Building Leaders Who Build Organizations

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3 Ways to Deal With Fear
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3 Ways to Deal With Fear

 

Being an entrepreneur, I have found the topic on fear to be overwhelming. I say this because I was faced with fear when I started my business, you know the internal dialogue we play in our minds…what if??

What if it doesn’t work out?
What if I’m not good enough?
What if I can’t pay my bills?

Fear is the single biggest dream killer, well before we get to the starting blocks, we find ourselves defeated by our very own thoughts. This process can be debilitating, and often when the pain becomes unbearable, the best way out is to seek the positive.Remember when Marianne Williams said “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us”And it dawned on me, we have 2 primary motivators in life: Pain and Pleasure.

Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Bertrand Russell

 

Some philosophers have hypothesised that the feelings of pain (or suffering) and pleasure are part of a continuum. They describe pain and pleasure very much like a push-pull concept; human beings will move towards something that causes pleasure and will move away from something that causes pain. Much like our relationship with fear, we often seek ways to move away from it and into a pleasurable state. Let us look at 3 ways to better deal with fear?

1. Change the relationship with fear

Successful people redefine their relationship with fear. You can too. They succeed because they develop in spite of attitudes. With perseverance and persistence, they do what it takes to overcome great obstacles.They are willing to get through difficult times, transcend their limitations and become stronger and wiser because of their challenges.Most importantly, they believe in themselves and are unwilling to trade their destinies for safety, comfort and momentary gratification.

2. Change your thoughts about fear

Worry is a useless activity. If the brain is worrying, it means it doesn’t have a solution. If it doesn’t have a solution, it goes around and round, creating more fear. When you catch yourself worrying, you’re free to just turn it off—think of something else: Family, Holidays, Cars!We can control our brains. We can train the brain out of fear thinking. We can drown out persistent negative thoughts with positive affirmations such as: I have the power to create change, I choose happiness, I let go of all that no longer serves me.

Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out.Karl Augustus Menninger

3. Use the fear to grow

We can learn from our fears, and use it as a driving force to propel us to new heights.That thing you’re scared of? It’s probably scary because you aren’t sure what to expect. Sure, you might not succeed. But if you do, greater things could happen than you already realise. It’s certainly a chance that is yours to decide whether to take or not, but if you don’t try then you have a 100% chance of missing out on that potential greatness. It takes looking that fear in the face, standing up to it and saying “you’re in my brain trying to get me to take a step back, but I’m stronger than you and know that if I can power through it will be worth it and I will emerge even stronger than before.”In the end, fear is just another type of motivation. It’s not as pleasant as enthusiasm or mania, but it pushes us to take action on some things and avoid others, just as all motivations do. What matters with motivation is what you apply it towards. In some ways, the world could use more fear in the right places. Fear of being mediocre, ignorant or wasting your life on pursuits that don’t matter.

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3 Simple Ways To Improve Your Team Culture
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3 Simple Ways To Improve Your Team Culture

Workplace culture seems to be the buzzword around organizations these days, and its not always positive.
Getting up and going to work should not be an activity that people dread every day. People spend more than half their lives at work – it should be fun. I believe that employees should look forward to going to work. In fact, they should have a hard time leaving because they enjoy the challenges, their co-workers, and the atmosphere.

Culture matters and should be the building blocks to eliminate stress from employees. In fact, culture sustains employee enthusiasm. Here are 3 simple ways to improve your team culture.

1. Align your values

Employees that are aligned to the values and mission of an organization are dedicated to accomplishing the goal. When employees are on board with the mission, they’re engaged in the job and want to help the mission succeed, which in turn helps the company succeed. From a leadership perspective, when we align with our values on a daily basis, we find that we have more energy and feel more fulfilled because we are leading from what’s important to us – our values. If they are not aligned, we feel less authentic and become demotivated, this will reflect in our leadership ability.

“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, If you’re playing a solo game, You will always lose out to a team” Reid Hoffman

2. Encourage Teamwork

Not many leaders have the luxury of hand picking their team, but if you do, you may want to assess their strengths and weaknesses to ensure the best combination of skills. Surround yourself with excellent people and be careful not to choose clones of yourself. Diversity is good, if the individuals are willing to work together.

Sometimes it might be challenging, especially when you’re assigned individuals who have no interest in being part of a team. Your leadership ability will be tested to create an environment whereby your employees work cooperatively and collaboratively. Develop effective teamwork and you’ll inspire productivity, quality and loyalty. This will not happen on its own. It has to be catalyzed, becoming part of workplace culture and integral to people and processes.

 

3. Allow Self Expression

As organizations get larger, they tend to limit employee freedom. Employees who are less involved in key decisions will feel as though their impact on the business is drowned out. This is something you will dread later on if you allow to become a part of your team culture. The best employees don’t want this. If you have milennials in your team it will only be a matter of time before they move on. Forbes found that millennials are also the most ethnically diverse generation which may translate to more prominent cultural expression in the workplace.

They want to have a voice and a meaningful impact on the company and its direction. They know they have the ability to create for the company without the need for management approval.

Did these tips help you? What other ideas do you have—and how are you implementing them?

Let us know in the comments.

 

 

 

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Why Creating a Blueprint For The Future is Essential
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Why Creating a Blueprint For The Future is Essential

Have you ever felt stuck? That restless, anxious feeling, whereby you know what you should do and don’t know what to do about it?

It’s important to know where you going in life and not just go through the motions. Yes I have fallen victim to this a few years ago but I was able to claim back my power and started creating the life I wanted. It wasn’t easy at first, but through self-discipline and consistency, you would be amazed at what can be achieved.

I have found that the basic business management fundamentals offers a model that allows to be put into numerous contexts and experiences. The P.O.L.C model which is widely known consists of Planning, Organizing ,Leading and Control. Think of it as a process whereby each step builds onto the others. Lets take a deeper look at how the P.O.L.C model can be applied to create a blueprint for the future.

Planning

We have all heard the saying ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’. Planning is the foundation of everything we aspire to achieve. All the visionaries in the world we live in today have spent countless hours during this phase. Want to get started with phase 1? Start by doing the following:

  • Get a journal or a notepad (doesn’t have to be fancy) and start writing everything you want to achieve.
  • Get clear and specific (If weight loss is a goal for you, then be sure to add how many kg’s/pounds you aim to lose within the first month and so on.
  • Identify Obstacles that will stand in your way (Most commonly: OURSELVES)
  • Identify people who can assist you in achieving your goal or who have achieved the goal you currently desire.

Organizing

Now that you know where your life is going, let us move onto the next phase. Organizing for success, this is your life you dealing with, so no short cuts. Note that this step has a co-dependency on the first in order for it to be truly effective. Being organized is being in control, and to get this you have to start by planning.

  • What are the most important tasks that you have to get through today that will enable you to achieve your goals in 3-5 years?
  • List them in order of priority.
  • Start with the hardest first.

Leading

Leading is all about action. We are the ultimate leaders in our lives and the best way to practice leadership is on ourselves. If you can lead yourself, you can lead people. The procrastination ends here so take the bull by the horns or ‘eat that frog’ and get things done. Once we have momentum, we start implementing accretion into our lives and those small gradual steps end in big results. If you find yourself struggling, remember you wrote down in the planning phase someone who has achieved the result you seek, this is your moment to reach out to them and find out how they can assist you.

Control

You have come to this step in the process and I implore you. This might be the most difficult step of all. Getting started is easy, maintaining it is the tough part. The only way we can create lasting change in our lives is through discipline and consistency. Being in control is different to staying in control, that’s why tracking your progress daily is essential.

I hoped you enjoyed reading this. If you don’t already, this is an opportunity for you to create your blueprint for the future. Share this post so that others can benefit and if you need any help, email me.

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Want To Get The Best Out Of Your Teams? Learn This Quality
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Want To Get The Best Out Of Your Teams? Learn This Quality

 

They say “you either have it, or you don’t.” But when it comes to charisma, you don’t have to have it — you can learn it.

Charismatic leaders are more influential, persuasive, and inspiring. People are magnetically drawn to them and more willing to perform above and beyond the call of duty to support them.

Successful leaders have the ability to get people around them to help them achieve their ultimate goal. A task that’s a lot easier said than done. Leaders are essential presences in humanity, they are the ones that have the courage and the ability to instill belief inside others to support what they are doing and help them get to where they want. It’s not what you do; it’s why you do it — that is what gets people behind you.

The world needs charismatic leaders because they fight for quality of life and a better world. Charismatic leaders have the courage of their convictions. They are willing to stand up to people who have a differing view of society or the organization.

So how can you bring the best out of your team? Become more charismatic.

But what does that mean? Ask yourself:

Am I a skilled communicator?  

Am I verbally eloquent and can I communicate with followers on a deep, emotional level?

Am I able to articulate a compelling or captivating vision, and am I able to arouse strong emotions in others?  

If you answered yes to 2 or more of the questions, then you probably have this quality. If you didn’t, here are some charisma styles to help you on your path to being a more charismatic leader:

1. Focus: This style is based on the perception of presence. Adopt this when you want people to feel like they’re the only ones in the room with you. Make people feel like they’re the most intelligent, impressive, and fascinating person you’ve ever met. Interesting stat to note, 46.9% of the mind is spent ‘wandering’ so be present, and smile.

2. Visionary: This style makes other people feel inspired. Vision is a critical component of Leadership Charisma – the quality we attribute to a leader when her/his people are so fully engaged that they enthusiastically contribute their best possible efforts to the the achievement of the organization’s goals.

3. Kindness: This kind of charisma comes from body language and is based mostly on warmth. However, if you don’t combine this with some authoritative skills, you’ll come off as overeager.

4. Authority: This is the most powerful charisma style, and those who acquire it are not likeable all the time. We evaluate this power through four indicators: body language, appearance, title, and reactions of others.

Charisma is really a process – an interaction between the qualities of the charismatic leader, the followers and their needs and identification with the leader, and the situation that calls out for a charismatic leader, such as a need for change or a crisis. But when it comes to the charismatic qualities of leaders, the emphasis is on how they communicate to followers and whether they are able to gain followers’ trust, and influence and persuade them to follow.

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5 Time Management Strategies To End Procrastination
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5 Time Management Strategies To End Procrastination

Time management is all about making the most effective use of your time and working smarter, not harder. It requires planning, and then sticking to the plan – and that takes discipline.

According to the Pareto principle or 80/20 rule, 80 per cent of results come from 20 per cent of effort. That means that of all the things you do, 20 per cent are vital and 80 per cent don’t contribute much. Just think of how much you would achieve if you focused more effort on the 20 per cent that really matters!

There are only three ways to spend time: Thoughts, Conversations and Actions. Regardless of the type of business you are in, your work will be composed of those three items. Here are 5 strategies to effectively manage your time better.

 “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Plan with clear focus

Planning plays a pivotal role in effective time management. Plan your day well in advance to make the best possible use of time. There is no point in working just for the sake of doing work. Planning will give you a sense of direction in the organization and motivate you to complete assignments on time.

Plan how you want to move forward. Create a dynamic to do list to,set a goal and objective and work hard towards achieving the same. Detailed planning suggests you the steps towards realizing your goals at the workplace within a defined time frame.Be sure to include strategic and relationship-building activities as well as operational tasks.

Organize yourself

Many people struggle with disorganization. And, while some think they can succeed amidst the chaos, this disorganization can end up costing a high price. Disorganization can hold us back from getting the promotion we’ve always wanted. It can block our creativity, add stress to our lives, and prevent us from being as productive and effective as we could be.

If you want to get organized, then clearing your desktop is a smart strategy. This can be a time-consuming task, so it might be best to work on this at the end of the day or at the weekend. It’s important to do this slowly, especially if your desk is extremely cluttered!

 Time is really the only capital any human being has, and the one thing he can’t afford to waste.– American inventor Thomas Edison

Stop Procrastinating

Do you find yourself procrastinating all the time? If so, you’re not alone: About 20% of adults claim to be chronic procrastinators.If you procrastinate too much you will not get the most important things done. And you will also send yourself into negative spirals where your self-esteem plummets and you spend your days or more in a vague negative funk.By putting things off, you are just creating more pain at a later stage for yourself.

Stop Thinking, Start Doing. Begin with the hardest task of the day, this allows you to face your fears and incorporate a positive behavior towards adversity. If you start your day this way you will feel relieved. You feel relaxed and good about yourself so make a decision and follow through with it. Create positive habits and stick to them,over time you will find yourself enjoying the process.

Review your progress

Spend 10 minutes a day reviewing your task list every day before you leave the office. Give yourself a pat on the back if you achieved what has set out to. If you think your day’s effort fell short, decide what you’ll do differently tomorrow in order to accomplish what you need to. Reviews are really personal, and they need time to evolve into something you find beneficial for helping you track your progress. A tool I have grown quite fond of is iDoneThis

iDoneThis sends an email at the end of the workday and a quick reply will let you note down what got done so you can share it with the team.

Look for the positives when you leave the office and be determined to pick up the thread the next day. Don’t be too hard on yourself as you are still in the early stages of time management mastery.

Work Smart,Not Hard

Having self-awareness allows an individual to prioritize his or her own needs, ask for help, cut losses, and build upon strengths in an intentional manner. Figure out what your strengths are and build a network around you to to reach goals in the quickest and most efficient way possible.

We get so caught up in busyness that we forget to enjoy what we’re doing. Even when we focus on working smarter, we’re still often too focused on getting things done. Arrange your commitments in a way that you’re happy living out the details of your daily life, even while you’re working.

Be curious. Be open to opportunity. Know yourself. Embrace your passions.

Hope these strategies aid you in reaching your objectives, let me know if you require my help!

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