Opening the Door to the Hero's Journey for Out-of-School Youth

Opening the Door to the Hero's Journey for Out-of-School Youth
"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of
track that has been there all the while, waiting for you,
and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are
living." — Joseph Campbell

The hero's journey comes from the structure of ancient and
modern mythology. In ancient times, as well as today, myths
inform us about the mysterious and unknown aspects of life.
In the hero's journey, there are stages: ordinary life, the
call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting mentors and
allies, saying yes to the call, tests, inner searching, big
challenges, rewards, completing the journey and returning
to the world a changed person.

As youth grow and prepare for life, they can begin their
own hero's journey. At times, society pressures for
conformity (don't worry about liking your job, find a job
that can support you financially, and forget about your
crazy dreams). In contrast, the hero's journey is an
adventure that will lead youth to finding who they are and
what they love. What better way to approach life.

Our society has failed many of our out-of-school youth.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics
at the U.S. Department of Education, each year since 1985,
4 million young people aged 16-24 are not enrolled in or
failed to complete high school. We owe them more. I think
we have the opportunity to take a giant leap by providing a
passageway and opportunities for them to travel the hero's
journey. This journey will lead them to a fulfilling career
by providing time for them to discover their passion and
helping them prepare for a career that has meaning for
them. As Joseph Campbell says, if you follow your bliss you
put yourself on a track that leads you to your passion.

We can begin by creating an environment of hope for youth
as they begin their hero's journey. Listen to them. Be
there as they develop and explore their dreams. Endorse
their dreams. Support them. Love their dreams and let them
know you do. It is their dreams that will propel them
forward. Help them to build their strength to withstand
disappointments and challenges. Nurture the idea that each
of them is on a hero's journey that will be a wonderful
adventure. Their adventure will includes good times and
difficult times. Many of these youth have withstood greater
challenges and have survived.

As youth embark on their hero's journey, experiences can
fuel their travels. One of the best gifts you can give
youth is a sense of curiosity. For youth to find their
destiny and have a fulfilling life, they need to know
what's out there. And they need the opportunity to try
things out. They need space to explore. I'm not suggesting
that a brief internship or visiting workplaces is going to
do it. It's more than that. Let's give youth time to find
their passion. In our world, many adults have never
embarked on the journey to find their passion. That, I
believe, is a major source of their lack of fulfillment in
life. Let's make the time and space for exploration
available for youth. How would your life have been
different if the time and space had been given to you?

A key stage of the Hero's Journey is "The Call to
Adventure." That is what we should create for youth —
a positive challenge, a chance to find out who they are and
what they want to do, a means to engage them in life and
inspire them to their individual greatness. We all deserve
a fulfilling life. Let's take a giant leap with youth and
give them the opportunity to walk the hero's journey. Let's
call them to adventure. I imagine an exploration space, a
walk where they have never gone, supported by mentors and
allies along the way. How rich it could be!

This essay only begins to look at the stages of the hero's
journey. There is so much more to explore. Let's use the
hero's journey as a framework to develop a new perspective
for supporting out-of-school youth.

----------------------------------------------------
Ann Vanino is a career coach and business consultant and
owner of Moving Forward Coaching & Consulting. Ann works
with government and non-profit organizations to design
youth-oriented and market driven workforce development
programs and strategies. Ann writes about youth and
leadership on her blog at http://www.movingforward.net/wp/

How to Gain Respect through Communication

How to Gain Respect through Communication
One of the biggest challenges most businesses face is
communicating effectively with employees, clients, vendors,
and others.

This is because those communicating information often have
one meaning while those receiving the communication
interpret it in a different way.

The best way to communicate effectively is by taking your
time to create an effective message whether by phone,
email, or face-to-face and deliver it in a confident manner
that invokes trust.

How to Build Trust in Business Relationships

The only way to earn respect from those you work with is by
building trust. This is done by meeting deadlines,
following through with promises, and communicating
effectively so everyone understands what you mean.
Unfortunately, in the workplace, you have more control over
meeting deadlines and following through than you have over
people interpreting a memo or a conversation the way you
want them to.

But there are ways to improve your communication skills in
order to reduce confusion and build trust:

1. When composing an email or a memo use short sentences
and only write about the topic at hand
2. Send email and memos to everyone involved in a project
3. Before speaking to those in your group, create a list of
points you want to get across. Consider ways of approaching
these topics and create a short document highlighting your
main points
4. Always ask if anyone has questions
5. Be prepared to answer a variety of questions
6. Check in with group members from time to time to see how
they're progressing
7. Avoid gossip whenever possible
8. If you see a work conflict, try to diffuse it as quickly
as possible Learning what to say and how to say it are also
important skills when you want to communicate information
effectively.

How to Gain Respect from Co-workers and Clients

Most people want to build trust and earn the respect of
their peer, clients, and superiors in the workplace. This
is done by being consistent. When you learn how to
communicate effectively with co-workers, clients, and
others more people will want to work with you. They will
encourage you to give your opinion or advice, they may ask
that you give presentations more often, or they will want
to include you in their projects, even if it's just in a
supportive role. When you have the respect of others, it's
important to give it back. Mentoring new employees,
avoiding office gossip, and being pleasant to work with are
all ways that you can give others your respect.

Find a Communication Mentor

If you're having difficulty mastering effective
communication skills, find someone in your office who is
effective. Study how they talk to other people, ask them
how they learned this skill, and try to adopt some of their
work habits. After a while, you will begin to use the
skills you've learned without having to think about it.
Additional ways to improve your communication skills
include:

1.Writing practice memos or email
2.Practicing a speech or presentation before giving one
3.Taping yourself reading a magazine article or monologue
in order to learn how to pace your speech.

Once you've learn how to communicate with others, their
respect for you will grow.

----------------------------------------------------
Sharon Alexander is the author of the ebook Claim that
Job.com - The Job-Hunting and Career Management ebook that
teaches the skills and techniques needed to succeed in a
competitive job-market. http://www.claimthatjob.com .
http://www.claimthatjob.com/blog .

"Lather. Rinse. Repeat" Set the Stage for High Payoff Problem-Solving

"Lather. Rinse. Repeat" Set the Stage for High Payoff Problem-Solving
How many times a day do you feel like your time is being
wasted?

Is this you? You're sitting in a meeting and while someone
else is talking about a problem that they feel needs to be
solved, you're wondering why they don't get on with it, or
whether anyone else thinks this is the forum for such a
small issue, or why they think everyone needs to know about
it.

Then when the next person leaps in with a great idea
they've thought of, your mind chatters away with "Oh, that
idea, again!" or "Jeez, everyone knows that'll never work!"
or "That's got nothing to do with what needs doing here!"

One of the most overlooked reasons for breakdowns in
personal and business productivity is "right behind your
eyes!"

Your mind's in a fog because of all the assumptions and
convictions that are chattering away, having their own
conversation. They're blocking your ability to listen with
an open mind, think analytically about the information you
have or need to get, and develop targeted solutions.

And you're not the only one operating that way! Situations
in business and life have become so complex that a simple
answer isn't always apparent. And all of our personalities
are so diverse that we're all frankly lousy at mindreading.

All that brain power and experience is being regularly
flushed down the time drain instead of being used to
actually identify what needs solving and solve it!

So where does that leave us? You need to learn techniques
that help you focus and identify the real issues buried
behind the chaos, and get your attention back on what it
takes to Achieve Your Vision.

Here is a taste of the first of the 7 Essential Techniques
I use with my clients to recover their 'brain power' and
increase their productivity: They're not taught in schools
or get rich manuals, but they create productivity increases
of 60% to 300% in as little as 10 minutes.

Technique 1 - "Lather. Rinse. Repeat" - Vent the 'Story'
Are you finding no one has any attention for actually
solving things! Do you feel like a lot of finger pointing
and blaming is going on, instead of work? Do you find
people on your team have their reason why the other is
creating complications and problems? And what about you?
Let's start using the technique with you.

Take a lesson from shampoo manufacturers. You can't make
headway when everyone is fixated on the events leading up
to the meeting to solve them. Get the entire story told, in
the utmost detail, until you've said it all. Not in
discussion, not in dialogue. Here are the steps to use

1 - Identify some issue you're not making any headway on

2 - find a partner to do this exercise with

3 - Print out this page or forward it to them so they can
read it

4 - Ask your partner to listen, just listen and ask
yourself "Is there anything else?" every time you pause

5 - When you get to the end of the story, if your answer to
that question is even to pause to check, go right back to
the top and start the story from the beginning and repeat
the steps.

Notice that there's no problem-solving. Just stir up the
lather in the situation thoroughly, then rinse and repeat.

Repeat the process until you cannot add a single thing, and
then tell it again - at some point you'll get fed up with
the story on your own and be ready to move on to actually
solving the real issue.

----------------------------------------------------
© 2008 Linda Feinholz Management expert, consultant,
and coach Linda Feinholz is "Your High Payoff Catalyst" If
you're ready to focus on your High Payoff activities, boost
your professional and personal results and have more fun,
get her FREE audio mini-course "7 Quick & Simple Steps to
Increase Your Focus, Ease Your Effort & Accelerate Your
Results" and the free weekly newsletter The Spark! Visit
http://www.YourHighPayoffCatalyst.com

Networking- A Skill That Every Investor Needs

Networking- A Skill That Every Investor Needs
Real estate investment is a people business—everyone knows
that. But, more importantly, it's a networking business.

By that I mean you have to build a network of individuals
who can help you build a secure investment future. By the
same token, you must be prepared to help members of your
network in turn, so they can build their own investment
futures and businesses.

In plain words, it's absolutely necessary to build mutually
beneficial relationships with the people around you in
order to succeed in the investment business.

The purpose of this article is to show you the three levels
of real estate networking and how to build and maintain
relationships within those levels.

Level 1: The Strategists To build an investment career, you
should gather a group of people immediately around you that
make up your "inner circle." These are people whom you
trust completely to offer you sound advice on investments
and other aspects of your life. Members of Level 1 depend
upon your type of investment, but can include:

Mentors Partners Fellow entrepreneurs Real Estate Agents
Contractors, etc.

These are people who think strategically; i.e., they're
always looking ahead to future opportunities while keeping
an eye on the present. If you like to think in military
terms, these are the generals of your investment army.

They're also people willing to help you develop personally
as well as in a business sense. Of course, you should do
the same for them. They'll give you advice and support when
you need it and will expect the same from you. Look to
these individuals to guide you toward the right people and
the right projects. In effect, you want them to open doors
for you into good investments, and you, in turn, will open
doors for them.

Level 2: The Financial People The next level is the one
with all your financial people; e.g., accountants, bankers,
brokers, lenders, tax attorneys, other private investors,
etc. Think of this level as being more tactical than
strategic.

By that, I mean they're involved in every transaction and
give you specific advice on terms of contracts, details of
construction/remodeling, and the like. Again, thinking in
military terms, these are your mid-level officers
(colonels, majors, captains, etc.) who execute your orders.

Level 3: Service People The individuals in this level are
the specialists in your network; i.e., they perform very
specific functions for particular properties. They include
independent contractors like painters, electricians,
inspectors, appraisers, etc.

They're the infantry soldiers of your investment army.
They're on the front lines getting the actual physical work
done. Remember, no investment deal is ever won without
"grunts." So, you want the best and most cost-effective
service people you can find. Treat them well and fairly and
work to develop long-term relationships with them. Such
relationships will pay off in greater profits and fewer
problems. Recommendations for Maintenance of the Three
Levels Keep in regular touch with members of all three
levels to keep communications open. Don't limit
communications to just business matters. Show that you care
about them as individuals by asking about their families,
latest successes, golf scores, etc. even when they're not
involved in one of your deals.

In short, build relationships on a personal as well as a
business level and then maintain those relationships
through regular contact. Share your expertise and
knowledge. This can be something as simple as sending them
an article on their area of business. Or, you can recommend
people or projects you think will fit their particular
business interests, etc.

Treat everyone well and honestly. It's imperative to build
trust on all three levels. Never, ever treat anyone in the
three levels poorly. Believe me, if you mistreat someone,
word will get around faster than the speed of light, and
your business will suffer.

I can't stress enough the importance of building a network.
It's the absolute key to a great investment career! Without
contacts and great relationships, your future in real
estate deals will not be successful or less successful than
you'd like it to be. So, work hard to gather the three
levels of people about you. And, always, always, give back
to the individuals who help you succeed. It's not only the
right thing to do; it's the smartest business decision
you'll ever make.

Key Point: You'll go nowhere in the real estate business
without building a network, so make it a priority to grow
the best one possible.

----------------------------------------------------
Jack Sternberg is a nationally recognized expert on real
estate investment who's been in the business for more than
30 years. Sternberg is the creator of the renowned "Buyers
First" Program. His deals have totaled over $750 million
and he's been to the closing table more than 1,500 times.
For more, visit http://www.askjacksternberg.com

Home Business Success: It's Time to Take Action

Home Business Success: It's Time to Take Action
So you've come to the conclusion that "it" doesn't do the
job. You're not getting the results that you wanted and
it's time for a change. Yes, this is hard to accept
sometimes, but unless you do, nothing will make a
difference. What's more is, things could get a whole lot
worse. Please realize though, you haven't failed; you've
only gotten results that you didn't want. You now have
information that is very useful. Don't ignore this all
important data because it matters very much; you don't want
to repeat the same mistakes. It's very possible and people
do it everyday.

Getting yourself to execute is very much easier said than
done. The key is finding out what motivates you; what will
get you going.

Staying with a particular mode of getting things done can
be comfortable in it's own right; however nothing will get
better and sometimes things just get plain outdated. As for
customers: they are fickle. They need constant
stimulation, unlike you the conscious business owner. They
always want what's new and improved; so likewise, you must
stay new and improved.

Are you ready to accept that it's time to move ahead?
Great, let's get started. Now here are a few pointers to
get you going or at least headed in the right direction:

(1) Realize that knowledge is only "potential" power.

'Potential" is the key word here. Now that you have this
information; what are you going to do with it? This is
where you begin answering the all-important question of
what direction you want to go in, but don't stop here.
You've still got work to do...

(2) Take baby steps.

It's time to put in work. When tackling large projects,
huge changes or something that you just aren't looking
forward to doing, begin by breaking it down into small
easily digestible pieces--chew and swallow them slowly.
These translate into actions that are very small, but
specific. Try and visualize a baby taking their first
couple of steps. It isn't easy in the beginning, but after
a few tries, they've got the hang of it. In the end, their
determination pays off, and so it is with you. Before you
know it, you will have accomplished your goal. Taking these
baby steps will also prevent you from missing something
essential. Rushing is sabotage to your business. Take
your time and do it right.

(3) Learn your business.

This cannot be emphasized enough. Learn all that you can
about your industry, and learn it well. Find out what
others are doing, taking note of whether or not it's
working for them. Remember, the key here is results. You
don't want to be doing anything that doesn't produce
desirable outcomes. Most essentially, find out what your
customers/clients want; you don't want to be on the wrong
side of that equation either.

(4) Be innovative.

Yes, everybody else is doing it because it works, now you
need to create a new spin. Whatever it is, get to thinking
about making it new, fresh and best of all, improved. It
doesn't matter how small the difference is because it will
translate into a huge difference when it comes to your
bottom line.

(5) Get the support you need.

Everybody that has accomplished something great got there
with the help of other people. Maybe somebody introduced
them to someone else that made things happen. Maybe someone
took the time to teach them new ways of looking at things.
It could be that someone just simply cheered them on and
listened to their ideas. The point here is, there is
always someone else in the picture of your success. Realize
this, while being sure to nurture these kinds of
connections and welcome the new ones because they really do
make a difference.

Many of us running our own businesses can pigeon-hole
ourselves by implementing one of the suggestions above,
find that it works and keep it in automatic mode there.
While one measure may suffice, the main issue is to do
well. So with that in mind, you'll want to do all of these
things and at the same time.

----------------------------------------------------
Increase Your Home Business Success. Visit:
http://www.myunlimitedsuccess.com
Aunice Reed is a Professional Success Coach and NLP Master
Specialist for Women. She is in private practice in Los
Angeles, CA.

Ten Findings on the State of the Brain Fitness and Cognitive Health Software Market

Ten Findings on the State of the Brain Fitness and Cognitive Health Software Market
You probably have been reading much about "brain training"
and "brain fitness" and wondered, "What is all the Fuss
About?"

After many months of work (and we hope many new neurons and
stronger synapses in our brains), we have just released our
inaugural report on the emerging Brain Fitness Software
Market, and we want to share a few of the key findings with
you.

In summary, the whole category is growing. We estimate the
size of the US brain fitness software market at $225M
in2007, up from $100m in 2005 (50% CAGR). The two segments
that fueled the market growth: consumers (grew from $5m to
$80m, 300% CAGR) and healthcare & insurance providers (grew
from $36m to $65m, 35% CAGR).

Ten Findings from The State of the Brain Fitness Software
Market 2008 report include:

1) 2007 was a seminal year for the US Brain Fitness
software market, which reached $225 million in revenues -
up from an estimated $100 million in 2005.

2) Over 20 companies are offering tools to assess and train
cognitive skills to four customer segments: consumers;
healthcare and insurance providers; K12 school systems; and
Fortune 1000 companies, the military, and sports teams.

3) The Nintendo Brain Age phenomenon has driven much of the
growth. The consumer segment grew from a few million in
2005 to an estimated $80 million in 2007.

4) There is major confusion in the market, so education
will be key. Users and buyers need help to navigate the
maze of products and claims.

5) Over 400 residential facilities for older adults have
launched computerized "brain fitness centers." Sales to the
healthcare and insurance provider segment grew from $35
million in 2005 to an estimated $65 million in 2007.

6) More than five programs have shown results in randomized
controlled trials. Cognitive functions that can be trained
include: visual and auditory processing, working memory,
attention, and decision-making.

7) A product has obtained 510(k) FDA clearance for
rehabilitation of stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury
patients. Another product is being used by a growing
network of ADHD specialists.

8) Large-scale, fully-automated cognitive assessments are
being used in a growing number of clinical trials. This
opens the way for the development of inexpensive
consumer-facing, baseline cognitive assessments.

9) The potential for K12 Education remains largely untapped
due to limited research linking cognitive training to
academic performance.

10) Companies, sports teams and the military are finding
opportunities to improve productivity. The aging workforce
will make this a must.

There are over 20 public and private companies offering
tools to assess and train brain functions, with major
implications for healthy aging and a number of disorders
such as attention deficits, dyslexia, stroke and traumatic
brain injury, schizophrenia, autism, mild cognitive
impairment, and Alzheimer's disease.

Now you know. Not everything that bills itself as "brain
training" really is. But there is more than may meet the
eye.

----------------------------------------------------
Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of
SharpBrains.com, which released the report "The State of
the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008" on March 11th.
SharpBrains has been recognized by Scientific American
Mind, Newsweek, Forbes. Alvaro holds MA in Education and
MBA from Stanford University, and teaches The Science of
Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute.
You can learn more at http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog

Are You Stuck in a Rut?

Are You Stuck in a Rut?
I've had many conversations with clients lately who
describe themselves as "stuck." "Nothing is happening" and
"I don't know what I want," are frequent complaints. It's
been my observation that quite often the words and phrases
above really translate to, "I'm scared. I'm afraid I'll
make a mistake and things will be worse than they are now.
I'll just decide to stay where I am until I'm forced to do
something different."

What should you do when you feel as if your life is on hold?

BEGIN TO GATHER INFORMATION You may be putting the
proverbial "cart before the horse." Before you make any
decision, you need to have information. Think about a goal
you wish to achieve. Perhaps it's a move, a new job, a
skill you'd like to learn. Tony Robbins once observed,
"You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few
people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough!
You must take action." What are three things you could do
this month that would give you information about your
interest? Perhaps you could take a class, read a book,
talk to someone who has a similar goal. It doesn't have to
be a huge risk. When you commit to action, your intuition
can begin to guide you. It puts options, possibility and
hope in your path.

PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU TELL YOURSELF Writer Serge Kahili
King notes that, "All thoughts, words, images, prayers,
blessings, and deeds are listened to by All That Is." What
goes on in your mind? If the bulk of your thoughts are
negative, it's very difficult for your intuition to get
through to offer help. Begin to ask, "Is there another way
of looking at this situation that will make me feel
better?" Or think of someone you admire and ask, "What
would ____ do?" When you can begin to focus on the
positive side of things, the Universe can easily present
you with opportunities that will lead you to your hopes and
dreams.

HAVE COURAGE Have you ever talked yourself out of something
because you felt scared? You may be surprised to know that
nearly everyone feels anxious before they try something
new. Think back on your own life. How did you feel before
you took your current job or before you moved into your
present home? You probably felt uncomfortable for a while
until, over time, the new became familiar. Whenever you
make a change in your life, however large or small, you're
out of your comfort zone for a while. Your intuition will
always nudge you to try new things. That's how you grow
spiritually. It's also how you gain self-confidence and
self-esteem. What is one small thing you can try this
month that has you a little scared? Perhaps it is asking
someone you admire out to lunch or speaking up in a meeting
to share a comment or ask a question. Be daring. Have
courage. Be willing to move just outside your comfort
zone. You'll be surprised at the world of possibilities
that open up to you as you begin to take risks.

KNOW THAT YOU LIVE IN A LOVING UNIVERSE I see many clients
when they are struggling, in massive indecision, or have
just lost sight of their dreams. I've found that there is
an assumption from many people on a spiritual path that if
you're doing it "right" you will feel wonderful all the
time. You'll be in perfect health, have a relationship
with your soul mate that's heaven sent (and you never
argue!) Money will flow from heaven at all times and your
children will be perfect and well adjusted. Well dream on
. . . It ain't necessarily so. There is wise guidance
available to you at all times, supporting you, loving you
and encouraging your growth. We are all here to learn love,
compassion, forgiveness and faith. Sometimes this means
that you face difficulties and challenges. As you face
these and overcome them, you become strong in the weak or
broken places. Know that you live in a loving Universe.

© 2008 Lynn Robinson, M.Ed. All rights reserved in all
media.

----------------------------------------------------
Lynn A. Robinson is a bestselling author, speaker and
leading expert on the topic of intuition. She's a
sought-after consultant who uses her own highly-honed
intuitive skills to provide businesses with accurate,
on-the-spot insights into goals, decisions and strategies.
Her latest book is TRUST YOUR GUT: How the Power of
Intuition Can Grow Your Business. 800-925-4002 or
Lynn@LynnRobinson.com http://www.LynnRobinson.com

When the Economy Slumps, Marketing Will Keep Your Business Thriving

When the Economy Slumps, Marketing Will Keep Your Business Thriving
If you've been watching the news lately, you may have
noticed that the economy is in a bit of a downturn. It's
happened before and it will happen again. During these
times, smart businesses adjust their marketing strategies
to make sure they will thrive during these slumps. You do
not want to allow external circumstances to determine your
future. The key is to be strategic, savvy, and streamlined
in your campaigns.

For a well-positioned company, an economic recession should
not lead to marketing cutbacks. Any time you go into a
fearful reactive mode, you are actually moving backwards.
Instead, think of this an opportunity for you and it is a
great time to get aggressive with your marketing. Marketing
is what will make your company recession proof. Since a lot
of your competitors will be cutting back, this is your time
to really differentiate your business and strengthen your
competitive advantage.

Here are tips to help you adjust your marketing in a tough
economy:

1. Know what drives your customer in this economy. More
than ever, you must understand what drives your target
audience and how they are reacting to the current economy.
Both consumers and businesses will take more time to make a
purchasing decision and they will most likely be a hard
negotiator at the point of sale. Buyers are more willing to
hold off on making a purchase, and they will rely on the
brands that they know well. Therefore, talk to your current
customers about their challenges and what they need from
you to help them.

2. Keep an eye on your sales. This is a time for careful
monitoring and adjusting. Watch your incoming company sales
and keep an eye on your project pipeline/future income. If
you compare this to past data, you will know what is
happening before it actually occurs and you can intensify
your marketing efforts to compensate for potential
slowdowns. Now more than ever, you want to make sure that
you are marketing forward to ensure your pipeline stays
full in the coming months.

3. Differentiate yourself and reinforce your brand. When
we are in a time when fewer people are buying, competition
becomes fierce. Make sure your target audience understands
why you are different from your competitors. Let them know
why your brand is the best. Treat your best customers with
extra TLC because you want them to weather the economic
downturn with you. This is a great time to give your VIPs
extra value and incentives.

4. Don't focus on expansion right now; instead focus on
what is profitable. Now is not the best time to launch a
brand new venture. For example, if you are a chocolate bar
company, it's not a good economy for you to try out a donut
line. You don't want to risk a fall by jumping too far away
from your tried-and-true core areas. Instead, take a look
at the services and products that are most profitable for
your company and vigorously promote these.

5. Focus on relationships and value. Keep marketing your
company's value to your prospects and customers. Because
people are spending less, they want the purchases they DO
make to be of great value to them. Emphasize reliability,
durability, quality, and performance in your promotions.
Tell your customers how much you appreciate their business.

6. Ditch awareness-marketing for lead-generating
marketing. I am a proponent of building brand awareness
through advertising and promotions. But now is not the time
for traditional marketing - you can't afford to waste your
dollars on efforts that don't generate immediate business.
Instead, implement marketing that generates quality leads.
Be sure to set up tracking systems so you can effectively
monitor the results.

Remember, a recession is not the time to get gloomy.
Instead it is an opportunity for smart business owners to
differentiate their company. In a slowing economy, it is
time to maintain or even increase your marketing budget.
Stay laser focused on the activities that make your phone
ring now and in the coming months.

----------------------------------------------------
Learn marketing techniques to attract new customers quickly
in Author Wendy Maynard's free report: "Marketing
Strategies to Fill Your Pipeline" at
http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/free_report.html

Consider the Competitive Effects of Differential Skills, Learning Environments, and Incentives

Consider the Competitive Effects of Differential Skills, Learning Environments, and Incentives
Competitive gaming is a planning activity that many
businesses have found to be useful for understanding which
paths offer more promise than others. Different individuals
or teams assume that they are a particular company other
than your own, and consider how best to outdo your
enterprise.

In doing this work, it's important to consider both current
and potential competitors. This work is also valuable for
planning how to have an advantage in effectiveness for your
firm.

What skills and incentives could you add that would create
the most competitive differential in the future?

For example, in the on-line book selling business, this
differential first appeared as Web-site design, but it
quickly changed to include helping customers find books
they would like but didn't yet know about. Later,
providing an easy purchasing experience for non-book items
started to become important. Over time, the necessary
skills to excel will shift again, and that's why it's
important for you to continually ask and answer this
question.

What skills and incentives could you expand throughout your
enterprise that would create the most competitive advantage?

Many groups are hamstrung by an elitist view that only a
chosen few can know about and work on certain key issues.
However, it's more often true that the more people who work
on the problem, the more potential insights they will
develop.

In the case of on-line book selling, for example, anyone
can buy a book on-line and have an opinion about what their
unmet needs are, now and in the future. Teaching people how
to elicit those opinions and use them to find simple,
inexpensive solutions would be a great skill to have
throughout any of the on-line book selling companies.

In light of the skills and incentives that would help your
company prosper the most competitively, what learning
environment would work best for you?

You will find it beneficial to modify your learning model
to reflect the preferences of your people and needs of your
operation. To help you in this regard, have the people in
your organization who need to learn read this article. Ask
them to pay special attention to scenarios and competitive
dimensions of those scenarios. Also, ask them to comment on
how the learning process should work in your enterprise.
Then track how you do with the learning approach, and
modify it through measured experiments to better adapt the
process to each person's particular learning style.

Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of seven books including Adventures of an
Optimist, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The
Ultimate Competitive Advantage. You can find free tips for
accomplishing 20 times more by registering at:
====> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

Coaching the nervous presenter

Coaching the nervous presenter
Many of the managers I train as coaches tell me they have a
'friend' who finds speaking in public and making
presentations difficult. 'How would I best go about
coaching them through the experience?' they ask.

I guess much depends on whether we're going to be working
with an individual over a period of time and develop them
into an accomplished presenter or whether we're working
with someone standing trembling in front of us like a
gibbering wreck with 5 minutes to go before they're due on
stage.

Let's deal with the latter situation first. Conventional
wisdom on developing presentation skills is going to be no
use to us here. We may well feel that our coachee's
Powerpoint is overly busy, their notes a mess and their
planned pyrotechnics to create a memorable ending doomed to
failure, but it's too late to do much about that now.

Followers of my articles on coaching will know I use the
following acronym to give coaches a useful questioning
framework:

A - Aims - What do you want
R - Reality - What's happening now?
R - Reflection - What do you want?
O - Options - What could you do?
W - Way Forward - What will you do?

This ARROW sequence will prove useful to guide to our
nervous presenter although we would not have the time to
coach to any depth.

I recommend concentrating on aims, or goals. Let's have our
presenter utterly clear on what success in this
presentation would be like. If it's winning business from a
sales proposition let's help them focus on that, if it's
creating a relationship with a group of people they're
going to be working with again and again let's help them
focus on that. Of course, if the aim is pure survival then
we can build an aim around that too! Two things are vitally
important in doing this. Firstly we need to make sure that
any aim or goal is within our coachee's control. 'My aim is
to have them sign the contract' is not but 'My aim is to
present a compelling argument' is. Secondly any aim should
be stated in the positive so 'My aim is to present a
compelling argument' is better than 'I don't want to
stammer and make a fool of myself'.

With just a few minutes to coach in advance of a
presentation creating a specific aim increases the chances
of success and gives our reluctant presenter something
useful to focus upon. It's certainly more useful than
criticizing their material or batting them away with a glib
'I'm sure you'll be fine'.

If our coaching intervention was over the longer term then
after each presentation we could be making good use of the
Reality stage by exploring what had happened, what had gone
well, what had gone less well and so on. We could also
employ the Options stage to really think through what
changes presenters could make to bring about a different
result.

----------------------------------------------------
Matt Somers is a coaching practitioner of many years'
experience. He works with a host of clients in North East
England where his firm is based and throughout the UK and
Europe. Matt understands that people are working with their
true potential locked away. He shows how coaching provides
a simple yet elegant key to this lock. For a bumper load of
coaching tips and tricks - including FREE resources - visit
http://www.mattsomers.com

Creating the Right Product

Creating the Right Product
One of the things I see so often is speakers, coaches and
consultants creating products without a roadmap. They
create products because someone said that's the one to
create, or that's the one that will sell the best. They
devote time, money and energy developing products. And
they're left with products that don't sell.

Here are some things you can do so you don't find yourself
in this situation, with products that don't sell.

Review your business Vision and goals. If you haven't
written them down or reviewed them in the last month, do it
now. Be sure they're S-M-A-R-T Goals: Specific -
Measurable - Achievable - Realistic (accomplishable so you
see the results and celebrate, yet a stretch to reach, too)
and Time-based (put a By-When Date after each goal on your
list).

Take a good look at your Expertise - what you love to do,
do easily and naturally. That is, your Brilliance. And
who do you love to work with? You've worked with hundreds
if not thousands of people. Which ones gave you energy?
Encouragement? Challenged you in a good sense? Made
progress and got results and loved working with you.

Look at people who are doing the same thing you do - your
competitors. What exactly are they doing? How is what you
do different from that? What differentiates you and makes
your products, your service and your approach different
from theirs? How are yours unique?

See where your expertise fits in the marketplace. Who is
already looking for the solution you provide? Are there
people in groups who are looking for that solution, such as
chiropractors, dentists, coaches, corporate managers who
want to be executives, people who are not happy with their
jobs?

These are all clues to the right product for you to
develop. You're matching your expertise to groups of
people who are looking for your solution. So you create
the product they're looking for. It's that matchmaking
that makes your products and services sell.

Action Steps:

* Start a folder called My Expertise. Put it in a place
where it's handy and you can look at it and add to it over
the next few weeks. Take 3 sheets of paper, and put these
headings on each:

1) My Expertise -- What I know

2) What I love to do

3) Who I love to work with.

Start making your lists, and write everything you can think
of that goes on each one.

* Take another sheet of paper, and put the heading "Who I
love to work with" on it. And start writing down the
people you love to work with and be with. Include people
from previous work, social, school - everywhere you can
think of. Write their names AND what qualities or
characteristics you liked about them. For example,
"bright, fun-loving, a go-getter, calm, thorough, takes
initiative" and so on.

* Put all these pages in your folder "My Expertise". Add
to them as you think of new things and people. Review your
folder often.

----------------------------------------------------
To learn more about creating the right product, check out
Jan's Turn What You Know into Cash Flow Now System™.
Jan Wallen works with individuals and companies that want
significant sales results. Jan is action- and
results-oriented. Once you start working together, she is
100% committed to significant sales results for you. To
learn more, call (646) 485-4059 or go to
http://www.janwallen.com

5 Easy Ways to Revamp Your Brand

5 Easy Ways to Revamp Your Brand
There are two ways to respond to a downshift in the
economy. You can sink, or you can start thinking
creatively. Many of the major corporate players are
revamping their brands to stand out in an even more hotly
competitive marketplace, and so can you.

The media recently reported the decision by Victoria's
Secret to revamp its brand by toning down products that
leave too little to the imagination and start embracing a
wider (read: more mature) market. With sales down,
Victoria's Secret executives announced plans to revamp its
brand to make it still sexy, but a little less flamboyant,
apparently hoping to attract older shoppers back into the
stores.

Cell phone companies, too, are searching for new ways to
revamp their brands. LG Electronics, the maker of the
Voyager and Chocolate phones, this year started holding
focus group meetings to dig deeper into what customers
really want that will allow the company to stand out among
so many choices. "We constantly have to be reminding
ourselves that we tend to be geek types, and our customers
are not," Ehtisham Rabbani, an LG vice president for
product strategy and marketing, told the New York Times.
"Our job is to be behaviorists and psychologists."

The Wall Street Journal reports that T-Mobile is
introducing test models of a new system that will allow
cell phones to connect with home landline phones. The
service, "Talk Forever Home Phone," is being introduced
first in Seattle and Dallas. It will allow the use of a
cell phone account in combination with any corded or
cordless home phone with multiple extensions for only $10 a
month after a one-time $50 router charge, the newspaper
reported. In this case, the goal was to be different and
also affordable.

Is it time to revamp your brand?

5 Easy Ways to Revamp Your Brand

1. Engage your own focus group. Gather a group of your best
customers and also new customers (and don't forget
co-workers, employees and mentors) to meet for at least one
hour to discuss whether it's time to revamp your brand, and
how this can be accomplished at little or no additional
cost. You might be surprised that a simple change in
wording or packaging or marketing is the answer. The goal
is to adapt ideas from these how-to guides to holding focus
groups to fit your budget and preferred group size.

2. Refine your focus group results. Once you have received
a set of suggestions, realistically study them to determine
what will best suit revamping your brand without major
changes or expenses. In a tough economy, zero in on what
will save customers or clients money (or be the best
value), and what can bring you new customers.

3. Zero in on extras. Revamp your brand to embrace "extras"
that will bring more old and new customers to your door.
Can you repackage your services to add a "bonus" or "free"
service such as a newsletter, calendar, or a 10-minute
mini-consultation?

4. Think compatibility. T-Mobile decided to revamp its
brand by experimenting with how to become more compatible
with traditional landline telephone service. Can you revamp
your brand by making it more compatible with another
product or service? If consumers are feeling rushed, can
you make your service more compatible by reducing the time
frame of your service? If consumers are less inclined to
drive long distances, can you make your services or
products more compatible to online availability?

5. Rethink your customer base. How can you revamp your
brand to appeal to customers outside your niche demographic
to make up for less business by existing customers?
Sometimes it can be a matter of just rephrasing your
marketing to appeal to a wider customer base, versus
introducing new gadgets or product lines.

If your brand needs to be revamped, any one of all of these
five tips should bring more customers to your door.

----------------------------------------------------
Ruth Klein, America's De-Stress Diva™, is owner of
the award-winning firm The Marketing/Time Source. With a
master's degree in clinical psychology, Klein, is the
author of the best-selling Time Management Secrets for
Working Women and five other books on business and
lifestyle topics. Sign up to receive Ruth's 7 Part
Mini-Course on Branding and Productivity.
http://tinyurl.com/25tqo5

9 Simple Steps Towards a Greener Office

9 Simple Steps Towards a Greener Office
There have been a huge number of "Green Office" guides
issued in the past couple of years, all of which make every
attempt to cover the most important actions every
individual can take to reduce the impact of daily business
activities on the environment. Here is a list of the 9 most
obvious and yet too often ignored simple, cost-free actions
which can form part of all office discipline:

1. Turn off your PC This is simple.
Research shows that approx £35 per annum is spend and
1,000lbs of carbon dioxide is created for each PC left
switched on continuously. Imagine the savings for overnight
and weekends - and switch off.

2. Turn off other people's PCs
If the IT facilities management team is not doing
maintenance work out of office hours there is no reason why
anyone's PC should be left on. So encouraging any colleague
to switch off is a good idea. You might get a straight
look, but there again; your intervention might be
appreciated.

3. Turn off the printer, the scanner, the fax machine
Wherever there is a glowing red light, there is electricity
being used. This is the case, of course, even if machines
are on standby. For all communal machines such as printers,
scanners etc, it is a good idea to ensure everyone knows
how to switch them on and off - and indeed to create a rota
of responsibility so that everyone knows who is looking
after the systems each day.

4. Put used paper back in the printer
If you have printed out something and realised you no
longer need it, just turn the sheet of paper over and put
it back in the printer. If this is set down as a regular
practice, then individuals can check if they need the paper
to be fresh - this is not the case if the document id just
for their own use, but of course it is important otherwise.

5. Email footer
Add an environmental message to the bottom of your email
signature - it might help to prevent just a few less
unnecessary email printouts.

6. Get rid of your bin
Although 70 per cent of office waste is recyclable only
eight per cent ever makes it as far as a recycling bin.
Take away that convenient waste-bin right by each desk and
this will help encourage less waste at source, and
encourage people to get up and use the recycling bin.

7. Open the blinds
It is extraordinary how some office keep the blinds closed
in the same position constantly - summer or winter. Open
the blinds on sunny day, and surely fewer lights will need
to be kept on during the day.

8. Move your plants and furniture
Having pot plants in the office is great - but having them
where they block the natural light is not so great.
Similarly, badly-placed furniture in front of radiators or
other heating sources is not a good idea. Anything that
blocks natural light and interferes with cooling or heating
circulation should be dealt with.

9. Encourage thermostat adjustment
Even if you do not have access or the authority to change
the thermostat settings in your office or building, there
is no harm in reminding your company's facilities team that
a reduction of 1 degree in the temperature can save up to
10% per year in heating costs.

By reviewing and implementing these 9 simple steps, your
office can make its own practical contribution to the
debate of environmental responsibility.

----------------------------------------------------
Jimi St. Pierre writes for several Office Equipment
suppliers in the UK, including Principal IT systems
consultants. The impact of Office Equipment on the
environment are discussed further at ==>>
http://www.principalcorp.co.uk

Training your staff in Business Intelligence can make all the difference

Training your staff in Business Intelligence can make all the difference
Every business generates huge amounts of data that is
usually collected, stored and treated as a priceless asset.
Data storage and backup is recognised as an ongoing cost.
Sadly, stored data is often completely worthless. The
reason is quite simple: In many companies the people who
make the decisions don't understand how to extract useful
information from their data and, worse still, they don't
know how to change this situation.

When it comes to running a company, comprehensive business
intelligence is the most effective way to ensure the right
decisions are made. In well-run companies, business
intelligence is extracted from data by specialised computer
programs and interpreted by people trained to understand
how to use and disseminate the information they are given.

The business information concealed in company data is
absolutely vital to the health and well-being of the
organisation that owns it. Accessing and sharing this
information is just as important as storing it so it
doesn't make sense to spend money on a business
intelligence system without training staff to operate it
effectively.

The advantages to training are quite obvious: Well trained,
business intelligence focussed staff are able to detect and
recognise even tiny changes in the way a business is
running. They will 'pick up' on trends and in some
circumstances will even be able to forecast the future.
Business intelligence trained staff can actually prevent
problems by recognising the signs and pro-actively dealing
with difficulties before they happen.

The positive benefits to staff training are just as easy to
understand: The ability to predict sales trends and to link
sales opportunities for cross-selling can offer a huge
competitive edge. Business intelligence can help you to
recognise new opportunities, plan more effective marketing
campaigns and develop powerful sales strategies. All you
need to do is to train your staff to understand what your
business data is telling them.

The first step is to get 'buy-in' from your senior
managers. These guys should already be using business
intelligence to make their decisions. If they are not then
they need to be trained first. It doesn't take long to
explain the benefits of business intelligence to staff and
the effects can be astounding. Imagine how useful it would
be if you knew what people were going to buy before they
did?

Sales people quickly recognise the added commission or
bonus opportunities that business intelligence can offer.
Marketing people are swift to capitalise on new
opportunities to promote their organisation and managers at
all levels feel empowered by the extra knowledge that
business intelligence can deliver.

The biggest challenge you face when implementing a business
intelligence system is an inability to change. Business
intelligence can present you with huge rewards but you must
educate staff to enable them to take advantage of the
benefits it can bring. Think of it this way: Anyone can
drive a high performance car but everyone starts out by
getting a few lessons first!

----------------------------------------------------
Business Intelligence is all about making sure that a
business owner and their staff knows what is going on in
their business. This is just what Contemporary a leader in
the field of Business Objects offers. Training, hardware
and software can all be provided. See
http://www.contemporary.co.uk

So, You'd Like To Become A Good Manager

So, You'd Like To Become A Good Manager
Becoming a good manager takes time and patience. It's great
when we get some initial training, but that doesn't always
happen. To start, check your current status as a manager -
how effective are you now? There are many self checklists
available on the web. You should also consider having a 360
degree review completed. Once again, there are many good
ones on the market.

Once you have an accurate picture of your strengths and
weaknesses, start by focusing on your strengths - what are
you really good at? What do others say that you do well?
Consciously focus on maintaining these. Put a note in your
personal diary to ensue that you review one of your areas
of strength at least once a week. As Peter Drucker once
said "Most people think they know what they are good at.
They are usually wrong. More often people know what they
are not good at - and even then more people are wrong than
right. And yet, a person can perform only from strength.
One cannot build performance on weaknesses, let alone on
something one cannot do at all."

Now for your weaknesses - how do you manage these? Many of
these are things that you will not easily change. Often
managers spend an inordinate amount of time and energy
trying to change things about themselves that they are
unlikely to be able to change. But, there are some short
cuts. My advice is to look at how you might best manage
(not necessarily change) your weaknesses. For example, in
my own case, I am not good at following up on detail type
things. Therefore when I am working with a team, I find
someone else who can do these for me. If I am working by
myself, I make sure that I have a good diary system that
keeps reminding me to do these things.

Additionally, for each of your weaknesses, ensure you have
a good reference or support (process, person, network) that
you can access when you need it. As a suggestion, list out
each of your weaknesses and against each list a:

* tool, technique or process that you will use regularly
and / or consult when the going gets tough

* person to whom you can turn for advice from time to time
or when faced with a difficult situation

* book reference that will help get you through your
challenging moments.

From my experience, many of the problems managers encounter
with managing their weaknesses have to do with the people
issues. For example, being too assertive (or not assertive
enough), managing conflict, giving (or not giving)
appropriate feedback, and so on. One of the best references
I would recommend for the is "People Skills; How to assert
yourself, listen to others and resolve conflict" by Robert
Bolton. Every manager, no matter what style or level of
proficiency they have, should have this reference book on
their desk for when they are faced with that difficult
people issue.

Two more things you should consider to help in your
progress toward becoming a good manager. Firstly, have a
good personal management plan. This should include not only
your job priorities, but also your planned personal
development actions and your team leadership activities.

And that brings me to the final point - team leadership.
Sometimes you will have the opportunity to select all or
certain members of your team. As well as their ability to
do the job, new team members should be selected for:

* their ability to fit into the team and

* for the diversity they can add to the team.

You can do this informally (perhaps with the help of your
team) or by using a profile such as the Team Management
Profile (see Team Management Systems www.tms.com.au/) or
the Belbin Team Roles Profile (www.belbin.com/). Even where
you don't have the option of selecting your team, it's a
good idea to conduct a team exercise using a profile such
as the Team Management Profile to assess the team's
preferences and in particular, any gaps that may cause the
team to perform at a less than optimal level.

And one final piece of advice - plan to undertake some form
of formal training / development at least every 18 months.
This will not only help you learn and develop your
management skills, but often also provides a much needed
dose of self motivation or energy surge.

----------------------------------------------------
Bob Selden is the author of the newly published "What To Do
When You Become The Boss" - a self help book for new
managers. He also coaches at the International Institute
for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and the
Australian Graduate School of Management, Sydney. You can
contact Bob via http://www.whenyoubecometheboss.com/