Success Advice
3 Adverse Activities That Are Holding You Back From Being an Effective Leader
If there is one thing I hate in life it is waste! My mother always told me not to waste food and being a good son from a strict Italian family, I ate everything on my plate. I hate seeing photocopies being made, only to get chucked without being read. I hate seeing guys at the gym use a half of tube of toothpaste, only to have half of it drip down their chin without ever touching one of their teeth.
More so, I hate to see good people waste away their life and only achieve a sliver of the career and personal success they are capable of achieving because of some trivial thing (or things) they do that have become so ingrained as to become enormous bad habits.
I’ve watched people over the years, and I have noticed that some really good people are only developing to a modicum of their potential because of the following behaviors or scripts they are producing on a daily basis.
Below are three activities you need to stop to become an effective leader:
1. Negative morning thoughts
I have heard it said that everyone brightens a room, some when they enter it, and some when they leave it. Which are you? What do you focus on when you walk into a room? What about when you wake up in the morning? When you are in a new situation? Let me set this up for you?
If your first thought of the day is, “It’s really cold (hot) in here.” I guarantee, you second thought of the day will be, “No wonder I didn’t sleep very well last night.” Followed by, “And I’m kind of sore because of the bad night sleep and how I contorted trying to get comfortable.” From that you can now rationalize that it is going to be a not so hot day at work.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell
That traffic is most likely going to be bad heading into work. You’re going to get to work late. Your boss is going to be mad. And that is going to get you mad and your first meeting will be a problem because of how you feel. You may be wishing that you never left your old job, that your boss got that promotion so he or she would be out of your hair and that maybe it is time to dust off that resume and find a place where your skills are truly appreciated. So, think about what happened here. All that negative do-do running around your mind all because you woke up and you had a few goose bumpsor a few drops of sweat.
You have a choice to control your thoughts from the very second you wake up in the morning to the moment of going night-night. Change the scan to a positive one. Such as, “Wow! I feel pretty good this morning.” Or, “I can’t wait to get to work because my first meeting is going to be a blast.” Or make it simple, “Today John and I are having lunch at that new sushi place, that should be great!) See the difference? The first few minutes when you arise are critical to setting the days outlook. Guard your environmental scan very well; control your morning thoughts.
2. Saying yeah, but…
When you say this enough the people that you talk to will soon realize that everything they said, before your “yeah” is meaningless, and everything you say after is what you truly believe. It is degrading and disrespectful. Try saying something like, “That’s an interesting perspective; I never thought of it that way. Tell me, have you ever considered…?”
By phrasing your responses in this type of syntax, you are allowing the person to save face, even if you have a better solution. A “yeah, but…” can make the other person defensive and argumentative, even after they agree with your outcome, so be nice. The nicer you are, the nicer they are.
“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” – James Humes
3. Not celebrating after victories
But of course, the rest of the statement is, “Never be victorious enough to celebrate.” I really despise this one. It reeks of self-importance, arrogance and aloofness. As if one person should judge when enough victory is had so that a celebration should occur. In today’s complex and rapidly changing business world, a victory today can turn into a defeat next week. A final decisive victory may never be had. So, let’s never celebrate. Is that what you want to infuse into your corporate culture?
Try instead to celebrate your small wins; your modest victories and your modest gains. Get people in the habit of trying harder because they want to and like the notion of celebration. The people that I have known to use this statement where among the most aloof people in the organization and the least regarded. Most of their employees wanted them to fail. Who wants a reputation like that?
Think hard about these three attributes. If any of them fit and you want to change them, then do so.
Success Advice
How to Alter Your Business Approach With Technological Advancements
Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner.
Technology’s evolution has impacted everything, and business is no exception. Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner. Entrepreneurs unable to do so are being wiped out of the market.
There is no doubt that AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) have taken over the business world. These technological advancements are impacting decision-making, success percentages, and other entrepreneurial aspects.
Adapting to these developments is integral to business success. Let’s explore how you can accomplish these milestones.
Embed the strength of AI and ML.
AI has modified business operations in major ways. For instance, companies have employed bots for customer support. These bots go through an effective learning process via Machine Learning before being able to answer like humans.
Bots can also perform detailed data analytics and make business moves with high success percentages.
ML is used more for the analysis of data chunks and generating successful predictions. This simply means that business owners do not have to worry about large-scale financial losses.
In terms of deployment and usage, a reputed company like Netflix employs machine learning for decision-making.
Blockchain is increasing the count of business opportunities
Tampering of financial transactions is quite common and causes severe monetary damage to customers. With the rise of digital payments, this risk has increased.
Blockchain is used to elevate your experience for monetary transfers. It combats penetrating events to extract confidential customer information.
Most business sectors are using block chain but finance and supply chain management sections have a higher count. These two corporate sections have several monetary deposits and withdrawals taking place.
In terms of percentage, approximately 72% and 5% of finance and supply chain firms have implemented block chain successfully.
Dedicate Yourself to Continuous Learning and Individual Development
You invest in learning some of the very important skills, including digital marketing, financial management, and how to gain customers as an entrepreneur.
You need to set up your knowledge base about doing business on Coursera and Udemy with the basics that are necessary for the business, building further by networking with experts through webinars.
Besides, Agile methodology will introduce elasticity to your company: this review and feedback system with further correction regularly will allow for enhancing efficiency and promptly reacting to the market.
Developing key skills to achieve goals
Running a business successfully is not only about having niche/domain knowledge. Business owners need to have communication / soft skills as well in addition to niche information.
Here are some key technical/domain-related areas that business owners should have a strong grip on.
Data Storage on Cloud: These days, companies do not store their data on physical servers. Therefore business owners should know how data is stored/edited/removed/updated via AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other platforms.
Data Analysis/Interpretation Qualities: These days, data is as precious as gold. Business owners with data analysis abilities make correct predictions. As a result, their ventures grow in volume.
Development/Coding Knowledge
Programming knowledge gives business owners an edge whether the application is developed in-house or outsourced. It assists in getting updates deployed and handling application underperformance without getting professional support every time.
Hacking proof framework
There is no benefit of having an advanced automated system if can be penetrated. Successful business owners have above-average knowledge of cyber security and hacking attempts. They are able to choose top-notch anti-hacking software without much of an ambiguity.
Communication Abilities/Soft Skills
Here are some key communication qualities that business owners should have:
Communication/Conversation: Business owners should use to-the-point sentences in both written and oral communication.
Issue Resolution Abilities: Business owners should be able to drill down to problems and solve them. This is done successfully only if an entrepreneur has in-depth business domain knowledge.
Agile Implementations
It is mandatory for business owners to have knowledge of iterative/agile models. With such a competitive environment, it is impossible for business owners to succeed without adopting an agile framework.
Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy
A productive business venture starts with a clear vision. The first factor making a business successful is the idea behind it. It helps with endless growth and combating competition successfully. Katherine Philips once mentioned that business goals are inevitable if goals are set concretely.
- Goals should be based on smart achievements instead of complexity. Focus on the value that each one of them adds.
- Business objectives should not be vague. Key indicators should be constructed to measure the success/failure of each milestone.
- Be realistic when setting goals. Do not aim at impossible milestones since they can be demotivating.
- Milestones/goals need to be time-bound. Set a completion deadline for each one of them.
- Business goals should not be alien. Owners can think out of the box but not be obsolete / unrelated.
Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy
Business owners cannot succeed without having a network. Some tips help in this case. Attend conferences and professional gatherings to connect with other entrepreneurs.
Here are some other related points business owners should pay attention to.
- Attend meetings and conferences to stay updated with trends and meet business owners who already have well-set ventures. This helps in enhancing the learning curve of new / growing entrepreneurs.
- Being a part of business communities/groups is very productive. When one shares opinions and discusses decision-making tactics, it helps in preventing errors and enhancing success rate.
- Even the most experienced business owners have mentors as learning never stops. Take part in mentorship programs so there is an assurance that you are following the correct roadmap.
Conclusion
There is absolutely no doubt that business dimensions have evolved with technological advancements. Successful entrepreneurs have grabbed these changes in due course of time and continue to evolve. On the other hand, people following old paths and conventional steps fade out of competition. In a nutshell, keep an eye on the processes and practices you follow as these factors decide success rate.
Success Advice
Understanding the Power of Yes and No: How to Create Boundaries For Success
These words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds
The two smallest yet most powerful words in life, “Yes” and “No,” have a big impact on our growth on both personal and professional levels. In addition to affecting the choices we make every day, these words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds. (more…)
Motivation
From Couch Potato to Go-Getter: A Step-by-Step Motivation Plan for Everyone
By understanding what motivates you, you can turn your dreams into reality
Are you tired of feeling like a couch potato? Do you want to transform your life and become a go-getter? You’re not alone! Many people struggle with motivation, but the good news is that change is possible. (more…)
Success Advice
10 Micro Financial Habits for More Wealth and Peace of Mind
The World Economic Forum still reports that half of U.S. adults lack financial literacy
You’ve heard about developing financial habits, but what about micro-financial habits? Micro habits are the tiny things you can do every day with minimal effort that, together, transform your future. (more…)
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