The Sykes Group's OnPoint

Success Lessons I Learned on the Way to NCAA Championship Game!

If you are a basketball fan like I am, then you have given up all your worldly goods other then your television set, and have been watching the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, otherwise known as "March Madness." The best college basketball teams in the United States compete to play in the men's and women's NCCA Championship Game. The winner of that men's NCAA Championship Game played tonight and the women's NCCA Championship Games are declared the 2008 NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Champions, respectively, and receives all the glory with this very special win.

As I watch NCAA basketball tournaments, I realized that the teams exhibited many success techniques that can easily be applied to your business, your career, and your life. The following are many of the success techniques you can use by watching the NCAA Championship Games tonight and tomorrow:

• Develop a Powerful Mission Statement for Success

• Visualize Your Goals for Success

• Create Passion for Success

• Practice, Practice, Practice for Success

• Organize Yourself for Success

• Learn from Every Setback

• Develop a Strong Sense of Team

To learn how to apply these success keys to your business, your career, and your life, go to Success.

You know where I will be tonight and tomorrow. I will be watching the NCAA Championship Games at 9 p.m. EST. May the best teams win!

NCAA+Championship+Game success men's+basketball goal+setting teamwork

Revealed: The Ten Secrets to Career Success in Any Economy!

Economic times constantly change and organizations adapt to these changes. For you to find career success, you must be pro-active about your job. What are the career secrets of those who soar to the top in their careers no matter what the economic environment is in the world?

The following are ten career secrets you can use to "recession proof" yourself and find career success no matter what the situation is:

1. Find Out What Your Organization Needs for Career Success
   Invest the time to investigate and understand your organization's mission, goals, and values. Your organization may be facing challenges and the person who can tune into what the organization needs to be successful and provide the solution can write his/her own career success ticket.
   
   Remember, to get what you want in your career, you must help your organization, your department, your manager succeed. Focus on what is important to your manager and provide the solution. If customer service is important, speak with your manager in terms of creating customer solutions. If your manager is a numbers person, quantify all your results, etc.

2. Be a Change Agent for Career Success
   Organizational change will change the way you do your job. There is no escaping the changes that are happening around us all the time. Learn to embrace these changes so that you can learn how to take advantage of the career opportunities available from being a change agent.
   
   How do you do this? Be pro-active and ask questions about the change. How does it affect the organization? What challenges will there be implementing the changes? How will these changes affect the way you do your job? And the most important question, "What can you do to help implement the changes?"
   
   Once you receive the answers to these questions, and are able to act on the answers, you are way ahead of the "change curve" and will be looked at as someone who can "make things happen" within the organization. This will lead to countless career opportunities.

3. Be the Master of Your Job for Career Success
   Invest the time to learn as much as there is to know about your job. Many times, employees will become complacent and master only the few tasks that they do 80% of the time. Then when a career opportunity comes up, this employee doesn't have the skill set to take advantage of a promotion or raise.
   
   Take the time to read trade journals, go on the Internet to job related sites, and ask questions to master the understanding of your job. With the wealth of information there is in the 21st century, there is no excuse for "not knowing."

To read more go to Career

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The Secret to Living Your Dreams: Five Success Techniques to Achieving More Success in Your Life!

How many times in our lives have we said the following?

If I had more time, I would have acted on my dream...
If I didn't need this job, I would have pursued my dream of...
If only I had (you fill in the blank) ten years ago, I would have achieved my dream of...

I am sure you can add a dozen more "If I" dream statements. There are people going through life everyday working at jobs they hate, in situations they tolerate, and living a life that they disown because they settled for an "If I" mindset.

What is the secret between the person who is achieving his/her dream life and the person who is just wishing for a dream life? The following are five techniques for living your dream and achieving more in life:

1. Understand Your Options and Live Your Dreams
   We have options in our life. Do we follow the road everyone else is taking or do we travel the road less traveled to achieve our dreams? We have the option to look at life's challenges as a way to find creative solutions or to look at challenges as a negative barrier to achieving one's dreams. Take the positive option to develop yourself and achieve your dreams.

2. Fight Your Fears and Live Your Dreams
   Most fears we constantly think about and which sometimes paralyze us never happen. Yet we will spend 75-90% of our thoughts on our fears. F-E-A-R is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real. Get the facts and act accordingly. Let's "flip our mental script" and concentrate on the upside of any situation so that we can concentrate on achieving our dreams. Fight though your fears and build your courage to live your dreams.

3. Concentrate on Your Goals and Live Your Dreams
   If you are not living your dream, you are living someone else's dream. How do you make your dreams come true? Create and concentrate on your goals to achieving your dreams. Start with your main goal and then break this goal down into smaller pieces so that you can digest and act on these goals. Most importantly, write down your goals and keep them in a place where you can see and read them any time of the day. This is important because there will be times you will feel you are not achieving your goals and will need a "dream booster shot" to keep you motivated toward achieving your goals.

4. Eliminate Barriers to Living Your Dreams
   You need to eliminate barriers to living your dreams. This could be eliminating expenses, gaining knowledge, or gaining the technology for living your dreams. One of the biggest barriers to eliminate could be very close to you. This barrier to living your dreams could be your family, your friends, and your co-workers who create reasons why you shouldn't live your dreams. They may not even realize they are a barrier to your dreams by their words or actions.
   
   Some people are living in their own misery and want you to give up your dreams and join them in their misery. Remember, some people may not have high expectations for themselves, much less for you. So when you express your lofty dreams, they will look and speak to you expressing their low expectations for you. Break away from them and their misery so that you can live your dreams. Bond with people of like mind so that you can form a synergy and have a positive group of people who are helping each other and moving toward their goals and living their dreams.

5. Act on Your Dreams!
   Your dream will be just that...a dream unless you act on it. An amazing thing happens when you keep acting on your dreams. You will keep growing stronger and will become better prepared to achieve even more in life.

Take the time to apply these five techniques for living your dreams and you, too, will achieve more in life.

dreams dream the+secret self-help

Are You Building Your Foundation of Success: Six Secrets of Motivating Yourself for Success

Are you creating your foundation of success? Are you motivated to take on challenges that others are not willing to do? The following is a story of someone who did and achieved great success in his life and how you can, too!

There once was a young man who grew up in Crawford, Mississippi. His father worked as a brick mason building home foundations. Everyday after school and during the summers, this young man would help his father build foundations. It's not the most glamorous job by any stretch of the imagination, but it's an honest, backbreaking, and low paying job that put food on the table and paid the bills. The father would start by throwing bricks towards the son in the area where they would build a housing foundation. Under the hot, sweltering Mississippi sun, his son would catch brick after brick with his hands, day after day. While most other kids were enjoying their summers or working in less strenuous jobs, this young man was motivated to work long and hard with his father, while catching those bricks and building a foundation for success in more ways than one.

You see, each time that young man caught bricks, he was not only making his hands stronger, he was building character and the foundation for success in his later years. With each brick he caught, he was even more determined to be successful in life. When he wasn't helping his father and going to school, he was pushing himself through football workouts to be better than any other football player. You see the young man's name is Jerry Rice, and he went on to become the most successful NFL All-Pro wide receiver of all time with the San Francisco 49ers. Some of you non-football fans may know him as a contestant from the television program, "Dancing with the Stars."

The following are the six success secrets that Jerry Rice used that can easily motivate you to achieve success in any aspect of your business, career, and life:

1. Motivate Yourself to See Opportunities in Every Challenge
   Jerry could have looked at the job of catching bricks as a chore that was a waste of his time. But he saw the big picture and made the chore more enjoyable by developing games out of the activities. Many times in life, we are thrown bricks and complain and miss the opportunity it presents to us. The person who can find solutions in the challenges they are faced with can write their own ticket for success. When you take on a challenge, it's preparing you for an opportunity in the future. You may not know when the opportunity is coming, how it is coming, or what the opportunity will look like, but it is coming; and will you be prepared? Embrace your challenges so you will be prepared.

2. Motivate Yourself to See That It's Normal to Experience a Little Pain
   As Jerry was experiencing the pain of catching bricks each day, this pain was actually building him to becoming a stronger person. Each brick was fueling Jerry's internal desire to be successful. Think of some situation at work, in business, or in life that was painful. Your pain may be an embarrassing moment, it may be a learning experience, and it may be a setback. How can you use this setback to motivate you to become more successful? We achieve success in our businesses, careers, and life when we develop the success tools of using our "pains" as a learning experience and a springboard to success.

3. Motivate Yourself to Take on Unpopular Tasks
   Catching bricks all day is not the most glamorous job in the world. Many times we are thrown bricks in life and avoid them like the plague. Volunteer to catch these bricks while others decline. This will allow people of influence to see your special skills and offer you opportunities for success. It is what I always say, "It's not what you know, it's not who you know, it's who knows what you know." When you volunteer to catch those bricks, you allow others to now know and see the special skills and talent you exhibit.

4. Motivate Yourself To Take Action
   Just the simple act of taking action will make you more successful than 98% of other people. Many times people are waiting for "just the right moment" or "more resources." Motivate yourself to take action where you are at today and make the appropriate corrections as needed.

5. Motivate Yourself to Go the Extra Mile
   Jerry Rice's off-season personal football workouts were legendary. He would train six days a week running five miles, along with running wind sprints up the steepest mountains in his community. He didn't need to do this grueling workout, but he wanted to be in better physical shape than any other professional football player. He went the extra mile to be the best.
   
   What are you doing to go the extra mile? Do you have a continuous learning program in place? Do you give of yourself to make your employees better? Do you give your clients something extra to show appreciation of their business? These are all opportunities to put you above the rest and to succeed in your business, in your career, and in your life.

6. Motivate Yourself to Create a Masterpiece
   Jerry Rice wanted to be the best professional wide receiver ever in football, and he achieved that title. He was motivated to pay the price to achieve that goal.
   
   Are you motivated and ready to create a masterpiece? Do you have a vision of what your business, career, or life masterpiece looks, feels, or sounds like? Are you willing to sustain the quality effort, attitude, and determination to create your masterpiece? What are you willing to give up in order to achieve your masterpiece? Until you are ready to answer these questions, you can't lay the foundation for achieving your masterpiece.
   
   After you answer the above questions, create S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals as your roadmap for success. If it's not on paper, your goals don't exist. Be motivated to create, write, and act on your goals.

Follow these six success secrets and you, too, will be motivated to lay the foundation for your success.

motivation motivate bricks+of+success foundation+of+success success motivate+yourself

Career Advice: Three Secrets to Telling Your Story for Career and Job Success

When was the last time you received a job promotion? You are doing a great job at work but everyone else seems to get the promotion you want. You may even start making excuses as to why you are not getting the career promotions you deserve. Well, I ask you the following question:

The following career advice story will show you how to put your career on the fast track:

Recently, I was facilitating an oceanfront retreat for over two hundred employees of a university. During this session, I had the participants think of something or somebody they appreciate. I then asked for volunteers to share with the group whom or what they appreciate and why this is important to them.

Lonnie volunteered and stood up in front of the group to share his thoughts of appreciation. Lonnie explained that in his job he helps children improve their lives. He mentioned that whatever the lowest pay and title scale was, he was at that level. However, he said that was all right because of the joy he received from helping the children. You could hear and sense the passion in his words as he shared his experiences with the audience.

About a month later, Lonnie was in another workshop I was facilitating, and he asked to speak with me before the start of the session. I could see the excitement in his eyes as he explained what had happened to him since the oceanfront retreat. One week after sharing his story at the retreat, he received a call from the Office of Academic Affairs. Someone of influence, who was impressed with Lonnie's speech and the way he told his story that day, wanted Lonnie to come in for a job interview. Lonnie went to the interview and received the job of Assistant to the Dean of Academic Affairs, with a substantial increase in pay and title. That was a career quantum leap from just a couple of weeks earlier.

So what happened?

Lonnie told his story for career success. Like so many of you, you are toiling away in your careers everyday and making a difference for your organization. But if no one knows about your successes, your passions, and your ideas, you will not achieve job and career success.

The following are three secrets to putting you on the fast track to career and job advancement:

1. It's Not What You Know... - I'm sure you have heard the old saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know," when talking about getting ahead in life. Well, in this new age of information and self responsibility, I am declaring that this saying is dead. Instead, I always say the following:
   
   

   "It's not what you know. It's not who you know. It's who knows what you know that creates success for you."

   
   There are people doing a great job everyday. There are people everyday that know people of influence. Yet, unless these people of influence know what you know (your skills, your knowledge, your ideas), you won't be put in a position for success. Lonnie, during his two-minute presentation, let people of influence know that he was passionate about helping children at his job and he was willing to do it for little compensation. That's a powerful message. It moved people to help him and make him a part of their team.

2. Prepare Yourself for Powerful Story Telling - When the opportunity comes to tell your story, will you be prepared? Lonnie was prepared and made the most of his opportunity. However, I have seen many opportunities vanish for a person to tell his/her story because of the fear of speaking in front of a group or in a meeting. Whether it's in a job interview, monthly meeting, or at a conference, have the confidence to tell your story. You may never get another opportunity to do so. Have the courage to work on your presentation skills. There are various resources for improving your presentation skills. You can take a class, join Toastmasters, or hire a presentation skills coach.
   
   Also, outline what you will tell in your story. Think of your successes and how you achieved those successes. Thinks of the challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Express the joy you felt while achieving your goals. Relate how your activities helped you develop your skills, your creativity, and your determination. Let your passion show in your story.

3. Create Opportunities to Tell Your Story - When Lonnie volunteered, he created an opportunity to tell his story. How can you create opportunities to tell your story? You can volunteer for job-related assignments and give reports during management briefings. You can be active in workshops or seminars and tell your story among a variety of people that normally might not be exposed to your story. Join various associations and groups and tell your story. This is a great way to network among people who are active in their industries. Contribute your story to your in-house publication, local newspaper, or magazine. Create a blog or website and tell your story. The more you tell your story to a wide variety of people, the greater the opportunity to increase your success.

Apply these powerful career advice secrets and put your career advancement on the fast track. Tell your story and others will sit up and take notice.

career+advice promotion+skills career+development career presentation+skills

Career Advice: Five Career Advice Secrets for Being the Perfect Employee Everyone Wants on Their Team - Part 2

The following are five career advice secrets for being the perfect, motivated employee that everyone wants on their team, putting your career on the fast track, and creating great relationship with management:

1. Be Enthusiastic
   Be known as an employee who has a great attitude and is enthusiastic about his/her job and work. Enthusiasm is contagious and spreads quickly in the workplace. Just the opposite, constantly whining and complaining deplete valuable resources of energy in the workplace. Think of people you know at work and ask the following questions:
   
   
   • Who energizes me at work? Who has a can do attitude?
   • Who drains the energy out of the day? Whom do I hate to see come through the door in the morning?
   • How do my co-workers and managers see me?
   
   
   Positive and negative employees, when presented with the same situation, have two different ways of handling the situation. The positive employee looks for the positive solutions. The positive employee is a proactive person who looks at change and challenges as opportunities to grow and develop new skills. The negative person looks at the same situations as being taken advantage of and has the "why is this happening to me" attitude. The negative employee tends to gossip and participate in unhealthy competition. Obviously, management feels more confident with the positive, enthusiastic employee with the "can do" attitude. Be known as the positive employee who creates solutions.

2. Know Management
   You will avoid career landmines and be favored by management by taking the time to "manage your manager." Find out and understand your manager's strengths and weaknesses, priorities and communication style, and how he/she manages people.

   When I was rising up the corporate ranks, I worked for a vice president who was uncomfortable speaking in front of a group of people. Whenever he had a department meeting, you could always see he was nervous and tense, especially when he had to persuade us to accept a very challenging situation. There would always be a team member who would challenge this vice president in front of the group. To say the least, this did not go well for the employee who challenged him. However, I recognized the vice president's weakness, never questioned him in public, and waited until the meeting was over and went to his office to discuss the challenging situations of the day. Behind our closed-door discussions, this same vice president was very open, conversational, and confident. We were able to create solutions for the company and when it came time for promotion to vice president, my name was at the top of the list.

   Remember, to get what you want in your career, you must help your manager succeed. Focus on what is important to your manager and provide the solution. If customer service is important, speak with your manager in terms of creating customer solutions. If your manager is a numbers person, quantify all your results, etc.

3. Walk the Talk
   Show integrity in everything you do at work. Be the employee that management can depend on to get things done. When you prove you are an employee who consistently delivers on his/her promises, this will impress management and you will go to the top of the list for choice assignments and promotions. If you are someone who is known as undependable, you will lose the respect of management, and your opportunities for promotions will decrease.

   Also, the employee with integrity owes up to his/her mistakes. The employee that doesn't have the courage to own up to his or her mistakes and take responsibility is very frustrating for managers. If you make a mistake, do the following:

   • Own it
   • Apologize for it
   • Explain what you learned from the mistake
   • Ask your manager for input
   • Tell what actions you will take in the future so the mistake won't happen again

   This benefits you because it shows you have integrity, you take ownership for your actions, you can learn from challenges and mistakes, and you are developing a relationship with your manager by asking for input and assistance.

   Last, but not least, integrity is also not taking credit for someone else's work. Take credit for your own work and acknowledge others for their accomplishments. Fellow employees have a long memory, and you may need these same people when it comes time for a promotion.

4. Take Risks and Grow Rich
   There are employees who do a good job everyday and do not advance in their careers. The employees who stretch themselves and their abilities are the ones who advance in their careers. Risk takers are comfortable with the challenges of taking the risk and know how to adapt to job situations when they arise. They also know that there may be some challenges that they may not accomplish the first time. However, they will take responsibility for the results, learn from these challenges, and prosper in future opportunities.

   The following are some ways to take risks and grow rich:

   • Volunteer for high exposure, high risk projects
   • Get agreement and an understanding as to the resources needed to succeed
   • Combine questions with solutions in meetings
   • Actively find work challenges and provide solutions

5. Be the Team Player
   Managers look for employees who are not only talented, but work to make the entire team better. Team players work well with other team members and support them emotionally. Team members are proactive about pitching in when and where needed.
   
   They also understand what the team mission is and work with other team members to accomplish its goals and values. Because of this understanding, team players are competitive for the team not within the team.

When it comes to your career, talent helps but is not the sole factor for success. Take time to apply these five career advice secrets and you too will be the perfect employee everyone wants on their team.

It's Workaholic Day!

Today is Workaholic Day. However, the workaholics are too busy working to notice or enjoy the day.

Find time to take the CareerJournal.com quiz at the following link to see you might be a workaholic:

CareerJournal.com Workaholic Quiz

If you are a workaholic, relax. I really mean it, relax! The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute states that workaholics, especially those with Type A habits, are prime candidates for stress-related illnesses including ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart attacks.

Take steps to create more balance in your life and reduce stress. We have some stress management, stress relief, and relaxation tips and techniques in our stress management catagory you can apply today.

Please post to this article and share you workaholic stories with us. Please relax because we want you around for a while.

Life Before Downsizing: Six Secrets to Managing Change and Creating Opportunities for the Future

What would you do if you learned your organization was bought by another organization, was downsizing, or closing its doors tomorrow? In 30 days? Six months? In one year? Are you prepared for the change? What will you do in the future?

In this ever changing world we live in, there is one constant...change. Changes are happening faster and faster. Even what is changing has a different look. Just think of the items in your life that were not available 20, 10, 5 years, or even one year ago. Just think of the iPod, cloning, DNA, etc. Why would we think our career situation will be the same in twenty years?

The same types of changes are happening in the workplace. This is no longer the world of working twenty years for the same company. Organizations are adapting to the local, national, and global marketplaces.

How do you prepare yourself for these changes? The following techniques will enable you to master career change and create opportunities for you:

1. Create Goals
   Many times when you work for an organization for a long time, you may become complacent. Constantly develop your goals. Work on goals in the areas of career, family, education, fitness, health, and spirituality. This will create balance in your life and enable you master change when it comes.

2. Cast Your NETS Now!
   N-E-T-S means Network with Everyone for Total Success! Go out and join various industry and non-industry groups. This is a great way to spread your NETS. Volunteer and be active with these groups so that your skills can be seen and your ideas heard. This is an opportunity to develop your leadership abilities and let others know about you as a person and the skills you have to offer. As I always say:
   
   "It's not what you know. It's not who you know. It's who knows what you know."
   
   Depending on the skills, you will be looked at as an expert. Cast your NETS and let others know what you know.

3. Account for Your CPA
   C-P-A means Creating a Positive Attitude. Create a positive attitude toward your career and life so that you will not miss opportunities when they arrive. Look at challenging situations as opportunities that will prepare you for greater opportunities in the future. Realize that the projects you work on today will create new opportunities for you tomorrow.

4. Seek Knowledge
   Continuously seek knowledge to stay ahead of the change curve. Many times when we work with employees in organizations, we let employees know about educational opportunities that enhance their careers and lives. Sometimes, we receive the following response:
   
   "If the company isn't going to pay for the class, then I am not going to take it."
   
   Folks, we gladly spend (spend as in purchasing something with decreasing value) money on cable TV, DVD's, etc. However, when it comes to investing in our education, we often say no.
   
   Keep in mind that once you receive your knowledge, its your knowledge, and you take it wherever you go. Additional knowledge gives you the confidence to meet challenges and embrace opportunities.
   
   Take the time to find out what benefits and educational opportunities your organization is offering and take advantage of them. Do it today.
   
   Seek knowledge and grow!

5. Relax and Downsize Your Life
   Take the time to downsize your lifestyle. Often when we receive a raise, we buy a bigger car or house, buy additional items on credit, etc. That has become the norm in the "super size me" society. As the comedian George Carlin says, "We have become a slave to our stuff." Think of ways you could downsize your lifestyle if you were faced with a career or life challenge tomorrow. Then act on it before it acts on you.
   
   By downsizing, you will experience the following benefits:
   
   
   • Take back control of your life
   • Reduce stress
   • Allow more time for family, hobbies, and community work
   
   Also, it will allow you to take advantage of a new career or business opportunity, one that maybe you have a real passion for, without being as concerned about "will this job pay my bills."

7. Connect with Your Change Barometer
   Look inward or ask a good friend or family member how you handled change in the past. Ask the following questions:
   
   

   How did you feel?
   What did you look like?
   How did you react (or not react)?

   
   Ask for honest feedback and take the information to learn how to handle career change and challenges in the future. It's okay to feel a certain way during the challenge of change. It's not okay to stay there. Also, understand that everyone handles change differently. So respect your co- workers' feelings.

Take these six secrets to managing change, and you will master the present and create future opportunities

Success Starts with a Can Do Attitude: Three Secrets to Creating More Success in Your Business, Career, and Life

Recently, I was watching a women's professional tennis match on TV. One of the players, Nadia Petrova, was having a spectacular tennis season, either winning or playing for the championship in several tournaments in recent months.

The TV interviewer interviewed Nadia's new coach and mentioned that Nadia, who was rated in the top twenty players in past years, was fast becoming one of the top five players in the world. The interviewer asked Nadia's coach about this, and the coach said, "In the past, Nadia had people around her that concentrated on what she 'can't do.' So Nadia would concentrate on what she couldn't do, especially in challenging situations on the court, and it would frustrate her. I am concentrating on what she 'can do, and she is a much better, confident player and is mentally much happier."

So I ask you, do you concentrate on the "can't dos" or the "can dos?" The following are three secrets to creating a "can do" attitude that produces positive results and more success in your life, business, and career:

1. Set Can Do Goals
   Set goals that move you toward successful results. People fail because they don't know what they want or what they don't want. Ask a friend, family member, or associate what they want in life. In most cases, they will pause and really think about what they want. Sometimes they can't come up with an answer. Sometimes they may come up with a weak response. However, ask the following question, "What don't you want in life?" and, in most situations, you will receive multiple, clear, and quick answers to your question. That's because we concentrate on what we don't want to happen instead of what we want to happen. In life, as in sports, we concentrate on "not losing" instead of concentrating how to "in."
   
   Set S-M-A-R-T-E-R (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely, Encouraging, Rewarding) goals that create a crystal clear roadmap for your success, and work to achieve these goals everyday.

2. Take Care of Your N-E-T-S
   N-E-T-S stands for Network with Everyone Today for Success. Fill your NETS with positive people that will support your positive "can do" attitude. These people, while supporting your goals, will also help you pass roadblocks to achieve your goals. You will also make your NETS stronger by supporting their goals to create a mutually supportive situation.
   
   Joy Fisher-Sykes always says, "Clean your NETS of people who have a "can't do," negative attitude, and who don't support your quest to achieve your goals." The more junk (negative people) in your NETS, the less room you have for more treasure (positive people). Take a close look at "friends," family and co-workers and ask, "Do they support me and my "can do" attitude?" If they don't, remove them from your NET. Keep your NET strong with positive people.

3. Concentrate on the Positive
   Recent research shows that 75-80% of daily communication is negative. This would include negative self-talk, conversations with others, or the media (TV, radio, the internet, etc.).
   
   Take back control of your mind and be responsible for your "can do" attitude. You can start with the following:
   
   
   • Concentrate on self-talk with positive solutions
     Start your mornings with meditation. Concentrate on positive thoughts with positive results. Visualize, involving as many senses as possible, to intensify the visualization and make it real for you. Ask, "What does your success feel, look, sound, and taste like?" Be aware of negative self-talk, and replace it with positive self-talk.
   
   
   • Control the Communication
     If it is a conversation, reframe the negative conversation into a more positive conversation. If someone is complaining endlessly, say, "Mike, I hear what you are saying. What solutions to you see to this problem?"
     
     If the media is negative, tune it out or turn it off.
     
     You can always walk away. You have that right.
   
   
   • Walk the Talk
     Be consistent in your behavior, and act on your "can do" attitude.
   
   
   • Fake It Till You Make It
     Act like you are already achieving your goals, and you will rise to a higher level. Others will also see you as achieving your goals and interact with you accordingly.

Follow these "can do" techniques and you will also achieve more success in your life. I know Nadia does. As of this writing, she has won two additional tournaments, with no end in sight. She has a "can do" attitude that creates success, and you can, too.

Coaching: How to Succeed in Half the Time Using a Personal Coach

I love watching the top sports individuals and teams; especially, the ones who consistently year in and year out maintain the highest level of excellence. What is the common factor of these successful individuals and teams? Great coaching! Great coaches analyze the talent they presently have and work to maximize the athlete's strengths, while minimizing or eliminating the athlete's weaknesses. This makes the individual and team better at what they do; while, at the same time, it identifies obstacles or challenges and helps the athlete and team overcome these challenges.

What do top business professionals such as Donald Trump and Bill Gates (especially in their early days) have in common with these top notch athletes? They realize that to accomplish their goals faster, they enlist the help of coaches. Whether it is presentation coaching, success coaching, or executive coaching, the coach assists the professionals realize their full potential, maximize their assets, minimize and eliminate their weaknesses, and helps them realize their opportunities in career, business, and life.

What are the qualities of a great coach? It's the same qualities you see in the great coaches in the athletic arena everyday. The following are some of the qualities to seek when enlisting the services of an effective coach:

1. Positive Communication
   When communicating with you, the coach will use communication that shows ownership and empowerment. Instead of saying, "I think...," "I hope...," "we kinda...," "maybe we could...," "I like to...," the coach will use words and phrases such as "we can...," "we will...," and "we need to...." These words and phrases convey a sense of ownership, empowerment, and expectancy of positive change.

2. Clear Goal-Setting
   Your coach will ask variations of these questions, "Where are you now?" and "Where do you want to be in one year, five years, 10 years, etc.?" The coach will work with you to develop a personalized plan or proven system that is flexible and fits your special needs. The coach will hold you accountable for achieving the plan and help you find ways to accomplish the plan.

3. Motivational Ability
   Your coach will find the motivating factors that are important to you and keep you focused on your goals based on these factors. Having established a close relationship with you, your coach will know when and how much to motivate you.

4. Honest Feedback
   Your coach will give you constructive, honest feedback so that you can take the steps to go to the next level in your career, business, and life. Many times when I coach individuals in organizations, the number one concern employees have is one or more of the following: "I never receive feedback on my performance," "I only receive negative feedback," or "I only receive feedback during my once-a-year performance review." Feedback is important for improvement.
   
   Could you imagine a basketball coach never giving his team any feedback during the basketball game or season? Or even worse...only negative feedback? How would the individuals on the team know what areas to improve upon to succeed? Your coach's feedback will keep you on track to be more successful.
   
   Another important benefit of coaching is that it is confidential in nature. Just you and your coach will know what your goals are for success. Often the reason individuals don't ask for help or guidance is because they don't want others to know their weaknesses. Your coaching sessions are confidential and all feedback is kept between the participants.

5. Making the Future Now
   Your coach will help you see your future opportunities today and jumpstart you to take action immediately. Many times we will see our future opportunities but don't know how to get there. The coach provides a "bridge" to help you move toward your opportunities and goals. Like the old saying goes, "If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it." The coach helps you achieve it by seeing the future now and having you act on it.
   
   Enjoy the benefits of successful individuals and organizations if you are serious about creating success in your business, career, and life. Do what successful people do and find a coach that meets your unique needs and helps you accomplish your goals quickly. You will be amazed at the results.

Eight Leadership Techniques for Outstanding Teams

Apply the following eight leadership techniques to create highly motivated, self-directed, and extremely productive employees and teams:

1. Provide Clear Expectations
   Winning organizations know where they are going and what is required to get there. Employees constantly need to know what they need to accomplish. Communicating expectations in a clear, concise manner is important. It's also important to communicate your expectations on an individual, department, and organizational level. Continue communicating your expectations on an ongoing basis. Whether one-on-one, through memos, or in a team meeting, keep communicating your expectations. Read more...

THE 12 RULES OF TIME

I appreciate Jim Estill, Chief Executive Officer of SYNNEX Canada Limited and author of the Time Leadership blog, for allowing me to publish his great time management article. The following are valuable tips that will help anyone accomplish their goals in half the time:

By Jim Estill

My business experience has taught me one true thing: That maximizing your productivity, happiness, peace, or impact can best be accomplished if you clearly understand the 12 Rules of Time.

1. Have goals
   Being more efficient with your time is irrelevant if you don't know how you want to spend it. In managing time, the compass is more important than the clock. Know where you want to go and spend your time on the things that get you there.
   
   Many people spend energy trying to be more efficient without first doing what's important: setting goals. It's like being lost on your way to a new city. Driving faster doesn't help if you are going in the wrong direction. Figure out what direction to go in and head that way.
   
   Once you've prepared it, your list of goals will reveal what is important to you.

2. Analyze how you spend your time
   It is always good to know how you're spending your time right now. You can track this by setting a timer to go off every 15 minutes; whenever it sounds, write down exactly what you are doing. Alternatively, divide your day into 15-minute blocks and record each activity you do.
   
   Once you have your time logs, examine them. How do they compare to your goals? Are you spending time where your priorities are?

3. Keep a to-do list
   This sounds too simple, but it really is the basis of all time-management systems. Your to-do list can be electronic, on fancy paper, bound in a notebook or loose-leaf. The key is to have everything you want to accomplish on one list. My to-do list might have a one-line item on it, such as "write annual report," which refers me to a much larger file or even a file box on that item.

4. Prioritize your list
   Once you have the list, determine which are the important items. Mark these with a highlighter, a red pen, or in any other way that makes them stand out.
   
   I sometimes find my to-do list is too big. Every item on the list calls out "pay attention to me!," even though most of them weren't highlighted as important. In these cases, I take a blank sheet of paper and cover my to-do list and write down only the three or four most important items. Those are the ones to focus on.

5. Control procrastination
   I use a number of tricks to break any lingering tendencies to procrastinate. For instance, I happen to like having a hard copy of my digital to-do list. I reprint it every few days as new items are added and completed ones dropped. It is at these times that I look for the items that I've marked as high priority, but which are just not getting done.
   
   People often say I have great self-control. In truth, though, much of it is environment control. I control my environment to eliminate things that I might use to procrastinate. Take games off your computer, for example, sell your TV, and get rid of the busywork jobs that you use to avoid the important tasks.
   
   I have developed one effective habit that has helped break me of procrastination: "Do the worst thing first." At the beginning of every day, I do the one task that is causing me the most stress, and that I haven't been getting done. Sometimes I just give it a quarter of an hour - based on the theory that I can stand just about anything for 15 minutes. Frequently it is this short thrust that breaks me through.
   
   If I still find myself procrastinating, I review my reasons for setting a goal. To create extra motivation to complete a task, I strengthen the reasons why it should be done. Similarly, many people reward themselves for completing a job.

6. Organize
   Organization and time management are linked. I find that I get important things done when I have all the tools I need to perform the job.
   
   The opposite of organization - chaos, clutter, disorganization - generally leads to busy work. If your desk is piled high, every piece of paper says "look at me." You can end up doing a lot of work without ever getting to the important stuff.

7. Delegate
   One way to expand your time is to get others to help you with it. The key to delegation is to hand off any tasks that someone else can do significantly faster or more easily than you can.
   
   If you're protesting that you don't have anyone working directly for you to whom you can delegate tasks, no problem. Consider delegating to a peer, a superior, a supplier, or even a customer. Treat delegation like networking: who in your network would be best for the job?
   
   In some cases you will need to invest up-front to train someone so he or she can take over a task from you. The long-term savings are usually worth the up-front time and costs.
   
   After delegation, remember to thank appropriately. You might think people would resent being delegated to, but exactly the opposite is true. People like to be asked, especially if it is to do something that they're good at.

8. Master efficiency tricks
   The best trick I have found is "The Power of While." What can you do while you drive? While you walk? While you clean? While you watch TV? I am a huge audio tape advocate and frequently listen to tapes while I am doing something else.
   
   Being a techno person, I love all the organization software out there that allows me to keep my contacts, to-do lists and appointments. I also use gadgets such as cellphones, wireless e-mail, and personal digital assistants. Good use of technology can save you valuable time.

9. It's OK to say no
   Saying "No" can be the most powerful time tool you can master. When someone asks you to do something, ask yourself how important this is. Does it help you achieve your goals? Is this a task you would be better at than most people? Don't always look for reasons to get out of things, but be strategic about what you take on.
   
   This doesn't mean that I always say no when asked to help out. But if I do say no, I am always polite and tactful, and try to suggest someone else who would do the job well.

10. Focus
    Committing 100% focus and concentration on one task at a time can be very powerful. Eliminate distractions. Focus on the task. When you're properly organized and prepared, when your energy and power are high, you can often complete a task in 20% of the time it would take when you're distracted or open to interruption.

11. Build your efficiency bank
    High efficiency is not possible if you don't look after yourself. Eat right, exercise, sleep well and drink moderately. Mom knew best: all the things she said were good for you just happen to be best for your efficiency, too.
    
    I also believe meditation can be a great way of building your efficiency. It could be transcendental meditation, Zen, or just finding a way to get into a relaxed state that lets you focus on the task you have to do. No matter how you do it, recharging your batteries gives you the power to do more during the times you need to be at your best.

12. Take care of yourself
    It isn't possible to be "on" all the time. Take the time you need to look after yourself - body and soul - so that you can reach peak efficiency when you need to. Have a list of things you like to do. Find out what activities energize you, and spend more time doing them. This will give you the power and energy to be more productive when you return to work.

Finally, a word of advice. If after reading this far you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, I suggest you go back to Rule 1 and add peace (contentment) to your list of goals. Time management is not about adding stress; it is about giving you the time to be the person you really want to be.

Five Secrets to Becoming the Perfect Employee That Everyone Wants - Part One

With ever increasing deadlines, decreasing resources, and changing workplaces, sometimes it can be challenging to be a good employee, much less a perfect employee. The employee who can rise above the everyday problems and embrace challenges will be the person that every employer wants.

The following are five secrets to being the perfect employee everyone wants: To read the rest of the article...

You Mean I Need to Promote Myself to Get a Promotion? 5 Promotion Secrets to Get the Job You Want

Time and time again I hear the following from employees looking to advance:

"My work speaks for itself...I shouldn't have to tell anyone about my skills."
"Why did they hire from the outside, I am already doing what's required of that position?"
"Why did they get the job, I have more skills and experience than they do?"
"How come my name is never mentioned when promotions come up in conversation?"

The answer is...you need to promote your skills and experience. Everybody quotes the old saying, "It not what you know, but who you know." That's not quite right. The correct saying should be, "It not what you know but who knows what you know." The people that can make decisions or have input on your career need to know what you know. This will only happen if you promote, promote, promote your special skills and experience.

Here are five secrets you can use to promote yourself for promotions:

1. Volunteer to Make a Difference
   Volunteer for assignments that expose your skills. Look for especially challenging projects that other people have declined.
   
   Also volunteer to mentor others within your organization. This will show and develop your leadership, management, and interpersonal skills. Keep management posted on your challenges and how you are working with the person you are mentoring to overcome these challenges.
   
   Volunteer to write a department or organizational newsletter. This is another way to benefit a large group with your ideas while showcasing your skills and ideas.

2. Be a Solution Creator not a Problem Maker
   Anybody can find problems within organizations. My experience is that you don't need to find them...they will find you. Sometimes they have a special skill of finding problems and reporting them.
   
   Develop the skill of looking at these problems as "opportunities for advancement," step back and analyze the opportunity, and develop ideas for overcoming the problem. Make sure you communicate these solutions during meetings, e-mails, memos, and conversations with management. You will soon be looked upon by management as someone who can overcome obstacles and make things happen within the organization.

3. Handle the Next Level at This Level
   If you are a manager and want to become a vice president, then start working like a vice president. Find a vice president that is open to mentoring you for the next level. Remember, that vice president will not be promoted to the next level unless the organization sees that the vice president has developed someone to take their spot. It might as well be you. Plus you can lighten their work load.
   
   Explain to the vice president what you want to accomplish so that everyone has a clear understanding and that this is a win-win situation for all involved.
   
   I hear, "I'm too busy already to do this." Well, let me ask you, "How badly do you want the promotion?" We are all busy. It's up to you to enhance your time management and delegation skills so that you can take on these tasks that will prepare you for the next level.

4. Announce That You Want It!
   Many times employees miss out on promotions because the decision makers and career influencers do not know they are interested in being promoted.
   
   Announce that you want to go to the next career level!
   
   Take time to sit down with your supervisor, manager, director, etc. and let them know you are interested in going to the next level. Ask them for their honest assessment of your skills. Then ask what you need to do to be ready when the next career opportunity appears.
   
   Also announce your career aspirations to influencers in the Human Resources Department. Remember the more people they can hire from the outside, the less work they need to do. Make it easy for them to hire you.
   
   Announce it to any one who can influence the decision for your promotion.

5. Join Groups to Accelerate Promotions
   Join committees within the organization. This shows management that you care enough to make a difference.
   
   Also join professional groups and associations. Professional groups and associations are a perfect way to let influencers outside your organization about your skills. Don't just join, participant in the association's activities to show your creativity, teamwork, and other skills.
   
   One of the most important groups that you could ever join...is Toastmasters. This is a worldwide organization with over 175,000 members dedicated to helping it's improve their public speaking, evaluation, think-on-your-feet, and leadership skills. The main reasons you should join Toastmasters is the following:
   
   
   • Toastmasters give you the confidence to approach any opportunity with confidence.
   • Toastmaster gives you the speaking skills to stand up in front of group and present your point in a persuasive manner while others shy away from this opportunity.
   • You develop your leadership skills by learning how to do effective, positive, and encouraging feedback and evaluations while learning how to empower the receiver to do better.
   • You have the opportunity to develop your leadership skills by volunteering for positions at the club, area, state, regional, and international level. I always say if you can't get the skills at your organization, you can get it at Toastmasters.

Join and let your organization know you've joined these groups. I remember a student telling me he wanted the job of Network Administrator in a large organization. He never seemed to get past the first interviews. Then he joined Toastmasters. He shared with me he gained the confidence and think-on-your-feet skills needed to master his interviews. Shortly after joining Toastmasters, he landed his dream job as Network Administrator at a major hospital. It can make the difference for you.

I challenge you to apply these techniques. You will see immediate results and go to the next level.

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Want to learn how to prepare yourself for future opportunities? Click here for information on our empowerment workshop will help you go to the next level. Also click here to read our articles on career development, motivation, goal setting, etc. Call us at 757-427-7032 or e-mail us at info@thesykesgrp.com for additional information or questions.