Effective Learning

As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he may learn that he may grow; and as he learns the spiritual lesson which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other circumstances. - As A Man Thinketh

No situation can be difficult of itself; it is the lack of insight into its intricacies, and the absence of 

wisdom in dealing with it, which give rise to the difficulty.

Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. 

Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins. 

First, we need to understand that we possess the ability to improve and accelerate our learning curve.

The Most Effective Steps to Learning:

1. Get your mind in the right state

2. Take in the information

3. Explore the subject deeply

4. Memorize the information

5. Test yourself to show that you really know it 

6. Take time to reflect

Now let's take a brief look at how to accelerate your learning:

Here are five tips for accelerating your learning.

1. Apply the sequence of the process above. That is the key. Use these proven steps to put you on track for learning.

2. Make your learning regular. That is, do it on schedule. Your mind will get used to learning and become extremely efficient at it if you will train your mind to learn.

3. Be methodical. The best way to accelerate your learning is to do it every day. The person who progressively learns something every day for 30 days, applying the process above will be much better off than the person who learns nothing for 27 days and then crams for 3 days. 

4. Focus on doing most of the learning in your main learning style. That is your strength, it is safe to say that when you are learning in the way you learn best, you will learn faster.

5. Work with a partner. Learn together. Challenge one another. Stretch one another. Compete with one another. Test one another. And of course, encourage one another.

Individuals should also perform a Self-SWOT analysis to identify intrinsic qualities (strengths and weaknesses) that may help or hinder them in the workplace, as well as external issues (opportunities and threats) that may work for or against them as they attempt to climb the corporate ladder.

You can accelerate your learning. It just takes a little practice and learning of some new skills. Be encouraged, your mind is capable of tremendous things, and when you get into the flow of learning, you will grow in ways you have never grown before!

 "Inch by inch it is a cinch." ......True words of Robert Schuler

I wish You Great Success.

Leadership Master

Leadership mastery refers to achieving a high level of proficiency and effectiveness in leadership roles. It involves developing and honing a comprehensive set of skills, traits, and behaviors that enable leaders to inspire, motivate, and guide individuals or teams toward shared goals and objectives.

Leadership begins with understanding what you want to take care of. Identify what matters to you deeply. When you care about something, others will trust you as a leader. It’s not enough to be in charge; true leadership involves commitment to a shared future.

Good Communication - Great leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internalize and own. Many leaders have great vision but fail to lead their organizations anywhere. Vision that is only kept in your mind is not vision, but a dream. 

Vision communicated clearly, memorably and passionately, so that people can grasp it and follow, is what will take your group, whether large or small, to the next level and beyond. A leader needs to be able to inspire others with their vision.

Mastery in communication involves active listening, empathy, clarity, and persuasiveness. Leaders communicate effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization, fostering trust and transparency.

The Ability to Delegate - Great leaders know that they cannot do it all on their own. They may be able to do a lot on their own, but they will never achieve the powerful impact that is possible until they learn to delegate, and then choose to do so. There is an old proverb that says, "One can put 1,000 to flight and 2 can put 10,000 to flight." 

When we delegate to capable people, we increase our effectiveness and impact exponentially. Unfortunately, too many leaders do not attain greatness because they refuse to let anyone else do anything. 

Mastery in leadership involves empowering others, fostering autonomy, and delegating authority effectively. Leaders trust their team members, provide support and resources, and encourage ownership and accountability.

The Ability to Teach - When you look at great leaders of history you see men and women who are able to teach. Christ, the greatest leader in history primarily led people by teaching them with stories. He knew that he would have to transfer concepts to his followers that they could remember and apply. 

In fact, they called him "teacher".

Leaders invest in the growth and development of their team members through coaching, mentorship, and feedback. They recognize and cultivate talent, foster a culture of continuous learning, and support career advancement.

 A good example of a modern-day business leader who used teaching is Jack Welch at General Electric. When Welch began leading GE, it had a market cap of 4 billion dollars. Before he retired, it had reached as high as 400 billion dollars.

The Ability to Set Goals - The leader is also responsible for setting the goals of the organization.

They must determine what the team will shoot for. They need to be big enough to stretch the followers but realistic enough so as not to discourage them. 

The leader must also set strategy and plot the map to get there. Managers can take care of the rest, but the leader is responsible for giving the general strategic direction.

Leadership mastery is not a destination but an ongoing pursuit of excellence.

I wish You Great Success.

Profitable Business

Anyone, from newbie to seasoned leader and marketer, can benefit from going through proven series of steps. No matter where you are in your business, it always pays to revisit the basics and make sure you're doing everything possible to grow your business to be as good as it can possibly be.

Here are the main traits for a Profitable Business:

1. Tough Mental State. Leaders face tough situations and need to be able to stay focused. A tough mental state is essential. You want people who eat hard times for breakfast, because they will inevitably be called to do so!

2. Tenacity. Again, they will face hard times and obstacles head on, so they need a high "capacity for tenacity!" As Robert Schuler says, "When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going."

3. A Desire to Rise Above the Status Quo. Leaders never think in terms of average. They have no desire to be average. They see themselves higher, they want to be higher, and they are willing to do what it takes to rise above the crowd.

4. Takes Responsibility. Notice I didn't say "accepts responsibility." Good followers will say, "okay," when assigned a task. Leaders look ahead and ask you if they can take projects on. This is key to finding people who want to lead - they take on additional responsibilities and then deliver!

A brief overview of the steps you need to take in order to grow a profitable business:

1. Find a hungry niche market -- BEFORE you decide what to sell

2. Write compelling salescopy that draws in your visitors

3. Design a winning site that converts visitors into buyers

4. Use the power of email marketing to keep in touch with your visitors... and turn them into buyers!

5. Grow your business by selling new products to your existing customer base

Remember, you can always increase your skills. Even if you just increase them a little bit, you will increase your effectiveness and your impact significantly. Even the smallest of change in a trajectory will mean a large change in distance

I wish You Great Success.

Core Leadership

Character is core to leadership,

"What is character?"

Here are a few definitions of character:

1. Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality

2. Moral or ethical strength

3. Who you are when no one else is around

In other words, a person of good character is a person who has a strong moral base and acts on it. They have the core inner strength, fortitude and determination to do what is right, whether anyone else is there to validate it or not. They operate out of what is good and right, not out of personal expedience.

Essential Traits of Good Character are Integrity, Honesty and Loyalty. 

A person of good character shows that they can give up personal gain for the good of the whole.

Let us focus on self-control, sacrifice and accountability.

Self-Sacrifice: What is it about self-sacrifice that breeds followers? Followers do not 

mind putting in the hard work. They don't even mind a leader making more money or reaping benefits from their work. What followers do mind though, is when the leader is using them for his or her own personal gain. People of good character do not use other people--period. So, when leader shows sacrifice of personal gain, it says to the followers that he or she is willing to come along side of them - and followers reward that almost universally. 

Accountability: The need for accountability doesn't prove lack of character. Rather, 

it proves the presence of character. Followers are growing tired of those leaders who will have nothing to do with accountability. They do not mind leaders who make mistakes. They do mind leaders who will not take responsibility for those mistakes by being accountable. When we allow ourselves to be held accountable, our followers know that we are serious about keeping our own house in order and thus will do a good job in leading the rest of the organization.

Self-control: The ability to make decisions - good decisions. There will be plenty of options to participate in things that are not moral. Everybody has temptations, but the person of good character knows well enough to exercise self-control, literal control over his or her choices. When people do not exercise self-control, they sabotage their ability to lead. People lose respect for them and will follow less, if at all. 

Self-control is the ability to choose to do the things we should and to refrain from doing the things we shouldn't. When we exhibit self-control we again build trust in our followers. They respect us and want to follow us.

I wish You Great Success.

The Essentials: Effective Presentations.

Yes, we need to hit the mind with our message, but we also need to stir the heart with passion. 

The leader who is only rational will have bored followers who aren't inspired to go anywhere. 

The leader who is only emotional will have excited followers who do not know where to go! 

It takes both. Help them see the big picture.

1. Have a goal: Are you there to inspire? Encourage? Challenge? Comfort? Motivate? Deliver bad news? Good news? 

Is it just informational? Are you trying to motivate them to action? If you know where you are going and where you want to take the audience, you can then work back from there and create your presentation. Like Stephen Covey's old axiom, "Begin with the end in mind." Be sure to know your goal.

2. Keep it simple: Be yourself - take slow deep breaths you don't have to be someone else. One mistake many people make is in trying to emulate the style of another person. This rarely, if ever, works. Why? Because you are not that person! Be yourself. That is, who others are expecting.

You can be simple and be very good at the same time. So be sure to keep it simple. 

Remember the world would not fall apart if you do a rotten job.

3. Be passionate about your topic: People want to see that you are passionate about your topic. Aristotle said that there are three areas integral to persuasion: logic, ethics and passion. You need to be a person of good character, have logical reasoning, and say it with passion. Also, be optimistic. Napoleon said, "Leaders are dealers in hope." As presenters, we pull people in and bring them along by giving them hope. 

Be sure to let your passion and optimism come through! Understand that you are your own worst critic.

4. Balance the format of your information: Use facts and figures and use stories. Include lecture as well as audience participation. In this day and age, with waning attention spans, we do well to change up the format on regular intervals. People are used to modern media which makes single person speaking a tough act. Be sure to use different formats in your presentation.

5. Tell stories: The best way to start with a crowd is to make them laugh, the audience becomes more relax and receptive. The joke does not have to be related to the topic. Stories are things that people can connect with. They can remember them. They see them in pictures. What would you be most apt to remember two weeks after hearing a speaker: The exact percentages of his or her statistics, or a well-told story? Be sure to build stories into your presentation so people remember the points you want them to remember.

6. Mastery of your material: This is the foundation of an effective presentation: It tells people 

you are serious about the topic, that you care about it, and you are qualified to speak to them about it. Fear comes from wondering if you will make a mistake, know your material. You will feel more comfortable and will come across as very credible. Audiences are looking for credibility, be sure to know your material.

7. Timing: Focus on the first five minutes, this time is critical as it allows you to settle and get 

comfortable. One of the skills of an effective presenter is that they can craft their presentation to 

fit the allotted time and then discipline themselves to stay within that time frame. Starting on time 

and ending on time will show people that you respect their time. Speakers/leaders shoot themselves in the foot by not finishing on time. Be sure to always stay within your time limits and leave your audience wanting more!

 

I believe leaders and almost anyone can become a better speaker and presenter if they practice their skill. It doesn't require a tremendous amount of advanced training, either. Just mastering the basics will take you to the next level and allow you to become a much more effective communicator.

I wish You Great Success.

The Choices We Face

Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them.

Finding your purpose helps defines your burning desire, your purpose should be good, fun and focused.

Your purpose is when you do more than you have the immediate capacity to do because you know and you have faith, that it is going to pay off.

Your purpose is when every single morning you wake up with a fresh new idea and you know your turn is coming.

A quick way to define your purpose:

1. Write down the activities that you enjoy

2. See if any of these activities can make you a living.

Each of us has a choice to be all or to be less or to be nothing at all.

The first choice we can make is to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. 

To read less and think less. To try less and discipline ourselves less.

The second choice is to do it all! To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book 

that we possibly can. To earn as much as we possibly can. To give, lead and share as much as we 

possibly can. To strive and produce and accomplish as much as we possibly can.

Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. 

Not justification. Results! And if our results are less than our potential then our choice is clear

With the right choice it is important to clarify and nullify the myths facing potential leaders:

The position myth: "I cannot lead if I am not at the top."

The destination myth: "When I get to the top, then I will learn to lead."

The Influence myth: "If I were on top, then people would follow me."

The Inexperience myth: "When I get to the top I will be in control."

The freedom myth: "When I get to the top I will no longer be limited."

The potential myth: "I cannot reach my potential if I am not the top leader."

The all-or-nothing myth: "If I cannot get to the top, then I would not try to lead."

These are all negative belief system, you can lead from wherever you are; 

Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can?

I wish You Great Success.

The Ultimate Communicator

Although you can play a game of chess with rules, you cannot write a poem with one. 

Your creativity will take you to levels you cannot get to with rules, always strive to develop your USP (Unique Selling Preposition)

Communication is not one direction. It goes both ways. To become an effective 

communicator, you must be a good listener. Once you know what your "audience" wants, you are better able to communicate to them. You should care about the people with whom you communicate. Talk with them, not to them. People don't want you to talk at them. They want to communicate. Think about it: the root word is "commune." It means to live and share together. This is what we do when we communicate together--we share words and ideas. This means we must care about the people we are communicating with. We should be interested in their needs and desires.

Focus on clarity: The most effective communication is clear communication. Many speakers believe that they should be as ambiguous as possible--but that is not what makes them effective! The 

important principle is clarity. Do they (your audience) understand your message? Be as clear and 

concise as you can. Never go any longer than it takes to make the communication as clear as it needs to be.

In order to be effective, communication must be done over and over again. Very rarely will you be able to communicate something just once and have someone or some group walk away with full understanding. It just doesn't happen that way. You need to do it often and with varied ways. This is what will make it most effective.

Improve your vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling: When people hear you or read what you have written, they look for class and style. This can often be noticed through your vocabulary, your pronunciation, and your spelling. If you want to be more effective, then focus on improving in these areas. 

A key phrase is that our vocabulary directly affects the way we both view and interpret the world around us. If we have a small vocabulary, it limits our ability to define or communicate what we 

see, feel and hear. The larger the vocabulary, the better our ability to relate.

You can become an effective communicator! Start with improving the fundamentals and you will get better. Once you have mastered the fundamentals - and very few have - then you can start on the 

advanced areas and become a world-class speaker!

I wish You Great Success.