Motivation-Leadership-organizing

Monday, 20 July 2009

Good Leadership Skills Is Crucial For Success

Good leadership skills are important in every company and in every industry throughout the corporate world.
Good leadership skills incorporate many different abilities. A good leader should be approachable; you should be able to discuss any grievance with him. It is frustrating to need to discuss an important issue with your boss only to find that he is scheduled in meetings for the entire day. He should check in with his employees when there are breaks between meetings. There should be an open door policy that allows you and other employees to work in an environment where openness and fairness co-exist. The manager recognizes needs and responds quickly. They also should support you and your co-workers emotionally. This is done by encouragement, inspiration and recognition of employees.

Skilled Facilitator

Highly regarded among good leadership skills is the ability to facilitate amicable associations as in the work place among employees. A flourishing company can only be achieved when people work well together. Conflict slows down progression. Leadership should also promote team spirit and maintain motivation; one way a leader can accomplish this is by providing incentives. Incentives challenge employees to improve their performance and/or maintain currently high performance levels. A competent manager will understand the workings of group dynamics. He will be able to lead without creating conflict. The manager creates a sense of team unity and includes all members of the team in the process.

Appropriate Use of Authority

The appropriate us of authority is an important component of good leadership skills. You will find this skill set is not a given with many of those in management. Some will use their power for personal promotion. A good leader understands that with power comes a greater responsibility. A position of authority does not circumvent the need to use authority wisely and sensibly according to the specific circumstances. It is not a corporate muscle that is to be flexed when it suits you in order to control or dominate underlings.

In the same fashion, a competent leader will understand and follow rules of confidentiality. It is important that an effective manager conducts meeting and conferences in an environment of trust and mutual respect towards each other.

Superior Communication and Motivation Skills

Senior management values good leadership skills and superior communication as well as motivational abilities for obvious reasons. A good leader is able to clearly and concisely advise his staff of the goals and objectives of the company. Your performance evaluation is based on your ability to help the company to meet these goals and objectives. The frequency of communication is also key. Since market conditions are ever-changing, it is important to inform company employees of any shift in strategy or product line/service.

Effective leadership also must supply motivation to their employees. As an employee, you should be mentored and coached to reach your full potential. A good leader knows the importance of a motivated staff. They perform at higher levels when they feel invested and included in the company’s outcomes.

By: Victor Ghebre

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Negative Thinking Versus Positive Thinking

My heart has compelled me to write down my feelings on the negative response we are hearing from the media and the political arena every day, every minute of the day. Why does news have to be bad all the time? It is so easy today to be negative and speak doom and gloom to everyone all of the time. Now it is being said that we live in an area that has the second highest rate of unemployment in the country. Businesses are closing their doors, schools are closing, the state is bankrupt. What about the good news? There are things happening everyday that deserve to be praised and honored. You never hear any of it, at least not on the news.

Having a Christian background, I have refused to be pulled in to all the negative garbage and choose to focus on all the positive things in my life. I choose to build up my faith in God and let His will be done in my life, not my will or mans will to take hold of my thoughts or feelings. Yes, I am being affected by what is going on in the world and yes my heart breaks for so many that have lost their jobs, homes, future and hope. I too have lost a job, income, medical benefits, retirement, etc. I choose to look at it as, a job is what I do and not who I am. I am so much more than any job I could have. God's word tells me, "My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." He didn't say some of my needs, He said all of my needs. What a gift! That includes paying my mortgage payments, food, gas, bills, clothes, etc. Luke 12:22-23, says: He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing."

This is the time to believe and build on your faith in the One who created you. I look at our daughter Faith and remember from where she came and where she received her name: Hebrews 11:1 "Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." You see, we were unable to have children and Faith is a gift from God to us. Yes, I am still concerned about her future and the impact that everything that is affecting her and her future, but I trust God and believe in Him to take care of her and my family.

Matthew 6:25-34 is a great scripture for Anxiety. I just want to quote Matthew 6:33-34 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

I could give you so much more, like Death and Life is in the power of the tongue. You get what you speak.

If you have finished reading this article I want you to know that there is hope and we need to count our blessings of all the good in our lives and focus on these things. I feel so much better that I have put my feelings in print and have opened up my heart to you. It may seem like preaching, well what can I say, "I AM ONE."

God loves you and He will never leave you or forsake you! Just believe and keep your faith strong, pray and believe you receive when you pray.

By: wwjd4u

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Self Improvement Solutions – 5 Ways To Start Taking Control

Negative thoughts can be stressful. They can take over your life making you think negatively about yourself; how bad you look, how fat you are, how skinny you are. Negative thoughts can cause serious depression, anxiety, stress and also panic attacks. This article reveals 5 ways in which you can get rid of these negative thoughts and start taking control of your life.

1. Take Good Care of Yourself
Treat your body like a temple. You will feel a lot better with yourself if you eat well, exercise and get enough rest.

2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For
Life can be clouded by negative thoughts but it doesn’t have to be that bad. You can cancel out these negative thoughts by thinking of the good things in life. This may be friends, family or even pets. By constantly reminding yourself of all the good things you are grateful for you will start feeling better.

3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions
Most negative thoughts can come room your assumptions. For example, you may think you are unattractive to the other sex because you haven’t had a date for a while, but it doesn’t mean you are unattractive it just means you haven’t met the right person. Never assume things about yourself, always look for proof and if you find that proof then change!

4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Absolutes like never and always can cause you damage. Never talk to yourself and say “you will never lose weight”. It will program your brain to believe this and it will increase your negative thinking. If you are ever going to say that what you need to say is “you won’t lose weight”. This can also have a positive effect because you may try proving yourself wrong.

5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
Don’t think negatively. Start thinking positive. Every time you start thinking of something negative scrap it out of your mind and think of something positive. Don’t let the negative thought go on and damage your self-esteem, confidence etc....

Don’t let negative thoughts rule your life. Take control with these self improvement solutions. When you start following these 5 steps watch how you will feel a lot better.

By: James Pswarai

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Are You Lazy, Or Overwhelmed?

Being productive is an important part of running a good household or office. By simply by keeping a few tips in mind, you can watch your productivity go through the roof!

1. Get Organized

One way people lose productivity is through a cluttered and disorganized workspace. If you have to hunt for your tools or paperwork whenever you start a task, you’re not going to get things done as fast as you’d like.

• Take some time to organize your workspace and your storage space. You’ll find that the less time you spend having to hunt for things and the fewer distractions you have, the more productive you’re going to be.

• Clean out that basement or get those storage boxes out of the corner of your office. Toss or donate the things you don’t need and find an organized place for everything that’s staying.

2. Identify Time Wasters

Some of our regular activities are actually time wasters. For instance, do you ever catch yourself saying that you’re just going to play one more game of Solitaire, or catch just one more song on the radio? While doing these things isn’t always bad, it can become problematic if you allow yourself to be constantly distracted. Make a list and identify each time waster.

• If you notice that one game of Solitaire easily turns into three or four, uninstall the game from your computer for a while. You might be surprised by how much time you gain.

• Limit your time on the phone and set a defined time limit to run errands so you can focus on getting things done.

3. Be Aware of Deadlines

You may get your projects done on time, but if you’re always cutting it close, stressing yourself out and losing sleep over your deadlines, you may need to analyze how you use your time.

• If you have a deadline, clearly mark the deadline on your calendar or planner and do your best to beat it by a week at least. Taking care of things long before they’re due will free up a lot more time than you think, and it will prevent a blind rush at the very end.

• Give you and your family a deadline for household projects. Make a list or mark your family calendar with big projects, like cleaning the garage or getting new mulch for the landscaping.

4. Take Breaks

It sounds counterintuitive, but taking more breaks can make you more productive. It’s all about maximizing your time and if you’re not getting things done anyway, taking a break will refresh your mind.
Tips To Increase Your Productivity At Home and At Work

Have you ever planned for a productive day, but when the day is over your to-do list seems no different than when you got started? This doesn’t mean you’re lazy or incompetent; what it means is that you may want to work on your productivity.
• If you’ve been staring at the computer screen for twenty minutes without getting any real work done, it’s time to get up, walk around or get a drink of water. This can make a huge difference when you’re looking to be more productive.

• Housework can be dull and boring so instead of trying to tackle all household projects in one day, split up the work and get your family involved.

Increasing your productivity can mean a lot of good work getting done, so think about how you can implement these productivity tips in your daily routine!

By: Susan Creal

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Article Author:
Mike Handy
Stress can attack every person around the world. From children till old-people can get stress because their problems respectively. Generally, most executive and professional get stress because they are under pressure of jobs. This is serious condition because stress will reduce productivity and dangerous for them selves and other people too. So, how can we combat our stress? Below, 10 ways to combat your stress:

1. Sleep. Sleep is one way to reduce or combat our stress. If you feel tired or bad-feel condition, go to sleep. Get room with good condition to sleep like: good ventilation, not too much light, wears light cloth, clean and without bad smelt. Before you sleep, please arrange your breath and close your eyes. Pray to your good better before your sleep. Do that till you sleep self.

2. Save Sex. Sex is nice and comfort. Some peoples get sex to entertain them. It is a solution too. But, you should be conduct sexual activity in save sex context. Better if you get sex with your married partner only. It is will be more strong your relation with partner. Your good married relation will make you happy and sex will make good married relation.

3. Sport. Sport is physical activity with special movement. This movement will reduce your stress because muscle will be fresh and will reduce your stress. If your body fresh, then your mind will fresh too. Do sport you like. Do not push your self to conduct sport too hard. This sport like swimming, jogging, gymnastics and other light sport.

4. Traveling. Every body like traveling. To combat stress we can choose travel destination suitable with our condition. If you have enough time, you can visit other country for some moments. But, if you are not having enough time because of your business, you can travel near your locations that not need much time. This is good solution to combat your stress because you will meet some thing will make you happy.

5. Music. Music is nice to use as entertain us especially in stress and under pressure conditions. Choose your music according your taste. Select good location to you and turn on your music player. Hear it and enjoy. Do not think anything but only feel your selected music. Do that till you get fresh condition.

6. Meditation. Meditation is ultimate steps to combat stress. Every stress will lose if we conduct best practices meditation. Select type meditation including yoga. You can train with participate on meditation and yoga course or read and practice it from books. With meditation, you train to control your breath, physic and emotion including your relation with God.

7. Pray. Almost same with meditation, pray is important to reduce stress. When you pray, please ask to God to reduce our stress and give us enlighten for our problem. Hopefully God will give solution of our problem. Do this pray according your religion. You can do in church, mosque, nunnery, home and any place you want.

8. Laughing. Laughing is happy activity because something makes us to laugh. We can enjoy comedy, watch cartoon movie, read humor book and many more. Also, you can join to laughing club in your area. In this club, you can find some model, member, resource, etc even your self as object of laugh. This is good as stress therapy.

9. Meet Friend. As long as we life, I am sure we have best friend. In any condition we can meet with our friend to conduct any activity. When meet with friend we can enjoy the situation especially meet in restaurant, pool, clubs, and many more. We can temporary forget our problem and our stress. We can share our problem and may be friend will give us solution or advice to us. Best friend always understands our problem and give us solution and attention about us according their capability.

10. Food. This is nice activity. We can eat good food anywhere to select it. From pedestrian food till five stars restaurant can choose to reduce our stress. Select food with best price and best nutrition too. And of course do not forget select food according your taste and make you enjoy combating your stress with food.

If you apply this ten ways to combat stress, I guarantee you can reduce and combat stress. Your stress will remove from you and enjoy your life for today and tomorrow. After applied this ways but still stress, you must go to hospital or psychiatrist to check what your problem actually. For more information see http://www.mydragontattoo.com[ ]
The Real Killer of Motivation
Routine is a murderer.

Years ago, before starting the Motivation123 Web site, I had pockets full of plans and ideas. My mind was in a constant state of activity.

As for my reality, nothing ever changed. Nothing in my life went in the directions I had hoped for. It got to the point that I began to doubt whether or not a better life was even possible. Could I change?

Then, while paging through a magazine at the doctor's office, I came across a question, just a short team of words that gripped my attention.

It was simple--as most powerful truths are--but it made an immediate impact. And from that day I possessed a key to progress that has served me ever since.

Before we get to that answer, however, we need to pin down the problem.

The Killer
In a word, it's routine.

It's the pattern of living that, like molten lava, slowly crawls into adulthood, covering and consuming our hopes, dreams, and ambitions.

It's doing the same thing every day because that's what you've always done. It's a vicious circle of repeating actions and events that leads to nowhere.

The reason nothing was changing in my life was because I was stuck in a routine. Every day I followed the same basic outline of living: wake, work, sleep, repeat.

I had new ideas, to be sure, but my actions were old.

Then I was hit with the truth while waiting - for what seemed like weeks - in my doctor's waiting room.

The Question I Took with Me
The sad reality is that most people never realize what is happening until it's too late. That is the skill and cunning of habit and routine.

It wraps its arms around the minutes and hours of your life, distracting and luring you into autopilot, into a dazed mode of living.

All the while, the little time you have to construct your ideal experiences is being sucked away, stolen.

Routine is a murderer. It kills hope and the chance for change. It blinds us to the truth and with a scalpel cuts away our goals and ideas. Routine puts a hand in the face of growth and improvement, leaving room for nothing but the same.

You need a way out of the routine. And for me, the way out came in the form of a question:

'If you continue to follow the same patterns, what are the chances you'll ever experience the things you want to do and ever become the person you hope to be?'

I read the sentence again. What would my chances be? Things hadn't worked out so far, so why would doing the same thing result in anything different?

My Realization
I had my answer. My chances were none.

I would never do the things I had always thought about, never grow into the character I hoped for. If I followed the same routines, the same patterns, I could expect pretty much what I had been getting.

For some, this is the perfect scenario. But for me, I wanted more. I knew how much life had to offer and I wanted to dive in head first. I wanted to experience it all and live a life worth living again.

I looked around the office, looked at the people next to me. None of us would reach that place without a change in pattern. We were all trapped in a circle of habit.

This brings us face to face with a truth that most men and women would rather avoid.

It's relieving to let our goals live in 'someday.' We don't have to worry about never attaining them. Instead, we can put them off and fool ourselves.

'It will happen someday.' No, it won't.

The truth is, if you don't change your routine now, you will never reach those goals. You will never wake up to a life that matches the one in your mind. Never.

Don't hide from this. Accept it. Embrace it. Use it to smash through the chains of routine and drive you into a new way of life, into a new pattern of progress.

by Jason M. Gracia - Motivation123™
Where do I find inspiration?

I don’t think you can ‘find inspiration’. Inspiration finds you.

I’m not talking about motivation. Motivation seems to be a basic life principle. If you are hungry, you get motivated to feed yourself. If there is something you want and can’t afford, you get motivated to find the money or wherewithal to get it.

Inspiration is something much more profound. It comes from the word ‘inspire’, and when you break that down, it comes from the word ‘spirit’, which has nothing to do with ghosts.

Spirit is the principle of air, breath. Inspiration is what is breathed into you. This is an energy that is all around you, it is everywhere. It doesn’t care what your religious beliefs are, what political party you belong to, or how much money you have.

Can I Tap Into Inspiration?

Yes you can. It is not like the concept of enlightenment, where one can devotedly meditate daily for 30 years and never ‘get it’, or conversely, it can happen in a second to a completely unsuspecting person.

All inspiration needs is just a second or two of openness, the opening of the veil, consciously or not, of your normal everyday consciousness, and it just flows in.

Like enlightenment, inspiration can happen at any time, anywhere. You can find yourself inspired by an insect, a note of music, and of course, language.

When I was younger, I remember taking the bus and always seeing a sign: “Courtesy Is Contagious”

Inspiration is like that. You can inspire by your actions, by your attitude, and by your example.

While I’m not sure that the concept of tithing, particularly with money, is an actual universal principle, this idea definitely touches a chord in people’s consciousness. But I’ve seen time and time again, that it just doesn’t always happen. In fact the principle of tithing actually comes from Kings and Kingdoms, as the leaders of the pack, they felt that they are entitled to X amount of your endeavors.

Inspiration on the other hand, doesn’t involve money, and I’ve experienced that the more you are open to be inspired, the more inspiration you freely give, the more you will receive. You will constantly become both a receiver and a transmitter of ever flowing inspiration.

So go get yours, find inspiration and then become an inspirational philanthropist.

But remember, no matter how hard you try, you can never give it all away.

Be Fearless

Billy Ojai
Use Motivational Stories to Increase Your Confidence

Can motivational stories really increase your confidence? Even if they can, why do you want to increase your confidence level? The reason is because your success will depend on it. This article will talk about why reading inspiring stories is such a powerful way to boost your confidence and help you succeed in life. The main reasons are that they can increase your belief levels, open new possibilities, and inspire you to take action. By the time you are down reading this article, you will understand the power stories can have on your life.

If you want to succeed at anything in life, you will first need to believe that it is possible. The next thing you need to believe is that it is possible for you. Without a certain level of faith that you can actually accomplish your goals, you won't even want to try. When you read stories about people who have become successful despite of all the challenges they had, it will help you increase your own beliefs in yourself because once you know that someone else has done it, the goal will no longer be impossible to you.

If you don't already have a goal in mind, these motivational stories can help you by opening new possibilities. If you read a story of someone who helped changed their community by volunteering every weekend to help change people's lives, you may become inspired to do the same. You may have thought changing the world would be impossible by yourself, but reading about someone else doing it will open up that possibility for you. When you read about someone growing up poor becoming successful and rich, it can help you see a brighter future for yourself if you are currently broke.

Another thing these stories can do is to inspire you to take action. Reading about the success of someone else can help you want to do the same for you life. As you may know, a dream will always be just that, a dream, unless it is acted upon. Without action, nothing happens. Anything that can inspire you to take action is life changing.

The reason why motivational stories can increase your confidence is because it will increase your belief in yourself. Confidence is really just a feeling of certainty. By reading the stories of people who have overcome great struggles to reach their goals, you will become more and more certain the you can achieve your as well. So the next time you read an story that motivates and inspires you, don't just sit and ponder. Take immediate action and your life will never be the same again.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_T.
Strategy and Motivation
By Angela Willingham

When Starting a New Challenge it is important that you have a strategy and motivation.

A rock climber cannot just start climbing the side of a mountain without first examining the terrain. They must find the best route to the top, which way will be the safest? As we start a new challenge we must determine what our Goals are and what will keep us going when we get tired? A rock climber cannot decide what to do after they get tired. You cannot decide what to do after you get tired half way up and they definitely cannot decide that they can just give up. You must take steps toward being a better you. In this challenge looking at whatever someone else is doing make help to encourage you to do better.

While this is an individual thing we can do it together. We are all at different Fitness levels. We all have different eating styles. What areas do you need more help in? Identify the best plan for you. Do you need to put yourself on a meal schedule? It may be cutting out some of the sweets and junk foods we eat and packing some healthy snacks. Whatever it may be you will need motivation to follow through with these strategies. Some days will be easier than others but at the end of the tunnel there is a great reward.
Better Health and a New Attitude.

I have always been a larger child growing up, so as I start this challenge I thought why do I really want to do this and how will I stay motivated. I came up with the following reasons.

· Better health,
· Smaller Clothes,
· Longer Life,
· Future family (spouse and children),
· Besides I have nothing left to lose but the weight.

Whatever your Strategy and Motivation, God is with you every step of the way. Remember that part of your strategy must be to include God in the equation. Find a scripture that encourages you and post it on the website so that you can share with others. Let us know what other things motivate you to keep on going in the challenge.

Make a commitment right now to follow through.

Scripture-
2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
16That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are[a] being renewed every day. 17For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! 18So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.


You, Fear and Motivation
By Kerry Sullivan I

Fear is an emotion that we all live with. To have success in any area you must learn what fear is and how to deal with it. Successful people have fear, but they know how to manage it better than most.

When people make decisions to pursue what they really desire, fear is almost always there. Fear is often there because people are afraid of the pain that may come if they go for what they want. Fear is the brain's natural response. Evolution has made fear to keep you safe from danger. Fear is natural, but when it paralyzes you from making a decision or taking action it is unuseful.

Robert Cheldini is a persuasion expert. One of factors that he has isolated as a key to successfully persuading people is the element of fear. The media, government, and various organizations are some examples of groups that use fear to get attention and support. Fear is an emotion that can dominate our brains because it sticks out more than most emotions.

Fear is something that has allowed humans to get to where they are today as a species. It has allowed humans to distinguish when to run from predators and how to survive other dangers. Many of us live in an environment where danger from predators is no longer an issue. Fear instead affects us in other areas of life. It is important to realize that, due to evolution, fear is more than what it really is. Your brain is trying to keep you safe.

Your brain associates fear with various stimuli. For instance if you got attacked by a dog, at some point a fear reaction may develop every time you see a dog. Fear can also be brought up in neutral situations, as displayed by the California Science Center, which says:

"A researcher can make a subject respond fearfully to a normally neutral stimulus. For example, people are born with a fear of loud noises. If a researcher plays a loud noise while flashing a light, her subjects will quickly come to pair the flash with the negative experience of the loud noise. Later, the subjects will demonstrate measurable fear of a flash of light, even without the loud noise."

What does this mean for you? Fear may affect situations even when the fear has nothing to do with what you are trying to get done. How can you manage it?

1) Isolate what you are afraid of by asking yourself where the fear is coming from.
2) Ask yourself, "How is this fear false?" and build on examples of how it is false.
3) Take direct action to counteract the fear.

The human brain can be rewired so that fear is not prevalent in certain situations. Here is an example. Let's say that you fell while going down some stairs because your shoes were untied. The next time you are about to go down the stairs you feel fear.

1) Isolate the fear. You figure out you are afraid of falling.
2) Ask yourself, "How is this fear false?" Remember that before falling down the stairs you had done it many times with ease. You also draw on the fact that many people go down the stairs every day with no problems. You also know that if you tie your shoes it will help you make a successful journey down the stairs.
3) You take action, tie your shoes and then go down the stairs.

After going down the stairs, that old fear is lessened. You have found a new way to look at the fear and your brain has begun to disassociate going down the stairs from the stimulus that caused the fear.

Fear will always be there. You will never rid yourself of it, but you can manage it effectively. Once you isolate what the fear is, you can break down the belief by asking yourself how the fear is false. Then you can take action. At this point, you have knocked fear flat on it's back and thus have motivation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kerry_Sullivan_I
How to Become Motivated
By Gary Danko

How many times have you "decided" that you were going to do something, but something else got in the way and you just didn't get it done?

How many times have you said, "You know...today I'm going to sign up 2 new people in my business", but then it didn't happen?

Does that sound familiar to you?

When I ask people why they feel this happens, the most common answer I get is, "But I just can't seem to get myself motivated to do the work". So then it seems like the root of the problem is "lack of motivation", but where is the motivation supposed to come from? Some external source?

The solution to all a person's problems in life lie within himself. They are never "out there somewhere". Even true motivation comes from within and is totally within one's own control. You might argue that one by saying, "but talking to someone else who is positive can be motivating, or reading a book, or listening to a tape....,etc.". So if that is the answer, WHY doesn't the person just DO that? Lack of motivation? Uh Huh!

Even the decision to FIND something motivational is within your control. You choose your own games in life...whether they are fun, boring, dangerous, sad, or whatever...YOU are the one who chooses them. The decision never comes from "out there somewhere".

So the only real motivation comes from within...from YOUR DECISION TO TAKE ACTION.

Production is the true basis of morale...so what is this thing called "morale"? The dictionary defines it as, "attitude or condition of an individual or group with respect to such qualities as courage, confidence, and high spirits". The same dictionary gives the following example:

"Scoring a run boosted the team's morale."

You see...scoring the run boosted their morale. It "motivated" them. It lifted their spirits. It gave them confidence,...etc. The motivation didn't come from someone talking positively to them or anything like that. It came from "producing" the run.

Some people would say, "but who is going to motivate me to score the run?". My answer to that is the YOU are the only person who CAN motivate you. Even an outside source can't motivate a person who has decided that they aren't going to be motivated.

Why play that game with yourself?

Why play the game of "I'm going to decide not to be motivated so I can sit here and not produce anything so I can get people to motivate me because they feel sorry for me."? What good does that do?

Personal action is the best way to become motivated. Start off by just doing something...anything...even if it is just a little bit right now. Then you'll feel a little more "in the mood" and you'll be able to do a little more...then more... and finally you'll be working at full speed, you'll feel good about yourself, your morale will come up, you will be producing, and you will be MOTIVATED.

A little bit of action is all it takes. Just pick up your phone and make that first prospecting call, that first follow-up call, or whatever action you are supposed to be doing. Then make the next one, and the next one and pretty soon you'll get into a "zone of operation" where you will be unstoppable.

Massive action equals massive results. Nothing else other than action will give you the kind of results you want. Just make sure the action you take is productive action leading toward what you would like to accomplish.

The opposite of the previous statement is that "lack of action equals lack of results". Notice that I didn't say "lack of motivation equals lack of results"... I said, "lack of action...".

So the next time you're sitting around wishing you were more motivated so you could get some work done. Just pull this article out and read it.

Any time someone on your team is complaining about not being motivated, send this article to him or her and have them read it. It speaks the truth.


Motivational Speeches Can Change Lives
By Kelly T.

Do you ever remembering hearing a speech that instead of putting you to sleep, it motivated you to take some kind of action that resulted in a shift in your destiny? Motivational speeches have this power. Too often people will give up on their dreams due to failing too many times to obtain them. After a while, their belief in themselves will wither away and lie dormant until something can wake it back up. These speeches have the power to do just that, awaken those rusty beliefs.

Whenever we pursue a goal, we do it because somewhere inside of us, we believe that we can do it. That belief normally comes from either seeing someone else obtain the same or similar outcome, from our past successes in achieving a goal, or simply from someone else who we have trust in believing in us. On your path to any goal, you will be faced with many challenges and setbacks. It's nothing personal, that's just the way it is and it's also the reason why most people will never experience the life that they truly want. These temporary failures will cause most people to stay down after being knocked to the ground a few times. Their belief in their ability to obtain the goal gets weaker each time they are met with defeat.

There are many things that can cause your beliefs to skyrocket again and one of those things are motivational speeches. The reason for this is because the speaker will often use stories that will allow you to realize that all successful people go through many failures before they obtain their goals. Too often we will think that somehow, our challenges are unique and there's no way to turn things around. Sorry to say but chances are, whatever obstacles you are going through, plenty of people have gone through the same thing and have ended up thriving. Choosing to use a setback to stop pursuing your goals is merely an excuse to give yourself an easy way out in order to avoid more disappointments.

These stories that motivational speakers often times share are stories of people who stood up and kept going after their dreams despite the dozens of failures they may have faced. When you hear these types of speeches, what often happens is that you start to realize that those who are successful are no different from you. They too have had times when they felt like quitting and had every right to, but instead, they chose to keep going. That's what winners do. The next time your hear a motivational speech that strengthens your beliefs, do the speaker a favor and use it to stand back up, dust yourself off, and continue pursuing your dreams.

Kelly T. contributes to a motivational website that provides tools and resources such as motivational speeches, quotes, songs, posters, motivational stories, and much more to help people achieve their goals.

10 Top Motivational Sayings
By Tracy Brinkmann

Have you ever read something, whether in a book, on a billboard, on your screen or in a card and felt words shake you to the core? Or perhaps the words reached out to tug at your heartstrings?

Inspirational quotes can instill you with the motivation to take action toward your dreams, desires & goals to live the life you desire and deserve.

I use inspirational quotes on a daily basis. I get up and read from one of a collection of books I have acquired over the year; "Something to Smile About" by Zig Ziglar, "Success - Defining Moments" from Success Magazine, "Seeds of Greatness Treasury" by Denis Waitley, "Treasury of Quotes" by Brian Tracy and other. You can use these and other sources of inspirational quotes to help you get fired up in the morning face your boss (or your employees) during a meeting, they can even help you find the motivation to get physically active.

The supply of inspirational quotes is nearly endless. There are plenty of awe-inspiring quotes you can call upon whenever you are in need of a perk-me-up. The really cool part is that the more often you read, use and share motivational quotes, the quicker they become a part of who you are and thus the more likely they will be to help you break through mental and emotional barriers that hold you hostage.

I would suggest that you internalize those sayings that you resonate with, so you can call upon them whenever you need a boost.

Here are ten inspirational quotes to spark your passion and bring you motivation:

1.Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that 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

2.Well done is better than well said. - Benjamin Franklin

3.Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. - T.S. Elliot

4.Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

5.All that we are is the result of what we have thought. - Buddha

6.People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. - Zig Ziglar

7.Begin with the ending in mind. - Stephen Covey

8.If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place. - Nora Roberts

9.Experience is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens to him. - Aldous Leonard Huxley

10.Don't go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

You can use these quotes in your everyday life to help keep you inspired and motivated at every turn. Again, you will gain the greatest benefit when you deeply internalize the meaning behind the words sparking you into action. After all, words are nothing without action! So that is why I say - find the quotes that YOU resonate with and memorize them. You do not have to use my list - they are but ideas to get you started. My list may be different than yours as much as I am different from you, but the key is for you to get a list and always be adding to it as you grow.

You can also constantly re-fuel your thirst for motivation by using the power of visualization. Stimulating your mind via multiple senses drives the impact deeper and quicker: For example, by using desktop wallpapers with quotes and sayings, you are giving yourself the visual stimulation and motivation you need to overcome any obstacle on your path.

With just a quick glance, you can get through a difficult day by having a positive image coupled with an inspiring quote on your computer desktop, on your wall or on your bathroom mirror (that way you start your day off with inspiration!)

When you embrace the positive push and joys of motivational quotes and beautiful imagery, you'll not only feel better, but you'll be more productive too!

Think Successfully & Take Action!
Tracy

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Brinkmann

Self-Motivation: How to Keep Yourself Motivated
By Monice Dulcinea

Keeping one’s self going is a difficult thing to do. There are a million distractions that occur every day and that can mean that we do not stay on track with what we should be doing. Self-motivation is something that does not come easy to a lot of people and that means that there are some steps that need to be taken before you can become motivated to the fullest extent. Of course there are some other matters that first need to be taken care of. If there are a lot of distractions that keep you from doing what you need to be doing then you need to make some changes. This is really the first step towards becoming self-motivated in any form.

To be self-motivated means that there is no outside force or person pushing you to become what you want. The whole concept of succeeding lies within yourself and that means that you will need to make the effort yourself to be who you want to be. The doing away with the distractions means that you need to be completely self-reliant. If you have many distractions then you will not be getting the things done that need to be so you are not being self-motivated in that sense. Take the effort to make sure that you are completely absorbed in what you are doing, especially when it comes to work. This will mean that everything else takes a back seat and you are working to the best of your ability.

If you are a person that needs a push to get going on something then you will need to devise a plan to become self-motivated. If you are one that requires the motivation then you will need to be sure to have something nearby that reminds you of what you need to be doing. For instance, a photograph depicting an event will be sure to move you along whenever you look at it. The same goes for a saying by a famous person that has succeeded in the way that you wish to succeed.

To be self-motivated is to be the one person that gets it done without having to be told to do so. Moving along through the ranks and being the one person that succeeds where others fail is above all the rest. Take the time to become self-motivated and you will be much happier with yourself to say the least.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Monice_Dulcinea

Thursday, 25 June 2009

What Is Your Mission?

We talk about sacrifices. We talk about the sense of mission accomplishment. But the truth is that we know very little of leadership and we are often at a loss when it comes to getting the job done right. Making personal sacrifices is necessary, whether we want to admit it or not. The mission isn’t one specific goal but rather a group of priorities, some more important than others, but mutable and occasionally conflicting. Can organizational development become a priority for the warrior-minded leader?The warrior-minded leader must always keep the main mission in mind, know which priorities and goals are allowed to change. Leadership is all about making those changes in a timely, effective fashion – without affecting the goals that are crucial. The best practices can be discovered in time and human resources are always available. One should take into consideration the risks but also the potential changes that can be made to improve leadership. Emphasis must also be placed on the importance of doing things the right way. The Warrior Ethos is one of the most important parts of the mission, the set of principles being applied not only for personal but also for organizational development.Courage has been a creed for many generations and also for many warriors. Is courage that important in today’s business world? One has to learn to overcome fear; make decisions and take actions that will garner successful outcomes. Running a business starts and ends with leadership. Fear has nothing to do with being a good leader and discovering the best practices. One should learn how to control emotions and move forward with a clear sense of purpose. Courage has a cost, be it in lost personal time, changed working conditions. The benefit, however, is the resulting team is a far stronger and effective performer, and far likely to collectively overcome extreme difficulties. Discipline has been long mentioned among the principles of the Warrior Ethos. One should develop the ability to take constant action, to not just lie back and wait for things to happen, but to operate within strict parameters to pursue a desired outcome. Leadership is based on many things, as the Warrior Ethos will teach you, but it seems that discipline is one of the most important. For a warrior leader, rules, limits and parameters exist for good reason, though often not self-serving ones. As a general rule, having a warrior mentality means having the ability to commit to action. The best practices are far away from falling prey to temptation, they rely on using all available human resources and striving to achieve the best possible organizational development. Even when there’s nothing to do but wait, it’s possible to prepare for contingencies, plan the next steps or refine skills. The stress can be overwhelming but not as overwhelming as being unprepared at a critical moment. By: Britney Simpson

What Makes A Good Leader: 5 Vital Traits A Good Leader Must Possess

1) Teamwork

A leader might be the head of the organization or team, but he or she cannot function well without teamwork. Unfortunately, a lot of leaders let their position get into their heads. They move without consulting the rest of the team.

What makes a good leader is a sense of teamwork. Although you might be the one calling the shots, you can’t completely disregard the people you’re responsible for.

2) Strength

Another important factor of what makes a good leader is strength. Whether it’s strength in making a decision, or strength in overcoming challenges, a good leaders knows not to show weakness.

A good leader doesn’t cower from the enemy. He or she doesn’t fear challenges or obstacles; but instead, he or she deals with them head-on.

3) Good Example

A good leader sets a good example for his or her subordinates. If you’re very particular about tardiness, then you have to make sure that you’re always on time, if not earlier than the others.

If you have strong feelings against cheating, then you yourself should not be tempted to cheat. Set a good example for the people in your team. Actions speak louder than words.

4) Responsibility

A good leader takes responsibility. He or she doesn’t try to figure out a way to escape the mess that might have been created. Instead, a good leader faces the issue and deals with the problems as they come.

Being responsible also means avoiding disaster and making the right decisions. Keep in mind that you’re accountable for the rest of your team.

5) Quick Thinking

Quick thinking is an essential leadership skill. Most of the time, this is what saves the day. A good leader must know how to act swiftly and must encourage quick thinking among his or her people.

The success of a group has a lot to do with both the leader and the team. It’s never just about one person only. As long as you remember what your goal is, you’ll be alright. And these additional tips on what makes a good leader will only help you become a better person.

By: Lee, Michael

Leadership Traits Common To All Leaders

Leaders possess the ability to accept comments, ideas, and thoughts from all points of view equally. Usually a true leader will not have made up her mind until she hears all sides of the argument. And a top-notch leader gives equal weight to all opinions. A good example of this behavior is President Barack Obama who spent the first few weeks of his presidency wooing the Republicans in the hopes of opening a strong dialogue. He was interested in hearing their opinions and encouraged conversation.

Honesty

One of the most important leadership traits is honesty. No one can learn to trust and follow an individual if they are untruthful, deceptive or misleading. A good leader is sincere in all he does and says and quite open in his actions. There is no sneakiness or mystery about a good leader.

Bravery

Bravery is another very important leadership trait. You can think of many a great military leader who distinguished himself with acts of great courage remaining calm in the face of life-threatening danger. A good leader is not afraid to move forward regardless of the stumbling block or obstacles that might appear in her path. In addition by using another of the leadership traits, inspiration, a good leader can encourage her followers to surmount all difficulties and follow her into the “belly of the beast” and come out the other side triumphant.

Intelligence and Ability

These two leadership traits often go hand in hand. Effective leaders prepare themselves before attempting a task. They learn all they can about the assignment or goal as well as all the steps to complete the task or achieve the goal. In addition many strong leaders have been trained, often for years, in their field of leadership. The ability to effectively complete a task or reach a goal is the result of a leader's intelligence, training and experience. No top leader will go into a situation unprepared.

Versatility

An effective leader can easily adapt to a changing situation. Using a strong imagination the leader is able to quickly alter plans and behaviors and usually in an innovate manner to move around or over obstacles to achieve success. In addition a good leader is able to adapt is mannerism to the individual personalities of his followers to better inspire, encourage and motivate. A good leader knows what works for one follower might not work for another and can adapt quickly. A prime example of versatility is your favorite teacher. Usually this individual was able to alter his teaching methods to help you learn in the manner that suited you most. He also encouraged you to think for yourself and showed incredible patience while you worked through a problem to a successful solution.

While some of us might be born with a propensity towards these individual traits any of us can be an effective leader. Acknowledge the traits that followers seek in their leaders and work to adopt these traits as your own.

By: Victor Ghebre

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

What Is Leadership?

While there are numerous definitions of leadership what it boils down to is a leader effects directed change through a group of people that have given that person their complete trust. The leader earns the trust of his followers based on several character traits that foster the trust. So to answer the question, what is leadership is a bit more complicated than a simple single sentence definition.

Leadership vs. Management

Are a leader and a manager synonymous? Not necessarily. While a manager can be a leader, not all leaders are managers. And the definition of a manager is quite different from our working definition of a leader. A manager tends to work to preserve the status quo. Think of your manager at work. She usually is there to make sure the assigned work gets done. She does not foster change and can sometimes work to prevent change so as not to upset routine. A leader promotes change and moves his followers in a distinct direction. A true leader listens to the ideas and opinions of his followers and happily embraces them. Managers are rarely pleased to listen to underlings’ ideas. Instead a manger is focused on production and not imagination.

Can You Learn Leadership

Sure there are people out there with natural leadership abilities. But now that you have an idea of what is leadership you also know that leadership can be learned. You can be a top-notch leader by gaining both knowledge and experience in the field you wish to lead. And by maintaining your integrity and working to be open and fair minded to your followers you will find leadership is not such a difficult trait to acquire after all.

The Followers

Do not fail to forget that leadership is a group effort. A leader cannot lead without followers. So followers must be included in your definition of leadership. Becoming a good leader is not a personal effort. You cannot become an effective leader on your own. Remember an effective leader garners the trust of his followers and to earn that trust you must behave with openness, fairness and be an inspiration to those around you. A great way to answer that question, what is leadership is to look at one of the world’s greatest leaders. Martin Luther King Jr. using examples of non-violence and inspiring words of equality changed the segregation laws of the United States and changed the future of black people in America. He was not a manager or anyone’s boss. He was a simple man with a vision who possesses integrity, honesty and the ability to inspire people.

Leadership is the ability to inspire and move a group of people towards a unified goal. Leadership is the ability to garner trust and faith from a group of people through acts of integrity, honesty and fair-mindedness. Leadership can be innate or learned. Anyone can become an effective leader with a little hard work.

By: Victor Ghebre