Wednesday, January 22, 2014

What Is the Difference Between Leadership & Teamwork?



While leadership and teamwork are different virtues, they are strongly related in business, sports, the military and volunteerism. It is easy to state that leaders lead, while teams follow leaders to reach goals and objectives.Yet, great teams have superior leaders as members. To paraphrase a common definition of solid leadership, "Leaders are people that other people want to follow." However, most outstanding leaders are also equally accomplished team players.

Good Leaders

It is simple to explain leaders with one word: "charisma." But, superior leaders offer much more than that. Noteworthy leaders also deliver some combination of expertise, commitment, dedication, motivation, focus and concern for others. This combination can also create charisma for those that do not generate it naturally. Leaders are naturally goal-oriented and understand the need -- and the best way -- to communicate the objective to the team.

Good Teams

High performing teams buy into a "shared agenda" philosophy. By adopting the objectives of the leader and melding them with the individual goals of team members, the group becomes a stronger force than the individual strengths of the group members. Effective team members also feel a strong sense of empathy, allowing them to better understand the individuals in their group. This factor works to bring the team together to attack their common objective.

Business: A Team Sport

Except for those successful one-person proprietorships, business achievement is always a "team sport." Success requires a superior leader (coach) and outstanding teams (players). Just as top business leaders need not be "born," as they can be "made," high performing teams can be coached to success, regardless of how diversified they may be. It is possible for great teams to achieve without strong leadership. However, success comes only situationally -- or through lady luck -- under these circumstances.

5 Public Speaking Tips That'll Prepare You for Any Interview



Landing a job interview is incredibly exciting –- and often terrifying. But fear not. There are clever ways to transform your angst into nerves of steel. After all, a good interview should feel like a conversation, not an interrogation. Here are five essential key tips from the world of public speaking that’ll help you look just as awesome in person as you do on paper.

1. Know Yourself

Most people dread the moment when their interviewer utters the words - “So, tell me about yourself.” But it’s actually the simplest question to navigate once you get down to the root of what’s being asked. "Tell me about yourself" really translates to: “What can you tell me about how your personality, interests, work habits and background will help you rock this position?”

Before you answer, rewind back to when you applied for the job -– the moment you decided that you and the position would be a solid match. Usually, the reasons that ran through your mind before you chose to apply are the answers the interviewer is looking for. Since you’re the most well-versed on the subject of you, this is your moment to paint the picture of what you bring to the table and why you’re the most dynamic and capable person for the job.
 
2. Bridge the Gap Between Confidence and Enthusiasm (Then Marry the Two)

How many times have you been confident in your ability to perform a task but not necessarily enthused about doing it (or vice versa)? Confidence speaks to the way you perceive you, while enthusiasm is more indicative of your feelings about something or someone other than yourself — in this case, the gig.

To make sure there’s a healthy balance between the two, draft a list of reasons you’re confident about your ability to perform the job, and pair each one with a reason why you’re enthusiastic about showing up. Youshould be able to clearly communicate these reasons during your interview.




Tips for Staying Motivated in Your Small Businesses



As an observer by nature, I am always amazed at how individuals operate within a variety of settings and circumstances. One of the most fascinating topics to me has been motivation. I have seen people, who were driven by success or responsibility, push themselves and their families to the point of exhaustion, and wondered if they felt the results were worth it. 

Naturally, if you live long enough, you get the chance to see just about everything. I know that I am old enough to have witnessed how my, my daughter’s, and now my grandchildren’s generations, differ in their motivation. Naturally, we are motivated differently. In my youth, our life styles were not the same as my grand children’s. I was more motivated by money and what it could buy, simply because my parents grew up during the Depression and were conservative in spending.

I hear employers complain about their workforce not being motivated and I naturally ask what motivates their workers. Usually, the clients look at me blankly; answering glibly, “nothing”; they shrug; or make assumptions. Their reactions cause me to offer my “free” speech about self-worth and how it is important to know what motivates others so they, the business owner, can be a better manager. It is not always well received, but the facts are true. If an employer dangles a 25-cent- to a dollar-an-hour raise over someone’s head who is not motivated by money, but instead by “time off,” the effort is wasted.

Since I feel motivation is something of great value, I am interested in finding out what motivates business owners and how they stay motivated.

Over the past 17 years, many women-owned businesses have especially intrigued me regarding “What motivates them.” I have watched women arrive at 4 a.m. to bake bread and stay until 11:30 p.m. to clean floors (small business owners wear many hats). 

Having Issues In Life? Try These Self Help Tips



Something may have happened recently that made you realize you need to change your behavior before losing those that are closest to you. You immediately need to further your self improvement; however, you probably have no idea how to begin. The following article provides you with advice that can get you started on the road to self-improvement.

The people in your life should have similar interests. Not only will this strengthen your resolve and reinforce positive attitudes in yourself, but it will also allow you a break from people who are toxic that badmouth your goals and dreams at every turn.

You should try to find and read books that tell you about personal development. These types of reading materials can often provide new insights and give you methods to alter your behavior in lifelong positive ways. Choose a self improvement book that is well reviewed because some books are just no good.

The principles you believe in need to be put into practice. Your personal beliefs create the foundation for who you are. When your core beliefs are well-founded, your self esteem improves. This will also promote consistency in your life and actions, which is a trait almost everyone finds admirable.

Accept your limitations before engaging in self improvement. Realizing that you are but a small part of the bigger picture will potentially open your mind to attaining new insights. As soon as you have this idea lodged in your brain, you are going to want to understand and be able to learn different things, which leads to improving yourself.

When building a personal development plan, it is important to consider your personal values. It doesn’t make any sense to focus on things that your value set does not include. 


5 Effective & Genuine Techniques to Motivate Employees



As a business owner, it's my job to make my business grow. There has never been a doubt in my mind that most of that growth comes not from mysterious market forces, but rather from my most precious internal resource: my employees. To that end, I've always tried to make sure my employees are treated well with paid health benefits, three weeks' vacation from year one, a matching 401(k) plan, and even homemade (by me!) birthday treats.

All of these things help build a great team. But to really keep the team intact--and working together to grow the business--I've learned and tried to master these five effective and genuine techniques:

Personal growth trumps a bonus.

I make it my business to closely note the things that interest my employees and try to give them every opportunity to pursue those activities. For instance, a hard-working member of my staff was clearly interested in the world beyond the one she knew. Each time I traveled overseas for the company, she would ask about the details of the trip; it was clear that she, too, would like to go. However, her position did not require much travel. I kept her interest in mind, all the same, and when the opportunity arose to send someone to Europe to represent the company, I sent her in my place. Even in advance of the trip, the opportunity motivated her to work even harder than usual to make sure that all of her responsibilities were completed pre-departure. Once overseas, she found opportunities that helped my company to develop a presence in a new market. But the true motivation for her was the chance to see the world and prove she was capable of handling an important mission.