wisdom Tagged Articles

12 Rules for Success

Several years ago I generated a list of my own personal rules for success. It was originally 10 items which I called “Whipple’s 10 Commandments for success.” I later added a couple more to make it an even dozen.

Product You: The Person as the Product

It’s common wisdom that if you have a service business, YOU are the product. So, when marketing gurus bother to look at the service industry, they advise you to promote YOU, the product. In my opinion, that advice is misleading at best and destructive at worst.

Selfless Contribution

Contributing is the act of GIVING one's energy for the good of another, whether it's a listening ear, sharing our expertise, wisdom, a skill or labor, a large financial donation, a genuine smile, a word of encouragement, coaching a friend, authentic feedback or volunteering your time and energy. Contribution makes the world go round. When we give, there is a typically a reward... sometimes a paycheck or monetary compensation, and other times we know we'll receive appreciation, acknowledgment or love from the recipient. Yet, how often to we truly contribute SELFLESSLY?? -- Where the focus is solely on GIVING with NO CONCERN of receiving ANYTHING in return.

This Year I will...

What if your keyboard held the all the elements necessary to pull you forward in 2010. Take a look at the magic keyboard we envision!

Smart Women Share Their Pearls….

This article is about taking a look at each decade of your life and finding the “pearls of wisdom” that have guided you and helped you become more of who you are today.

Are there any businesses that are recession-proof?

There are probably many businesses that are recession-proof, but things might be different in the present down-turn as things might get tougher with falling property prices, rising unemployment and so on. If you are looking for a business that is recession-proof try typing the term "recession-proof business" in the upper left box and then choose from the hits there. This search will turn up sites giving you their wisdom on top tips to survive a recession along with other blogs and websites telling you which businesses are most likely to survive during a recession. I will leave it to you to decide on which of these writers know their stuff. However, if you hit on something that looks like the type of business you would like to buy or even set up yourself, then do a bit more research on that type of business.

10 Tips to Win in 2010!

“If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." - Vincent Van Gogh

How to Solve Your Love-Hate Issue With Money

People have funny relationships with money – studies have shown a majority of people believe money is a bad and corrupting influence...

The Second Most Important Success Secret

You will, in this life, have the opportunity to learn from people, unusual teachers and mentors that don't fit the standard mold. People that have been taking their lumps for years and learning all along the way. People who have chosen you for some reason to pass on some of that knowledge...and you had better be listening. I am lucky enough to have had more than my share and I did listen and what I learned has changed my life. Business principles and life lessons that may be the most important lessons that I may ever learn. I now pass on to my clients, friends and mentoring students the same wisdom. And, if they choose to listen and learn as I chose, then the application of that knowledge will carry them a life time.

Kentucky Fried Wisdom

His friends often ask when he plans to retire, and his response is “retire to what?” These older business owners are proving that age and accomplishment does have its privileges, challenges and rewards!

INVERSE WISDOM

Some seemingly paradoxical principles of change and success

Lesson #1: Learn For Life

“If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him,” said Franklin. “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

Brokering Broadband: How Matthews Achieved Serial Success

A journalist once suggested to Mathews, “The standard wisdom is that Canadians are more risk-averse than Americans and therefore less aggressive.” Matthews’ response? “Okay, so I suggest you write some articles to stay that’s bullshit. Canadians need to just get on with it.”

Cultivating Intuition

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American philosopher said "The primary wisdom is intuition." It is not just a theory; it is part of who we are. Without training we can happen upon it occasionally and we usually like the results when we follow our intuition.

Connecting with Connectors

My new book -- Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time -- was recently released by Currency/Doubleday. In Never Eat Alone, I expose many secrets behind the success of so many accomplished people. Most of these secrets involve the power of relationships and how we all can succeed best in business and in life by contributing to the success of others. The mindset and techniques that have helped me meet and connect with so many amazing people, all of which have meant everything to my professional success and personal joy, are distilled into 31 simple and fun chapters that are easy to read and to follow.

Handling Critics

I'm comfortable in saying that anyone who has ever done anything of significance has been, at one time or another, unfairly criticized by those who believe they deserve a reward for finding fault.

Goal Setting

Studies tell us that only 3% of people in the USA set goals, and they are among the wealthiest people in the nation! Worldwide the percentage is probably lower. Why so low? There are several reasons, but the one that concerns us the most at Ziglar Training Systems is lack of know-how. When we ask people why they don't set goals they often say, "I don't know how."

How to be remarkable

From this week's Guardian: 1. Understand the urgency of the situation. Half-measures simply won't do. The only way to grow is to abandon your strategy of doing what you did yesterday, but better. Commit.

The Way of the Guerrilla

The goals of the 21st century guerrilla entrepreneur: work that is satisfying, enough money to enjoy freedom from worry about it, health good enough to take for granted, a bonding with others where you give and receive love and support, fun that is not pursued but is in the essence of daily living and longevity to appreciate with wisdom that which you have achieved. WHAT IS A GUERRILLA ENTREPRENEUR?

Guerrilla Learning

Let's start with the bad news. Much that you have learned in the past, although God's own truth at the time, has changed, leaving you misinformed or uninformed, so that a lot of what you know is wrong. In social situations, your lack of information is inconvenient, but in business, it's suicidal.

Fathers Day Insight

I want to share with you this bonus Usable Insight from Dr. Mark Goulston's blog. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

The Road to Wisdom

There are many roads to wisdom, and many wonderful books to educate us on our way.

How to Use Twitter as a Twool

I may get more value out of Twitter than anyone else on the planet because I use Twitter as a tool—specifically as a marketing tool—for my website Alltop and my book, Reality Check. If the concept of using Twitter in a commercial manner interests you, keep reading. If it doesn’t, then you can continue to send and receive tweets about how cats are rolling over and the line at Starbucks.

Give Your VCs Assignments

Over the weekend, Mark Suster wrote a great post titled How To Communicate with your Investors between Board Meetings. Mark continues to just tear it up with great advice for entrepreneurs. However, he left out one thing from the post – which is one of my favorite pieces of advice for entrepreneurs. Give your venture capitalists (and board members) assignments Mark alludes to this in many of his suggestions but he never comes out and says it. And, amazingly to me, many entrepreneurs either don’t ever think of this or don’t feel comfortable doing it. They should.

Chili and Your Intuition - 8 ingredients for making better strategic decisions

As a business owner or manager, what you ultimately rely on most when deciding your company’s future, is your intuition. The challenge with so many stakeholders relying on you to make the ‘right’ decision, is ensuring that your instincts are reliable. Effective leaders hone their intuition the way a chef cooks a pot of chili. Like chili, intuition needs to include the right ingredients and then be allowed to simmer a while. Here are eight ingredients for you to stew on...

The Rush to Prosperity May Be Ill-Advised

In the get rich quick world, accumulating wealth slowly may be something that's hard for people to grasp. Read the article below to gain insights of this time proven wisdom.

Business Lesson from a Farmer

200 years ago 95% of the population were farmers, today only 2% are farmers. There were some very practical wisdoms learned on a farm about life and about how to handle hard times. Every entrepreneur and business person should read this lesson from what farmers knew about the practical wisdom of surviving hard times.

Why not me?

Tune into your inner GPS! You cannot find your success using plans produced by others. One must follow their dream to fruition despite outside interference.

Learn from the Past

To learn from past is a valuable way to prevent repeating those mistakes. If we will take the experience of others and how they responded to their situations many of our problems will be averted.

Gratitude, Purpose and the Wisdom of Pooh

Food for Thought in three short stories about Gratitude, the Purpose of Life and a bit of Wisdom from Pooh.

Stop Worrying about Sales

Someone once said that worrying is praying for things you don’t want to happen. What a great saying, and, like all sayings, there’s a lot of truth in it.

Four Essential Strategies for Effective Communication

In this article, Mike Friesen describes describes effective communication as an engaged, useful exchange of information. With this in mind, great communication must engage compassionately, logically, with presence, and systematically and Mike explores each strategy in turn.

Characteristics of Personal Mastery (Part 2 of 2)

Personal mastery means excelling in the areas of heart, legacy, mind, action, and treating others well. In this second of a two-part series, Mike Friesen explores the last three characteristics in detail.

Five Leadership Secrets of an Aviator

A former fighter pilots suggests five lessons from aviation that link directly to leadership.

Resolving Conflict

The value of conflict is a controversial topic in many circles. Some organizations thrive on conflict for its own sake while others avoid conflict at any cost. Either extreme is dysfunctional as conflict can play a vital role in a healthy organization. The challenge is to focus, use and defuse conflict.

Character and Competence

When hiring for and growing employees within an organization, it is essential to consider both character and competence traits. The single best strategy for helping a company improve results starts with hiring the right people for the right business needs. It is far better to leave a vacancy unfilled rather than fill just because “any warm body in the chair will help.” The pain and cost of making poor hiring decisions is unnecessary. Sprinkle the hiring process with a bit more deliberation and patience and watch the long-term results take an upward course.

Disagreement and Disrespect

An important concept for successful leaders is to recognize disagreement and disrespect are two completely different concepts. Confusing or combining the two concepts guarantees a dysfunctional organization.

Leadership Acumen

What is leadership acumen? Leadership always yields tangible business results in the long-term. Since acumen is about insight and wise action, let’s consider it in context of great leadership and excellent business.

How to Be with Insecurity?

As an inner confidence coach, I often hear clients voice their frustration about feelings of insecurity. The inner critic is angry that they’re even feeling insecure - that they can’t get rid of that old feeling following them in places where they don’t want it to go. I understand. I, too, know about insecurity. And what I’ve learned through my years of working with this issue - within myself and with many, many people in the education, counseling and now coaching fields - is that it is natural and human to feel insecure. Everyone does - at times and usually in certain areas.

Trigger Events - The Anatomy of Sales Wisdom

When a prospect says or does something it should trigger the salesperson's time machine, bringing him back to an important sales event where something like the current scenario took place before.

Sales Leadership - A Balancing Act Between Compliance and Quotas

We'll discuss the balance sales leaders must have between sharing, mandating and asking. Sounds simple.

Three Stages of a Sales Agent

Sales agents and advisors have a life cycle, similar to that of the life cycle of a franchisee. There's a beginning stage, an intermediate stage, and the final result stage. Most agents and advisors behave in a similar fashion during the first two stages, but their behavior can differ dramatically in the final result stage. But I'm getting ahead of myself…

The Intuitive Genius of Your Being

You already know everything you need to know, whenever you need to know it. The challenge is that you either don't have conscious access to it, you don't know how to interpret the messages, or you don't know how to apply what you know.

Selling Isn't Rocket Science

Much like rocket science, when it comes to making the sale, the littlest thing can mean success or disaster.

"A Word to the Wise"

In view of the recent crises in banking and the financial services industry, what would you say was the top leadership trait? See if you agree with us here.

Smart Women, Dorothy, and the Yellow Brick Road

This article is about realizing the road to success and achieving new dreams is never paved in a straight line. There are twists and turns of every kind imaginable. This article shares that you need to pack the right items in order to make a successful journey, even with its windy road.

Express Your Independence

Learn to love and accept yourself and "get" that you have the power to manifest any kind of life you want. This article shows you how.

Franchises - Emotional Fulfillment - The Challenge

If you have trouble shifting your seat to the upright position for take off every morning, you should probably see if there's a better flight crew to help get you where you really want to go. Perhaps a Franchise is the answer, and perhaps it's not. However, until you ask these tough questions, and answer them with conviction, you won't know whether you have the possibility of leaping out of that rut, and over the Chrysler building in a single bound.

Reacting too soon from your emotions

The way we choose to communicate is important. You are not responsible for how others interpret your information, but you are responsible for your method of communication. We want to be considerate of others and have our intention be understood at the same time. There is a lot more going on than just our words. Our emotions behind our words, our intention behind our message, our vocal tones, and our body language will affect the way our message is received. There is a difference between responding versus reacting. If you react too quickly from your emotions it doesn’t give you a chance to discern or internalize and you are allowing your emotions to control you. To respond in an emotional mature way, take some time to BE RESPONSIBLE and process your emotions. If your tone is “harsh” during many of your communications, it’s possible tha

Elements of a Sales Funnel and How to Optimize It

The front-end Products are the first products you sell. They may not even make a profit. You need at least one, preferably two or three. These can cost anywhere from nothing to hundreds of dollars, but they need to be as broadly appealing as possible. One method is to offer a very low-priced product that is an extremely good value, something that will blow the customer away.

Who's delivering your sales training?

You cannot fake real sales experience and sales wisdom. It is one of the professions that is the hardest to teach and train because without real life sales experience you are at risk of being seen as inauthentic. To help you make the best choice when it comes to selecting the right sales trainer let's consider the following:

Intuition: An Untapped Resource

What is intuition exactly? The Oxford Dictionary defines the term as “the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.” It is a keen and quick insight, independent of any reasoning process. While intuition is important in all endeavors, it is particularly important for those in a leadership role.

I'll Try

Commitments have become something we keep if they are convenient for us.

Train Your Workers, Develop Your Leaders

Some managers view training and development as the same thing, whereas they are actually distinctly different. Managers sometimes send their employees to training courses expecting them to return with a new set of behaviors that will make them more effective as leaders—and are then disappointed by the results.

Successful Business Marketing: What Does Your Marketing Archetype Say About You?

Use these three easy tips on how to use the power of Marketing Archetypes and attract better, higher paying clients. You'll quickly be able to write and talk about what you do in a compelling, powerful and authentic way.

A Great Adventure For Learning

Knowledge was quite proud of himself while arriving at school that warm sunny morning. He had gained some new information that he was sharing with everyone. In the teachers lounge, Knowledge was very excited while he told Wisdom, the principle what he had learned.

Why You Shouldn't Keep All Income Eggs in One Basket

Clever poultry farmers don't put all their eggs in one basket because it is risky and constrictive. It is risky because the eggs if crammed together in one narrow space may break on the way to market. And selling the eggs in a single package is constrictive in the business sense because the farmer loses the opportunity to fetch different prices for his product.

Smart Women, Subways and Asking

This article is about asking for help from people or “experts” that have the knowledge and information that could help women in their lives both personally and professionally. It’s natural to get “lost” at different times in our life. The key is to ask the right people for help and direction to get you back on track and moving in the right direction of your goals.

New Years Resolutions and The Wisdom Of A Teenager

It is that time of year again, time to make our New Years Resolutions. Time to identify all those things we beat ourselves up for all year long and make a plan on how to turn it all around. Only to find ourselves three weeks later, back in the same old rut feeling more guilty for failing again this year. This New Year I have been inspired by the wisdom of a teenager. While my New Years Resolution will bring great change into my life, I have a plan to carry it out with the least amount of effort, as only a teenager could inspire me to do!

Under Pressure – Are You A Winner or A Choker?

Have you ever noticed that some people seem to thrive under pressure? Surely there are people that do perform better under pressure; it’s as though the situation actually gives them more power, strength and determination. It is a matter of how they have learned or been conditioned to react to crisis situations. A crisis is a situation that can either make or break you. If you react well to a crisis, it can empower you with strength, wisdom, intuition, timing that you normally don’t possess. In order to perform well under pressure, we need to learn certain skills. Basically here's a short list of 5 attitudes and skills one must learn, exercise and develop to come out on top in crunch situations. Remember, above all else, that you are the key to any crisis situation. Learn and practice these simple techniques.

The secret to success they never tell you about

What is the secret to success that everybody is preaching about, talking about incessantly, shoving down your throat, talking about all the time non stop?

Five Steps to Executive Presence

There is an art to gaining the corner office, and a large part of it is executive presence. Executive presence can’t be measured, but it’s often just as important as years of experience, results, knowledge and skill. Here are the five steps you need to know about.

Retirement Is Not The Goal, Entrepreneurism Is

Most working men and women over the age of 50 start thinking about retirement, and many start planning for it. They do their due diligence on investment strategies, position themselves well in their companies, review their estate planning, and so on. While each individual step in retirement planning in amongst itself is sound advice, the main question to ask during this transitional phase in their lives is, "What is the goal?" Retirement should not be the goal. Retirement limits your potential to positively impact the lives of others. Owning a simple yet fully principled internet business where you are the centerpiece of leadership is the key to getting all the benefits of retirement, with the added advantages of residual income and a source of true happiness for you and your family.

College vs. Self Education

Thanks Jim Rohn. I love the quote from the book, Twelve Pillars, "College will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune." This idea has set us free.

Discovering Your True Self-Worth

There is only one way to truly discover your true self-worth and that is by understanding and knowing who you really are. As we grow from youth to adulthood, we are told we can be whatever we want to be as long as we put our minds to it. Well, how many people do you know that have dedicated their lives to a particular profession and that appeared to be successful but aren't happy?

How does a skeptic make money online?

How does a skeptic make money online? The answer to that question is "they don't". Once a skeptic, always a skeptic. Can a skeptic be reformed? Yes, with an open mind. This is our story about a skeptic that was converted into a successful home business owner.

Exactly How to Make Money in Network Marketing! ~SECRET TO SIX OR SEVEN FIGURES a YEAR!

Have you ever wondered how do people make six or seven figures there first you in business? Well I know I use to until I was given the formula by an elite group of millionaire Internet marketers. Now I will never have to worry about a 9-5 again. Now in this article you can learn the formula on how to make money in network marketing.

Wealth Creation

Six Steps to Financial Freedom

I Live by a Simple Philosophy Which Helped me Become Successful!

What is the secret to success? Why are so many people struggling with the idea that success is simple. If you really want to know what the secret to success is free your mind of any former ideas and open your thought process to the fact that success is not actually that difficult, in fact my simple philosophy can help you attain your goal.

How To Optimise Your Time

The best way to utilise your time effectively is to identify the goals you first need to achieve. We usually feel that we have far too many things to accomplish and need to deliver on too many promises. This makes us feel overwhelmed which leads us to give up and choose to do nothing instead.

Mentoring and Coaching for Optimum Performance

How do you bring out the best and help your team members raise their performance and live up to their potential? In what ways can you contribute to their success through your coaching and mentoring effort? Learn more, read on...

You Have What It Takes

Have you ever doubted whether you could achieve your goals and dreams? Do you wonder why things don't work out the way you plan or intend? Do you find yourself making the same mistakes over and over again? Why aren't you farther along in the game of success? Why aren't you living the life you deserve-right now?

Getting An Outside Look

Working with a team over time can create "group think" and rob the ability to be objective. Soliciting feedback from the outside can help overcome this. Read this article to find out how.

The Wisdom of the Snapping Turtle

When I was 8 years old, during one of my journeys into the woods, I successfully captured a rather large snapping turtle. I immediately brought him back to my grandparents' house, selected an appropriate box, and made him my official pet. As I was being particularly quiet, my grandfather came onto the back porch to determine what mischief I might be pursuing. I showed him my prize turtle and explained that it was now my pet.

How To Take Inspired Action

Inspired action comes from the higher level of creativity, trust and wisdom that you arrive at when you take the time to focus and vision.

Become a Better Version of Yourself

Setting your intention on becoming a better version of yourself in business is a sure fire way of producing desired results quickly. This article tells you the best way of becoming a better version of yourself.

Abundance Abounds

Does wealth mean monetary success? Or can it mean more than just money? When one speaks of wealth, the natural inclination is to assume money is being referred to. But there are so many other things in life than just money.

Sales Best Practices: Systematically pursues

Being a successful salesperson requires you take a different mindset, and this article from sales guru Dave Kahle takes a look at finding that right mindset. This is one part of an ongoing series of Sales Best Practices articles.

Betting On Yourself

You have to take a chance, in order to have a chance--a story from the life of Martha Hughes.

Who's Got Your Power?

Never, ever give your power away to another. That's some really critical wisdom for our business and our personal lives. Yet how often do we give away our power, without realizing we are slipping down that slope?

Open Mind, Close Mouth

As you have more milestone birthdays-the ones that end in "0"-you come to learn the myriad of things you don't know. Life's experiences give us wisdom, but for every answer there seems to be two questions that pop up that are not answered. When you were a teenager or a young adult, everything was simple, easy, and fully understood by you. As time passed, the simple black-and-white world faded into complex shades of gray. We come to realize that people are products of their environment, their thinking, and their attitudes.

What should my sales team expect from a successful Sales Coach?

Successful sales coaching requires patience, a good ear, curiosity and of course the ability to provide individual sales people or sales teams with the right information at the right time. These relationships empower the recipients with knowledge and the confidence to maneuver themselves toward the right outcomes. Wisdom is knowledge applied. Therefore the sales coach prefers not to impart his wisdom directly, instead coaching the sales people or sales team to find their wisdom through their own questioning, answering and experiences.

Three Things to Help You Succeed in Business

Random Thoughts on Life and Entrepreneurship

Are You Looking for A New Start in 2009?

Now that many of the resolutions you made in the initial frenzy of the New Year may have fallen away, it's the perfect time to really evaluate what you want this year to mean for you. What do you want to be, do and have in 2009?

Top 5 Tips for Chasing Rainbows

Simply put, our discussion was around chasing rainbows. In other words, should you go after those exciting opportunities you are thinking about? Is it worth exerting all that time and energy on something that could very well turn out to evaporate before your eyes? Business experts and books galore, will warn you about relinquishing control to such temptations, and rightfully so. Countless businesses have folded from a lack of focus and from gambling on a big idea. Yet as entrepreneurs this is usually what drives us! We are always looking for that next "big thing" that can drive our business to exponential growth. Unfortunately in its pursuit, we can find ourselves ignoring our core business and watching not only our "big ideas" disappear into thin air, but our regular income as well.

Getting it From Here to There

"Build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door" is false! Building a great roduct is NOT enough. Executives need to think through how they will get their great product from their place of business to the ultimate end user. What needs to happen in the process? What are the implications for pricing and marketing the product? This article is intended to spur your own thinking.

Ten Steps to Go from Idea to E-book for Sale

If your e-book sells well online, it’s much easier to find a publisher who’s willing to take you on…And actually give you the budget and marketing support you need to make it a winner.

“If you were put on trial as an expert,

“If you were put on trial as an expert, would there be any evidence to convict you? The fourth characteristic of high performing salespeople is expertise. Expertise is the element of the law of authority. The law of authority says, “if you are perceived as an authority or expert, trust is enhanced.” We trust experts. We trust experts who testify in court. We trust doctors who have been trained well and are experienced in their field. How would you feel if, while seeing a doctor, who said to you, “You need an operation, I’ve never done this one before, but I think I can do it?”

Who do you report to?

If you are a business owner, who holds you accountable? This is a major issue most small business owners never think about. Larger businesses have Boards of Directors who are legally responsible for oversight. Even many smaller business have them as well, and others prefer to use a Board of Advisors. Regardless of how you create accountability, it is a proven fact that you will do a better job as a leader within your organization if you have an external individual or body of people you are accountable to. This article provides insights into how you can create and utilize some form of Board governance for your business.

Decisions based on emotion = BAD for business

In recent years, there has been a rise in discussion and research around what makes a good leader good. From those discussions, a new field of study and measurement has arisen,. It is called Emotional intelligence, or EQ. (Don't ask me why it isn't EI, but it's not.) In simple terms, EQ is the ability to know and control your emotions, and the ability to recognize and empathize with the emotions of others. For the expertrs in this field, please, don't get your feathers ruffled. Defining EQ is not the point. The point is, emotion does NOT belong in business, and often leads to really bad decisions. Emotion seems to play the biggest role in family owned business where family members are either co-owners or employees. This article talks about how to handle these situations, whether you are on the verge of wading into one, or already there.

When times are tough, Market, Market, Market!

Tough times drive most business owners to look for ways to cut costs. The fact is, there are two ways to maintain viability when the economy is bad. You can either cut costs, OR, increase sales! I know it sounds a little wacky, but think about this for a minute. If everybody is cutting costs (marketing/advertising), then those vehicles for delivering marketing and advertising are hurting too. Not only that, there are fewer messages out there screaming at your prospects than normal. This is when you want to spend money to tell people you want to do business with them. Don't go into a shell and hide. This article will look at this idea in greater depth.

Listen, Listen, Listen

listen

Learning: Secret to Lifelong, Success

Everything we are, will be, have, or are yet to have is a direct consequence of what we learn and apply. Learning and acting upon our knowledge enable us to make meaningful contributions. The more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know. You must continue to seek out new perspectives and truths to enhance your ability to achieve your Core Desires. Continual learning is critical and affects every area of your life. Learning is a lifelong process and should be fun and exciting, bringing you increased levels of success and enjoyment.

The Wisdom of David Ogilvy

At an event in Manila sponsored by Ogilvy & Mather, I received as a gift D.O.: The unpublished papers of David Ogilvy-a selection of his writings from the files of his partners. I am a longtime fan of Ogilvy, and found it to be a sterling gift. Here are a few of the gems I unearthed:

Leadership Leapfrog

Make a list of the five most important things that constitute leadership. Okay, now pick the top two. Good, circle the one quality that you can't do without. I bet that if you compare what you have circled with lists of leaders and high potentials around the world, the answer would be variations on the theme: know yourself! On the walls of the great mystery schools of ancient Greece it commanded "Know Thyself", and Buddha was quoted as saying "Imagine that every person in the world is enlightened but you, they are all your teachers, each doing just the right things to help you learn patience, perfect wisdom, and perfect compassion."

Leadership Lessons Come In Many Forms

You may have missed this unless you were visiting the Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress recently. A female Cooper Hawk is flying loose there and the question is how to help her get out. However, there is a deeper, more important question that our Native American kin would also ask. What is the message that she brings? There is so much wisdom we miss when we disconnect from the messages of nature. Outer nature is a reflection of our inner nature and having lived in New Mexico and studied with Native teachers I have learned to stop and ask why a certain animal shows up in real life or in my dreams. The answers are always illuminating.

Its Just a Number

Age is a funny thing, it’s something that people want to speed up and slow down all within the span of a few years. As a child do you recall saying “I can’t wait until I’m all grown up?” I’ll bet that at some point in life you’ll also become wistful for a younger age. No matter which side of the longing scale you’re on, your age or lack there of need not be a deterrent for accomplishing your goals.

5 Ways Article Marketing Grows Your Business

One of the greatest things that the Internet offers us as professionals is free advertising and marketing methods. Of these, surely one of the greatest is the use of articles. Using articles to advance and grow your business is highly effective (and it can be a lot of fun). What's more, it's free; or it can be. It's definitely low-cost compared to other marketing methods.

COMMUNICATE YOUR INTENTION

If you have decided to make the changes necessary to build a perfect life for yourself - as you define it - you need to bring that inner intention out into the world. This is often the first obstacle people face in making conscious life changes and can sometimes stop change dead in its tracks. Great results take a strong commitment.

Keeping Your Leadership Fresh

How do you keep your leadership fresh? By being willing to give up the certainties of past answers and throwing yourself into each instance of groupwork as if it were the first. Risky, yes. Exciting, for sure. Essential, without doubt. Find out more with the 5 ways to inject freshness into all your groupwork.

Sales Training Top Salespeople Stay in Touch with Prospects and Customers

While November 10th, Forget Me Not Day is a day to remember family, friends, and loved ones, salespeople can also add their prospects and customers to the list.

Finding Peace with Yourself

Men and women both have the same opportunities to achieve true maturity. Though it's more difficult for men to make that transition, success offers them even greater capacity for joy out of the contrast.

A Funny Sales Training Story

Then the fun began… After the first night with his 15 people William came back and reported no sales. Nothing new there for William. It only gets funnier. At work the next day only 11 of his people showed up for work and I questioned William who proceeded to inform me that he was weeding the garden and he was just keeping the best people. Well that night he came back with his crew and again there were NO sales. Again no surprise.

A New Beginning For Your Dreams

Too many people have lost their dreams. They drift through life and never expect anything to get better. They start thinking that this is all I’m ever going to have; I’ve gone as far as I can go.If you start feeling caught up and hung up, it;s time to give your dreams a new beginning.

Is Experience The Best Teacher?

It’s interesting to consider the wisdom of some expressions in common use these days. How about the phrase “Experience is the best teacher?” Or how about this gem, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you?” And what about, “He or she is a born sales person” or “Ignorance is bliss”? As I work these days with sales people and sales managers across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia I see so many examples of why beliefs like these are so dangerous.Experience is not the best teacher

What Would You Do With A Second Chance

You could avoid the mistakes you previously made and build on the successes you previously enjoyed. You could nurture the positive relationships and avoid the bad. You could tap into your wealth of experience during times of indecision and always know where and when your time and money would be best spent.

Are You Mentor Material

Typically, there are three things every good mentor should have: time, patience, and a genuine desire to help another person succeed without expecting anything in return. If you have an abundance of those things, then being a mentor can be a highly rewarding experience. If not, please see the rubber plant reference

Common Pitfalls in Buying a Business - Buyer Overpays

This article explains the reasons why buyers often overpay for a business.

LIFE IS DIFFICULT

In Scott Peck’s remarkable book; “The Road Less Traveled,” first published in 1978, he opens with the now famous line; “Life is difficult.” He then goes on to say; “this is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult --- once we truly understand and accept it --- then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”

Great Work From Home Small Businesses For The Seasoned Entrepreneur

While many franchise businesses are designed for those with little to no business experience, there are some franchises where an experienced entrepreneur will have a definite advantage. If you're a seasoned entrepreneur, take a look at your best options for a work from home small business.

More Than Muddling Through

Midlife crisis is the 'default' condition: the way things will happen if you do nothing at all. Want to avoid it? You can!

Building Sales Creatively

When you don't feel like you "Have to" make the sale, the sales process is much more enjoyable. When you are confident and relaxed you can be more creative, which makes the sales process more enjoyable for your customer, which makes it easier for them to buy and not be sold.

A Letter To America

The USA is undergoing a huge shift in its ability to create a better society, country and world. It starts in the home, in the workplace and centres of leadership. I applaud your bravery and would like to share my view from afar with the intent of assisting those wishing to make this transistion faster and smoother.

When An Hour Counts

Our children, even as adults, still need guidance from their parents, and an assurance that they still come before other things.

The Need For Speed In The Age Of e.

The advantages of moving fast and being first have never been more apparent. Our world is moving at the speed of e. Information is shared instantaneously and globally. Markets are affected by minor shifts in supply and demand overnight. There is little time for lag time in our e-driven environment, and no putting off until tomorrow what must be done today.

What Would You Do If You Had No Fear?

“What would you do if you had no fear?” This is the intriguing question that my friend, author Diane Conway, posed to people. Their answers inspired her to write a book of the same name. Her question inspires me to stop often during the day to ask this of myself. Even when I don’t realize that I’m fearful, I find the question useful because fear has many symptoms and disguises.

Only one way to go from here

A story from STORIES OF SHIFT: How to Deal with Difficult Situations and Change Them to Positive Opportunities

Operating from Super Abundance

This is one reason highly successful entrepreneurs hire coaches and consultants. They know that coming from a place of abundance shows up in every word and every action, and ultimately creates more and greater abundance.

Where, Exactly, Are You Going?

Are you sailing in the direction you want to go? Are you deploying your assets, your time, your energy and your intelligence to create the life you truly want? If not, don't blame the conditions. Instead, challenge yourself to become a more skillful sailor.

Support, Developing Synergy

Synergy can only be developed through support.

NOW

The only usable time!

Intuition As a Sustainable Business Advantage - 8 Ways to Make it Work

Ting! Author Arupa Tesolin talks about the core ways to start developing intuition as a sustainable business and innovation advantage. Our future may depend on starting to develop intuition as a Smart Skill so we can create more innovators.

Important "Lessons Learned” For Leaders, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach

One strategic action that I encourage all my clients to take is to look at any undesired or unplanned outcome of their efforts with a keen eye and a mindset toward identifying the “lessons learned” from the experience. The strongest and most effective leaders have the ability to commit to identifying and acting upon those “lessons learned.” And I believe leaders take a totally different view of failures that are experienced in their businesses and in their personal lives. The following is a quote from Denis Watley that I believe provides a strong confirmation of my belief about failure. “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”

Asset - Thinking about the Needs of Others

On ABC’s Primetime segment “What Would You Do?” we watch as many men and women walk by individuals in their time of need. We rationalize in our minds that we should not get involved in other people’s business. We allow fear to grip and paralyze us from taking some type of action. No matter what the situation we must use wisdom in dealing with it. However, we can do something can’t we? It is pure selfishness on our part if we see someone being abused in some way or hurting and not do anything about it. We can at least do something.

On Leadership by Allan Leighton

I totally believe if you want to improve a certain skill then you should model yourself on someone who already has had success in that skill.

Entrepreneurs and the Entrepreneurial Spirit

There are distinct differences in being self-employed, running a small business, starting a new business, and being an entrepreneur. Entrepreneur simply means ‘first to enter’, or the person who takes a plunge into a business venture, which can be in retail, services, or manufacturing. In other words, an entrepreneur is a leader, not a follower or imitator. Can entrepreneurial spirit be taught? Can we educate a population of entrepreneurs that reflect the likes of a Sim Wong Hoo (Creative Technologies) or a Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group)?

The Perception Principle Powers Positivism

Once upon a time, a potential client informed me: ‘Although you are, probably, the most suitable for this job, our senior management would prefer somebody older.’ I was shocked! I was denied the opportunity because of my youth.

Executive Wisdom - The 8 Traps of High Achievers

Leaders are high achievers who continually grow as professionals. But in many organizations, there are high achievers who are floundering.

Generation Y and Social Media

Social media is taking corporate America by storm. Executives from large and small businesses alike must educate themselves and follow this trend or it is likely they will slowly become more and more obsolete. Being a technology-savvy and change-ready firm is a must in today's world.

Teacher and Student

I’ve been blessed in my martial arts career to study with some fabulous instructors. One of the teachers I most admire likes to say, "Everyone wants to be a Jedi Knight in two weeks; It takes longer than two weeks!" Apply this to lesson to business...

There is No Secret

With respect to all, is it really that when we let go of a particular time frame that the universe answers by providing what we want in it's time? Or rather, is it our conscious determination at some point in time to rationally decide that the time is not right...now?

Aligning With Your Prosperity

I have been asked numerous times, if there are practices that can be done on a daily basis to increase the flow of prosperity. The answer is absolutely! Now, that said, each one of you is unique. Therefore, I believe, that along the way you personally will find that some practices and guidelines will work better for you than others. For example, some people are more visual while others are more auditory. That is why I often suggest a combination of tools, such as using verbal affirmations, visualizing and bringing in high attractor feelings. Together they are highly effective. Let’s begin with several daily keys that I have found work well for most Law of Attraction students and for those who have been on the path for awhile.

Stress, Balance and Change Solutions

Stress, balance and change solutions - a "back to basics" discussion to use for yourself, your family, your work environment.

Does Economic Recession mean Career Vision Recession?

In my conversations with individuals over the last several months a common theme has occurred. Many have said, “In light of the economic times, I need to put my own Career Vision on hold.” Does Economic Recession mean a Career Vision Recession?

EMBODYING THE VALUES

CARRY OUT A PERSONAL AUDIT:To identify your most important values , you need to carry out a personal audit.It means that you have to take stock of what type of world you want to live in, what will induce meaning and purpose in life. Once you have found your most important values, you need to pursue and embody them in your life.The exercise which follows will help in practising your values.

What does it take to create career satisfaction and life fulfillment?

Many are always asking me what are the simple tips to creating career satisfaction and life fulfillment? My experience tells me there are five important factors necessary to creating these realities.

Don’t Waste Your Talent

As I watched the football play-offs over the last few days, it struck me how we need to consider our talents and how they fit into this game called life. What position can we play that brings us excitement, challenge and success? A position that allows us the opportunity to work hard yet is worth the effort. A position where sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail but always feeling the importance of the position as it delivers benefits to the team?

Are you spending time on things you value?

Sorting through all the pieces of what goes into a life or career can seem rather daunting. You may feel that if you can put food on the table and keep a roof over your head, and maybe somehow find time to spend with your children, that’s about all you can reasonably do. Taking the time to think through your values – what you hold most dear in life – seems like a nice extra, but not at all critical. After all, don’t we all know what our values are anyway?

How to avoid the platitudes and simple solutions

This article discusses why much advice that Executive Coaches spew is filled with cliches and platitudes, and how to avoid this problem.

A Perfect Next Career for Recent Retirees and Seasoned Businesspeople

This article discusses the reasons why business coaching and consulting are an ideal career for retired businesspeople and seasoned executives in transition.

In Search of Executive Wisdom

Every person in an executive role aspires to be wise and is expected to exercise wisdom in their decisions. Unfortunately, far too often senior leaders are more concerned with meeting the numbers and fail to come close to being astute.

Executive Wisdom for True Leadership - Finding Wisdom

Fortunately, every time we think about wisdom and make an effort to pause and contemplate a potential role for true leadership in whatever we are about to say or do, we move a step closer to achieving it. But unfortunately, many leaders don't take time to consider the larger issues when short term profits are at stake.

Should Leaders Ask Questions or Have Answers?

Most people feel that being a leader means having all the answers. Truth is, most leaders have few answers. What they have is wisdom, giving them the ability to handle anything that crosses their path whether they have answers or not. The know how to find the answers they need. This article talks about 'a different approach to leadership.'

Women in Business – Breaking “The Manly Myth”

So often, we women get tripped up by the way men have run our world. This isn’t surprising considering we’ve been taught by men that we must be aggressive and tough “go-getters” to be successful. We’re supposed to prove we can do business as good as a man, but it's time to show the world a woman has her own powerful ways.

In Leadership Character Trumps Competence

We live in a society that thrives on 15-minutes-of-fame thrill rides. Reality shows like The Apprentice, where Donald Trump baits and then summarily fires contestants, dominate TV ratings. These shows frequently glorify the bad behavior that seems to be slowly, but surely, seeping into our society. The 24-hour news cycle is an endless stream of stories about leaders who have been caught doing bad things. In the midst of this barrage it is easy to lose faith that leaders can actually do good and serve others; that men and women of character still exist.

Wisdom

Wisdom is a state of knowing!

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