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Personal Transformation: The ABC’s of Destroying Limiting Beliefs

Written by best selling author; Jinny Ditzler: Your Best Year Yet!: Make the next 12 months your best ever!

My husband once told someone, “Jinny is fearless in the face of limiting beliefs and negative paradigms.” True. I’ve never met one I couldn’t crack — said with the disclaimer that my own take longer. It’s just crystal clear to me that these limiting beliefs are fabricated nonsense compared to who we really are.

There is only one difference between a negative and a positive paradigm: One is a lie and the other is the truth — it’s up to you to choose which to invest in.

When you master the art and science of the paradigm shift, you’re able to make life as meaningful as you like. You’re now able to clear the obstacles on the path to the results you want and need. You can silence the whining, self-pitying monkey mind any time you like.

Have you contemplated the possibility that anything is possible for you? If your sleeping dreamer was awakened, even slightly, I urge you to go beyond just reading this article to making it happen because it shares the ABC’s of making a paradigm shift — also known as destroying limiting beliefs!

Five steps to a paradigm shift

Here are the five fundamental questions that lead to paradigm shift, leading you through the discovery and obliteration of the biggest obstacle to your success.

1. What one issue is causing me the most pain and suffering at the moment?
2. What do I do (or not do) that is causing this issue?
3. What do I say to myself to explain and excuse why I act in this way?
4. Which one of the negative paradigms and limiting beliefs I discovered in question three is the strongest — the one that’s the biggest obstacle on the path to resolving this issue?
5. What new positive paradigm would describe life beyond this issue?

Here are my current responses to these questions:

1. The fact that I’m still working so hard at my age and spending too much time at my desk.
2. I don’t limit the amount of time I work. I try to get as much done every day as I possibly can. I get lost in my email. I don’t pay enough attention to the weekly goals in my BYY plan. I respond to anyone who asks for my support.
3. As soon as I get a few of these big projects completed it will be better. I’m not ready to pull back and stop making a difference. It’s too hard to figure out how long something is going to take. I don’t have time to stop and check my weekly goals. It’s not right to refuse anyone who needs my support.
4. I’m not ready to pull back and stop making a difference.
5. Everything I do makes a difference — as if by magic.

Interestingly enough, my first four responses are real-time, but the response to question five is the paradigm on my 2012 Best Year Yet plan. We don’t choose our new paradigms by accident. I believe it’s some form of divine intervention or magic at work because it becomes the answer to so many issues throughout the year.

The ABC’s of a paradigm shift

A. Remember your new paradigm must be personal, positive, present tense, powerfully stated, and pointing to an exciting new future for you.

B. Write your new paradigm in a way that it’s not sourced by anything other than you, e.g., “Being organized is giving me the freedom I want” vs. “I am free.”

C. To confirm that you have the right paradigm, be sure you feel a zing of excitement when you read it.

D. If you feel that it can’t possibly be true, you’re on the right track.

E. Remember the true source of your new paradigm is your own heart and spirit.

F. Bring your new paradigm to life by repeating it to yourself until you have an experience that it is the truth, and that your strongest limiting paradigm is the lie. Repeat as often as possible.

G. Be diligent, disciplined, and strong about manifesting your paradigm as the truth within you.

H. Stay awake to miracles that are an external demonstration of your paradigm — and celebrate them.

I. Relentlessly train your mind in the same way you’d train a dog.

J. Trust that your new paradigm is connected to your true purpose in life — the reason you’re here.

A Moment of Inspiration

We recently watched Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning film Hugo. It’s the story of a 12-year-old boy, orphaned and living alone in the clock tower of a Paris train station. In one scene, Hugo talks with his new friend Isabelle about life and what he believes it all means.

“Everything has a purpose, even machines. Clocks tell the time, trains take you places — they do what they’re meant to do. Maybe that’s why broken machines make me so sad. They can’t do what they’re meant to do.”

Isabelle asks, “Is that your purpose, fixing things?” Hugo says he doesn’t know, and then she wonders aloud if she has a purpose.

His response, “Maybe it’s the same with people. If you lose your purpose, it’s like you’re broken.” He continues:

Imagine the whole world is one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world is one big machine, I couldn’t be an extra part. I had to be here for a reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.

Here is the clip of that moment. It’s a wonderful scene.

 

What’s Next?

Thanks again to those of you who have shared yourselves as we continue on this journey of personal transformation. Here are a few of your responses to last week’s question: “In what ways has predicting success worked for you?”

• “A few years ago I decided that I could at least make a dent in the litter around our neighborhood pond and woods, so I got into the regular habit of taking gloves and a bag with me and picking up trash on my walks there. Within a few months, there were a couple of other people who noticed what I was doing, and they began to help with the project.”
• “Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy and what you focus on is what you get are the things that I have really been focusing on in my own life. So thanks for the reinforcement.”
• “The Chairman of Governors of my school always made the same speech on Prize Giving Day. The “strap line” was aim as high as you can. Don’t try to work it out, just aim for the best you can imagine. He was way ahead of his time.”
• “Dale Carnegie How To Win Friends And Influence People was big on this subject. He referred to it as “The Power of Positive Thinking.” Things like — Act enthusiastic and you will be enthusiastic. I liked the man. Got to know him when I worked in Cleveland, OH.”

The next article in this series is called “Personal Transformation: Keeping Control Once You Get It.”

As a partner on this journey, this week please share your answer to this question:

What do you believe is your purpose in life?

Write your response below this article on The Huffington Post. Or I’d love to hear from you directly at jinny@bestyearyet.com.

For more by Jinny Ditzler, click here.

College Jobs Offer Ideal Opportunities for Developing Leadership Skills

Today, leadership skills are in great demand by employers who want to make sure the men and women they hire are able to help their businesses grow. Students who want to secure the best positions following graduation should take advantage of situations during college that will allow them to develop the type of leadership skills employers are most likely going to be looking for. College jobs provide an ideal forum to develop leadership skills and to show off those skills as they are built. While the types of skills most in demand may vary from employer to employer, college jobs and internships generally are diverse and flexible enough to build the leadership characteristics most employers are sure to be seeking.

Most employers will appreciate employees who show the following types of leadership skills: vision, and an ability to set goals and reach them; ability to motivate others and build a team; the ability to take direction and ask pointed questions; the ability to synthesis experiences into improvement and action; the ability to work independently when required; and the ability to deal with setbacks and use them as opportunities to move forward.

Leadership skills can be developed in several ways through “on the job” experience. Because they are usually supervised, part-time jobs while at college, allow you to voice your independent ideas and thoughts without risk to the company. This type of experience is essential in learning how to translate and communicate your own ideas and vision to superiors on the hunt for positions such as marketing jobs who are looking for ways to help a company move forward.

One of the keys to developing leadership skills while at college is to observe the leaders around you, who can serve as powerful examples of what works and what doesn’t. Look for opportunities to volunteer for duties and tasks that will allow you to observe leaders directly, and to aid them in their own work. Using this type of mentor-ship approach can be a valuable tool in developing the types of leadership qualities prized by employers in todays’ marketplace. While looking for opportunities to showcase your abilities, don’t hesitate to ask for help when needed; a good leader knows that asking for help is part of building an effective team and establishing trusting relationships with other employees.

Another advantage to being at college while working and developing leadership skills is that it is an ideal place to ask questions about how you can improve your performance. Don’t be afraid to ask supervisors about what they consider to be valuable qualities in an employee, and how you can improve your ability to lead others.

In addition to providing work experience and income, a college job is a great place to practice and develop all the skills you’ll need to be a valuable and effective employee. Use the time to gather information, observe actions and reactions and ask questions that can help you become a better leader and make you more in demand when you being your own search for the ideal job.

My own view is that our future leaders will not only possess the academic skills that colleges provide for students, but they will need emotional intelligence as well. Working and learning provides students with the opportunity to develop both skills in equal measure. So, if you are at college, you will stand a much better chance of success in today’s working world, if you make good use of your time and seek out part-time local employment opportunities near you. And all you need to do is get out and ask…

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Self-Employment: Five Top Tips for Going It Alone

 

Are you thinking of handing in your notice as an employee and entering the world of self- employment as a freelancer or contractor? If you are on the verge of becoming self- employed or have recently joined the many that already do freelance or contract work then it is worth reading this handy guide. These are the top five leadership tips for going it alone, to help you through the whole process of setting up as self-employed.

 

Accountants

Firstly, you need to deal with the financial side of the business. It is always a good idea to employ the services of an accountant and in particular to look for the best accountants for contractors and freelancers. You will be legally obliged to keep accurate records of all your in-comings and outgoings. An accountant can offer advice on bookkeeping and help fill in your self-assessment form each year.

 

Finances

Make sure that you have thought about finances before you even start up your business. There will be a time between your leaving regular employment and your business generating an income during which cash flow will be tight. Make sure you set aside at least two months of living expenses to give you a chance at making self-employment a success without financial worries.

 

Register as Self-Employed

Remember that it is important to register your new self-employed status with HM Revenue and Customs. You will get fined if you forget to do this. It is an easy process that can be completed online or over the phone in about 10 minutes.

 

Insurance

You will more than likely need to consider insurance for your self-employed venture. There are many different policies, depending on the nature of the work you do. Some insurance policies may be a legal requirement in your line of work. Freelancers and contractors will often need cover such as professional-indemnity insurance.

 

Plan for the Future

Remember that as you are self-employed you do not have the benefits of being an employee. In particular, you will not have a company pension. This means that you will need to plan for your future and, ultimately, your retirement. A stakeholder pension is often the best option for the self-employed and will help supplement the state pension you will receive when you do eventually retire.

 

You may also need to consider the growth of your business and when you might change from working alone to employing other people. Most businesses should have a clear five-year plan set out for future growth, though this does depend to some extent on the nature of the business and line of work. You may decide that you want to remain a sole trader, for example and not employ any more staff.

 

Remember to be realistic about your business and what you hope to achieve in the first year. Make sure you do your research and know your market. With good preparation and hard work, entering the world of self-employment can result in a highly rewarding job and give you greater flexibility in your work-life balance.

 

How Can I Become A Better Leader – Part 4 – Good Listener

 

“It struck me so forcibly that I shall never forget him. He had ‘leadership qualities’ which I had never seen in any other man. Never had I seen such concentrated attention. His eyes were mild and genial, his voice low and kind. His gestures were few. But the attention he gave me, his appreciation for what I said, even when I said it badly, was extraordinary. You’ve no idea what it meant to be listened to like that.” The narrator describes his experience of meeting one of the world greatest ever listeners, Sigmund Freud.

The late great Dale Carnegie How To Win Friends And Influence People tells the story of a time when he met a woman at a dinner party, who had heard about his travels to Europe and was desperate to hear all about it. She commented that she and her husband had recently returned from a holiday in Africa.

“Africa!” I exclaimed “How interesting! I’ve always wanted to see Africa, bit I never got there except for a 24 hour stay once in Algiers.” Dale Carnegie went on to ask if she visited the big game reserves and over the next 45 minutes, she proceeded to tell him all about her wonderful trip. She never again asked him where he had been in Europe or what he had seen. She didn’t really want to know – all she wanted was an interested listener, so she could expand her ego and relive her memories.

Is this unusual? No. Most people are like that. Most of us prefer to talk than to listen. There is a saying:

We were all born with two ears and one mouth, but we don’t use them in proportion.

Dale Carnegie knew the art of listening. He could listen for hours to people talking about what interested them most, without hardly saying a word, but still be known as a ‘good conversationalist’.

Years ago a Dutch immigrant boy whose family lived in poverty, had to gather coal in the streets that had fallen off coal wagons, instead of going to school and yet Edward Bok went on to become one of America’s greatest magazine editors. At the age of 13, he started work as an office boy for Western Union, but he was fascinated by the lives of famous people. He decided to write to them asking for details of their childhood and how they became successful. He wrote to the then President of The United States, famous inventors, industrialists and politicians. And they all replied. Before long, he was corresponding with many of the most famous people in the Nation. They all invited him for holidays, as a welcome guest in their homes. ‘This experience imbued him with a confidence that was invaluable. These men and women fired him with a vision and ambition that shaped his life’.

All because he was a great listener, genuinely interested in other people.

I once came up against an extremely irate and obnoxious customer. (I suppose we all do at some stage of our working life!) He was furious – ranting about my staff being rude to him, not following our procedures and not acknowledging our mistakes.  He had written copious letters of complaint; phoned on twenty occasions; he was threatening legal action; wanted his money back and all his accounts closed. Different staff became involved and despite trying desperately to resolve the situation and explain why certain decisions had been made, he accused them of conspiring and making excuses. The matter became so vitriolic that the staff, including several managers who had been involved, couldn’t cope with him and every attempt to try to resolve the situation just seemed to antagonise him further.

As soon as the situation was referred to me, I picked up the phone, explained who I was and offered to meet him at a time and place convenient to him. “You mean you are actually prepared to listen to my justified complaints about your staff and take me seriously?” Yes I said. So we met and he ranted on for nearly 3 hours. I listened patiently to everything he had to say, making notes on key issues I felt were important to him and displaying empathy for his situation. Never interrupting, I just listened, paying attention to every word. Finally he ran out of steam. I thanked him for letting me know about all the issues. I apologised and explained that I couldn’t solve everything or change the poor experience he felt he’d suffered, but that I did take everything he said seriously and that I will do my best to ensure we improve our service to him in the future.

That was the last thing in the world I think he expected me to say. He had come ready for a fight and here I was agreeing with him, (on the premise that the customer is always right), apologising, listening genuinely to his concerns and being honest about the outcome.

A few days later another letter arrived. This time addressed to my boss, saying I was one of the most professional, courteous and honest people he had ever had the pleasure to meet and that I was a credit to the organisation. After reflecting on his own behaviour he apologised and admitted that he may originally have been wrong in the first place. He remains a loyal customer and significant introducer of new business to that organisation, to this day.

If you want to win the respect of your team, your peers, your boss, your customers and your competitors, DON’T talk incessantly about yourself. If you have an idea while the other person is talking DON’T interrupt in the middle of a sentence. People who talk only of themselves, think only of themselves. ‘A persons toothache means more to that person than a famine in Africa which kills a million people.’

So, if you aspire to be a great leader, an inspirationalist and good conversationalist, be an active listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask meaningful, relevant questions that other people will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.

Ask better questions and the result will be better answers.

Real listening develops emotional intelligence. You learn far more by listening to your team and the people in your life than by talking. Daniel Goleman The New Leaders: Transforming the Art of Leadership describes the rare leadership qualities of a ‘Level 5 leader’ – leaders who get the best results are often humble and show a great deal of empathy with their team.

Leadership qualities of humility and empathy come only through listening actively, engaging your teams and creating a culture where they feel they have a voice, where their opinions and ideas are listened to, encouraged and nurtured. This leads to empowerment and creativity, vital components of building top performing teams and great leadership.

Watch out though. Listening can be one of the hardest leadership skills to learn. You will often have to stop yourself… just when you are about to wade in with reams of your own ‘great ideas’; just when you know you have all the answers. STOP. Instead of making suggestions, offering solutions and giving your opinions, ASK. Question your team – get them to come up with the answers. Sit back and LISTEN. You will be amazed at what you hear. This leadership skill takes great practice and much self-awareness and reflection, but I encourage you to spend most of your time as a leader living to Paretos 80/20 principle. Listen 80% of the time and talk only 20% – the results will astound you.

Next week we will take a look at creativity. In thinking there is creating, in creating there is doing, in doing there is learning, in learning there is success.  

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” George Bernard Shaw

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Leadership-Expert Development Programmes – Testimonials

Before you choose a Leadership Training Provider, there are two major considerations:

1. The training organisation’s ability to meet your specific needs. Ideally the training provider should be capable of designing and delivering bespoke training to meet the specific challenges you and you team face on a day to day basis. Don’t go for ‘cheap ‘off the shelf’ versions of training. A really good tip is to invite training companies to come to a presentation day (otherwise known as a beauty parade) with a fairly broad brief (ie ‘leadership training‘). The good training company will have researched your companies vision and values and should have made contact with you beforehand to ascertain what leadership development programmes will work best.
2. Have a strong track record, backed up by awards and strong testimonials. In the case of British training companies they should be Government Registered Training providers and will have been issued with a Unique Provider Number (UKPRN). This means they may be able to access Government funding, if there is any available for specific training provision.

Leadership-Expert offers a range of bespoke training programmes to meet the specific needs of your organisation. Registered in the name of Simon Teague LLP (UKRPN: 10035854), these programmes are designed and delivered:

• Directly by Simon Teague LLP and Associates
• OR, using expert companies who Simon Teague LLP has researched and recommend as being the top for value and quality provision in a specific field.

Testimonials:

Mitsubishi Electric Europe BV:
‘Simon Teague LLP is working directly with our board to develop winning strategies based around bringing to life our vision, enhancing our reputation for quality, developing and engaging our people and building a winning culture. The philosophies and uncompromising actions have led us on a journey of successful outcomes we would not have foreseen. We would strongly recommend his services to anyone except our competition.’ Seiichiro Kurosawa, General Manager

Sir Robert McAlpine:
‘My team consists of a consortium of up to eight different organisations tendering and bidding under the Governments Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for the construction and maintenance of a large scale school building programmes. This is an incredibly challenging, diverse and complex project involving production of detailed plans and tender documents which have to be submitted to strict deadlines. Our presentation was an outstanding success and we could simply not have achieved anywhere near that level of professionalism, clarity of message and audience engagement without the expertise of Pauls presentation techniques and without Simon’s outstanding one to one coaching. I would strongly recommend these guys to all of our consortium partners and look forward to continuing our work with them in the future.’ Peter Ingram, Project Director – Somerset BSF

Veritek Global Ltd
‘At a time when we were expanding our business into new markets it was essential we invested in improving the skills of our 40 strong leadership and management team. Undertaking effective performance and development reviews to drive up the performance of our workforce was a key strategy and given Simon’s background and experience, he was the ideal person to help us on this journey.
He has provided us with an incredible array of techniques in which the team can adapt to the changing needs of the business, address issues of under-performance and conflict management and recognise and reward our top people. We are now seeking to engage Simon’s invaluable input into the next phase to implement a range of development programmes across the business.’ Jim Edgar, Managing Director.

The Inspirationists

‘Simon is a creative thinker and presenter, and uses both his business skills and his vast experience to consult, advise and support both businesses and individuals, via speaking engagements, one-to-one support and advice and via his writings, which are highly strategic and yet fitting for this busy, difficult, mixed-up business world. Go talk to him – he makes things work for you!’ Henry Lee

Crane Office Supplies

‘I attended the Leadership-Expert course over a 6 week period, I found the material and style of coaching excellent. I use the skills learned everyday now and couldn’t be without them. A GREAT investment, I would do it again under Simon’s leadership. I attended with a colleague and have found this more valuable now, rather than during the course, my colleague and I are always referring back to our learnings of the course. Our action plan is STOP, THINK (back to the course), ACTION. My business is going from strength to strength, 2008 our T/O was £1.6mill, 2009 on target for £2.6mill. Obviously, not all down to the training from Simon but definitely helped in: setting the plan, re-aligning my thoughts, mapping out the vision. Finally having the belief you can do it. I fully recommend the 6 week leadership course.’ Michael Crane, Business Owner

Capital Training Group

‘Simon’s input into The Plumbing Academy has proved invaluable. His experience, know-how, and attention to detail has helped our business grow and prosper, and I would thoroughly recommend his services to any business that wishes to use him on forthcoming projects, integration or expansion plans, or for streamlining processes and finding efficiencies.’ Alex Galway, Managing Director

A4G LLP

‘I attended one of Simon’s leadership courses and found the experience invaluable. He has an extensive knowledge of different leadership techniques and he was able to share these in a very professional and informative way.’ Caroline Coleman, Partner

Skatta TV

Simon has a vast wealth of experience and knowledge in Leadership and Management. He has worked with our staff using his business tool The Ultimate Guide, which is unquestionably the best Leadership tool we have ever seen. Its clear, easy to use and gets your team thinking in the correct way. The fact that The Ultimate Guide is in physical format and digital format makes it a very versatile product. Its an invaluable asset to our arsenal of business tools. Along with Simon’s coaching and guidance we have been able to implement many of the Leadership strategies into every day business and made a positive change to the infrastructure of our company. Simon is a great communicator and very personable, he fits into any team and implements change with integrity. I would highly recommend Simon as a Business Consultant and definitely suggest every team gets a copy of his Ultimate Guide. – Tricia Lichfield Director at Swat.tv, & SkattaDigital, BBC Lighthouse Building, London

KL Express Logistics Ltd

‘The Business Leader programme has transformed the way I now lead and run my business operation. I have become much more of a listener and am prepared to give my staff more time and discuss different aspects of the business. Two heads are better than one! The coaching modules have been integrated into my company and this has had a positive knock on effect to business efficiency.  Staff feel more engaged, giving them a feeling of self worth and commitment, with more involvement in the company. This is by far the best training I have ever received. I now have a toolkit of leadership styles, traits and techniques which I can use to get the best out of my people and deliver the business objectives. I am sending a junior manager on the next leadership programme and have recommended it to an associate who will also be using Leadership-Expert to help develop his people.’ Gary Knight, Managing Director

Royal Bank of Scotland Group

‘A sensible choice for any Leader or Manager who is looking for a guide of proven work place techniques to use as building blocks for self development and longevity of high individual and team performance.’ Graham Wright, Regional Director

See here for further testimonials regarding the Leadership Toolkit: The Ultimate Leadership Guide.

Leadership-Expert offers a full range of leadership development programmes and for more information please email simon@simonteague.com.

 

How Can I Become A Better Leader – Part 3 – Goal Setting

 

 

  Nothing happens unless first we dream. Carl Sandberg

There is a moment in every person’s life when the awareness of their destiny bursts like a bubble onto the surface of their conscious mind. It is then that the weak avoid the realisation and busy themselves with the mundane tasks of their lives. It is also at that moment that the strong will awake and decide to take action to change their world for the better and thereby secure for themselves their rightful and valued place in the history of humankind.

Napoleon Hill writes about some of the worlds greatest thinkers and achievers and what differentiates them from most others people. The biggest differentiator is that of persistence. He highlights that Henry Ford was often misunderstood to be ruthless and cold-blooded. This misconception grew out of Ford’s habit of following through in all his plans with persistence.

“The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purpose overboard and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune. A few carry on despite all opposition until they attain their goal. These few are the Ford’s, Carnegies, Edisons” and more recently the Gates, Bransons and Cowells of this world.’

The key is not just to set goals, but to ACT on them. Paul McKenna writes about the traits of rich thinkers and successful entrepreneurs and what he noticed was that there is virtually no gap between their decisions and their actions. Once they decided to go ahead with a project, the first action steps were generally taken within 24 hours. When Mark Burnett arrived in LA in 1982 with only $600 in his pocket, his first job was selling T-shirts on Venice Beach. Today he is the most successful TV producer in the world. His moto is “jump in – take action even if you are not entirely ready”. He firmly believes that a major part of his success has been his willingness to go for what he’s passionate about.

The world is into goal-setting isn’t it? And yet most people I meet suggest we are not generally into goal-setting, yet everybody says how essential it is for success, particularly in relation to leadership. And it absolutely is. Goal setting and goal acting is what differentiates the most successful leaders to those who just generally ‘get by’.

Unfortunately, many people don’t set aside time to think about their goals, plan for success, take the right action, measure and reflect. Why? Most people think it takes so long to prepare they give up before they begin and convince themselves that goal setting isn’t for them.

One of the easiest ways to think and plan goal setting can be summed up Dr Stephen Covey’s second habit – that of ‘begin with the end in mind’. Set your goals for where you want to be in one year’s time and then work backwards from there. Where do I want to be in 9 months, 6 months, 3 months? Where do I need to be at the end of next month to be on track to hit my annual goal? Imagine for a moment, you have been asked to organise a tennis tournament – a singles knockout competition. Two hundred and fifty seven people apply to play in the competition. Your job is to work out how many matches there will need to be. Two hundred and fifty seven people, singles knockout competition, how many matches altogether?

The answer, of course, is 256 matches, because at the end of the day there will be only one winner – and 256 losers.

How does this relate to goal setting? Well if we look at where we want to get to first (ie to win) and determine our destination, rather than the starting point, then the road ahead becomes clear.

When goal setting, also bear in mind the Pareto principle – the 80/20 rule. Dr Spencer Johnson, author of The One Minute Sales Person plays out this scenario with a successful sales employee:

“I do four specific things: 1) I decide on the few important 20% – and they become my goals. 2) I write my goals down in a special way. 3). I often review my goals. 4) I frequently look at my goals and then at my behaviour to see if it matches my goals.”

From hereon I have decided to split this article in two halves. The first section looks at personal goal setting and the second focuses on my advice regarding corporate goal setting.  If you work or run your own business you will definitely experience the latter, but the most successful people will have both areas covered.

 

Setting and Delivering Personal Goals:

 

Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog

Think of goal setting as if you were driving in a foreign country – You wouldn’t get where you expect to go without a clear set of directions. It is like drawing a map for yourself.

Many studies have proven that long-term perspective is the most accurate single predictor of upward social and economic mobility in the world today. And it has been proven that people who have goals written down are much more likely to achieve them. In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.

Here is my step by step guide to setting yourself personal goals. Also bear in mind the following rule to making this a worthwhile activity by using this long established philosophy (well my slightly amended version) – goals must be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic but stretching
• Timely
• Exciting
• Enjoyable (yes – make it fun)

STEP 1: Write Down Your Focus Areas

Here is a list of some areas you may want to focus on. Skip the ones that are not for you and write out each focus area goal.  It often helps to think about what you have accomplished over the past few years – where would you like to focus your attention now to lead a fulfilling, successful and enjoyable life?

Branding – Your look and feel, your image and health, or your pitch.

Career Progression – What are your ambitions and how can they be realised.

Money – How much money you would like to earn?

Time – How will you manage to balance your time this year to make sure you can focus on what’s important to you?

Relationships – How will you spend more quality time with those whose company you enjoy the most?

Leadership – what do you want your performance and that of your team to look like?

Personal Health – So your performance is better – exercise, eating  etc.

Time of your life – If you were planning to experience the best year of your life – what would you like to happen in the next 12 months to be able to look back and say “Wow, what an amazing year!” So dream big – plan to win.

STEP 2: Write Your Goals Down

• Write each goal as if it is already happening – use the present tense

• Give dates by when you want to achieve each one i.e. within the next 12 months.

• Balance your goals between work, business, health, hobbies and relationships. This will ensure you achieve that elusive work/life balance you have always dreamed of.

• Make them so they are realistically achievable and maybe a little stretching at the same time. Have fun with this.

• Set the goals so they can be broken down into small objectives (milestones) that you can check off throughout the year. Make sure you celebrate success.

STEP 3: Look At Your Goals Everyday

I highly recommend writing your goals neatly on paper or creating a vision or dream board that illustrates them. Use colour pens or make a collage that brings them to life and hang them in a place where you can see them everyday. Keeping them within your sights will keep them in your mind.

 

Techniques for Personal Success

1. Start With An Easy Goal And Complete It

One of the main reasons people don’t end up achieving their goals / keeping their New Year resolutions is they set themselves up for failure by choosing goals that take a lot of discipline and time to achieve. There is nothing wrong with having big goals however, but here’s a great way to get started:

Choose a simple goal and get it achieved within the next two weeks. This will start your momentum and get you feeling like you making good progress. Think of a small, achievable goal that only takes three to four hours to complete.

Choose something like:

• Clear office
• Organise my diary
• Delete unwanted files from computer
• Recycle last years unwanted papers
• Go for my first run
• Take my children over the park.

Next, set a date when you will get it done by and go for it.

Now that you have achieved a goal within the first two weeks, the rest of your goal setting will seem a lot easier to accomplish.

2. Make Lists To Stay On Track

• Make daily lists of what you need to do to get your goals met – the night before! Do the hardest thing first in the morning – don’t procrastinate.

• Do something everyday that moves you towards the goals

• Delegate the little activities that waste your valuable time to other people (I know it is easier said than done!).

• Don’t overload yourself – studies show that 6 tasks is the maximum you can achieve in one day!

3. Get Help

Build a team of friends, colleagues and supporters around you. There are two things you can do with these people. Delegate (in the nicest possible way!) or turn them into raving fans. We can all accomplish so much more when we have people cheering us on or by our side. For example going to the gym is no fun on your own… and sometimes it requires that extra special level of discipline to force ourselves out the door. Meeting someone there or going along with them makes all the difference.

Find a coach. Every successful sports athlete has a professional coach at their side. Coaching is one of the most powerful and effective things leaders can experience. Having a coach at your side will enable you to focus on setting great SMARTEE goals; taking the right action at the right time; develop a winning mind-set and ensuring you achieve and celebrate success.  In every case that I know of, successful leaders, business people, CEO’s, Entrepreneurs and athletes swear by the power of coaching.

4. Structure Time to Achieve Goals

They won’t happen unless you have time to make sure they do!

5. Remember You Can Change The Goals As You Go

Goals should be looked at as beacons and guiding points for you to keep yourself on track along your journey.  I would not recommend changing them every week but the world is changing so rapidly it can sometimes be a challenge to know what goals are reachable in this climate. So if during the course of the year your goals change its OK to cross one off or modify as you go.

6. Write Down 5 Successes Each Day

I’m inviting you to write down five little victories a day for this entire year.

This is a very powerful technique from T. Harv Eker.  Once you start getting into this habit, you are training yourself to put the focus on the positive and get your brain to stop being so critical. Put a notebook in your bag or next to your bed and each day write down 5 things. Make sure they are balanced.

My final piece of advice for personal goal setting

This is a process intended to take a whole year and you will have your days where you may get frustrated, and you will start to beat yourself up (sound familiar?)

Self-criticism can interfere with achieving your goals and dreams.  So, the next time you are making yourself feel bad, take a step back and instead acknowledge the good, and celebrate your achievements.

Another thing that will stop you is not taking time for YOU, so schedule time to reflect and take it all in.  Maybe that’s a walk in the park or listening to your favorite music, or maybe it’s spending time with people you love and turning down your power for a few precious moments.

 

Setting and Delivering Corporate Goals

In organisations, setting clear, achievable, challenging, and unwavering (as much as possible given today’s rate of change) measures are critical to employee and organisational success. Appropriate measures are also strong motivators because most employees want to excel, and knowing the target helps them self-measure.

1. ‘Partnership’ goal setting:

Ideally goal setting should be done in partnership between bosses and employees. Involving employees will enhance their involvement and ownership. Direct reports are closest to the action and often in the best position to provide information on what’s possible in their work. Partnership goal setting carries some risk, (if morale is low), but executives are often surprised by the ambitions of motivated teams of people and more and more organisations are giving this methodology a try. It’s hugely empowering. Getting the boss’s input on metrics at the same time will ensure you are measuring all the same outcomes with the same language, measures and expectations.

Watch out for the pull… The demands of shareholders’; market expectations; consumers and over ambitious CEO’s can lead to real challenges when it comes to setting achievable objectives for all. I once worked for an organisation where the senior executive thought it would enhance motivation by setting ‘BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS GOALS!’ Suffice to say, the opposite happened. A recent survey by The Booz & Company revealed the great majority of executives (64% of the 1800 respondents) said their biggest frustration is ‘having too many conflicting priorities’. They feel their biggest challenges are (a) ensuring that day-to-day decisions are in line with the strategy and (b) allocating resources in a way that really supports the strategy. Half of the executives consider setting a clear and differentiating strategy a significant challenge and most do not feel their company’s strategy will lead to success, saying growth initiatives often lead to waste. The vast majority of executives (82%) say functional departments in their companies get competing demands from different business units.

The most effective targets are clearly aligned with a corporate vision which all staff buy-in to. When everyone is singing off the same song sheet and everyone understands the role they have to play, the right targets can lead to cumulative productivity and success.

2. Communicate the goals.

Many executive teams set goals, but they don’t communicate these goals to the organization. For goals to be effective, they have to be communicated to every employee in the organization. Employees should wake up in the morning thinking about how they’re going to help achieve these goals. It also helps to consider the employees’ or group’s strengths and weaknesses. Determine what targets would encourage strength building directly linked to business goals and the individual’s career development aspirations.

3. Focus and execution

Focus on results AND activity – the latter should lead to the former. Establish a culture of execution. Execution is not an event–a onetime push towards achieving goals. Rather it is a way of life, and this way of life (execution versus non-execution) is set in the early days of the organization. The best way to establish this culture is for the founders, particularly the CEO, to set an example of hitting goals, responding to customers, and heeding and measuring employees. This obsession can go right down to the level of the CEO answering emails and responding to phone calls.

4. Aspirations and milestones.

Drill down into the goal to determine the “One Measure” that clearly determines success. This is often called a ‘Key Performance Indicator’ (KPI). Set a single, discrete measure for each “fundamental” of the business that equates to success. For example In-bound Sales answering each call within 3 rings or following up all conversations within 48 hours.

You can also agree aspirational targets for “Break-through’s”. For example, reducing cost or time by 20% in a key business process.  These types of goals do not have to be performance related, but can act as additional incentives to move the organisation forward at a quicker pace. For example, I worked for a company that introduced a cost saving initiative called ‘1%, 1%, 1%’. The objective was to try to find a way to reduce costs by 3% and share the savings: 1% directly with the member of staff or team who came up with the idea; 1% with the department/division to spend on what they liked and 1% to benefit the organisation.

5. Recognition and reward

Set the standard that employees measure their own progress against targets and report their progress or slippage to you on an agreed-upon time frame. Establish the up-front expectation that when slippage occurs the employee is to report results for the period with a workable and realistic plan to reach the target before the end of the performance period.  Managers need the capability and confidence of Morpheus. Morpheus is the character in the film, The Matrix who gave Neo the choice between the blue pill and the red pill. He was, essentially, the adult supervision. Cold, brutal reality is the ally of execution, so find a Morpheus who distributes the red pills and enables employees to see things as they really are.

Provide routine opportunities for employees to review progress. Teach them how to “brag” about their good performance, results achievement, and help them feel a real sense of achievement as they are reporting progress that will enable target accomplishment.

Make the rewards worth it. Be sure to determine the employee’s aspirations so you know what rewards will create a real enticement. For example, it’s not always about financial reward as this leadership video outlines. Companies like Iceland, recently voted The Times Top 100 Companies to work for in the UK, spend up to £7million every year on Achievers Awards Ceremony’s, holidays, parties and celebrations for their top achievers. Many employees would prefer barriers to be removed so they can really produce. Others want better computers, a better desk, chair or a simple “Well done” from the boss. Too many organizations fail to see the value in giving high performers what they want for fear that the employees are going to want a million dollars each. And – maybe an employee that gets enough business to produce a hundred million in profit should get that million!

And finally…

Goal setting is for winners. It requires self-discipline, engagement and the more fun we can make it the more powerful it can become in unlocking the potential we have within us. Goal setting can create a relentless drive within us, especially when the goal gets closer and closer to being achieved.  Let’s take a look at the film, “Finding Nemo” for example.

The father clownfish character of Marlin goes through a transformation from an over-protective father to a problem-solving parent in the animated film. His goals are clearly defined – to find his son, Nemo. During his journey, Marlin makes several changes solely on the problems that he is faced with and the way he chooses to handle them. Throughout the film, he battles the ocean’s obstacles and the choices that he makes to react to those problems change his entire view on life and ultimately help him achieve his goal of bringing his son back home.

So, as a leader I encourage you to adopt a goal-setting mind-set. I will leave you with my five golden nugget ingredients to success – plan it, execute it, reflect on it, call on a coach and know when to celebrate your accomplishments.

 

If you enjoyed this article:

• please LIKE Leadership-Expert™ on Facebook, 
• subscribe here
• Sign up to learn many more leadership tips at The International Leadership Conference, London 2012
  
• Leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

 

Next week we will take a look at the how to develop the leadership skill of being a good listener.

This article was written by Simon Teague with extracts and references from the following sources:

http://sumasubramaniam.blogspot.com/2010/06/setting-goals-and-meeting-them.html

http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2011/10/13-tips-for-setting-performance.html

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/remember_the_sc.html#ixzz1oz1ECGyR

http://www.thepracticeofleadership.net/executives-say-theyre-pulled-in-too-many-directions

Thomson, P. (1998) The Pinnacle Principle. Simon & Schuster. London

Mckenna, P. (2007) I Can Make You Rich. Transworld Publishers. London

Hill, N (2007) Think and Grow Rich. Wilder Publications. Radford

Johnson, S (2004) The One Minute Sales Person. Harper Collins. London

Covey, S (2004) Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon & Schuster. London

International Leadership Conference 2012

ADVANCED NOTICE – BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW.

International Leadership Conference 2012

19th September 2012

BBC Lighthouse Conference Centre, London

Learn The Traits of Successful Leaders – Transform Your Career

 

Sponsored by:

 

               

 

The MUST Attend Leadership Event of The Year

You will hear from some of the worlds greatest leadership thinkers. Learn unheard of leadership techniques; build unstoppable teams and leave your competition standing.

Dear Leader,
In mid September, at the BBC Lighthouse in London, I am going to spend a whole day creating transformations in the lives of leaders and managers from organisations across Europe and the world.

There’s a good chance that this will be the most important day in your Leadership life this year, possibly this decade.
Those of us in the room will be immersed in the strategies, knowledge and tools to take your leadership capability to an entirely new level – and to take YOU to a new experience of what Leadership success is really about.
My certainty about the impact that the International Leadership Conference will have for you comes partly from a decade of experience working with business professionals just like yourself. I’ve seen what happens when you immerse yourself in leading edge Leadership and Advanced Thinking Mastery. If you’re serious about becoming an authentic, accomplished and transformational leader, this event has been created for you.

What is the International Leadership Conference?

For one day you will be immersed in leading edge knowledge strategies and tools covering ALL the essential elements for Leadership success.

With individuals like you attending from all over the world, from company CEO’s to new and aspiring leaders, the event will be highly interactive, using breakthrough leadership techniques and strategies for rapid performance acceleration. AND we’ll have a special focus this year on the 7 major areas of leadership affecting the global environment in which we all work.
Quite simply this is a MUST ATTEND event for anyone serious about self development and obtaining an edge over your competitors. The information we’ll be covering is just too important to miss.

The Seven Key Themes of  The International Leadership Conference

If you’re going to be a successful Leader in today’s challenging business world, there are seven areas that you simply MUST master. These seven areas will dominate the International Leadership Conference:

1     Your Brand – Having a Leadership and Entrepreneurial Mindset

Each one of us has a brand image – the image we have of ourselves and the image others have of us. We will be going deep into the most powerful, effective and proven strategies that will unlock your personal Johari Window and enable you to understand your true strengths and how you can stand out as a respected and accomplished leader. The benefits of this session are as follows:
•    You will be more marketable.
•    You will learn of the most essential strategies for career progression.
•    You will have New and Advanced strategies to win more respect from your team and your boss.
•    You will have a toolkit of transformational techniques to develop, create and nurture top performing teams

None of the above will work if you don’t have the mindset.

My team have been privileged to research and spend time and with many top performers over the years, either in the world of sports or the world of business. Top achievers all have something in common: Their brains are fine tuned for success. They are living, breathing, success generators because their mindset has developed, either by fate or careful planning, to drive them to take the actions that lead to levels of success most think un-achievable.

The Leaders and Entrepreneurs we work with tell us that one of the biggest contributions we make to the Entrepreneurial world is identifying those areas and using my knowledge of Advanced Leadership Thinking to be able to show you how to duplicate that mindset and apply it every single day with profound results.

So one of my big themes this year will be sharing the mindset and approaches of some of the world’s greatest Leaders.

2     Your Habits

Being highly effective is now the norm – it’s the expectation of any organisation for its leaders. You will have heard of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but what is Dr Stephen Covey’s eighth habit and how can it transform your Leadership Skills?
In the current age of austerity, organisations have sliced whole layers of management. That means having to do ‘more with less’, with more people to manage, less management positions and fiercer competition for leadership roles. In addition, the business landscape as we know it is ever changing and quick to trip up the unprepared. Self-development is, therefore, without question the most important action a manager and aspiring leader can do today. You will receive your own personal copy of The Ultimate Leadership Guide – Secrets to Success at Work and In Business, compiled from 30 of the worlds most renowned authorities and experts on leadership. This will give you the edge you need in the world of leadership.

3     Leadership Styles – Autocratic v Democratic

There are numerous leadership styles. Different styles are more effective in different situations. But how do you know which style works best and when? If the styles above represent opposite ends of the spectrum, what are all the styles in between? Highly effective leaders know all about their own dominant leadership styles and how and when to switch for maximum effect and achieve results. You will have the opportunity to study varied leadership styles and learn about your own internal leadership DNA and emotional intelligence.

4     Global Leadership – Equality & Diversity

200 million new people have joined the global workforce in the last decade. Many are young people who have been brought up in the enhanced social media environment. They have a voice and they are not afraid to express it. Loyalty to one company and to one boss is no longer something that can be relied upon, by this transient workforce. So what are their expectations of you as a leader? What modern, innovative and technological techniques do you need to develop, to win their hearts and minds?

The leadership model is shifting. We are in a transition between what Michael Hyatt calls Leadership 1.0 and Leadership 2.0. These represent two paradigms or even styles of leading and fall out largely along generational lines. Baby Boomers represent Leadership 1.0 with it’s hierarchical, top-down pyramid where the bottom line is the bottom line. Millennials represent Leadership 2.0 with its relational, flat-world perspective that values transparency, authenticity, and shared outcomes.
The truth is that neither of these models is right all the time. They both have something to offer the other. The real question comes down to this: how do you pass the torch of influence from one generation to the next?

5     Leadership Communication

Your ability to influence and communicate is critical to your leadership success. You’ll uncover rare and powerful insights into how to influence others and communicate effectively at a level deeper than you thought possible – you cannot but profit from the results.

Much of what you will look at will give you an understanding of the psychology of human influence. You will be amazed at how some of these techniques work so easily. Using them back in your workplace will give you the tools you need to transform team performance, morale and success.

“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

Jack Welch

6     It’s All Change.

It sounds like a cliché now, but change is the one constant factor affecting us all every day of our working life. Has someone recently moved your cheese? Understanding why we respond to change in certain ways will help you to unlock one of the most sort after leadership skills needed in the world today. That of being not only able to adapt to change, but of becoming a change catalyst.

This comes with a comprehensive insight into human behaviour and response to change. Learning how to manage our own behaviour will open our eyes to the response in others and how we can manage, influence and inspire others in times of great change. You will be amazed at the level of current leadership thinking on this topic and the research and neurological scientific advancements that will completely change your way of thinking.

7     The Power of Networking with Like Minded Leaders.

There is a truth about success that many Leaders recognise but rarely articulate, except among their equally successful colleagues – quite simply, that it’s lonely at the top. And if you have talked to others – perhaps even friends and family- about your hopes, dreams and aspirations, you will already have an inkling of just how lonely things can be. At previous conferences, one of the most special and profitable parts of the event were the coffee breaks and informal get-togethers in the evening. Why?

Because you will be among a truly exclusive group of like minded Leaders from all walks of life, from small enterprises to some of the biggest organisations on the planet. Apart from the business and financial value of joint venturing and sharing ideas and experiences there is something priceless about mixing with people who share your way of thinking – and deeply understand what you are going through on this strange but amazing journey we’re all on. At the International Leadership Conference, you’ll no longer be alone. You’ll be mixing with like-minded people who understand you and share your way of thinking and who in some cases you end up working with or for.

A final thought before you confirm your place

A key trait of leadership is decisiveness. Leaders take action where managers often do not. Be a leader. Take action – take control of your leadership destiny. Places at the International Leadership Conference are strictly limited by the capacity of the venue and when they’re gone, they’re gone. I don’t want to have to turn anyone away, but sadly that will happen, because some people don’t say to themselves, ‘that sounds perfect for me’; ‘I need to be there’; ‘this could launch my career’;  ‘I’m going to book right now’.  Instead they procrastinate and come back several weeks later, only to find the event has sold out again. Steve Backley OBE, Olympic Javelin champion for Great Britain says: “Success is not a gift, it’s a decision.”
This conference will be full of leaders who have a strong desire to succeed – if that sounds like you – sign up right now.

Another very good reason to ACT now:

The full fee for the International Leadership Conference at the BBC Lighthouse Building in London, is £995 plus VAT. (VAT is refunded if you are travelling from outside Europe).

Book before the two early bird deadlines and you will save a small fortune:

Book before 31st July and your investment in the International Leadership Conference 2012 is three monthly payments of just £195 plus VAT. Or you can pay in full and save even more at just £495 plus VAT.

Book NOW (before 31st May 2012) and pay three monthly payments of just £125 plus VAT or you can secure your seat for just £295 plus VAT. * If you are a Leadership-Expert subscriber, I have emailed you with details of a further special deal. If you have not received that email, let me know at simon@simonteague.com

 

Early Bird Discount before 31st May 2012

Guaranteed place inc VAT 3 x : £150.00GBP – monthly

 

Early Bird Discount before 31st May 2012

Guaranteed place inc VAT £354.00 GBP

But you MUST book before the early booking deadlines to take advantage of the savings and remember also that I have a limited number of places.

You will be rubbing shoulders with leaders and managers from organisations across the world – the opportunity for networking alone is worth more than the price of the ticket.

Your Host for the day will be Leadership-Expert Simon Teague, together with a line up of leading authorities and experts on leadership today. Full details will be sent to you in your joining pack on 31st August 2012. The event carries a no refunds policy.

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     The leadership programme has transformed the way I now lead and run my business operation. Staff feel more engaged, giving them a feeling of self worth and commitment, with more involvement in the company. This is by far the best training I have ever received. I now have a toolkit of leadership styles, traits and techniques which I can use to get the best out of my people and deliver the business objectives. My junior managers will be coming along to the next event.
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     What I love about The Ultimate Leadership Guide is how it simply and visually explains complex leadership principles in a way that enables the user to instantly apply the theory into practical work based issues and see measurable results.  It is the one piece of armoury in 21st Century leadership you simply cannot afford to be without. Carrie Adams

      Simon Teague – like many great ideas – has come up with a really simple answer to the question of, ‘How do we ensure our people keep on track, self-motivated and with a minimum of supervision?’ A distillation of many of the best ideas from many of the leading gurus, this event can save you years of research and reading to track down the answers you want to the challenges you have. QJ

International Leadership Conference 2012

YES I want to spend this extraordinary day with Simon Teague and his outstanding guests, immersed in leading edge strategies for increasing my Leadership skills.

Full Price £995 per person plus VAT

DONT PAY THE FULL PRICE! Get your Early Bird discount by booking now.

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