Leadership

Archived Posts from this Category

February 22, 2010

Give Yourself Permission to Think Big

Posted by Matthew Dent under Leadership | Tags: , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

From a young age, we are taught to be happy and thankful for what we have, there less fortunate people than ourselves. To want more is considered terrible, you should conform to what others think is fair.  I remember being trained to ask for less, to not be greedy, and expect less.  Ultimately, I was being told to demand less and expect less out of life.

What do we have to lose by thinking big?  I would argue you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Majority of people are afraid of thinking big, they are scared to lead, scared to be successful, and scared to be rich. For some, being rich or successful is a satisfying dream and they are content with having this dream.  Remember, most people think small; when you tell them what you plan on doing they will probably try to talk you out of it or tell you how you can’t do it.  This is a typical response; people create glass ceilings for themselves.  They can’t imagine themselves ever being able to achieve the same so they try and talk you out of it.  Don’t let others discourage you from thinking big.  If anything, tell others about your plans so they can hold you accountable, then go out there and make it happen.

What is the reason for success?  Successful people take their dream to the next level. They give themselves permission to lead, succeed, or be wealthy; they don’t stop until the vision becomes their reality.  A poster child for “thinking big,” Donald Trump says, “I realized it was just as easy to think big as it was to think small, maybe a bit more complicated but I liked the challenge.”  Now it is your turn to start thinking big!  Anyone who thinks the sky is the limit, has limited their growth; think big and transform your vision into your reality.  Life is like that, it evolves, it grows and you can have it all.   

CRUX: Think big, give yourself permission, make a commitment, and don’t stop until your vision becomes reality.

 “You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” -Steve Garvey

 

 

January 25, 2010

Establishing Connections & Maintaining Rapport

Posted by Matthew Dent under Communication, Leadership, Relationship Building | Tags: , , , , |
[2] Comments 

I originally planned on writing about networking, however establishing connections and maintaining rapport is an important starting point.  When it comes to developing and building relationships there are a few things you can do to create solid rapport.  How would you define Rapport?

When meeting someone for the first time it is important to seek common ground.  To begin with, you could research the person to find a common interest or topic of discussion.  This has become much easier recently due to social media platforms and the internet.  Creating this starting point will set up the basis for an engaged conversation you can build upon.

At the beginning of any relationship we should adjust our communication style accordingly as we begin to develop rapport.  You may need to change your pitch, tone, and vocabulary to match the level of the person you are conversing with.  Three types of styles include audio, visual, and kinesthetic.  People will give cues to the style they prefer through there words and actions.  I found a very interesting article by Joe DeVito called Conversational Coolers and Warmers which discusses conversation styles and characteristics of conversation. The purpose of engaging in this conversation is to build comfort and rapport, not to impress people.  

Next, we need to engage actively and lead through listening.  This is one of the most important skills to master, yet the least developed.  The key aspects of active listening involve: eye contact, focus, timing, and summarizing a conversation.  The most important part of actively listening is to actually listen.  Asking questions or giving verbal cues will allow you to seek a common understanding in the conversation and help with the retaining efforts.  For more depth, refer to a earlier post on Becoming an Active Listener.  

 Lastly, remembering names is an important aspect of developing rapport.  Using a person’s name makes them feel comfortable and even important.  By remembering someone’s name you are paying them a compliment.  So decide this is must, begin to associate that name with an object, picture, or even a word that rhymes with it and use their name in conversation. 

CRUX: Become an excellent communicator and build connections and rapport with people.  We must seek common ground, adjust our style, and take part in active listening.     

                                                                                                     
“Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you.” – Richard Bach

 

January 12, 2010

Motivating Through Positive Communication

Posted by Matthew Dent under Communication, Leadership | Tags: , |
[6] Comments 

We are constantly being evaluated in every aspect of our lives and we can choose to control how others perceive us by our choice of words and our body language.  People speak to themselves at a rate of 200 words per minute and we are constantly giving cues to what we are thinking.  The practice of motivating others through positive communication will draw others towards you and make you stand alone.

The first key to positive communication starts with reframing.  This process involves rephrasing a negative comment or statement into something positive that is non-threatening.  Three phrases I have learned to help reframe from negative comments are: yet, up till now, and in the past.  This is a very important leadership practice for young individuals aspiring to be great.  If you are building others up you are putting off a vibe that becomes contagious and others want to be around. 

On a daily basis we are flooded with negative energy which can also be contagious.  If you watch the news you may get a story or two within the hour that is actually positive.  It is difficult to have a positive perspective if everything we hear is negative.  Sometimes we need to choose to be deaf to negative input.  Becoming aware of how you interact with others will help you realize how to improve.  Consider carrying a journal around and track your interactions throughout the day in order to grasp an understanding of how well you perform.

Lastly, we want to avoid using “ums” and “ers” and we should eliminate these from our vocabulary.  The best way to by time when communicating is to pause. Rather than fumbling your words consider pausing and grabbing your words prior to speaking. Mastering this concept can be the single most significant tool in communication. When you pause, you will be sending a message to your listener and also gaining their attention.

CRUX: Reframe from using negative remarks and master single most significant communication tool.

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” -Plato

 

January 10, 2010

Avoid Time Constraints

Posted by Matthew Dent under Leadership | Tags: , , |
Leave a Comment 

Do you ever miss deadlines?  Do you fall short of completing the things you needed to get done for the day?  I know it happens to me.  With years of experience and even coaching some leaders have still fail to control the clock.  Everyday it appears we don’t have enough time however we actually have all the time that exists.  There are many reasons why we mismanage our time.  Taking an active role and being self aware will allow us to start to control the clock.  

The first time constraint is “I don’t have time.” Actually, we do have the time; we just don’t manage it well.  Creating “to-do lists,” lead to failure.  Don’t get me wrong, the list is a great idea; the individual managing it is why it fails. We like checking things off a list; we gain a sense of accomplishment even though the tasks are meaningless.  By addressing the biggest priorities and eliminate the insignificant items we will gain valuable time which would have been wasted otherwise.  The next constraint is the lack of quiet time. Working in an environment with a lot of noise can be very distracting and cause your efficiency to decline.  Remove all interruptions or do what it takes to avoid them.  You may need to restructure your office so it is harder for someone to make eye contact with you.  I have found it easier to close the door or not look up when someone is being distracting outside my office in order to avoid okaying invite.  The next constraint is procrastination.  Here is something we are all really good at!  Maybe it stems from college, having to and pull all-nighters because we mismanaged our time and didn’t have our priorities straight.  Start early and have a plan in place.  The last constraint is disorderly workspace.  Take the time to organize your desk and plan out your activities.  The less clutter the better!

CRUX: Remember, we have all the time that exists; it is up to you to control the clock and avoid the time constraints.

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” – Albert Einstein

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 38 other followers