There will be times when you get discouraged, or start to doubt yourself as you work towards attaining your goals. The best way to overcome these feelings is to go back to the reason you set your goal in the first place. Then, visualize how you will feel once your goal is achieved. Think of each and every benefit your achievement will mean to you, and how your life will positively change. Write down each benefit and post them in an area where you will see them every day; this will help you to remain dedicated to the achievement of your goal.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I felt discouraged, and doubted my own abilities when I started writing. A couple of times, I almost had myself convinced my writing was inadequate, that no one would benefit from what I wrote, and that no one would ever buy it. At this critical point, I stopped and visualized how I would feel when my published book helped people realize their dreams. The satisfaction of knowing I was able to help other people motivated me. I was also inspired by the freedom and ability to be able to write. Developing effective writing skills has been a life long goal, and one with which I have struggled for years. For me, to be a successful author would give me great satisfaction.

When you feel discouraged, stop, step back, and think about why you originally set your goal. Remind yourself of the significant difference attaining your desires will make in your life. Then, move forward with an “I can do it!”attitude.

Another way I found helpful to keep self-doubts at bay was to talk to my best friend about my feelings. This is a person with whom I had shared my goals, a person who encouraged and supported me when I felt discouraged. Just talking to my friend about my concerns motivated me to keep going. Once you set your goals, share them with someone who will support you, and who will be there when you need to talk.

And, of course, what has always helped me has been to read inspirational books, or motivational quotes. Reading about the author of the quote inspired me. After reading about how many of them overcame great odds or obstacles before they were successful, I knew if they could do it, I could to.

Don’t let you, defeat you. You will have enough challenges along the way without engaging in self-defeating thoughts. Be persistent, be determined, be dedicated, and be a winner. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said: “Accomplishments will prove to be a journey, not a destination.”

If past behavior is the best way to determine future behavior then behavioral interviewing is a requirement for anyone serious about hiring top talent. This skill isn’t something that should be taken lightly, but everyone’s got to start somewhere. Keep in mind that you’re looking for specific examples rather than vague descriptions. A good communicator can dance around the question and sound very convincing if you don’t insist that they give specifics. Here are a few questions that I have found to predict the future behavior of some of the most critical personality traits.

Leadership Ability

These abilities will be important for any position that involves persuasion or managing a team. Here are a few questions to determine the strength of a candidate.

Tell me about a time when you lead a discussion, task force, or committee meeting. What was the situation and how did you orchestrate it?

Tell me about a time when your co-workers looked to you for guidance on an important project or task. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

Verbal Skills

Any employee that requires a high degree of human interaction will benefit from strong verbal skills. Here are a couple of questions to determine the strength of a candidate in this area.

Tell me about a time when you had to explain a challenging concept or idea to a co-worker. How did you communicate it to them to ensure that they understood?

Tell me about a time when you were required to speak before a large audience. What was the situation, how did you feel about doing it, and what was the outcome?

Decisiveness

This is an indicator of an individual’s ability to make decisions independently and is also an indicator of an individual’s self confidence as well as their tolerance for risk. Here are a couple of questions to understand a candidate’s strength in this area.

Tell me about a time when you were required to make an important decision without having complete information. What was the situation and what was the outcome?

Describe a situation when you had to make a decision that you didn’t feel was your responsibility or authority to make. What course of action did you take to make sure you did the right thing?

Assertiveness

This is an indicator of an individual’s ability to communicate. This will closely relate to leadership ability and is important for any position that requires giving direction to others. Here are a couple of questions to gain a better understanding of a candidate’s strength in this area.

Tell me about a time when you had to speak up in order to get your point across. Be specific.

Tell me about a time when you had to “sell” your manager or co-workers on one of your ideas. What was the idea and what was the outcome?

Energy Level

This is an indicator of an individual’s ability to maintain intense levels of work for long periods of time. While most candidates will be able to complete an 8 hour work day, someone with a low energy level will feel the effects much more than someone with a high energy level. This is also an indicator of an individual’s propensity to work quickly. Here are a couple of questions to determine the strength of a candidate in this area.

Tell me about a time when you were required to work with a team on an important project and you weren’t pleased with the speed at which it progressed. How did you deal with the situation?

Describe a situation where you were required to work an extended period of time to accomplish a task. What was the situation and how did you keep yourself motivated?

These interview questions should set you on the right path to becoming a proficient behavioral interviewer. For a more complete understanding of behavioral interviewing, get my free 19 page behavioral interview guide at http://www.mikenacke.com/behavioral-interview.html. It will provide a more complete understanding of the behavioral interview process and take your interviewing skills to the next level.

Mike Nacke is the Director of Development for PrideStaff, a national staffing and recruiting firm and is an expert at building a world class workforce. For more information on how to hire and retain passionate employees visit http://www.mikenacke.com

When you get right down to it, time management is really about managing your actions. We all want to use the process of time management to allows us to perform more actions in the day, getting everything done that needs to be done and giving us time to do the things we enjoy doing. But time management isn’t a magical cure for getting the actions done that you need to do. It’s simply a tool. A very powerful tool when used correctly, but still just a tool.

For example, you might learn all there is to know about time management - read
countless books, listen to CDs, and maybe even attend a few training courses or
seminars. But unless you take action to put what you have learned into practice, it
will be time and money wasted. And wasting time, as we both know, is one of the
worst things you can do.

On the other hand, perhaps you do decide to take some action, and start to do
some of the things you have learned. But only half-heartedly. Maybe you create a to
do list at the start of the day, but then never refer to it. Or you organize all your
existing files, but just throw any new papers into a single pile. Or you do a few of
the exercises you have learned, but never do anything with the results you come up
with.

But perhaps the worst thing that can happen when using the tools time
management offers is to follow the actions you have learned, refer to the
information you write down, but then simply not get anything done. In the case of a
to do list, perhaps you draw the list up for the day, then just procrastinate on
tackling even the first task. You may not even do it consciously - looking back on
the day, things just always seemed to “come up” (although if you are following good
time management advice, that excuse shouldn’t apply any more!)

If this is happening, it is possible that the issue isn’t time management, but more an
issue of motivation.

If the tasks are part of your job, perhaps the work no longer interests you and you
need to find another area to work in. If the tasks are for yourself and are related to
your personal goals, perhaps the goals you have set for yourself aren’t the correct
goals for you? You may have written those goals down because you thought you
should, but it’s not really what you want.

Of course it may just be that you didn’t realize you were procrastinating on doing
the actions you needed to do, and that realization spurs you on to get everything
done!

Ultimately, time management comes down to taking action and applying the
methods you have learned to plan your activities, then taking action to do those
activities in the most efficient way possible. Everyone can do it - even you!

Learn how you can take control of your life and get more done today than you ever
thought possible though simple
time management training techniques. It’s not as hard as you
may think!

“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.”
Theodore Roosevelt

I don’t mean to alarm you. Butwe are going to discuss a very painful subject to many people. My discussion involves an organizational taboo. Many institutions refuse to conduct leadership succession planning because they don’t want to offend anyone (that charismatic founder or his potential replacement). Can any great organization exist after the death of its visionary founder? At the death of a distinguished leader, most organizations are left in confusion. Why does a leader feel that the world must stop if he’s not leading? Therefore, seasoned leaders must adequately prepare for their replacements. Everyone knows that a leader can’t live forever; however, many organizations avoid this topic. This is a fatal organizational mistake. Below are some positive planning suggestions before organizational transition:

1. Recognize the need. Leaders need replacements.
2. Conduct a candid discussion with the incumbent leader.
3. Develop an organizational succession plan.
4. Implement the plan.
5. Develop a list of possible candidates.
6. Conduct any additional leadership training.
7. Provide mentoring sessions with potential candidates.
8. Keep communications open about potential changes.
9. Measure and track results of plan.
10. Continue to make organizational improvements.

Let’s explore this matter further. To every thing, there is a season. A wise leader knows when he leaves. On the contrary, a foolish leader will prolong his reign. Good leaders deal with the realities of living (you liveyou die). I’ve seen some leaders delay leadership development because of fear; however, these leaders have no foresight. Followers often know better but lack the power for organizational changes. This is a fatal mistake for most organizations. Who is going to replace this beloved leader? Will the replaced leader have problems from the incumbent’s loyalists? There is bound to be trouble. If these veteran leaders are truly concerned about their organizations, they should prepare future leaders by implementing a succession planning process.

Succession planning involves mentoring for the future. Chip Bell, a mentoring expert, defines mentoring as the “act of helping another learn.” Throughout history, leaders have been replaced. A great leader who has vision is difficult to replace. Why would you wait until he/she is dead to consider a replacement? Don’t be unprepared for future leadership changes. Start today!

References:

Bell (2002). Managers as Mentors. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler’s Publishers, Inc.

Sugarman, K (2000). Leadership Characteristics. [Online]. Available: http://www.psywww.com/sports/leader.htm.

© 2006 by Daryl D. Green

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information,visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org.

Too often people think they are through learning when they leave school. We should never forget that our purpose in life is to grow and develop in all areas. This article may be published provided the resource box is left intact.

Everyone desires to be successful. The problem is that we often reach a certain level and no matter how much we try, we remain frozen in our present position. Why is it that some continue to go up the ladder to the top and even beyond it? It is because they have confidence in themselves, don’t need approval of others, and are not discouraged by failure.

There are many factors that determine our position in life. Everyone has different abilities, opportunities, finances, and ambitions. Some decide early in life what they want to do and others never find their true niche. They try different jobs but are never fulfilled.

Our experience in growing up has a tremendous effect in adult life. Some parents are over protective and unknowingly curtail their children’s growth. Others encourage their kids to explore their interests and praise them when they do well. Being told, no, don’t, continually may have a negative effect on self esteem. Those who are praised and told to continue things they do well results in self confidence.

If one of our children failed to grow physically, we would do everything in our power to discover the cause and correct it. Fortunately physical growth comes naturally, but how we develop mentally, socially, spiritually and career-wise depends upon our determinations to continue to grow.

We need to take a lesson from nature. Grass, plants, trees and other vegetation only knows one thinggrow. From the time they emerge from the ground they continue to grow. If the grass is cut or trees are trimmed they just grow more.

People, however, are easily discouraged when they are criticized, or fail in a project. They often give up and try something else. We need to learn from our mistakes and continue to grow because that is our purpose in life.

If you fail, either you are trying something you don’t have a talent for, or you simply were less than perfect in how you went about it. The first thing you should do is determine what field you fit in based on interests, abilities and training. If failure occurs after entering the right field, failure simply means that you need to keep trying. People learning to hit the bull’s eye with their weapon don’t quit when they miss the mark, they keep trying until they can hit it time after time. You should not be discouraged because you fall short. You should keep trying and growing. Success comes by fine-tuning methods.

It is important to determine what field you fit in and obtain training for it. College provides broad knowledge that permits going from one field to a related one with little trouble. Do not stop learning after you finish school. Successful people never stop learning. You can learn how to do things better, with experience. You can even learn from things that happen to you. It is all meant to teach you something. Keep up with new developments in your field and change with them or you will find yourself out of date, subject to being replaced by someone who has kept up with the times.

We often settle into a comfortable way of doing things and avoid trying anything new. Staying in your comfort area too much can result in getting in a rut. To develop fully you need to continue to try new things. Venturing out of your comfort level permits you to discover new ideas and talents. Sometimes people stumble onto new concepts and start a whole new career by learning to be comfortable in other areas.

Losers wait for things to break their way. Winners make their own breaks. They determine what they want and make preparations so they can obtain them. Losers stay in their comfort level and winners continue to grow in all areas by increasing in knowledge, wisdom and social skills. Never be satisfied with your position and abilities. Continue to grow, developing new concepts and methods.

Want to improve your time management?

Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker, author and TV show host, who specializes in quick tips on how to move your life ahead even faster, offers the following advice.

First, write out your top three priority goals.

Next commit to only working on these three until they have been completed. Then layout a plan that includes how each goal is to be achieved. Formulate a “time” budget that goes with each part of the plan, so you can understand what is involved with the projects.

Next begin to lay out a flow of the steps needed to be done across a time line and plug it into you daily schedule with “appointments” to work on specific tasks at specific times. Take into account your personal effectiveness level at various points of the day, scheduling more intensive tasks for when you are at your peak mentally. Say no to people and distractions that take you away from these priorities.

Finally, don’t get bogged down trying to make things perfect, do enough to get things moving and go on to the next step.

Contact Information
Edward W. Smith, 201-568-0019, edsmith@brightmoment.com, www.brightmoment.com, PO box 8106, Englewood NJ 07631-8106

Copyright Edward W. Smith 2005

Edward W. Smith is the Author of Sixty Seconds To Success, produces and hosts the Bright Moment TV show, is a motivational speaker and is president of the Bright Moment Seminars.

Yes but… what you need to understand is..

Yes but… that’s not possible in my business.

Yes but… I don’t have time.

Yes but… Yes but…

How many times have you come across people who are masters of the Yes But excuse? Maybe you are you one of them? Is it easier, more convenient to find a reason not to do something that to think through how it could be done?

What would it be like if for you challenged yourself and/or your “Yes But” colleagues to eliminate those words from your vocabulary and replace them with.

“That’s an interesting option, what would we have to do to make that work?”

Or

“I think that’s exactly what needs to happen and I need to reprioritise so that I can make that work”

Or

” I have tried that before yet I didn’t evaluate why it didn’t work so perhaps a rethink would be useful” (or phrases to that effect.)

If you take a different mindset you may get a different outcome.

Is your Yes but mentality at the heart of poor time control?

Top 5 Tips for Changing Your Yes But Mentality

1. Get clear about where you want to focus your time

Know first of all what you want - what you really want to achieve, so you have a solid frame of reference to make decisions

2. Be open to options

Sometimes prejudice, assumption and past experiences get in the way of new thinking and objectivity. Be honest with yourself about whether you are limiting your range of solutions to how you can achieve something.

3. Create space to think

Build in thinking time so that you can analyse different options. Ask yourself who what, how questions to support your new found create approach to finding solutions that have stumped you in the past. Time won’t change so you have to.

4. Take Ownership for the Outcome

The buck stops with you! Only you can manage your time and only you can therefore choose on what and how you spend your time. Your boss, your colleagues, your family or friends can only influence you. You can ultimately choose what you do and when you do it. Yes there may be consequences and again only you can decide the impact of those consequences.

5. Ask for Help

You don’t always have to do everything yourself. You don’t always have to do IT at all. Again make choices about the reality of your “to do list”. Is what is on your list actually or necessarily up to you to do? Ask for help, share the load, delegate or- just don’t do it Yes, again there may be consequences and if you think rather than just assume and do, at least you have an increased chance of taking more control.

© Beverley Hamilton 2005

Beverley Hamilton MD of One Step Further is a Business Coach to Independent Business Consultants. Do you want to grow a profitable business consultancy and still have time for a life? Get my free 5 part ecourse Discover The 5 Most Common, Incorrect Assumptions Independent Business Consultants Makeand receive a complementary subscription to my newsletter Quickstart

She is also the author of Take Control of Your Time: 7 Straight Shooter Strategies for Success