How to Stay Positive Around Negative People!

2 Ways to Stay Positive When Dealing With Negative People

By Tony Robinson 

We all have to deal with negative people at some point in lives, we just do. Sometimes we can avoid them, other times we can’t. Sometimes these negative people stay for a little while, other times they stay long enough to make us want to jump off a bridge.

But since we know it’s a fact of life that negative people exist, what can we do deal with Negative Nancy and Pessimistic Peter?

Understand They Have Different Values

There are times when the negative people we have to deal with aren’t always negative, they just happen to be really negative in certain situations.

When I started college, I was an engineering major. I did really well in school and got accepted into a summer internship program with one of the biggest oil companies in the world. It was awesome. I performed so well in the internship program that they brought me back the following summer. After the second summer I was told I had a full time job waiting for me once I graduated.

But unfortunately, not only did I turn down that high paying job offer, I left the engineering major entirely! I realized that engineering wasn’t my passion and I began studying small business management instead.

My family wasn’t so thrilled about the idea. I was going to be the first one in my family to get a college degree, and the fact that it was going to be an engineering degree made my family ecstatic because they knew that a degree in engineering meant financial security. That’s what was important to them, a nice steady paycheck with great benefits.

So when news broke that I was changing my major, my family voiced a lot of concerns and brought a pretty negative attitude to the situation. They kept reminding me of the time that would be wasted and the big payday that would never come. It was tough to hear, and it even made me second-guess my decision.

But I had to go back and remind myself of what my values were. What was important to me? Delivering something of significance to world the world, and I felt that a degree in engineering wouldn’t allow me to really reach my potential.

I valued significance, my family valued security. We couldn’t have been further apart from each other.

Once I realized that we had such a big difference in values on the topic, it made it a lot easier for me to tune out the negative comments and energy they were sending my way.

Take Responsibility for Your Own Happiness

Negativity is contagious. It’s easy for someone else’s negative thoughts to slowly creep over and start affecting you in a negative way.

But positivity is also contagious, so when someone is giving you a lot of negative energy, you have to fight back with positive energy. You can’t allow someone else’s negativity to become yours. Just because Negative Nick doesn’t think it’s a good idea for you to go after your dreams, that doesn’t mean you have to think it’s a bad idea too.

You have to be responsible for you own happiness and positivity. If we break down the word responsibility we get “response – ability”. Responsibility is simply your ability to respond.

You don’t have the power to choose what life throws at you, or what these negative people do and say to you, but, you do have the ability to choose how you respond and that’s what’s most important.

You can choose to respond in way that lets the negativity drains your positivity and makes you feel hopeless and frustrated, or you can choose to respond in way that makes you work even harder and focus even more on the positive aspects of the situation.

The dictionary defines responsibility as “the opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions without authorization”. That means you don’t need an ok from anyone else to act on something that you’re responsible for. So even when the negative people disagree with you, who cares?

It helps if you ask yourself,

• “What can I do to reinforce my positive attitude?”
• “What can I do to discredit their negative attitude and opinion?”

Your happiness depends more on your own attitude than any external factors. So don’t let the negative people of the world get you down.

How the Best Entrepreneurs Think

How The Best Entrepreneurs Think

If you just observed the actions entrepreneurs take, you would conclude there isn’t that much to be gained from studying them. Each entrepreneur’s behavior is as idiosyncratic as they are. You would have to be Larry Page and Sergey Brin to start Google; Oprah Winfrey to found Harpo Productions.

But—and it is a huge but—if you look at how they reason, you see remarkable similarities.

The process just about all of them follows in creating their companies looks like this. They:

1. Figure out what they really want to do; what gets them excited. In other words, what is it that they really desire.
2. Take a small step toward that goal.
3.  Pause after taking that small step to see what they have learned.
4.  Build off that learning and take another small step.
5. Pause after taking that step.
6. Then they build off what they learned and take another small step…

If we were to reduce it to a formula, it would be, as we have written about before, Act. Learn. Build Repeat.

In other words, they don’t spend a lot of time planning or playing “what if” games. You never truly know how the universe is going to react until you give it something to react to.

So, in the face of an unknown future, entrepreneurs act. They deal with uncertainty not by trying to analyze it, or preparing for every contingency, or predicting what the outcomes will be. Instead, they act, learn from what they find, and act again.

Three things follow, all of them good. There are three wonderful benefits of taking this approach. 

1. You can get started right away.  
2. You don’t do a lot of planning and guessing about what the market might want. 
3. You go out into the marketplace and find out.

·         You don’t need a lot of resources. Remember, the best entrepreneurs are taking small steps toward their goals.  That means they just need sufficient resources to take the next step.

·        You can quickly respond to market needs.  Because they are moving rapidly, and don’t have a lot of resources committed, they can move to satisfy customer needs almost as quickly as those needs appear.

It is a simple, straight-forward approach. And what worked for these people should work for you.

The Four Best Ways to Solve Problems

The 4 Most Effective Ways Leaders Solve Problems

With as many problems as we are all faced with in our work and life, it seems as if there is never enough time to solve each one without dealing with some adversity along the way.  Problems keep mounting so fast that we find ourselves taking short-cuts to temporarily alleviate the tension points – so we can move onto the next problem. In the process, we fail to solve the core of each problem we are dealt; thus we continuously get caught in the trap of a never-ending cycle that makes it difficult to find any real resolutions.  Sound familiar?

Problem solving is the essence of what leaders exist to do.  As leaders, the goal is to minimize the occurrence of problems – which means we must be courageous enough to tackle them head-on before circumstances force our hand.  We must be resilient in our quest to create and sustain momentum for the organization and people we serve. But the reality of the workplace   finds us dealing with people that complicate matters with their corporate politicking, self-promotion, power-plays and ploys, and envy. Silos, lack of budgets and resources, and many other random acts or circumstances also make it harder for people to be productive. 

Competitors equally create problems for us when they unexpectedly convert a long-standing client, establish a new industry relationship, or launch a new product, brand or corporate strategy.   Mergers & acquisitions keep us on our toes and further distract us from solving existing problems by creating new ones.

As Karl Popper, one of the most influential 20^thcentury philosophers of science, once eloquently stated, “All life is problem solving.” I’ve often contended that the best leaders are the best problem solvers. They have the patience to step back and see the problem at-hand through broadened observation; circular vision. They see around, beneath and beyond the problem itself. They see well-beyond the obvious. The most effective leaders approach problems through a lens of opportunity.

Leaders who lack this wisdom approach problems with linear vision – thus only seeing the problem that lies directly in front of them and blocking the possibilities that lie within the problem. As such, they never see the totality of what the problem represents; that it can actually serve as an enabler to improve existing best practices, protocols and standard operating procedures for growing and competing in the marketplace. They never realize that, in the end, all problems are the same – just packaged differently.

A leader must never view a problem as a distraction, but rather as a strategic enabler for continuous improvement and opportunities previously unseen.

When I launched my first venture in the food industry, we had a problem with the adhesion of the labels to the glass jar packaging of our products that affected nearly 20% of an initial shipment.  As circumstances would have it, this was the first shipment to a new client that was “testing” our new products in 200 stores with an opportunity to expand our distribution to over 2500 stores nationally.  Instead of panicking, we took a problem solving approach that involved multiple steps and resulted in a full-blown change management effort with our label supplier, manufacturer, trucking company and client.  Rather than viewing this problem simply as a hurdle that could potentially lose us the client, we took proactive measures (and a financial investment) to show our new client that we were capable of not only solving the problem – but earning their trust by responding promptly and efficiently  with a comprehensive step-by-step incident report that included our change management efforts.

This experience taught us many lessons about our company and helped us to avoid many unforeseen problems.  The ROI from how we handled this problem helped open our eyes to many elements that were previously being overlooked – and in the long run it helped enable us to grow the business.

Whether you are a leader for a large corporation or a small business owner, here are the four most effective ways to solve problems.

1.  Transparent Communication

Problem solving requires transparent communication where everyone’s concerns and points of view are freely expressed. I’ve seen one too many times how difficult it is to get to the root of the matter in a timely manner when people do not speak-up.

Yes, communication is a fundamental necessity. That is why when those involved in the problem would rather not express themselves – fearing they may threaten their job and/or expose their own or someone else’s wrong-doing – the problem solving process becomes a treasure hunt. Effective communication towards problem solving happens because of a leader’s ability to facilitate an open dialogue between people who trust her intentions and feel that they are in a safe environment to share why they believe the problem happened as well as specific solutions.

Once all voices have been heard and all points of view accounted for, the leader (with her team) can collectively map-out a path toward a viable and sustainable solution.  As fundamental as communication may sound, don’t ever assume that people are comfortable sharing what they really think. This is where a leader must trust herself and her intuition enough to challenge the team until accountability can be fairly enforced and a solution can been reached.

2.  Break Down Silos

Transparent communication requires you to break down silos and enable a boundary-less organization whose culture is focused on the betterment of a healthier whole.   Unnecessary silos invite hidden agendas rather than welcome efficient cross-functional collaboration and problem solving.

Organizational silos are the root cause of most workplace problems and are why many of them never get resolved. This is why today’s new workplace must embrace an entrepreneurial spirit where employees can freely navigate and cross-collaborate to connect the problem solving dots; where everyone can be a passionate explorer who knows their own workplace dot and its intersections.  When you know your workplace dot, you have a much greater sense of your sphere of influence. This is almost impossible to gauge when you operate in silos that potentially keep you from having any influence at all.

In a workplace where silos exist,  problem solving is  more difficult  because you are more likely dealing with self-promoters – rather than  team players fostered by a cross functional environment..  When you operate in a siloed environment where everyone wants to be a star, it becomes increasingly difficult to help make anything or anyone better. This is when problem solving becomes a discouraging task.

Breaking down silos allows a leader to more easily engage their employees to get their hands dirty and solve problems together. It becomes less about corporate politicking and more about finding resolutions and making the organization stronger.

3.  Open-minded People

Breaking down silos and communication barriers requires people to be open-minded.  In the end, problem solving is about people working together to make the organization and the people it serves better. Therefore, if you are stuck working with people that are closed-minded, effective problem solving becomes a long and winding road of misery.

There are many people in the workplace that enjoy creating unnecessary chaos so that their inefficiencies are never exposed. These are the types of people (loafers and leeches) that make it difficult for problems to get solved because they slow the process down while trying to make themselves look more important.  Discover the lifters and high-potential leaders within the organization and you will see examples of the benefits of being open-minded and how this eventually leads to more innovation and initiative.

Open-minded people see beyond the obvious details before them and view risk as their best friend. They tackle problems head-on and get on with the business of driving growth and innovation.  Close-minded employees turn things around to make it more about themselves and less about what is required to convert a problem into a new opportunity.

With this explanation in mind, carefully observe the actions of others the next time you are dealt a real problem.

4.  A Solid Foundational Strategy

Without strategy, change is merely substitution, not evolution.  A solid strategy must be implemented in order to solve any problem.  Many leaders attempt to dissect a problem rather than identify the strategy for change that lies within the problem itself.

Effective leaders that are comfortable with problem solving always know how to gather the right people, resources, budget and knowledge from past experiences. They inspire people to lift their game by making the problem solving process highly collaborative; for them, it’s an opportunity to bring people closer together. I’ve always believed that you don’t know the true potential and character of a person until you see the way they solve problems.

Effective leaders connect the dots and map-out a realistic plan of action in advance. They have a strategy that serves as the foundation for how the problem will be approached and managed. They anticipate the unexpected and utilize the strengths of their people to assure the strategy leads to a sustainable solution.

Never shoot from the hip when problem solving. Avoid guessing. Take enough time to step back and assess the situation and the opportunities that each problem represents. Make the problem solving process more efficient by recognizing that each problem has its own nuances that may require a distinct strategy towards a viable resolution.

You know that you have great leadership in your organization when problem solving becomes a seamless process that enables the people and the organization to grow and get better.  If problem solving creates chaos, you may have a serious leadership deficiency.

Problem solving is the greatest enabler for growth and opportunity. This is why they say failure serves as the greatest lesson in business and in life.  Be the leader that shows maturity, acts courageously, and requires accountability.  Applying each of these lessons can help you become a master problem solver. Each experience teaches us all new things. Embrace problem solving and the many unseen treasures it represents.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/11/04/the-4-most-effective-ways-leaders-solve-problems/

5 Ways to Build an Extraordinary Team Culture

5 Ways to Build an Extraordinary Team Culture

When your employees work together to achieve common goals, everyone wins--you, your business and your customers.

Employee teams are one of the best ways to get things done in any business. When you take a group of independently talented people and create a team in which they can merge their talents, not only will a remarkable amount of energy and creativity be released, but their performance, loyalty and engagement will be greatly improved.

Here are five steps for building an extraordinary team culture:

1. Create a Team-Oriented Organization

Make teamwork one of your core company values, and put a clear emphasis on self-managing teams that are empowered to make their own decisions. Don't just talk about teamwork. Show your employees the seriousness of your commitment by giving teams the authority to get their jobs done on their own terms, while ensuring they accept responsibility for the results.

2. Assign Serious Team Goals

Give your teams really important assignments and projects, not just planning for next summer's annual company picnic. Bring teams in when you're looking at new trends in the market, or need to see things through new eyes. It's important to mix it up and not have the same people making the same decisions all the time. Ask them to challenge the status quo and the conventional wisdom. This will help to keep your company fresh and ahead of the game.

3. Encourage Informal Teams

More work in organizations is accomplished through informal teams than formal ones. It's therefore in your interest to encourage the proliferation of informal teams throughout your company, addressing any and all issues and opportunities that capture their interest. When your employees are able to tackle concerns themselves, without elevating every little decision to top management, you'll have a much more efficient organization.

4. Cross-Train Employees

When employees understand how different areas of the company work, they are more apt to make decisions that benefit the company as a whole, rather than solely their own department or group. Give your employees the opportunity to learn other people's jobs. Some organizations go as far as switching employee roles on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. And don't forget your managers. Have top executives spend a few days working on the front lines with customers or directly with your product. They'll have a new appreciation for what your regular employees go through on the job.

5. Provide Team Resources

No matter how talented a company's individuals might be, teams cannot be successful without the proper resources. Teams need a designated and available place where they can regularly meet. Nothing much can be achieved in an over-crowded lunch room. All employees need to be given adequate time to devote to their team meetings, with no grief from supervisors. And make sure to supply your teams with an appropriate budget if required, and the permission--with guidance--to spend it as they see best for the company.

BY PETER ECONOMY

4 Simple Networking Mistakes That You Might Be Guilty Of

Whether you’re looking for a job or not, you’ve probably been encouraged to “network, network, network!” more times than you can count. Are all those conferences and events you’re attending leading to new connections or opportunities?

No? You’re not the only one. Many networking newbies have tendencies that actually inhibit building real relationships with their new contacts.

The good news: it’s not that hard to fix. Here’s what you might not even realize you’re doing wrong—and what to do about it.

Mistake #1: Talking about Yourself—All the Time

You’re talented! Eager! Ambitious! You have lots of ideas to share! And you want to make sure that every person you meet at the event knows who you are and what you do!

We get it. And yes, sharing your story with new contacts is important. But sharing your life story is overkill: Nothing can set a person off more than an aspiring professional who takes no interest in anything beside her own ambitions.

The Fix: Take Some Interest. Stop highlighting your latest accomplishment and start listening instead. Find people with industries or careers of interest to you, and ask them questions: How did they get their start? What do they love about their jobs, and what do they wish they could change? By taking an interest in your contact, you will make her feel valued—and hopefully interested in continuing the relationship. And you’ll likely gain some new insights, too.

Mistake #2: Expecting a Job

You’re looking for a new job, so you hit the circuit of industry events every week, asking every person you meet to help you find your new gig—after all, it’s not what you know, it’s who.

Well, yes. But give people some credit: If you pursue networking opportunities purely for the job prospects, your contacts will figure you out. You will leave them feeling used, and they will be less likely to recommend you for an opportunity.

The Fix: Provide Some Value. If you’re looking for a job, don’t ask for it—work for it. Do some research into what your contact does both in and out of work and find ways that you can contribute your time or support. Perhaps you could volunteer your expertise in social media for the big convention she’s heading up, or offer your accounting knowledge for her non-profit. Provide some opportunity for contacts to see you in a working light, and you’ll be that much closer to a good referral.

Mistake #3: Not Saying Thanks

You attended a large event last week and grabbed coffee with one of your new professional contacts afterward. And then—the week got busy, and you didn’t get around to saying thank you. She’ll understand, right?

Maybe. But if you don’t show gratitude, even in the smallest (or largest) event, you risk leaving a negative impression—probably not the desired outcome of your meeting.

The Fix: Just Do It. Whether you pack notecards in your purse for post-meeting scribbles, set yourself a reminder on Gmail to send off a quick note, or just insert a quick “thanks for taking time to meet with me!” at the final handshake, you must say thank you. Not only will you solidify your reputation as a courteous individual, but you won’t be leaving your contacts with a bad taste in their mouths. Always say thank you, and your good impression will last until your next meeting.

Mistake #4: Forgetting to Follow Up

You meet someone over a networking happy hour and tell her you’ll send her your portfolio. But as the night goes on, she has a few drinks and meets a few dozen more people. You’re sure she’s forgotten all about you, so you decide it’s not even worth emailing her the next day.

Bad idea. Meeting someone is just the first step in networking. In order to forge a lasting relationship (and make sure people don’t forget you), you need to follow up, every single time.

The Fix: Stay Accountable. If you told a networking contact that you would do something, do it. Even if you’re not sure she remembers you, you can bet that she will be grateful that you took the time out of your day to send her what you had discussed. If you’re worried about forgetting, keep a pen near your business card holder to quickly scribble out what follow-up actions you have for that contact, and review your cards after the event.

Above all, keep in mind that networking isn’t about short-term gain, but about learning, growing, and forming connections. Adopt good social habits, and you’ll see your skills and comfort improve, your opportunities increase, and your relationships grow—for the long haul.

Best Business Moves from Breaking Bad

Walter White's 5 Most Badass Business Moves in 'Breaking Bad'

August 8, 2013

URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227744

Slide 1 of 5

Walt intimidates Tuco

In the first season, Walt's partner in the meth business, Jesse Pinkman, has a line on a major buyer for their product who could take their business to the next level. Unfortunately, the buyer, Tuco Salamanca, is a psychopath who refuses to pay upfront for the product and beats Jesse so badly that he winds up in the hospital. Walt, who previously wanted nothing to do with the distribution side of the business, is forced to confront Tuco himself, adopting the pseudonym "Heisenberg."

When Tuco laughs off his demand, Walt detonates a chunk of fulminated mercury, which Tuco mistook for meth, blowing out the top floor of the drug dealer's headquarters. Impressed as much by Walt's "balls" as by his high-quality product, Tuco agrees to buy two pounds of meth a week from Walt and Jesse.

Lesson: Sometimes you have to do things yourself instead of delegating. And when pitching an important client, don't take no for an answer.
 

Slide 2 of 5

Walt delivers the goods

In the second season, Walt and Jesse's crooked lawyer, Saul Goodman, puts them in touch with a major distributor named Gustavo Fring. Fring has doubts about Jesse, who is in a downward spiral from drug use due to a friend's death at the hands of rival drug dealers. Nevertheless he offers to buy a few dozen pounds of Walt and Jesse's meth for $1.2 million, but gives them only one hour to deliver the goods.

Walt rushes to Jesse's house, where the drugs are stashed, only to receive no answer when he rings the doorbell and calls Jesse's phone. He breaks in and finds Jesse and his girlfriend catatonic from injecting heroin. He manages to rouse Jesse long enough to find out where the meth is hidden. While scrambling to meet Fring's deadline, Walt learns via text message that his wife, Skyler, is about to give birth. With no time to spare, he makes the hard choice, earning the $1.2 million and missing the birth of his daughter.

Lesson: Make sacrifices when necessary to meet your stretch goals -- although you should probably be present at the birth of your child.
 

Slide 3 of 5

Walt protects Jesse

In the third season, Jesse discovers that Tomás, the kid brother of his new girlfriend, is the one who killed his friend. The boy is being used by drug dealers who work for Gus Fring. Jesse announces a rash plan to murder the dealers in revenge. Walt advises against it, but is rebuffed.

He goes to Gus, and together they organize a reconciliation between Jesse and the dealers. Gus says he will stop using children in his criminal enterprise. But then Tomás is found dead, apparently murdered by the dealers. Jesse goes to confront them, gun in hand. Just as a shootout is about to begin in the middle of the street, Walt appears out of nowhere, smashing into the dealers with his car. He kills them both, one in the collision and the other with the dealer's own gun, while Jesse looks on, not believing his eyes.

Lesson: Have your partner's back. Be there when the strain of work gets to be too much for him or her.
 

Slide 4 of 5

Walt blows up Gus

Walt's relationship with Gus deteriorates in the fourth season following his murder of the dealers. Gus, however, is forced to keep him around as a chemist while he grooms Jesse, now clean and sober, to replace him.

Matters with Gus grow desperate when the drug lord informs Walt that he is going to eliminate Hank Schrader, Walt's brother-in-law who is an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA], and that he will kill the rest of Walt's family if Walt intervenes. Scared for their lives, Walt forges an unlikely alliance with the wheelchair-bound Hector Salamanca, Tuco's uncle and a once-powerful member of the Mexican cartel who is a blood enemy of Gus.

Together they trick Gus into believing that Hector is informing on him to the DEA. When Gus shows up at Hector's nursing home to kill him personally, he encounters Walt's surprise: a pipe bomb rigged to Hector's wheelchair. The resulting explosion kills both men, after which Walt storms into the meth lab where Gus's henchman are holding Jesse and frees his partner. They burn down the lab to destroy any evidence. When the dust settles, Walt stands alone as heir apparent to Gus's criminal empire.

Lesson: Think creatively and form alliances to stay ahead of the competition. Eliminate rivals before they eliminate you.
 

Slide 5 of 5

Walt gets away

In the fifth season, Mike Ehrmantraut, formerly Gus's right-hand man, becomes an equal partner in Walt and Jesse's meth business following Gus's death and the freezing of Mike's assets. But he and Jesse, alarmed by Walt's growing volatility and callousness, soon decide they want out. Mike sets up a meeting with a distributor who is willing to buy them out of the meth trade for $5 million apiece. But Walt refuses the deal, preferring to continue cooking.

Mike takes matters into his own hands; he zipties Walt to a radiator so that he can sell their entire supply of raw materials for $15 million without the other man's permission. But Walt frees himself, stripping electrical cord with his teeth and sparking the wires to burn through the ziptie, badly scorching his flesh in the process. Earlier in the episode, after Jesse asks, "Are we in the meth business or the money business?" Walt answers: "Neither. I'm in the empire business." Only now do his partners see just how far he is willing to go to keep his throne.

Lesson: Decide what business you want to be in. And don't let anyone stand in your way as you move forward.
 

8 Cardinal Rules to Succeed as an Entrepreneur

8 Cardinal Rules to Succeed as an Entrepreneur

by Linda Descano

Over the past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with 100+ business owners from different industries and at different stages of growth about what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. I first shared what I learned at a National Association of Women Business Owners Leadership Conference in Philadelphia last year, and recently dusted off my take-aways, in the form of eight cardinal rules, for a presentation last week. So, here goes in no particular order:

1.      Work on your business, not just in your business. Time and time again, I heard stories from entrepreneurs about how they were so focused on their product or service that they overlooked something important in their finances, in the fine print in legal documents, or in the marketplace. Their lesson learned? Make sure you understand the “business of being in business,” which means to invest your time and energy on the management side of running a business. And, while you definitely should tap experts in accounting, finance, and the law, you need to educate yourself on those issues so that you can provide appropriate oversight.

2.      Keep your personal and business wallets separate. The old adage that business and pleasure don’t mix also holds true when it comes to your business finances. Make sure you set up separate accounts for your business, and handle your business finances in an organized ― not haphazard ― way. When it comes to money, have some in savings and a credit line available to get you through the tough times.

3.      Form an advisory board. Most of the business owners that I spoke with view an advisory board as essential to their success. They use their board compliment their “weak areas” and provide an ongoing, structured means of soliciting feedback. To be effective, make sure your advisory board is made up on people who have different disciplines, backgrounds and life experiences.

4.      Network with intent. Networking is an important activity whether you are a business owner or corporate executive. However, it is particularly relevant for entrepreneurs. Successful business owners view attending functions and joining business organizations as part of the job — it helps you build awareness for your business. And the stronger your personal and professional networks, the easier it will be to deal with decisions and challenges.

5.      Find your “business Iowa”. One of the people I spoke with is Betsy Myers, a successful entrepreneur who today is the Founding Director of Bentley University’s Center for Women and Business. In her book Take the Lead, Betsy shared how a relentless focus on "winning Iowa" by the 2008 Obama for President campaign brought clarity to an organization "under siege" and provided a strategic "filter" for deciding what to do as well as what not to do. So try having a focusing question to create clarity. For the Obama campaign, it was “Will this help us win Iowa?” Then, it becomes easier to make trade-offs. Keep distractions at bay and keep your eye on the ball.

6.      Remember that not all money is created equal. You need to know when and how to raise capital, (both equity and debt), and how to wisely put your money to work on things that adds value. You should be spending as much time researching what investors and lenders want as you spend understanding what your customers want. Understand the approach that angel investors take versus mezzanine debt investors. The more you know, the better positioned you will be to tap the capital markets and make the appropriate asks.

7.      Plan, plan, and then plan some more. Most business owners spend a lot of time planning before they take the plunge and start a business. That makes sense. But, the need to plan doesn't stop when your business is up and running. You need to still need to plan for business cycles, life events, retirement, and more.

8.      Evolve and adapt to thrive. The business owners I spoke with were always doing research and speaking to customers, partners, and more. They leverage all types of resources to stay inspired and bring a fresh perspective to their work. A great business starts with a solid business plan and a clear picture of what you bring to the market and what problem you are solving for your client or customer. Then, a great business keeps evolving and adapting.

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130520135600-34334392-8-cardinal-rules-to-succeed-as-an-entrepreneur

9 Career Tips You Need to Know in Your 20's

Here are some great tips on how to get your career started off on the right foot while you are young. If you like these check out the full article on Forbes.com!

You’re Talented, But Talent is Overrated - Congratulations, you may be the most capable, creative, knowledgeable & multi-tasking generation yet. As my father says, “I’ll Give You a Sh-t Medal.” Unrefined raw materials (no matter how valuable) are simply wasted potential. There’s no prize for talent, just results. Even the most seemingly gifted folks methodically and painfully worked their way to success.
Pick Up the Phone – Stop hiding behind your computer. Business gets done on the phone and in person. It should be your first instinct, not last, to talk to a real person and source business opportunities. And when the Internet goes down… stop looking so befuddled and don’t ask to go home. Don’t be a pansy, pick up the phone.
Don’t Wait to Be Told What to Do – You can’t have a sense of entitlement without a sense of responsibility. You’ll never get ahead by waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Saying “nobody asked me to do this” is a guaranteed recipe for failure. Err on the side of doing too much, not too little.
You Should Be Getting Your Butt Kicked –Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” would be the most valuable boss you could possibly have. This is the most impressionable, malleable and formative stage of your professional career. Working for someone that demands excellence and pushes your limits every day will build the most solid foundation for your ongoing professional success.
People Matter More Than Perks – It’s so trendy to pick the company that offers the most flex time, unlimited meals, company massages, game rooms and team outings. Those should all matter, but not as much as the character of your founders and managers. Great leaders will mentor you and will be a loyal source of employment long after you’ve left. Make a conscious bet on the folks you’re going to work for and your commitment to them will pay off much more than those fluffy perks.
Map Effort to Your Professional Gain – You’re going to be asked to do things you don’t like to do. Keep your eye on the prize. Connect what you’re doing today, with where you want to be tomorrow. That should be all the incentive you need. If you can’t map your future success to your current responsibilities, then it’s time to find a new opportunity.
You Need At Least 3 Professional Mentors – The most guaranteed path to success is to emulate those who’ve achieved what you seek. You should always have at least 3 people you call mentors who are where you want to be. Their free guidance and counsel will be the most priceless gift you can receive.
Pick an Idol & Act “As If” – You may not know what to do, but your professional idol does. I often coach my employees to pick the businessperson they most admire, and act “as if.” If you were (fill in the blank) how would he or she carry themselves, make decisions, organize his/her day, accomplish goals? You’ve got to fake it until you make it, so it’s better to fake it as the most accomplished person you could imagine
Read More Books, Fewer Tweets/Texts – Your generation consumes information in headlines and 140 characters: all breadth and no depth. Creativity, thoughtfulness and thinking skills are freed when you’re forced to read a full book cover to cover. All the keys to your future success, lay in the past experience of others. Make sure to read a book a month (fiction or non-fiction) and your career will blossom.

Check out the full article here

My Best Mistake: Quitting My Dream Job!

Found this article and thought of a few people I have met during my time working in this business!

Everyone thought it was a huge mistake when I quit my first post-college job after only two weeks.

The reason was that from high school forward, I’d had a single career goal: I wanted to be a psychologist who worked with children. My family didn’t have a lot of money, which meant that I had to work my way through school and take on a lot of debt. So it was a big deal when I graduated and was lucky enough to find a job in that field. I could slowly pay off my loans, while doing what I’d always wanted.

But it was also 1995, and suddenly there was this new thing called the Internet. I had seen it and fallen completely in love with it. The technology was so exciting that I knew I had to try working in the field.

This kind of thing happens to a lot of people. Your life gets momentum in one direction, and everyone starts thinking of you as someone who does X. Your dad sold cars; so you’re going to sell cars. You got an MFA in creative writing, so you have to be a poet. You got a law degree, so you have to join a law firm. It can be extremely difficult to step out of that path and do something different.

But sometimes you have to take that risk and endure the criticism you’re going to hear—especially if you’re young and something really grabs your attention. I’d wanted to be a psychologist like some kids want to be firemen or baseball players. So it shocked everyone when I suddenly decided to shift gears and work in technology. I still remember my boss telling me it was the biggest mistake I’d ever make.

As it happens, I did ok with the new direction. I quickly got a job in the field and founded my first company not long after.

One last point. Just because you take up a new dream doesn’t mean you have to shelve the other completely. In fact, if you really love something, it may come back to you. Recently, I was in a room with an official from the Special Olympics, and I told him this story. He invited me to volunteer with the organization, and I jumped at the chance.

So perhaps the most important thing to remember about giving up your big dream is that you may not be giving it up at all.

Financial Planning Tips

Hey Everyone! I found some great financial planning tips that I wanted to share with you all. Starting you career can be a challenge financially so I hope this can give you an advantage!

Learn Self Control
If you're lucky, your parents taught you this skill when you were a kid. If not, keep in mind that the sooner you learn the fine art of delaying gratification, the sooner you'll find it easy to keep your finances in order. Although you can effortlessly purchase an item on credit the minute you want it, it's better to wait until you've actually saved up the money. Do you really want to pay interest on a pair of jeans or a box of cereal? 
If you make a habit of putting all your purchases on credit cards, regardless of whether you can pay your bill in full at the end of the month, you might still be paying for those items in 10 years. If you want to keep your credit cards for the convenience factor or the rewards they offer, make sure to always pay your balance in full when the bill arrives, and don't carry more cards than you can keep track of.

Take Control of Your Own Financial Future 
If you don't learn to manage your own money, other people will find ways to (mis)manage it for you. Some of these people may be ill-intentioned, like unscrupulous commission-based financial planners. Others may be well-meaning, but may not know what they're doing, like Grandma Betty who really wants you to buy a house even though you can only afford a treacherous adjustable-rate mortgage.

Instead of relying on others for advice, take charge and read a few basic books on personal finance. Once you're armed with personal finance knowledge, don't let anyone catch you off guard - whether it's a significant other that slowly siphons your bank account or friends who want you to go out and blow tons of money with them every weekend. Understanding how money works is the first step toward making your money work for you.

Know Where Your Money Goes 
Once you've gone through a few personal finance books, you'll realize how important it is to make sure your expenses aren't exceeding your income. The best way to do this is by budgeting. Once you see how your morning java adds up over the course of a month, you'll realize that making small, manageable changes in your everyday expenses can have just as big of an impact on your financial situation as getting a raise. In addition, keeping your recurring monthly expenses as low as possible will also save you big bucks over time. If you don't waste your money on a posh apartment now, you might be able to afford a nice condo or a house before you know it.

Know what healthy spending looks like
Most of us were never taught what healthy spending looks like. My favorite rule of thumb comes from (Sen.) Elizabeth Warren's book written with her daughter, Amelia Warren Tyagi, called "All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan." The rule of thumb: 50/30/20. The idea is 50% of your take-home pay goes to needs, 30% to wants, 20% to savings. Keep that rule of thumb in mind and a young person can avoid so many classic financial mistakes.

Charisma & Charismatic Leadership

What Is Charisma and Charismatic Leadership?

Is charisma born or made? What makes leaders charismatic?

Many of history’s most effective leaders are labeled charismatic. Yet, there is a great deal of controversy about whether charisma is made or born, and if charismatic leaders are actually effective. A while back, I was interviewed as part of a celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of the most frequently asked questions about charismatic leadership were part of that interview.

Question: Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Winston Churchill were known as dynamic, charismatic and inspirational leaders. What particular traits or qualities did someone like MLK possess that allowed him to lead and inspire so many people?
Charismatic leaders are essentially very skilled communicators – individuals who are both verbally eloquent, but also able to communicate to followers on a deep, emotional level. They are able to articulate a compelling or captivating vision, and are able to arouse strong emotions in followers.

Question: Is charisma something that you are born with – you either have it or you don’t? Do you think most leaders, politicians and inspirational figures have charisma and is it that particular quality which makes them stand out?
Charisma is really a process – an interaction between the qualities of the charismatic leader, the followers and their needs and identification with the leader, and the situation that calls out for a charismatic leader, such as a need for change or a crisis. But when it comes to the charismatic qualities of leaders, the emphasis is on how they communicate to followers and whether they are able to gain followers’ trust, and influence and persuade them to follow.
Most politicians, particularly on the national scene, have developed their ability to communicate effectively – to make speeches, “work the room” with potential donors and supporters, etc. So many seasoned politicians have a lot of “personal charisma.”

Question: What are several important characteristics that you believe every leader should possess?
A model that I think represents the very best leaders, and research bears this out, is transformational leadership. You can think of transformational leadership as going beyond charisma, because two of the components of transformational leadership deal with charisma. They are:
Idealized Influence, the first component, is the leader’s ability to be a positive (and moral) role model for followers. The transformational leader also “walks the talk,” and is on the “front line” working with followers (think MLK Jr.), or leaders who sacrifice along with their followers. In business, the charismatic/transformational leader sometimes serves as the “face” of the company or the movement (think Steve Jobs).
Inspirational Motivation is the second quality of transformational leaders and it is what charismatic leaders are noted for: their ability to inspire and motivate followers to perform at high levels, and to be committed to the organization or the cause.
The other two elements of transformational leadership are: Intellectual Stimulation – challenging followers to be creative and think outside of the box – and Individualized Consideration – being responsive to the feelings and developmental needs of followers.
Transformational leaders are charismatic, but they are also noted for leading high performing groups and teams, and developing followers’ leadership capacity, as much as helping the group or organization to change and innovate.

Question: What are some behaviors or traits that might derail a leader/politician’s career or stand in their path to success?
The biggest thing that can derail a leader is arrogance, and a lack of concern or responsiveness to followers and constituents. We have seen how politicians’ and CEOs’ arrogance – thinking they are above the law, and committing ethical violations lead to their demise. Also, a leader needs to succeed more often than not, and learn from mistakes and setbacks.

Question: Are leaders born or made, in your opinion?
This isn’t something that requires my opinion, because this question has been well researched. Twin studies by Richard Arvey and his colleagues have estimated that leadership is about 2/3 “made” and 1/3 “born.” This makes sense, though, if we see much of leadership as a set of learned skills and competencies: ability to communicate, strategize, problem solve, etc. These take time to develop.
This question would have broad implications for leadership, for if it were all (or mostly) born, then our efforts should be directed toward identifying and selecting leaders, and we would be wasting our time on leader development programs. But, the research suggests that putting resources into leader development makes sense, and recent meta-analyses of these programs suggest that, in general, they work and lead to positive gains

by Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D. in Cutting-Edge Leadership

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