|
How
to Get Promoted - Take control of your destiny!
by Frank F. Lunn |
How
To Get Promoted!
Take control of your destiny
By Frank F. Lunn
________________________________________
It Is Up To You
So, you want to get promoted. The possibility really lies in
your own hands. Remember the trite but true saying, “If it
is to be, it is up to me!”
Don’t wait for things to happen. Set yourself apart from the
crowd and make things happen. Most people look outward for success. They look for someone
else to appreciate them, someone else to promote them, someone
else to motivate them. Success is not external shining in, it
is internal radiating out. If you look for other people to
define your success or happiness, you will never find your
full measure of either. If you want a promotion, set up the conditions to get
promoted. Don’t dwell on your limitations or what you can’t do.
Instead, look to magnify and capitalize on your strengths and
potential. Spend energy focusing on finding Incremental
Advantages and changing and improving areas you can. Big
success is built on a series of small successes.
You, Inc.
Whether you acknowledge it or not, you are self employed
regardless of who signs your paycheck. Failure to recognize
this leads to dependence on others and a failure to develop
your single most valuable asset - you! Even if you are an employee, you are basically self employed.
You are your own personal services corporation selling to one
customer in this case, your employer. Whether you earn minimum
wage or are in the top bracket of income earners, your
business entity, You, Inc., is at the heart of your earning. The quickest route to earning more money is to provide more
value to your organization. The more you develop your skills,
talents, abilities, attitudes and efforts into value for your
employer or your clients, the more you earn and are worth.
Add To Your Value
Create a personal balance sheet for yourself. List your assets
and your liabilities in the areas of knowledge, talents, skill
set, abilities and attitude. Your liabilities in reality are
only what you have yet to learn and apply to improve the items
on the asset side. What are you doing to push the boundaries and improve the
production capability of You, Inc.? Keep learning. The best
education is the application of knowledge to your goals.
Incremental learning is like climbing a mountain. The more you
climb, the more you see and the better you can improve your
perspective of all that is below you. The more knowledge and
information you gather and put to use, the easier it is to
gain new information and apply that information to your life.
Try The Inversarian Approach
During rush hour of a major city where most people live in the
suburbs, most of the traffic is going out. An inversarian
strategy would be to live in the city and work in the suburbs
to avoid the traffic created by the masses. Inversarian is
observing what the masses are doing and then doing the
opposite. To separate from the crowd, use the inversarian principle to
your advantage. Most people do little more than expected of
them. Doing more than expected and providing more value sets
you significantly apart. You only rise in an organization or
get true rewards when you put forth effort and prove your
worth. Parlay small successes into larger successes and magnify your
results. This is really compound success like compound
interest. The gains will at first be small and imperceptible.
As you apply and reinvest your gains they become more
significant. “Stack The Logs!” - reinvest in your wins and small gains.
Stack up those small victories. Eventually the pile grows and
others take notice.
Do More Than Expected
Your goal is to make yourself indispensable. You promote
yourself through actions and attitudes and ultimately separate
yourself from the crowd waiting for the arrival of the S.S.
Entitlement.
Separate Yourself From The Crowd
•Take initiative. A person with strong personal initiative
is basically a leader of self. The mass of people wait for
circumstances.
•Be a catalyst. One motivated individual is yeast that can
leaven an entire loaf. It requires vision, initiative,
patience, respect, persistence, courage and faith to be the
yeast.
•Take on more work and look for ways to build value in your
organization through becoming a problem solver.
•Take on projects that challenge and teach you new skills,
so you grow in value in your current or future organizations.
•Find opportunities to do things better and more efficiently
than it has been done before.
•To get paid more, provide more service following the law of
harvest – sow and reap.
•Work hard. Great success comes from hard work directed
toward a clearly-defined goal. The harder you work, the
“luckier” you will likely be.
Sometimes this means coming in early and staying late. It may
mean doing what is asked to the best of your ability, then
doing more. When these things are done with enthusiasm and a
positive attitude, it creates separation from the crowd and can lead to
that promotion you’ve been working towards.
“The best way to predict the future is to CREATE IT!”
-Peter F. Drucker
This is an excerpt from Frank F. Lunn’s book Stack The Logs!
Building a Success Framework to Reach Your Dreams.
This live-your-life-by-design book is part of the Empowerment
series published by Kahuna Business Group. Click here to order
and start living the life you desire…and deserve.
To learn more about the STACK Strategy or to take control of
your life…purchase Stack the Logs! visit
www.stackthelogs.com or email frank@stackthelogs.com.
One-tenth of the selling price of $19.95 will be donated to
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to further the work
of:
“Finding cures. Saving children.”
About
the Author |
| Frank
F. Lunn is an expert in leadership, marketing, and small
business entrepreneurship. A former military officer and Gulf
War veteran, Lunn is the founder of the Kahuna Business Group,
a $20 million annual company. Lunn is the author of STACK THE
LOGS!: Building a Success Framework to Reach Your Dreams,
pledging to donate 10 percent of all sales to St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital, where his son’s life was
saved. |
|
| Advancing
the Careers of Administrative Assistants |
Increase
Productivity and Efficiency
Acquire
personal management skills for improved effectiveness
Improve Communication and Writing
Skills
Become a persuasive force in your
office with effective writing, editing and presentation abilities
Enhance Technical Skills
Learn strategies for implementing new
office technologies and overcoming resistance
Increase Your Value in the Workplace
Conduct value-added research and data
analysis for coworkers and supervisors |
 |
| S |
- Advancing
the Careers of Administrative Assistants
– ASMI (August 30-31,
2004)
- Chicago, IL
- Hilton Chicago Downtown
The
office environment of today has caused an increase in the demand
for highly skilled and versatile administrative professionals.
To remain an integral part of the team administrative staff must
consistently upgrade their skill set. This national summit
is dedicated to giving Administrative Assistants the tools
necessary to accelerate their careers to the next level.
Click the link above for full conference details.
There
is a 15% discount available if you mention this posting.
Provide this discount code when registering online to receive
your discount: -BMJ15.
For
more information please contact Bret Johnson at (858) 874-6876
x206 or BJohnson@ManagementWeb.org.
|
| Rising
Stars™ Award,
sponsored by Office Dynamics, Ltd. |
|
|
The
Rising Stars™ Award, sponsored by Office
Dynamics, Ltd., honors administrative teams that bolster team
spirit, design innovative programs in office administration, and
make a positive contribution to their entire company. Call
800-STAR-139 to receive your free Guidelines and Criteria
Packet. Submission
deadline: August 1, 2004. The
winner will be announced at the 11th Annual Forum for
Administrative Professionals in
Memphis
,
TN
September 23.
For
more information: http://www.officedynamicsltd.com/rising_star_awards.html
|
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Hosted by Office Dynamics,
Ltd. and sponsored by Memphis, Light, Gas & Water
Subtitle: Collaborating
with Administrative Peers and Management to Impact the Bottom
Line
Dates: September 23 - 24, 2004
Place: Memphis, TN
Special: Save $100 off
registration with the Early Bird Special--deadline June 15
For more information visit www.officedynamicsltd.com
It's
All About Energy!
Our theme for
the 2004 Forum is Collaborating With Administrative Peers and
Management to Impact the Bottom Line. While our theme is
about teaming up, it's really about energy!
It's about MENTAL
energy - being creative and coming up with good ideas; being
mentally in tune with management and administrative peers.
It's about PHYSICAL energy - having the physical stamina
to meet the demands of today's workplace.
It's about PERSONAL energy - having the internal drive to
commit to building strong relationships with others in the
workplace; demonstrating your value vs. being seen as an
expense.
It's about TEAM energy - knowing how and when to team
with administrative peers, project teams, or management. It's
walking the talk.
It's about LEADERSHIP energy - taking the lead, being a
visionary, and championing projects that require team alignment.
It's gathering up the troops and creating a culture of
cooperation and respect.
Step out of your environment and see what's happening
universally.
|
•
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Get your
questions answered.
|
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•
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Raise your
consciousness.
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•
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Energize
your commitment to your profession.
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•
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Feel in
control of your future.
|
Not only will you leave this conference with
insight into the most pressing issues facing administrative
professionals, you will have had tremendous opportunities to
network with your peers, exchange ideas, and make new
professional contacts. You will be surrounded by star performers
in the field!
Our host site, Memphis Light,
Gas & Water Division is all about Energy!
And so is the team at Office Dynamics, Ltd.! I hope you
will join us for this spectacular event melding experiences,
group and individual activities, mini-lectures, networking, and
fun.
Joan Burge
Host and Forum Creator
Founder and CEO, Office Dynamics, Ltd.
|
Monday Motivators™
from Office Dynamics, Ltd.
|
|
|
Jump
start your week with energizing and informative success tips
from Joan Burge, national speaker, corporate trainer and author.
Joan will share proven principles for success ranging from
changing your mental outlook to increasing your credibility and
visibility to crash and burn career moves.
Each Monday, you can look forward to practical tips that will
help you excel in today's ever-changing office environment.
Joan's timely tips will only take you a few minutes to read. You
can print and post them at your work station as a daily reminder
or even start your own Monday Motivators™ binder.
It's hard enough to get started on a Monday after a great
weekend. Why not make your Monday the start of great week? Kick
it off with the Monday Motivators™
“Thank
you for all the Monday Motivators!
You have been doing a great job radiating positive energy
via your emails.”
— Priya
Chandra, Amgen
“I
like them because they give me little ‘reminders’ for my
attitude and professional image.
It’s a great booster.”
— Belinda Gibson, The Schwan Food
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Writing Your Personal Vision/Mission Statement
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by: Cecile Peterkin
I recently spent some time revising my personal vision/mission
statement for my coaching practice. While doing this, it occurred to
me that the vision I have for my work is closely related to my
personal vision. Having a job that reflects my personal vision is
powerful because it has allowed me to create a business life for
myself that truly reflects who I am.
Companies know all about vision and mission statements and getting
their employees on board. Vision and mission statements propel the
company in the direction that they want, and ultimately towards
success. Many of us have spent countless hours working on these
statements for our employers, and doing our part to contribute to
their vision as a part of the team. Much like a business, we, as human
beings have a purpose or mission in life.
What if we spent as much time getting to know who we are and what
we want for ourselves? A personal vision/mission statement is the
framework for creating a powerful life. Unlike a goal, a vision or
mission rarely changes. It is a reason for our existence. It guides us
in the decisions we make and the directions we take.
Your Personal Vision
Close your eyes and picture yourself in the future. It may be a few
months or years from today. See the person you are; what you are
doing, who you are with, what you have accomplished, what is important
to you, and how people relate to you. How does it feel to be you? Feel
the person you are, your true self. Now, open your eyes and see your
life and yourself in the present, through those eyes. You will begin
to notice the changes you need to make to honour this vision and lead
a powerful life. A Personal Vision is a picture of your True Self in
the future. An effective personal vision includes all the important
elements of your life and career; it is who you want to be, what you
want to do, how you want to feel, what you want to own, and who you
want to associate with. Although your personal vision helps you to see
into the future, it must be grounded in the present. It is a statement
of who you are, and who you are becoming. It is the framework for the
process of creating your life. Your vision is where you are headed,
how you get there is your mission statement.
Your Personal Mission Statement
A Personal Mission Statement is how you will manifest your Personal
Vision in your daily life. It may be a few words or several pages, but
it is not a "to do" list. It reflects your uniqueness and
must speak to you powerfully about the person you are and the person
you are becoming. Remember, it's okay to be where you are, while
heading somewhere else. In fact, the only place you can start, is
where you are right now. Having a personal vision does not mean your
life changes overnight. But it will change. Your personal mission
statement provides the steps to get you there.
Your Personal Mission Statement should answer three questions:
- What is my life about (Purpose)?
- What do I stand for (Values)?
- What actions do I take to manifest my Purpose and my Values?
Stephen Covey writes that an empowering Mission Statement:
Represents the deepest and best within you. It comes out of a solid
connection with your deep inner life. Is the fulfillment of your own
unique gifts. It's the expression of your unique capacity to
contribute. Addresses and integrates the four fundamental human needs
and capacities in the physical, social/emotional, mental and spiritual
dimensions. Deals with all the significant roles in your life. It
represents a lifetime balance of personal, family, work,
community-whatever roles you feel are yours to fill. Is written to
inspire you-not to impress anyone else. It communicates to you and
inspires you on the most essential level.
"Creating a Personal Mission Statement will be, without
question, one of the most powerful and significant things you will
ever do to take leadership of you life. In it you will identify the
most important roles, relationships, and things in your life - who you
want to be, what you want to do, to whom and what you want of give
your life, the principles you want to anchor your life to, the legacy
you want to leave. All the goals and decisions you will make in the
future will be based upon it. It's like deciding first which wall you
want to lean your ladder of life against, and then beginning to climb.
It will be a compass - a strong source of guidance amid the stormy
seas and pressing, pulling currents of you life." Stephen Covey,
author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
A Personal Vision/Mission can help propel you into a new job, or
make your present job work better for you. The more connected your
Personal Vision/Mission is to yourself, the better it can guide your
career and your life.
About The Author
Cecile Peterkin is a trained Career/Life Coach and speaker whose work
centers primarily on middle managers and their various challenges. She
also works with individuals who are ready to move forward, take
action, achieve goals and experience overall life improvement, both in
personal and in career.
Cosmic Coaching Centre
www.cosmiccoachingcentre.com
416-486-5000
cecile@cosmiccoachingcentre.com
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Executaries
Forum |
|
"Strengthen
your managerial competencies to empower yourself, expand your future
career opportunities and become an indispensable member of the
organization."
You
have to have confidence in your ability and then to be tough enough
to follow through.
- Key Topics
Examining the role of
today's Executary in a rapidly changing workplace
-
Mapping out your long-term
goals and establishing a career strategy
-
Establishing Your Worth and
Realizing Your True Market Value
-
Partnering with Your Boss
to Maximize Operational Synergies
-
Creating Sustainable
Success through Mentoring and Best Practices
Background
to this event
In
recent years, office professionals from Secretaries to Executive
Assistants have faced major changes in their profession. There has
been a blurring of support and management roles in offices, caused
by the persuasiveness of technology. While their administrative
skills are still the backbone of the organization, Executive
Assistants are being asked to further develop technical skills,
master and utilize new technologies and become valuable contributors
to executive and management teams. In an economically repressed
market, professional assistants, like all employees, need to
contribute actively to the financial and professional well being of
the organization. Currently there are 3.9 million administrative
assistants, secretaries and other support staff working in the
United States.
It
has become a question for executives to decide whether they want to
contribute in broadening the traditional responsibilities of the
administrative professional into a role that adds quantitative value
and builds towards the attainment of business objectives.
On
the part of administrative personnel, now is the time to become
empowered. By developing a skills pool that includes managerial
functions, administrative professionals are allowing themselves to
be positioned not only as decision-makers, but as indispensable
drivers of change.
click
here for more information
What
Attendees Say About the Executaries Convention
- “Overall
it was a great seminar. It
made me realize how important I am to the company”
-
-Executive Assistant,
Maytag
“This
meeting served to inspire and motivate.
As such, it should be presented to others below the C-Level
to help them aspire to our ranks”
-Executive Assistant to
President & CEO, Technology Solutions
“Seminar
was excellent. Enjoyed
the interaction with all participants.
The opportunity to share ideas and hear other executaries’
challenges was invaluable” -Executive
Assistant to President, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
|
|
8 Key Strategies For Success Despite Having a Bad
Boss
|
by Heidi Prescott
Bad bosses. They seem to be everywhere. They can turn going to work
into a dreaded, stressful activity. And, they can have a substantial
impact on our immediate and future career success. According to
Buckingham & Coffman in their book, First Break All The Rules,
"It is her relationship with her immediate manager that will
determine how long she stays and how productive she is while she is
there. All the goodwill in the world can do only so much. In the
end, from the employee's perspective, managers trump companies".
Finally someone put into words what we've all known to be true. If
our boss is someone we can learn from, one we like, respect and get
along with, and one who appreciates us, respects us and helps
us succeed, then we might never want to leave a job. Unfortunately,
in today's corporate cultures, that winning combination is all too
rare.
A bad boss can take over your life. Your time and energy goes
into trying to figure out how to manage this person with positional
power, get your job done and be successful in your own right too.
But, as tempting as it is, now is not the time to be putting all of
your eggs in the bad boss basket. If you do, it is my experience
that your bad boss will get exactly what you do not want them to
have: their own success at your expense.
Here are 8 specific strategies that will help you succeed despite
having a bad boss:
1. Find a mentor. Most people love when you ask them for
help. If they don't (or say they don't have the time) they are not a
good mentor candidate. When choosing a mentor, look for someone
within your current organization and one that is above you on the
organizational chart. A mentor does not have to be in your
department or in your geographical location, but they must be
willing and able to put time and energy into helping you learn, grow
and navigate the political environment of your workplace. Choose
someone you admire and respect that you believe can teach you skills
and pass on knowledge for your use today and in your future jobs or
career field.
2. Build strong, positive relationships with key people at
a variety of levels, departments and positions. These folks will
become your fan base. They will keep your confidence up when it
takes a direct hit from the boss.
3. Keep your eye and actions on YOUR future. Create a full
vision for what direction you want your career to take, not on what
you think (or wish) will happen to your boss’s future. Put your
time and energy into planning for your life after this boss
relationship ends, because it will end.
4. Figure out what you can learn from this boss, then learn
it. You can learn from bad bosses. It may be how not to
do something. These lessons can be just as valuable, if not more so,
than the lessons learned on the best way to do something. Sometimes
though, our ego does not allow us to admit to ourselves there might
be something specific we could learn from this person.
5. Blow off the steam. Working for bad bosses can create
so much frustration and stress that at times you may feel like
exploding. Get rid of these feelings. It is important to your mental
and physical health, self-confidence and attitude. Work physical
activity into your schedule even if its once a week. It will help
rid your body and mind of the frustration.
6. Turn it into an opportunity. Look around. Being in this
situation can bring clarity of knowing what you don’t want
for your future, which in turn helps you narrow in on what you do
want. Look around at what else you might want to do - either within
the company or outside the company. It might be time to go back to
school or take classes. Volunteer for a project or committee that
will give you exposure to a broader audience within your
organization.
7. Make time for family and friends and revive old social
relationships. Surround yourself with people who know you and
love you no matter what you do for a living or who you work for.
Make a point of telling them you are in a frustrating situation with
your boss and solicit their support. Ask a few of them to be your
"confidence on call" partner. When you have just
experienced a particularly frustrating moment with your boss, call
them to get a "just remember, you're great at what you do and
who you are" build up. This will help you move through the
moment and on to the things that really matter to you.
8. Toot your own horn. Talk up big and small successes,
accomplishments and achievements. Find appropriate, respectful ways
to point out any kudos you have received from a customer, quota’s
that have been made, problems you have solved, acknowledgements you
have been given, fires you’ve put out, money you’ve saved, or
great decisions you have made. Since the world is moving at
lightening speed and dealing with information overload, do not
assume people know or are paying attention to your contributions. If
you are uncomfortable doing this for yourself, enlist a colleague,
mentor or friend who will do this on your behalf.
These are not the only strategies that will work when one is
living with a bad boss. But without adopting one or all of these,
your chance of succeeding in your current position is not great, and
the impact on your future career options could be catastrophic. If
you have tried some or all of these strategies and are still
consumed by working for a bad boss, consider hiring a personal coach
who specializes in boss relationships and work related issues.
If this topic is of interest to you, here are a few books you
might want to look into:
Career Warfare. 10 Rules For Building A Successful Personal
Brand And Fighting To Keep It.
David F. D'Alessandro, CEO of
John Hancock
The Art Of Happiness At Work.
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
Take the Bully by the Horns. Stop unethical, Uncooperative, or
Unpleasant People from Running and Ruining Your Life.
Sam Horn
About the Author
Heidi Prescott, Laguna
Hills, CA USA
heidi@heidiprescott.com
http://www.heidiprescott.com
Heidi Prescott is a personal career coach who specializes in working
with managers, sales executives and high-end professionals who find
themselves stuck in a corporate culture or boss relationship that no
longer fits. She invites you to sign up for her e-Career Quick Tips
by sending an e-mail with your name and subject line
"Subscribe" to heidi@heidiprescott.com
|
| The
Time Has Come…JUST DO IT!
by Kathy Paauw |
"Lots
of people know what to do, but few people actually do what
they know. Knowing is
not enough! You must take action."
--Tony Robbins
In honor of National Procrastination Week (the first week in
March) and March Forth Day (on
March 4th, of course), each year I dedicate my March article
to the subject of procrastination.
Why? Because this single habit is the root of so many of the
problems that plague all of us at one
time or another – challenges with managing our time,
relationships, projects, and information.
What is procrastination? Procrastination is doing low-priority
tasks and activities instead of the
high-priority ones which so often contribute the most to our
success. For some, procrastination
becomes a harmful habit which impedes personal and
professional development.
So if procrastination is harmful, why do we do it? We tend to
put off doing things for the following
reasons:
* They are unpleasant to do.
* They are difficult or complex to do.
* They involve making tough decisions that can be
overwhelming.
When we don't want to do something that is unpleasant or
difficult, we find less important things
to do that will keep us "busy" so we have an excuse
for why we didn't get around to it. But putting
something off does not make it go away, and postponing it
often just makes it worse. As
someone once said, "Killing time murders
opportunities."
WARNING SIGNS OF PROCRASTINATION
"You will never find time for anything. You must make
it."
-Charles Buxton
Finding tasks on your to-do list week after week is a clear
sign you are procrastinating, but there
are also some more subtle, overlooked signs of
procrastination. Can you identify with any of
these possibilities?
* Feeling overwhelmed: No matter how hard you work, you cannot
seem to catch up.
You have a backlog of work that seems insurmountable. It may
be affecting your sleep,
as you lay in bed thinking about all the things you "gotta
do." Perhaps it's time to
renegotiate some of your commitments and say no to more
requests so you can say yes
to what's most important to you.
* Breaking commitments to others or to yourself: You're
constantly having to make
excuses about why you didn't do something you said you'd do.
* Losing focus: Although you have many important tasks at hand
(some are even
urgent), you find yourself wasting time doing things that are
not important. For example,
you find yourself surfing the Net instead of doing something
much more important.
* Starting something new before finishing something else: This
is particularly
common with entrepreneurs who often spend time developing new
leads rather than
following up with the prospects they already have. If you are
spending more time
attending networking events than you spend following up by
phone, in writing, or face-to-
face, this may be you.
SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PROCRASTINATORS
"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule,
but to schedule your priorities."
--Stephen Covey
Here are 7 tips to help you change from "I'll do it when
I get around to it." to "I'll do it now!"
1. Recognize and admit that you are procrastinating. As long
as you defend, deny, or
rationalize your procrastination, you are not in a position to
overcome it. Stop rationalizing and
you'll be more likely to take action.
2. What motivates you to do better? What rewards -- tangible
and intangible – will you get by
doing it rather than putting it off? Remind yourself of that
payoff on a daily basis. Post a picture or
note that represents those rewards to you on such places as
your computer screen, bulletin
board, or dashboard.
One way to check motivation is to check your self-talk. Do you
frequently say, "I gotta…," "I
should…," or "I have to…"? Replace this
self-talk with "I choose to…" and recognize that
you are
at choice about what you do. If you don't choose to do it,
don't do it!
3. Analyze what causes you to put things off. Most of us tend
to avoid things that are
unpleasant, complex, or overwhelming.
In Linda Sapadin's book, It's About Time: The Six Styles of
Procrastination and How to Overcome
Them, she tells us that chronic procrastinators are not lazy;
they simply need to cultivate a more
natural and fluid transition from mental activity to physical
activity, while allowing an appropriate
amount of time and energy to complete the task. Here's a brief
description of each of the six
styles of procrastination: (1) perfectionist; (2) dreamer; (3)
worrier; (4) defier; (5) crisis-maker; (6)
over-doer. Read the book if you want to gain some
comprehensive insight and solutions for each
of these styles.
4. Break down each of the activities you are having trouble
with into small steps. Take a
small step that will get you moving in the right direction.
Pick what seems like the easiest place to
start, and block out time on your calendar to begin. You may
find that once you take action, the
rest is much easier.
If you are more motivated by doing the toughest part first,
then begin with that. As they say, eat a
live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will
happen to you the rest of the day.
Tackle that "toad" -- the task you have been putting
off, the one that is hanging over your head --
because it will lift an immense load and you will feel much
more productive.
5. Delegate some tasks to others. If you don't enjoy doing it,
can you delegate it to someone
else? Or even if you enjoy doing something but find that you
have too much on your plate, either
delegate it to someone else or renegotiate your commitment.
Read my March 2002 article, To
Do or NOT to Do…That is the Question! to help you sort out
your commitments. If you're feeling
overwhelmed, you may benefit from doing a RAM Dump, which is
described in my March 2001
article, March 4th…Time to March Forth!
(Articles are posted at http://www.orgcoach.net/newsletter/freenews.html)
6. Don't be a perfectionist. Unless you're a rocket scientist
at NASA, you're paid to get results -
not to be perfect.
7. Commit yourself to action with specific deadlines. Promise
results to others. Fear of
losing face is a powerful motivator. Or build in
accountability for yourself by telling a friend, co-
worker or your coach exactly what you plan to get done each
week. Ask them not to accept any
excuses from you, and to remind you why you said you were
doing all this in the first place. Set
up a weekly check-in with an accountability partner where each
of you reports to the other.
One of the most powerful tools I know of for getting things
done is the weekly planning process.
Make a weekly appointment with yourself to plan your coming
week. During your planning
session, schedule important activities and tasks so you have a
concrete plan for following through
with your intentions. Then promise yourself a reward once
you've completed the task.
It may take time to break the procrastination habit, so give
yourself permission to fail a few times.
Remember that even a small amount of progress may allow you to
achieve more than you ever
have before.
GONE FISHING?
Back and forth, searching for the right spot, you throw your
line out time and time again. "This is
the place" you think, as you wait for a bite. Another
snag! You begin to reel as the tension
increases. Snap!
Tired of fishing for information? According to one study, the
average executive wastes up to one
hour a day – that's nearly two months per year -- looking
for lost and misplaced information. What
a drag on your time and energy! It's time to cast aside your
old habits and try some new
techniques. Don't put this off, or you'll be on a permanent
fishing expedition! Do it now!!!
People pile instead of file for two primary reasons: (1) a
fear of never finding it again once it's
filed away; (2) a fear of forgetting to follow up on something
requiring action. I recommend two
essential tools to assist you – Kiplinger's Taming the Paper
Tiger, a program that guarantees you
will find anything you file or store in 5 seconds or less, and
a customized tickler file system,
which gives you a place to store things until you have time to
follow up and reminds you of
important follow-up at the appropriate time. Used
consistently, these tools are guaranteed to
save you the lost time you've spent fishing for documents in
the past. Check out my website at
http://www.orgcoach.net for information on both of these
tools.
Visit http://www.orgcoach.net/teleclasses.html to learn more
about my free monthly Buried in
Paper TeleClass or my De-Clutter Your Life TeleClass series.
About
the Author |
| Kathy
Paauw helps busy executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs
de-clutter their schedules, spaces and minds so they can focus
on what’s most important. She is an organizing &
productivity consultant, certified professional & personal
coach, and speaker. Contact her at mailto:orgcoach@gte.net or
visit her website at http://www.orgcoach.net and learn how you
can find anything you file or store in 5 seconds…guaranteed! |
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by: Alexandru Marias
Viruses, software failures, power
failures, human errors, hard drive failures are only a few examples of
what could destroy the data on a hard drive, including all documents,
pictures, emails and other files!
Most home computer users don't need
an expensive backup solution; as they only need to burn the folders with
important documents and pictures to a CD-RW from time to time; this
ensuring that in case of a disaster they can easily get them back.
Together with documents and
pictures, it's a critical operation to save the emails, attachments,
address book and other important data from within the email client;
otherwise in case of a computer problem the user will find himself in the
impossibility to get them back, and this can be a really unwanted
situation especially for webmasters or people who rely on their emails.
Unfortunately many people actually start to do backup copies only after
they lose data.
This article will explain how one
can create a Outlook Express Backup copy ( as Outlook Express lacks a
backup function ) This email program is usually installed with the Windows
operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email
programs today. While using Outlook Express is fairly easy, finding and
backing up the emails can be a little more complicated. Since there are a
large number of files and folders on a computer running Windows, the first
problem is to find the files containing the emails. Outlook Express stores
emails in .dbx files and there might be several different dbx files
depending on how many email folders you have created in Outlook Express.
If you are using Windows 98, you can probably locate your emails somewhere
in the Windows directory. In Windows 2000 and XP, emails are usually
stored somewhere in the user data or application data folder.
The easiest way to find out exactly
where your emails are stored is to start Outlook Express, go to the Tools
menu, and open the Options dialog box. In the Options dialog box, select
the Maintenance page and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find
the path to the folder containing your emails. To open the folder, copy
the path and paste in the address field of the Windows File Manager. You
should see a number of .dbx files and possibly some other files, too.
After locating the email folder, you
can simply select all the files and press Ctrl-C. Then open the folder
where you want to keep the backup copies (on another hard disk, a DVD or a
network drive, for example) in Windows Explorer, and press Ctrl-V.
To backup the Address Book, you can
follow these steps:
- Select Tools | Address Book...
from the menu in Outlook Express.
- Choose File | Export | Other
Address Book... from the address book's menu.
- Select Text File (Comma Separated
Values) as the export format.
- Click Export.
- Select the location you want to
export your address book to using the Browse... button.
- Give your backup copy a
meaningful name.
- Click Next.
- Select the fields you want to
include in your backup.
- Finally, select Finish.
- Click OK.
- Click Close to end the process
(successfully, I hope).
Additionally, there are several
email backup utilities which can make the backup operation much easier.
Outlook Express Backup Genie is one piece of software that can offer peace
of mind by creating compact backup copies of emails, attachments, address
book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules and settings periodically. The
difference between using a automatic email backup utility and manual
backups, is that the first can be scheduled to create backups quiet in the
background at specified time intervals, and that it will include all email
information ( signatures, blocked list, etc ) which otherwise would be
more difficult to save. Also if ever the backup is needed, the application
will ensure that the restore process is made smoothly. And, it works with
top 9 popular email clients. The downside of using a automatic email
backup utility is that it costs money, usually about $20-30 USD as one time
payment, while the manual backups are of course, free.
The conclusion is that either manual
or automatic, backing up emails is a critical operation for every computer
user that would regret losing them.
A trial copy of Outlook Express
Backup Genie can be found at: http://www.amicutilities.com/outlook-express-backup/
About The Author
Alexandru Marias
http://www.amicutilities.com
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MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake
Number 1: Sinking a Fortune Into an Unproven Product
Is your business idea built on market research or a hunch?
Entrepreneurs often fall in love with their products or services
before they determine if there's a real market, and they throw
fistfuls of money into the venture. If you, your spouse, your
uncle, and your neighbor think you've got a winning idea, that's
simply not enough qualified input to run to the bank and drain
your savings account!
Avoid this mistake by:
• Conducting your detective work (research).
• Testing your business idea with the real marketplace.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 2: Believing That “If You
Build It, They Will Come"
Do you think you have a product or service that will practically
sell itself?
Trust me — you don't.
There is a misconception among small business owners that, with
the right product or service, your customers will simply
“find" you when you open your doors for business. Whether
you have a physical storefront on a corner lot in the busiest part
of downtown, or a graphically pleasing online storefront offering
easy access to your hot products and services, your customers will
not find you if you do not market to them.
The day you open for business is the day you put on your
“marketer's hat" and never take it off. You must
consistently move product, or schedule service time.
To stay in business you must profit.
To profit you must sell.
To sell you must market.
The good news is that, with a marketing strategy, you take the
control out of your potential customers' hands and put it into
your own. If you have a product that will “practically sell
itself," then your marketing job will be easy. Just remember
that the job must still be done.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Defining your niche market and USP (Unique Selling
Proposition) that differentiates you from your competition.
• Developing a marketing action plan and strategy to reach your
niche market with your USP message.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 3: Trying to Reinvent the Wheel
Marketing is an age-old practice with some very basic principles.
Yet, I'm sure you've read many marketing information products that
stress the importance of being innovative and creative with your
marketing efforts. It's easy to get caught up in the innovation
process and forget that the REAL focus should be on results.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Emulating success instead of trying to create something
completely new. Please note that I am not saying, “copy"
what others are doing. Look at the basic structure of a tactic,
campaign, advertisement, or event and use the same formula as a
basis for developing your own tactics.
• Realizing great marketing ideas are used over and over again
with just the right twist to make them fit a specific business.
Focus on results, and choose imitation over innovation to create
your own twist on a proven, winning technique.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 4: Over-Preparing and Doing
Nothing
The fear of failure can be powerful. So powerful that we do
everything we can think of to prevent it. Yet, there is a point at
which we are so busy preparing, organizing, and researching to
prevent failure that we never get around to the actual marketing
of the business. Here are two things to remember:
1. Activity is not productivity.
2. In order to sell a million of something, you have to sell the
first ONE.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Doing something! If you believe in your business and have done
your detective work, it's time to dive into the marketing pool.
Start small, track results and build from there.
• Not being afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are the entry to
success. At the very least, a failed promotion means you have
SUCCESSFULLY determined what promotion does not work. And, to
learn what does NOT work is a valuable tool in getting you closer
to discovering what WILL work.
So, go ahead. Fail a little. It will make your eventual successes
even sweeter.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 5: Boredom
When I was working for an ad agency many years ago, I had one
client that was running an extremely successful ad campaign. After
about six months, I received a phone call from the client. He
wanted to develop an entirely new campaign. When I asked,
“why?" he simply said, “I'm bored with the one we
have."
What?
That client may have had the money to spend on a new campaign due
to “boredom" but you and I usually don't. Yet, I've often
seen my small business clients switch promotions for the same
reason. This is detrimental to your business!
“Losing money" is a reason.
“Boredom" is not.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Remembering that, what is old to you, is new to an untapped
target market. If you have a promotion that is consistently
getting you results, stick with it until results show you its time
for change.
• Testing new promotions without abandoning the current one.
Then track results. Never swap a current promotion with a new one
that hasn't been tested.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 6: Relying on Networking to
Generate Sales Leads
Joining the Chamber of Commerce and schmoozing at association
meetings can put you in contact with vendors and possible joint
venture partners, and will be invaluable exposure for you as a
community supporter - but it will rarely generate substantial
sales leads.
Everyone else who attends these “meet and greet" assemblies
is there to do the same thing you are. You may be able to make
some valuable contacts for future ventures and promotions, but
one-on-one networking is time-consuming and results are
unpredictable.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Treating networking opportunities the same as any other
marketing tactic. Track results by determining your costs and
measuring your payback.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 7: Doing What Your Competitors
Do
It's important to be aware of what your competitors are offering,
but do not let it dictate the strategy you use for your own
business.
If your competitor wants to be the low price leader, let him.
Don't try to become the “lower price" leader. Chances are
this will lead you to financial problems because it will thrust
you into an ugly price war.
If your competitor wants to tout low prices, then you focus on
value. Bargain hunters don't necessarily want the lowest price.
They want the best VALUE. Make what you have to offer something of
value.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Finding an unmet need or want of your target market, and fill
it to differentiate your products and services from your
competitors.
• Giving customers a reason to choose you over your competitors.
Define your USP, and identify your niche market.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 8: Not Targeting a Specific
Market
If you believe your market is “everybody," you will
struggle to attract people who will buy from you. The value of
target (niche) marketing is one of the toughest sells I make to my
clients. They understand the logic of it, but the “fear of
losing a potential customer" gets the best of them.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Viewing the practice of niche marketing as inclusive, not
exclusive.
Think of your business as part of a person's support group. It's
logical to say, “Everybody needs a support group so my business
should attract everyone." But, will it? People - your
customers - want to go to a support business that understands
their specific concerns, needs, and wants. Make sure you ARE that
business by targeting a niche market.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 9: Targeting a Market You Can't
Reach or One That Can't Afford You
Targeting a niche market is the smartest way to market. Yet,
targeting a market that is too specific will limit your ability to
succeed long term. For example, a market that might be too
specific would be: female pilots under the age of 35 who fly ONLY
New York to London flights. That's a pretty narrow market to
sustain your business in the long term unless you can capture the
ENTIRE market with a product or service that has a high profit
point and customers need to use or replace it often.
In that same vein, a market that is begging for the service or
product you have but cannot afford it will also be a business
impossible to sustain. Never compete for someone's rent money.
Your target market must have the means to buy your products and
services.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Creating your customer profile to identify characteristics of
your potential buyers,
• Identifying a niche market,
• Examining the long term potential for new and repeat sales.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 10: Focusing On Acquiring New
Customers Instead of Promoting to Current or Previous Customers
When you first start a business you have little choice but to
focus on gaining new customers. The cost of finding those new
customers can be expensive, which is one reason it is so important
to really target a specific niche. However, once you've made just
one sale, you're ready to start looking at other marketing
options.
Wouldn't you like to:
... slash your marketing costs by half or more?
... reach proven buyers for your service or products?
That little goldmine of proven buyers available to you “on the
cheap" is already yours in the form of current and previous
customers.
Any respected marketing guru, past or present, online or offline,
will tell you that the biggest asset your company has is your
customer base.
Avoid this mistake by:
• Realizing that, when a sale is finalized, it is the beginning
of your relationship with that customer, not the end.
• Offering additional products or services to current customers.
If you don't have your own to offer them, then develop a referral,
joint venture or product bundling program so you can reap profits
from your already-interested (and buying) customers.
MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 11: Not Systematically
Following Up on Leads
The least expensive part of business is making the sale. The most
expensive is generating leads - finding the people who are
interested in what you have.
Once you find people who express an interest in what you have to
offer - whether they buy from you or not - you MUST develop a
follow up system that will keep marketing to those interested
prospects. A person who has expressed interest in your products
and services is far more likely to eventually buy from you than
someone who did not respond at all!
Avoid this mistake by:
• Curbing the tendency to become obsessed with generating more
leads until you have exhausted the ones you already have.
• Developing an easy, systematic follow up for leads, designed
to convert a “maybe" into a “yes."
About the Author |
Susan Carter
is a small business operations and marketing consultant, and
author. This excerpt is from Carter's new book, SPLASH Marketing
for Overworked Small Business Owners, now available in a printed
version or ebook form. 3 sample chapters available at: http://www.successideas.com
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