Confidence and strength can at times become, in a sense, contagious. A clear example of this is shown in the movie "The Help" which depicts a particular situation set in Mississippi during the 1960’s. The conflict which many people at that time felt so deeply between what they knew was morally correct and the amoral rules of society relating to Blacks and Whites resulted in a situation that cried out for public displays of courage.

In this movie, Skeeter displays such strength in the face of public disapproval and tunnel vision. Eventually her courage did become contagious. The movie ends at a point where her mother has "caught" her daughter's strength. There are many other huge examples of courage displayed by many individuals throughout this movie. It is a truly brilliant movie. I would happily watch it again.

Courage is often displayed at unexpected times. Whilst one may not think that they possess any strength or inner steel at all, they will suddenly surprisingly discover that they are indeed acquitted with this asset when they have finally been pushed too far. In a sense one may discover their store of courage at the very moment whereby they have stopped caring. And as this feeling surges forwards, they begin to care again and realize that they can rise to succeed against the challenges of life. Until that moment, fear and timidity had gotten in the way of their courage.

Everyone can command courage. When you feel sufficiently passionate about an issue you will stand firm, dig your toes in and show strength. The degree of your passion is reflected in the quantity of courage that you access. The more you think about something, the more you will feel about it and the more passion you will experience.

It is unfortunately frequently an easier option to simply brush disturbing thoughts to one side and to turn a blind eye. In doing this you also sweep away those upsetting feelings and your ability to dig deeper into your stores of strength, confidence and inner steel.

This happens in so very many circumstances, be it at work, in friendships or relationships, in sport, or in the wider society and the world in general. It would seem that we each have our individual tipping point whereby we are no longer willing to "take any more" and begin to stand up for ourselves and to fight back. One thing for sure though is that we do all have courage somewhere within us; we just have to reach that point whereby we set our courage free.

Hypnosis is a very useful aid at such a time. Hypnosis allows you to access your subconscious mind, which is the part that thinks and acts automatically and instinctively. Thus with hypnosis you can dig into this part of your mind that jumps to conclusions and responds instinctively to situations and circumstances. These responses can thus be adjusted and changed for the better with the help of hypnosis.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis mp3 downloads for confidence, happiness and well-being.

P.S. Discover how you can focus your mind with hypnosis. Grab a free hypnosis mp3 from my website now.

Check out http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and view her library of hypnosis mp3 downloads and grab your ownfree hypnosis mp3.

When to start your own business? Q: After working at one company for 10 years, I would like to begin my own business. What issues do I need to consider, and how do I know when it is the right time to take the "big step?" A: Almost 20 years ago, my roommate asked me to spend a day of my vacation in New York spying on his competition at a tradeshow. I made up a story to tell the vendors at the show -- I was planning to start a fundraising call center for politicians and wanted to implement the most advanced technology in the industry.

Eighteen years later, my business partner and I were running one of the largest outsourced call center operations in the world! With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, we made it, but there is no way to eliminate the risks of entrepreneurship. There are, however, several key questions you can ask yourself to determine whether you are prepared.

1.) Do I have a business plan? A clear business plan is essential, and the lack of a plan is a frequent cause of business failure. A business plan helps you assess, in advance, how you are going to address key issues. I have found planning software, such as BizPlan, to be very helpful. It may take weeks or even months to develop a quality plan, because your ideas may need a gestation period before fully coming together. Throughout planning, it is important to find a source of objective feedback -- ideally, someone who clearly understands the process.

2.) Do I have the energy and physical stamina for the venture? Owning your own business typically requires long hours, and stamina is essential. It is common to work 12 to 16 hours a day, particularly during the first several years. Be prepared, and be honest with yourself. If you do not already have an exercise regimen, begin one now.

3.) Can I get the money I need to support the business and myself? If your business plan is interesting and enticing, money will be available. Although most banks have little interest in financing a start-up these days, they can help you secure an SBA (Small Business Association) loan. An SBA loan can be valuable, even though it may require repayment before you can raise money elsewhere. Another approach for financing your business is the "family and friends" model. If you go this route, do not overlook the strings attached. Your family dinners and get-togethers can quickly turn into shareholder meetings, particularly when your business is struggling! There are numerous other options.

Couples with two incomes may be able to independently afford the transition of one spouse into business ownership. You may be able to fund the business yourself, especially at the outset. Several years ago, I left my call center business, because it no longer filled my passion. I began my new business, executive coaching for entrepreneurs, by using money earned from my first venture.

4.) Does my family support this? It is important that your family truly understand the demands of business ownership. There are subtle differences, for example, between working long hours for someone else and working long hours for yourself. "My boss needs this done by tomorrow; I have to miss Johnnys game" becomes "I need to get this done by tomorrow; I have to miss Johnnys game." Before writing your plan, make sure all your stakeholders are aware of the details.

5.) How do I feel about making critical decisions and being responsible for others? Owning a business requires constant decision making, often with no time for self-reflection or opinion gathering. Depending on the business, you may become responsible for other peoples livelihoods. Their families will count on their incomes, and your decisions and behaviors will significantly influence their lives. You will no longer be responsible for your family alone, but for all families supported by your business. From experience, I can tell you that this is more stressful than you might imagine!

6.) Am I willing to do things I have no business doing?

Owning a business may force you to learn subjects and perform tasks that have never been your forte. Aside from French, accounting was my worst subject in school. Today, I am quite good at understanding numbers, purely because accounting skills are critical to successful business ownership. Similarly, I quickly learned to repair computers when we could initially not afford a service contract. If you resist doing things that you do not know how to do, reflect hard on your decision to start a business. 7.) Is your soul calling you?

I have always admired those who just "knew" it was their time, almost as though their souls were calling them. They reached a point when they could no longer work for someone else. Your soul may be calling you.

Have you begun arriving to work with your body, but not with your mind?

Are you working to earn money, but dreading every moment of it?

These are potential signals that it is your time. Just remember, however, your soul does not give a "Get out of writing a business plan" pass. Remember, your business plan is essential.

About the author: Gary Cohen is co-founder of CO2 Partners. He does Executive Coaching for leaders of organizations and was President and co-founder of one of the fastest growing companies in Minnesota, going from 2 to 2,200 employees, starting with only $4,000. He serves on many for profit and non-profit boards. He can be reached at http://www.co2partners.com or http://co2leadership.blogspot.com.

Why you need a business plan!!!

Q: In last weeks column, you gave advice about starting a business, and you kept preaching about writing a business plan. I own a business, I dont have a plan, and Im doing just fine. Whats the big deal?

A: How do you know your business is doing "fine" if you do not have a business plan? This is like a runner stating that he is "fast" when asked his running pace.

Quality and success cannot be measured without having benchmarks and goals. A business plan provides both, allowing you to compare your outcomes to your goals. Without a plan, it is all too easy to keep moving the bar for yourself. In the words of Alan Lakein, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Business owners may neglect planning for a variety of reasons.

They may dislike making decisions, or they may worry about how the plan will reflect their success. An owner may feel anxious about documenting (and making "official") job descriptions, lines of authority, budgets, and marketing plans. An entrepreneur may dread such control measures, feeling that a business plan is just like having a boss! If you build a house without a plan, however, you may find yourself living in what looks like a childs play fort. Every stage is based on a sudden inspiration, and your new home becomes "curiosity run wild." A quality architect begins with his or her final product in mind. To build a secure business, you must plan.

According to the Small Business Center at Bradley University, 70 to 80 percent of new businesses fail in their first year, and of those that continue past a year, only half survive to five years. Similarly, statistics from Dun & Bradstreet reflect that only 37 percent of businesses with fewer than 20 employees will survive four years, and only 9 percent will survive ten years. In light of such daunting statistics, it seems foolish to take unnecessary risks - like failing to plan. You may still be thinking, "I cant make a plan, because things change too quickly." Although constant change is inevitable in any business, a good plan can be your key to dealing with change. As a sailor, I view a business plan as similar to a centerboard on a small sailboat.

Thanks to its centerboard, the boat can continue moving forward, as the winds shift direction; without its centerboard, the boat would flail around and eventually crash. A good plan keeps you consistently moving forward - sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but without crashing! While writing your business plan, you may feel frustrated.

After all, you will be writing your goals, without taking immediate action to reach them. You must understand where you are and where you are going, before going anywhere. Writing a plan can be exhausting, too. I guarantee, however, your listless feelings will disappear, as your business transforms from "doing just fine" to "doing very well." I hope my response to your question is sufficient and gives you an understanding of why I believe a business plan is critical.

Below are some questions to consider while developing your plan:

• Why do I want to start my own business?
• Have I found the right business for me?
• Who are my customers?
• What do these customers need that the market is not currently providing?
• How will I reach them?
• What will it take to reach them?
• How much will it cost to provide for their unmet needs?
• How much are they willing to pay to meet these need?
• Can I make money at this business?

About the author: Gary Cohen is co-founder of CO2 Partners. He does Executive Coaching for leaders of organizations and was President and co-founder of one of the fastest growing companies in Minnesota, going from 2 to 2,200 employees, starting with only $4,000. He serves on many for profit and non-profit boards. He can be reached at http://www.co2partners.com or http://co2leadership.blogspot.com.

Question: I am a sales manager for a business services firm in Minneapolis. I am responsible for all new business revenue for my company and I have 5 sales people that work for me. Of the 5 sales people only one is a star performer. The issue I am having is he breaks all the rules and creates really bad relationships with all the other people in the company. I am on the senior team and the rest of them are angry that this keeps happening. While I don't like to hear the comments from the senior team, I am aware that I cannot make my numbers goals and the company can't make there's for the year without him.

What do I do? Answer: I call this a terrorist! A terrorist is someone who knows what they have on you and they use it to hold you and everyone else in the company hostage to their behavior.

I like to take my clients through an exercise of understanding the Goal, Position, and Strategy Questions to determine what actions need to be done. The first question I ask is, "What is the goal around the problem?" This is to ensure that we are aiming at the right issue. What I invite my clients to do is to first reflect on the organization's overall goal.

Then link that to the current situation. This way what ever you do, you will be in total alignment with what is best for the business overall. In this situation you have identified the fact that in order to make your business unit's goals and the company's, you need this employee. That is a big step and oftentimes leaders become so emotionally charged by such situations they act before they consider the goals and objectives of the company or the department. I commend you for your forethought. Typically leaders who do this are considered high in emotional intelligence. This has been shown to be one of the key components in assessing one's long term success in their career. The next step is to understand the position you and your company are in. Elevate to 50,000 foot level to see the whole situation. Go beyond yourself and ask, "How did this begin to happen?

Sometimes we might find the root cause built into the culture of the organization. Is this type of behavior is tolerated here? In the case of Enron when the CEO learned that two of the traders were stealing from the company he did nothing and then soon after said, 'keep making us money.' What they were stealing was minor compared to what they were making the company. He knew that if he took action, he would stop his revenue machine that he needed because it was his end goal. It also gave permission to the others that if they were that good at making money for the company they could steal from the company as well. It was the outcome they got, should not have been a surprise. T

his is the extreme case of the terrorist working for the company - and it was exaggerated by a lack of moral compass by the leadership. In the case you present, it is apparent that this behavior is contrary to what the leadership tolerates is searching for from a behavior. Once you go up to the 50,000 foot level and see if the company has had complicity in the situation, then it is good to come down to 10,000 foot perspective and see if "you" have complicity in the situation. To be frank, and I hate doing this in a column where I can't ask qualifying questions, but it is hard to imagine that you did not allow this to happen.

It is not about absolving the terrorist from his behavior because that is wrong, however, if you had stopped the behavior cold, this would never have happened. I say this because the solution, whatever one you choose, will need to involve your being mentored or coached into creating boundaries for your team. Without these boundaries you will be faced with this issue again.

The third part of our position investigation is to go to ground level - the situation itself. When we find ourselves in this type of situation with an employee we only have two choices, we can either fire or teach. If an employee makes a mistake, it is because we did not teach them correctly or because they are not capable to do the function. Ask three questions to determine what choice to make. The first, is the employee capable of learning?

Secondly, does the organization or I have the time and resources available to train this employee? Lastly, is this employee motivated to learn and change? If you answer anyone of of these questions is NO, the decision is chosen, you need to let this person go. The decision is, as Donald Trump would say, You're Fired! It is unclear from your description if the employee has the capacity to change behavior, so I will assume that he is rather good at what he does for your organization and likely has the ability to change. It is clear that for your number one producer you should have the resources and time to help him come into alignment with the company. The bigger issue is that of motivation.

Often times a terrorist does not feel the threat of what can happen to them if they don't start falling in to line. They have become fat, and happy and arrogant! This arrogance is what blocks their ability to realize that they need to change. The company has reached a point where it can no longer tolerate this kind of behavior. 

Unlike Donald's TV Drama we live in the real world, and just letting him go is not a great first choice given the company's dependence on his revenue. In almost all other circumstances the move would surely be to fire, but because this employee mean so much to the organizations health as far as revenue.

The last part of understanding our position is to understand whose decision is it to make, and what needs to be done. If the consequences of your actions will compromise the strategic direction of the company, I would invite you to consider involving the senior team and that the responsibility is yours to deal with it, and the final decision may actually be the team's or the CEO's call, given its importance to the organization.

This is truly a strategic decision then, it is not simply letting one person go, it is letting many people go, if one presumes in a service firm, lower revenue means fewer employees needed to service the customers. At this point I would coach you to have a conversation with your CEO and the rest of the strategic team and tell them the steps that you are considering and ask these strategic questions: At what point as an organization are we willing to take a principled stance on the issue over that of revenue?

Are we clear what the outcome of this will be to our other employees? Will we need to do cost cutting to compensate for this move? What will the industry see from losing our most talented sales person? Will he go work for our competition? What impact will that have on your company?

By working through these strategic issues as an organization and lifting this issue to its proper place the senior team - you will be aligning everyone to be part of the process and stop complaining about it. By going through these questions the conclusion you may arrive at the end of this process is that you use a three pronged approach to dealing with this situation.

Executing three plans simultaneously.

Plan "A" You will need to continue coaching the employee towards the behavior that is in alignment with the firms values, beliefs, and rules.

Plan "B", at the same time I would highly recommend moving the rest of the sales team to a higher level to loose your dependence on this terrorist, and operationalize

Plan "C" and start the recruiting process for the possible if not probable replacement of the employee.

It is important that the others on the senior team and your sales team know that you are coaching this employee in these areas of behavior and that it is not sitting OK with you. But no more information than that - it is inappropriate to say more than that in a public setting. It will build your credibility as a leader and not allow one persons behavior sink the culture the company wants to build.

About the author: Gary B. Cohen is co-founder of CO2 Partners. He is an Executive Coach for leaders of fast growing organizations. Gary was President and co-founder of one of the fastest growing publicly traded companies in Minnesota, going from 2 to 2,200 employees, starting with only $4,000. He serves on many for profit and non-profit boards. He can be reached at http://www.co2partners.com or http://co2leadership.blogspot.com.

Dear Coach, Question: I own and run a company, but my leadership skills are sometimes lacking. My Senior Team refers to me as "Mr. Softy," because I fail to discipline those who breach company policies. I am having particular difficulty with my VP of Sales. While he does bring in new accounts, he consistently enters them incorrectly and causes all sorts of problems for production staff. My team keeps telling me to "let him have it," but I am not sure what to say. How do I make him accountable without simply firing or threatening to fire him?

Answer: Congratulations! You are already demonstrating great leadership wisdom by seeking solutions aside from threatening job loss.

The accountability you want would never develop from firing or threatening to fire, anyway. Exceptional leaders build accountability and empower their employees by asking them questions. My philosophy of leadership is "ask, dont tell." Although you have identified the VP of Sales as causing the current problems, make sure you have all the facts. This could be a great opportunity for you to build accountability - not just in this employee, but in all your employees. I suggest holding a company-wide meeting, focused on the big picture of how sales orders are processed. Use the situation with the VP of Sales as an example, and ask, "Is this order representative of how this company functions?" Either everyone will agree, or an interesting discussion will ensue between the disagreeing parties.

Sometimes, your role as a leader is to stay out of the middle and simply facilitate. The managers of your various departments likely understand the facts better than you do, and it is perfectly ok to admit this. Enter the meeting with an open mind. Even if your employees begin by arguing and finger-pointing, they will eventually work through to the facts. You may need to pepper the conversation with questions, but try not to give answers. Once the group has pinpointed the actual problem and the individual(s) involved, begin discussing solutions. Ask simply, "How would you like to solve this?" Even if you have solutions in mind, great leadership requires you to trust others to develop their own answers. Given this is the first time you have undergone this process, I suggest you stay in the meeting.

Continue to only ask questions, and if asked your opinion, refrain from giving it. Remind your managers that you trust them to run their departments and make money for your company, so surely you trust them to solve issues, such as this one. Initially, this entire process may be extremely time-consuming and frustrating for everyone involved. Be confident that you are moving in the right direction! Your employees will soon become more energized as they feel empowered, and the time will prove well worthwhile. By the end of this process, you too will find your power and realize you built accountability by merely asking questions. Remember: Ask, dont tell.

About the author: Gary B. Cohen is co-founder of CO2 Partners. He is an Executive Coach for leaders of fast growing organizations. Gary was President and co-founder of one of the fastest growing publicly traded companies in Minnesota, going from 2 to 2,200 employees, starting with only $4,000. He serves on many for profit and non-profit boards. He can be reached at http://www.co2partners.com 

Great leadership is the key to success. Great communication is the key to great leadership. Think of any great leader in modern time: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr, and John F. Kennedy come to mind immediately. They were powerful leaders because they could inspire people to follow them. It was their ability to articulate their vision that made them successful in achieving their goals. In your organization you must be the leader who inspires the team to great heights. To get them to follow you, be sure they are listening to your values and your vision, and then establish the right environment for them to thrive and grow.

Values

When I mention values, everyone nods their heads as if of course, Kerri, thats obvious. But, when I check up on this piece, I find the last time they discussed their values - personal and professional - with their team, was often in the interview before their people were even hired. You must clearly know your personal values and your organization values to lead effectively. For example, do the answers to these questions come readily to mind? Personally:

1. What do you stand for?

2. What is most important to you?

3. What would you like your life to demonstrate?

4. What is your personal mission in life?

Professionally:

1. What do you stand for?

2. What are you willing to do to get new business?

3. What are you not willing to do?

4. Do you have a professional mission statement?

Quality leaders dont change their values over time or to achieve short-term success. Consistent core organizational value systems form the strong foundation for long-term success. A simple definition is that your values are the rules by which you play the game. A well-defined value system makes all decisions easier and encourages your team to go where you lead. Vision Its easy to say you have a vision for your business. Its your lifeblood. You know it inside out. Writing it down is the next step. Sharing it widely with your team is imperative too. Even more importantly, your vision for the business must provide a unifying picture so that everyone on the team - regardless of job function - can see exactly where youre going and the importance of their role in getting there.Therefore, the clearer the concept and the clearer (i.e., short and simple) the message is, the more likely you, and your team, can achieve the goal.

Your vision needs to answer three questions. And it must answer those three questions for everyone on the team.

1. What do we do?

2. How do we do it

3. For whom do we do it?

As Jim Collins proved in his book, From Good to Great, this is not a 30 minute, one meeting exercise. This requires 100% participation. It cant be a top-down decision. It must be iterative and inclusive. Environment Andrew Carnegie said: "You must capture and keep the heart of the original and supremely able man before his brain can do its best." When you understand what is at the core of your team members, you can serve them and allow them to reach their full potential. Value their uniqueness.

Your team members are your internal customers. You must treat them at least as well as your external customers. This is the highest level of customer service. Shape the right work environment and youll have loyal team members to lead. That means, you have to create a work environment that respects each person, appreciates them and rewards their effort, and encourages an openness to change. Make it a safe environment, one which encourages trying new ideas. When you unleash personal creativity, each team member has a stake in the outcome. Its an environment that promotes growth at all levels.

Combine all three elements and you have a formula for inspiring greatness and leading to breakthrough success. Do it now! About the author: Kerri Salls, MBA runs a virtual business school to train, consult and coach small business CEO's and entrepreneurs in 10 key strategies to make more profit in less time.

Learn more at http://www.breakthrough-business-school.com/products.html or sign up for a free weekly newsletter at http://www.breakthrough-business-school.com/newsletter.shtml

Based on John Maxwell's The Success Journey. Here are 10 Principles to becoming a dedicated self- developer. I'll be reflecting on this as I take a break this week.

1. Chose a Life of Growth -- When you sincerely dedicate yourself to continual growth, you keep moving forward. As soon as you think you can coast or rest or just maintain what you have already achieved, that is when you start sliding backwards.

2. Growing Today -- Procrastination is the death of ambition and dreams. Someday is not a day of the week. Growth is not automatic. Growth today will provide a better tomorrow. Growth is your responsibility - if you don't take that responsibility, growth will never happen.

3. Be Teachable -- "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts". John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach said this. He recognized that the greatest obstacle to growth isn't ignorance, it is knowledge. When we think we know it all, we become unteachable and can no longer grow or improve.

4. Focus on Self-Development, Not Self-Fulfillment -- Self-fulfillment is about feeling good. With self- development, feeling good is a byproduct, not a goal. Self-development is a higher calling, it's the development of your potential so that you can attain the purpose for which you were created.

5. Never Stay Satisfied with Current Accomplishments -- Thinking that you have arrived when you accomplish a goal has the same effect as believing you know it all. It takes away your desire to learn. Successful people know that wins and losses are both temporary. So no matter how successful you are today, don't get complacent. Stay hungry. Don't settle into the Comfort Zone. From success, move on to greater growth.

6. Be a Continual Learner -- To keep moving, become a perpetual learner. You'll have to carve out time for it. As Henry Ford said, "It's been my observation that most successful people get ahead during the time other people waste." Learning something every day is the essence of being a continual learner.

7. Concentrate on a Few Major Themes -- Give your time and energy only to the themes at the heart of your life. Keep your focus narrow. Where you focus your attention will depend on your purpose, how you wish to help others and what it means for you to reach your potential.

8. Develop a Plan for Growth -- The key to this life is developing a plan: Plan your work and work your plan. Earl Nightingale says "If a person will spend one hour a day on the same subject for five years, that person will be an expert on that subject." How you go about it does not matter, but do it daily.

9. Pay the Price -- Growth requires discipline. It takes time away from leisure pursuits. It costs money for materials. There's constant change and risks. And it can be lonely. But growth is always worth the price you pay because the alternative is a life of unfulfilled potential. President Theodore Roosevelt stated: "There has not yet been a person in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering."

10. Find a Way to Apply What You Learn -- In some way apply what you learn every day to turn it into a habit instead of a wish. Do this for 21 days and the habit is yours. As you accumulate growth this way, you never stagnate or backslide.

About the author: Kerri Salls, MBA runs a virtual business school to train, consult and coach small business CEO's and entrepreneurs in 10 key strategies to make more profit in less time. Learn more at http://www.breakthrough-business-school.com/products.html or sign up for a free weekly newsletter at http://www.breakthrough-business-school.com/newsletter.shtml

I like the definition of leadership by Reverend Michael D. Noonan at Wikipedia. It says that leadership is "ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen." In my opinion, this is the essence of the concept of leadership. Think about it. Leaders create a way. They do not control. They do not command. They are not annoying. True leaders create a way, so that their subordinates have the opportunity and the willingness within them to make something extraordinary happen. True leadership is making people follow you because they want to. It is about creating and casting the vision which will send people into raptures. Creating a way also means providing people with all the possible resources to help them achieve the extraordinary.

So, leadership is not just knowledge of the subject. It is a personal trait. However, good leaders are usually made and not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Just learn how to create a way for people.

A glimpse of this can be captured through quotes and quotations on leadership. Here are few of my favourite lines:

“There go the people. I must follow them for I am their leader.” Alexandre Ledru-Rollin

“A leader leads by example not by force.” Sun Tzu

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” Andrew Carnegie

“Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership…” Dee Hock

“Most bosses know instinctively that their power depends more on employee’s compliance than on threats or sanctions.” Fernanda Bartolme

"We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors." Lyndon B. Johnson

So, just learn how to create a way for people. Make sure your leadership efforts and energy are focused on creating a way for them. I do not claim that it is an easy task. You do not have to be a genius or have a superior knowledge of everything. Share your vision with people, empower them and create the environment in which they can prosper and accomplish vision, use and learn from quotes and sayings. This is leadership.
 

Davoraldo invites you to visit QuotesHut.com, his personal collection of quotes and quotations, sayings, proverbs. If you are encouraged to improve your leadership skills by using leadership quotes, than QuotesHut.com could be a good starting point.

So, leadership is not just knowledge of the subject. It is a personal trait. However, good leaders are usually made and not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Just learn how to create a way for people.

A glimpse of this can be captured through quotes and quotations on leadership. Here are few of my favourite lines:

“There go the people. I must follow them for I am their leader.” Alexandre Ledru-Rollin

“A leader leads by example not by force.” Sun Tzu

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” Andrew Carnegie

“Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership…” Dee Hock

“Most bosses know instinctively that their power depends more on employee’s compliance than on threats or sanctions.” Fernanda Bartolme

"We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors." Lyndon B. Johnson

So, just learn how to create a way for people. Make sure your leadership efforts and energy are focused on creating a way for them. I do not claim that it is an easy task. You do not have to be a genius or have a superior knowledge of everything. Share your vision with people, empower them and create the environment in which they can prosper and accomplish vision, use and learn from quotes and sayings. This is leadership.
 

Davoraldo invites you to visit QuotesHut.com, his personal collection of quotes and quotations, sayings, proverbs. If you are encouraged to improve your leadership skills by using leadership quotes, than QuotesHut.com could be a good starting point.

One of the best ways to measure success is to look at ourselves through the eyes of others. Are we looked up to? Are we respected? Some of us are leaders, others are followers. The higher levels of success come from becoming a good leader. To get to the top we need the respect of others to perform our will. No one has ever reached the top solely by relying on themselves. That is why we need to look carefully about the type of relationship we decide to form with others. We need to inspire confidence.

So what are the ingredients of leadership? Among the most important is self belief. It should be pretty obvious that you are unlikely to get others to follow you if you do not have confidence in your own abilities. The display of confidence is crucial for several reasons. First of all, it gives a clear physical presence of leadership, a rallying point for others. Secondly, it inspires confidence in others knowing that there is a strong hand on the tiller. No finer example of this can be found than the tradition among 18th and 19th century captains to remain a visible presence on the deck of a ship right in the heat of battle, a tradition that cost the great Lord Nelson his life but inspired his men to victory and beyond. Thirdly, confidence creates an aura of invincibility in negotiations and other high pressure situations. Keep your cool, and enjoy the benefits that confident, clear decision making will bring.

Of course it would be naive to assume that the majority of leaders in the world of business are motivated by helping others. Yet the best lead companies understand who the best people to do business with are. They both have an atmosphere of mutual respect and decency and include sound and just morals among their most important guiding principles. Being a good leader requires hard work. But it will be worth it, because people will be far more likely to go the extra mile for you if you inspire confidence such that they respect you and your principles.

A good leader is able to command respect with out being a tyrant or a push over. A good leader finds that people and opportunity attract themselves to him. This is because the good leader has struck the right balance of being just and fair but firm and hard headed when necessary. In the same way that the first priority of any captain is to put the interests of the ship as a whole before anything else, so too does a successful businessman or manager put the interests of their enterprise or project before anything else. A good leader must not be afraid of what others think of him for this is negative thinking and will affect his confidence and leadership ability.

You must be knowledgeable about every aspect of your profession or business. There must not be a single aspect of your organisation that you do not know anything about. You must be prepared to ask questions, read and do research. Stay abreast of all the most topical issues. Make sure that there is no part of your role or organisation that you can not advise about or comment on. Wise men once said that knowledge is power and it is true. With knowledge you gain leverage among others. The experts you liaise with will respect you for the trouble you have taken in getting to know things you are not expected to understand. The more strings you add to your bow the more confident you will become in all of your daily activities. This also sets an example to everyone else you are connected with. It should inspire confidence in others to become greater.
 

John Doidge has a science background leading him to a fascination and curiosity about the whole package of the universe and how the mind interacts with the physical within it. By understanding our relationship with nature the aim is to aid our mental development to fulfilment, with belief through knowledge. If you wish to continue your journey of exploration into developing your mind for enhanced confidence, resourcefulness and success visit http://www.killnegative.com