HOW TO LOSE CUSTOMERS, FAST!

A mentor of my wrote to me his experience. "I had an astonishingly bad experience with a major clothing
store this week, and I want to tell you about it. Perhaps it
will remind all of us that perceptions count and integrity
matters.
As a favor to my wife, I agreed to call a major catalog
retailer and order some summer outfits for her. I figured it
would take 10 minutes to call the number, order the items,
bill the credit card, and be done with it. And it might have
-- except for one little thing.
At the end of the call, the order taker asked permission to
"include information about our travel club" in the shipment.
I wasn't interested and vaguely replied that would be fine.
She then repeated the offer and said she needed a specific
yes or no. That got my attention and I started asking
questions.
It turns out that once I agreed to her offer, I was actually
agreeing to let them bill my credit card for membership in
the club unless I specifically declined within 30 days.
Later, a supervisor admitted that almost everyone ignores
the offer and throws it away with the paperwork in every
shipment. Then, 30 days later, the company bills their
credit cards.
I suppose what they are doing is perfectly legal, but I
found it outrageous! For a $39 membership fee they lost us
as customers, forever. In one stupid move, they trashed
their reputation, we no longer trust them, and we won't be
back".
My point? Trust is a vital business asset. Honesty,
integrity, fairness and openness may be the "right" things,
but they are also the SMART things when it comes to
business! Never trick your customers! Never appear to take a
short-cut, and always make the customer glad they did
business with you.

WHO GETS TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS?

Last week I introduced the New Science of Success and talked
about the four components of Who, What, Why and How some
people achieve extraordinary results. There truly is a
science, a formula or predictability to success. This week I
want to talk about Who achieves success.
We have long known that many so-called predictors of success
are totally unreliable. Rich kids end up as failures. Bright
kids end up working for other people. Attractive kids grow
up to be lonely. The most popular kids and best athletes do
no better (and often worse) than the "average" kids.
Ambitious kids flame out, and so forth.
So what does predict success? Who gets to achieve external
success (wealth, fame, power, prestige, etc) and the
internal blessing of happiness? What are the predictors of
success in both realms? Who are the winners who have the
things we want on the outside, while also having peace and
fulfillment on the inside? Who gets that???
There are specific skills and behaviors that highly
successful people share and the good news is that they are
not genetic! You do not have to be born "lucky!" You can
learn or acquire these things. Here are a few of the traits
and skills of highly successful people:
1. A paradox. Success is a "do-it-yourself" project and yet
no one gets there on their own. Successful people LEARN to
be successful by watching and emulating successful people.
Winners attend the seminars, take the classes, read the
books (including biographies) and work with coaches and
mentors. I was reminded of that this week when Vic sent his
special about the Jim Rohn recordings. Jim taught me a lot!
Hanging around him, watching him, learning from him was one
of the best investments I've ever made.
2. Simplicity. This is a very sophisticated concept and
has more to do with balance or clarity than with the number
of appointments on your calendar. I've met famous business
leaders who lead astonishingly quiet, orderly lives. Others
are busy, high-energy, on-the-go, making deals every day.
The outward "style" is not the issue. It's their inner quiet.
Successful people know who they are, keep their feet on the
ground, and are rarely stressed.
3. Focused ambition. Successful people are ambitious, but
their ambition is aimed at a very precise outcome. They work
hard, but they are rarely ambitious for "success." Rather,
they are focused on a precisely-defined result. Their ambition
is not to "be successful" or to "become" anything! Whether
their success is teaching a 5-year old to read or building a
global enterprise, their ambition is focused and specific.
4. Insatiable curiosity. Successful people know there is a
way to achieve their goals and they will try any legal,
ethical technique. They ask for suggestions, borrow ideas,
modify techniques, study and ponder until they find the
solutions. Remember Sir Isaac Newton and his insight about
the nature of the universe when an apple fell from a tree?
Successful people are eager, curious observers.
5. Determination without stubbornness. Again we're back to
a paradox. Successful people never stop. They are hard
working, persistent people who never, ever give up. But,
they can change their mind in an instant. They are open to
new information, a new way, a new solution and when they
find it, they can instantly change direction. No one sees
them as unpredictable or chaotic, but when they find a
better solution, they grab it.
Success is built on skills that can be learned. The skills
come more easily to some than others, but anyone can nurture
their curiosity. Anyone can learn from a mentor. We can all
persist and "stay the course" in hard times. We can all
learn the skills and achieve success in life. So, Who gets
to achieve success? Anyone who will study, learn and use the
skills of highly successful people.

Quotes of the Week

"It only takes one person to change your life -- you." -- Ruth Casey
"God gives talent, work transforms talent into genius." -- Anna Pavlova
"Change cannot be avoided... change provides the opportunity
for innovation. It gives you the chance to demonstrate your
creativity." -- Felice Jones
“Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard.
Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no
regret. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.”

-- Mary Anne Roadacher-Hershey

7 ATTRIBUTES OF TRULY CONFIDENT PERSON

A lot of people might believe they are confident, depending on how they feel on any given day. But confidence is not a fleeting thing that is here today and takes a holiday tomorrow. Confidence is all pervasive. It shows itself in every aspect of our lives: the way we view ourselves, perceive our world, approach crises, the way we treat others, our readiness to exercise compassion and forgiveness, and, most important, the way we treat ourselves. True confidence is an incredible feeling because it has a few key attributes embedded in it, seven of them, in fact, which are the hallmarks of the truly confident person. You cannot say you are confident unless you score highly on each of those seven aspects. 1. Self Love This is the first crucial attribute. If you have no self-love, you have no confidence because this is at the heart of confidence: self-love and self-acceptance, which then decide our self-esteem. It is not possible to be happy and confident yet dislike our bodies or ourselves. Any lack of self-love is a prelude to misery and dissatisfaction with our lot. Happiness begins from within and when we love ourselves and do not seek the approval of anyone, we are half-way to real contentment and the next key attribute, self-belief. 2. Self-Belief With self-love comes amazing self-belief in what is truly possible. The Universe is our limit, as we become unstoppable and fearless. People who think highly of themselves do not see barriers to achievements or obstacles in their paths. Anything which blocks their journey can be removed because confident people already believe they have the tools to remove those blocks. They can cope with crises too because they believe they can. That is the main difference between a confident and a fearful person: one believes they have the power to affect their life, whereas the other person looks to others to do it for them. 3. Comfort in Themselves Confident people are happy in their own skin. They love who they are, they do not wish to be anyone else and they seek no one's approval to be whom they wish to be. That is a sure sign of a strong sense of belonging and personal security. Even when there is a setback, they know it is only temporary and they will be back in action again because they value themselves and their talents, regardless of what other people think. They tend to do what they please without following the fashion or being lemmings. Being natural leaders, they tend to set the pace for others and to inspire them. 4. Self-Awareness Confident people know their limitations and their potential. That is because they do not sit and dwell on their weaknesses, like people of low esteem. They identify their strengths and nurture them while acknowledging their weaknesses as important to their personality. They are fully aware that the unique beings they are is the result of BOTH their strengths and weaknesses, so they do not dwell on the negative aspects of their personality. They know what makes them happy and sad. Being leaders and optimists, they are more assured in their direction and objectives because they understand who they are and what they want, which is the first key step to boosting achievement and personal development. 5. Fearlessness Confident people tend to be pioneers, fearless in their approach and their actions. It is not that they do not have the usual fears of survival. What they don't have is the limiting and paralyzing fears regarding simply living their life to the utmost which plague insecure and non-confident people. Those with high self-esteem are keen to get on with it so they tend to act first and be afraid later! Willing to take risks and to make sacrifices, they have very little fear in living their life to the max. 6. Experiment Really confident people love to experiment, to try out new situations, innovate and create, They are always pushing the boundaries of their talents because of their self-belief. Unlike people of low esteem, confident ones do not care about making mistakes, because they know that's how they learn and grow. They are not worried about being wrong, but at arriving at a solution or a different result, no matter how many times they have to change their approach. They recognize that mistakes are part and parcel of success on their personal journey. Failure is not in their vocabulary and so they will achieve their desires no matter how long it takes, because they have the tenacity, self-belief and determination to keep trying even when many others have given up. 7. Happiness Confident people are truly happy with their life. It doesn't mean they are never sad. It means that if they are down it lasts very briefly and then they are back up again. They know they can always do something else and change the result. People of low esteem always blame themselves and reinforce that with even poorer thoughts of their abilities, so they stay in the doldrums much longer. They are not truly at peace so they take the knocks badly. Confident people know that setbacks are temporary and all they need to do is brush themselves off and start over again, while keeping their eye on their goals. Above all, being contented with themselves and their bodies, confident people tend to be truly happy, approachable, often cheerful and with a ready smile.

YOUR KEY RESULT

I had a particularly important conversation with a client
this week. He has built a wonderful business that is
approaching $2 million in annual sales, and he realized that
while he works hard every day, he is unclear about what his
MOST IMPORTANT results or outcomes need to be.
Should he focus on sales or leadership? Is he supposed to be
the visionary, or is his most important job to track the
numbers and keep everything under control?
Every task has one or two KEY outcomes and it is absolutely
vital that you know what they are.
In sales, your key outcome is almost certainly the volume of
sales you make during each reporting period. But to make
that number, you have to know what the key factors are!
Over time, do you get more and better results from making
cold calls or from servicing past clients? Are you more
productive when you attend networking functions, or when you
spend time with your biggest customer? Does advertising
work, or are your sales built through long-lasting
relationships?
The answer will vary by industry, by company, and according
to your own skills, personality and interests, but it is
absolutely essential that you KNOW what your key results
are, and the BEST way to achieve them.
Keep records, talk with colleagues, read, listen to audio
programs and take classes, and most important of all, take
time to analyze what works best for you!

THE NEW SCIENCE OF SUCCESS

"Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is
the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic
fundamentals." - Jim Rohn.
Something clicked in my brain. I've always thought of
success--in any area of life--as a set of skills that can be
mastered and applied to achieve anything we truly want.
Success is the predictable result of doing the things that
others have done to create or achieve the results we want in
our lives. As Tony Robbins has said, "success is the logical
result of doing the things winners have done."
I spent the rest of the evening contemplating and my belief in the "learn-ability" of success. I think this new Science of Success
is important and could lead to big things.
Success and achievement in life--from parenting to fitness
to money or time management, to wealth, fame, power or
athletic prowess--is the result of mastering the
fundamentals. It's about approaching the task as a problem
to be solved, as a set of skills to be learned and applied.
In that sense, as long as we live in a predictable, orderly
universe, success is basically an engineering problem. What
a concept!
I anticipate expanding on this in many ways, for a long time
to come. I don't know where it will lead but here are some
of my initial thoughts on the Who, What, Why and How of
success:
1. Success comes to those who are prepared. Success comes
to some people more readily than others, but the difference
has nothing (nothing!) to do with luck or genetic talent or
family background. It comes to people who are balanced,
healthy, and structured. It is not attracted to scenes of
chaos, drama, confusion or impulsivity. Success in the outer
world is built on mastering one's own inner world. Get good
at living on purpose, with balance, enthusiasm, focus and
energy.
2. Success comes to those who know what it is. Success
comes to those who have defined their outcomes in advance,
who know their purpose and are committed to their goals.
Success is not about "a little of this and some of that."
It's not about starting over or giving up when things get
hard. Success is about defining what you want, knowing where
you're going, and pursuing your goals with creative,
persistent determination.
3. Success comes to those who know why they want it.
Success comes from purpose and passion, from having powerful
reasons for success. Successful people are described as
"driven" by a dream or "pulled" by their sense of mission.
They are rarely distracted, seldom confused and they never
give up. It's often impossible to tell whether they have a
dream or the dream has them. They stay the course because
it's important. They have their reasons.
4. Success comes to those who know how. Success requires
effective strategies, solid plans, a budget, a schedule and
talented partners, coaches and teammates. Success is not
random! We live in a orderly, predictable world and
successful people often spend more time developing their
"blueprint" or "path" than it takes to achieve their goals
once they get into action. Eager, impulsive failures tend to
launch before they are ready. Winners focus on the plan.
They know how their plan is going to work, and they work
their plan.
Happily married couples do certain things over the years.
Successful parents use specific skills, behaviors and
attitudes to help their children grow and develop.
Successful athletes, business leaders and artists have
fundamentals that guide them because success is a set of
skills that you can learn, apply and use. "If you do what
successful people have done, you will get the results
successful people have gotten."

THE FOUR P'S OF PERSUASION

Perception Is Everything
There are four "Ps" that will enhance your ability to persuade others in both your work and personal life. They are power, positioning, performance, and politeness. And they are all based on perception.
Develop Personal Power
The first "P" is power. The more power and influence that a person perceives that you have, whether real or not, the more likely it is that that person will be persuaded by you to do the things you want them to do. For example, if you appear to be a senior executive, or a wealthy person, people will be much more likely to help you and serve you than they would be if you were perceived to be a lower level employee.
Shape Their Thinking About You
The second "P" is positioning. This refers to the way that other people think about you and talk about you when you are not there. Your positioning in the mind and heart of other people largely determines how open they are to being influenced by you.
In everything you do involving other people, you are shaping and influencing their perceptions of you and your positioning in their minds. Think about how you could change the things you say and do so that people think about you in such a way that they are more open to your requests and to helping you achieve your goals.
Be Good At What You Do
The third "P" is performance. This refers to your level of competence and expertise in your area. A person who is highly respected for his or her ability to get results is far more persuasive and influential than a person who only does an average job.
Commit to Excellence
The perception that people have of your performance capabilities exerts an inordinate influence on how they think and feel about you. You should commit yourself to being the very best in your field. Sometimes, a reputation for being excellent at what you do can be so powerful that it alone can make you an extremely persuasive individual in all of your interactions with the people around you. They will accept your advice, be open to your influence and agree with your requests.
Treat People Politely
The fourth "P" of persuasion power is politeness. People do things for two reasons, because they want to and because they have to. When you treat people with kindness, courtesy and respect, you make them want to do things for you. They are motivated to go out of their way to help you solve your problems and accomplish your goals.
Being nice to other people satisfies one of the deepest of all subconscious needs, the need to feel important and respected. Whenever you convey this to another person in your conversation, your attitude and your treatment of that person, he or she will be wide open to being persuaded and influenced by you in almost anything you need.
Perception Is Reality
Again, perception is everything. The perception of an individual is his or her reality. People act on the basis of their perceptions of you. If you change their perceptions, you change the way they think and feel about you, and you change the things that they will do for you.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, think continually about the impression you want to make on others and then make sure that everything you do or say is consistent with that perception.
Second, be nice to people. Practice the Golden Rule in your interactions with others. Always be polite and make others feel important.
The more people like you, the more open they are to being influenced by you.

PROSPECTS, PRODUCTION AND PROFITS.

Most small businesses reflect the personality of their
owner, and that is both their strength and, too often, their
weakness. Specifically, some entrepreneurs love to sell more
than they care about details of production, while others
focus so much on perfecting their products, they starve for
customers.
The key is balance.
If you are not prospecting every day, your business will
eventually stall. Yes, repeat sales and word of mouth are
vital, but in the end, business grows because new customers
hear about you, check you out, and decide to buy. As Mary
Kay Ash said, "nothing happens until somebody sells
something," and you can't sell without prospecting.
Marketing, promotion and publicity are essential, and some
business owners relish this part. It comes naturally and
they love it. They naturally go "where the action is."
Networking comes easily to them, and selling is "the name of
the game.” Good for them!
Except when they neglect the details of delivery. In the
end, what you sell has to be produced, packaged and
delivered on time, on budget and in excellent condition.
Some sales people forget that, and it comes back to haunt
them.
Other business owners get caught up in the operational
details, forgetting that if the phone doesn't ring, no one
is going to buy their magnificent goods and services.
The key is balance.
You need prospects in order to sell, and you need superior
production in order to deliver. When the two are balanced,
profits soar.

FOUR LISTS FOR EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS

This week a client reminded me of something I told her
several months back: Life lived to the fullest is always
based on what I call "The Four Lists".
The Four Lists are the guide-posts to success. They are the
foundation for achievement, peace of mind, and personal
satisfaction. It's simple, really. So simple that we tend
to forget them and in our desire for something more
complicated, we often miss the oldest trick in the book.
Success and "The Good Life" are based on The Four Lists.
List 1: Your Core Values. Knowing what you believe, what
you value, what you stand for, is essential. Your values are
your compass. They are the touchstone against which
everything else is measured.
There are hundreds of values that compete for your
attention, and it is vital to know which ones you have
consciously chosen to be at the center of your life. If you
aren’t clear what you stand for, you'll wander forever, lost
in a world of endless choices and spur-of-the-moment decisions.
As a result, your chances for long-term success are greatly
diminished.
Among others, my own short list of primary values includes
integrity, loyalty, and "putting in before you take out." I
value persistence, consistency and reliability. Curiosity
and creativity are high on my list. Encouraging people to
fulfill their potential and pursue their dreams are the
core of who I am as a person.
What's on your list? Have you written it down? Have you
reviewed it with loved ones, and up-dated it recently?
Knowing your Core Values is List One.
List 2: Your Goals and Priorities. Where are you going and
what are you doing with your wonderful life? What are your
5- and 10-year priorities? What are the big pieces that get
your time and your best efforts?
Have you written your goals down, and shared the list with
your partners, family and friends? Have you reviewed it
recently and up-dated it at least once a year? Do you know
why you're working so hard and how you'll measure success
ten years from now? Write your Major Goals down! List #2 is
essential.
List 3: Your Current Projects. Do you have a spring
campaign, or a 6-week project? Highly successful people know
their priorities and they work on them every day. They have
30-day targets, and quarterly deadlines. They have a list of
items to be completed by the end of the month. What are you
working on? How much progress will you make by 5:00 P.M.
Friday afternoon?
Highly successful people always work from a written list of
short-term projects. They always know the next step, the
most important piece of the puzzle, and they don't waste
time. What's on your list of projects?
List 4: Your Daily Musts. High achievers know their daily
actions in advance. They plan their days, and they know the
things that "must" be done each and every day. They have a
written list of their "Daily Five" or "Power 8" that may
include things like exercise, meditation or prayer, time to
plan, and other daily actions to create the life they truly
want. My personal list includes time to read, and contacting
a colleague or loved one to touch base, every day.
What's on your "Daily List?" Take care of yourself. Have
some fun, live well, move forward every day! Do the things
that create and build the life you really want, and do them
every single day.
These are the four lists that make life worthwhile. They are
the lists that high achievers keep close to their hearts and
on top of their desks. They are the lists that guide their
actions and inform their efforts. They may be written on
simple note paper, but they are fundamental to creating and
living the life your truly want. What's on your lists?

Quotes of the Week
"If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you
want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never
give up." -- Norman Vincent Peale
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and
reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." -- Belva Davis
"When you follow your bliss doors will open where you would
not have thought there would be doors; and where there
wouldn't be a door for anyone else." -- Joseph Campbell
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the
things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So
throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover." -- Mark Twain

WHO WANTS TO BE A BILLIONAIRE?

FACEBOOK

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (born May 14, 1984) is an American billionaire and entrepreneur best known for co-founding the popular social networking site Facebook.

World's youngest billionaire leading his addictive social networking site Facebook to an inevitable public pay-day. Firm became "cash-flow positive" last year, instituted dual-class voting structure akin to what Google put into place before it held its 2004 offering. Fresh-faced entrepreneur launched Facebook from Harvard dorm room in 2004. Left school for Silicon Valley later that year; bagged initial $500,000 investment from PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel. Last May Russian investment firm Digital Sky agreed to buy stock from Facebook employees; deal priced company at $10 billion. Shares continue to change hands on private equity exchange SecondMarket; recent transactions put the value at upwards of $15 billion. Growing rapidly: in past 12 months user base has surged 130% to 400 million.

ATTITUDE VERSUS APTITUDE

Overcome A Major Fear
A major source of stress in your life is the "fear of rejection" or "fear of criticism." This fear of rejection manifests itself in an over-concern for the approval or disapproval of your boss or other people. The fear of rejection is often learned in early childhood as the result of a parent giving the child what psychologists call "conditional love."
Rise Above the Need For Approval
Many parents made the mistake of giving love and approval to their children only when their children did something that they wanted them to do. A child who has grown up with this kind of conditional love tends to seek for unconditional approval from others all his or her life. When the child becomes an adult, this need for approval from the parent is transferred to the workplace and onto the boss. The adult employee can then become preoccupied with the opinion of the boss. This preoccupation can lead to an obsession to perform to some undetermined high standard.
Avoid Type A Behavior
Doctors Rosenman and Friedman, two San Francisco heart specialists, have defined this obsession for performance as "Type A behavior." Experts have concluded that approximately 60% of men and as many as 30% of women are people with Type A behavior.
Don't Burn Yourself Out
This Type A behavior can vary from mild forms to extreme cases. People who are what they call "true Type A's" usually put so much pressure on themselves to perform in order to please their bosses that they burn themselves out. They often die of heart attacks before the age of 55. This Type A behavior, triggered by conditional love in childhood, is a very serious stress-related phenomenon in the American workplace.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to deal with the fear of rejection, criticism and disapproval.
First, realize and accept that the opinions of others are not important enough for you to feel stressed, unhappy or over concerned about them. Even if they dislike you entirely, it has nothing to do with your own personal worth and value as a person.
Second, refuse to be over concerned about what you think people are thinking about you. The fact is that most people are not thinking about you at all. Relax and get on with your life.

TRUE SUCCESS IS GENEROUS

“Write checks on a regular basis to those who you want to bless, not those who you owe. Be generous. If you are thinking of one amount, raise it a bit. They’ll be glad now. You’ll be glad now and later.” Chris Widener in the ABC’s of Success.

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who allow their abundance to pile up and bring them a sense of (false) security, and those who use their abundance to increase not only the joy in their lives but also in the lives of others by being generous.

I believe that the truly successful, those who will change the lives of others and leave a legacy, are the ones who are generous with their abundance. So how do we become generous people? Here are some thoughts.

First, get over your idea that money will bring you security. It won’t. It might make you feel more secure, and it might enable you to purchase things right now, but all money can disappear quite easily. Markets go south, businesses go bankrupt, and fortunes are lost. History is filled with poor people who were once rich and lost it all. This idea that we can and have to keep it all is one of the greatest myths around. So when we give money away, it doesn’t effect us emotionally, bringing out a fear of lost security.

Second, focus on the joy you bring to others when you are generous. I love to be the one to buy something for someone who would enjoy it, to help someone who needs it, or to encourage someone who would be helped by my generosity. There are always people and organizations who will benefit from our generosity and who will be overjoyed by it. And in turn, they will help others.

Third, make giving a planned and methodical task. I write out checks at the beginning of every month to people and organizations that I believe are helping others. I don’t owe them this money, I choose to give it to them. It is something I believe in. Every month without fail I write those checks. It keeps me on track and keeps them encouraged, motivated, and moving in the right direction.

As for methodical, remember that over time, even small gifts add up. Maybe you can’t afford to give or help with $300 today, but you could with $25 a month for a year. There is no way that my wife and I could afford to give a million dollars away at this stage of our lives, but our goal is to do that before we die. And I believe we will hit that because we are pursuing it methodically every month. And when we get to the end of our lives, we will be able to look back at our generosity and see that we made a difference. But you can’t achieve those kinds of goals if you don’t start somewhere and stick to a plan.

Fourth, make your generosity spontaneous. Now this takes a lot of self-awareness because I am not suggesting that you get yourself in financial trouble by being foolish, but here it is: Be the generous one of the group. Pick up the check for you friends and others. I have found that if you are wise with your money you won’t get yourself into trouble by being the generous one. Picking up lunch won’t break the bank. Offer to do nice things for your friends, relatives and co-workers. And then watch your relationships blossom!

Fifth, understand the principle that you reap what you sow. I truly believe that those who are generous, who help others, will always receive back what they need. I live by the principle of John Wesley, “Earn all you can, give all you can, save all you can.” This principle brings our finances into perfect tension. Yes we earn, and all that we can, but we also go at our saving and giving with the same kind of gusto! And what happens, but that we are given more to turn around and be generous with again.

Lastly, and this is key for successful people. Never allow there to be strings with your generosity. Do not expect anything in return. That is not generosity but manipulation. Pure generosity is its own reward.

How to start today?

If you aren’t currently on a plan of giving, choose a charitable organization you believe in and write them a check – today. And then write that same check on the first of every month.

If you are currently being generous with your resources, seriously consider an increase! Even a percentage or two will help you and them. It will stretch you and encourage them!

Be a Success! Be Generous!

SKILLS OF EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS

What? You don’t think that you are a leader? You are! Everyone influences others to some degree. Now, you may not be a very good leader… but that is altogether a different story! Even if you are in need of some help in the leadership department, and we all are, here are some skills you can work on immediately to help you become the leader you want to be. Then you can influence those around you like never before!
1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often!
2. "Sees" the End Result Long Before Others. I think the greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before the rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!
3. Ability to Define Goals for Self and Others. Do you know what your goals are? Can you define them? Can you articulate them clearly (see number one)? Can you do this for those who follow? Can you define and set their goals? A Extraordinary Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow!
4. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!
5. Ability to Teach Others. One of the greatest leadership development companies in the world has been General Electric. This is because their CEO, Jack Welch, has always emphasized the need for current leaders to teach others. He himself spends what others would consider an extraordinary amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Extraordinary Leader and he is developing Extraordinary Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.
6. Ability to Inspire Others. You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Extraordinary Leader, then you will have to put a little oomph under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about! (See the next article, the MFS Classic, for more on inspiring others)
7. Delegates. An Extraordinary Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Extraordinary Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an Extraordinary Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!

THE BOSS'S MOST IMPORTANT JOB

As the owner or leader in your business, you wear many
hats. You are probably the chief innovator, and certainly
you are a role model for your team. They watch you, and
they follow your lead. You are directly involved in sales,
and you are responsible for finances and a multitude of
other critical items. So, what's your MOST important job?
That's easy. To get your employees to come back tomorrow
morning.
I recently saw a case-study of SAS, the software
development company, and it was remarkable. On average,
turn-over at similar companies runs about 20% per year. At
SAS, it's less than 5% per year! Think of the thousands of
hours that saves in recruiting, training and management
time! Not to mention the savings in direct costs! What's
their secret?
The boss understands that for all his land and equipment
and systems, his most essential assets "walk out of the
building every night, and it's my job to see that they
walk back in tomorrow morning."
Even in this tight economy, there are jobs to be had.
People can make money, or start their own company and
compete with you over night. What people want, what they
have always longed for, is respect, fulfillment,
satisfaction and recognition. Research has shown that, in
general, you cannot pay people enough to stay on the job
if they don't like the work, the environment, or their co-
workers, and those things are YOUR job!
As the "boss" (even if you are your only employee!), your
key task is to see that your people are well served, well
maintained, well trained and well respected. Without that,
everything else is just a pause until they move on.