Posts Tagged ‘RAC’
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010
Your attitude concerning yourself and others are major factors in your success and your ability to lead. They will either stimulate or stifle creativity, progress and the ability to relate to other people. Your attitude is your advance person. It walks into a room before you do. It is generally several feet in front of you. It shouts who you are and what you value louder than any words you speak.
You have feelings about how you think things should be, how you think people should act, and how you think situations should be handled. You’ve thought this way for some time. It’s now the way you think. These thought patterns set off a chain reaction that determines the outcome of all that you do. An attitude prompts a tendency to characteristically react to people, situations, or things in a certain way. It works something like this: what you think about a situation will cause you to adopt a certain attitude toward it; that attitude will then prompt you to behave or act in a certain way; how you behave will then determine what kind of results you get. Thus, attitudes and results are directly related; they exemplify the natural laws of cause and effect.
Attitudes are formed in almost the same way as other habits. The big difference, however, lies in two steps of the formation process. While habits are formed by testing some type of external response, such as tying a tie, or adding cream and sugar to your coffee, many of our attitudes are developed through the formation of internal emotions, opinions, and beliefs long before we are able to understand their effect. We judge a habit as being good or bad by seeing the external results that it yields. However, we tend to evaluate our attitudes according to the internal satisfaction that our emotions, beliefs, and opinions give us, rather than the behavior that follows.
The impact that this has on our daily relationships is enormous. If you believe that the people who look to you for leadership are basically lazy, not highly motivated, and without much potential, chances are that they will prove you right. However, if you believe in the inherent worth of all human beings, their right to dignity, respect, and fair treatment, you probably generate a great deal of trust and a high level of motivation. If you are leading and managing people who have developed negative attitudes and low self images, you will have to help them develop their attitudes and beliefs if you hope to help them improve performance. While you cannot make anyone change their attitude—you can help them to change.
All new experiences carry with them some degree of anxiety, doubt, or fear. Changing attitudes is no different. You may find yourself and others resisting change at first, and that is quite natural. Understanding of that resistance will help you overcome it. Consequently, it is helpful to understand there is a proven process for change.
Conceptually, to change your attitudes you must be willing to sit down and take an inside look at yourself. We are products of everything we have inherited and were exposed to. We are a product of family, friends, disasters, triumphs, role models, leaders, experiences, and much more. We have all the means within us to free ourselves from the constraints of negative conditioning. Attitude change is a result of internal understanding, acceptance, and action!
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses and individuals achieve high levels of excellence and success. Learn how at www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: attitude, habit, Leadership, opinions, RAC, relationships, Resource Associates Corporation, Success, the change process
Posted in Attitudes | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010
The very word “success” conjures up different images and different feelings for different people and rightfully so. It is a highly personal concept. Success for one person is very different than success for someone else. Any study examining successful salespeople will conclude that they come from different backgrounds, have various levels of education. However, those same studies show that there are some qualities that successful salespeople have in common. One of those qualities is their need to achieve excellence.
Successful salespeople have high expectations of themselves and they set high goals. Goals help you to identify what is important to you. They help establish priorities and balance. Goals provide you with a process to most effectively plan the realization of your life’s dreams. They enhance achievement, add meaning to life, and often provide much needed reminders about things you should be doing. Another success quality is positive self-image. Though you may be unaware of it, you possess a mental picture of yourself. Further, you think and perform exactly like the type of person you visualize yourself to be. A positive self-image, a positive picture of you, is a critical and necessary ingredient to success in sales.
If your image of yourself is positive, skilled, knowledgeable, and able to communicate in terms that make people want to do business with you, then chances are good that your behaviors will be consistent with success. If you doubt your ability or lack confidence, then chances are that your behavior will create doubt in the minds of potential customers. If you want to improve your level of success, begin by improving the way you think. Simply put: to have you must become. You cannot perform consistently when you have a conflict with your basic self-image.
Knowledge will also be an important cornerstone of your success. You will want to be able to position your product or service for maximum competitive advantage. You must be informed and knowledgeable in numerous areas: product knowledge, general knowledge, industry knowledge, competition, skills knowledge, and self-knowledge.
Another quality of successful salespeople is their exceptional ability to communicate. Effective sales interactions focus on the customer’s needs. Sales are made because the customer clearly understands how his or her needs are going to be met. Your ability to understand what the customer’s needs are and how and why they feel the way they do, will enable you to tailor your process to your customer. The ability to ask the right questions is also very important. Listening skills are critical. Knowing when and how to respond to the questions and needs of each customer will directly affect your success. Your ability to understand and apply the basic principles of effective communication will directly influence your sales performance.
Preparation and attention to detail can also help you to achieve higher levels of success in today’s competitive environment. Proper planning prevents poor performance. Be proactive rather than reactive. Most people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. If you want to maximize your efforts, develop a strategy for every sales call. Thorough and precise planning makes prospects feel like they are dealing with a professional. Generally, successful salespeople have many more failures than unsuccessful salespeople. The difference is that successful salespeople refuse to give up. They keep trying. They know why they are good and they are committed to getting better!
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching, and youth leadership. For more information visit http://www.resourceassociatescorp.com/ or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: communication, planning, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Sales, self-image, Success
Posted in Sales | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Too often, we live our lives as if we have an unending supply of days. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. Everybody has 24 hours in a day, and individual experiences vary from day to day. Sometimes we accomplish a great deal, and time just seems to fly by. Sometimes we look at our watches and are surprised by the lateness of the hour. On other days, everything seems to be in slow motion.
The quantity of time doesn’t really change. There are always sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, and 24 hours in a day. Only our perception changes, and our perception is our reality. When we work at challenging and stimulating projects directly related to our goals, our achievement level skyrockets and time flies. When we are bored or doing something we don’t like, time drags as does our level of accomplishment. When we feel under the gun or out of control, time seems to go too fast. We feel out of control, stressed, unable to get done what we need to accomplish in the time allotted, and are continually behind schedule. Since we cannot increase or manufacture more time, we must get more out of the time we have.
If most of us know how to manage our time and if we realize the value of becoming more effective at managing our time, why don’t we do a better job of it? We all know what we should do. Why don’t we just do it? For most of us, what is easy to say is more difficult to do. To answer that question, we must first look at the key factors that influence our behavior.
The first step in changing any habit is to identify the habit you want to change. Therefore, in order to change your time management habits, you must evaluate your present use of time by analyzing your attitudes and behavior in relation to outcomes. An accurate time analysis will help you to pinpoint who and what occupies your time. Look for time wasters and peak performance periods. Pinpoint precise behaviors that are incompatible with your goals.
Define the new habit that you wish to develop and be as specific as possible. Negative habits in our lives are destructive and positive ones are uplifting. They help us achieve our goals. In order to build habits, we must define precise behaviors for change and perform them at specific times. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.”
You will get more out of your time when you learn how to get more out of your life. After you determine what you want, what you value, what you believe, and where your priorities lie, determining how to spend a given day or hour is easy. In order to get more out of your time, know what you want and what you want to get out of it. That may seem very basic, but many people fail to define their values, purpose, and goals. They are immersed in their daily activities, and they fail to think about what they really like to do. They overlook the real purpose of their lives.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses and individuals achieve high levels of excellence and success. Learn how at www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: perception, Purpose, RAC, resource associates corp, Time, Time Management, time management habits
Posted in Time Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
Change in recent years has created far-reaching implications for anyone in the sales field. Globalization, technology, universal access to information, and the recent economy have changed everything. If you want to succeed in this turbulent arena, you will have to be more knowledgeable, more responsive, and easier to do business with than ever before.
You will have to do some of the things you already do, but you’ll have to do them better. You’ll have to do some things differently. You may even have to learn some new skills and techniques. Whether you are selling a product or service; whether you represent a well-known, established company or a brand new start-up; one fact remains clear: it is unlikely that you will maintain a competitive advantage unless you continue to improve your ability to attract and keep customers. Chances are if you continue doing things the way you have always done them, you will lose market share instead of gaining it. You are the catalyst for improving your results. Your success and the success of your company depend upon your ability to reinvent yourself and your processes and apply them for improved results.
The key to everything is action. All the knowledge in the world is of little value unless it is put to use. Knowledge is not power, applied knowledge is power. Excelling in a sales profession means never accepting less than the best … from life and from you. Excellence is not a position. Excellence in sales means being the best you can be. It’s a continuous process of stretching yourself, your abilities and your skills. You are the critical factor in reaching higher levels of success. The road to success is always under construction. There are always improvements to be made.
In today’s competitive environment, sales represent the critical cog in the success of any operation: revenue generation. Sales is the lubricant for the wheels of all business. It is the link between the production of all products and services and the consumption of all products and services. All business is sales driven.
Whether you call customers “accounts, clients, patients or members,” in sales terms they are customers. Regardless of what your organizational term is, you need them to keep you in business. In the book, Thriving on Chaos, Tom Peters suggests that professional salespeople are at the heart of business and that for a business to survive and succeed, extensive development of salespeople is essential.
A top IBM sales executive once said it very simply, “If they don’t buy you, they sure aren’t going to buy whatever else you’re selling.” There is a great deal of wisdom expressed in that opinion. Truly successful salespeople are never satisfied. They are constantly striving to improve their prospecting skills, their presentation and their customer base. Success belongs to those who refuse to be satisfied with the status quo. “I am doing okay,” may well be the four most dangerous words in a salesperson’s vocabulary. Satisfaction with the status quo is one of the greatest deterrents to achieving success. Preparation for success begins with your commitment to learning what you need to learn and doing what you need to do.
You are the cornerstone of your success. Innovative ideas and finely developed skills are required to realize that success. You must continuously strive to develop skills that are effective in today’s complex environment. Focus on improvement and excellence. Satisfaction with the status quo has no place in the world of sales today. Remember, it is better to dare mighty deeds than to live a life of quiet desperation and wonder what might have been.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses accelerate results through sales development and sales coaching. For information go to www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: applied knowledge, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Sales, status quo, Success, thriving on chaos, Tom Peters
Posted in Sales | No Comments »
Thursday, October 7th, 2010
Public speaking skills are important, but most people devote far too little time and energy developing listening skills. Nature is clearly telling us that we should listen twice as much as we talk as we have two ears and one mouth. It is impossible to find out what someone else is thinking if you are doing all the talking. Listening is a key communication and empathy skill. Keys to becoming a more effective and empathic listener include:
Take the time to listen and be attentive – Often we are so preoccupied in our “busyness” that we only pretend to listen. Take time to really concentrate. Listen with both ears. When a team member comes into your office or stops you in the hall, stop what you are doing, make eye contact, and really listen. You will be surprised how much more effective the exchange will be and how much time is saved in the long run.
Be quiet – You can’t listen if your mouth is moving, so be quiet while the other person is speaking. Wait until they complete their thought or sentence before you begin to ask clarification questions or answer the question at hand. If you rearrange the letters that spell listen, you get silent. Remember that when someone else is talking with you.
Listen with an open mind – Selective listening limits your ability to learn, grow, and achieve. Listening with an open mind increases your ability to understand and respond effectively. Your openness will create such noticeable rapport that the other person will be inclined to listen to you with equal sensitivity.
Listen for emotion – People tend to repeat those things that are important to them. Listen not only to what they say, but how they say it. Voices express emotion through pitch, intonation, hesitation, and speed of delivery. By listening to what people say and how they say it, you will discover the feelings behind the words.
Listen for retention – How often have you wanted to tell a good joke or story that you had heard but you simply couldn’t remember it? On those occasions you probably wished you knew how to increase your memory retention. Well, there is a way. While you are listening, occasionally summarize in your mind the highlights that you’re hearing. This will increase your understanding and your retention. Verbalizing your summarized thoughts from time to time throughout the conversation will also confirm accuracy.
Pay close attention to non-verbal communication – 55% of communication comes from our body language, 38% is contained in our tone of voice or how we say, what we say and 7% of communication is actually the words. When verbal and non-verbal communication conflict (saying something different than what is physically portrayed) the non-verbal will always be heard over what is said verbally. If a team member comes to you for advice and you tell them you have time and are concerned but you continue to shuffle papers on your desk, sneak peaks at your computer screen, or make side notes, what does the person really hear? Do they hear that you are truly concerned, or that you really don’t have time to listen? Body language can be subtle or very obvious and you don’t have to be a genius to read it. Recognize how the body language of others makes you feel and you will instinctively know what it means. Good communication is critical to the success of any team.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses achieve sustainable results through leadership development and executive coaching. For information on creating a leadership succession plan visit www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: active listening, Body Language, communication, Emotion, open mind, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Retention
Posted in Communications | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
According to Jeffrey Gitomer author of Customer Satisfaction is Worthless: Customer Loyalty is Priceless, the answer is very clear. “Satisfaction is no longer an acceptable measurement of customer service success.
The standard and measure of success in this millennium are loyal customers.” The Gallop Organization’s research also concludes that no matter how satisfied an organization thinks its customers are, if they haven’t made an emotional connection with their customers to develop a long-term relationship, satisfaction will ultimately be worthless. Satisfaction alone does not build a strong loyal customer relationship.
It is difficult to focus on loyalty when, as standard practice, most organizations seem to settle for satisfied customers. Satisfaction is a measurement of mediocrity. When a customer indicates, “I am satisfied”, it can usually be translated to mean the service experience wasn’t bad, however, it also was not exceptional. Satisfied customers are certainly better than disgruntled customers, but, building a loyal relationship is a must for long-term success. The key difference between loyalty and satisfaction is that customer satisfaction scores fail to predict how customers will actually behave relative to future purchases of your product or service. They may or may not return. On the other hand, loyal customers will consistently buy from you. By definition, loyal customers always come back to purchase repeatedly, which in turn produces a much longer and stronger income stream. The larger the loyal customer base, the greater your organization’s long- term success.
Economically, the best strategy for your organization is to pursue the creation and retention of loyal customers. This strategic initiative can and will separate your organization from the competition. Let’s face it, service today is mediocre in most organizations. Your organization can achieve a competitive distinction by developing a strategy of creating loyal customers. It has been proven that organizations with high levels of loyal customers typically grow revenues at twice the rate of their competition. However, the strategy of developing loyal customers must become a part of the organization’s culture and ingrained throughout. Since the culture of an organization will always drive the behavior of the people who work within the organization, people will behave differently if the culture is entirely profit driven. In this culture, people will do whatever they have to in order to produce profit, often times at the expense of the customer. This short-term thinking is an organizational disaster waiting to happen.
If the culture and strategy of the organization is to develop and retain loyal customers, then the contributors within the organization will focus on what they need to do to create loyal customers. Needless to say, in a culture that promotes customer loyalty, the entire organization must be devoted to valuing both customers and fellow employees who are often referred to as internal customers. Bill Marriott Sr. was noted for saying, “The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat the guest.”
When implementing a competitive strategy that deals with loyalty also take note that the customer experience needs to be aligned with organizational promises. When the customer’s experience is not reflective of what has been advertised, promised, or expected, the customer’s trust in the organization is undermined resulting in many lost revenue opportunities. Therefore, there is an urgent need to create strong relationships through frequent points of connection, and deliver unique service experiences as expected and promised by the organization’s marketing and advertising. The immediate impact of delivering an exceptional experience based on what is promised is a winning combination and a powerful weapon against your competition.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses achieve high levels of excellence and success by adopting customer loyalty strategies as a critical success factor of organizational success. Learn how at www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: Customer Loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, gallop, gitomer, Marriott, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, strategic
Posted in Customer Loyalty | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
Innovation has become a popular topic in business over the last several years. However many companies confuse improvement with innovation and they are not one in the same.
Improvement is evolutionary where innovation is revolutionary. “Innovation is about creating breakaway differentiation, it’s about creating superior economic returns and it’s about creating what author Geoffrey Moore describes, as ‘an outcome competitors are either unable or unwilling to match’.” (Peter Lefler founder of The Spruance Group)
In order for a company to achieve innovative ideas the company needs to foster a culture of personal innovation. Every employee, team member, or contributor within your organization can enable innovation. They are living every process, talking with every customer, working on every production line, so they know very clearly what works well and what does not work. And, if asked they can tell the organization how it can be done better! The question becomes what process does your management team have in place to ask your employees what they believe the organization can do better?
Innovative opportunities are constantly squelched by poor organizational goal definition, poor alignment of actions to goals, poor participation in teams, poor monitoring of results, and poor communication as well as access to information. Help your people be part of the solution and contribute to a higher level of organizational success.
In a recent project with an insurance company, a cross functional team was brought together to evaluate, rework and present a low cost, no cost solution to shorten their policy approval process which was currently 13 days. They knew the industry average was 12 days. The team worked together for five days. By Friday afternoon the team was presenting to management a no-cost, reworked process taking the existing process of 13 days down to three days. Once the team was given the objectives they went to work and as a team saved the organization 10 days and a significant amount of money. They did not just present improvement … they innovated the process.
Allowing your employees to contribute means they are participating and taking responsibility for accomplishing goals. It’s important for each team member to have a clear understanding of his/her part in helping the team accomplish its goals. Utilizing employees with different strengths creates high performing and innovative teams. The key to employee contribution and innovation is in creating a culture in which people are encouraged to challenge, question, and try new things.
Creating an innovative culture is not a switch that can be flipped overnight. There may be resistance at first because changing a culture is never easy. However, in this case the change and the results are worth it. Communicate the organization’s goal and objectives and communicate the details of those goals frequently. Put a process in place that offers a safe way for employees to share ideas for improvement and innovation and always provide feedback. Establish cross-functional teams to evaluate important business processes and listen intently to what they have to say. If management stays committed to the cultural change, you will see the insecurity and resistance dissipate fostering some of the best innovate and revolutionary ideas your company may ever have seen.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses achieve sustainable results through management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching and youth leadership. For information on creating a leadership succession plan visit www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: communication, contribution, improvement, innovation, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, revolutionary, Success
Posted in Business Management, Communications | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
Depending upon what research study you read, companies in the United States are spending upwards of 134 Billion dollars a year on employee training and development.
However, according to a study on retention in The Journal of Economic Education, the annual rate of retention loss for employee training and development averages between 13 to 23%. In other words, American employers are throwing away between 17 and 30 Billion dollars a year on unused or lost training and development.
In any business environment wasted dollars is bad, and in today’s business environment, eliminating wasted dollars is mission critical. The situation at hand is really a double-edged sword. Companies need to continue to invest in the development of their people (even now) in order to manage brain drain, to engage and motivate younger employees, and to create future leadership and growth initiatives for the organization all the while maximizing every dollar invested. So how can an organization accomplish both objectives simultaneously?
The good news is it can be done, but it does require examining and implementing employee training and development in a different way. It starts with understanding it is not just about the degree to which participants acquire the new knowledge, skill, or attitude, and it is not just about whether the participant attended the actual event. It is more about how the new knowledge, skill, or attitude is applied and how the application can positively impact a business through quantifiable results.
Donald Kirkpatrick is Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin in North America and a past president of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). He is best known for creating a highly influential model for training and development evaluation. It is defined by four levels of participant learning.
His first two levels of learning are typically how companies measure the success of their training and development investment. Kirkpatrick defines the first level of learning as reaction. Reaction measures whether participants liked the event and the measurement tool is usually the session critique often referred to as a “smile sheet”—did the participants enjoy and find some value in the time they spent? Kirkpatrick’s second level focuses on participant learning. Did the participants acquire the new and intended knowledge, skill, or attitude? Often at this level pre and post testing is used as a measurement tool. What was the participants’ level of knowledge going into the training or development event, and how much did the level of knowledge increase as a result of completing the event?
Level one and two are important because you cannot move to Kirkpatrick’s level three and four without starting at the beginning. Kirkpatrick’s levels of learning are interconnected, as it is a learning process. However, many companies don’t pursue measurements beyond Level one and two because three and four require detailed goals and actions steps and take time to measure as well as manage.
Kirkpatrick’s Level three is focused on improved behavior. To what degree did participants take the new knowledge, skill, or attitude and apply it to the real world setting of their job, their role, and the goals of their department/company? Changing behaviors takes time, but by allowing time to pass participants have the opportunity to implement the new knowledge, skills, and attitude therefore learning retention and job transferability can indeed be measured—did behaviors change as a result of the new learning? Ideally this measurement is conducted three to six months after the learning event with commitment from not only the participant but their manager, team leader, boss, etc., to follow-up and measure individual application.
Level four focuses on measurable business results. Level three sets the stage and creates the ability to measure results long-term. By allowing time for the participants to actually apply the new knowledge, skill, or attitude and by measuring the improved behavior through individual goals and action steps, looking at improved results through an entire team or department is the next logical step. Here are some examples of achieving level four successes within a team or a department:
- Creating a development/training process focused on improving the knowledge, skill, and attitude of members of a sales team could lead to level four measurements such as increased sales volume, increased customer retention, shortening the sales cycle, and increased profitability—all meaningful results to the success and profitability of an organization.
- Working with any department or company in the area of process improvement could lead to level four improvement such as reduction of defects, errors, rework, time, and improvement of efficiencies. If a company could take their typical three-week order processing system down to 24 hours, the saving of company resources and the financial impact is huge.
In today’s world, positive business results and taking full advantage of every investment is crucial. For future training and development events take the time, make the commitment, and follow through to Kirkpatrick’s level three and four. The business results will be unparalleled to what your organization has experienced in the past.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses and individuals achieve high levels of excellence and success. Learn how at www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: development, journal economic education, Kirkpatrick, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, results, Retention, training, wasted dollars
Posted in Business Management, Management, Retention | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 20th, 2010
If you Google the word entrepreneur, you will find a number of definitions which will include some version of the phrase “a person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture.” Albeit this definition is tactically accurate, I believe the true essence of an entrepreneur is much more. An entrepreneur is an individual who has a dream, a vision, a purpose, and is committed to make it happen!
It all starts with a dream and an intense desire to build something of value. Many people dream about inventing something, seeing the world change based on their efforts, or building a successful business around their craft, talent, or expertise. These dreams are vital to the strength and success of the United States. Over 90% of businesses in the United States are defined as small businesses and employ less than 99 people. Many of these small businesses started with a tiny seed planted by an emerging entrepreneur. What have you dreamt would be your gift to the world? What inspires you the most? What are you naturally (skills, abilities, and gifts) good at? Could your dream become a viable business? What action have you taken?
In addition to the dream, an entrepreneur needs to have a clear and concise vision of what the business will look like. What service or product will it provide and to what customer base? Equally as important as identifying the product or service is identifying the measurable value the product or service will bring to the customers served. Knowing that RAC strives to “be the world class leader in the learning and development field, help organizations develop a competitive edge, improve the quality of lives and create a better today and tomorrow” keeps our company focused on success and growth for the right reasons.
A successful entrepreneur must also have a purpose. Being in business for the sake of being in business, for the sake of making money, or for the sake of “getting out of corporate” is not enough. Purpose fuels the drive necessary to make success happen and to make it meaningful. What are you passionate about? What do you strongly believe in? Are your passions and beliefs being met in your current role, and are you truly satisfied? Be honest with yourself! Now is the time to really identify your purpose and assess whether or not you are settling or thriving. As British author, Rose Tremain said, “Life is not a dress rehearsal.” We only get one shot to fulfill our dreams, vision, and purpose. What is currently standing in the way of you having your own successful business? Given your talents, passions, and values how could you become a viable resource and contribute to others?
80% of people who say they want to be in their own business are daydreaming. Only 20% actually take action and do what is necessary to make it happen. Your level of success is entirely your choice. As Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, says “It is every individual’s choice. You can choose to live at a level of survival, a level of success, or a level of significance.” Will your significance be achieved by serving others through your own business? Are you one of the 20% who will actually take action and accomplish success through entrepreneurship?
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in helping businesses and individuals achieve high levels of excellence and success. Learn how at www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: contribution, entrepreneur, Google, Purpose, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Success, United States
Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
There continues to be a great deal of focus on organizational culture and environment. Whether you are focusing on that issue for the first time or whether you are looking at changing or improving an existing culture, it may be wise to remember that, like the long journey which begins with one step, an organizational culture is the cumulative effect of individual attitudes, values, and standards. Changing or improving the culture begins with a focus on the individual.
 How you genuinely feel about yourself, your worth, and the worth of others greatly influences everything you do and the results you achieve. How the people in your organization feel about themselves, their worth, and the worth of others will affect their achievements and the culture of the organization. Goal setting is a process that creates an environment in which people want to succeed and are recognized and rewarded for achievement. Another tool that can positively influence growth is affirmations. An affirmation is a statement that reinforces what you believe to be true. You use affirmations every day, both in thought and conversation. These are often ideas you have taken from some other source—quotations, scripture, and family sayings—which reinforce your values.
Such borrowed expressions only become effective affirmations when they correspond with your value system and internal beliefs. Once accepted and internalized, they lose their borrowed qualities and become part of you. The power of affirmations can be best recognized when we realize that the mind doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined. For example, suppose late at night, you imagine there is a prowler in your home. Are you less frightened than if you knew there was a prowler in your home? Certainly not. You are afraid because you imagine a fearful situation.
The use of affirmations to reinforce growth and improve conditions is an application of the same principle. Through the use of affirmations, you begin to imagine that you possess those qualities and skills that you want to develop more. You begin to visualize yourself acting and behaving in a manner consistent with your goals. As your new image becomes clearer, the behavior is easier. The use of affirmations is also an effective management tool. By affirming certain characteristics and behaviors and helping others to develop affirmations, you can enhance growth and development throughout the organization.
Affirmations should have the following qualities: they should be positive, stated in the first person singular, should be within the realm of capacity to believe, and should be directly related to your goals. Affirmations should also employ the power of spaced repetition. By repeating affirmations over and over, day after day, these positive thoughts begin to affect the subconscious mind and influence behavior. If, at first, affirmations seem difficult to compose and use daily, remember that you are developing a new habit. Once you see and feel the results that follow the repeated use of affirmations, you will want to use the tool with others. Affirmations help use to see others and ourselves not as we are but as we can become.
Create a culture in your organization in which failure is viewed as an opportunity to learn and critical to innovation and discovery. Recognize and reward new ideas, attempts to improve something, and even failure when it results in trying something new or an attempt to improve a process. Encourage innovation and utilize the goal setting process to get people to set stretch goals and brainstorm innovative solutions. It stimulates creativity, broadens options, and produces better decisions by looking at many alternatives and selecting the best.
Goethe said, “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and help them to become what they’re capable of being.”
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching, and youth leadership. For more information visit http://www.resourceassociatescorp.com/ or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
Tags: affirmations, culture, goal setting, Goethe, Leadership, RAC, Resource Associates Corporation, Success
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