How To Become a Successful Entrepreneur in Today’s World?

The Key Steps to Becoming Successful in Today's Society.

Learn how you can start living successfully as an entrepreneur. Before you start your journey, let's first define "entrepreneur," and examine some of the characteristics of an entrepreneur in today's world. The definition of "entrepreneur" is a person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture. What are some of the typical characteristics that make up an entrepreneur in today’s world?

• Entrepreneurs have passion for what they do in life.


• Entrepreneurs express a great amount of enthusiasm in their line of work.


• Entrepreneurs are goal-oriented in their quest to reach their desired outcomes.


• Entrepreneurs have a creative imagination when it comes to their ideas in business.


• Entrepreneurs have a positive attitude when it comes to building their business and business relationships.


• Entrepreneurs are very quick decision-makers in their business endeavors and ideas.

These are some of the amazing characteristics of an entrepreneur.

An entrepreneur chooses not to sit back and take what life deals him; he attacks life head on, takes charge of his own life, and has a persistent determination to create his own path in life. In a book called “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, Mr. Hill said that “an educated person is not necessarily a person with any specialized knowledge, but an educated person is one who has so developed the higher faculties of their mind that they can acquire anything they want without violating the rights of others.” Do you know what the higher faculties of your mind are? The higher faculties of your mind are perception, reason, memory, will, intuition and imagination. Many wealthy entrepreneurs today understand these higher faculties; you are going to be introduced to a couple of these higher faculties in the following steps.

After applying the steps below, you will have a good understanding of the entrepreneur personality test. The entrepreneur personality test is a test for you to discover the mindset you have now, compared to the new entrepreneurial mindset that you will be creating. Also, your new entrepreneurial mindset will help you to understand the importance of a network of business opportunities. It is important for you to start networking with other like-minded individuals to help assist you in accomplishing your business goals. Most of the wealthy entrepreneurs today are living successfully due to the many benefits of having a small business as an entrepreneur that’s home-based in the state they live in now. So let’s go into the key steps of what it takes to become successful.

1.Create your new entrepreneurial mindset. Before you can become successful, you have to create a new mindset to achieve the things you want in your life. Examine your current mindset, and how that way of thinking has gotten you to where you're at right now. Be honest with yourself when looking over your current results, because this will give you an accurate measure of the choices that you have made over the years. Only then will you begin to see for yourself that it is time for you to work on your new mindset in order to start living the life you want to experience, regardless of your current circumstances. Once your new entrepreneurial mindset is in motion, you will start making very creative choices to move you faster to your desired goals. Find three to four successful entrepreneurs that have the lifestyle that you want, and ask them if you can interview them individually to understand the reasons why they are so successful at what they do in their current business as an entrepreneur. While you are listening to them, take notes, examine what they say to you about themselves and their success, and grasp what type of mindset they have now in their lives. This will propel your own success in so many different ways because you will be able to apply what you have learned to your own mindset.

Apply personal development in your daily life starting today. For example, read good self-help books like the one mentioned at the end of this article. Listen to self-improvement tapes, CDs, and as an extra bonus, attend a least one personal development seminar a year to help grow, maintain and keep your new entrepreneur mindset growing everyday. Your level of awareness will increase greatly with the new mindset that you are creating to go after the things you want in your life. Having an open mind as an entrepreneur will also help you make better decisions quickly, and become more creative.

2.Get out three blank sheets of white paper and a pen or pencil. Take out three blank sheets of white paper and a pen or pencil. You are going to write down your new mindset as an entrepreneur on your sheets of paper. Writing down what you want (and what you are going to achieve as an entrepreneur) is a very powerful activity that you are making a habit of now. Taking out your sheets of paper right now is a serious gesture that you are making to let your subconscious mind know you are a person of action. This step will help propel you on your new journey, the journey of taking the necessary steps needed to achieve your desired goals. These three blank sheets of paper represent your future. As an entrepreneur with a new mindset you can paint any picture you want to on the three sheets of paper, regardless of your current circumstances.

3.Write down all of your new ideas as an entrepreneur on the first sheet of paper. Label the first blank sheet of paper you have as number one. You have been spending some time changing the way you think, and creating a new entrepreneur mindset: Start writing down all of the new ideas that you have as an entrepreneur now. The ideas that you are writing down now are the ones that you have been thinking about in your mind that you want to create and achieve in your physical presence now. For example, if you have a burning desire in your heart to start your own daycare center, restaurant, hotel, or create a product for people to buy, then write down all of your ideas in every detail. Write down how big the daycare center is going to be, where it is going to be located, what color the building is going to be, how many children you will allow to be kept in your daycare, how many people you will staff, what type of services you will provide to the parents and children coming to the daycare. This is a perfect example of how you can start writing down all of your ideas as an entrepreneur on the sheet of paper now.

4.Write your short-, middle- and long-term goals down on the second sheet of paper. A short-term goal is something you want to achieve in one day, one week or one month. A middle-term goal is something you want to achieve in ninety days to six months. A long-term goal is something you want to achieve in one year or more. Write down what you want to achieve as an entrepreneur on the second blank sheet of paper. List them in the categories stated above as short-, middle- and long-term goals. At the top of the paper, you can have your short-term goals, in the middle section of the paper, you can have your middle-term goals, and at the bottom of the paper you can have your long-term goals (if necessary use the back side of the sheet of paper). Be creative when writing down your goals because this is your life that you will be experiencing in the near future. This is one of the biggest reasons why 1% of our population is earning around 96% of all the money that’s being earned in our world today. They set goals, and they keep at them until they have seen them through into their physical manifestation.

5.Write down fifty things you want to experience in your life now on the third sheet of paper. Write down fifty things that you want to experience in your life now on the third blank sheet of paper. You can start really having some fun in this step by writing down fifty things that you want right now regardless of your current bank account, job, business or relationships in your life now. Those fifty things that you write down will help you to understand that you can have whatever you want in your life as an entrepreneur. However, you have to first know what you want in detail. For example, you might want a brand new house in the city that you are currently living in. If you write down that you want a brand new house, however, that is not what you really want, and it is not in enough detail for you to realize that you can have what you want now. If you write down that you want a brand new two-story house that has five bedrooms, and four bathrooms with a whirlpool Jacuzzi in the master bedroom upstairs, and brown hardwood floors all throughout the downstairs of the house, now you are really writing about wanting that house! You can see it clearly in your mind, and you will surely take the necessary actions when the time comes to buy that home (without violating the rights of others in achieving your goal). This will surely move you in the direction of taking the steps necessary to meet your goals. Many wealthy entrepreneurs get what they want every time because they write it down on paper first; then, they go after it in their daily life.

6.Integrate personal development into your daily lifestyle. Start applying personal development everyday in your daily life. With the new mindset you have now, you should continue to feed your mind everyday with personal development. For instance, you can take out three minutes in a day and meditate on goals or just clear your mind of everything for the moment. Read a good book on personal growth, listen to meditation music, have a conversation with a positive person and people or obtain a personal development program to help keep your mind on track in accomplishing your goals. The meaning of personal development can be found in the term "self-help," which means any practice whereby an individual or a group attempts self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually or emotionally. So you see this is some great stuff to add as a part of your daily life and it will certainly help move you in the right direction. Successful entrepreneurs apply personal development in their daily lives everyday. They work ninety percent on themselves, and ten percent on their businesses. So with that in mind, personal development is a must to achieve success as an entrepreneur.

7.Give yourself a command and follow it. Now that you have been thinking and writing about your goals, the things you want, and your ideas as an entrepreneur, give yourself a command on what you want to achieve first as an entrepreneur, and follow it until you see it through to the finish. Then you can move on to something else that you want to focus on and achieve. You will continue the same process over and over--whatever you decide you want to achieve, give yourself a command and follow it until it is achieved.

8.Keep your new mindset positive by hanging around like-minded individuals. Hang around more like-minded individuals daily, monthly and yearly to keep a positive mindset. Hanging around individuals that have the same entrepreneurial concepts that you do will keep your mindset in a positive state, and on the right track to achieve your goals. You can hang around like-minded individuals by either listening to a group of individuals on the phone via conference calls, attending seminars, being part of an online forum of positive people like yourself, and keeping in contact with the positive like-minded people you have formed a relationship with on your journey in achieving your goals. The more positive like-minded people you associate with regularly, the more it will certainly keep moving you in the direction of becoming successful as an entrepreneur.

9.Take seven minutes out of everyday to visualize the end result of your goal in your mind. Take seven minutes out of your day to visualize the end result of your goal that you have decided to achieve within a specific time frame (as mentioned in step number three). For example, if you decided to own your own daycare center, then you could spend seven minutes in the day visualizing about every aspect of your daycare center as if you currently owned it in the present moment. You can also start off visualizing everything that you wrote about the daycare center in step number three. Then you can work your way to the end result of having the daycare center in your possession now. For instance, visualize the amounts of checks that you are receiving from your customers now that you have the daycare center, visualize different cars parked at your daycare center parking lot, visualize the joint ventures that you have created with other daycare center owners in your area in providing better services in your city. Before successful entrepreneurs became successful, they first visualized the end result of their goal, and continued to dwell on that end result a few minutes of everyday until it became a part of their experience in life.

10.Put four positive affirmation statements on a sticky note around your home, office, and work area in times when you need to be encouraged as you move forward with your new idea. Place your affirmation statements in a specific area in your home, office, and work area to help continue your encouragement in accomplishing your new ideas. Affirmations should always be written as positive statements in the present tense. Placing four affirmation statements on a sticky note around an area that you visit most often will further your actions toward your goal because your affirmations will began to work as supportive thoughts, and a placeholder for a more positive mindset in your daily life. Your affirmation statements should always be written in present tense such as, "I own a daycare center in Chicago, Illinois," or you can write, "I am a daycare center owner in Chicago, Illinois." Keep your affirmation statements short, positive, and to the point of what it is that you want to see manifested as an entrepreneur in your life now. You will definitely be putting yourself in the 1% bracket of our population that gets everything they want out of life.

11.Sign your name to the sheets of papers with your new ideas, goals, and the things you want in your life as an entrepreneur. Put your signature on the end of the sheets of paper where you have written down all of your new ideas, goals and the things you want to experience in your life as an entrepreneur. By doing this step, it will promote a sense of seriousness within yourself, that you mean business in accomplishing your ideas, goals and what you want. You also will feel that you have already completed your aspirations by signing your documents of personal achievement. Your signature represents a decided heart and a new mindset. Eric Rodriguez

12.Make a decision to yourself that you will never give up on your new ideas and goals until you see them manifest in your life. Do yourself a huge favor right now and go ahead make the decision to never give up on your new ideas, and goals until you see them manifested in your life as an entrepreneur. Many unsuccessful entrepreneurs in today’s society give up on their goals and ideas at the first sign of temporary defeat. There is no such thing as failure, only temporary defeat in life, period. When a successful entrepreneur has a temporary defeat, he remains calm, relaxed, and confident in his quest to achieve his goal because he understands that every temporary defeat is backed by a great or equal number of successes in his life. That’s why many successful entrepreneurs always get what they want in life; they never give up on what they want.

13.Take action on your new ideas and goals as an entrepreneur. You have been taking action all throughout this article in the steps listed above, so now it is time for you to take the necessary action to make it happen. This step is the meat and potatoes or the salad and yogurt (if you are watching what you eat, you get the picture). Take action everyday on your new ideas and goals as an entrepreneur. You deserve the best that life has to offer, so the only gap between knowing what to do and doing it, is action. Take action everyday regardless of your current circumstances in life. As an entrepreneur with a new mindset, you are the leader, and it's time for you to start living successfully as an entrepreneur in today’s world.
The steps above will keep you getting more of want you want and less of want you don’t want in your life. They have been in use for years by many of the wealthiest entrepreneurs on this planet. You now have in your hands a blueprint to your success in whatever you want to create.

I personally use these steps in my own life everyday, which has brought me an abundance of opportunities, money and phenomenal business relationships that I am very grateful for everyday in my life. So here is to your success! Remember there is no such thing as problems, only opportunities in life. Embrace every opportunity that is in harmony with what your goals and ideas are in life, and you surely will begin living successfully as an entrepreneur in today’s world.

Reference:
Lee Butler
Lee Butler

Top to Bottom!!!

Seven reasons for failing the top job... .....

• Most CEO failures are self-made and so CEOs need to guard against their own weaknesses


• Clarity in direction and communication are key to CEO success


• In addition, effective media campaigning and flexibility in leadership style can also evade CEO failure

Many would agree that the race to the corner office is not as trying as the fight to stay on! In the recent past the corporate world has witnessed many leadership failures making one think twice before jet setting for the most coveted office in business. Leadership failures are never isolated in nature and have a whole story around them. This also means that before the doomsday leaders, unconsciously though, begin to drop hints about the coming disaster. One of the most obvious tell tale signs of failing leadership is when the leaders begin to change their leadership styles for want of better command and control over the organisation. Besides, there are other signs too that signal the coming disaster. While the symptoms are obvious, the causes continue to elude human logic. Analysing keenly one realizes that leadership failure can be because of many reasons that may otherwise seem harmless but can lead to bigger problems.

An understanding of the reasons for leadership failure can help leaders stay cautious of their own mistakes and provide timely corrective measures or ensure sufficient preparedness for the onslaught.

Raison d'être

An analysis of corporate leadership failures shows that there are seven reasons for failure. These reasons have been found in leadership failures across the globe and so are applicable to every leadership style. However, they do not represent the causes in totality. There may be other reasons for leadership failure, but these seven reasons are most common.

Poor show at the bottom-line

The first and foremost reason that sets the bomb ticking is dismal bottom-line figures. Business is all about padding the bottom-line with impressive numbers and making a notable financial report. Leaders, who fail to uphold this basic responsibility, instantly get the crowd against them triggering anti-leadership sentiment. The case of Chuck Prince the CEO of Citigroup is a good example of how CEOs who fail to show impressive bottom-line growth are asked to leave.

Boost communication efforts in tough times

A constant crib of employees especially in tough times is that leaders tend to become unapproachable by shutting themselves out from others in the organisation. Experts believe that leaders should do just the opposite. Closing communication channels in tough times leads to rumour mongering and creates unnecessary nervousness among employees, which further effects their performance by making the entire act more complicated.

Leaders should open up in tough times and share with others the proposed plans and business ideas for revival. Open communication not only gives others hope but also makes them feel like a part of the solution. Passing wrong information to employees and other shareholders can prove to be extremely fatal for organisational well-being. The case of Jean Paul Vortron, the Chief Executive of Fortis, the Dutch financial services company presents an example of how wrong communication can come heavily on executive leadership. Earlier in the year the shareholders were reassured of their dividends but later the dividends were cancelled without any word from the management. This made the shareholders both angry and curious about the company’s credibility.

Leaders should therefore communicate the facts and not fabricate information for short-term gains. A good explanation by the leader gives employees, shareholders and customers a clear sense of what to expect in future. Misleading shareholders boomerangs with twice the force. So leaders beware!

Do not undermine shareholder support

Investor confidence is an important prerequisite for leadership success. Therefore, undermining shareholder support can land CEOs in big trouble. Appointing non-executive directors can help CEOs keep shareholder support as non-executive directors would represent shareholder interest by ensuring that CEO decisions are not shot down for lack of concern towards shareholder interest.

Ego battles and boardroom confrontations

Another reason why CEOs are forced to step down despite a good performance record is their endless confrontation with the Chairman or other important members of the board. Fred Kindle, the Ex-CEO of ABB is a victim of the boardroom battle. Kindle is credited with exemplary performance both on professional as well as personal front. However, his continous battles with the Chairman went against him compelling him to step down.

The case of Fred Kindle reflects strongly on the need to maintain cordial relations in the boardroom and build tolerance to criticism. CEOs must appoint facilitators to bring out issues that are sensitive and may result in inconsolable differences.

Merger blinding

Many CEOs succumb to their own ambitions. The case of Carly Fiorina, of Hewlett-Packard is an example of just how CEOs make over-ambitious promises and later step down because they fail to deliver. Mergers and acquisitions make for a perfect success strategy if executed well. However the strategy could well backfire with double force if it fails to push up profits. Thus, CEOs should stop from making unrealistic promises and focus on performance by leveraging parameters that lie within their performance radius.

Media fabrications

Media campaigns can have very serious repercussions for CEOs. From attacking corporate leaders for their fat pay packages to their personal friendships, media is indeed what it takes to become both popular and unpopular. So, CEOs should be skilled at media management and should hone skills that would enable them to use media to their advantage.

Rigid leadership style

CEOs should be flexible and adaptive. If their signature leadership style fails to work for them in a given situation then they should be quick to adopt a style that they believe would work better, Rigidity in leadership style can be detrimental to CEO success making flexibility an important success parameter.

In addition to the earlier causes, there are other pitfalls to CEO failure too. However, the previous reasons represent the most common pitfalls as they account for more than eighty per cent of CEO failures. CEOs thus need to guard against them and make their moves with clarity and precision.

Reference:
The ManageMentor

Successful Behaviour!!!

Leadership behaviour is the most critical determinant of business success...

• Leaders can control the outcome of an event by changing their response to it
• Feedback forms a critical aspect of leadership reaction to events
• The onus of seeking feedback lies with the leader

It is said nothing is impossible! Everything in this world is pretty much achievable if it is pursued with discipline, truthfulness and commitment. The possibility of controlling one’s destiny appears much more real!

Leadership too, in the context of organisational working, can create and control the outcome of its decisions, if executed with deliberation. Experts believe that a leader’s reaction to the events happening around him is critical to the outcome. Thus, the basic equation of leadership success--how the outcome of any action depends on the flavour of the event and the leadership response to the event--holds good in any given context.

The underlying principle of success is that any event— joyful, dismal, good or bad—evokes a certain reaction from those affected by it. It is this reaction to the event that determines the final outcome of the event. Effective and successful leaders understand this. They are known to have mastered the art of controlling their reactions, thereby controlling the outcome.

A matter of choice!

When leaders are confronted with situations that compel them to react in ways that may not necessarily be the best and most prudent, they tend to suffer the consequences of their own decisions. However, when leaders realise that the outcome, however compelling the situation may be, is a result of their reaction, and has less to do with the event itself, they begin to analyse the choices available to them. Every situation presents leaders with two choices:

• The choice to blame the event and crib over the outcome
• The choice to alter one’s reaction to the event till the desired outcome is achieved

Leaders who choose to blame the event for the outcome rarely succeed and are never considered to be effective leaders. While those who choose to change their reaction till they attain the desired outcome are the ones who succeed beyond their own capabilities and create history. Great leaders realise the power of controlling their thoughts and reactions. They manage to live their dreams with far greater ease than those who get bogged down by situational exigencies.

In addition to controlling one’s reactions to influence the outcome, leaders need to develop the habit of seeking feedback from people around them. Inviting feedback from people working in close quarters with the leader is also an example of effective leadership behaviour, as it would help leaders understand the reactions of people affected by their decisions. Seeking feedback forms a critical component of leadership behaviour. Leaders who do not seek feedback for fear of being criticised seldom grow, and therefore, fail to create the kind of impact that leaders with more tolerance and openness do.

Supportive leadership

Leadership support is critical for organisational success. Leadership support is determined by the level of confidence people have in their leader. Organisations, where employees are fearless and feel free to go and discuss their concerns with leaders, are more likely to have rewarding workplace relationships, as compared to those where protocol dominates.

Leaders, however, have to exercise caution while seeking feedback from people around them. The feedback should be within a prescribed framework, indicating the sanctity of the leadership position. This does not mean that people have to mince words. It only suggests use of non-offensive language, polite conversation and fact-based feedback. Employees should neither take undue advantage of the transparency in the system nor refrain from using it, in a bid to settle scores with people.

In addition, leaders should be specific when asking for feedback. A generalised approach seldom yields the desired output as both the leaders and the person from whom the feedback is sought give out vague statements. If leaders demonstrate frankness about receiving feedback by stating their concerns, the task becomes easier. For instance, if a leader is concerned about his behaviour in the boardroom, then he must address his concern clearly, without dilly-dallying. When the leader demonstrates a straightforward approach, others feel at ease and give the required input without much ado.

Effective leadership behaviour not only benefits leaders but also impacts the organisation as a whole. Supportive leadership generates work partnerships that are more productive, congenial and friendly, thereby making the workplace a better one.

Reference:
The ManageMentor

What to Avoid When Choosing a Successor?

Choosing a great successor is one of the most important accomplishments that a CEO can achieve. It is often presented as a paint-by-numbers process during which executives concern themselves with abstract concepts such as strategic fit, core competencies, and long-term shareholder value. However, the process of evaluating potential successors can often be as influenced by emotions as it is by logic! From a behavioral (or human) perspective, when evaluating potential successors, we should first look at ourselves.

Beware of the following three classic mistakes leaders make when considering potential successors. All three can cloud our objectivity and diminish our ability to evaluate candidates.

1. Why Doesn’t He Or She Act Like Me? As a rule, successful human beings tend to “over-weight” their own strengths and “under-weight” their weaknesses when evaluating others. The more successful we become, the more we can fall into the “superstition trap,” which, simply stated, is, “I behave this way. I am a successful leader. Therefore, I must be a successful leader because I behave this way.”

All successful leaders are successful because of many positive qualities and in spite of some behavior that needs improvement.

As a leader, take a hard look at your own strengths and challenges. Recognize that you will have a natural tendency to forgive even large errors that resemble your weaknesses and to punish even small flaws that occur in your area of strength.

After making a list of your strengths and challenges, list the strengths and challenges of your potential successor. As hard as it may be, try to think like an objective outsider. Challenge yourself to recognize that the behavior that you feel is most important for the company may really be the behavior that is most important for you.

2. Why Doesn’t He Or She Think Like Me? It is hard for successful leaders not to believe that their strategic thinking is the right strategic thinking. As you proceed in the succession process, you are going to have to let go. It can be very hard to watch your successor make decisions that are different from yours. It is especially tough since, as long as you are still the leader, you have the power to reverse the decisions.

Your successor—not you—will manage your organization in the future. As hard as it may be, you have to let him or her begin to make a bigger and bigger difference in developing strategy. As long as the organization will be headed in a positive general direction—and achieving results—try to recognize that your successor’s different path may actually turn out to be a better path.

3. Why Doesn’t He Or She Respect and Appreciate My Friends? We all tend to overvalue input from people that we personally like and respect and undervalue the opinions of people whom we don’t love as much. Face it: your successor’s personal preferences are probably different than yours. As such, he or she will likely choose other trusted advisors.
Invariably when transition occurs, some of your friends may lose status or power and may end up leaving the company. This can be tough—both for them and for you.

The Bottom Line: Respect your successor enough to let him be himself, follow his own path, and choose his own key advisers.

Reference:
Marshall Goldsmith

Coach CEOs Through Stress for Success.

Stress for Success...

In times of crisis, the natural response is to buckle down, lie low and try to maintain the status quo - which, in many cases, means the bottom line. The unfortunate side effect is learning and development initiatives, especially at the senior management level, often decline.

According to Dr. Peter Warshaw, a vice president at RHR International, a group of corporate psychologists, now is the time to offer CEOs and senior managers developmental support so they can navigate the company through current stormy conditions.

"In very turbulent times, these are the most meaningful developmental experiences that executives have," Warshaw said. "If their organizations provide them with a little bit of support, a little bit of reflection, and a little bit of a safety net, the development of our executives through this is going to be really, really tremendous. Talent development, HR folks and line managers need to think about [this] as a real opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons."

Warshaw outlined a few key pieces of advice talent managers can convey to their senior leaders to help them help their companies:

1. Lead and manage effectively.
"Crisis leadership is one that's not dictatorial, but people are really looking for leaders to put stakes in the ground and say, 'This is what we stand for,'" Warshaw said. "It's very difficult and challenging to lead with both the demeanor of being calm and in control and at the same time invoke a high sense of urgency in the organization. [But it] is extremely important."

2. Clarify the message.
"If the only message that is coming from the C-suite is 'cut costs' - which is certainly an important one, it's very reactive - it sends fear and trepidation throughout the organization," Warshaw said.

CEOs and senior managers should reiterate what the company stands for and explain that, for the company to continue to stand for that, layoffs or budget cuts are unpleasant requirements. However, this is not the time for grand vision, Warshaw said. Keep it simple and current.

3. Swap scenario planning for strategic planning.
"The whole idea of strategic planning is out the window. What the best CEOs and CFOs are doing these days is what we call scenario planning," Warshaw said. "They're working out the scenarios in advance and asking the 'what if' questions: 'What are we going to do if our revenue drops 10 percent?' 'What are we going to do if our revenue drops 30 percent?' [They should have] those plans at least reasonably thought through so that if the bottom drops again, they're prepared, and they're not running around like chickens with their heads cut off and having knee-jerk reactions that may be damaging to the company."

4. Ask for help.
"This is not the time for executives to go off alone or make the decisions in a singularly top-down way," Warshaw said. Typically, it's very difficult for CEOs to ask for help, he said, but it's critical right now. There are two kinds of help that should be sought: internal and external. Internally, CEOs should meet regularly with senior teams to make sure they have the best thinking at the table. They also should hold one another accountable for their actions. Externally, CEOs should cultivate relationships with advisers, board members or even groups of other CEOs so they can let their guards down, engage in self reflection, talk about their concerns and get emotional support, Warshaw said.

"It's those people outside the organization that are particularly helpful around things, CEOs and other senior executives can't really show and disclose within their organization," he said. "Not reaching out doesn't necessarily mean disaster, but it is a recipe for disaster."

5. Develop new skills.
"Executives are being forced to develop new skills by necessity," Warshaw said. For example, one leader might be very analytical and make decisions based reports only, while another might be more intuitive and listen to his or her gut.

"In these turbulent times, neither one of those styles is sufficient," he explained. "People who are analytical have to learn to be more intuitive, and people who are intuitive have to be more analytical [while also] rely [ing] on the best thinking of their teams to help balance that out."

Reference:
Agatha Gilmore
[About the Author: Agatha Gilmore is a senior editor for Talent Management magazine.]

Entrepreneurs in the Animation Industry.

The Name of the Game is Animation.

If ART and technology could merge to create a business venture, the animation industry would fit the description nicely. With India’s emergence as a global outsourcing leader in the late 1990s, initial efforts were made to create a vibrant animation outsourcing industry.

There was intense interest from Hollywood and elsewhere to use the unbeatable combination of the country’s artistic talent and low production costs. However, questions of quality and scale were soon raised and the pipeline of outsourcing contracts virtually dried up in the early 2000s. Now, a bunch of start-up companies are at the vanguard of reviving the sector and India is all set to enter the big league of global animation with outsourced content, own titles and big-title partnerships. Though the animation industry has often been clubbed under the technology sector, entrepreneurs say the business is 70% art and only 30% technology. This is probably one of the reasons why big corporate houses failed to make a mark and small enterprises driven by the passion of art-loving entrepreneurs were able to win some notable deals.

Neither is it a sector that can offer easy or quick money, say entrepreneurs. Nandish Domlur, chief executive of Paprikaas, a Bangalore-based animation company says businessmen looking to make profits in a very short span are grossly mistaken. “One needs to have a passion for this media and one cannot run this business as just another profitable venture.” India’s animation industry has triggered a flurry of investments and new companies, with the news that companies from the country have provided vital inputs to blockbusters such as Spider-Man and Star Wars. The dream of Hollywood from the comfort of a desktop, many thought. Estimates by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) showed that the Indian animation industry was set to grow from $354 million in 2006 to $869 million by 2010.

Rosy as it seems, the industry needs big investment, patience and a complex set of skills to succeed in this people-driven business. “Animation and gaming are still in their nascent stages. Hence, all those planning to start a venture should be technically sound and have some qualification in animation to understand the basic functioning. With increasing awareness, this may not be necessary but currently, it is essential,” says Toolbox Animation Studio founder Chetan Deshmukh.

To survive and flourish in the animation industry, players need to have a certain amount of global sensibilities. Animation caters to a very diverse marketplace which can range from films, advertising and gaming. As creativity is key, entrepreneurs need to have a keen eye and flair. The focus should always be on content excellence.

The industry, which started in a typical boot-strapped model doing lots of bits and pieces through outsourcing, is now spiralling towards taking greater ownership of its work. The animation business is not about scale but about domain expertise. As it evolves, experts say the industry could spawn India’s own animation characters, based on not just the rich mythological tradition of the country, but also on innovative modern-day characters.

As things stand, the animation industry is investing heavily in creating the capacity to serve content-hungry Western studios. Each seat costs a minimum of $12,000, including high-end software, hardware and data centre infrastructure.

“One needs to have immense conviction and patience for the work, as is the case in any start-up. But for animation, this is very essential as this is a capital-intensive business and has a long-term return on investment prospect. Hence, venture capital companies interested in investing here look at the number of projects at hand which can give a guarantee for return on investment. Short-term business plans may not work. People who put in money now will reap the benefits on a long term. Also, one should understand and respect art,” says Ashish Kulkarni, founder and CEO, Anirights Infomedia , which is soon to be acquired by the Reliance-Anil Dhirbubhai Ambani Group.

Nandish says that one can be successful in the industry by living up to three standards: quality, on-time delivery and cost arbitrage. “One needs to attract customers with low cost, but retain them for high quality,” he adds. The industry has evolved from being in the boutique space and has become more mainstream as it is looking at providing end-to-end services. The industry is now looking at co-producing skills that include developing scripts and creating the digitised content within a certain budget. The entrepreneurs feel that the outsourced services framework will lose flavour over time and ownership of content will be crucial for survival.

Just like any technology sector, the animation industry is also being stymied by the lack of required amount of trained talent. The rare combination of artistic skills and technical expertise is hard to come by. In 2005, Nasscom had predicted that India would need more than three lakh skilled animators by 2008 in content studios alone. In a recent report, the lobby group estimates that the Indian animation industry employed just around 16,500 people in 2006, which would grow to a mere 26,000 by 2010. Hence, there is a huge demand-supply gap. Besides, attrition is the name of the game with even some of the big players losing one out of two employees within a year.

“I have started my own training academy to avert this crisis. This way, I can hire for myself as well as provide quality manpower to the industry,” says Mr Deshmukh. Also, Indian companies are looking for alliances with global players to mitigate this talent crunch to a certain extent. In the case of Paprikaas, which is majority-owned by the Thomson Group, it is able to bring in the freelancers from the West who would work for a couple of months in India and train the people.

It has taken a while for the animation sector to get the recognition that information technology sector enjoys. Early entrepreneurs made some mistakes, but the country is richer for the experience. And now, a new breed of confident and mature start-ups are painting the global content creation market with their myriad colours. They are ready to fight the star wars in the entertainment business.

Reference:
PP Thimmaya & Saket Ambarkhane
Editors of Economic Times

Problems ,Perspective & Perseverance.

In the comic strip, Peanuts, a hapless Charlie Brown occasionally would be stalked by ominous rainclouds. Although the rest of the sky would shine bright and blue, poor Chuck would be stuck under a dark cloud, getting doused by its showers. While his friends and neighbors enjoyed the beauty of the day, a drenched Charlie Brown would be a scowling onlooker.


The lingering raincloud seemed to suggest Charlie Brown's inability to break clear from his problems. A melancholy character, he was prone to fits of worry and self-doubt. He concocted problems where none existed and fretted about those which were real.

While we do not have to contend with perpetual drizzle like Charlie Brown, many of us live under the gloomy shadow of self-induced rainclouds. When life's twists and turns work against us, we retreat into a rotten attitude or heap blame on our surroundings. By doing so, we neglect to deal with our problems and only add to our misery.

The Five Truths Leaders Understand about Problems

1. They're unavoidable.

For the aspiring leader, problems may be the most faithful companions of all. The road to success is seldom paved smoothly, and is oftentimes under construction. Potholes and barricades abound. At every bend in the journey, a leader's vision must peer around obstacles and through formidable walls to foresee a positive future. Leaders who sidestep problems stunt their growth - they end up shallow and debilitated. The successful leader stares down problems and resourcefully addresses them.

2. Perspective on the problem, rather than the problem itself, determines success or failure.

We see problems, not as they are, but as we are. That's why attitude plays such a crucial role in separating those who lead from those who follow. Alfred Armand Montapert said, "The majority see the obstacles; the few see the objectives; history records the successes of the latter, while oblivion is the reward of the former." Leaders look at problems from a healthy, self-confident vantage point.

A Wrong Perspective -------------A Right Perspective

Problems are unsolvable -----------Problems are solvable
Problems are permanent -----------Problems will pass
Problems are not normal -----------Problems are natural
Problems make us bitter -----------Problems make us better
Problems control us ----------------Problems challenge us
Problems stop us -------------------Problems stretch us

3. There's a big difference between problem spotting and problem solving.

Anyone, even the fairly imperceptive, can identify problems, but few people have the initiative to tackle them. As novelist John Galsworthy observed, "Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem." As rule, don't voice complaint about a problem until you're 1) able to put forth a recommendation for solving it, and 2) willing to take an action to solve it.

4. The size of the person is more important than the size of the problem.

You can tell the caliber of a person by the amount of opposition it takes to discourage him or her. Joke writer Robert Orben says that he once saw an ad from an entertainer that read, "Lion tamer - wants tamer lion." Clearly, this performer wasn't looking for greatness but merely for something manageable. To lead at the highest level requires wrestling with problems seemingly beyond our ability to apprehend.

5. Problems, responded to correctly, can propel us forward.

Leaders are not discovered in the limelight; rather they are forged in the darkness under heat and pressure. Leaders gain respect on difficult terrain, after taking a few blows and being shaped by the problems they encounter. As a matter of fact, courage and valor go undetected until seen through the lens of adversity.

Perspective By: Justin Pinkerman

Distraught over massive financial losses incurred during the past year, Adolf Merckle scrawled a suicide note to his family and wandered out the door into a dark, wintry night. He made his way for the railway where he stood by the tracks and waited in the cold. Spotting the headlight of an oncoming railcar, he threw himself under the train and took leave of this world.

As tragic as the suicide was, it would not have received worldwide press apart from one shocking fact: Adolf Merckle was valued at 9.2 billion dollars, ranking 94th on Forbes 2008 list of the world's richest persons.

It can be hard to fathom the extent of Mr. Merckle's wealth, a billion dollars being such a staggering sum. Think of it this way, 9,000 people could each win a million dollars in the lottery, pool their money together, and still have less money than Mr. Merckle was worth. Or, the entire nation of Haiti (8.5 million people) could work for two and a half years without accumulating income equal to Mr. Merckle's portfolio.

A family statement, issued after Mr. Merckle's untimely death, read as follows: "The desperate situation of his companies, caused by the financial crisis, the uncertainties of the last few weeks and his powerlessness to act, broke the passionate family entrepreneur and he took his own life." Surely Mr. Merckle's financial missteps and poor investment decisions must have been painful to stomach. Watching his business empire suffer had to have been difficult for a man of his status. Even so, Mr. Merckle had billions of dollars to his name. It's astonishing to consider the monumental loss of perspective that led the German billionaire to take his own life.

As evidenced by the tragic case of Adolf Merckle, even the most prosperous individual is not immune to a descent into despair. With corporations cutting payrolls and the stock market on the downswing, many leaders face worrisome bottom lines, dwindling investment portfolios, or even unemployment. Many find themselves in the fight of their lives, struggling daily to gain a healthy perspective.

Two Pointers to Keep Perspective When Problems Persist

1) Gratitude

Leaders enter dangerous territory when they neglect to be grateful for what they have, and instead begin to fear losing what they've accumulated. The blessings of life surround everyone, but the person is rare who allows its simple benefits of life to fill his or her soul. Yet, the choice presents itself to anyone: accentuate the positives or dwell on the negatives.

Choosing to be grateful earns the greatest return in times of trouble. It's virtually impossible to be overtaken by worry when a person has a heart of gratitude. For this reason, it pays to log a gratitude journal - each day, list three things in life for which you're thankful. Don't just jot them down; roll them over in your mind. Let them sink into your spirit. Chances are, the exercise will dramatically improve your perspective.

2) Selective Hearing

For leaders, denial isn't an option. Bad news is preferable to no news in that information conveys important knowledge about the current reality. The wise stay apprised of the economic outlook and make decisions based upon incoming data. At times those decisions can be painful such as instituting a spending freeze or terminating the employment of a devoted worker. Nonetheless, leaders shoulder the load and do what must be done to move forward.

While leaders refuse to put their heads in the sand, they do have the wherewithal to unplug from negativity. At a certain point, a glut of the same dreary news damages the psyche. Leaders confront reality, but they stop short of wallowing in worry and despondence. They avoid doomsdayers and naysayers, preferring to fill their minds with hope and opportunity.

The Final Words: Press On

Hiking up a mountain summit for sunrise can seem unreasonably hard in the beginning. The steep trail causes your legs to quiver, the altitude shortens your breath, and rocks and snares threaten to trip your step. For a time, you may be tempted to quit. However, if you persevere to the top, you're greeted with the grandeur of the golden sky, and rewarded with a breathtaking perspective on the beauty of nature.

Like a mountaineer, you may be enduring a rocky, uphill stretch. If so, keep fighting to gain perspective. Hard work and persistence seldom go unrewarded, and they often carry you to a glorious destination.

Perseverance By: Dr. John C. Maxwell

Perseverance is not an issue of talent. It is not an issue of time. It is about finishing. Talent provides hope for accomplishment, but perseverance guarantees it.

Running Past Failure

As a small child, Vonetta (Jeffrey) Flowers dreamed about being in the Olympics. She ran everywhere she went, and gained a reputation among her school friends for being quick. At age nine, Vonetta learned she had special talent. While trying out for an inner-city track club in her hometown of Birmingham, she shocked coaches by posting the best sprint time for Jonesboro Elementary School - running faster than boys two years older than she was!

Vonetta's immense talent carried her to the University of Alabama-Birmingham on a track-and-field scholarship. While at the university, she continued to pursue her goal of gaining a spot on the Olympic team. She practiced meticulously to perfect her stride, spent hours in the weight room adding strength, and ran grueling intervals to shave seconds off her sprint times. Thanks to her combination of talent and discipline, Vonetta ended her college career as a 7-time All-American, competing in the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints, long jump, triple jump, heptathlon, and relays.

With her college career finished, Vonetta set her sights on the 1996 Olympics. Unfortunately, she failed to qualify for the team, running slightly behind the leaders. The failure stung, but Vonetta was determined not to give up. She found a job as an assistant coach and continued her regimen of training.

For the next four years, Vonetta put her body through punishing workouts with an eye on the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In her words, "I devoted countless hours to lifting weights, eating right, and staying mentally tough. I knew that my time as an athlete was coming to an end, and I'd hoped that the 2000 Olympic trials would prove to be my year to finally find out what it's like to be an Olympian."

In June 2000, Vonetta lined up again to run at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Unfortunately, Vonetta placed 13th, and she failed to make the Olympic squad. Although one of the fastest women in America, she wasn't in the select group to represent the United States in Sydney. After 17 years of training, she had come up empty in her quest for the Olympics.

Two days after her second painful failure in the Olympic Trials, Vonetta's husband spotted an advertisement for tryouts for the United States Olympic bobsled team. He convinced her to go to the tryouts. Growing up in the South, Vonetta was not accustomed to cold and snow, and she knew next to nothing about bobsledding. However, at the tryouts her unusual blend of speed and strength proved to be ideal qualities for a brakewoman (the person who pushes the bobsled to give it initial momentum and then hops in with the driver). Vonetta was chosen for the team.

Vonetta's decision to join the bobsled team came with a price - two more years of a strict diet, sore muscles, and countless hours dedicated to attaining peak physical fitness. It also meant delaying her dream to be a mom. However, her years of perseverance paid off. Not only did Vonetta achieve her lifelong goal of competing in the Olympics, but she also became the first African-American to win a gold medal in the winter Olympics!

Perseverance punctuates talent

Vonetta's talent seemed almost limitless, but it wouldn't have carried her to the Olympics without an admirable measure of perseverance. Life seems designed to make a person quit. For even the most talented individual, obstacles abound, and failures are commonplace. Only when a person matches talent with perseverance do opportunities become avenues of success.

Perseverance means succeeding because you are determined to, not destined to

If Vonetta had seen her Olympic dream as a matter of destiny than she likely would have given up after her second failure to make the track and field team. After 17 years of training, the results signaled that her dream wasn't meant to be. She had no natural reason to be hopeful about her prospects. However, she pressed on, determined to find a way to take hold of her goals, and in the end, she was rewarded with success.

Perseverance means stopping, not because you're tired, but because the task is done

Perseverance doesn't come into play until a person is tired. A year or two after college, Vonetta still was riding the excitement of her collegiate track and field championships. She was young, energetic, and optimistic about the future. Nothing was telling her to stop, and consequently she needed nothing extra to keep going.

However, after a taste of disappointment at the Olympic Trials, fatigue and discouragement crept up on Vonetta. The mountain of work in front of her began to look more and more daunting, and her dream began to be a little harder to imagine. Nonetheless, Vonetta persevered. She kept believing, she kept training, and she kept running until she finally caught up with success.

About
John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.

What the Best Bosses Do

What the Best Bosses Do?

Inspire Others to Peak Performance

A transformational leader is one who excites and inspires people to perform far beyond their own expectations of themselves. Transformational leaders practice certain behaviors that cause their people to feel stronger, happier, more confident and more committed.

Delegate Responsibility

The first of these behaviors is the delegation of high levels of responsibility for results. Transformational leaders pick the right people, match them to the right jobs, achieve mutual clarity on the desired results and then they get out of the way and leave the individual with maximum freedom to perform.

Let People Do Their Work

Lao-Tse, the great Chinese philosopher, had this idea when he wrote, "A leader is best when people barely know he exists... when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, 'We did this ourselves.'"

In a recent study, thousands of people were asked to describe their best bosses. Over and over, the respondents said things like, "I hardly saw him" or "He left me alone" or "He gave me complete freedom to do the job."

Give Them Freedom

There is something liberating and empowering to know that you've been entrusted with a major responsibility and that you've been given the freedom to fulfill it. When the right person has been matched with the right job, the conditions for exceptional performance have been created.

Confidently Expect Success

Another behavior of transformational leaders is their confident attitude of positive expectations. They radiate a belief in themselves and in the ability of their subordinates to succeed. They know that the leader sets the psychological tone for the whole organization, so they consciously project a positive attitude no matter how distressing the external situation may appear. They are in complete control of themselves and their emotions.

Action Exercises

First, delegate complete responsibility for results to your subordinates. Discuss and agree on exactly what is to be done, when it is to be done and to what standard. Then, get out of the way and let them perform.

Second, express complete confidence in your subordinate's ability to do an excellent job. Radiate an attitude of confident expectations. Even if you have personal doubts, never let them be seen by others. This is the role of leadership.

Reference:
Brian Tracy

Inspire Minds to Change Lives

Ratan Tata's words of inspiration - Inspire minds to change lives

On Courage: I am, unfortunately, a person who has often said: You put a gun to my head and pull the trigger or take the gun away, I won't move my head. 

On Successful People: I admire people who are very successful. But if that success has been achieved through too much ruthlessness, then I may admire that person, but I can't respect him. 

On Leadership: It is easy to become a number one player, but it is difficult to remain number one. So, we will have to fight with a view to remain number one. 

On Nano: This project (the Nano) has proven to everyone that if you really set yourself to doing something, you actually can do it.

On the Need to think Big: We have been. . . thinking small. And if we look around us, countries like China have grown so much by thinking big. I would urge that we all, in the coming years, think big, think of doing things not in small increments, not in small deltas, but seemingly impossible things. But nothing is impossible if you really set out to do so. And we act boldly. Because it is this thinking big and acting boldly that will move India up in a manner different from where it is today. 

On Risk: Risk is a necessary part of business philosophy. You can be risk-averse and take no risks, in which case you will have a certain trajectory in terms of your growth. Or you can, while being prudent, take greater risk in order to grow faster. 

On Risk: I view risk as an ability to be where no one has been before. I view risk to be an issue of thinking big, something we did not do previously. We did everything in small increments so we always lagged behind. But the crucial question is: can we venture putting a man on the moon or risk billions of rupees on a really way-out, advanced project in, say, superconductors? Do you restrict your risk to something close to your heart? 

On Employees: The way to hold employees today is to make their work and their day-to-day activities in the company exciting enough for them to stay. Not everyone will stay, but I think if we can empower more people and are willing to pass on the responsibility for that, and if people are satisfied and motivated, there's less chance of them wanting to leave and go to a competitor. 

On Low-Cost Products: It should not be, cannot be, that low-cost products come to mean inferior or sub-standard products and services; definitely not. The aim is to create products for that larger segment — good and robust products that we are able to produce innovatively and get to the marketplace at lower costs. 

On Customers: We should be treating the customer in the same way that we would want to be treated as customers. 

On Innovation:Barriers to innovation are usually in the mind. 

On Customers:There was a need to re-focus and look at how your customer sees you, and to pay more attention to what the customer wants rather than what you think she wants. Are you really the most cost effective producer? Are you aggressive enough to grab marketshare? Will you endeavour to dip your toe in the water and do something that you haven't done before? 

On Innovation:If you are a little innovative or a little bit of a gambler, and you make a product which is either ahead of its time or has an evolutionary design, or has features that work into a person's perception, then you have an acceptable product. 

On Questioning:I kept saying, please question the unquestionable. I tried to tell our younger managers just don't accept something that was done in the past, don't accept something as a holy cow. . . go question it. That was less of a problem than getting our senior managers not to tell the younger managers, 'Look young man, don't question me.' 

On Speed:Today, the world does not afford you to luxury of being a slow mover. Nor are there any holy cows. We have to be aggressive, be far-sighted enough to look into the future and we also have to be pragmatic enough to say that if we really are not in a leadership position in a particular business, we should look at exiting that business. 

On Icons:The kind of company one would want to emulate is one where products and technology are at the leading edge, dealings with customers are very fair, services are of a high order, and business ethics are transparent and straightforward. A less tangible issue involves the work environment, which should not be one where you are stressed and driven to the point of being drugged.

On Introspection:All companies need to keep looking at their business definition and, possibly from time to time, to see if that definition needs to be redefined. If you take the example of Tata Steel, they could say that they are a steel company and find themselves in a shrinking market where steel is under threat of being replaced by some other material. The question is: what do we call ourselves? One view was that steel is a material, so can we be a materials company? We don't have to be in all materials, but can we be in composites, can we be in plastics, laminates, etc? The automotive business needs to think similarly, and so does the chemicals business. We have to keep looking at ourselves and asking: what is our business?

On Innovation: My outlook on R&D is that it is an absolutely necessary thing for us to do. And I don't think we are doing enough. The point is not just spending money; it's how many patents you file, your innovation rate and your product development. . . If today you were to give everybody a mandate that they can spend 3 per cent of their revenue on R&D, assuming they can spare the money, I don't think many companies would know the what, where and how of spending that kind of money, other than to put up an R&D place and buy lots of equipment.

On Customer Relationship: Where we have direct dealings with our customers, it is important that, at the middle-management levels, they are shown courtesy, dealt with fairly, and made to feel that they are receiving the attention they deserve. The interface with the customer should be a seamless one.

On Risk: There have been occasions where I have been a risk-taker. Perhaps more than some, and less so than certain others. It is a question of where you view that from. I have never been a real gambler in the sense, that some successful businessmen have been.

On Ethics: What worries me is that the threshold of acceptability or the line between acceptability and non-acceptability in terms of values, business ethics, etc, is blurring.

On Success: I would not consider myself to have been tremendously successful or as having failed tremendously. I would say I have been moderately successful because there have been changes.

On Survival: The strong live and the weak die. There is some bloodshed, and out of it emerges a much leaner industry, which tends to survive.

On Challenges: If there are challenges thrown across and those challenges are difficult then some interesting, innovative solutions will come. If you don't have those challenges then, I think, the tendency is go on to say that whatever will happen, will take place in small deltas.

On Planning: We never really plan big. We are not in keeping with what is happening around us. When you go to other countries around us you see it visibly that we are just back in time. And yet we have so much to offer.

On Commitment: We have to clamp down on deviations from commitments. For ensuring greater commitment to performance, we also need to have a system which rewards performers and punishes those who don't perform.

On Risk: We have is to be less risk-averse. We have been a very conservative house and we have been applauded for our conservatism but today we need to take more risk. We don't need to be flamboyant or cavalier but we need to be less conservative than we have been.

On the Future: One hundred years from now, I expect the Tatas to be much bigger than it is now. More importantly, I hope the Group comes to be regarded as being the best in India. . . best in the manner in which we operate, best in the products we deliver, and best in our value systems and ethics. Having said that, I hope that a hundred years from now we will spread our wings far beyond India.

On Resistance: You will probably find the resistance (to change) more from those who haven't been doing well.

On Change: Change is seen to be needed, and fast, so long as it does not affect me. We want to see change but if you suddenly tell me that I am the company that has to go, or has to be cut in half, or three of my businesses have to be hived off, then all of a sudden, the very person who made the noise about change is now saying, 'You don't have to do this.'

On Humility: I would hope that as people who might take an elite position, would be considered amongst the elite in the country, you will always display humility in the manner in which you deal with your fellowmen, both in your company and in the country and you will continue to have passion in the areas in which you will work.

On Doubt: On many, many occasions you would have doubts on whether what you are pursuing is the right thing. But if you do believe in what you are trying to do and you pursue it and stay with it in a determined manner, I am quite sure you will succeed.

On Problems: There are solutions for most problems. The barriers and roadblocks that we face are usually of our own making and these can only be demolished by having the determination to find a solution, even contrary to the conventional wisdom that prevails around us, by breaking tradition.

Why the Best Leaders Are the Best Leaders

The Best Leaders

From 1996 to 2007, manager Joe Torre led the New York Yankees to the playoffs every year - winning an astounding 17 series in the post-season. Over those same 12 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers did not win a single playoff series. This past season, Torre departed New York to coach the Dodgers. The result? The Dodgers won their first post-season series in 20 years, while the Yankees missed the playoffs altogether.

Ask Yankees and Dodgers fans, and they will tell you that Joe Torre's leadership matters. However, they may not be able to tell you exactly why Joe Torre is an excellent leader. What's true of the fans in New York and Los Angeles is true for many of us. We experience the effects of leadership without understanding the cause.

In this article, I hope to make plain why the best leaders are the best leaders. In a nutshell, remarkable leaders give their best to their people, and get the best from their people. Let's look at how this happens.

The Best Leaders Give Their Best to Their People By...

1) GROWING

People naturally follow leaders they respect as being more advanced than they are. For this reason, personal growth is directly proportional to influence. If you desire to gain followers, then pay the price of getting better.

To give people your best, you have to elevate your leadership capacity. Consider the metaphor of walking up a narrow staircase - you can only go as fast as the person in front of you. When leaders stop growing, they quit climbing and impede the progress of everyone following them. However, when leaders grow, they ascend the stairs and create space for those behind them to climb higher.

Personal growth involves challenging yourself, and pushing beyond the realm of comfort. When is the last time you did something for the first time? How long has it been since you felt in over your head?

2) SERVING

"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."

~ Albert Einstein

Serving others is an attitude issue. Unfortunately, many leaders operate under a king-of-the-hill mentality. They attempt to pull down anyone above them in order to secure the top spot for themselves. In doing so, they clutch at power, grapple for control of company resources, and strive to dominate others. Seeing relationships as win-lose propositions, they ultimately burn bridges and isolate themselves.

The best leaders take an entirely different approach. Rather than dragging down anyone who threatens their position, they extend a hand to lift the performance of teammates and coworkers. They function with a mindset of abundance as opposed to an attitude of scarcity, and they wield their influence to prop others up rather than to elevate themselves. Over time, they are honored for the contributions they have made to the lives around them.

All leaders serve. Sadly, some serve only themselves. Serving is a motives issue, and the crux of the matter boils down to a simple question: "Who?" Does a politician serve the public or his pocketbook? Does a CEO serve to benefit her shareholders or to support her lifestyle? The best leaders set a tone by serving and prove they are deserving of being out in front.

3) MODELING

Growing leaders have something to share; serving leaders have something to give; modeling leaders have something to show. As V.J. Featherstone said, "Leaders tell, but never teach, until they practice what they preach." The best leaders embody their values. Their passion exudes from every pore and demands respect.

The Best Leaders Get the Best from Their People By...

1) LISTENING

The smartest leaders realize the limitations of their wisdom, and they listen to their people in order to capture invaluable insights. However, leaders don't just listen to gain knowledge, they also listen to give their people permission: permission to challenge the process, permission to test assumptions; and permission to take risks. Nothing turns off an up-and-coming leader like the deaf ear of a superior. The best leaders don't simply listen to incoming ideas; they proactively draw them out of their people. They listen actively, not passively.

2) RELATING

Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. To touch a heart, a leader has to be open to disclosing his or her identity by sharing personal stories and owning up to professional weaknesses. Mysterious or aloof leaders may be successful decision-makers, but they won't get the heartfelt loyalty that comes from authentic relationships.

As simple as it sounds, making a person feel known correlates powerfully to their job satisfaction. In fact, Patrick Lencioni lists anonymity as one of the top indicators of a miserable job. Leaders dignify their people by studying their interests, learning about their families, and finding out their hobbies. Conscious of the power of connection, the best leaders refuse to be barricaded inside of an office, and they take responsibility for relating with others on a regular basis.

3) TEACHING

Gifted teachers have a way of making students out of disinterested bystanders. The best leaders have an infectious thirst for knowledge, and they take pride in cultivating knowledge of their craft and awareness of their industry. A leader's teaching ability depends upon ongoing personal growth. As Howard Hendricks said, "If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow."

4) DEVELOPING

The best leaders understand the differences between training people for tasks and developing people to be better leaders. 

• Training Developing
  
• Focus is on the job
  
• Adds value to specific things
  
• Helpful for a short time
  
• Changes a performance Focus is on the person
  
• Adds value to everything
  
• Helpful for a lifetime
  
• Change the performer

The best leaders view their people as appreciable assets and prioritize investing in the talent on their teams.

5) MOTIVATING

After one of my presentations, an audience member approached me who was visibly indignant about my speech. "Why is motivation last on the list?" he demanded. "Well," I replied, "because if you listen, relate, teach, and develop your people, then they will be motivated!"

Sustained motivation comes by creating the right environment for your people and by doing the right things consistently to nurture them. Consider a flower. It cannot grow in the Arctic; it requires a climate conducive to growth. Yet, even in the right environment, the flower must be planted in hospitable soil, exposed to sunlight, watered, and freed of weeds.

REVIEW

The Best Leaders Give Their Best to Their People by...

1. Growing 2. Serving 3. Modeling

The Best Leaders Get the Best From Their People by...

1. Listening 2. Relating 3. Teaching 4. Developing 5. Motivating 

Reference:

Dr. John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times , Wall Street Journal , and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership , Developing the Leader Within You , and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies