motivation

Escaping Your Inner Mental Prison

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:45:20 -0500

"Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now," the world-renown psychiatrist and author of the classic bestseller, Man's Search for Meaning, Dr. Viktor Frankl, advises us.

Position Yourself as a Leader

Mark Hunter — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:16:33 -0400

It's been said that to be a successful salesperson, not only do your listening skills have to be great, but your closing skills have to be even better. However, I believe that while these skills are helpful, they are not essential. In my opinion, to be a top-performing sales professional, you must be a great leader. It is a fundamental character trait. Although we have all known salespeople who have had stellar years based on the luck of a few great clients, those with sustained, long-term success always exhibit great leadership skills.

Why Customer Service Destroys Salespeople

Mark Hunter — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:14:10 -0400

One position that has not been impacted by the economy is sales. Ask any CEO and you will hear that one of their biggest issues is finding and retaining good salespeople. Something happened on the way to a sour economy: Too many companies learned the hard way that their salespeople didn't know how to sell. Instead, their salespeople were good at taking orders and providing customer service. There is nothing wrong with this approach, as long as the marketplace is always going to serve up new customers and keep current customers in business. Does that kind of marketplace always exist?

How to Get Motivated and Love Your Job Again

Roxanne Emmerich — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:48:37 -0400

Remember your very first day on the job? Your shoes had a shine like the tiles on the Space Shuttle and the crease in your slacks could have diced celery. The air was somehow fresher, the birds chirpier. You had been hired. You'd been given a chance to excel, a chance to make a difference.

Now contrast that with this morning.

Are you motivated to wake up every morning and go to your job with full enthusiasm?

How to Create a 20/20 Business Vision and Why it Matters

Roxanne Emmerich — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:54:41 -0400

At some point in his or her career, every politician gets tarred with a catch phrase--and usually not a flattering one.

George Bush, Sr. is stuck with two. There was "Read my lips, no new taxes," of course. But only slightly less unfortunate was his dismissal of what he called, "The 'vision thing.'"

He was trying at the time to shake the impression that he was a competent day-to-day manager but he lacked any grander vision of where he wanted to lead the country. His choice of words and tone of voice didn't exactly help.

What Success is. Or Isn't! by Ted Eleftheriou

Ted Eleftheriou — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:31:54 -0400

Two short stories for you today.

First Story:

Working in Your Skivvies Might Be For You

Beth Lisogorsky — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:13:28 -0400

This month's Entrepreneur has an interesting article about starting a home-based franchise business.
While most of the franchises in their top 101 list seem to be cleaning
businesses and overall, the list did little entice me into
jump-starting my own franchise-specific savings account, it does beg
the question if working in your skivvies is ultimately what we're all
after.

The Meaning and Power of Forgiveness

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:14:32 -0400

In light of everything that is going on in our country and the world right now, including the economic crisis that is on center stage, it may be a good time to consider a topic that usually gets ignored when the "blame game" is in full swing. We're talking about forgiveness. Indeed, getting to forgiveness is perhaps the most difficult and challenging thing that we can do to go beyond ourselves when we are so fixated on our problems, our needs, and

How to Build Trust & Develop Relationships with Clients and Employees That Last a Lifetime

Dr. Alan Zimmerman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:26:59 -0400

When it comes to customer loyalty, nothing is more important than the trust you develop with your customers. Research from Texas A & M University says if customers see you as being trustworthy and reliable ... and if customers see you fulfilling your promises … then they will become enthusiastic customers for life.

How to Achieve Your Goals with 100% Success Every Time

Dr. Alan Zimmerman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:23:02 -0400

In the movie, "A League of Their Own," the baseball coach talked to his dispirited team, saying, "Of course it's hard. If it wasn't hard, everybody would do it!"

That's the way it is with success. It can be hard. But there are four sure-fire ways to achieve success at almost anything every time without failure.

4 Ways to Achieve Your Goals & Succeed Every Time Without Failure

1. Work hard.

Holding on Price in a Down Economy

Mark Hunter — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:02:28 -0400

Discounting on price is not a sales strategy. It's an impulsive move made by desperate salespeople. In a tough economy, customers think and expect everything is going to be discounted. Because of this, salespeople feel it necessary to oblige the customer to close the deal. Unfortunately, however, this leads to a downward spiral, much like an addiction to an illegal drug. Once a discount is offered to one customer, it becomes easier and easier to offer it to another one. Before they know it, the discount is being offered to everyone. Like a drug, the "fix" is in the addi

Sales Goals in a Tough Economy

Mark Hunter — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:00:25 -0400

Making your sales goals in a good year is one thing, but attaining them in a difficult year is an entirely different challenge. Putting aside the common cliché that when times are tough, great salespeople are made, the reality is that making your goals puts more money in your pocket. Therefore, I keep reminding salespeople to think of how many times in the past they've watched a customer materialize out of nowhere only to become a major player in helping reach their year-end objectives. If you've been in sales for any length of time, you've had this happen. I am not advocating tha

Prescription for Getting Through Hard Times

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:40:44 -0400

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" cried Chicken Little. If you are unfamiliar or don't remember the story of Chicken Little, we invite you to watch one of the versions of this classic tale produced in 1943--another challenging time in our Nation's history--by Walt Disney (click here). As you will see, there are many lessons to be learned from Chicken Little's plight that can be applied to what is happening today!

What's YOUR Sign? By Ted Eleftheriou

Ted Eleftheriou — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:25:12 -0400

During a horrific battle in 1793, a 24-year old captain had to establish an artillery battery that was in such an exposed position and so close to the enemy that he couldn’t find any soldiers to man it… even under direct orders. It was suicidal.

But this young officer knew that this artillery position was crucial to the outcome of the battle. Undeterred, he had an officer make a sign with large, bold letters and placed it on the battery for all to see. The sign read:

“THE BATTERY OF THE MEN WITHOUT FEAR”

Don't Work Against Yourself!

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:41:17 -0400

Good intentions are not enough--no matter how well intended they may be. Paradoxically, if we become fixated or obsessed with our intentions, we may actually work against ourselves, which is a concept (and technique) known as, you guessed it, "paradoxical intention." This is one of seven core principles that we explore in our bestselling book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts. Let us explai

Nonsense At Work

James McIntosh — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:57:56 -0500

Manage your leadership gap:

Let’s talk about what I call the leadership gap. Do you think that leaders should be good at what they do or great at what they do?

Be careful, it’s a trick question. The right answer is... both.

You should be great at what is weak in others but important to the success of your organization.

And you should be good at what you need others to be good at. By ‘good’ I mean slightly better than them.

We've always done it this way!

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:44:37 -0500

How Thrilling is Your Life?

Tara Mohr — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:45:15 -0500

So, You Say that You Want to Be Wealthy? What Will YOU DO to Get It? by Robert Paisola

Robert Paisola — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:17:45 -0500

Here is the big question, Do you consider yourself CAPABLE of being one of the truly wealthy?

If you do, tell me, exactly what does the term “wealth” mean to you?

Over the years, I’ve made it my personal mission to take an in depth look at how people live in their daily lives in comparison to how they have created their long term financial foundation. I have determined that is quite clear which one will create true and long lasting wealth, as well as the “good life”.

Invocation

Sharlyn Lauby — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:51:47 -0500

Lots and lots of talk about the inauguration. Of course, there should be...the inauguration marks the beginning of a new and exciting era for the country. Now the talk about Rick Warren's invocation isn't always very positive but it got me thinking. Not just about the controversy surrounding Pastor Warren, but invocations in general.

Ideas to Expand Your Portfolio of Products & Services

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:03:57 -0500

In the spirit of "Innovating with Meaning" in the New Year, especially during a time when the call for innovation can be heard loud and clear, we offer the following ideas to help you expand your current portfolio of products and services:

Innovation is a Contact Sport!

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:18:32 -0500

Meaningful Capitalism: Change You Can Believe In

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:54:46 -0500

Innovating with Meaning: More Elements of the "Innovation Field"

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:39:52 -0500

Innovating with Meaning: Elements of the "Innovation Field" (Continued)

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:35:54 -0500

Last week, we introduced our model for viewing innovation from a team and organization perspective. The model, named the “Innovation Field,” is described in our bestselling book, The Seeds of Innovation. The Innovation Field incorporates eight key areas or elements that, when consid