FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
Once I was addressing an audience of about a thousand people. Before I began my talk I offered them a bar of chocolate and invited all those who wanted it to come on stage. But I was astonished to see only about 500 hands go up. Out of them only 3 people started moving towards me. The first person had already reached the steps of the stage. Seeing this, the second person gave up but the third person continued to run. This proved that though less than 50% were inspired only about 1% got motivated and less than that optimistic.
Isn't it surprising? As children we are born with the power to be decisive. We are gifted with inspiration and motivation. As adults these traits should be more developed and intense but on the contrary, they all reduce! Sadly, today most people are part of a rat race and overtime they become bigger and bigger rats in their pursuit of bigger homes, cars, wealth and popularity. God created all of us to be happy and successful. In fact he has planted all these traits required for happy and successful life in all of us. Take the example of a seed. Do you know that the entire tree is planned in it! Probably, the comparisons, competitions and our conditioning while growing up are responsible for taking us towards hatred and negativity in life.
We all know that when man didn’t use his tail, he lost it. Similarly a road that is not walked upon grows grass. Therefore we must use the package of traits that we are gifted with or else we may lose them. We need to identify the seed in us and start watering it.
People today spend a lot of their time in achieving all that is outside if them. Luxurious homes, expensive cars, branded clothes etc to flaunt to the world that is outside of them, yet, they do not have time to nourish and nurture their true values. People are running after valuables which even when in plenty cannot bring happiness. Our values are our true valuables. If we don’t use our values we may begin to lose them. Because USELESS – IF USED LESS!
The Process Of Decision Making
At one time or another, we have all had that niggling feeling that something needs to be done, but are then unsure how to do it. You know you have to act, but how? To answer this, we need to consider the process of decision making humans’ use, which tend to fall in to two distinct categories. On the one hand, there is problem based decision making, and on the other we have pre-emptive decision making. The former is a reactive process, while the latter is largely proactive.
Reactive decision making happens in that call for snap judgements. Typically, a reactive decision requires the individual to use their instinct to assert themselves on a situation, and the process of decision making must be quick. Although reactive decision making is not an exact science it is, however, possible to develop a state of mind that is calm, rational, self assured, in possession of the key characteristics that lead to better judgement calls. Remember, very few well made decisions are made by someone who is angry, distracted or flustered.
Proactive or pre-emptive decision making involves making plans and predictions to avert a potential disaster or to increase the likelihood of a potential success. The process of decision making tends to be longer and more thought out. Individuals who excel at this form of decision making possess a keen eye for detail, a logical mind, excellent reasoning ability and the drive and dedication to see the plan through to the end.
Which type of decision maker are you? Do you prefer to plan for all eventualities or to think on your feet? If you have answered a definite yes to either one of these questions, I have some news for you: relying solely on just one form of decision making is a recipe for disaster. If you rely too much on quick decisions, you fail to plan, can be rash and act in the heat of the moment when you are not thinking as clearly as you could be. Likewise, a reliance on planning the process of decision making can lead to panic setting in when events conspire against you or something unexpected happens. We need; therefore, to find a happy medium between excellent planning ability and being comfortable with adapting to events and random situations as they occur.
Through developing high self confidence, you can plan well and take longer terms decisions in your stride, considering the outcomes and assessing the best approach. You can also rely on your own instinct and judgement to make good decisions quickly and confidently, even in the heat of the moment. The process of decision making requires a cool head and good self confidence will help you to remain calm, whatever the situation, which will ultimately lead to better decisions.
How To Apologize Effectively: 5 Simple Tips To Get Your Apology Accepted
It's important for everyone to learn how to apologize effectively. After all, what good is an apology if it doesn't work, right? You might think that a simple "I'm sorry" will take care of everything but that's not exactly true. There are some situations in which you need to apologize properly.
Read on to learn how to apologize effectively.
Tip # 1: Apologize sincerely and wholeheartedly.
Apologizing through gritted teeth or mumbling a half-hearted sorry will get you nowhere. In fact, it might get you into even bigger trouble than before. If you really want to apologize, you must do it with humility and sincerity. Accept the fact that you were in the wrong.
Tip # 2: Don't apologize over and over again.
Contrary to what you might think, apologizing over and over again isn't going to help you get back in the person's good graces, especially if we're talking about someone who's your boss.
Apologies are not supposed to go on forever. How else do you expect your boss to move on if you keep reminding him or her about what you did?
Tip # 3: Don't spend too much time on explanations.
If you want to learn how to apologize effectively, you can't spend more than half of your time talking about why you did it and how you did it.
A bit of an explanation might help on some occasions, but don't ramble on and on about it because it wouldn't seem like you're apologizing for anything anymore. A lot of people tend to make this mistake and the apology loses its sincerity.
Tip # 4: Don't wait too long to apologize.
One proven tip on how to apologize effectively is to do it as soon as you realize your mistake. Some people put off giving an apology because they think it will save them from the full blast of the offended person's wrath.
However, that is just being disrespectful and cowardly. If you can't approach a person physically at once, send him or her a message first. But make sure you apologize in person as well.
Tip # 5: Don't expect anything.
You can't expect that person to forgive you right off the bat, especially if you committed a really grave offense. If you're going to apologize, you have to be prepared for the worst. The conversation isn't going to be the most comfortable one either, so prepare yourself for anything.
Learning how to apologize effectively is very important. It shows people the kind of person you are. Everyone has his or her own tactics, but sincerity is always part of the equation.
Employee Motivation – The 8 Basics
Building a team of motivated people in your business is vital to get the very best results, but so many managers focus on the ‘ra-ra-ra’, rather than the important things – the things that make people feel comfortable in their working environment. Here are eight that you might want to have a think about:
1. The Weather
Is it too hot, or too cold. Your people need an environment which is, like Goldilocks said, ‘Just right’. So is the office too stuffy in summer? Or too icy in winter? Is it draughty? Do people get wet when accepting deliveries, because the outside roof leaks? Literally make sure that external factors are as they wish.
2. The Breaks
Sometimes working in a day-to-day job can get boring and exhausting. So people need to know when their breaks are and that they wil be able to take them – it’s not that complicated. Yet often, they just aren’t able to have this basic courtesy in place. Planning and caring for your people’s needs is vital. It’s what you would want for yourself, isn’t it?
3. Holidays
And vacations/holidays are important too – some would say it’s the most important thing on the working year calendar. So enable this to happen, when they need to know, so that they can plan their invaluable time away from the business and refresh.
4. Being Heard
Your people need you to listen to them and hear them – really hear what they are saying and respond with action and/or acknowledgement. Be out there creating good, open relationships with your people and take in what they say – what’s important to them – and deliver solutions to make conditions great.
5. Achievable Goals
By being really, really clear about what you expect from your employees, you will set the scene for committed staff. Through knowing exactly what their performance should look like to be judged excellent, by you, gets buy-in, big-time. So be clear, give them the resources to achieve success and they will be well onside.
6. Being Thanked
As they do a good job for you each day – tell them. It’s easy – just say ‘Thank You’! Appreciation for achieving success, especially when it’s from the boss is so important. So recognising excellent performance, even for small tasks, cost nothing and takes but a moment – worth building into your day job activities – every day!
7. Challenge
People like to do new things, to explore, to seek out and utilise their potential, Sometimes this means they will have to be ‘stretched’ in what they do. With a helping hand, to support, coach and grow the skills of your people, you are setting in place a keen, ambitious and ready-for-the-next-experience star in the making. So find new ways to develop them.
8. Security
In today’s business climate, it isn’t always easy to build the best future consistently – things change too much, too quickly. But you can go some way to ensure that it is a safe place to be. With this level of security, your people will loosen up and feel capable of being with you, rather than against. It is a measure of your own leadership as to how well this works.
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