Career Coaching | Executive Coaching

Developing a Positive Attitude

2008-04-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

The dictionary defines attitude as the feeling or state of mind toward some matter. However, we can express it mathematically as:

Attitude is some function of Thought + Feeling = Belief that causes Action

Or

Attitude is some function of (+)Thought + (+)Feeling = (+)Belief that causes (Desirable) Action

Or

Attitude is some function of (-) Thought + (-) Feeling = (-) Belief that causes Undesirable/no) Action

In short, whatever action we take whether it?s desirable, undesirable or none is determined by our belief which is created by combining our thoughts and feelings that are the reflection of our attitude. Therefore, if we wish to experience the things we want in life, we must be willing to maintain a positive attitude in order to believe in the desired outcome and to take the right action.

Parenthetically, we may have positive thoughts, but negative feelings, and vice versa, that will result in our inability or our unwillingness to believe in our ability to achieve our goals or our desired good.

The Law of Attraction

Simply stated, ?Thoughts held in mind, reproduce after their kind,? therefore, the creative power of thought is reflected in the essence of our lives and the ways in which we live them. Emerson said, ?A man is what he thinks about, all day long.?
Despite the sexist reference, this statement is no less true and can be verified by honest self assessment. However, to quote Shakespeare, ?That is the rub.? No doubt, often we are totally unwilling not to blame others, fate and unfortunate circumstances for the substance of our existence.

Feeling Behaviors

Some years ago, William Glasser, in his book, Stations of the Mind, talked about ?feeling behaviors.? For example, if we become angry or depressed as the result of some event, anger or depression is a logical outcome. However, if we continue to be angry or depressed, according to Glasser, we would, beyond some point, not be angry, we would be angering and we would not be depressed, we would be depressing. In other words, a person would be choosing the behavior. Such a choice might be to avoid responsibility, to engender sympathy or for some other equally contrary reason.

Unworthiness

The internal struggle with past experiences may be so deeply rooted in the unconscious that no matter how hard we strive to achieve some worthy objective, we may feel completely unworthy of accomplishment. If this is the case, we will have to work mightily to reprogram and expunge the negative self-imagery in order to accept what we say we desire. Since we always choose to label our experiences we can confirm this by Shakespeare when he said, ?Nothing is neither good no bad, but thinking makes it so.?

How can we change our attitude?

Some believe that changing attitude with a corresponding behavior change is impossible, while some think an ?attitude adjustment? is a minor matter and easily achieved. Both notions are wrong in the extreme; however, attitudinal change requires commitment and determination beyond what the faint of heart or weak of resolve might expect. Consider these steps:

Take an honest look at your life and determine the extent to which you are satisfied or dissatisfied with your level of achievement, whether you have met your own expectations physically, financially or in your relationships. If you are satisfied stop reading and continue as before. If you are dissatisfied, continue to step 2.
Identify a word or a phrase, an affirmation or a picture that, when held in mind, brings your mind?s eye to a place of peace and tranquility. Repeat the words or experience the vision to such as extent that whenever you begin to experience a negative thought of any kind, that you can instantly go to your place of peace.
When you begin to engage a negative thought, e.g., criticism of another, fear of any kind, notions of unworthiness, etc., quickly go your place of refuge and move from the negative state to a positive state of mind. It is not necessary that you never experience negative thoughts or feelings, but as soon as you recognize the circumstances that you take dominion over your mind and get to safety as quickly as possible.

For these steps to work, you must believe in the possibility, accept your responsibility for your life?s circumstances and become willing to make a conscious effort to live life in the light of positive energy.

Gratitude

The significance of gratitude cannot be minimized. Seeking each day to identify the events and situations in life for which we can be grateful is paramount to our ability to find peace within and to maintain a positive consciousness. Gratitude is a relative term, which allows us to be grateful for any circumstance that might otherwise become worse without our conscious determination to experience its relative merits. For example, if we have a common variety of the flu, we can be grateful that we don?t have the Hong Cong flu or some other even more debilitating strain.

Forgiveness

Perhaps forgiveness is the toughest nut of all. Whether you have been ill-used or whether you witness the conscionable harm exacted on others, if you truly wish to achieve a positive state of being, you must express forgiveness of each person or each set of circumstances. Forgiving the 9\11 hijackers might be the most severe example of our time. You can forgive them, not because they didn?t know what they were doing to the three thousand that they killed, you can forgive them because they didn?t know what they would do to you.

Reinforcing Behaviors

While the world you have made is your own and since you and no one else is responsible for your experience, there can be value in communicating your intention to one or more partners, who themselves are seeking to achieve the same life-changing ideal as you. Regular meetings of such a support group may serve to reinforce you efforts and help you, and them, overcome disappointment when negativity persists as a source of periodic frustration.

A final thought

While we are unlikely to achieve perfection of attitude, unblemished by negativity, we can believe that the possibility exists. However, we can take heart that the more we seek to maintain dominion over our consciousness the more the outcome will become to our satisfaction.

Leadership Outcomes: Fostering Human Potential

2007-08-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest blessings that we have as leaders is the opportunity to help our people approach, if not reach their potential in both their professional and personal lives. When we take time to look for ways in which to encourage learning, to help develop self- confidence through the achievement of goals in an interdependent workplace, we are playing one of the most important roles of our calling.
In his book, Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership, Joe Jaworski says, ?Leadership is all about the release of human possibilities. One of the central requirements for good leadership is the capacity to inspire the people in the group: to move them and encourage them and pull them into the activity, and to help them get centered and focused and operating at peak capacity. A key element of this capacity to inspire is communicating to people that you believe they matter, that you know they have something important to give.?
Affirming the value of people is a simple matter when we recognize the benefit it provides and when we remember to take every opportunity to give positive feedback. Jaworski goes on, ?Just being there for others and to listen to them is one of the most important capacities a leader can have.? How true and how effective! Caring for people doesn?t require either great wisdom or great knowledge. Only the desire to make life better for all we touch.

Ethical Behavior: It starts with you

2007-06-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

During the past, we have been revolted by the shameful unethical and criminal behavior exhibited by the leaders of Enron, WorldCom and many others who have made a mockery of honor and decency in the corporate world. We may have been repulsed by the combination of boards of directors and senior managers who participated in these egregious activities, or at best, looked the other way.

Yet, as leaders it is crucial that we recognize the responsibility we have to set and follow ethical standards of behavior that become the norms for our teams to emulate. It?s not enough to judge the behavior of our superiors and colleagues as being contrary to the values and mores that we, and they, know to be right. Rather, it is imperative that our commitment to business, professional and personal ethics be practiced consistently, without exception. Even if everyone takes home company paper clips or uses the long distance service for personal calls, these activities are at least unethical, if not illegal.

Consider three steps: First, clarify your own values and determine the extent to which you practice them routinely. Next, discuss with your group your expectations for their performance as measured against the established standards. Finally, when you or one of them digresses, address the issue immediately to ensure that the standards are maintained.

What we seek to change in another, we must first change in ourselves. With this understanding we will strengthen the trust that helps to make us effective leaders and genuine examples to all.

Emotional Intelligence: A fundamental key to leadership

2007-06-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

True leaders are people who care about those they lead and who can express their concern for others through empathy and understanding. Since only about seven percent of what we communicate is verbal, it is not necessary to state our feelings in so many words, because our attitude and body language can send the message for us. But as we?ve said before, a kind word or a well-deserved pat on the back can bolster commitment and greatly enhance productivity.

According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, ?Just as the mode of the rational mind is words, the mode of the emotions is nonverbal.? Therefore, if we?re angry with another person, we don?t have to say so, our responses and actions convey it all. This is all the more reason why leaders need to take care not to let negative feelings govern their actions. We can learn not to react to negative stimuli, but rather to respond from a positive perspective.

For example, when confronted with frustrating circumstances, we may tend to pass our frustrations on to our team or staff, since sharing our anguish may serve as a form of release. Misery loves company. However, our people will greatly benefit from our placing the challenge in a positive context prior to communicating the substance of the situation.

The willingness to take responsibility to maintain emotional equilibrium is a fundamental reason why true leaders are made, not born. Like most of life, maintaining mental stability to improve the quality of our mission as leaders is a choice and when we see the desirable outcomes that result, one that we are happy to make.

Resolving Conflict: Building a stronger team through mutuality

2007-04-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Disharmony within an organization poisons team effectiveness, reduces productivity and causes more lost effort than any other single source of employee dysfunction. The results are not readily apparent, because the actual impact is difficult to measure. Conflict between or among members of a team frequently spreads to others as attitudinal polarity causes co-workers to take sides. If not addressed, the result will be progressively detrimental.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to take positive action to eliminate the discord and to restore peace and interdependence. Consider these actions:

Address issues of harmony in general terms with your staff to help them understand the importance of working collegially in order to maximize productivity and related job satisfaction. Emphasize the potential personal and professional rewards. Use of a team-building tool may enhance your effort.

Discuss the specific circumstances with members of your team who ?appear? to be at odds with each other. Don?t be didactic, but stress the potential consequences. Take care not to express favor or partiality. Your role is not to be a judge, but rather a mediator.

If the situation cannot be resolved through your effort, it may be desirable to engage the services of a professional mediator, who has the training and skill necessary to address the issues and reach a consensus of understanding.

Occasionally, there is no way to resolve the difficulty without making changes within the organization. However, such action may be necessary for your team to progress and prosper. If you have followed the above actions, you have done all that is possible and logical.

Feedback: Letting them know where they stand

2007-03-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Unless you?re an unusual person, you likely are reluctant to address issues with your people, especially those that tend to be unpleasant. Since you are busy anyway, it?s easy to put off the need to confer with a person about problems that you hope will solve themselves. They usually won?t. Or you may rationalize your reluctance by waiting until the person?s performance review?which may delay appropriate action for a quarter, six months or even a year. Untreated wounds fester.

Problems, whether interpersonal or operational, rarely resolve themselves and the longer they go ignored the worse they usually become. However, here are three steps that will assist you in making a chore a positive experience for all concerned.

Step One. Be certain that you have a clear understanding of the issue or problem and that you can support your point of view. If you only express an opinion without evidence you are less likely to gain commitment necessary for the person to change undesirable behavior, improve communications, enhance a skill, etc.

Step Two. Schedule a time to confer with the person in private in order to avoid appearing threatening and creating an adversarial atmosphere. Assure the person that you are seeking a win/win solution that will enhance his or her ability to progress in the organization. Express understanding and compassion.

Step Three. At the end of this session, schedule a follow-up time to allow the person to respond with personal ideas about how best to gain concurrence in order to meet his or her needs and to achieve your expectations. This will allow you to dialogue openly and directly on a continuing basis. However, if the issue is not resolved, you will be able to document your action from a positive perspective.

Rewarding performance as a source of motivation?using common sense

2007-03-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Do you know anyone who doesn?t appreciate being appreciated? Your people may know you appreciate them, but unless you take the time and initiative to tell them, you are missing a real opportunity to motivate positive behavior and increase productivity. Your spouse may ?know? that you love him or her, but (s)he still needs to hear it now and then. Your team has the same need.

Two issues tend to drive our failure to communicate justly deserved praise.
First, we may be inclined to think our expressions to be of little value and second, we may simply forget to do it. We can deal with the first tendency by remembering the platinum rule: Treat people as they would wish to be treated. If you happen to be one who feels little need for recognition, don?t assume that to be true for others.

Address the second issue, by establishing regular times, such as staff meetings, in which you recognize the good work of people in front of their colleagues. Keep in mind that private expressions are great energy and ego boosters. Nothing formal is required. Just a simple statement like, ?Hey, I just wanted to tell you again how much I appreciated your getting that report out on time and with first rate quality. Your action will go along way toward helping us achieve our quarterly goals?

Getting the best from your people doesn?t require a degree in psychology, only a little common sense. Get in the habit, you?ll reap great benefits.

Increase Productivity: Reduce workplace stress

2007-03-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

As RIFs have reduced headcount and caused more work to be done by fewer people, the result has been increased stress and frustration. Now, since 9-11, the stress factor has taken on new significance; our nation, once deemed safe from outside dangers, has now been proven vulnerable. The result?fear added to the existing stress creates a situation sure to cause lower levels of performance and productivity.

Recently, I heard ?terrorism? defined as, ?An attempt by any force to cause people to be fearful.? Given this definition, there are many sources of terrorism, such as the media by whom we are bombarded daily and other fundamental institutions that consider it their province to tell us what we must do and what will happen to us if we don?t.

Fear causes people to think irrationally and often to act without thinking. Many of the mistakes that are made in the workplace are the direct result of anxiety and feelings of having little or no control over one?s circumstances.

As a leader you can be mindful of these issues and do your best to create a secure environment. Become willing to listen when people need to express their anguish about the uncertain nature of employment relationships and related sources of concern. If you have people traveling, let them have sufficient time to deal with the new security restrictions and if you recognize that people are fearful, don?t hesitate to let them know of your interest and understanding.

A little genuine concern can do much to assuage anxiety and improve performance.

Encourage Career Development Planning?Make Learning Fundamental

2007-02-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

Nothing gives a genuine leader more true joy than developing people by helping them gain new skills, acquire new knowledge and grow toward significant personal and professional goals. For such a person, seeing people develop and blossom in their work can become a defining experience for a leader?a great source of personal satisfaction.

Start by getting to know each member of your staff or team in order to understand the forces that drive their lives. Are there goals they?ve repressed because of continuous discouragement? With your support are they likely to take risks and make commitments that previously were considered totally impossible? By so doing, your people will come to see you as the possibility coach, the person who causes them to more fully trust themselves.

If your organization supports individual initiative to attain job-related skills or provides reimbursement for academic credit, make encouraging their participation a priority. If some are required to leave early or come in late in order to attend a class, be supportive. Their gratitude will likely cause them to make up the lost time.

If your organization does not support academic learning or skill development, you can find ways to help your people learn through your own efforts and by sharing the knowledge, experiences and sources of inspiration that have helped you achieve your personal goals. Every leader is a role model and strives to set an example.

For a leader, succession planning is a work in progress. Because as a leader who is likely to be promoted, it should be your goal to prepare those who can in the natural order of things progress to higher levels of responsibility. True, only one can become your successor; however, those who also are well prepared for promotion can find other roles within or outside the organization.

When Jack Welch chose a successor at G.E., those who weren?t selected became highly attractive as CEOs of other companies because they were known to have been groomed for success. While this analogy may be a bit sophisticated by comparison, the concept is applicable at any level.

Good day and good work,

Norman

Motivate and Empower?It?s easier than you think!

2007-02-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

Making people feel valued is not hard to achieve, if you are serious about having motivated employees. We all respond positively when we feel appreciated and respected as human beings and as members of a team. A participant in a recent workshop I conducted called Performance Leadership shared a revealing experience. She described the elation felt by her husband when a senior manager called him by name. A simple gesture, but powerful.

Too often we get so caught up in the busyness of the workplace that we forget how little expressions of gratitude and appreciation can buoy the spirits of a staff and make their challenging work seem less onerous. Simple courtesy goes a long way toward creating a harmonious environment characterized by consistent and stable productivity.

One key way we can express respect and consideration is to listen to the expressions of our people when they have needs and problems that we can address. When we listen attentively and with interest, people feel that our responses are genuine which reinforces the trust we?ve worked so hard to establish. Whether we establish routine meeting times, to share needed information, or convey a willingness to listen to people when they need us, we empower people.

Being open-minded to new ideas is a valuable motivator to a staff or a team. People feel valued when they know the boss will listen to their ideas. Too often, as leaders we may tend to reject anything that we don?t understand without giving it a fair hearing. If you saw Pearl Harbor, you know that the idea for the Doolittle raid on Tokyo came from a submarine commander. It?s a good thing someone listened!

Finally, recognition and praise, wherever it?s deserved, should be generously applied without bias or favoritism. Later on, we?ll look at the research on motivation that reinforces these concepts and validates their use. Let?s remember that the golden rule says, ?Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.? But the platinum rule goes further to the point: ?Do unto others as they would be done unto.? Practicing the latter, you?ll never go wrong.

Good day and good work,

Norman

Building Trust: The foundation of leadership

2007-02-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

Trust can be hard to achieve and can be lost in the blink of an eye. Building trust with a team or a staff can only be accomplished by consistently being fair, truthful and willing to stand up for your people.

Do you set clear expectations, give meaningful reasons and define the methods for achievement? I often hear it said, ?I?ve got no time to explain why things need to be done, much less how to do them.? Yet these considerations motivate high levels of performance, because people feel valued in an environment of shared communications. In my years in publishing, we had a saying, ?We?ve never have time to do it right, but we?ve always time to do it over.? Taking the extra time will save you time and money.

Are you always truthful? Being truthful and ?telling it like it is? are two different things. Although you don?t have to tell all the truth, if you want to be trusted you have to be worthy of trust. In order to be trustworthy, you must be truthful. It isn?t necessary to violate confidences or reveal proprietary information. But sharing all the information you can, is a strength that your people value.

Do you set SMART objectives for your team? Are they Specific? Measurable? Achievable? Realistic? And Time-bound? How often have you been handed DUMB objectives? Depressing? Unrealistic? Meaningless? And Benumbing? If handed DUMB goals, can you and your team make them SMART? You?ve heard it said, ? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.? Turning DUMB goals into SMART goals often is a matter of leadership. Your people will respond positively when they know you are committed to making their work meaningful, exciting and fun.

Coaching and mentoring opportunities are plentiful and easy to employ. It only takes a little common sense and the desire to create a people-centered workplace.

Becoming a leadership coach

2007-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Would you like to:

1. Make better hiring decisions: reduce your turnover and boost productivity?your?s and that of the bad hires who don?t fit your culture?

2. Create a workplace environment that will fill your employees with commitment and the determination to produce quality work?

3. Build diversity in your workplace in order to strengthen your workforce and enhance creativity?

4. Keep the people you want for as long as you need them and get the best they have to give while they are there?

No matter who you are or what you do, you can become an effective leadership coach.
The primary requirement is commitment and a willingness to understand that getting the best from people will make the difference between your success and failure. With this insight and an understanding of the people you lead, you will achieve levels of performance
that will exceed everyone?s expectations?yours and the people above you.

Whether leaders are born or made is not the issue. Leaders become leaders because they want to do the things that will make work life easier and happier and more productive in the process. Leaders are entrepreneurs because they think strategically and constantly look at the big picture, they think creatively and they understand motivation.

Don?t think that being a leader means giving up control, quite the contrary. The control is exercised by the people you lead, which makes them happier and more productive. By giving the people you lead more control, you effectively increase the control through increased responsibility.

Good day and good work,

Norman

Self-knowledge: the key to understanding others

2007-01-24T12:12:00.000-08:00

Carl Jung said, ?Whatever we don?t understand about ourselves, we will not understand in another person.? Conversely, what we do understand about ourselves will help us to understand others and accept their actions as logical behavior. For example, if I understand myself to be impatient, impatience in others is likely to be more acceptable to me than it would be without the self-awareness. The key is to gain understanding of the energies for which I have the greatest preference.

How do we gain the understanding of self that helps us validate our energies and to become more accepting of the energies of others. One way is to analyze our experiences and the consequences that have occurred. For example, if we have tended to being hyper-critical of other people and our critical behavior has resulted in the loss of jobs, friends or related opportunities, we should learn from the results and their implications on our lives. Another way is to seek feedback from friends and associates, who can give us their perceptions, if they know we seek honest responses.

Finally, we can utilize a psychometric instrument that is statistically validated to consistently indicate what it purports to measure in order to understand our attitudes and behavioral characteristics that we prefer to use under normal conditions and also under stress. In twenty-two years of working with people experiencing career-driven change, the most accurate and powerful tool that I have found is the Insights� Discovery Personal Profile that produces information about how we make decisions, communicate, our value to the team and an array of actionable material including suggestions for our personal development.

Next time: Removing you blocks

Good day and good work,

Norman

Overcoming the past

2007-01-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

Science confirms that we engage over sixty thousand thoughts each day. If that?s true and if many, if not most of those thoughts are dealing with negative or hurtful events in our past lives, we should hardly be surprised that our present life lacks whatever good we may desire. Our thoughts manifest as things and circumstances in our lives whether our perception of our situation is either good or bad.

Fortunately, each thought, good or bad, doesn't produce its immediate equivalent; otherwise we would all be in trouble. Rather, it is the consistency, the constancy and the predominance of our thinking that produces whatever outcome we're experiencing. We tend to experience habits of thought that produce a consciousness either positive or negative. However, we are blessed with the ability to choose to change our thought patterns from negative to positive, or vice versa, thereby changing our consciousness.

If we seek to develop a positive consciousness and reap the attendant benefits we must become willing to change the way we think and the corresponding way we feel. Choosing to feel happy and enthusiastic is habit-forming and if we do so on a consistent basis, we will experience life in a more, prosperous, healthy and harmonious way. Change in consciousness doesn't occur over night, especially if we have spent many years putting garbage into our unconscious computer. Yet with understanding, commitment and determination we will experience the blessings of life that we seek to bring to pass.

Next time: Self-knowledge, the key to understanding others

Good day and good work,

Norman

Can you deal with the fear?

2007-01-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

If you've said yes to the first two issues: having a marketable product or
service and being willing to market it, you still have a major consideration
and that is the fear that you will experience, to some degree or another,
about being in your own business or practice with few, if any, to turn to
for help and encouragement. The fact that you will experience fear, or
uncertainty or anxiety is not the issue. You will experience these emotions
yet how you deal with them will be significant to your success or lack
thereof. It is not necessary for you to have no thoughts of concern, doubt
or disappointment; however, it is important that positive beliefs and
expectations dominate your consciousness. A good part of this objective is
becoming willing to give up anger, resentment and feelings of self-doubt and
unworthiness.

Emerson said, "A man is what he thinks about all day long." While it is not
my role to approach this from a metaphysical perspective, it is non-the-less
true that we bring into our experience what ever we believe and that we
create our beliefs through our thoughts and feelings. In other words, if we
believe we can, we can and if we believe we can't, we can't, even if
otherwise we could. Therefore, nothing is more important to our success,
than our willingness to focus our thoughts and feelings on positive outcomes
and expectations, because if our focus is on negative outcomes, we will
surely experience them. If we focus on failure and bankruptcy, we will
surely experience aspects of failure and difficulty, while a focus on
success and prosperity produces what we truly desire. The simple beauty of
this Universal law is that we do have dominion over our lives by controlling
the only thing we can control; our thoughts and our feelings.

We can overcome fear by placing our thoughts on the goals we have set for
our business and parenthetically for our lives, then imagining the joy that
the success will bring.
By so doing, we receive the insights, the ideas and the inspiration from our
internal computer that will motivate us to take right action required to
achieve the desired outcomes. The happier we are and the more positive we
become, the greater the likelihood that our endeavor will succeed. Our
imaginations work like a magnet to bring us what we want or, conversely,
what we don't want if that is where we place our energy. While fear can be
reduced and even eliminated by having a good plan, adequate financing,
interdependent partners and other physically desirable circumstances,
nothing is more important to our success than our willingness to maintain an
attitude of gratitude and the realization that with consistent commitment to
maintain positive expectancy, we will succeed.

Next time: Overcoming the past

Good day and good work,

Norman

Norman J. York, President
York Career Development, Inc.
3307 Northland Drive, Suite 280
Austin, TX 78731
Austin: 512-502-8258
Houston: 866-502-8258
Cell: 512-656-8239
Web site: www.yorkinc.com

"Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung

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8:25 AM

2007-01-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

ARE YOU WILLING TO MARKET?

Even if you have a great new business idea for a product or service, getting it produced or promoted is hardly enough. Someone, probably you, has to sell it. I prefer using the term marketing, rather than selling because a marketer seeks to find a product or service need, while stereotypical salespeople seek to sell their products whether there is a need or not. However, there is selling within the marketing concept because, even though you have identified the prospect's needs, you still have to convince him or her that your product or service is better than the other guy's. Since most products or services are difficult to differentiate, ultimately it gets down to you and the extent to which you can build trust and confidence with your prospect. In short, building a relationship.

What is required of you is a willingness to make connections with prospective clients or customers and to develop relationships with as many of them as you can in order for you to identify current needs or for them to know and appreciate you against the time that a need will arise. Note that the operative word is "willingness" it has nothing to do with ability, because if you do not market willingly, you will find every excuse not to do it. And unless you maintain a consistency of effort, your sporadic marketing activities will cause your business to struggle or worse.

If you do not think of yourself as a marketer, yet the success of your business is based on your marketing efforts, what can you do? Several things. First, choose to change your attitude from one of reluctance to one of enthusiasm. See the joy you receive when you know you have served a customer/client well with a high quality product or service. Feel the sense of satisfaction that you will experience. Second, prepare each call or contact with a feeling of positive expectation. Say to yourself before the telephone call or meeting, ?I know that my product/service will add value to my customer and fulfill the person?s needs.? Last, remember that practice makes perfect; the more to do it, the more effective you will become and more enjoyment you will experience.

2007-01-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator� (MBTI) is a preference indicator program created by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers in the 1950?s. It is a self-report instrument, which reveals personal preferences for making decisions, source of energy, focus and orientation to the outer world. An individual?s preferences are reported: extraverted-introverted, thinking-feeling, sensing-intuition and, a fourth preference, judging-perceiving. This fourth preference was added by Briggs and Briggs Myers, and is unique to MBTI. MBTI does not measure competence, intelligence, satisfaction, or skill.
The MBTI system is based largely upon C.G. Jung?s theory of personality type, with some exceptions. It identifies 16 ?types? through a possible combination of preferences: E (Extraversion) or I (Introversion), T (Thinking) or F (Feeling), S (Sensation) or N (Intuition), J (Judging) or P (Perceiving), e.g., ENFP.
Information is printed for the 16 types, but is restricted to 16 types only.
MBTI has been available for 50 years and has been widely used and adopted as a means of identifying different personality types. Programs which address specific interpersonal issues in the workplace have not been developed by MBTI, rather are custom-designed and delivered by accredited MBTI practitioners. This additional development time can make the process more protracted and lead to additional expense.

Correlations between Insights & MBTI:
The 16 MBTI ?types? correlate with Insights 4 Colour Quadrants and 16 Types, as follows:

Benefits of Insights vs. MBTI:

Insights profiles are more highly customized to the individual than MBTI.
The language used in the Insights program is simple to ensure better recall and accessibility to a wide variety of clients.
Group ratings indicate a 95% accuracy rate for Insights reports due, in part, to the high level of customized content.

MBTI is more prescriptive and doesn?t take intensity of preferences into account. With Insights, there is an appreciation for the ?shades? or degrees of preference, which exist in each individual.
MBTI speaks of only 16 types, while Insights identifies 72 types and provides detail that defines differences in far more specific terms, so nuances of difference are evident between individuals who fall into the same position on the Insights wheel.
Insights profile content provides information on preferences and individual needs. This ensures that each individual receives direction for personal development action planning as well as insights that will equip them with new interpersonal strategies, enabling them to work more effectively with teammates following the learning experience.
Insights can be a more cost-effective program than MBTI.
Insights learning can be immediately applied by workshop participants, and can be used with peers who have been through the program, as readily as peers and partners who have not.
There are several Insights programs that have been developed for immediate implementation: team building, sales effectiveness, leadership development, etc. Following a needs analysis, program content is customized to meet client?s objectives and can be delivered simultaneously to a large group of people in one location or to many offices across North America. Insights practitioners will ensure that program content and learning

InsightsR Discovery System vs. DiSCR

2007-01-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

DiSC or the Personal Profile System (PPS) is an instrument which measures surface traits or characteristic ways of behaving in a particular environment. It explains how normal human emotions lead to behavioural differences among people as well as to changes in a person’s behaviour in different situations. The system theorized that human behaviour could be studied on a bipolar model according to people’s perception of their work environment as favourable or antagonistic and their perception of being more or less powerful than their environment This system explores behaviour across four primary dimensions.

In the DiSC system, there are adjectives describing each letter of the acronym DiSC. Some programs use colour, but the colours are not consistent across the DiSC range of providers.

DiSC has 4 measures - each representing one of 4 types of behaviours: D - Dominance, I - Influencing/Inducement, S - Steadiness/Submission, C - Conscientiousness/Compliance

The DiSC system has four scales represented graphically for each of the four adjectives above, collectively called a person’s profile. There are 15 classical profile patterns- each representing a popular pattern of most and least characteristics. With some DiSC Providers, in a workshop setting, it is not unusual to find more than one participant having identical reports. This can reduce credibility with participants as they feel their uniqueness is not captured. In fact, where ‘boiler-plate’ text is generated, the individuals may of course be significantly different from one another while their reports are identical.

The DiSC system has been designed for improving communication in the workplace. Its applications range from enhancing customer service, sales training, reducing stress, and improving relationships between employee and managers and enhanced organizational development.

There are numerous versions and providers of DiSC in the market.

Correlations between Insights & DiSC:

The four dimensions of DiSC are loosely correlated with the Insights colour energies, as follows: D - Fiery Red I - Sunshine Yellow S - Earth Green C - Cool Blue

Benefits of Insights vs. DiSC:

Many users question the fundamental methodology of DiSC. The scales which form the system’s profiles are skewed without explanation, the DiSC questionnaire measures only 2 out of 4 question elements (“Most” and “Least” characteristics only, disregarding the 2 in the “middle”), and there are placebo questions which are answered but not counted at all. Insights profiles are represented graphically, using rational logic, and are not skewed in any way. The Insights evaluator measures all elements, and every part of every answer is counted. Insights profiles are more highly customized to the individual than DiSC. In certain short DiSC reports, only a list of adjectives is provided. This makes it difficult for the user to fully understand behaviour as it lacks context and a complete explanation.

The Insights system is designed so that no two individuals will have the same profile. Group ratings indicate a 95% accuracy rate for Insights profiles due, in part, to the high level of customized content. The language used in the Insights program is simple, and the model clear, ensuring better recall and accessibility to a wide variety of clients.

The Insights Discovery system has been designed for improving interpersonal effectiveness through individual awareness and focuses on maximizing an individual’s potential. A wider variety of applications are available ranging from leadership development, team building, team effectiveness, sales and service enhancement to stress management, change management, conflict resolution and coaching. This range enables an organization to adopt the Insights model and apply it to many learning and development needs within the organization. This consistency of cross-functional training ensures a common language is adopted throughout an organization and that all individuals are learning and applying adapting and communication strategies that enhance collective performance.

Madeleine York

York Career Development, Inc.

Houston-Austin

866-502-8258 office

512-565-8506 mobile

www.yorkinc.com

myork@yorkinc.com

Do I have marketable products or skills?

2006-12-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

You might think, "Who would be so stupid as to go into business without good
products are skills?" However, people do so all the time, because, many
don't understand the law of supply and demand. When people come to me and
say, "I've got a great idea for a product that everyone will need to use
every day." My next question is, "How many others products are on the
market?" If the answer is, "None." I say, "I hope you've got lots of money
to promote it." Because, no matter how great the need, if there is no
product or service on the market, there is no demand. In order to be
successful, it will be necessary to create the demand curve, which can be
much more expensive than bringing to market a better mouse trap when the
demand curve is already established.

Conversely, if there is a well-established demand curve, it will be
critical to anticipate what will be required to differentiate your product
from the others in order to gain a share of the market. Unless you have a
solid knowledge of the market for your product, you will be challenged by
this necessity that will require good analytical research tools and a viable
marketing plan. Many striving entrepreneurs, lack either access, or
knowledge to use both.

One of the common characteristics of successful entrepreneurs is self
confidence (more on this later). What we may lack in true self-confidence
will be compensated for with ego; usually thinking we know what we don't
know. Ego is dangerous because the ego-centric individual wants the world
to look as he or she wants it to look, not necessarily what it is in
reality. Therefore, perception and reality, but closely approximaate each
other.

Next time: Am I willing to market?

Good day and good work,

Norman

Norman J. York, President
York Career Development, Inc.
3307 Northland Drive, Suite 280
Austin, TX 78731
Austin: 512-502-8258
Houston: 866-502-8258
Cell: 512-656-8239
Web site: www.yorkinc.com

"Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung

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3:54 PM

The joy of being your own person

2006-12-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

While it's true that entrepreurship requires thoughtful consideration, there is little to surpass the joy of being able to do your own thing your way. If you buy an existing business that has employees, there is nothing so satisfying as the opportunity to develop a group the way "they" want to be lead. If your bent is to start something from scratch, perhaps your first billing or your first service or product delivery will fill you with an incredible sense of accomplishment. Whatever you do, your success will have much to do with your being enthusiastic, yet at peace with your endeavor. Fear works like a magnet. And the more we work to overcome fear the most attractive we become to the market, the opportunity, the money or whatever we seek to bring into reality.

Yes, freedom isn't free, but it's worth the price. The ability to call the shots and to devote your energy to whatever you love to do, is worth the risk that is required if the reward is to be realized. As you re-read Carl Jung's quote, remember that your vision will become a reality only when you look inside yourself, into your own heart. For within we find the answers, the direction, the insight that we need for success. Or to quote Emerson, "Nothing can bring you peace, but yourself."

Next time: Do I have a marketable product or skills?

Good day and good work,

Norman

Norman J. York, President
York Career Development, Inc.
3307 Northland Drive, Suite 280
Austin, TX 78731
Austin: 512-502-8258
Houston: 866-502-8258
Cell: 512-656-8239
Web site: www.yorkinc.com

"Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung

The price of freedom

2006-12-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

As I said earlier, people go into business for themselves primarily to be
free, but freedom isn't free. So what is the price? Working for yourself
requires much sacrifice and hard work, maybe harder than you may have worked
in your old job. Depending on the entrepreneurial direction that you take,
if you're the boss there may be no one else to engage with at your level of
responsibility. Command truly is a lonely job and unless you install
advisors or directors, who understand your business, you may spend many
sleepless hours of soul searching in your quest to make the right, even the
best decisions, with little or no conscious help or support.

And then there's ambiguity. What's that? Unless your business is very
unusual, there will be periods of change and uncertainty, when the market
you're serving begins to deteriorate ahead your anticipation, when the
decision you made turns out to be the worst possible and when faced with
failure you have the courage to look for a solution in areas you've never
explored. When such things happen how will you handle the situation,
especially if your cash is limited and cash flow is difficult to predict?
Such circumstances serve to teach you much about yourself and your ability
to generate creative solutions and find peace within your being. Or as
Kipling said, "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing
theirs and blaming it on you..... You'll be a man, my son." However,
there's a flip side.

Next time: The joy of being your own person

Good day and good work,

Norman

Norman J. York, President
York Career Development, Inc.
3307 Northland Drive, Suite 280
Austin, TX 78731
Austin: 512-502-8258
Houston: 866-502-8258
Cell: 512-656-8239
Web site: www.yorkinc.com

"Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung

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4:36 PM

Should you work for yourself?

2006-12-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Contrary to popular belief, people don't go into business for themselves
primarily to make money. While they do want to make money, their primary
source of motivation is freedom. This is especially true of those who have
experienced hard lessons learned from organizational bureaucracy and who
feel marginalized by unrealistic structure and incompetent leadership.
However, freedom, isn't free. One of the reasons that people often remain
in unhappy work environments is the willingness to accept unhappy
circumstances to avoid having to pay the price of freedom, whether the
choice is to find new more meaningful employment or to haunch out on the
their own in some form or fashion. So, in essence, it boils down to doing
things that many others have neither the courage nor the ability to do.

Next time: The price of freedom

Good day and good work,

Norman

Norman J. York, President
York Career Development, Inc.
3307 Northland Drive, Suite 280
Austin, TX 78731
Austin: 512-502-8258
Houston: 866-502-8258
Cell: 512-656-8239
Web site: www.yorkinc.com

"Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung

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9:59 AM

Make sure they know how

2006-12-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

It's important to set realistic expectations and take the time to discuss
why, the reason for doing whatever you are asking. However, of equal
importance is the need for you to be sure that people know how to do the
expected. Don't assume! Ask questions or even require a demonstration of
knowledge or a skill to ensure that the requisite capability is in place.
People are sometimes fearful of telling you or others about a deficiency
that may exist. Even if they are motivated to perform, without what it
takes to do the job, they may flounder until the lack of performance shows
up. Therefore, now there is a problem that might otherwise have been
avoided and corrective action will be required that is always more costly
and time consuming.

Since we live in the Information Age, knowledge is the commodity with which
we are most engaged. For example, we are likely to assume that a certain
type of college degree is indicative of certain abilities that a person may
or may not have acquired in the education process. Having attended a
certain type of training may not necessarily mean that a person has the
tools expected. One of my clients is consistently frustrated that his
employees are unable to cross-sell products even though they have been
exposed to certain types of training. Without verification of the ability
and motivation to perform, your expectations may only be wishful thinking.

Next time: Should you work for yourself?

Good day and good look,

Norman

Norman J. York, President
York Career Development, Inc.
3307 Northland Drive, Suite 280
Austin, TX 78731
Austin: 512-502-8258
Houston: 866-502-8258
Cell: 512-656-8239
Web site: www.yorkinc.com

"Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung

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1:12 PM

The Value of Why

2006-11-29T11:37:00.000-08:00

It's not unusual for people to be so busy and pre-occupied with the
immediacy of their responsilities that after setting goals or expectations
for someone(s) they fail to take the time to explain why the job or the
schedule is as it is. When we discuss the why, we engage others in the
process and make them feel valued. And because they feel valued, their
willingness to make the extra effort or work the extra hours is likely to be
greatly enhanced. There's an old saying, "We never have time to do it right,
but we always have time to do it over." However, consider how much time and
money whould have been saved by doing it right in the first place.

People need to have a sense of belonging, a sense of feeling a part of
whatever they do, which is fundamental to feeling valued and honored. While
justified praise and recognition are equally important, merely engaging
people in a conversation about the reasons for doing a job in a particular
way go a long way toward motivating productive behavior. It's treating
people the way they want to be treated that provides much encouragement and
positive response.

Next time: Being sure they know how

Good day and good work,

Norman

Norman J. York, President
York Career Development, Inc.
3307 Northland Drive, Suite 280
Austin, TX 78731
Austin: 512-502-8258
Houston: 866-502-8258
Cell: 512-656-8239
Web site: www.yorkinc.com

"Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung

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3:22 PM

Setting Expectations and the heirachry of belief

2006-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Whether your job is to lead others or only yourself, it is critical that you
set reasonable expectations for those you lead. Unless people have clear a
understanding of what's expected of them, they can hardly be held
accountable for their actions or activities. Are the expectations that you
have for yourself and your own achievement, realistic? If you are missing
your own mark, perhaps it's because the target that you're aiming for is not
achievable? Fundamentally, it's all a matter of belief; your's or your
group's. While it may sound like an old saw, it's absolutely true that
"What you believe, you can achieve." However, genuine belief is not just
saying words, belief is the internalization of a truth or a knowingness that
creates the outer expression. Indeed, belief is a hierarchy. The first
step in the belief hierarchy is hope. We hope we can achieve a goal, but
beyond wishful thinking we are yet unsure. The second step is realization.
With consistent commitment and action to achieve, we realize that what we
are doing will bring success. The third step is conviction. With continued
action producing interim successes, we become convinced that we will
succeed. And the fourth and final step is knowing. When we know something,
we have achieved the ultimate of believe.

An example might have been getting a degree. In your freshman year hope may
have prodded you forward, although many doubts may have existed. In your
sophomore year, you came to realize that your effort would produce ultimate
success. As a junior your became conviced that with commitment and
continued determination you would succeed. And as a senior, you knew you
would achieve your goal, despite the need for another year of effort.
Building belief comes only with experience and effort and a willingness to
commit to worthy endeavors.

Next, taking time to explain why.

Good day and good work,

Norman

Norman J. York, President
York Career Development, Inc.
3307 Northland Drive, Suite 280
Austin, TX 78731
Austin: 512-502-8258
Houston: 866-502-8258
Cell: 512-656-8239
Web site: www.yorkinc.com

"Your vision will become clear only
when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung

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4:48 PM