Leadership Articles

It’s a common misconception that your brand is your logo, slogan, brochures and products. Your brand is much more than that. Your brand is only as strong as what others think, feel and perceive about every aspect of your company and your products. It is also about how you live up to your vision’s promises and solutions – which impacts your reputation. Apple is a great example. You most likely have distinct reactions, or feelings about the company and its products. And if these notions are positive, that is because Apple has lived up to its vision – and your expectations.

The world is moving at a faster and faster pace. On a yearly basis, we see more new inventions, technology upgrades and societal changes than used to happen in a decade. What once was a generational change is now an ove ight change. With the fast pace of change in today’s world, there is an ...

The truck in the next lane weaved toward me. I looked over. He was texting. The car ahead of me at the now-green traffic light didn’t move. “She’s on Facebook on her phone,” my wife said. The SUV zoomed ahead of me, and then slowed down. And again further down the interstate. Each time, the driver was on a call when I went around, and off the phone when he sped up. And the thought popped in my head, “If these people are ‘always on’ when driving, how are they at work?”

Senior citizens face the important decision of choosing a healthcare insurance plan as they advance in years. Many are conce ed about life after retirement and the increasing costs of healthcare and health maintenance. They are often unsure which plan best suits their needs at the lowest possible cost.

Customizing and designing corporate programs to help organizations take their businesses to the next level is one of my great passions. Large, successful companies always understand that people are their most valuable asset. But not all of them train their personnel about how to positively represent their corporate brand through their professional presence and what I call the ABCs of Image (Appearance, Behavior/etiquette and Communications skills).

When was the last time you boarded an airplane and the pilot was handing out Aircraft Trading Cards with the statistics of the plane on which you're about to fly? Think about it. It makes sense. How many of us would buy a car without reading the manufacture's label on the window? So why shouldn't we know about the "product" we are buying? That must have been what Captain Denny Flanagan figured when he stood at the jet way of the 757 that was to take me home to Orange County.

Developing self confidence is a process of self-discovery. No one is born with it. Our life experiences and messages play a key role in building self confidence and in maintaining it. If a lack of confidence is holding you back, in your career, relationships, and ability to get ahead, this article offers psychologically proven ways to build or restore it. Follow these ten tips for immediately increasing your self-confidence. 1.Act confidently and you will feel more confident. This is a simple concept.

Losing the weight is all about commitment and determination and that is what Transformation Solution teaches. From the popular weight loss author, Bill Phillips, it is a weight loss program that digs deeper into one’s emotions and mental aspect; after all, how you feel inside is a big factor on your weight loss journey. Ever wondered why after trying all sorts of diet plans and menus and doing various workouts you still haven’t lost that excess weight. That is exactly where Transformation Solution Program comes in.

National Hockey League Hall of Famer Mark Messier is recognized as one of the greatest leaders in the history of professional team sports. This reputation is backed by the fact Messier is the only player to captain two separate teams to the Stanley Cup Championship. So, when Messier talks leadership, people should pay attention. After winning his sixth Stanley Cup in 1994, and the first for his New York Rangers in 54 years, Messier was quoted in a Sports Illustrated article on how he gets the most out of the players as a team captain:

The impetus for this article comes from the thousands of miles I have traveled and the many places I have stayed in my work as a leadership consultant and professional speaker. Depending upon the city and the client, the range goes from residential inns to five star resorts, from boutique hotels to bed-and-breakfast retreats, from international chains to franchise operations.

Are you feeling discouraged by your inability to stand out and command more lucrative fees or higher salaries during this economic downtu ? Whether you are a corporate leader or a high-achieving entrepreneur – everyone is looking for effective methods and fresh strategies to attract a more elite clientele, get the attention of HR departments and senior executive decision makers, and land those profitable business deals.

Question: What costs American businesses over 300 billion dollars annually? Answer: Disengaged employees. According to extensive studies conducted by Gallup Management journal, only 29% of employees are engaged in their work. 54% are disengaged (mentally checked out) and 17% are actively disengaged (sabotaging the efforts of their co-workers). What’s more, Gallup has determined that the only source of this problem of employee disengagement is bad managers! This means that if your company is like most, every million dollars you spend on payroll, gets you $290,000 worth of effort!

Welcome to the 2012 Election—the Year of Negativity. Like the weather, everyone’s talking about it, yet no one is doing anything about it… …yet it does have a negative effect on your business. The advent of 24/7 information channels creates a constant media feeding frenzy of irrelevant, trivial snatches of negative spin hurled by candidates at one another. This hourly barrage of unsubstantiated negativity drains positivity from your work environment. Mission focus scatters. Morale suffers. Productivity follows. Profits diminish. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Many of us have heard the saying that you should work to live rather than live to work. However, for many of those who are employed, they spend a huge amount of their time focusing on work just to make money to manage financially. This is something that can have a huge negative impact on your life, which is why many people are now turning to self employment. When you become self employed you can improve your life in many ways as well as improving the lives of your loved ones.

I recently watched the movie, “Saving Mr. Banks,” a Walt Disney film that shows the process that Walt and Mrs. P.L. Travers used in creating the movie “Mary Poppins.” The thing that stood out to me the most is that the creative process is messy, yet, it’s full of joy and happiness. The creative process is frustrating and rife with obstacles and barriers, yet, it’s inspiring and uplifting, as well. There is constant starting, stopping, redoing, and editing that drives you mad, yet, it’s collaborative and spirited.

As an author, speaker, and leadership development consultant I tell individuals and companies all the time: “You Can Still Win!” I have also authored a book by the same name and give talks to groups of all sizes on the subject. It’s a given: If you ask most people whether they would like to win ...

Every individual holds within, an incredibly powerful recipe for leadership. With passion, focus, determination and a belief in the power of the self, the awesome giant will be freed How great would it be if the world was brimming with positive and powerful leaders! What if many of the leaders actually took notice of the people, rather than their own (fragile) egos? How incredible would it be if there were loads of respectful, compassionate and gracious leaders who found their purpose through enriching and empowering the lives of others?r

Are you a leader either in your work place or in school? Maybe you want to develop your leadership skills and bring them to the next level. In this article, I will be describing to you three tips on how you can do so. I hope you will open your mind to what I am about to share here. I believe it can change the way you lead people. Develop Relationship With The People Below You As a leader, I am sure that you have people under you, people you have to manage and whose needs yo

Last week, I spoke to a group of State Farm agents and team members in the Houston area about how to Work Positive in a Negative World. During the workshops, I interviewed selected agents as positive examples of the five core practices. One of those agents, Corey LeJeune, serves The Woodlands, and has a son who turns one year old in a couple of weeks. His son’s birth prompted Corey to look ahead to birthday parties. He imagined great celebrations for his son, but then began thinking about less fortunate children whose parents couldn’t afford to give them a party.

If you want to seize the day and capitalize on your window of opportunity to move up in your career you have to be fully prepared to jump at the chance. Opportunity doesn’t linger; it knocks and then moves along to the next person’s door. These are scary times. People all around you are being downsized, passed over, or saddled with more work but compensated with less pay.

What do you do for families when you're ready to demand a lot from employees? Are families even a part of your plan? Experience shows that stress levels go up when people are conce ed about other family members. The military has years of experience in dealing with the stress of long-term training and deployment to combat. These same principles can work for you in your business.

Change occurs constantly and your business must learn to adapt. From the telegraph to the cell phone, the personal computer to the Internet, companies have access to newer and better tools to do business in the 21st century. However, many organizations find success, even moderate success, yet remain stuck in the old ways of doing things. One of those significant changes took place at the turn of the century. Are you transcribing the way you do business from the past century

Every once in a while, we hear a sports hero, celebrity, or person of prominence decry: “I am not a role model.” It is an interesting statement because role models, like heroes and mentors, often are not labels we give to ourselves—they are badges of honor given to us by people who find us deserving. nnThe awe, the inspiration, the hope, and even the joy we bestow just by being ourselves leads people to look up to us, emulate us, and ultimately assign us the status of a

“If you want to take your mission in life to the next level, don’t look outside yourself. Look inside.”– The Level 10 Game, Leadership & Teamwork, Work Wise This is a little story of a boy and a girl who were playing together. The boy had lot of marbles and the girl had sweets with her. The boy asked the girl if she would exchange her sweets for the marbles. The girl agreed and handed over all the sweets to the boy. However, the boy sneaked out the biggest and the mos

Most people admire individuals who can successfully climb and conquer the almost insurmountable mountains of the world. Conquering Mt. Everest is not a hap-hazard undertaking. It requires meticulous planning and analysis of a variety of situation that one might face while climbing to the peak. ...

I recently returned from a week of speaking engagements to awaken the next morning to a case of vertigo. I woke up, rolled out of bed as usual, and the floor rose up to whack my head. It was kind of like being drunk on a rollercoaster ride. Over the next several days, I was in bed or in my recliner, hanging on for dear life, wishing the room would stop spinning. As the rotation slowed, I moved around some. That’s when I thought, “This is like trying to do business today. Just when you think you have figured it out, everything moves and you’re off balance again.”

The perfumes have become an important part of our life because of the advantages it has in our life. The perfume also helps in boosting our confidence and also makes other people like us. The perfume you use becomes your identity and that is why you should choose the perfume carefully. When we talk about choosing the perfume, the factor of packaging comes on the top of the list. The packaging should be of good quality and attractive enough to catch the eye of the customer and make him buy the perfume.

Do your employees complain of favoritism, or inconsistency in decision-making, or lack of fairness? If so, the problem – and the solution – may be your organization’s values.nnOn its face, identifying values to guide workplace behaviors and decisions seems reasonable, productive, and highly desirable. Yet such values may, in fact, be detrimental to the organization’s health. In fact, unless managers go beyond merely identifying organizational values, unintended negati

I make my living in large measure helping executives understand how others see them, and then deciding what to do about that. The truth is that while most of us have a fairly complete knowledge of how other people's behavior affects us, we are generally clueless as to how our behavior affects others, or how they perceive us.rn rnOne of the ways that I facilitate executives' self-awareness is by getting feedback from their bosses, peers and those who report to them. It sounds

If I could give you the key to unlock the door to a more prosperous and healthy life would you be interested? Recently I was giving a seminar and I decided to ask the audience one of my favorite life questions. I looked at all the people in the room and asked: What do you want to be when you ...If I could give you the key to unlock the door to a more prosperous and healthy life would you be interested? Recently I was giving a seminar and I decided to ask the audience one of my favorite life questions. I looked at all the people in the room and asked:

There are few things as sad as when a person discovers the importance of his relationships too late in life. Too late, because so many years were wasted on the wrong priorities, pursuing success in the workplace at all costs, being caught up in endless conflict, platonic relationships, jealousy, hatred, feelings of resentment and bitte ess. Too late because quality relationships need time and focused attention to grow and mature before bearing all the fruits of true happiness, contentment and gratitude.

“It’s hard to celebrate individual accolades with the team and with people, with fans. It’s a lot better when you do it as a team, when you win things as a team, when you become champions as a team. Then everyone can feel some of the excitement that you feel.”rnMichael Jordan - June 16, 1991 In order to have a successful business and, more importantly, a successful life, it is essential that you establish a powerful vision for yourself and your business’s future. A

Have you ever had an uneasy feeling in your gut about something you were going to do? It just didn't feel right to you. A nagging voice in the back of your brain kept telling you that something wasn't quite right. If you went ahead and took that action, what was the result? Did you realize ...

Time is your most valuable asset. How you use it and what you focus on determines the quality of your performance and effectiveness. What is your workforce focusing on – they are always focusing on something, but is it what you want them to do? Fueling focus is perhaps your most important workforce engagement strategy. Energy, time and money are expended whether they are focused on the results you want or not. Is your workforce using their mental, emotional and spiritual ene

As organizations demand more and more from their people these days, time-pressed employees have to scramble to keep up. You may not be able to make the day any longer, but you can take steps to replenish your energy. Often, employees think that making it through the day using effective time management is the formula for success. It’s only part of the formula. Have you ever thought of managing your energy as much as you manage your time? Use these four simple tips to help you work smarter and prevent burn out:

“Scott, I would like to acknowledge you for the profound effect you have made on our Company and its leadership. The result of … your coaching … is a turned on, enthusiastic, joyous group committed to our new vision … We will double our business in five years as a result of your teaching’s on how to think, speak, and act.”rnGary Benjamin, PresidentrnChampion, Inc.rnIron Mountain, MI The fundamental shift in management that took place at Champion, Inc. would be imp

We watch the star athlete calmly make the final shot, score the winning goal, or lead his team for a touchdown in the final minute of the game. We marvel at their talent and their determination, but what we value and admire most is the supreme confidence they display – they know they will ...

The art of the good gardener lies in his ability to learn and appreciate natural growth processes. The shift in our understanding of organizations since the days when engineers analyzed organizations as they analyzed machines for their efficiency is to understand that organizations are fundamentally living systems of human beings. As the potential for growth is in the seed, so it is present in the members of the organization individually and collectively.

What one word describes what these three scenarios share: Many states have passed a “no texting while driving” law. The gallery is quiet while a golfer putts. You are overwhelmed at work. So what’s your one word? Mine is… …focus. Texting diverts your attention from driving and you wreck. Noise distracts a golfer’s attention. You try to do everything at once and do a small portion of it well. So how do you improve your focus with greater productivity so you get out of the office earlier? Here are 3 Strategies to Positively Turbocharge Your Productivity:

Overview : Diversity and inclusion are common buzzwords these days but few understand what they really mean or entail. In this webinar, we will explore what diversity and inclusion REALLY are as well as common myths and misconceptions. We will discuss everything from implicit and explicit bias, diversity in areas you haven't thought of, intent vs. impact, and calling in vs. calling out and more. Participants will explore their personal relationship with systems of privilege a

Feeling overwhelmed? Stressed? Too much on your plate? Get Grounded, Come to Center I'm old enough to remember a time when people usually answered "good" when you asked them the standard, "How are you doing?" These days the answer is commonly "busy." In the last few weeks, while planning my move to Austin, I've been very busy myself and starting to feel dispersed: juggling a dozen priorities at any moment, attention skittering from one thing to another, body revved up, feeling stretched thin and spread out like an octopus squished between two sheets of glass.

In order to stay competitive and profitable, many companies are unable to offer customers a price that’s significantly lower than their competition or value that’s significantly higher. Often only its salespeople can make a company stand out from a multitude of other businesses that offer similar products as similar prices. To set your company apart from its competitors, follow these guidelines for polishing your selling skills from communication to closing. - Know your cust

Are you setting yourself up for a great fall like poor old Humpty perched on his wall? The wall I’m talking about is unrealistic expectations, hopes or dreams. Everyone needs aspirations, goals to work toward and challenges to tackle. It is when we think we have unlimited power to achieve ...

When I was in school I did virtually anything I could to avoid science classes. For some reason they didn’t interest me and bored me to death. The interesting thing was as a young boy I was totally enamored with astronauts and the United States efforts to put men on the moon and return them safely to earth. I loved the Apollo space program. Yet, I couldn’t make the leap to the science and engineering to make it all happen. Somewhere there was a disconnect.

"Leadership is about coping with change. Part of the reason it has become so important in recent years is that the world has become more competitive and more volatile...doing what was done yesterday, or doing it 5% better, is no longer a formula for success. Major changes are more and more necessary to survive and compete effectively in this new environment. More change always demands more leadership." — John Kotter, "What Leaders Really Do," Harvard Business Review Change

We live in a competitive world. Leaders who want to secure the next top positions must master themselves publicly and privately. Tenacious people will gain an awareness of how executive presence and influence can propel them to the front line for promotions.

1. Deal in facts not rumours - Learn all you can about the Changes ahead and communicate the facts to your team 2. Maintain open 2 way communicationrn - Ask open ended questions to encourage discussion and build relationships within your team/organisation.rn - Examples of open-ended questions include:rn - How are you doing?rn - Would you like to talk about it?rn - Now that you’ve had time to think about it, what are you feeling?rn - Maintain / Increase your presencern - Sta

Honest negative feedback is difficult to accept. It takes tremendous courage. I learned that twenty years ago. I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about running a company let alone a smaller $100 million dollar division. I had owned and sold several successful businesses and that success certainly enlarged my ego even though I didn’t realize it at the time. I was a little too self-indulged and my self confidence bordered on arrogance and stupidity.

Study after study in which we say “Thank you” to our customers reveals that they both spend more money with us and tell their friends about the exceptional service and products we deliver. Volumes of books chronicle how employee productivity zooms skyward when appreciation is expressed. (The best of which I’ve read recently is Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage.) Vendors go the extra mile to extend credit and deliver “just in time” when they hear gratitude regularly.

I’m getting ready to begin a new client project this week and in discussing the scope of the project, one of the desired objectives identified was improving teamwork among the small staff. In investigating the issue further during our discussion, another objective we uncovered was the breaking down of the silos in the organization. When the concept of “silos” was mentioned, I as flabbergasted! I almost fell out of my chair. “Silos?” I exclaimed back to my prospective client, “you have less than 10 employees, how is that possible?”