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Maybe..

http://leaders-workshop.blogspot.com 
1. Maybe.. we were   supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right

one so that, when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be  grateful for that gift.    2. Maybe. . . when the door of happiness closes, another opens; but, often  times, we look so long at the closed door that we don't even see the new one  which has been opened for us.    3. Maybe. ..it is true that we don't know what we have until we lose it, but it  is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it arrives.    4. Maybe. .. the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of  everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.    5. Maybe. . . the brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past;  after all, you can't go on successfully in life until you let go of your past  mistakes, failures and heartaches.    6. Maybe. .. you should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go,  be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all  the things you dream of, and want to do.    7. Maybe. .. there are moments in life when you miss someone -- a parent, a  spouse, a friend, a child -- so much that you just want to pick them from your  dreams and hug them for real, so that once they are around you appreciate them  more.    8. Maybe.. . . the best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and  swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best  conversation you've ever had.    9. Maybe.. you should always try to put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel  that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other person, too.    10. Maybe..you should do something nice for someone every single day, even if it  is simply to leave them alone.    11. Maybe..giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will  love you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their  heart; but, if it doesn't, be content that it grew in yours.    12. Maybe.. .. happiness waits for all those who cry, all those who hurt, all  those who have searched, and all those who have tried, for only they can  appreciate the importance of all the people who have touched their lives.    13. Maybe. .. you shouldn't go for looks; they can deceive; don't go for wealth;  even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only  a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart  smile.    14. Maybe. . you should hope for enough happiness to make you sweet, enough  trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to  make you happy    15. Maybe. . . you should try to live your life to the fullest because when you  were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling but when you die,  you can be the one who is smiling and everyone around you crying.
Author: Unknown

John Maxwell - Executive Summary - The Five Levels of Leadership

JOHN MAXWELL
 
Executive Summary - The Five Levels of Leadership
 
Level  1: POSITION
Key Word: RIGHTS
 
People follow you because they have to.
This level is where we all start. The upside of Level 1 is that it is a place where you can shape and define your leadership. The downside of Level 1 is that the people who follow you will give you the least amount of their energy and effort.
 
Level  2: PERMISSION
Key Word: RELATIONSHIPS
 
People begin to follow you because they want to.
 
Characteristics of a Level 2 leader:
• They listen well.
• They observe.
• They are learning.
 
In the process, they have an attitude of servant hood. They love to serve.
 
Level  3: PRODUCTION
Key Word: RESULTS
 
You are starting to help the bottom line of the company. You become effective as a leader because you produce.
 
Characteristics of a Level 3 leader:
• They produce by example.
The greatest motivational principle in the world is that people do what people see.  Too many leaders are like travel agents – they are sending people where they have never been themselves. Instead you want to be a tour guide – you want to take people with you.
 
• They create momentum.
Momentum is the great exaggerator. At Level 3, most problems are solved. Leaders try to create momentum; managers try to solve problems. Leaders create momentum because they know momentum  will solve 80% of their problems. Momentum is a leader's best friend.
 
Level  4: PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT
Characteristics of a Level 4 leader:
• They recruit well.
• They position people well.
• They equip well.
 
Step 1: I do it.
Step 2: I do it and you're with me.
Step 3: You do it and I'm with you.
Step 4: You do it.
Step 5: You do it and someone is with you.
Compounding happens when you equip someone who equips someone else.
 
Level  5: PINNACLE LEVEL
Key Word: RESPECT
 
You've done it so well with so many for so long, people just follow you. They respect you. Ask yourself: What level am I on? You'll discover you're not on the same level with everybody.
 
ACTION ITEMS:
1.       Write down the names of the people you lead. Ask yourself: What level am I on with that person?
 
2.       If you are on Level 1 with someone on your team, determine how you will build a relationship with them by listening, observing, and learning.
 

Three Management Styles

Posted: 28 Mar 2013 06:45 AM PDT
Guest post from Great Leadership regular contributor Paul Thornton:

Management style greatly affects employees' motivation and capacity to learn. The most effective managers vary their styles depending on the employee's knowledge and skills, the nature of the task, time constraints, and other factors. By so doing, they encourage and inspire employees to do their best at all times.

The basic concepts presented in this article are derived from the "Situational Leadership Theory Model," developed by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey. I was privileged to study with both Professor Hersey and Professor Blanchard at Ohio University. Since then, as a college instructor, coach, consultant, corporate trainer, manager, and facilitator, I have successfully applied the concepts described below with many employees and students in a variety of settings.

The Three Ds

It is helpful to think of management styles according to the three Ds: Directing, Discussing, and Delegating. In essence, the three management styles boil down to this.

· Direct — Tell employees what to do

· Discuss — Ask questions and listen

· Delegate — Empower employees

Using an appropriate management style helps the employee learn, grow, and become more independent. 




Managers need to consider how much experience their employee has had in doing a particular task. Does the employee have the required knowledge and skills to do the task? If the employee has little or no experience a directing style is appropriate. As employees gain experience and know-how, managers need to move to a discussing style and then a delegating style. The goal is to use a management style that fits the needs of the employee relative to the task he or she is assigned.


The Directing Style
Start with the big picture. Provide the context before launching into specifics. State clearly what you expect, how you expect it to be done, andwhen it's due. Wordy and poorly organized directions confuse, overwhelm, and frustrate employees. It's important to provide the right amount of detail. Communication breakdowns occur when important details are omitted. 

· Communication in the directing style is predominantly one-way, from manager to employee. The manager imparts information to the employee via verbal or written instructions. The only feedback the manager looks for is "Do you understand the instructions?"  

· Coaching occurs as the manager tells the employees what they need to do or change. In addition, the manager may demonstrate desired behaviors.   

· Decision making occurs when the manager defines the problem, evaluates options, and makes a decision. Employees learn how to frame problems, evaluate alternatives, and make effective decisions by understanding the process the manager follows. 

· Recognition happens spontaneously when the manager praises employees who follow directions and complete assignments correctly. It can be accomplished on a more formal basis through company reward/recognition programs and feedback provided in private manager-employee conferences.    

The Discussing Style
Prepare questions in advance. Great discussions don't just happen. Ask one question at a time. Be open, curious, and interested in learning what your employees think and why they think that way. 

· Communication in the discussing style is two-way (between manager and employee) or multi-way (among employees, or among employees and manager). The manager asks challenging questions and listens carefully to the employees' comments. Follow-up questions help uncover underlying assumptions, reasoning, and feelings. Employees learn to have opinions and be able to back them up with facts and data.  

· Coaching occurs when the manager asks questions that require employees to evaluate their own performance. "How do you think you did? What could you have done better? The goal is to encourage employees to examine what they did, why they did it, and what they can do to improve.   

· Decision making occurs as the manager and employees collaborate and work together to define problems, identify and evaluate alternative solutions, and make sound decisions. Employees learn as they respond to the manager's questions, offer their own ideas, and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each option. 

· Recognition may be given to employees who express their ideas clearly and succinctly. In addition, employees should be praised for thoughtful observations, creative ideas, building on the ideas of others, and helping the group reach a logical conclusion.  

In meetings don't allow one or two employees to dominate the discussion. Solicit everyone's ideas and opinions. Promote broad participation by engaging all employees. After a good discussion it's important to get closure on who is going to do what tasks by when.

The Delegating Style
Assign tasks that are challenging, but not overwhelming. Increase the probability of success for each employee by expressing confidence in his or her ability to get the job done.  

· Communication occurs as the manager assigns tasks for employees to tackle independently or in small groups. Employees listen and ask follow-up questions until they fully understand what they need to deliver. Managers need to get periodic updates from employees to insure appropriate progress is being made.

· Coaching is accomplished primarily through self-coaching. Employees gain the most maturity and confidence when they are able to critique their own performance.

· Decision making happens as employees establish goals, implement plans, and work through issues on their own. They make the decisions.     

· Recognition most often takes the form of praise and other rewards given to employees who work well independently, meet deadlines, and produce quality work.  

As employees grow and develop they want the freedom to make their own decisions and solve their own problems. Such independence promotes maturity and increases motivation.

Summary 

Effective managers use a variety of styles. They know how and when to choose the most appropriate one for the specific situation. At the end of each week, managers should assess their own performance with questions like the following: 

· Did I use the most appropriate management style for each task? 
· Am I asking the right questions? 

· What else can I delegate? 

· Who's ready to take on a bigger task?  

· Are employees becoming more capable and independent? 

The Power of Words

The Power of Words

Think about the tremendous power of words:

Do you keep telling yourself how difficult life is? 
Do you keep telling yourself how low business is?
Do you keep telling yourself how rising expenses and prices are?
Do you keep telling yourself how poor you are? 
Do you keep telling yourself how difficult people & customer are?
Do you keep telling yourself how bad the environment/temperature is?

If you do, you will always see difficulties everywhere. Your subconscious mind will always be busy justifying these thoughts.

Stop and Think and Change your Words.

Change the words and sentences you use, and you will get different results. The way you phrase a sentence will always affect the results, and some results could be quite dramatic.

This applies to words you repeat in your mind, words you say aloud, and words you read.

Different words affect people differently and cause different reactions. This applies to work, business, advertising, relationships, conversations and every sort of communication.

The words you repeat in your mind, in your inner conversations, also have a tremendous power. If you change them, you can change your life, and also how people treat you.

Pay attention to the words you constantly repeat in your mind. Be aware of what is going on in your mind, when you are not too busy, such as while waiting in line, travelling by bus or train, walking, or at any other time you are mentally not busy.

What kind of words do you repeat in your mind?

If you always say:

I am weak
I am poor
I cannot...
This is a problem
Isn't That Precious?

then you will have the same..!

Let's change a few Words...

Alhmdolliha
I am Happy
I am Strong
I am Confident
This a Challenge
I am getting Better and Better
I can turn around
It is Possible
Let's do it
Ready for Action

Say these words with faith, belief and conviction, not just uttering or shouting them. 

Disappoint your Disappoints with regular Discipline and Practice.


Best Regards
Shabbar Suterwala
 

What is Greatness and Becoming a Greater Person

The Secret of Greatness
 
 
What Is Greatness?
 
"The hardest task one can have is to continue to love his fellows despite 
all reasons he should not."
 
"For the one who can achieve this, there is abundant hope.
 
"For those who cannot, there is only sorrow, hatred and despair. 
 
And these are not the things of which greatness, or sanity or happiness 
are made.
 
"A primary trap is to succumb to invitations to hate.
 
"Never use what is done to one as a basis for hatred. 
Never desire revenge.
 
"It requires real strength to love man*. 
And to love him despite all invitations to do otherwise, all provocations and all reasons why one should not.
 
"Happiness and strength endure only in the absence of hate. 
 
To hate alone is the road to disaster. 
To love is the road to strength. 
To love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. 
 
And may very well be the greatest secret in this universe." -- L. Ron Hubbard (*Man: mankind; the human race.)
 
Examples
 
1. As soon as you arrive at your family's party, your stomach twists when you see your Aunt Jane. Ever since you were young, Aunt Jane has criticized you. 
 
"Well, managing a shoe store is fine, but I thought you'd be a successful doctor, like your father." 
 
"I was completely surprised to see your daughter's eyes are blue since you and your wife have brown eyes."
 
If you had known Aunt Jane would be at the family gathering, you would have found a good excuse to miss it. 
 
You want to leave, but then she sees you. 
 
"There you are! Have you been avoiding me?"
 
You decide to be a great person and love your Aunt Jane despite all reasons you should not. As you hug her, you notice she is now in her 70's. 
 
You suddenly realize she hasn't criticized you for more than 20 years. 
 
You are surprised to find you actually do love her.
 
 
2. You are driving down the road enjoying some music and some idiot cuts in front of you. 
 
You slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. 
You send him a mental curse and hope he has a rotten life. 
 
You notice you feel rotten. 
You blame the other driver for this feeling and start driving recklessly.
 
But then you think, 
"Hey! I don't want to hate anyone. I'm going to love that guy." 
 
You feel a little understanding for the other driver. 
You think, "He must be late for work" and you wish him well. 
 
Within seconds, you feel better and forget about it. 
You go back to enjoying your music.
 
 
3. A few years ago, you and your friend Peter bought a delivery van. 
 
He used it during the day to make deliveries from his flower shop and you used it at night to deliver newspapers.
 
When going to work one night, you notice the van is missing. 
 
You call Peter who says, "Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you that I sort of rented it to this guy. I mean, uh, well, I sold it because I had to pay off some bills. 
 
I think you owe me some money anyway, so I think we should call it even."
 
You say, 
"I can't believe this! 
You sold our van? 
You really did it this time Peter!" 
You slam down the telephone and vow to never speak to him again. 
You jump in your car and spend all night moving newspapers.
 
You plot revenge in several ways. 
You'll spray paint his windows. 
You'll steal his car. 
You'll spread rumors about him.
 
Every time you think about Peter and the van, you get upset. 
 
Even two years later, you still feel the hatred whenever you see a 
similar van.
 
But then you learn this principle and decide to be a great person. 
 
You decide to love Peter despite all reasons you should not. 
 
After a few days, you decide to call him.
 
Peter says, 
"I'm so glad you called! I'm sorry about the van! 
I've regretted selling it for years now."
 
You say, 
"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry our arrangement failed. Good luck Peter."
 
The van memory stops hurting you. 
People like being around you again. 
You feel great! 
 
 
Five Recommendations for Becoming a Greater Person
 
1. Love everyone around you. People in your family, neighborhood, workplace, everyone. Love them for no reason. Why not?
 
2. Whenever someone tries to get you to hate him or her, refuse to play the game. Instead, generate some love for the person, even if only a small amount.
 
3. Make yourself tougher by loving people, even your enemies. You can certainly love people without letting them control you. In fact, it's easier to face and handle difficult people, if you love them.
 
4. Eliminate revenge as a purpose in your life. 
Who do you want to get even with? 
Change that intention into something positive. 
Wish them well and you'll feel much happier.
 
5. Make yourself happier by loving people. 
Whenever you feel depressed (sorrow) or a loss of hope (despair), find someone to love. 
You don't even need to see or talk to the person, just love him or her. 
 
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Soft Skills and Personality Development Articles for Motivation and Inspiration