Self Improvement Information

The year 2009 will be remembered for a long time for being the year of economic downturns.  Jobs, houses, savings have been lost.  Many people have felt the pinch.  People have begun to realize that their jobs are not as secure as they had once thought.  They may be forced to  re-evaluating their goals and  career path.  As with all adversities, there are seeds of opportunity.

What is it that most people would love to find in their “perfect” career path?  In my years of business coaching, I have found that most people would like 3 things.

1.  They would like the opportunity to be their own boss.  Call their own shots.  Even though they deep down want this, many are fearful of it.  Being their own boss means calling all the shots.  It means, when failure occurs, the blame falls to them.

2.  They want to control their own destiny.  We have all discovered that corporate jobs are not very secure.  Whether a person is the custodian, or the big cheese with the corner window office, lay offs happen.  The only way to build security is through a business they own and control.  Many have been so beaten down, from their corporate jobs or they have “tried” to start something on their own and failed, that their self esteem is at an all time low.  They have forgotten their basic dreams.

3.  They want to work at something they believe in.  Everyone wants their life to matter.  That’s what keeps the human race moving forward.  Whether they are striving to “save the whales” or “provide a hot lunch for every school child in America”, to believe in what you are doing, matters.

How do we move forward towards our “perfect” career?  As John Assaraf once said, “When we step into our passion our genius shows.” It is important to find our passion.  What moves our souls.

If you are a leader looking to employ or work with top quality people, it is wise to look beyond their credentials.  Many top notch, excellent people don’t have the degrees.  They may not look so pretty.  They may be disguised to look like every day “Joes” or “Josephines”.

Most people in business leadership don’t realize that a person’s success is not hinged on what they, themselves, do.  It is judged by the number of people they have helped become successful during their career.  If you want to be someone special yourself, help someone else become successful.

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All of us have had an opportunity to follow someone.  Either in our church as our pastor, or where we work, or in our government.  All of these areas have a huge impact on our lives.  Today’s lesson, taken from John Maxwell’s book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  They are the 3 laws of Navigation, Addition and Solid Ground.

Today’s video is a little over 3 minutes long.  Short and sweet but filled with important information.  Enjoy!

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I have worked in the business building field for over 20 years.  I have seen many different kinds of leadership.  Leadership doesn’t necessarily come with a title.  Many effective leaders have never had a title, but have risen to the needs of a group of people.

What makes a great leader?  Is it the way they talk, walk, or part their hair?  Are people born leaders?  Not necessarily.  Most often, leadership is a learned skill.  Yes, some people seem to have a more natural ability.   While others grow their leadership skills with the help of time, education and a  good mentor.

Not everyone embraces the leadership role.  Being a leader means that you are visible inside and out to those that choose to follow you.

Several years ago, I read John Maxwell’s original book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  I found it insightful.  For those of you that don’t know John Maxwell, here is a link for his bio. He has been a pastor of a very large church.  Any one that has been involved in a church setting knows to grow a large church, filled with very different personalities, takes great leadership.  As an author, he has sold more than 18 million books.  He has a leadership newsletter called Leadership Wired that I have received for several years.  Dr. Maxwell has effectively crossed over into the secular business arena training leadership skills to thousands of people.

I have a short 4 minute video for you today.  It is only a short synapses of the first 3 laws that are spelled out in detail in his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  This video will give you a small taste of what the book has to offer.

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