies have become intricately intertwined in the last decade or two. While China took America's manufacturing industry, India's emergence as a global software outsourcing powerhouse has rocked America's white collar workforce and even its ivory-tower intelligentsia. Every so often, I get letters from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I received a master's degree, asking for contributions. I usually oblige. Recently, a letter from the head of the electrical engineering and computer science department really disturbed me. MIT and all other institutions are losing applicants for their EECS programs, and the heads of these departments (one of the largest at MIT) are trying to figure out ways to convince young high school students that EECS is still a great choice for a major. As career prospects, they are offered finance, biology and energy. Jobs in these areas, the students agree, are not going offshore to India. Finance as one of the leading options for MIT's computer science graduates is one of the disturbing elements in the message. The other is the complete absence of the word entrepreneurship. Wall Street has taken "quants" from places like MIT, and look at the creative mess they have gotten us into. Now, we want to push more brilliant, high-potential talent into this world? Banking is supposed to be a simple business of lending money. Why does it need MIT engineers? Why should MIT's leaders push their young into this world of unbridled, unadulterated greed, instead of grooming them to become innovators, builders, entrepreneurs, leaders? A few weeks back, I read a review of my book, Entrepreneur Journeys (Volume One), by Tong Chen, a freshman at MIT. Chen wrote: "As a freshman at MIT, I stumbled upon this book during my Christmas break inadvertently. Never having thought about entrepreneurship or founding my own company, I opened the book with a sense of curiosity and even defiance--I felt strongly about becoming a quant or pursuing similar careers in the finance sector. Isn't entrepreneurship just a euphemism for 'self-employed' or just adventurous people going on in an adrenaline rush? "And isn't success in this field based solely on luck? After reading just a few pages, however, I became instantly gripped by the inspirations these stories carried. My misgivings for this sector of highly-motivated and responsible businessmen disappeared. Luck only comes after a disciplined foundation of technical expertise and industry analysis. Their pioneering vision, work ethic and long-term insights ... changed my outlook for this economy and even my own career future." I was stunned. I was moved. I was at the same time elated and angered. Why has an MIT freshman never considered entrepreneurship as a career option? Why has he never been shown role models of technology entrepreneurs? Why is it that the No. 1 career path that he considers is finance? What has gone wrong here? Is it India that has got MIT and the other institutes of its caliber into a panic mode? India itself is making a concerted effort to promote entrepreneurship. Gaps remain wide when it comes to innovation, but the spirit and the energy of the country is one of hope, certainly not one of panic. My beloved alma mater, on the other hand, with its unparalleled innovation and entrepreneurship history, infrastructure and stature, wants to lure students into EECS with finance as a carrot. This is the wrong strategy. Instead, every university, college, community college and high school should make it a point to introduce entrepreneurship as one of the most desirable career paths for America's youth, and set them up with positive role models. President Obama doesn't help, offering a stimulus package that hardly gives a nod to innovation and entrepreneurship. He's spreading the same fear psychosis that he spoke so fervently against before getting elected. Yet, there is such an opportunity for the US-India relationship to be one of collaboration around entrepreneurship and innovation. There is no country in the world that has a better infrastructure for innovation than America. And India wants to learn and collaborate. This does not have to be a zero-sum game. |
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
US and India's tech dilemma
Monday, February 23, 2009
Business & Career: Know Your Ruling Star!
"Know your Ruling Star. One man is better received by one nation than another, or is one welcome by one city than another. He finds more luck in one office or position than in another, and all though his qualifications are equal or even identical. Let each man know his luck as well as his talents. Follow your guiding star and help it without mistaking any other for it. Know how to transplant yourself. There are nations with whom one must cross their borders to make one's value felt."
- Balthasar Gracian, (Spain, 1600's)
Have you ever felt, "Here I am, best job I ever had, good money, an excellent career move - but, what in the world am I doing here where I feel so alone and out-of-place with my surroundings? How did this happen to me?"
I've been there, because someone offered me a job and I accepted, knowing ahead-of-time, intuitively I wouldn't feel at home in the town and surroundings.
Or - maybe you love your location but, sadly, are unable to find any openings in your field. I've been there also. Looking back on my years in Austin, Texas, I can't believe the number of short-term, soul-emptying jobs I tried very hard and unsuccessfully do to. My job-duration ranged from only two hours (which was long enough when you hate what you are doing!) to several months (each day seeming like an eternity) before my opportunities in broadcasting finally came.
It's a rare person these days who is able to say, "I love this community, love my home, love the work I do, get along great with my business colleagues and supervisors. How do you beat perfection?"
There is a wonderful quote I repeated to myself many, many times during my ups and downs in Texas.
"Hence the first principle in changing one's character is to seek another environment, to let new forces play upon our unused chords, and draw from us a better music." - Will Durant
That's what I wanted! I wanted another location - another place - where new forces could play upon my unused chords and draw from me a better music.
"There are nations with whom one must cross their borders to make one's value felt." - Gracian
Yes! Yes! Yes! That's what I wanted. To cross borders and feel my native talents valued again.
"Know your Ruling Star," the Spanish priest Gracian wrote in The Art of Worldly Wisdom. "One man is better received by one nation than another, or is one welcome by one city than another. He finds more luck in one office or position than in another, and all though his qualifications are equal or even identical."
We are better received in certain locations or areas than in others, welcomed when we show up, and we most certainly do find more luck in one place than another.
"But where, where, where is THAT PLACE?" I wondered.
In Texas, for every 100% plus I gave in my career, the returns (feeling valued, appreciated, and being monetarily rewarded), always fell short.
I hosted a noon talk show for awhile at an Austin TV station. Our ratings were great. The guests I booked were top names in the literary, entertainment, self-improvement, and political arenas.
After our ratings came in one spring, I couldn't believe how well the show was doing.
Several days later, however, the General Manager wanted to see me.
After all the years of my show's success, he said, "James, I can't complain about your ratings. That's good for ad revenue, but I finally got a chance to see your show yesterday. As you know I only have a tenth grade education, never finished high school, started in sales, worked my way up to where I am today." He beamed proudly, "I didn't understand it."
I knew when he said, "I didn't understand it," my show was doomed.
The GM was the standard by which all business decisions at our stations were made.
I wanted to call him, "Idiot," but restrained myself.
My favorite line in Texas TV came from a female news director who told me, "You have a master's degree. We don't need people that smart to do the news." I never worked at that station.
"Let each man know his luck as well as his talents. Follow your guiding star and help it without mistaking any other for it. Know how to transplant yourself," Gracian reminds us.
Know how to transplant yourself!
Finally, I did transplant myself, once again. It was time to move from the newsroom and go into teaching; use, finally, that masters degree referred to earlier that wasn't needed to report the news.
"There is a simple answer to the question 'What is the purpose of our individual lives?" A.J. Ayer wrote. "They have whatever purpose we succeed in putting into them."
Yet, if you believe you are being guided by and toward a higher destiny, as I do, use what others know (their gifts and resources) to inform and enlighten yourself.
I've also successfully used relocation astrology as an essential tool to follow my guiding star. Through my sessions with Cait Benten, I'm finding, as we'd all like to do, a balance of the "right place" and the "right work" combined.
"This time, like all other times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it." --Ralph Waldo Emerson
7 Effective Tips For Get a New Job FAST
four basic steps to finding employment. Defining,
prospecting, applying and interviewing. In this final
article, we giving you 7 quality tips which will help
you cut valuable time off each step and therefore the
entire job hunt process.
1. Don't wait till you start looking for a job, before you
start looking.
Be up to date with your industry and the conditions
of your employment environment all the time. Make
this part of your job description in every job you hold.
It could save you weeks when it comes time to find a
job.
2. Keep your resume up to date
Find a template or layout that you are comfortable with
and maintain it. Update it twice a year at least. It will save
you the mad scramble to put it together and possibly a lost
opportunity because you were unprepared.
3. Network Network Network.
Keep in touch with all your contacts in the industry. This
includes workmates, employers, contacts at employment
agencies, contacts in similar companies etc. You never know
what other people will be doing tomorrow, or what opportunities
they may have for you.
4. Accept interviews even if you are not interested in the
opportunity, or not looking for a job.
Interviewing is a very specific skill. Keep that skill honed.
Keep practising the skill. You don't want to lose "perfect"
opportunies because it is your first interview in 5 years and
you need to get your answers back up to scratch. Remember
you do not have to accept the job.
5. Keep a diary of your experiences.
Note what you did well with each job opportunity. What worked,
what didn't, improvements you could make, elements you can
get rid of. Then, when you next go through an employment
opportunity situation, revisit your notes, duplicate the good
things and improve the bad things. Recognise the process
as having a learning curve, and learn.
6. If you do not have a job and need one, make job hunting
your full time job.
Get out of bed at the same time you would if you were working
in your given field. This will put your time clock in sync with your
interviewers. Spend the same hours working on your job hunt
as you would in the job. Be disciplined.
7. Keep focused
Know what you are looking for and have a clear plan for
achieving your goal. Do not accept roles that are different
to your goals at the start of your job hunt. This could cost
you years in your career.
This is the final part of a 5 part special report on reducing
the time it takes to get a job. Its not fun running around
trying to win that job, this report is full of tips and tricks
which will help you reduce your job hunt time to a
minimum.
The rest of this report is delivered in incremental articles which
you can get by subscribing for the FREE newsletter at
http://www.employedforever.com The entire series of articles
will be sent automatically to you email address. Other
topics covered include: Prospecting for Job Leads; The Job
Application and The Interview Process. So to get your copy of this,
entire report, by signing up for this free newsletter at
http://www.employedforever.com or by sending a blank email to
mailto:employedforever@pushbuttonresponder.com
Till then, good luck with your hunt
Damian
__________________________________________________
Finally, a dedicated and systematic approach to ensuring
you're earning an income forever. Find out how, in four
logical steps, you will never have money problems again.
http://www.EmployedForever.com
7 Reasons to Pay Yourself First
We started out well enough. We talked about his long-range goals as well as his current circumstances, exploring how they might influence each other. When I learned that he had no real savings, I recommended that he begin putting away at least 10% of his income. Well, that's when things took a left turn. He became quite irritated and told me that there was absolutely no way he could do that; every penny he and his wife brought in was already allocated and they just couldn't afford to hold on to any of it. Everything he said thereafter just demonstrated all the more that he really NEEDED to have some savings cushion: his wife's position was not secure; the business she worked for may be folding, they had just had a baby. Despite my best efforts, he was not willing to consider putting his family's security on the front burner. Instead, he decided not to hire me as his coach, because he said, "I wasn't the 'right kind.'" Hmmmm.
I've seen businesses come and go and those who cannot handle the money at home typically take the same habits into their business and before they know it, they become a failure statistic. So, regardless of how you are employed (employee vs. self-employed), saving money is smart for some obvious and some not-so-obvious reasons:
Working becomes more FUN! If your entire paycheck is spent on basic survival needs, going to work every day can be very depressing.
Saving a portion of your hard-earned dollars is empowering because the decision is made not only by you, but also for your benefit.
There is an excitement that comes from watching the savings account grow. And when we see our dollars grow, we become more conscientious in our spending habits.
Taking care of self brings about a sense of freedom. If you find yourself in a difficult situation where you feel your values are challenged, you are more likely to say so if you have been taking care of your self in other ways. Regardless of the degree of difficulty, or who the person across from you happens to be (like your boss?), you will be truer to yourself and more direct with others. The act of self-care and financial responsibility promotes personal freedom.
Many financial experts recommend investing at least 10% of our gross income into something that can actually make money. That means finding an investment opportunity that will earn money for you on your behalf. Some people choose real estate, some the stock market; if that's just way too risky for you, then consider bonds or some other safe investment. I recommend George Clason's book entitled "The Richest Man in Babylon" for a no-nonsense approach to financial planning and personal prosperity. For information on how to purchase Clason's book, click here: The Richest Man in Babylon
Practicality and reality rule! When we are truly fiscally responsible, we do not do things that can jeopardize our financial health. More to the point, we will not forego saving or buy things we cannot afford because we are fully knowledgeable of our financial circumstances and responsive to our best interests. We live within our means.
One secret to success is modeling what other successful people do. Most every successful person I've ever met saves at least 10% of their income and invests it. Create your own success story.
I cannot tell you how many times people have looked at me, given me an impish grin and said, "I wish I could do that, but I barely make my bills as it is." The truth of the matter is that you will never miss $1.00 out of $10.00 or $10.00 out of $100.00. So my suggestion is no matter how much or how little money you make, do it!
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ACTIONBegin now by first opening an extra bank account. Take 10% from you next paycheck and put it in this account. Continue to do this with every paycheck you get. You are going to be so pleased this time next year when you see the reserve of money you have set aside. Talk about peace of mind!
7 Strategies to keep your Email Helpful instead of Stressful
clutter to wade through. Every day when you check your email go through the three S's to keep things clutter free. Sort- delete any spam or other unimportant email. Scan- the email that's left and see if you need to reply to it now, if it would be useful to save for a
resource, or pass it along to someone in your network Save- emails you want to keep should be put into clearly organized folders.
2. Set up specific folders- It's helpful to have a folder name and then subcategories under that. For example: Clients would be the folder and then in that folder would be a separate file for each client. Newsletters- and files for special interest newsletters, articles, and resources for work this makes things easy to find and easy to share with your clients and your network. It's very helpful to set up corresponding folders in your programs, one for Word, Excel, Acrobat for PDF's
3. Save your correspondence- keep your outgoing and incoming emails, I save most of the emails I write and receive. This is very helpful for work related emails. Often I will send a resource or note to a client about something big they have accomplished, after sending I transfer it to their file. It's a nice tracking system for me and comes in handy
when they ask me to resend information. If you are working on a project or are engaged in a marketing campaign it's helpful to save in-coming email for reference, resource, and referrals to colleagues.
4. Leverage your email as a free marketing tool. Put together a powerful signature file at the end of your out going emails. This is your electronic version of your business card. Most email programs will allow you to have several signature files that can automatically be attached to your outgoing emails. You could design a few different ones to call attention to different areas of your business. You want to limit the signature file to 5-6 lines and keep the lines under 60 characters long. Make sure if you put a website address in it to put http:// in the address, this will make the address an active link to the recipient. You will want to do the same with your email address by adding mailto: in front of the email address without any spaces in between.
5. Make sure you have a good anti virus software installed on your computer and set up to scan your incoming emails. You will see an active icon in the lower right hand corner near the clock, this will let you see each incoming email is being scanned. If an email is detected select delete infected source. This will keep your computer safe while still allowing you to see who sent the email. People don’t often realize they have just sent out an infected email. If it is a friend or colleague who sent it you can call and let them know they have a problem before they send other infected email.
6. Make sure to back up your computer at least once a week. Your organized email folders contain a wealth of useful information and resources and are a valuable asset to your career so make sure to protect them and the rest of your files by backing up your computer. Sort your email folders once a quarter. Go through your saved emails and delete things that are no longer useful. When I am working on a project it has an active folder with all of the notes, emails, and resources associated with it. When the project is complete I sort through these emails and keep only the most important emails and
resources. I can easily sort through and locate the email address of colleagues and business contacts for an occasional follow up.
7. Review your email before sending. Check it for formatting, spelling, clarity, and effective communication. If you are asking someone a few questions make then obvious and succinct so they can easily respond without wading through a four page email.
7 Tips To Make A Fantastic Impression On People Who Count
The basic rule to make a great impression is this: Humans crave to be around people who seem similar to themselves. The key word is seems. Everyone differs from other people in hundreds of ways. However, you get along with people you seem similar to you in interests, feelings, experiences, or goals. You can put these techniques into action to help people feel you seem similar to them and, as a result, make a wonderful impression.
1st Technique: Forget the “Golden Rule”
Since people crave to be around people who seem similar to themselves, avoid wasting time on the “Golden Rule” fantasy suggesting, “Treat people as you want to be treated.” People do not want to be treated the way you want to be treated!
Instead, treat other people the way they like being treated. You make a stellar impression by focusing on their likes, not yours.
2nd Technique: Use the Other Person’s Interpersonal Style
People interact using four interpersonal styles, as follows:
1. Results-Focused: “Quickly tell me the time, not how to build a clock!!”
2. Detail-Focused: “Slowly tell me how to build a clock, slowly leading up to what time it is.”
3. Friendly-Focused: “First, I’ll tell you about my family and weekend. Then, let’s discuss yours. Then, let’s gossip. Then, let’s discuss work.”
4. Partying-Focused: “Wanna hear another joke? Let’s PARTY!!”
Remember: Humans crave to be around people who seem similar to themselves. So, with a results-focused person, act fast-paced and results-focused. To impress a detail-focused person, tell “how to build the clock,” not what time it is.
3rd Technique: Mirror
Mirroring proves incredibly subtle, powerful, and physical. It helps the person instinctively feel comfortable with you. How? You mirror – make yourself seem similar to – the person’s
1. Body language
2. Vocal style
3. Attire
To impress someone who sits straight, you sit straight with that person. If the person speaks slowly, then you do likewise. And dress as formally or informally as the person you want to impress.
4th Technique: Listen Attentively
This tale illustrates the importance of listening well. A man decided to divorce his wife. His lawyer asked, “Did you love your wife?” The man replied, “I would have left her, but I was hesitant before.”
Then, the lawyer asked, “Why do you want to leave her?” The man said, “We have lots of trees around our house, but I rake up the leaves myself.”
The lawyer asked, “Is she mean?” The man answered, “ I stopped eating red meat.” Then, the lawyer inquired, “Does she do housework? Does she take out garbage?” The man responded, “We have a two-car garage.”
Finally, the man felt frustrated, because he failed to understand the point of the lawyer’s questions, so he blurted, “You’re a lawyer. Ask me useful questions about my lousy marriage?”
So, the lawyer asked, “Why do you want to divorce?” The man replied, “Because we can’t communicate!”
This story shows, in extreme fashion, that many conversations actually are two simultaneous monologues. To make a great impression, listen well using these tactics:
Paraphrase or repeat ideas the person said
1. Ask questions
2. Take notes
5th Technique: Artful Vagueness
Prospective clients, who wanted to use my consulting, told me their business problems. Using my expertise with similar problems, I gave my recommendation. They kept telling me they did not like my recommendation. But I knew my recommendation would solve their business problems. The more I said I was right and they were wrong, the more they defended their viewpoint. Suddenly, I realized I did not make them feel comfortable enough. But, I could not agree with them, since they were wrong. So, I listened again to their ideas. Then I said, “I’ve listened carefully to how you want to do this project. That’s an idea.”
At the same time, I thought to myself – but did not say it – “That’s a stupid idea.”
What did they think? They apparently interpreted “That’s an idea” as me agreeing with them, although I had not. Actually, anything anyone says is “an idea.”
This technique is called artful vagueness. You can get out of uncomfortable jams using these artfully vague phrases:
“That’s an idea.”
“You’ve got a point.”
“You may be right.”
6th Technique: Use Everyone’s Favorite Word
Imagine a time you heard someone shout your name. I bet you spun around to see who called your name. We are drawn to people who say our names. My research comparing high-achievers and underachievers revealed high-achievers used the name of the person they spoke to one or more time in each conversation. In contrast, underachievers used the name of the person they encountered less than half the time. This means high-achievers use the name of people they talk with much more than underachievers. You can do what high-achievers do.
7th Technique: Compliments
While studying high-achievers and underachievers, I discovered an amazing difference. High-achievers gave an average of three compliments per day. However, underachievers seldom gave compliments. What an intriguing difference you can use to your advantage!
Some people say these seven charm school techniques are “selling out.” But, a French saying puts it in perspective: “A car can go as far on square wheels as it can go on round wheels. The difference is that on round wheels the ride is much smoother.” Go through your life on round wheels!
What Does an Innate Talent Look Like?
none
Martin Seligman, Ph.D., noted Optimism researcher, who’s now studying Authentic Happiness, has proposed that one of the surest paths to happiness is to know your signature strengths and build your life around them, particularly if it’s in a way that has meaning to you.
Management gurus, Buckingham and Clifton, in their book “Now Discover Your Strengths,” also propose this theory and it’s the basis of their StrengthsFinder ™ Profile assessment.
Taking the StrengthsFinder ™ Profile is one way to discover your innate talents. How else can you?
CORE STRENGTHS
These “signature strengths,” as Seligman calls them, and “innate talents,” as Buckingham and Clifton call them, are with us from birth, show up early in childhood (to the observing eye), and continue with us throughout our life. They may be repressed, ignored, neglected, or even devalued, in this world where the press has been to be “well-rounded,” but they will always be there, popping up at happy moments, beckoning to be acknowledged, calling our name.
When we’re asked to do something we’ve never done before, and take to it like a duck to water, or when we do something so well we think everyone else can, they just aren’t, or when someone watches us do something and says not, “How did she learn to do that?” but rather, “Where did that come from?” we’re tapping into an innate strength. The way we feel when we watch Tiger Woods play golf, but these are not physical traits.
INNATE STRENGTHS OPERATIONALIZED
So what does this look like in real life?
No strength leads to any particular occupation, nor does any occupation necessarily require any certain strength, but I think I met a future manager, therapist, theoretician or strategist this afternoon, if he stays with his strengths.
But, first let me elaborate on that statement. You don’t have to have Empathy to be a nurse, and all nurses don’t have Empathy. You can use Focus to be the director of a non-profit, as a client of mine does, or to be an engineer, as someone surely is. Your strengths can be applied quite successfully to a number of different occupations. So this gifted little boy could end up being happy doing any number of things.
Now back to this little boy I encountered today. I was keeping my 2-year-old grandson, James, for the afternoon. We wandered outside on this beautiful, sunny day and the boys playing down the street caught his attention. Allen, 18, and Kevin, 13, were shooting baskets. Around them was Alex, 8 years old, playing with his new mini-skateboard.
James tried to grab the skateboard, and yelled “ball” and they were good to him, tossing him the ball once or twice, and letting him have the skateboard for a few moments. Nobody was talking; they were all just playing. Alex was the quietest, just doing his thing over to the side with his mini-skateboard.
At one point James wandered over to dig in the neighbor’s garden, and Alex said, “Mary’s not going to like that,” Mary, being the neighbor woman’s name. “She turned my mother in for watering on the wrong day.”
Naptime beckoned, and as we were getting ready to head home, Alex came over to me and beamed. “That kid’s like a cat,” he said. “He likes round things that go around.”
It’s true that James loves wheels, but then I’ve known him for two years. In about 10 minutes, Alex had quietly ‘gotten’ James and taken it to the meta-level.
Alex has the strength called Strategic, which you either have or you don’t; it can’t be taught. He sees patterns where others simply see complexity. Strategics cut through the clutter. Alex then verbalized what he’d discovered. “This person [Strategic] is likely to have a strength for putting his ideas and thoughts into words,” say Buckingham and Clifton. “Position this person on the leading edge of your organization.”
Alex is also exhibiting strong right-brain traits, using a simile to describe, picturesquely what he’s discovered, comparing two disparate objects – a cat and a boy.
He’s also exhibiting Empathy, understanding innately how James feels about thing. James doesn’t just love things that go ‘round; he’s obsessed with them. Alex tapped into a feeling thing, and from feelings we know how to manage people, guide them and work with them. Once you know what James likes, you have the key to motivating him, something that managers, therapists, and coaches need to be able to do.
These two traits of Empathy and Strategist also show up in his comment about the neighbor. He’s made a big connection for a small boy – that a woman who reports her neighbor for watering on the wrong day is going to be furious at a toddler throwing dirt on her driveway, i.e., that she’s fastidious and rigid about things.
KNOWING YOUR STRENGTHS
If you’ve been lucky, your parents keyed in on things like this, and your teachers, and your counselors, and your coaches, and your managers. If not, these natural propensities were ignored, or even considered weaknesses, and you’ve lost touch with them.
I have one client, for instance, who has Intellection, Learner and Ideation for 3 of her top themes. This means she’s intellectual, loves to learn and study, and loves ideas for their own sake. Her parents were farmers, and actually said to her, “Get your head out of that book and do something useful. That won’t be tolerated in this household.”
So you see how it goes.
MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK
If you were lucky in this respect, and have crafted your life around your strengths, congratulations. If you were not, you can do it for yourself. Take the time this year to delve into your innate talents and strengths and take the first step on one of the paths to happiness.
Self-awareness will lead to better understand of others and will help you see and understand the innate strengths in others as well.
8 Advantages of Publishing Your Own Book as an Entrepreneur
As an aspiring or an established entrepreneur, you are an expert in something, but does the rest of the world know? You have a wealth of information, experience and knowledge that you can package into a book that will benefit others. This truly is the information age and people want to know what you know.
1. A book will give you unbelievable credibility which increases the respect you will receive from customers and business associates. Wouldn’t you be more likely to purchase widgets from the business person who wrote the book on widgets? New customers are more likely to take advice from, or purchase the services/products from, an established author. Many consultants increase the levels of their business simply by writing a book on their area of expertise.
2. The typical business person might run into roadblocks when seeking media recognition and publicity for their product or service because the media tend to see this kind of exposure as advertising. However, books receive exposure in the form of reviews or features all the time. Books make great print stories and authors make great featured guests on radio and television shows. Sure beats pulling together an advertising budget.
3. Writing a book gives you instant expert status. If you wrote the book, you are now seen as the authority on that subject by others. And you are! You will have now proven that you know what you’re talking about. You will show, in writing, that you know your business area inside and out.
4. Most entrepreneurs love to hear that publishing a book can easily lead to increased fees. People will pay more to work with an established expert then someone who seems less established in a business. Your book has just given you instant added credentials. It would be nice to add “author of…” behind your name, wouldn’t it?
5. If you are not already a consultant, a book along with your proven expert status could bring you new consulting opportunities where you can bill for your time to educate, speak to and work with other companies and individuals helping them succeed through what you know.
6. If you have a service business or you are selling products already, a book will allow you to add a product to your existing business. Expanding your line is never a bad thing and will open up all kinds of doors in your marketing plan.
7. If you aren’t already on the internet (and you should be, but that’s another article), you can add online marketing to your marketing plan with your book. There are loads of places to sell your book online and having an information product to offer will give you a second stream of revenue with huge potential.
8. Expanding your marketing opportunities and focusing on opportunities for residual income is what you should be focusing on as an entrepreneur. Quit trading your hours for dollars and start working smarter.
Your own book will be a complement and a supplement to your current business. It will also mean an additional source of revenue added to your bottom line. I’d be willing to bet that you’ve thought of writing a book at some point in your career. Almost every single person has. Use your passion. Take your knowledge, package it and sell it. People are willing to pay for what you already know.
Copyright Ó 2003 Ink Tree Ltd.
Ink Tree Ltd. Helping writers publish, market and sell books! If there is a book inside you – profit from it. Learn everything you need to guide you from Idea to Book… to Success – the fast, easy, simple way. Publish your own book with one-on-one expert help from publishing professionals who have created numerous bestsellers and sold hundreds of thousands of books.
Phone: 1-866-500-8733 or 403-295-3898 Email: info@inktreemarketing.com
Web: www.moneyinpublishing.com or www.inktreemarketing.com
A $2.95 Road Trip, Complete With Souvenirs
No matter how many times I hear this comment it still surprises me. I learned early on that writing was one of the most lucrative services that I could offer in my virtual assistance business, not to mention an incredible means of free marketing.
I have discovered a valuable resource for writing assignments and other types of work. The Freelance Work Exchange is an innovative web site that incorporates nearly every aspect of the freelance process. It features the components with which you are familiar as well as those for which you may not have an accurate understanding, and quite possibly, some aspects about which you have never even heard.
As with most legitimate professional freelance web sites, membership at http://tinyurl.com/3v69r is on a paid basis. In this case, membership is paid on a monthly basis at the standard rate of $29.95 per month. You may feel this is excessive especially since you don't know exactly what the value of membership is actually going to deliver for you.
Since this is the perspective of the average person, me included, the Freelance Work Exchange has a solution for addressing your questions directly. And no, you don't have to submit an e-mail with a list of questions and then wait for a reply. All you have to do is take advantage of the Freelance Work Exchange's valuable test drive.
For only $2.95 you can literally test drive the Freelance Work Exchange with a 7-day temporary membership. Unlike most other trial memberships that offer very limited access and no access at all to members' only features, the Freelance Work Exchange gives you the run of the road. In other words, you don't just get to drive it around the block; you get to actually make a real road trip with your temporary membership.
Guess what? The Freelance Work Exchange even gives you some souvenirs to make your road trip worth your while. Here's what your $2.95 is going to net you, even if you decide at the end of the 7-day trial that one trip was enough for you.
* Unlimited 24/7 Access to Professional Members Area
For 7 days, you're going to be able to explore and take advantage of each component of the Professional Members Area at the Freelance Work Exchange. This doesn't mean that you get to read about them, but that you get to make full use of each member's only component.
* Freelance Job Report
You will receive immediate access to the current issue of this Freelance Work Exchange professional edition bi-weekly newsletter, which is a paid subscription. Each issue features career advice and strategies as well as hot freelance job opportunities.
* The Jobs Database
Okay, so the Freelance Work Exchange has a freelance job bank, but so do other freelance web sites. However, this site actually allows you to use your test drive to go through the process of finding projects and applying for them. This will give you a good idea of how the site works for you without an ongoing commitment.
Categories in The Jobs Database include:
* Writing, Editing and Proofreading
* Design & Illustration
* Programming & Software Development
* Consultancy
* Administrative & Miscellaneous
* Work-at-Home
* Million Dollar Freelancing
The Freelance Work Exchange publishes this valuable freelancer's publication feature in serialized format. A perk that you receive as a temporary member is a free subscription offer. You'll receive this innovative publication in chapter-by-chapter format delivered directly to your e-mail address.
If you decide that Million Dollar Freelancing offers no value to you, you can simply discontinue your subscription anytime you choose. The Freelance Work Exchange will promptly remove you from this subscriber list.
* Featured Freelance Listing
The Freelance Work Exchange offers all its members the opportunity to purchase a "feature" listing as a freelancer for the price of $50.00 for a 1-month listing or $100.00 for a 3-month listing. This same offer is available to you as a temporary member. If you purchase a Featured Freelance Listing and decide not to continue with a monthly membership, you still have the benefit of having your professional profile featured for the period for which you purchased it.
* Freelance Billing Rates
A common issue among freelance writers and service providers is how to determine rates for professional services. Freelance Work Exchange has reduced it to black and white for you. Taken directly from the U.S. Department of Labor is a chart featuring average rates for various professional services. For some specific freelance services, there is an indicated range of from low to high.
True, you can find this information yourself for free at the U.S. DOL's web site, but you will have to dig for it. The Freelance Work Exchange has done the digging for you.
* Gold Seal of Professional Membership
As a supportive service to its professional members, the Freelance Work Exchange has published a Freelance Code of Practice for which it has also created an image or graphics design. Your temporary membership entitles you to post this Gold Seal of Professional Membership directly at your own web site, provided that you are also willing to link to the Freelance Code of Practice.
What better way to declare your professional status than by associating yourself with a highly recognizable Gold Seal of Professional Membership? It will add a significant recognition factor of your professional expertise.
* Searchable Newsletter Archive
Not only does your 7-day temporary membership grant you access to current newsletter content, but it also grants you access to all the archived newsletters as well. Simply enter a keyword search to find a listing of relevant articles that you can actually read.
* Categorized Newsletter Search
If a keyword search is not your preferred method of finding information on a particular subject, Freelance Work Exchange features a categorical listing from which you can search for an article on a particular topic. Immediate access is provided to this feature with your temporary membership. You can read an unlimited amount of articles with seven days about any category that interests you.
* Priority Resume Bank
The Freelance Work Exchange gives you a genuine first chance opportunity for consideration with its recurring employer client base. It has established many solid relationships with employers for whom they provide freelance referrals as needed. As a temporary member, you are invited to submit your resume and/or other professional credentials via its online form for their review and inclusion in its exclusive group of professionals whom they refer to various employers.
There is no additional fee for reviewing your resume and maintaining it in the Priority Resume Bank for employer consideration.
* Freelance Job Finder
The Freelance Work Exchange features a meta search tool that you can use to do a quick search for freelance opportunities currently posted at all the major online job markets. This is an incredible timesaver that gives you an instant overview of what is available instead of having to go to each major employment web site and do an individual search.
* The Big List
For convenient viewing, the Freelance Work Exchange maintains a current listing of over 100 freelance markets grouped categorically. It's a deep goldmine of places for marketing your services.
* Totally Free Software
The only thing better than free software is software that is free and useful to you. The Freelance Work Exchange reviews the benefits of several premium freelance software products to which it has linked directly for easily downloading. Again, you can find this information and the free downloads yourself on the Internet, but you'll invest more than $2.95 worth of your valuable time searching for it.
* E-Mail Support
The Freelance Work Exchange publishes a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page in which it details specific information about the various features it offers. If you need assistance beyond what is provided there, it will gladly provide additional support for you via e-mail.
* Your Free E-Book on Viral Freelancing
Immediately upon purchasing a $2.95 membership, you have access to this innovative publication. Simply download it and save it to your desktop.
This valuable e-book is filled with easy how-to ways to boost your freelance earnings. Even if you decide not to continue your membership after the 7-day road trip, you still get to keep Your Free E-Book on Viral Freelancing. This feature alone is worth a considerable purchase price.
* Special Report - The Formula For Success
A proven reality, the Freelance Work Exchange gives you immediate access to a simple 5-part business plan for achieving success as a freelance professional. This intriguing report is delivered via download in Adobe Acrobat or PDF file and makes genuine common sense from what can be a complicated prospect.
Simply download the file and save it to your computer. You get to keep this valuable report even if you decide to cancel your membership your 7-day road trip.
* Post Your Own Job
The Freelance Work Exchange offers an online job submission form that allows you to submit your own specific job for inclusion in The Jobs Database. This valuable feature is available free of charge during your 7-Day membership period. It is a perfect opportunity to find an editor, a ghostwriter or simply an extra pair of hands to assist you as needed.
For the members' only fee of $20.00, you can upgrade your job to a Featured Job Listing for placement in the Freelance Job Report Newsletter. This is a very nominal fee considering that the subscriber base of the newsletter currently exceeds 120,000. That means more than 120,000 talented freelance professionals are actually paying to see your job posting.
* Featured Members Specials Offering 30% Discount
During your Freelance Work Exchange road trip, you'll have the opportunity to enjoy a 30% discount on Featured Member Specials such as professional resume writing services and web design services as well as other valuable resources such as the Work At Home Success Kit.
Okay, so that's the map to your 7-day Freelance Work Exchange road trip. The final destination at which you arrive is yours to determine. Answer one question though before postponing your temporary membership purchase ... just one. And my question is...
What previous $2.95 investment has ever netted you as much professional mileage?
(c) 2004, Davis Virtual Assistance. All rights in all media reserved. Permission for reprint granted to all venues so long as they are opt-in.
Be Better at Business – And Lose Weight, Too!
A Better Life...Only a DECISION Away!
There is a single mental move you can make which, in a millisecond, will solve enormous problems for you. It has the potential to improve almost any personal or business situation you will ever encounter, and it could literally propel you down the path to incredible success. We have a name for this magic mental activity ... it is called DECISION.
Decisions or the lack of them are responsible for the breaking or making of many a career. Individuals who have become very proficient at making decisions, without being influenced by the opinions of others, are the same people whose annual incomes fall into the six and seven figure category. However, it's not just your income that is affected by decisions; your whole life is dominated by this power. The health of your mind and body, the well-being of your family, your social life, the type of relationships you develop … all are dependent upon your ability to make sound decisions.
So, how is a person expected to develop this mental ability? Quite simply, as the commercial says, "Just do it." Decision making brings order to your mind, and of course, this order is then reflected in your objective world ... your results.
Indecision sets up internal conflicts that can, without warning, escalate into all out mental and emotional wars. Psychiatrists have a name to describe these internal wars - ambivalence. My Oxford Dictionary tells me that ambivalence is the co-existence in one person of opposite feelings toward the same objective.
You do not require a doctorate degree in psychiatry to understand that you are going to have difficulty in your life by permitting your mind to remain in an ambivalent state for any period of time. The person who does permit it to exist will become very despondent and virtually incapable of any type of productive activity. It is obvious that anyone who finds themselves in such a mental state is not living; at best, they are merely existing. A decision or a series of decisions would change everything.
A very basic law of the universe is "create or disintegrate". Indecision causes disintegration. How often have you heard a person say, "I don't know what to do." How often have you heard yourself say, "What should I do?" Think about some of the indecisive feelings you and virtually everyone on this planet experience from time to time. Love them; leave them. Quit, stay. Do it, don't do it. Buy it, don't buy it. Tell them, don't tell them.
Everyone, on occasion, has experienced these feelings of ambivalence. If it happens to you frequently, decide right now to stop it. The cause of ambivalence is indecision, but we must keep in mind that the truth is not always in the appearance of things. Indecision is a cause of ambivalence, however it is a secondary cause, it is not the primary cause. I have been studying the behavior of people who have become very proficient at making decisions for over a quarter century. They all have one thing in common. They have a very strong self image, a high degree of self-esteem. They may be as different as night is to day in numerous other respects, but they certainly possess confidence. Low self-esteem or a lack of confidence is the real culprit here. Decision makers are not afraid of making an error. If and when they make an error in their decision, or fail at something, they have the ability to shrug it off. They learn from the experience but they will never submit to the failure.
There is one cardinal rule with respect to decision making: decide right where you are with whatever you've got. This is precisely why most people never master this important attribute. They permit their resources to dictate if and when a decision will or can be made. When John Kennedy asked Wernher Von Braun what it would take to build a rocket that would carry a man to the moon and return him safely to earth, his answer was simple and direct. "The will to do it." President Kennedy never asked if it was possible. He never asked if they could afford it or any one of a thousand other questions, all of which would have ... at that time ... been valid questions.
President Kennedy made a decision ... he said, we will put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth before the end of the decade. The fact that it had never been done before in all the hundreds of thousands of years of human history was not even a consideration. He DECIDED where he was with what he had. The objective was accomplished in his mind the second he made the decision. It was only a matter of time ... which is governed by natural law, before the goal was manifested in form for the whole world to see.
The greatest stumbling block you will encounter when making important decisions in your life is circumstance. We let circumstance get us off the hook when we should be giving it everything we've got. More dreams are shattered and goals lost because of circumstance than any other single factor.
Let's consider money with respect to our decision making process. You should never let the lack of funds determine whether you will or will not do something. Think about it for a moment. When you decided to buy your first home, did you just happen to have a couple hundred thousand dollars sitting in the bank? I don't think so, I know I didn't. But, the minute you made the decision to buy the home, the money seemed to appear - just like unadulterated magic. Somehow you came up with the down payment; you may have had to scrimp and save every extra penny … but you did it. And if you were honest with yourself, you probably had enough money to buy new curtains and a bevy of other things for the new home. The minute you make the decision to do something, you will attract to you all that is requisite for the realization of that goal.
Whether you can afford it or not should never be a consideration. Whether you want to or not is the only consideration. You can afford anything; there is an infinite supply of money. All of the money in the world is available to you, when the decision is firmly made. If you need money, you will attract it.
How often have you caught yourself saying, "I would like to do or have this but I can't because ..." Whatever follows "because" is the circumstance. Circumstances may cause a detour in your life but you should never permit them to stop you from making important decisions.
Napoleon said, "Circumstances, I make them."
The next time you hear someone say they would like to vacation in Paris, or purchase a particular automobile but they can't because they have no money, explain they don't need the money until they make the decision to go to Paris or purchase the car. When the decision is made, they will figure out a way to get the amount needed. They always do.
Many misguided individuals try something once or twice and if they do not hit the bulls-eye, they feel they are a failure. Failing does not make anyone a failure, but quitting most certainly does and quitting is a decision. By following that form of reasoning, you would have to say when you make a decision to quit, you make a decision to fail.
Take the first step in predicting your own prosperous future. Build a mental picture of exactly how you would like to live. Make a firm decision to hold on to that vision and positive ways to improve everything will begin to flow into your mind.
Your life is important and, at its best, life is short. You have the potential to do anything you choose, and to do it well. But, you must make decisions and when the time for a decision arrives, you must make your decision where you are with what you've got.
A Cover Letter Tip Guaranteed To Land You More Job Interview
Searching for a new job?
I am about to reveal one of the most powerful cover letter tips you'll ever discover. This little-known secret can dramatically increase your job interview requests all by itself.
Here's a 'not-so-subtle' hint for you:
P.S. -- This tip works like a charm and commands the attention of every reader!
Did you catch that hint? It's true, by adding a simple P.S. -- or Post Script -- after your signature, at the bottom of your cover letter you can literally grab the undivided attention of any person reading it. And, if your P.S. is a brief, direct and clearly-worded request for the opportunity to be interviewed, you will land more job interviews than the vast majority of your competition.
Why does the P.S. work so perfectly with a cover letter?
Advertisers and marketers have been using the P.S. to sell various widgets successfully for decades. In fact, it is one of the most powerful sales strategies of all time. The general public has literally been 'trained' by these highly-skilled marketers to read any P.S. they see at the end of a letter. Many times consumers shoot straight to the end of the letter to read the P.S. first! I'll bet you've done this yourself on more than one occasion.
Use the P.S. to clearly and directly ASK for the job interview providing your contact number as well.
This is a fresh way to appeal to employers and can tip the balance in your favor towards landing the all-important job interview. The P.S. lets a busy Hiring Manager cut right to the chase by reading this one special sentence. A job-seeker who uses a P.S. in his or her cover letter is utilizing one of the strongest marketing strategies known to man.
This cover letter tip can be the difference-maker in your job search. Remember, it all starts with getting your foot in the company door and a well crafted P.S. will get noticed and read above all other sentences. So make sure yours packs an interview-landing punch!
P.S. -- Your job search is all about results. Try this one cool, cover letter strategy for yourself and see how many job interviews you land!
A Gift Basket Home Business is an easy way to Wrap up Profit
Many people decide to breakaway from jobs outside the home. Some want more time with their family, and friends. Others are just tired of working for an unappreciative boss. Whatever the reason, you have decided you want to start a gift basket home business.
A gift basket home business is a creative and rewarding industry that has unlimited potential. It allows you to design, plan, decorate and bring happiness to those who receive your baskets. You can create theme baskets, special order baskets, or both. Your opportunities are endless for a home based gift basket business.
The first thing to consider is creating a gift basket home business plan. Although you may feel you do not need one, it is always good to create one. It helps you to ensure you have answered all questions about running the business and running it from your home. It will also make you think about things you have not previously considered. You can go to the Small Business Administration web site and download template for all the information you need to complete your gift basket home business plan.
Many people do not think about the cost of a business phone line, office equipment, accounting professional or software, and insurance for the business when they consider starting a gift basket home business or any business. These are just a few of the extra costs that are just as important as inventory.
Something else many people do not consider are the local, county and State regulations regarding a gift basket business. You should always contact your local government and ask about any requirements for your business. They can also give you information about county and State regulations. You should find out as much as possible about the rules in your area so you don’t get a surprise later on. By knowing the gift basket business regulations, you are protecting yourself, your business and your customers.
The next step to consider is marketing. How will you advertise your gift basket business? To get your name out into the community, whether it is your local or online community, and build your clientele, you have to advertise. This can include sending letters to corporations and households, via regular mail or email, linking your web site to other web sites, creating a press release for newspapers and radio stations, and getting your business in a mailer, such as Money Mailer. The best source of advertisement will always be word of mouth from your happy customers.
Now that you know some of the essentials of how to start a gift basket business it may seem like a lot of work, even before you have put any money into it. However, most of this can be done in the span of a few days, and many items you may decide you need, may already be in your home. The main thing is to be prepared and know what you are doing, before doing it.
Usually a home based gift basket business can start out with very little overhead. You buy the items, as you need them. There is no need to keep a large inventory at first. You need to find a retailer or wholesales that will work with you until your gift basket business grows, and your order needs grow. It is best to work with wholesalers, but you may have to start with a retailer until your company grows and your orders are larger.
The next item is pricing your gift baskets. Check out some web sites and call some of your local competition. See what they offer in their baskets and at what price. This will give you a better idea about how to price your baskets.
The hardest part of working at home is dedication. You need to dedicate your time, space, and some money to your gift basket business. You have to remind yourself, your family, and your friends that certain hours each day will be devoted to your business. Always include in your work hours, the time it will take you to update your accounting, and market your gift basket business.
There are many resources out there to help you with your business. There are industry magazines, websites, and books. Check them all periodically to keep on top of the trends. This is your gift basket business and you want it to be the best, so do your homework and stay informed.
A Job is Not a Job
The reasons don't matter why a job I once enjoyed turned into a job I didn't. It happens. Bosses change, companies change, priorities change, budgets change, responsibilities change. Some changes bring personal growth and opportunity. Some don't.
What does matter was the lesson learned that stayed with me the rest of my career: a job is not just a job. That job I hated helped my checking account. But my confidence, creativity, health, energy for life and view of the world was not as fortunate. When the alarm clock sounded, my previous excitement to face a new day became cocoon-like behavior, both in and out of the covers, wanting protection from another day's battle. It was safer for those I loved to refrain from sharing important issues or concerns with me, never knowing how I would react.
How you spend a significant part of your day rubs off on the rest of your day, and on those you share your life with. Over time, it rubs off on your life. I'm not talking about temporary potholes and work hiccups that come with change or periods of work intensity, or the interim choices to increase finances, or the normal setbacks and challenges that should be dealt with at work. I'm talking about the long term match between who you are and the job you have. When you're in a job that's good for you, you can feel it. And you can feel it when you're not. I agree with Barbara DeAngeles, “No job is a good job if it isn't good for you.”
You see, you can't be winning at working if you don't like what you're doing, where you're doing it, or who you're doing it for. If what you do feels like work the majority of the time, you might want to think about why, and what you can do to change it. That doesn't necessarily mean you should change jobs or companies. Transferring to another team, volunteering for a new project, or asking your boss for new responsibilities may be all it takes.
But, whatever it takes, you won't be able to offer your best you at work and get rewarded with interesting work, personal growth and financial rewards, if you aren't in a good workplace environment and a good position match for who you are, what you want, and what you have to offer.
I've worked in jobs where I couldn't wait until Monday. That's when I'm so excited about the new project or the new idea or the next thing I'm working on that it's not work to me. It's a challenging, interesting, stimulating and fun way to spend my day. And, I'm a lot happier when that's the case.
A Lesson of Life From A Friend
The following is a true story...
Yesterday I received a phone call from a friend whom I last talked to almost two years ago.
Like other people, I was surprised to hear her voice.
She heard from a mutual friend that I just set up a fitness studio and she wanted to ask me about my new venture and as well as what's going on in my life.
To my surprise again, she told me that she was retrenched from her job 6 months ago. She admitted that she was very sad about the layoff. She didn't know what she did wrong in her job that she was retrenched.
You and I know that there is no apparent reason when companies want to lay off people. Sometimes, it's just bad luck.
>From the way she talked, I could tell that she has become stronger and more mature. She's more open to new ideas and opportunities.
That's not all. She told me another shocking news: her dad passed away 3 months before she was retrenched.
I was like "Oh my God, how could she take it?"
How on earth a young lady could ever take the pressure of facing the death of her loved one and losing her job within 3 months' time?
What would you do if these happened to you? Give up on life?
She told me that she got to be strong and she didn't want her mom to see her depressed.
I'm so happy for her that these untoward incidents actually made her to stop and think about her life and re-prioritize her life, which she never did before.
She turned the loss of loved one and loss of job into power and strength.
Because of these incidents, she had the courage and decided to be her own boss by joining her friends in a business venture. She feels that she has now more control of her life and career.
She explained to me that she now gains more satisfaction from life which she never felt before.
Is this what we call "blessing in disguise" for her? My friend has definitely changed a lot...at least for the better.
Most of us will not budge from our comfort zone unless something very dramatic happens to us: loss of loved ones, divorce, loss of job, or sickness.
How many of us dream of being our own boss but no action taken?
Do you want what happened to my friend to happen to you so that you'd really sit down and think about your life? And do things that you really love?
Or, do you want to do it now?
The choice is yours.
Do not wait for things to happen. Take charge of your life proactively. Take my friend's experience as an inspiration to live your dreams.
A New Discovery of an Old Secret
By Davis Goss
Some years ago, when the world seemed to close in on me and I felt as though I was trapped between the sword and the wall, I made an exciting discovery. Actually, it was a phenomenon that was as old as dirt but it took on significant meanings for me because it freed me from all my problems and all the stresses and pressures that were being imposed upon me.
I discovered that there is only one simple root cause of all problems. When this primal cause becomes known, understood and properly applied, all problems disappear like snowflakes on a hot griddle. In fact this discovery launched me on a life-long career as a professional problem solver for a widely diverse personal, professional and corporate client base that included many of the giants of American business.
I had discovered the law of opposites.
Take just a minute and think about the world you live in. Have you ever noticed how everything you’re involved in is comprised of opposites? Opposites abound everywhere and in every situation. Webster has many definitions for opposites but they are best summed up in the one where he defines opposites as “elements that are so far apart as to be totally irreconcilable”.
For example, we have such irreconcilable opposites as up and down, left and right, short and tall, light and dark, assets and liabilities, success and failure, freedom and bondage and on and on and on. I doubt that you think of anything that does not have an implied opposite
Think about it: We live in a world of division. We live in a world where “twoness” prevails; a world of duality where very position, situation and condition is challenged by some alternative where one side is always pulling against another or pushing up against a wall that will not yield.
This is living in a world that is perfectly designed to promote struggle, turmoil, conflict, confusion, disputes and disagreements. This law of opposites is the cause of all problems. Without knowing how to control or overcome this law of opposites, people try to adapt to it without realizing that by so doing they only succeed in increasing their frustrations and prolonging any solution. Is it any wonder that so many people are suffering such pressures, stresses and anxieties!
If these people could somehow prevent this law from operating in their individual experiences they could enjoy living is a world where oneness prevailed and those things we call problems would have no influence over them.
This might be best illustrated by using such familiar opposites as positive and negative. Positives and negatives are opposites and have nothing in common. They cannot mix or commingle. Neither can one be described in term of the other. Try as you might, you cannot successfully justify one to the other. They are opposites. It is the law!
A problem is defined by Webster as “an intricate, unsettled question without an answer; a source of perplexity and vexation”. By their very nature, problems are negative. Webster defines “negative” as “something that is the opposite, or negation, of something”. That “something” is the positiveness of the problem’s solution. Webster’s definition of “positive” is “that which is real, not speculative, not fictitious and logically affirmative; that which has actual existence”.
Just as a negative has absolutely no positive characteristics, so a positive has absolutely no negative characteristics. They are opposites. It is the law! And because it is an absolute, universal law it is not subject to chance, change, modification, circumvention or debate. It maintains its own integrity, is self- enforcing and works simply because it exists…forever! When properly applied it is your absolute assurance of successful conclusions.
The problem is negative and unreal. The objective is positive and real. Logic, then, demands that in order to experience your goal or objective or receive the answer to your question, you must discipline yourself to maintain a mind-set that is responsive to the positive ideas that will dissolve your negative problems.
This is probably the most demanding discipline you will ever be faced with because we’ve been trained to accept both positives and negatives as real. From this premise, we attempt to solve a problem by confronting it as an adversary with which we are compelled to do battle. We try to “understand” it and “deal” with it as though it were a reality instead of simply being a negation of that which we are seeking.
Does all this sound too abstract to be practical in what we call the “real” world of nuts and bolts? While individual circumstances will vary, the procedural application of this law is always the same.
( See my article “Taking the Problem Out of Problem Solving”)
Consider this case study: Static sale plagued a company and great effort and money was invested to find some means by which they could increase the sales volume of their product. Their best efforts failed and they resigned themselves to the conviction that the market was flooded to the point of saturation and nothing further could be done. They were prepared to “eat their losses” and move on.
Then the principles embodied in this discovery were initiated by one individual who, in the secrecy of his own thought, maintained the integrity of this positive, constructive, solution oriented approach. He mentally rejected all discussions that focused on the “problem” even though circumstances required that he be involved in them. Soon a plan began developing in his thought. Every detail of a brand new merchandising procedure unfolded that was a radical departure from all traditional methods. The plan was implemented and sales increased immediately to a level that far exceeded the company’s most optimistic projections. As an added bonus, the implementation of this plan did not require any additional capital expenditures.
This confirms Victor Hugo’s statement that, “there is nothing more powerful than the right idea whose time has come”.
The sales “problem” simply disappeared. Why? Because, being an unreal negation, it never did have the substance or reality of its positive opposite. Where did the problem go? It went to the same place the flat world went as soon as Columbus discovered that it was really round. It didn’t “go” anywhere because it wasn’t a real “something” to begin with!
Details of this discovery are fully outlined in a logical continuity of demonstrable natural laws and principles in my latest book “The DYNAMICS of ACHIEVEMENT”.
For more than 40 years Davis Goss has been a creative consultant with particular expertise in problem solving for widely divers client base that has included many of the giants of American business. His latest book, “The DYNAMICS of ACHIEVEMENT”: outlines the details of his unique problem solving methods that are based solely on proven scientific principles.
After The Downsizing...Reclaiming Your Organization's Spirit
As you well know, the scope of a downsizing initiative totally consumes the entire capacity of your management team. When it's over, all of those who are left need time to recover. Chances are that everyone is stressed out, exhausted and minimally
As you well know, the scope of a downsizing initiative totally consumes the entire capacity of your management team. When it's over, all of those who are left need time to recover. Chances are that everyone is stressed out, exhausted and minimally productive. It's a time when spirits are low and the soul of the organization has seemingly gone by the wayside.
You might ask, “What does spirit and soul have to do with business?” While we typically don't use the terms "spirit and soul" in business, in fact, spirit and soul ARE some of the key elements that have contributed to the success of your business up until now.
Think of it like this: Spirit = morale, motivation,engagement, enthusiasm Soul = culture, values, purpose, commitment
There is no quick fix for reclaiming the spirit and soul of your business. But, until you start doing "something" to get things back on track, the spirit and soul of your company will be starving. Here are a few ideas you can use to get started:
Keep Swimming – Don't Tread Water Treading water will get you nowhere! If you can't keep swimming yourself, find someone in your organization that can. If you can't find someone internally, hire a consultant or a coach. Someone needs to immediately jump in and show the "survivors" the importance of swimming versus treading water.
Change The Mindset In today's workplace, change is the "norm". Every contributor should have the mindset that they are in business for themselves. Tom Peters and many authors have written about the concept of "Brand YOU". Brand YOU is about:
- Each individual identifying what it is that makes their contribution unique and valuable
-Everything they do (or choose not to do) reflects the value and character of their "brand"
-How the success of individual translates into the success of the business.
Encourage the survivors to take hold of their personal power. A new mindset will give them the strength to "keep swimming" and avoid feeling victimized. Consider bringing in a coach or a consultant to do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis to help them recognize their strengths and opportunities for improvement. It's a great opportunity to acknowledge their strengths and get them focused on taking action.
Build The Structure Establish systems and processes. Make it requirement that processes are in place for every employee to:
- Understand the state of the business
- Understand how their performance contributes to the business results
- Understand what the business needs from them in order to be successful
Job descriptions may need to be revised to accurately reflect the functions of each position. Involve your team in creating mission, vision and values statements for your/their functions. Once the systems are in place, the key is to communicate, communicate, communicate.
Invest In Development Ferdinand Fournes once wrote "People don't do dumb things on purpose". If that's true (and in general terms I believe it is), then identify the knowledge, skills and abilities that need to be developed. Embrace in the competencies of Emotional Intelligence. It is often the skill set of Emotional Intelligence that distinguishes the most successful employees from the rest. It's a win/win strategy for individuals, teams as well as the business. It's time to make the investment for individuals, teams, and the business.
Hold Everyone Accountable Holding everyone accountable is about sharing responsibility. Sharing responsibility implies that individual contributors are an integral part of strategizing, planning, and executing whatever task is at hand. Typically, individuals are more than willing to be held accountable if they've been a part of the process from the beginning.
**Special Note: the concept of "shared responsibility" may require a paradigm shift for managers who are used to "asking" versus "telling". Be sure your managers have access to training in coaching skills. There are several great training programs out there that teach coaching skills. One that I think is especially good is a two-day session called The Coaching Clinic.
You may be saying to yourself now, "These aren't new concepts." and you're absolutely right, they aren't new. However, they are foundational practices. If your that "employees are your greatest assets", then you'll also embrace the concept that "individual success translates into successful business results". In essence, you have a successful business with spirit and soul.
How long can you afford to tread water?