Dependability is important to every team’s success. Everyone on the team knows upon whom they can and can’t depend on/ Allow me to share with you my concept of dependable people:
folk whose motives are pure and not for the promotion of self interests;
folk who are responsible;
folk who exhibit sound thinking;
folk who have good judgment;
folk who have critical thinking skills;
folk who have a consistent track record of contributions.
If you can’t depend on teammates all the time then you can’t really depend on them any of the time. Consistency takes a depth of character that enables people to follow through no matter how tired, distracted or overwhelmed they are. Dependable team members punch through obstacles and walls to ensure that the interest of the team is promoted over their own self-interests.
Regardless of the “TEAM” you find yourself in, I think these principles can assist you.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Are you prepared?
Are you prepared? Meaning, have you prepared yourself for the life you are leading or want to lead? Are you prepared for both SUCCESS and FAILURES? If you want to prepare yourself so that you can help yourself and others as challenges and opportunities present themselves, then follow these simple steps.
Where are you heading? Do you have a goal? Do you have a stated objective or are you leaving your future to chance?
What will the conditions be along the way? If you know where you are heading have you written down the challenges and opportunities that you will encounter along the way?
What price will you have to pay or are you willing to pay to get there? If your life trip is going to take longer than you anticipated have you stored enough spiritual, emotional and human capital to pay the price?
Are your motives and resources aligned to get you to your desired destination? Do you know why you have picked your destination and are you sure its for you? Some folk seek career counseling or spiritual counseling before a life changing undertaking.
Do you have an attitude to receive the outcome? Some folk are not ready to accept either success or failure. Have you thought through what you would do with either outcome?
Are you ready to take the first step? Instead of talking about what you would like to do are you ready to start.
No rational person PLANS to FAIL and yet all of us FAIL to PLAN! You can change the events of your life by planning for your DESTINATION! GO AND GET YOUR CHEESE TODAY!
Where are you heading? Do you have a goal? Do you have a stated objective or are you leaving your future to chance?
What will the conditions be along the way? If you know where you are heading have you written down the challenges and opportunities that you will encounter along the way?
What price will you have to pay or are you willing to pay to get there? If your life trip is going to take longer than you anticipated have you stored enough spiritual, emotional and human capital to pay the price?
Are your motives and resources aligned to get you to your desired destination? Do you know why you have picked your destination and are you sure its for you? Some folk seek career counseling or spiritual counseling before a life changing undertaking.
Do you have an attitude to receive the outcome? Some folk are not ready to accept either success or failure. Have you thought through what you would do with either outcome?
Are you ready to take the first step? Instead of talking about what you would like to do are you ready to start.
No rational person PLANS to FAIL and yet all of us FAIL to PLAN! You can change the events of your life by planning for your DESTINATION! GO AND GET YOUR CHEESE TODAY!
Anything is Possible
I was blessed to be exposed to two great television programs this weekend. The first was a “60 Minute” news article on the National Orchestra of Venezuela. This orchestra was started by 1 man who has a passion for classical music and the under privilege children of the slums of Caracas. He believes that classical music can transform the lives of children who before his program only had violence, crimes and drugs to turn to, to relieve themselves of the spiritual and moral void caused by poverty. To date, 300,000 children have gone through his program and they are transforming a nation. The best of them tour the world through the national orchestra and have carved out a life for the rest of them. Hey learn humanity through the classic arts and the power of the vision of one person really touched my soul!
If you haven’t seen CNN’s “Black in America” you are missing a treat! Saturday’s segment was on Martin Luther King and the 40n years since his assassination. Sunday’s segment was on the “Reclaiming the Dream” and the need for intact families to be promoted as a concept in Black America. The emphasis was on:
responsible parenting which includes a commitment to procreating in a 2 parent household;
the promotion of responsible and mature relationships that nurture both parties;
men taking financial responsibilities for their families;
women understanding the difference between sexual activity and the production of a baby; and
the need to promote healthy neighborhoods through nuclear families.
The principles espoused by both programs touched that part of me that says “any thing is possible” when you believe in the Power of One and the Power of You! Be your beautiful, proactive and creative selves today and embrace the power of the positive decisions you will make today.
If you haven’t seen CNN’s “Black in America” you are missing a treat! Saturday’s segment was on Martin Luther King and the 40n years since his assassination. Sunday’s segment was on the “Reclaiming the Dream” and the need for intact families to be promoted as a concept in Black America. The emphasis was on:
responsible parenting which includes a commitment to procreating in a 2 parent household;
the promotion of responsible and mature relationships that nurture both parties;
men taking financial responsibilities for their families;
women understanding the difference between sexual activity and the production of a baby; and
the need to promote healthy neighborhoods through nuclear families.
The principles espoused by both programs touched that part of me that says “any thing is possible” when you believe in the Power of One and the Power of You! Be your beautiful, proactive and creative selves today and embrace the power of the positive decisions you will make today.
Magnify Your Strengths
The weekend is upon us and its time to rejuvenate our internal engines. One of the spiritual exercises you can perform daily is to magnify one of your strengths on a daily basis. Visualize 1strength you have and talk about it all day long. If you do for seven days in a row then the strength you have magnified will become a core competency that others also experience. It is easy for all of us to gravitate to weaknesses and short comings in ourselves and in others. If you are always correcting your weaknesses and the weaknesses of others, negative energy and thinking will take over.
Instead if you magnify your strengths and the strengths of others, a larger good will take place—the rising tide lifts all boats principle will take over any negative energy that exists in your life and the life of the team. There is a technique that is taught in business school and that is the technique of catching folk doing something positive and then complimenting them on it. You can use this technique on yourself, your children, your significant others, your team mates and all members of your team. This is will focus attention on sharpening the skills of all involved. You can compliment positive qualities at the same time that you point out weaknesses that prevent yourself and others from being all that they can be. A rule of thumb is that for every weakness that is pointed out should be preceded by 6 positive feedback opportunities!
Instead if you magnify your strengths and the strengths of others, a larger good will take place—the rising tide lifts all boats principle will take over any negative energy that exists in your life and the life of the team. There is a technique that is taught in business school and that is the technique of catching folk doing something positive and then complimenting them on it. You can use this technique on yourself, your children, your significant others, your team mates and all members of your team. This is will focus attention on sharpening the skills of all involved. You can compliment positive qualities at the same time that you point out weaknesses that prevent yourself and others from being all that they can be. A rule of thumb is that for every weakness that is pointed out should be preceded by 6 positive feedback opportunities!
Martyrs
Do you agree that relationships can get messy? Do you think that people harbor personal agendas and attempt to mask their true motives? Do you think that people try to promote their private agendas and also try and make themselves sound nobler than they really are? If you have answered yes to these questions then you ARE PART OF THE MAJORITY! Everyone promotes their own self interests—that’s called being human so embrace this trait and learn to harness its power for good and not evil.
When we harness the power of self interest you actually see positive societal effects – the inventor of the Jarvic Heart wanted to ensure that no one had to die from heart failure like his father did because a replacement heart was not available; the Alexander Bell invented the tungsten light when he was witness to an operation that was difficult because it was performed under candlelight. The US government just bailed out Fannie Mae Mortgage Company because the collapse of this lender would further hurt the economy. Self interest is a healthy trait—taken to excesses is not healthy but excess is not healthy in any case.
Martyrs are also people who promote their self interests. Martin Luther King is a martyr whose life’s pursuit was to eliminate racism and the ill effects that are the results of inequality. He was not only promoting his self interest but the interest of the greater good. Mahatma Ghandi is a martyr whose life’s pursuit was the elimination of colonialism and the ill effects that result for inequity and racism. You have self-martyrs in your personal and work life that you interact with. When taken to the extreme these martyrs are those folk that always wear their emotions on their sleeves and spend the majority of the time focused on how life is un-fair to them. They don’t have the time to contribute to the greater good because they are always focused on themselves. You may want to remind such martyrs that all of us are responsible for our actions and also the negative actions that we experience as a result of INACTION! They need to take their BIG PERSON PILL daily and get a healthy does of perspective.
If you embrace your beautiful, productive selves daily, there is little time for self pity and more time for action. Actualize your inner power today and take control of something in your life that is out of control. The journey of 1000 miles starts today with 1 step.
When we harness the power of self interest you actually see positive societal effects – the inventor of the Jarvic Heart wanted to ensure that no one had to die from heart failure like his father did because a replacement heart was not available; the Alexander Bell invented the tungsten light when he was witness to an operation that was difficult because it was performed under candlelight. The US government just bailed out Fannie Mae Mortgage Company because the collapse of this lender would further hurt the economy. Self interest is a healthy trait—taken to excesses is not healthy but excess is not healthy in any case.
Martyrs are also people who promote their self interests. Martin Luther King is a martyr whose life’s pursuit was to eliminate racism and the ill effects that are the results of inequality. He was not only promoting his self interest but the interest of the greater good. Mahatma Ghandi is a martyr whose life’s pursuit was the elimination of colonialism and the ill effects that result for inequity and racism. You have self-martyrs in your personal and work life that you interact with. When taken to the extreme these martyrs are those folk that always wear their emotions on their sleeves and spend the majority of the time focused on how life is un-fair to them. They don’t have the time to contribute to the greater good because they are always focused on themselves. You may want to remind such martyrs that all of us are responsible for our actions and also the negative actions that we experience as a result of INACTION! They need to take their BIG PERSON PILL daily and get a healthy does of perspective.
If you embrace your beautiful, productive selves daily, there is little time for self pity and more time for action. Actualize your inner power today and take control of something in your life that is out of control. The journey of 1000 miles starts today with 1 step.
Healthy Identity
Here’s a question. Is your SELF ESTEEM tied to your identity? That is to ask, do you define yourself by how you feel about yourself or is your identity not affected by the roller coaster ride of SELF ESTEEM. Most of the time our self esteem is affected by:
how we look;
how much money we have;
how much success is heaped on us;
how old we are;
how much we are liked by others.
You see self esteem is SITUATIONAL but a healthy identity is not. You are who you are regardless of the trappings of self esteem so be your beautiful selves daily. Dig deep and regardless of circumstance believe in your gifts each day. Actually an exercise that helps me is to list at least 5 positive traits about myself monthly such as:
I am a person of beliefs and integrity;
I am an intelligent person;
I have a distinct and strong character;
I am consistence in my beliefs and behaviors.
Don’t be tossed by the trappings of self esteem. You are who you are today and you will be a better you tomorrow and you will never be the person you were yesterday ever again!
how we look;
how much money we have;
how much success is heaped on us;
how old we are;
how much we are liked by others.
You see self esteem is SITUATIONAL but a healthy identity is not. You are who you are regardless of the trappings of self esteem so be your beautiful selves daily. Dig deep and regardless of circumstance believe in your gifts each day. Actually an exercise that helps me is to list at least 5 positive traits about myself monthly such as:
I am a person of beliefs and integrity;
I am an intelligent person;
I have a distinct and strong character;
I am consistence in my beliefs and behaviors.
Don’t be tossed by the trappings of self esteem. You are who you are today and you will be a better you tomorrow and you will never be the person you were yesterday ever again!
Fitness
Do you strive to learn something new each day? If you have this philosophy then you will be in a constant state of improvement. There are just as many people that want to do just enough to “arrive”. Everyone is looking for a quick fix, but what they really need is mental and emotional fitness. People who look for fixes stop doing what’s right when pressure is relieved. People who pursue mental, spiritual and emotional fitness do the right thing no matter what the circumstances are.
Have a GREAT FITNESS today. Don’t concentrate on the “waves” of circumstances and keep your eye on your prize no matter what it is. Keep heart and don’t lose your focus!
Have a GREAT FITNESS today. Don’t concentrate on the “waves” of circumstances and keep your eye on your prize no matter what it is. Keep heart and don’t lose your focus!
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