The Sykes Group's OnPoint

NFL Legend Bruce Smith Talks About Health

14/04/08 12:38

We are honored to be involved of the third annual American Cancer Society's African American Men's Health Forum at the Marriott Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, VA on April 19th. As a volunteer for the American Cancer Society, I implore everyone to be proactive in taking care of their health. As Co-Chairman of this important event, I am especially happy that NFL Legend Bruce Smith has become a spokesperson for this event. See the following commercial with Bruce:

For additional information, go to www.cancerhealthforums.org. Get the information to make a difference for your love ones and for yourself.

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

07/04/08 1:23

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

March Madness is Here!

26/03/08 12:14

March Madness is here! I am not talking about the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament. I am talking about the free bonuses offered with our new success e-book, "Jumpstart Your Greatness!"

Find out more about this success system and bonuses at Success.

March+Madness success successful+people Jumpstart+Your+Greatness

Coming to 0rder: Five Public Speaking Lessons Learned from Judge Judy

18/03/08 11:44

If you have watched T.V. lately, you’ve probably noticed a growing popular genre - reality courtroom shows. These shows are centered on litigants bringing small-claims court cases in a televised forum. Some of the cases can get pretty racy and you might think there is little you can gain unless you plan to go to court yourself. What if I told you that watching Judge Judy can not only expand your understanding of the law, but teach you how to make better presentations? The following are five public speaking lessons you can learn from following courtroom protocol and procedures:

Lesson 1 – Concentrate on I and Why
Every plaintiff, before proceeding into a courtroom, needs to be able to answer one simple question, “Why am I here?”

The same is true in public speaking. When you give a speech, you need to focus not only on the “I” but the “why” of the program. You need to know the purpose for your speech and clearly be able to answer:

Why is this talk important?
Why should the audience listen to me?
Why should the audience put my talk into action?

When you choose to focus on the “I” as well as the “why” of your presentation, you are more likely to connect with your audience and increase the overall value and effectiveness of your speech.

Lesson 2 – Dress for Success
Imagine walking into a courtroom and attorneys are dressed in pajama pants, a polo shirt, and worn fuzzy slippers? What about drooping pants and a top with a plunging neckline and bulging cleavage? You may laugh at the thought, but odd and outlandish attire choices seem to be more of the norm for many who are not court officers. Why is this so important?

One universal truth we know to be true is that people are strongly influenced by visual cues. Your attire can accentuate or detract from your message. How? In thirty seconds or less, the audience will assess your look and decide whether or not you “appear” worth listening to. Choose to make a strong impression as you increase your credibility quotient; always choose polished and professional apparel.

Lesson 3 – Get to the point
The calendar of any court judge is full daily with no time to waste. Time is a precious commodity. If you waste the time you’re given, you risk being cut off by the judge and left wondering how you lost your case.

When you address an audience, it’s important to remember that their time is precious. Waste time and the audience will choose to tune you out and you will lose their attention and the ability to make your points. Plan, prepare, and practice your speech with information that is relevant, interesting, and concise.

Lesson 4 – Make Eye Contact
The eyes have it - truth is in the eyes. “Don’t look up there or look over there; look at me!” is a common admonishment you’ll often hear the popular Judge Judy often extol. Eye contact is the connection that helps judges and audiences alike to connect with the speaker. Audiences are more likely to believe what you say when you are able to look them in the eye without wavering. Make eye contact with your audience often and watch your credibility and connection with your audience go up!

Lesson 5 – Speak Up
Mumbling in court is not optional. Fail to speak up in court and you risk others speaking over you and drowning out your opportunity to make your case. What good is testimony if the judge, court reporter, attorneys, litigants, jury and court observers can’t hear it? When you make a presentation, ensure that the eloquence of your message isn’t lost. Use your voice and be sure to maintain an appropriate volume for the venue in which you speak. Speaking to a conference room full of your peers will require a different need that giving a keynote given at an industry conference. Make the choice - choose to speak up.

Apply these five public speaking secrets and you will always give outstanding presentations and be in control of any room.

public+speaking public+speaking+skills presentation+skills Judge+Judy

Leader Brett Favre's Retires

05/03/08 2:37

All-Pro, record breaking quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre, has decided to retire from the National Football League.

He achieved many of his accomplishments by being a great leader. Well, what are the characteristics of a great leader? The following are just some of the leadership traits important to leading people that Brett Favre exhibited:

Leaders communicate clear goals

Leaders provide ongoing communicate

Leaders take adversity and create opportunity

Leaders are not afraid to make mistakes

Leaders bounce back up after taking a hit

Leaders constantly motivate others

Leaders develop teams

Leaders inspire people to accomplish more than they realize

We know Brett will enjoy just as much success in his retirement.

Happy Leap Year!

29/02/08 11:07

Happy Leap Year!

I can only say this once every four years. I hope you are enjoying this "exrra" special day and making the most of it.

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

28/02/08 9:45

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:

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.

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.

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

Pay A Compliment Day - Take Time to Appreciate Someone

06/02/08 3:57

What's the greatest investment you can make at work or in life? What is the one investment that doesn't cost you anything, yet you receive enormous benefits from it? What can you do to motivate a person to achieve a new level of success?

A Sincere Compliment

Take the time today, "Pay a Compliment Day," and everyday to "find something good" that an employee, a family member, a friend doing and compliment them on it. It may be the first time the person you are complimenting may ever have been complimented. On account of that special moment, you can make a real difference in their life.

For information on how to give a sincere compliment and praise someone, go to Appreciation.