The Art & The Science of Negotiation at Athens Information Technology

Great program, for executives, managers or enterprising individuals who want to improve themselves on negotiation. Nice variety of approaches to the subject, with comprehensive exercises and role plays which covered the range of all types of negotiations. Well structured course which really motivated and challenged the participants while creating value for them.


The Instructor

Dr. Brian Mandell is Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Director of the Kennedy School’s Negotiation Project. He has taught negotiation, conflict resolution, and scenario planning for fifteen years. He writes about contentious disputes and is completing a book on scenario planning for conflict managers and negotiation practitioners. Dr. Mandell teaches private and public sector professionals in executive education programs. He has trained senior managers from Pfizer, Heinz, Novartis, and Shell. Dr. Mandell has taught negotiation in Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, and throughout the United States to elected officials, senior public servants, and government ministers.


The Program

The Art and Science of Negotiation is a five-day interactive executive education program that includes the module on Advanced Negotiation Skills. Negotiation is inevitably at the heart of any process. The Art and Science of Negotiation program provides cutting-edge techniques to positively influence the outcome of any negotiation situation.

The course builds cumulatively from simple negotiations to complexity, ie from 2 party single issued toward multiparty, multi issue negotiations that evolve over time. Structured negotiation role playing and simulations are used to isolate and emphasize specific analytic points, essential skills and develop intuition about complex negotiations.


Skills to be upgraded

• Analytical Negotiation Skills on
• Strategy development and deep situation understanding
• Structuring parties’ interest basis
• Recognizing opportunities and barriers for creating and claiming value
• Ranging possible moves
• Interpersonal Skills on
• Trust building and breaking
• Mutual persuasion
• Conceptual Framework to effectively prepare for future negotiations

Groups and Role Playing

The unique approach of using the group as a case provides participants with diverse insights into the dynamics of communication and persuasion. While taking part in these real-time negotiation exercises, you will experience the challenging as well as the rewarding aspects of negotiation.

In class and in smaller group sessions you will discuss how to:

• effectively prepare
• familiarize yourself with complex, dynamic interactions
• practice your powers of persuasion
• experiment with a variety of negotiating tactics and strategies
• unlock individual and group effectiveness
• apply a wide variety of real-world negotiation tools to influence all types of negotiations, from domestic disputes to international problems
  

Benefits

Participants will:

• Achieve specific, timely, critical negotiating techniques to use with colleagues, clients and suppliers
• Become stronger negotiators by learning vital steps to building short term or long term profitable relationships
• Gain repeated exposure to real-world negotiating situations
• Discover the hidden secrets, negotiating gurus successfully master for a well-structured argument
• Boost their negotiation skill set through a hands-on, proven systematic approach, applicable to any type of negotiation

For your success
http://www.ait.edu.gr/

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus (published in May 1992) is a book by John Gray offering many suggestions for improving husband-wife relationships by understanding the communication style and emotional needs of the opposite gender. It spawned a series of follow-on books expanding on specific situations.

The book, as suggested by the title, asserts the notion that men and women are as different as beings from other planets. Gray adopts this metaphor as the central theme of all his books and seminars, likening men and women to the classical Roman god Mars and goddess Venus as ideal types.

In contrast to some psychologists (and feminists) who emphasize similarities between the sexes, Gray writes almost exclusively about differences. Gray says that his "Martians" and "Venusians" are only stereotypes and cannot be applied blindly to individuals.

An example of the theories it offers is that women complain about problems because they want their problems to be acknowledged, while men complain about problems because they are asking for solutions. Other concepts in the book are the difference between women and men's point systems and how they react under stress.

Negotiating Win/Win Deals

You may not realize it, but you are involved in negotiation a good part of every day. Any negotiation--whether it involves settling on the price of a product or service, agreeing to the terms of a job offer, or simply deciding on a bedtime for your children--ends in one of five possible outcomes: (1) lose/lose, in which neither party achieves his goals; (2) lose/win or (3) win/lose, in which one party achieves her goals and the other does not; (4) no outcome, in which neither party wins or loses; and (5) win/win, in which the goals of both parties are met. It’s easy to see that numbers 1 and 4 are less than ideal, as is number 2 if you are the one who loses! But what about the other two outcomes? Isn’t win/lose just as desirable as win/win, as long as you are the winner?


The Win/Lose Outcome

In some negotiations, you will be the winner and the other party will be the loser. At first, it may seem that this is the ideal situation for you. But think about it. If you have ever lost a negotiation, you know that the feeling is not pleasant. A significant problem with a win/lose outcome is that one person walks away with unmet needs--and this person is unlikely to be willing to engage in future negotiations with the other party. Ultimately, this sets up the potential for a lose/lose outcome.

A good example of this situation occurred when I was a salesman in the printing business. I had a client who purchased printing on a regular basis. This person had a reputation for being both a shark and a jerk. Not only would he beat down my price, but he would also be rude and verbally abusive through every step of the job. For him, this may have seemed like a win/lose situation, with me as the loser. After several jobs, however, it became apparent to me that the stress of working with this individual was costing me more time, energy and grief than the jobs were worth. Eventually, I began quoting his jobs at twice the normal markup and refusing to budge on the price, changing the balance in this lopsided relationship. Of course, after a while, the client refused to deal with me, creating a lose/lose outcome.


Achieving a Win/Win Outcome

The best outcome for almost all negotiations is win/win, when both parties walk away with a positive feeling about achieving their goals. But how do you accomplish this ideal situation? There are four keys:

1. Avoid narrowing your negotiation down to one issue. When you focus on just one issue, there can be only one winner. A common example is arguing over the price of something. To avoid creating a win/lose outcome, you can bring other factors into the negotiation, such as delivery fees, timing, quality, supplemental goods and services, and so on.
   


2. Realize that the other party does not have the same needs and wants you do. If you think the other person’s goals are exactly the same as yours (for instance, a "good" price, which may mean different things for the two of you), you will have the attitude that the other party’s gain is your loss. With that attitude, it is virtually impossible to create a win/win outcome.
   


3. Don’t assume you know the other party’s needs. Negotiators often think they know what the other party wants. Salespeople may assume that buyers want to pay the lowest possible price for a product. But many buyers have other needs that may influence their decision to buy. By asking questions, a skilled salesperson may find, for example, that a buyer's biggest concern is not that she pays the lowest price, but that her boss perceives the purchase decision as a good one. This knowledge allows the salesperson more negotiating room.
   


4. Believe point number two in your heart. Most novice negotiators acknowledge that the other party probably does not have the same goals they do, but once the actual negotiation commences, this acknowledgement vanishes from their mind.

Setting Up for Success
Since few negotiations are one-time affairs, it is usually in your best interest to work toward a win/win outcome. When both parties walk away from a negotiation with a good feeling, they will probably be willing to negotiate with each other again. Using all your skills to ensure that you and the other party feel like winners is simply good business!

For you success
Peter Barron Stark & Associates

Ten Ways to Improve Your Interpersonal Skills

Don’t discount the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace. How you are perceived by your manager and coworkers plays a large role in things as minor as your day-to-day happiness at the office and as major as the future of your career.

No matter how hard you work or how many brilliant ideas you may have, if you can’t connect with the people who work around you, your professional life will suffer. The good news is that there are several concrete things that you can do to improve your social skills and become closer to your colleagues. All of these tools will ultimately help you succeed in today’s working world.

Try these 10 helpful tips for improving your interpersonal skills:

1. Smile: Few people want to be around someone who is always down in the dumps. Do your best to be friendly and upbeat with your coworkers. Maintain a positive, cheerful attitude about work and about life. Smile often. The positive energy you radiate will draw others to you.


2. Be appreciative: Find one positive thing about everyone you work with and let them hear it. Be generous with praise and kind words of encouragement. Say thank you when someone helps you. Make colleagues feel welcome when they call or stop by your office. If you let others know that they are appreciated, they’ll want to give you their best.


3. Pay attention to others: Observe what’s going on in other people’s lives. Acknowledge their happy milestones, and express concern and sympathy for difficult situations such as an illness or death. Make eye contact and address people by their first names. Ask others for their opinions.


4. Practice active listening: To actively listen is to demonstrate that you intend to hear and understand another’s point of view. It means restating, in your own words, what the other person has said. In this way, you know that you understood their meaning and they know that your responses are more than lip service. Your coworkers will appreciate knowing that you really do listen to what they have to say.


5. Bring people together: Create an environment that encourages others to work together. Treat everyone equally, and don't play favorites. Avoid talking about others behind their backs. Follow up on other people's suggestions or requests. When you make a statement or announcement, check to see that you have been understood. If folks see you as someone solid and fair, they will grow to trust you.


6. Resolve conflicts: Take a step beyond simply bringing people together, and become someone who resolves conflicts when they arise. Learn how to be an effective mediator. If coworkers bicker over personal or professional disagreements, arrange to sit down with both parties and help sort out their differences. By taking on such a leadership role, you will garner respect and admiration from those around you.


7. Communicate clearly: Pay close attention to both what you say and how you say it. A clear and effective communicator avoids misunderstandings with coworkers, collegues, and associates. Verbal eloquence projects an image of intelligence and maturity, no matter what your age. If you tend to blurt out anything that comes to mind, people won’t put much weight on your words or opinions.


8. Humor them: Don’t be afraid to be funny or clever. Most people are drawn to a person that can make them laugh. Use your sense of humor as an effective tool to lower barriers and gain people’s affection.


9. See it from their side: Empathy means being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand how they feel. Try to view situations and responses from another person’s perspective. This can be accomplished through staying in touch with your own emotions; those who are cut off from their own feelings are often unable to empathize with others.


10. Don't complain: There is nothing worse than a chronic complainer or whiner. If you simply have to vent about something, save it for your diary. If you must verbalize your grievances, vent to your personal friends and family, and keep it short. Spare those around you, or else you’ll get a bad reputation.

For Your Success
All Business A D&B Company

Don’t Let your One Mouth Take over your Two Ears

I heard once God made us with two ears and one mouth for a reason. We should listen twice as much as we talk because listening is twice as hard to do well.

The great communicators are always great listeners, and their talk always relates back to what they heard. They do it with equal ease. When I ask a great candidate that magic question, they confidently talk for 30-60 seconds with a concise description of who they are and how that might be relevant to what I’m looking for. Then they check in with me afterward to make sure they answered the question adequately. Then they may even ask me a question.

The interview feels more like a conversation than an interrogation process. It’s a back and forth process just like if you’re talking to your best friend.

I know this sounds like simple stuff. But many people don’t do this, especially when they really want the job. When people desperately want the job, they tend to talk too much. If that’s you, be conscious about that and let your ears do the talking for you.


To Your Success
Dave Dutton - Founder of Dave Dutton

Motivate Someone Who Has Already Chosen to Give Up

Have you ever run into someone that has hit the wall, bonked or just flat has nothing left? You talk with them and they are completely out of go, all they want to do is quit. You can try to motivate them with good cheer and say; "you can do it, come one let's go, you can do this, come on!" But they still are so intent on quitting they are having none of it, they are not even listening, they have lost all their will, and they have already made up their minds to quit.

Now you might think that at this point there is nothing you can do, you have to leave them, but you can't, you know you can't, that's just not you; that is not what you are about. It's like mountain climbing with someone who is half way up the mountain and so tired they cannot go any further, you cannot just leave them there, if you do they could end up falling. Many people stuck in this distressful situation when trying to motivate others will pretend to leave them and then come back, when this does not work you need to do something else.

You need them to change their minds, as although this is a physical challenge that is the basis for the problem, it has now turned into a mental one. Thus, you must work on it from a psychological stand point. You must also remember that you cannot help someone against their will. They must choose to succeed, choose to face adversity, choose to fight, to dig deep inside when nothing is left.

Once they choose to never surrender, to not give up, it's amazing what they can do. The more adversity they can overcome the stronger they will develop their will to press on. I know, I was there once and someone helped me to keep going. Now when I help others complete their challenges, I will never forget what it's like to be there.

Many who have chosen to give up will say; "you do not understand," but that is like a teenager telling their parents that they do not understand, sure they do, they were teens once too. So, when trying to help others tell them that you do understand, tell them of your pain and how you made it through, then tell them; "come on, let's do this together!"


To Your Success
Lance Winslow

Be an Optimist at All Times

Everyone wants to be physically healthy. You want to be mentally healthy as well. The true measure of “mental fitness” is how optimistic you are about yourself and your life.

Below you will learn how to control your thinking in very specific ways so that you feel terrific about yourself and your situation, no matter what happens.

Control Your Reactions and Reponses

There are three basic differences in the reactions of optimists and pessimists. The first difference is that the optimist sees a setback as temporary, while the pessimist sees it as permanent. The optimist sees an unfortunate event, such as an order that falls through or a sales call that fails, as a temporary event, something that is limited in time and that has no real impact on the future. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees negative events as permanent, as part of life and destiny.

Isolate the Incident

The second difference between the optimist and the pessimist is that the optimist sees difficulties as specific, while the pessimist sees them as pervasive. This means that when things go wrong for the optimist, he looks at the event as an isolated incident largely disconnected from other things that are going on in his life.

See Setbacks as Temporary Events

For example, if something you were counting on failed to materialize and you interpreted it to yourself as being an unfortunate event, but something that happens in the course of life and business, you would be reacting like an optimist. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees disappointments as being pervasive. That is, to him they are indications of a problem or shortcoming that pervades every area of life.

Don’t Take Failure Personally

The third difference between optimists and pessimists is that optimists see events as external, while pessimists interpret events as personal. When things go wrong, the optimist will tend to see the setback as resulting from external factors over which one has little control.

If the optimist is cut off in traffic, for example, instead of getting angry or upset, he will simply downgrade the importance of the event by saying something like, “Oh, well, I guess that person is just having a bad day.”

The pessimist on the other hand, has a tendency to take everything personally. If the pessimist is cut off in traffic, he will react as though the other driver has deliberately acted to upset and frustrate him.

Remain Calm and Objective

The hallmark of the fully mature, fully functioning, self-actualizing personality is the ability to be objective and unemotional when caught up in the inevitable storms of daily life. The superior person has the ability to continue talking to himself in a positive and optimistic way, keeping his mind calm, clear and completely under control. The mature personality is more relaxed and aware and capable of interpreting events more realistically and less emotionally than is the immature personality. As a result, the mature person exerts a far greater sense of control and influence over his environment, and is far less likely to be angry, upset or distracted.

Take the Long View

Look upon the inevitable setbacks that you face as being temporary, specific and external. View the negative situation as a single event that is not connected to other potential events and that is caused largely by external factors over which you can have little control. Simply refuse to see the event as being in any way permanent, pervasive or indicative of personal incompetence or inability.

Resolve to think like an optimist, no matter what happens. You may not be able to control events, but you can control the way you react to them.

Action Exercises

Now, here are three actions you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, remind yourself continually that setbacks are only temporary, they will soon be past and nothing is as serious as you think it is.

Second, look upon each problem as a specific event, not connected to other events and not indicative of a pattern of any kind. Deal with it and get on with your life.

Third, recognize that when things go wrong, they are usually caused by a variety of external events. Say to yourself, “What can’t be cured must be endured,” and then get back to thinking about your goals.

To Your Success,
Brian Tracy

Quotes for Life

INVOLVEMENT

"He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help." Abraham Lincoln

"A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used, to utter fully human speech as possible. Powerlessness and silence go together." Margaret Atwood

"We must dare and dare again, and go on daring." Georges Jacques Danton

"How simple it is to see that all the worry in the world cannot control the future. How simple it is to see that we can only be happy. And that there will never be a time when it is not now." Gerald Jampolsky

JUST DO IT!

"The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it." Norman Schwarzkopf

"Each of us must do massive right thinking, take massive right action and get massive right results, right here, right now." Mark Victor Hansen

"A great deal of talent is lost in the world for want of a little courage... The fact is that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can." Sydney Smith

KINDNESS

"In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us." —Flora Edwards

"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up." John Andrew

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” Henry James

"Goodness is a special kind of truth and beauty. It is truth and beauty in human behavior." H.A. Overstreet

To Your Success,
Soft Skills Team

Confidence

Having confidence means you believe in yourself and that you trust your own judgment and resourcefulness. In his many books on self-esteem, Dr. Nathaniel Branden defines self-esteem as the sum of self-confidence and self-respect. For him, self-confidence is knowing that you have the wherewithal to function reasonably well in the world.

You feel competent to make choices, competent to satisfy your needs, to chart the course for your life. Having confidence in specific situations, such as in gaining influence with someone, flows from a general self-confidence about your ability to meet life’s challenges.

A person who exhibits confidence appreciates a sincere compliment and doesn’t brush it off. A confident person is comfortable giving, and receiving, compliments. He’s also able to handle criticism if it comes his way because he basically likes himself and knows that a single negative incident won’t change that.

Confidence in yourself is built up over time. You can fake confidence, and you may need to at first, but real self-confidence comes from a history of small victories and accomplishments that add up to a sense that you can handle yourself well in most every situation. I suggest you take an inventory of the major accomplishments you’ve achieved over the past few years. Then remind yourself of the minor ones, too. What about the computer course you completed? Have you built anything that’s still standing? What about those kids you’re raising? That’s an accomplishment. Don’t be modest. Tell the truth about how hard you worked and what sacrifices you’ve made. If you can’t think of any, then begin by congratulating yourself for living as long as you have. Sheer survival is an accomplishment these days! Seriously, it pays to take the time to know your strengths and appreciate them. What’s unique about you? What skills do you bring to an organization or project that you can count on?

“Confidence is a fundamental trait for flexibility. It’s hard to be flexible when you’re fearful or easily intimidated. Confidence is indispensable if you want to engage someone’s attention.”

To Your Success,
Dr. Tony Alessandra

How to Prepare for Job Interview

Job interviewing never seems to get any easier. You are meeting new people, selling yourself and your skills, and often getting the third degree about what you know or don't know. It can be a little scary, but with the proper preparation you will do much better. below are some general tips it might helps you.

1. Plan Ahead: Do a little homework! Study the company and the position, as well, the people you will meet with at the interview if possible. Review your work experiences. Be ready to support past career accomplishments with specific information targeted toward the companies needs. Have your facts ready!
   


2. Role Play: Once you have finished studying, begin role playing (rehearsing). Try to keep your answers to the information your new employer will want to know.
   


3. Eye Contact: Maintain eye contact with your interviewer. Show you want the job with your interest.
   
   
4. Be Positive: In particular, avoid negative comments about past employers.
   
   
5. Adapt: Listen and adapt. Be sensitive to the style of the interviewer. Pay attention to those details of dress, office furniture, and general decor which will afford helpful clues to assist you in tailoring your presentation.
   


6. Relate: Try to relate your answers to the interviewer and his or her company. Focus on achievements relevant to the position.
   


7. Encourage: Encourage the interviewer to share information about his or her company. Demonstrate your interest.
   

To Your Sucess,
Career Consulting Corner

Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your BEST CUSTOMERS

Dr Stephen Covey apply his ‘7 Habits’ paradigm. See how extraordinary gains are being achieved by real people in real organizations – and how everyone can do the same – and the implications for customer loyalty and service.


Habit No 1: Be Proactive – Principles of Responsibility & Initiative

The Proactive Model
Circle of Concern/Circle of Influence

Habit No 2: Begin With The End In Mind – Principles of Purpose & Values

Leadership and management:The two creations
Writing and using a personal mission statement

Habit No 3: Put First Things First – Principles of Integrity & Execution

Organize and execute around priorities
Becoming a Quadrant II Self-Manager

Habit No 4: Think Win/Win – Principles of Mutual Respect & Benefit

Six paradigms of human interaction
The three characters traits essential to the Win/Win paradigm

Habit No 5: Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood – Principles of Mutual Understanding

Diagnose before you prescribe
Understanding and perception

Habit No 6: Synergies – Principle of Creative Cooperation

The Synergistic position of high trust
Valuing the differences

Habit No 7: Sharpen the Saw – Principle of Renewal

The four dimensions of renewal
The upward spiral – learn, commit and do (again and again)

Leadership, Corporate Culture Change And Putting The Customer At The Centre Of The Business

In 1993, IBM reported a net loss of $8.1 billion and was on the brink of running out of cash. Would they ever be able to recover? Media coverage at the time said it was impossible, yet in 2001, IBM reported net profits of $7.7 billion. And the man who turned IBM’s fortunes was Lou Gerstner. As firstly Chief Executive and then as Chairman. What he did will probably to studied for generations in business schools.

He spent thousands of hours with the “troops”, traveled incessantly, listened to customers, and sold his story. He cut out the fat by downsizing quickly. He brought in new people. He sold off the non-fit pieces and bought some new bright companies. He dumped some outmoded old things, such as the dress code and ad infinitum meetings, and initiated new and different business approaches. He turned losses into profits. He rejuvenated businesses.

Putting The Focus On The Customer At The Centre

One of Gerstner’s first tasks was to redirect the company’s attention to the outside world, where a marketplace was quickly changing and customers felt largely ignored. This needed to change and right from the top. So Lou Gerstner started to meet as many of IBM’s customers as possible. He tried to spend at least one hour each day on the phone with a customer.

No company is a success, financially or otherwise, WITHOUT SATISFIED CUSTOMERS.

Then he announced a program called “Operation Bear Hug.” Each of the 50 members of senior management would, within three months, pay a personal visit

to a minimum of five of IBM’s biggest customers, find out first-hand what their needs and concerns were, and report back to Gerstner. So the Bear Hug meetings became the first step in reducing the customer perception that dealing with IBM was difficult and it also became a first step in IBM’s cultural change. Then he took hold of the company and demanded the managers work together to reestablish IBM’s mission as a customer-focused provider of computing solutions.

Listen to Customers —They Know Best WHAT THEY NEED Transforming Corporate Culture – Overcoming The Obstacles.

For Gerstner, the most difficult part of IBM’s transformation was changing of the culture. By 1990, IBMs very strong culture was outdated. According to Gerstner,

IBM had become a closed ecosystem and was isolated from the rest of the world.

There was insufficient understanding of customer needs, preoccupation with internal politics, a bureaucratic infrastructure that delayed or sometimes completely stalled progress of projects and a management class that presided rather than acted.

The hardest part was… changing the culture

The daunting task of changing attitudes and behaviors of hundreds and thousands of people was not something that could be mandated or written down in a new credo. Instead, IBM had to work hard at creating the right conditions for transformation. In the end, management did not change culture – management invited the workforce itself to change culture by providing the right conditions.

Making It Happen – Accountability & Reward

There are so many companies that have brilliant strategy documents full of exciting changes to make, but find difficulty in making it actually happen. Lou Gerstner says that you must understand that people do what you inspect, not what you expect.

So accountability must be demanded, when execution objectives are not met, changes must be made quickly.

Making it all happens requires people to work together as a team and the best way to end the many turf wars within the old IBM was to cherish and reward teamwork, particularly teamwork that delivers customer value.

Another big step towards greater commitment was a fundamental change in the compensation philosophy. A new compensation system that emphasized performance based rewards, external benchmarks and differentiation was brought into place. Stock options program was completely overhauled. While in 1992, only 1300 IBM employees received stock options, by 2001, 72,500 IBM employees were given stock options. Top executives in the company were required to hold a IBM stock equivalent to a multiple of their total yearly compensation.

Lou Gerstner says, about personal leadership,’ it starts with the hard work of strategy, culture and communications. It includes measurement, accountability, visibility and active participation in all aspects of the enterprise’

As a starting point, he had to free people up to lead, not follow procedures. In an organization in which procedures had become untethered from their origins and intent and where codification had been replaced personal responsibility, this core process had to be eradicated. So they threw out many of the rules and books of procedures and changed to focusing on principles.

Balance Your Workload

By re-energizing and renewing yourself frequently, you will avoid burnout and become much more motivated and productive. Don’t keep your nose to the grindstone for years and wait for retirement to travel. Balance and consistency are the keys. Enjoy the process, not just the result. Don’t fight the passing of time. Don’t fear it, squander it, or try to hide from it under a superficial cosmetic veil of fads and indulgences. Life and time go together. Do enjoy each phase of life. Do make the most of each day, and draw maximum joy from each moment.

Many people today are concerned with quality time – time generally defined in part as that spent on recreation, personal pursuits, time with children, spouses and friends. While I certainly believe quality time is important, I believe two other aspects of time are equally important.

First, one must also spend quantity time. The average father spends less than 30 minutes each week in direct one-on-one communication with each of his children. How can we possibly expect good family relationships with so little communication?

Second, one must spend regular time. Many supervisors and company presidents go for weeks, even months, without seeing many of their employees. There’s no substitute for regular meetings and open forums in which managers and team members can share ideas.

Time has a dual structure. On one hand, we live our daily routines meeting present contingencies as they arise. On the other hand, our most ambitious goals and desires need time so that they can be assembled and cemented. A long-term goal connects pieces of time into one block. These blocks can be imagined and projected into the future as we do when we set goals for ourselves. Or, these blocks of time can be created in retrospect as we do when we look back at what we’ve accomplished.

It’s not in the image of our big dreams that we run the risk of losing our focus and motivation. It’s the drudgery and routine of our daily lives that present the greatest danger to our hopes for achievement. Good time management means that you maximize the daily return on the energy and mental effort you expend.

Ways to maximize your time productivity:

• Write down in one place all the important contacts you have and all of your goals and priorities. Make a back up copy, preferably on CD, DVD or Zip disc. Write down every commitment you make at the time you make it.
• Stop wasting the first hour of your workday. Having the chat and first cup of coffee, reading the paper, and socializing are the three costliest opening exercises that lower productivity.
• Do one thing well at a time. It takes time to start and stop work on each activity. Stay with a task until it is completed.
• Don’t open unimportant mail. More than a fourth of the mail you receive can be tossed before you open or read it, and that includes e-mail.
• Handle each piece of paper only once and never more than twice. Don’t set aside anything without taking action. Carry work, reading material, audiotapes and your laptop computer with you everywhere you go. Convert down time into uplink time.
• Spend twenty minutes at the beginning of each week and ten minutes at the beginning of each day planning your to do list.
• Set aside personal relaxation time during the day. Don’t work during lunch. It’s neither noble nor nutritional to skip important energy input and stress-relieving time. Throughout the day, ask yourself, “What’s the best use of my time right now?” As the day grows short, focus on projects you can least afford to leave undone.
• And as we said at the beginning of this message, take vacations often, mini-vacations of two or three days, and leave your work at home. The harder you work, the more you need to balance your exercise and leisure time.

Action Idea: Plan a relaxing 3-day vacation within the next three months without taking any business work with you. Reserve it on your calendar this week.

To Your Success,
Denis Waitley

The Major Key to Your Better Future is "You"

Of all the things that can have an effect on your future, I believe personal growth is the greatest. We can talk about sales growth, profit growth, asset growth, but all of this probably will not happen without personal growth. It’s really the open door to it all. In fact I’d like to have you memorize a most important phrase. Here it is, “The major key to your better future is YOU.”

Let me repeat that. “The major key to your better future is YOU.” Put that someplace you can see it every day, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, at the office, anywhere where you can see it every day. The major key to your better future is YOU. Try to remember that every day you live and think about it. The major key is YOU.

Now, there are many things that will help your better future. If you belong to a strong, dynamic, progressive company, that would help. If the company has good products, good services that you are proud of, that would certainly help. If there were good sales aids, that would help, good training would certainly help. If there is strong leadership, that will certainly help. All of these things will help, and of course, if it doesn’t storm, that will help. If your car doesn’t break down, that will help. If the kids don’t get sick, that will help. If the neighbors stay halfway civil, that will help. If your relatives don’t bug you, that will help. If it isn’t too cold, if it isn’t too hot, all those things will help your better future. And if prices don’t go much higher and if taxes don’t get much heavier, that will help. And if the economy stays stable, those things will all help. We could go on and on with the list; but remember this, the list of things that I’ve just covered and many more - all put together - play a minor role in your better future.

The major key to your better future is you. Lock your mind onto that. This is a super important point to remember. The major key is you. A friend of mine has always answered when asked, “How do you develop an above-average income?” He says, “Simple. Become an above-average person. Work on you.” My friend says, “Develop an above-average handshake.” He says, “A lot of people want to be successful, and they don’t even work on their handshake. As easy as that would be to start, they let it slide. They don’t understand.” My friend says, “Develop an above- average smile. Develop an above-average excitement. Develop an above-average dedication. Develop an above-average interest in other people.” He says, “To have more, become more.” Remember; work harder on yourself than you do on your job. For a long time in my life, I didn’t have this figured out.

Strangely enough, with two different people in the same company one may earn an extra $100 a month, and the other may earn a $1,000. What could possibly be the difference? If the products were the same, if the training was the same, if they both had the same literature, the same tools. If they both had the same teacher, the same compensation plan, if they both attended the same meetings, why would one person earn the $100 per month and the other person earn the $1000?
Remember here is the difference...the difference is personal, inside, not outside, inside.

You see the real difference is inside you. In fact, the difference IS you. Someone once said, “The magic is not in the products. The magic is not in the literature. The magic is not in the film. There isn’t a magic meeting, but the magic that makes things better is inside you, and personal growth makes this magic work for you.
The magic is in believing. The magic is in daring. The magic is in trying. The real magic is in persevering. The magic is in accepting. It’s in working. The magic is in thinking. There is magic in a handshake. There is magic in a smile. There is magic in excitement and determination. There is real magic in compassion and caring and sharing. There is unusual magic in strong feeling and you see, all that comes from inside, not outside. So, the difference is inside you. The real difference is you. You are the major key to your better future.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Love the Opportunity

Somebody said you have to love what you do, but that’s not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity—the opportunity to build life, future, health, success and fortune. Knocking on someone’s door or making that extra call may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind that door or call.

For example, a guy says, “I’m digging ditches. Should I love digging ditches?” The answer is, “No, you don’t have to love digging ditches, but if it is your first entry onto the ladder of success, you say, ‘I’m glad somebody gave me the opportunity to dig ditches, and I’m going to do it so well, I won’t be here long.’ ”

You can be inspired by having found something, even though you are making mistakes in the beginning, and even though it is a little distasteful taking on a new discipline that you haven’t learned before. You don’t have to love it; you just have to learn to appreciate where you live, appreciate opportunity and appreciate the person who brought you the good news—the person who found you.

Appreciate the person who believed in you before you believed in yourself. Appreciate the person who said, “Hey, if I can do it, you can do it.”

If you will embrace the disciplines associated with the new opportunity, and you will soon find that your self-confidence will start to grow, that you will go from being a skeptic to being a believer. And soon, when you go from person to person, talking to people, you will find it to be the most thrilling opportunity in the world. Every person you meet—what could it be? Unlimited! Maybe a friend for life. The next person could be an open door to retiring. The next person could be a colleague for years to come. It’s big-time stuff. And sometimes, in the beginning, when we are just getting started, we don’t always see how big it is.

So, before you are tempted to give up or get discouraged, remember, all success is based on long-term commitment, faith, discipline, attitude and a few steppingstones along the way. You might not like the stone you are on right now, but it’s sure to be one of the stones that leads to great opportunities in the future.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

From Making a Living to Creating a Lifestyle

After having struggled for so long, it took a shift in attitude for my family and me when success started to happen. When I started making a little extra money at age 25, Schoaff taught me to also let it serve as a new inspiration for lifestyle. Take my family to dinner after I’d had two or three pretty good weeks and it looked like it was going to continue. I would say, “Today we get to order from only the left-hand side of the menu, we don’t have to look at the right-hand side”. Didn’t cost much, just a little extra. But you can’t believe the effect on the family, wow, that these are new days.

It’s called changing your life as well as changing your skills and earning more money. It’s best to invest some of that early money in lifestyle. Go to the movies. Take two vacations instead of one. Just some little extra things that now the family gets inspired by this new commitment to earning more and becoming more and learning more, taking some night classes, whatever you have to do. Now you make it more worthwhile for the family by thinking of lifestyle changes that now become very exciting. Go to the concerts. My parents said don’t miss anything. Don’t miss the play, the music, the songs, the performances, the movie—whatever is happening.

When I started making some extra money, I opened up an account for my wife and I called it the “No Questions Asked Account.” I said, “Here is the checkbook for a new account and it’s called no questions asked. I’ll just keep putting money in there and you spend it for whatever you wish.” It was life-changing. It wasn’t a fortune. But she didn’t have to ask for money anymore. I could sense that it was a little embarrassing at times when she had to ask me for money. I thought, that’s not good, so the first time I get a chance, here’s what I’m going to do. And sure enough, I did it. The “No Questions Asked Account.” You can’t believe what that did. It was absolutely amazing.

With that little extra money, work at creating lifestyle. Social friendships, church, community, country. All those things that make a composite of our overall life. Start furnishing that with new vigor, vitality, money, whatever it takes to expand your life into what I call the good life as well as economics.

And it doesn’t always take a lot of money. How much is a movie? Even for a person of modest means. $8 or $10? It might cost $60 million to make it and it only costs $8 to see it.

When I discovered those kinds of concepts at age 25 you can imagine it was hard for me to sleep nights that first year. I got so excited about changing everything. And one discipline leads to another. One change leads to another. Feeling good about yourself and starting to make the turn to do something you’ve never done before, then it starts to work, wow, and then you get excited about changing other areas of your life as well.

Now after you have made your fortune, the money and extravagance might not seem as big a deal. And fortunately you can then create even more powerful opportunities, in particular, opportunities for benevolence, philanthropy and giving.

Now I’m certainly not saying to focus only on external pleasures and rewards. Your relationships, health and spirituality are all of more consequence.

But in the beginning, when the rewards of your hard work begin paying off, make sure and treat yourself and those closest to you to a new world of lifestyle and celebrations.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Welcome - Kick-Off Soft Skills

To all our friends all over the world... We would like to introduce to you the Soft Skills blog, where we will share with you all the information we have about this interesting field, which concerns each and everyone of us.

We wish to all of you all the success, and we hope you will like the material we will present to you.

We shall be back with our first article soon,

All the best,
Soft Skills Team