Carnival of Leadership Development

Here is this weekends carnival of leadership development - I hope you find it inspires you to reach that potential that is inside of you.

John Wesley presents 8 Moves to Make When the Chips Are Down posted at Pick the Brain.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Brain Training Games and "Games" posted at SharpBrains, saying, "Explaining how to navigate through the growing number of "brain training" claims."

Phil B. presents 13 Steps to be Productive « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Ever wonder why some people are so productive all of the time while other people never accomplish anything?"

Charles H. Green presents The Dark Side of Trust? Not! posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Harvard claims the key to trust is micromanagement, but real leaders know the key to trusting relationships is letting go enough to let trust flourish."

Jason Rakowski presents Building Relationships In Business - Why It?s So Important posted at Learn Good Customer Service, saying, "There are several different types of relationships that a business owner should be trying to obtain. This article will take a look at three of them that I feel are a must have!"

Chris Russell presents Employee Retention Through Talent Management - What Does It Take To Retain Employees? posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "Companies with high employee turnover rates are losing valuable resources in addition to money. It costs a good bit of money to advertise to fill positions; interview potential employees; and train new employees. This can be particularly expensive if the high turnover rate is for middle or high level positions. Many companies and organizations are embracing HR talent management programs that evaluate the issues of employee retention."

Dr Martin W. Russell presents The Key Life Principle? posted at Dr Martin W. Russell.

Ralph Jean-Paul presents Be A Presence In Any Room posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, "All leaders are confident and the great ones have a presence. Learn how to walk into any room and project the qualities of a great leader."

Kevin Bedell presents What's the best question to ask? posted at 21st Century Citizen.

Phil B. presents The Right and Wrong Ways to Boost Morale « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "I think morale has reached an all time low where I currently work, and I would guess that the same is true where you work too."

Nithya Powlin presents How to Get Your Stuck Projects Unstuck posted at Never Another Job.

Charles H. Green presents It's a Dog Eat Dog World, Isn't It? posted at Trust Matters, saying, "In an emerging business world that throws everyone together in constantly permutating ways, that old competitive nature we prized decades ago is becoming a bit of a millstone."

Karl Goldfield presents Building a plan Part 3: Hunters, Gatherers, Communicators, and Collaborators posted at Coaching sales champions.

Rolf F. Katzenberger presents Successful meetings, or: The Great Commandment of Communication posted at Evomend | Timeless resources for personal organization., saying, "You've completed the room reservation in time. You've arranged for coffee and beverages. You've set up the agenda and mailed it in advance to all participants. All feedback has been incorporated, of course. All flip chart supports are loaded with fresh pads of paper. Then the meeting begins. Discussion starts. After a while, you feel like you'd rather be amidst a bunch of howler monkeys during their mating season. Why isn't anybody listening?"

Ben Yoskovitz presents The 4 Immutable Laws of Giving Great Proposals posted at Instigator Blog.

Warren Wong presents Be A Good Manager By Letting People Learn And Grow posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Information on the common mistakes an new manager makes and tips on how to be a good manager."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Integrity Through Self-Reliance posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "When you live your life as if the whisperings from your soul really matter, you are living life in your own way, on your own terms, based on your own realizations on what is right . . . what is good . . . and what is true for you. You are tuned into your own station. The signal you are receiving and the message you are broadcasting with the story of your life are both on the same frequency. You are joyfully and gratefully choosing your favorites from the buffet of life. (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus songs with lyrics related to each article – all free.)"

Laura presents Top 20 Facebook Apps for Entrepreneurs posted at Online University Lowdown.

Luke Houghton presents 5 ways to think strategically posted at Luke Houghton, saying, "Being a leader means being able to see the bigger picture view of what's happening. This article outlines 5 creative ways to see the bigger picture."

Ant presents 5 Ways To Not Get Your Point Across posted at The Beef Jerky Blog.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Brain Fitness Program 2.0, MindFit, and much more on Brain Training posted at SharpBrains, saying, "Review and commentary on several New York Times articles related to "brain training""

Samir Bharadwaj presents 5+1 Simple Ideas For Brainstorming With A Dictionary posted at SamirBharadwaj.com, saying, "The currency of entrepreneurship is ideas. If you're like most entrepreneurs, you don't always have the luxury of brainstorming for new ideas in a group. So, here are some tips for coming up with ideas all by your lonesome, with a little help from your humble dictionary."

David B. Bohl presents Fulfillment and Leadership : Slow Down Fast Today! posted at Slow Down Fast Today!.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of leadership development using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Persistance for Profit

I love this quote from Craig Newmark

" There's no genius behind it. It's persistence and listening to people"

Two wonderful qualities for a successful business.

Business is a journey, a winding journey that has many roadblocks and traffic jams....to be successful you need to have a desire to break through those blocks and find a new path to profit. Persistence is the fuel and listening ensures that you have chosen the right path.

Ideas to Inspire Business

We believe that the power of blogging is sharing ideas, inspiration from all over the web...here are some articles to inspire you.

Chris Russell presents Enhancing Human Performance posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "Knowing why people behave the way they do on the job is the key to gaining commitment to continuous improvement. A manager must understand peoples needs in order to increase motivation and therefore meet the needs of the organization."

Stacey Derbinshire presents Leveling the Playing Fields posted at Starting a Small Home Business, saying, "The lifeplan of school, college, and get a job is the paradigm most are trained to follow. However, only a small percentage of those who follow this plan end up with any level of wealth or financial satisfaction in their secular life."

Millionaire Mommy Next Door presents Memories are made of the things we DO, not the things we BUY posted at Millionaire Mommy Next Door, saying, "Should we buy a boat? Or would we rather go fishing?"

TherapyDoc presents You're not the boss of me: Playing defense posted at Everyone Needs Therapy

Rickey Henderson presents Beard Watch 2007 Update posted at Riding with Rickey, saying, "A story about one man's commute home from work. And his quest to grow a beard."

Vahid Chaychi presents Get Inspired by the Success Stories and Interviews posted at Internet and Search Engine Marketing, saying, "You may get disappointed while starting a new business and it has not given any good result yet. Most people give up at this point and stop working. One of the best things that prevents you to give up, is reading the success stories and interviews of successful people in your niche. Learn how to find and read them every week."

Steven Silvers presents PowerPoint presentation on news story about business school requiring PowerPoint presentation from applicants. posted at Scatterbox at stevensilvers.com, saying, "University of Chicago Business School will require applicants to submit a four-slide PowerPoint presentation to be considered. Here’s my one-slide PowerPoint presentation on what this means."

edithyeung presents Steps You Must Take to Run a Successful Meeting and Say Goodbye to Boring Meetings posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

FitBuff presents Brain Gym Exercises: Get Fit, Get Smart posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "Ever been at work or faced with a problem and thought to yourself, "Hmm, I sure wish I had a few extra neurons to help me come up with a creative solution?"
Who hasn't, right? Well, check out this new study that shows you how you can literally increase the number of neurons your brain produces!"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of anecdotes and stories for presentations using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Personal Branding and PR

For centuries people have managed their reputation...personal or leadership branding are new phrases but the principle stands the test of time. Your own PR is as much about perception as reality - now I firmly believe in being authentic but always remember that your public image is as important in career as well as what you do.

Augustus, the first Roman Emperor managed this paradox well. He appeared humble, publicly playing down him importance and rejecting the idea he was a god! Whilst saying this, he was rebuilding the city....great for the people...oh and a giant monument to himself with a 42m high family mausoleum in Rome.

The image he created was one of rebuilding the city, humility, a good leader...so therefore the monument was something that the people wanted...something that recognised his worth.

Creating value is the key to your public image.....selling your worth won't work, it is about delivering value consistently so that the public sells your brand for you. Was it JFK who said "Ask not what the country can do for you but what you can do for your country".....well, if we change that to "Ask not what the company can do for you, but what you can do for your company" then you are well on the way to managing your reputation successfully.

Lessons from an Arts Festival

The largest arts festival in the world is the Edinburgh Fringe. However when it started it was not a major initiative it was a small gathering of 8 theatre companies. The festival has grown through word of mouth and year on year.....like many businesses.

There is a lesson here for leaders - as much as you want success today, big success now...it takes time. You cannot engage all your employees or potential customers in one fell swoop. It is about continuously doing the right thing, about getting key people to engage and let them "sell" the ideas to other people.

That is why web 2.0 is a fantastic tool to engage people. If you use them correctly, then you will build customer and employee evangelists who will market your ideas for you.

How to keep Employees

Welcome to today's carnival which looks at how to retain talent, how to develop talent.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Training the Aging Workforce posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "Training will be an important component of retaining baby boomers in the work force."

Chris Russell presents Enhancing Human Performance posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "Knowing why people behave the way they do on the job is the key to gaining commitment to continuous improvement. A manager must understand peoples needs in order to increase motivation and therefore meet the needs of the organization."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Facing Fear with Deliberate Awareness posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Fear is over-rated. We do it to ourselves. Fear has no reality other than our attention to it. Deliberately steer your attention to pictures in your imagination that emphasize what you want to happen – (instead of what you most dread) . . . and the fear dissipates. (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus songs with lyrics related to each article – all free.)"

Warren Wong presents Make People Comfortable By Greeting Them Right posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Do you know how to make people comfortable when you meet them? Here's a couple of tips to make them feel right at home."

Erek Ostrowski presents Management Coaching: How and When to Give Feedback posted at Verve Coaching, saying, "If you hold back or worry about how you’re coming across, you’ll teach the people who work for you that they need to hold back and worry about how they come across…"

Charles H. Green presents The Dark Side of Trust? Not! posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Harvard claims the key to trust is micromanagement, but you can distinguish yourself as a great employer by letting go enough to let trust flourish."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of how to keep employees using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our
blog carnival index page.

If it ain't broke...fix it!

Often we wait until something is broken before we fix it....why not fix it before it is broken.

A great example is Dick Fosbury. People had a way of teaching the high jump - it worked. But Dick Fosbury reinvented the method. He developed a revolutionary approach that took high jump to ...new heights!

He didn't have exceptional strength or speed but what he had was a revolutionary approach that brought him a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics.

He did not listen to the critics, the people who banned the technique...he believed in his ability to create a new method that would help him achieve his dream

Do you wait until it is broke, or do you challenge the norm, do you challenge yourself and your team to continue improving?

Carnival of Leadership Development

Welcome to the August 16, 2007 edition of carnival of leadership development.

Pete Johnson presents If the picture sucks, is it still worth 1,000 words? posted at Nerd Guru, saying, "An overly complicated diagram in a presentation can easily lose your audience. In this article, the importance of simple graphics are stressed and, when a complex picture is required, a technique for easing the visual burden is discussed."

Aaron M. Potts presents Barriers to Personal Growth - What Service are you Providing? posted at Today is that Day.

Jane Chin presents A Danger of "Too Much Experience" posted at On Careers and Life, saying, "How often are you the victim of your own knowledge and experience?"

rck@TheRoadtoCEO.com presents How to React to Criticism posted at Get More Done with Activity Logs

Jeanne Dininni presents Show 'Em Who's Boss posted at Writer's Notes, saying, "This is a satirical article that actually tells the reader how NOT to succeed in leadership."

Karl Goldfield presents Building a plan: Finding Talent - Unearthing potential and making stars posted at Coaching sales champions.

Matthew Paulson presents How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking posted at Getting Green.

Ivan Rios presents How to Deal With Envy posted at artofleading.net.

Christopher J. Brunner presents The Balance of a Leader posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, "Being a good, strong, dependable leader is all about balance."

Ivan Rios presents Mistakes Happen: How Do You Respond? posted at artofleading.net.

Ivan Rios presents When To Lose posted at artofleading.net.

Pushpa Sathish presents The Business Blogging Toolset: 100 Resources for Entrepreneur-Writers posted at Bootstrapper.

Bhupendra Khanal presents Top 10 Mantra for Professional Success posted at Analytics Bhupe, saying, "First decide to lead and then work to make that happen."

Charles H. Green presents Deer in the Headlights Decison-Making > Trusted Advisor Associates > Trust Matters posted at Trust Matters, saying, "When faced with unexpected surprises the way most people react is to just do the same thing - they freeze, and can't adapt."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Facing Fear with Deliberate Awareness posted at Tupelo Kenyon,

SJ Yee presents Talent is never enough posted at Personal Development for the Book Smart.

Gary van Warmerdam presents Being Optimistic With Awareness posted at Happiness, saying, "In the best selling book Good To Great Jim Collins advises us of the perils of being optimistic. That same awareness can serve us in other areas of our life as well. The key is to have the awareness to discern the good optimism from the dangerous optimism."

rck@TheRoadtoCEO.com presents A Motivation Secret of Top Performing Managers posted at Get More Done with Activity Logs

Ivan Rios presents Let Them Think posted at artofleading.net, saying, "How to influence and deal with Analytical people."

Pete Johnson presents Who's in charge? Understanding group dynamics posted at Nerd Guru,

Christine Kane presents What?s Easy. What?s Not. posted at Christine Kane's Blog.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Training the Aging Workforce posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "A clear trend that will influence HR and training policies."

Jimson Lee presents The Key to Successful Leadership posted at Speedendurance.com, saying, "Are leaders made or born? Read on..."

james presents Overcoming Shyness: Tips for making effective eye contact posted at you shy devil you, saying, "Eye contact is one of the most fundamental forms of body language. Here are 5 1/2 tips on making more effective eye contact."

Jack Yoest presents Watch For Upwarding Leaping Monkeys posted at Yoest.com, saying, "Managers, are there monkeys leaping up on your backs?
The monkey is the next move after the boss and subordinate part after talking — all too often the boss has the next move. The staffer has ‘delegated’ a task up to the boss.An upward leaping monkey."

Matt presents 2 Useful Tips for Improving Creativity posted at Realigned Living, saying, "Being creative is important for any leader - this post goes into two tips I have found to be extremely useful in becoming more creative."

Marenda presents Leadership Development 101 posted at Living life Abundantly Marenda.Biz.

Lousie Manning presents Are You A Good Facilitator? posted at The Human Imprint, saying, "Facilitation is an acquired skill and the ability to facilitate effectively improves more and more with experience."

Chris Russell presents Enhancing Human Performance posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "Knowing why people behave the way they do on the job is the key to gaining commitment to continuous improvement. A manager must understand peoples needs in order to increase motivation and therefore meet the needs of the organization."

Stacey Derbinshire presents Leveling the Playing Fields posted at Starting a Small Home Business, saying, "The lifeplan of school, college, and get a job is the paradigm most are trained to follow. However, only a small percentage of those who follow this plan end up with any level of wealth or financial satisfaction in their secular life."

Ben Yoskovitz presents What's The Cornerstone of Any Great Relationship? posted at Instigator Blog, saying, "Looking at the importance of trust and going with your gut as a leader."

Luke Houghton presents Life skills: an overview posted at Luke Houghton, saying, "The skills you need to make it"

Marc and Angel presents Force of Character: Taking Ownership of Your Actions posted at Marc and Angel, saying, "It’s easy for someone to take ownership of success, but when the headlines read “failure” only those possessing “force of character” have the influential capacity to shine."

Warren Wong presents Make People Comfortable By Greeting Them Right posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Do you know how to make people comfortable when you meet them? Here's a couple of tips to make them feel right at home.

Jay Gordon Cone presents CEOs Know: The Soft Stuff Is the Hard Stuff posted at Interaction Associates - Thought leadership and practical tools for collaboration., saying, "CEOs admitted in a recent study that financial results are only part of the picture of the health of their companies. Leaders must learn a new balanced view of success in order to lead well.

FitBuff presents New York Jets Listen to Mozart on the Football Field posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "Do you believe in "The Mozart Effect" -- the idea that certain pieces of classical music can increase your intelligence and cognitive abilities?Believe it or not, an entire NFL team does!"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of leadership development using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Employee Engagement

Aristotle said

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work"

I love this quote as it sums up in 9 words why leaders should be concerned with the "happiness" of their employees at work. If people feel values, if they feel listened to, if they feel their work is meaningful...then this will be reflected in their work.

Successful Careers Are Made, Not Given

We can often see rich, successful people and forget the work they put into their career. Warren Buffet is a hugely successful businessman, built from a desire to succeed. There is a profile of Warren Buffet in the Telegraph, it starts

"When Warren was 12 his father won a seat in Congress and the family moved to Washington. There he took on five paper rounds and by the time he was 14 had saved enough money to pay $1,200 for 40 acres of farmland in Nebraska. After acquiring this land he rented it out."

In a world of instant messaging, speed of communication, constant change - we can forget that success needs hard work, it is built over time. There is no short term fix, there is no short cut for working hard at creating the future that you want.