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Article Check - How To Learn Great Management from Our Kids
Entrepreneurialism - Is It Always About The Money?Idealism and motivation have been my foundation. Education and encouragement have been my support. The dream of financial freedom and security has been my goal.Choosing the entrepreneurial journey is one of the riskiest paths to travel. The harsh truth that one realizes while traveling the path is that many people will fail along the way. It would be a lie on my part to state that I have never been apart of a failed idea. Understanding that failure is an inevitable certainty of being an entrepreneur is the first step toward obtaining success. Remember, you must learn to crawl before you can walk.Overcoming failure is the defining characteristic that separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Many people take failure as finality. It has been my experience that many new entrepreneurs must change careers, because the impact of a failure bears too heavily on their souls. These are the people that journey off the path because of small bumps in the road. That is all failures are, "small bumps." Once one realizes that one can simply "walk into your
office or your shop or your call-centre and viewing it from the eyes of someone new, just like a child might and notice things, will bring out comfort-zones and help you ask yourself and your team about substandard quality.
Their Passion Children do get excited about things. (I remember when I was seven and I had my first pair of football boots, I slept with them!) Children love doing things, so much that they show how much they love it. Be it dancing, playing an instrument, writing stories, collecting special cards, they do it with a passion, a zest and much joy.
What Managers Can Learn Here How much passion do our teams show in what they do in the workplace. How much has the joy and fun of work been sterilised. How much could our people share laughter with ea Should You Take Care of Your Customers?Sometimes it feels like business would be so much better without customers. We could go about our internal meetings without problems, set-up strategies that we like and understand, decide where the funds should go...life would be so easy...no customers, no cry (to paraphrase a famous song). Of course, this scenario conveniently forgets that it is the customer who pays our bills.There is no doubt that the customer should be at the centre of every business strategy and yet, it often feels like focusing on them comes as an afterthought, a single paragraph in a business plan, nothing more (the famous 'Them' and 'Us' strategy.)Let's face it, while the title of this article would make any marketer cringe, it is still common practice to make decisions without the customer in mind...and remain successful (but for how long?)Thinking about the customer is not a natural function for many businesses. Even many marketing departments avoid it, despite the fact that their very reason for being is to understand their customer. After all, isn't m Learning comes from many places. And one of the most wondrous opportunities is right in front of us. At dinner, at play and at bedtime, every evening. It is there on the sports field, on vacation and during homework. Our children have clues we can use in our business and organisation, right away..
- Listen to Them
Kids tell us a lot about themselves, if we are prepared to listen. Often, especially when they are quite young, they ask us unexpected questions, that, if we are prepared to hear what they are saying to us, can lead us to more questioning. We can sharpen our senses to what else is going on by listening to them, to give us clues as to what else might be going on.
What Managers Can Learn Here Using our senses means that we can understand people well. But how much, as managers, we can get from this depends on how we develop our more subtle senses of intuition and more particularly, our 'hearing' skills.
- Watch Them at Play
Have you ever been completely engrossed is what you are doing? So much so that anything could have been going on around you, yet you were so focused that you would not have noticed. My sister could do that - she could read and become so in tune with her book that nothing could disturb her. Kids do that all the time. They have the joy of being so focused when at
play, that nothing else matters in that moment.
What Managers Can Learn Here When we become oblivious in the
workplace, it is because we are entirely at one with the activity. Noticing this gives us clues about what our strengths are. When working in an area of strength, we are more likely to be at our best. So are our people and utilising
this knowledge can strongly leverage an individual's performance.
- Talk to Them
Children love to listen to us. Telling them stories, explaining things to them and seeking information all prove they have a fascination with being spoken to. They hear what we say and interpret that. Sometimes it means that they come back to us with a clarifying question -
sometimes embarrassingly direct!
What Managers Can Learn Here When we talk to children, they are too innocent to hold back when something is unclear. When we talk to people we manage, they sometimes don't and are left with wrong impressions, unclear instructions or, worse still, a poor impression of you and sometimes even themselves. We can encourage them to be honest and open with us and not be afraid to seek clarification.
- What they See
Children are very observant and tell us so. Ever been in an enclosed space with a child who comments on the other lady's 'funny hat'? Children see many things because they are curious to learn and understand
more about their world. They often comment on what they have noticed, which sometimes is something we have not noticed ourselves recently. We might have become too close to something and notice no longer.
What Managers Can Learn Here When we become used to something;
people; circumstances; environment; we fail to see things as they creep up on us. Time passes, the familiar becomes the norm, becomes poor standards. Standing back and being a child again and asking things like 'Why?' Walking into your
office or your shop or your call-centre and viewing it from the eyes of someone new, just like a child might and notice things, will bring out comfort-zones and help you ask yourself and your team about substandard quality.
- Their Passion
Children do get excited about things. (I remember when I was seven and I had my first pair of football boots, I slept with them!) Children love doing things, so much that they show how much they love it. Be it dancing, playing an instrument, writing stories, collecting special cards, they do it with a passion, a zest and much joy.
What Managers Can Learn Here How much passion do our teams show in what they do in the workplace. How much has the joy and fun of work been sterilised. How much could our people share laughter with eac SFI: Home Business RealityThe reality of home business ifs that not everyone makes it. In fact I knew from my research that 95% are bound to fail. I decided I was going to look for something free. I didn’t want to waste my money if the statistics showed that more than likely I would fail. I found SFI it was free to join so I signed up.When I joined SFI and started as a free member I was skeptical about the reality of home business. I found out that I wouldn't make any money unless I became an EA -meaning you either have to make so much in sales every month or you buy so much every month. Even though I was skeptical about the reality of home business I decided to get my EA status the easy way and buy a $30 membership that would give me EA status every month without having to worry about it.I was put off by this until I realized that by becoming an EA I locked in my position on the powerline and everyone who joined SFI after me would contribute to my check. The first month isn't much but I calculated it out and within 3 months the SFI powerline will be paying s managers, we can get from this depends on how we develop our more subtle senses of intuition and more particularly, our 'hearing' skills.
- Watch Them at Play
Have you ever been completely engrossed is what you are doing? So much so that anything could have been going on around you, yet you were so focused that you would not have noticed. My sister could do that - she could read and become so in tune with her book that nothing could disturb her. Kids do that all the time. They have the joy of being so focused when at
play, that nothing else matters in that moment.
What Managers Can Learn Here When we become oblivious in the
workplace, it is because we are entirely at one with the activity. Noticing this gives us clues about what our strengths are. When working in an area of strength, we are more likely to be at our best. So are our people and utilising
this knowledge can strongly leverage an individual's performance.
- Talk to Them
Children love to listen to us. Telling them stories, explaining things to them and seeking information all prove they have a fascination with being spoken to. They hear what we say and interpret that. Sometimes it means that they come back to us with a clarifying question -
sometimes embarrassingly direct!
What Managers Can Learn Here When we talk to children, they are too innocent to hold back when something is unclear. When we talk to people we manage, they sometimes don't and are left with wrong impressions, unclear instructions or, worse still, a poor impression of you and sometimes even themselves. We can encourage them to be honest and open with us and not be afraid to seek clarification.
- What they See
Children are very observant and tell us so. Ever been in an enclosed space with a child who comments on the other lady's 'funny hat'? Children see many things because they are curious to learn and understand
more about their world. They often comment on what they have noticed, which sometimes is something we have not noticed ourselves recently. We might have become too close to something and notice no longer.
What Managers Can Learn Here When we become used to something;
people; circumstances; environment; we fail to see things as they creep up on us. Time passes, the familiar becomes the norm, becomes poor standards. Standing back and being a child again and asking things like 'Why?' Walking into your
office or your shop or your call-centre and viewing it from the eyes of someone new, just like a child might and notice things, will bring out comfort-zones and help you ask yourself and your team about substandard quality.
- Their Passion
Children do get excited about things. (I remember when I was seven and I had my first pair of football boots, I slept with them!) Children love doing things, so much that they show how much they love it. Be it dancing, playing an instrument, writing stories, collecting special cards, they do it with a passion, a zest and much joy.
What Managers Can Learn Here How much passion do our teams show in what they do in the workplace. How much has the joy and fun of work been sterilised. How much could our people share laughter with ea How To Get Your Dream JobIn their book, Get What You Deserve! How to Guerilla Market Yourself, Levinson and Godin outline six steps to get the job you really want.Position yourself. Write a positioning statement about yourself. Identify who you are and where you're going.
Identify your customers. Identify the companies you want to work for and that honestly have what you are looking for. Don't go searching out non-profits as potential employers if you want unlimited earning potential. Similarly, don't focus on smaller companies if you want the prestige of working for a Fortune 500 company.Prepare a non-resume and a plan. Prepare a guerilla non-resume, a word-of-mouth campaign and a marketing strategy that reflects your positioning and gets you an interview. A non-resume is no resume. Instead, use an effective cover letter that highlights how you can benefit the company. In addition, use powerful reference letters that specifically support your positioning statementGive them a reason to hire you. Impress those that interview you so m rength, we are more likely to be at our best. So are our people and utilising
this knowledge can strongly leverage an individual's performance.
- Talk to Them
Children love to listen to us. Telling them stories, explaining things to them and seeking information all prove they have a fascination with being spoken to. They hear what we say and interpret that. Sometimes it means that they come back to us with a clarifying question -
sometimes embarrassingly direct!
What Managers Can Learn Here When we talk to children, they are too innocent to hold back when something is unclear. When we talk to people we manage, they sometimes don't and are left with wrong impressions, unclear instructions or, worse still, a poor impression of you and sometimes even themselves. We can encourage them to be honest and open with us and not be afraid to seek clarification.
- What they See
Children are very observant and tell us so. Ever been in an enclosed space with a child who comments on the other lady's 'funny hat'? Children see many things because they are curious to learn and understand
more about their world. They often comment on what they have noticed, which sometimes is something we have not noticed ourselves recently. We might have become too close to something and notice no longer.
What Managers Can Learn Here When we become used to something;
people; circumstances; environment; we fail to see things as they creep up on us. Time passes, the familiar becomes the norm, becomes poor standards. Standing back and being a child again and asking things like 'Why?' Walking into your
office or your shop or your call-centre and viewing it from the eyes of someone new, just like a child might and notice things, will bring out comfort-zones and help you ask yourself and your team about substandard quality.
- Their Passion
Children do get excited about things. (I remember when I was seven and I had my first pair of football boots, I slept with them!) Children love doing things, so much that they show how much they love it. Be it dancing, playing an instrument, writing stories, collecting special cards, they do it with a passion, a zest and much joy.
What Managers Can Learn Here How much passion do our teams show in what they do in the workplace. How much has the joy and fun of work been sterilised. How much could our people share laughter with ea How Speakers, Trainers, Coaches And Consultants Lose MoneyIt's often been said, "You can't be all things to all people." So I accept the fact that as a speaker, trainer, coach or consultant, you can't offer every service or topic that your clients may want or need. But you need to get as close as possible if you want to gain as much as possible from that relationship and ensure an easier road to referrals!The toughest part about the human development industry is FINDING a CLIENT. Providing that client with whatever service they wanted is the EASY part - the FUN part! So once you have gained a client, you need to keep your involvement with them purposeful and profitable. That means you must be prepared to offer them a comprehensive and coordinated menu of programs and services.You must ALWAYS have something your clients want to buy.But in all of the years we've been advising professionals, we've heard countless stories of speakers who captivate an audience with a 60-minute keynote, but don't have any longer, more in-depth training to offer. We've worked with trainers who don't offer m to be honest and open with us and not be afraid to seek clarification.
- What they See
Children are very observant and tell us so. Ever been in an enclosed space with a child who comments on the other lady's 'funny hat'? Children see many things because they are curious to learn and understand
more about their world. They often comment on what they have noticed, which sometimes is something we have not noticed ourselves recently. We might have become too close to something and notice no longer.
What Managers Can Learn Here When we become used to something;
people; circumstances; environment; we fail to see things as they creep up on us. Time passes, the familiar becomes the norm, becomes poor standards. Standing back and being a child again and asking things like 'Why?' Walking into your
office or your shop or your call-centre and viewing it from the eyes of someone new, just like a child might and notice things, will bring out comfort-zones and help you ask yourself and your team about substandard quality.
- Their Passion
Children do get excited about things. (I remember when I was seven and I had my first pair of football boots, I slept with them!) Children love doing things, so much that they show how much they love it. Be it dancing, playing an instrument, writing stories, collecting special cards, they do it with a passion, a zest and much joy.
What Managers Can Learn Here How much passion do our teams show in what they do in the workplace. How much has the joy and fun of work been sterilised. How much could our people share laughter with ea Those Wonderful Women TruckersPresently, there are about 8 million licensed CDL drivers in the United States. Approximately 4.5 million of these are active truck drivers. Professional truck driving, specifically over the road trucking, has always been noted as a field dominated by men. The rough and tough trucking life could only be handled by a real man . . . well, times are changing!Women in trucking actually goes back to 1929 when Lillie Elizabeth Drennan became the first women to receive the CDL license. Driving an old Chevrolet, she was a rugged lady who carried a loaded revolver with her on her trucking adventures. Born in 1897, she paved the way for women truckers up to her passing in 1974.Today, there are nearly 170,000 women truckers, making up 5% of all U.S. trucking jobs. By the end of 2007, that number is expected to attain 200,000. What motivates these women to leave the general work place? You will find that independence and the irrepressible challenge of truck driving jobs are the two mo into your
office or your shop or your call-centre and viewing it from the eyes of someone new, just like a child might and notice things, will bring out comfort-zones and help you ask yourself and your team about substandard quality.
- Their Passion
Children do get excited about things. (I remember when I was seven and I had my first pair of football boots, I slept with them!) Children love doing things, so much that they show how much they love it. Be it dancing, playing an instrument, writing stories, collecting special cards, they do it with a passion, a zest and much joy.
What Managers Can Learn Here How much passion do our teams show in what they do in the workplace. How much has the joy and fun of work been sterilised. How much could our people share laughter with each other and with our clients/customers? As managers, understanding that passion for their role is a strong quality and can be very valuable in the business.
- How they Learn
Children love to learn. Give them a pastry roller and a bag of flour and water and they will be straight into jam tarts. Give them a rake after you've mown the lawn and they'll love to help. And watch them - they really want to get it right. As you show them what to do, they will want to be left alone, to have a go themselves. They will glow as you praise them for a job well done and they will want to do more.
What Managers Can Learn Here Challenge, show, try, review,
show again, try again, receive praise, want to do more, to learn more. It's a simple yet powerful model from showing a child how to learn something new to an opportunity every manager can use, day in, day out, and teach to others. The
outcome is a learning organisation, with everyone just champing at the bit to learn more, because they have learnt well.
- How they Dislike Things
When a child does not like something, they usually tell you, from being a small baby to a late teenager. They are usually quite vociferous to parents about their likes and dislikes. If you've ever bought
the wrong pair of jeans or tried them once again with brussels sprouts - you know about it! They are open and honest with their feedback!
What Managers Can Learn Here How honest is the feedback in the organisation - how easy is it for people to say what they feel and what they
would like to say. Often in a grown-up world, we think it is 'nicer' to hold back and be reserved. But this doesn't work well, does it? As managers, we can provide safe spaces for people to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions
openly and safely. It might be uncomfortable at first, but it will be a lot more energising and healthy for the business in the future.
- What Gives Them Confidence
Kids get confident when they get things right. They then want more. More of the same; more new things. As they get it right, they feel good about it - successful and they like that, so they want more.
What Managers Can Learn Here Catching your people getting things right makes a lot of difference to them and they respond positively. They get motivated at the job they do well and want new challenges building on the
confidence you give them.
- How they Take to New Things
With curiosity! They get nosy and like to fiddle around with things to try them out. They inspect and work things out. In fact, they often like to do it alone.
What Managers Can Learn Here It's about letting your people familiarise
themselves with new stuff. Let them be inquisitive and don't get into showing them at first. Let them find their curiosity and play with it. And remember that often, people take to things at different speeds. Just like children do, so let that be OK
- What Damages Them?
At first, when very young, children are not damaged by the things they investigate. OK, they put their finger on something hot and they cry. Harsh though it might seem, that's all learning is about. As parents, in a modern dangerous world, it is
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