entrepreneurs – Page 54 – Success Strategies

Radical Steps To Deal With A Bad Boss

We show up everyday doing a job that we don’t like, and then feel like we are losing our mind when we are expected to be productive and profitable.

Get angry! Tell them off on national TV-like that famous weather reporter did! Give them a piece of your mind-like that flight attendant did, then de-planed! Or quietly sneak away never to return again, which unfortunately happens too often.

Though we may smile at these examples, they are real life situations that actually happened. As a HR consultant, I have worked with clients that have had these experiences and more. Because we spend most of our time at work, it would be great for us to really like what we do, and who we have to work with.

Vincent Van Gogh said that he put his heart and soul into his work and lost his mind in the process. How many of us really feel that way? We show up everyday doing a job that we don’t like, and then feel like we are losing our mind when we are expected to be productive and profitable. It’s hard. But we keep at it if we are to cover our basic needs to survive, thrive, or for those at the higher levels, fulfill our higher need to self-actualize.

STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH A BAD BOSS

If you have a bad boss…see qualities in 23 signs you have a Bad Boss, it is not likely that you are going to change them. So here are a few strategies to help you take the steps to work better with him or her.

Have an early, upfront conversation about what is important to you in a leader and how you can best work together. In a civil manner, discuss things such as:
- Leadership style and the coaching you would need to develop.
- Expectations. What he/she expects from you, and what you expect.
- Perception. How each of you perceive “success” with regard to the job.
- What “meets expectations” or “exceeds expectations” look like on the performance-rating continuum.
- Your current performance

Be proactive and check in with him or her often to provide reports, or updates.

Acknowledge them publicly for their support, especially when they have been instrumental in helping you succeed.

If problems occur that escalate, have a conversation with the HR manager to ensure that any complaints are logged. HR will take the necessary steps to help resolve the issue and can serve as a mediator in future meetings.

If 360-degree feedback systems, and other anonymous options are in place in your organization, do use them to provide input regarding your concerns.

Keep a record of dates, times, and specific examples of issues that have occurred so that you will be able to recall them when necessary.

Essentially, do your best to try to work with the situation you are charged with at the moment. Nothing lasts forever. Things do change sometimes. But by all means, if the horizon really looks bleak in that company, then start the process to move on, especially if it starts to negatively affect your health. Start the job change process to search for a new opportunity. Take the steps to:

Update your Resume
Refresh your LinkedIn Profile
Connect with a Recruiter
Consider other career options

It’s important to heed the caution before you make such Radical change….Making irrational decisions then saying “oh wait”, will be too late. So be cautioned that you never leave a job without first finding another one. It will be well worth it in the long run.

The Sand: Which Goal…

Even downtime is to be planned like a marinating

Summer’s over! Free reign! The iguana walks around like he’s the Don in charge. The gecko scampers on my approach, and the little lizard (big to me but small when compared to the iguana), stands still as if asking me “what you gonna do now”? What can I do but dart in the opposite direction.

That said, it’s the same in our lives. Seasons change and Businesses take on renewed zest. We take a look around and realize …oh yea I’m supposed to be busy working on my goal. The truth is, you should never have stopped. Even downtime is to be planned like a marinating Sandwich until we return.

But don’t be too hard on yourself. Get back in the game. Push forward and catch up.

Here are two Goal guides to help you compliments of The Coaching Tools Company and iHarry.

Success and Stress

Be careful what you wish for.

We often dream of success…however, we define it. But to place a twist on attaining success, one wonders whether the good life is always good. Are the very things that so many individuals strive for, such as a high-paying and powerful job, a beautiful house, a wardrobe of nice clothes in desirable sizes, and a fancy education for children to prepare them for carrying on this way of life: Do these very things turn out to be more trouble than they are worth? In fact, it is believed that the psychological burdens associated with being a low-status individual (i.e., poor) grow lighter as people move up the social ladder, but that is true only to a certain extent. Once individuals achieve more success, the mental and physical health benefits associated with greater affluence fade away. As individuals near the top, life stress increases dramatically, and its toxic effects essentially cancel out many positive aspects of succeeding. Basically, it falls

High Status Stress

The stress of high status is also a reason for caution. Schieman, Yuko, and Van Gundy found that people with higher levels of education and in higher status occupations with higher income experience higher levels of stress. Some factors that contribute to stress include more authority and autonomy, non-routine work demands, involvement, and longer hours, may lead to more conflicts between work and home. This was due to the rationale that the very trappings of success can make life harder for those who are more driven and work devoted.

Power And Stress

Power is another benefit that is a stressor. Having authority over others binds people to all sorts of interpersonal conflicts and management turmoil, leading to very high stress. In the same way, the smaller details associated with micro-impression-management activities, such as getting the right clothes, the right haircut, and the big enough house, as well as raising the attractive, athletic, community-serving kids that will get into Harvard, all contribute to stress.

Also, in high-status communities, such activities might be a requirement rather than a choice in order to maintain credibility. Individuals have to wear the right suit to work or have to live in the right neighborhood, or else people will not take them seriously. Because millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet and would probably be willing to trade places, Time magazine writer Warner warned, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Caked: The Stress to De-Stress

Stress is something we all strive to rid our lives of. But often we find what seems like a ‘stress to de-stress‘. We feel Caked, trapped, unhappy with our decision. But don’t stress it. Take baby steps. That’s where most of us fall short. In our microwave society, we want to achieve our goals, dreams and aspirations at the press of a button. Doing so is certain grounds for stress.

Here are 10 ways to reduce stress provided by the University of Illinois. Adopt one, two, or a few. It will be worth it to accept what we cannot change, get organized, laugh at ourselves, and leave time for the unexpected!

Cheers to de-stress!

I Shiver…

How easy it is to be totally wrong about people. But for me, I shiver just thinking how totally wrong I can be about reaching my goal.

I am tired. I am tired of trying very hard to reach my goals. I’m tired of wanting things that seem to move further away the closer I get. Now at times I am even afraid. I am afraid of doing the things that I need to do. I Shiver at the very thought of rolling up my sleeves to get ready to work, to get things done. It is then that I shiver! I shiver! I shiver!

But even as I shiver – I will not give up. Lauren Oliver said she shivers just thinking how easy it is to be totally wrong about people. But for me, I shiver just thinking how totally wrong I can be about reaching my goal.

But I will keep trying. In the midst of my fears, my doubts, my exhaustion; I will not give up. My goals, my dreams and my aspirations are right in front of me. And as I look at it closely… as I dream of it… I am assured that I will face the light at the end of the tunnel. I know one day it will be real. I shiver but I will not stop. I let will achieve.

These thoughts are common among entrepreneurs, career enthusiasts, and goal seekers. Today, find comfort in knowing that your labor will not be in vain. Keep striving even when you are afraid. Reach out for help if you need it but whatever you do, don’t give up.

Fiercely Creative Writers Do This…

Fierce
Genius

3 Ways to Become An Expert in Your Field

Rome was not built in a day. Neither is your business. Success is as a result of hard work dedication, and persistence. Being seen as an Expert can go a long way in leveraging your business for success.

So how can you establish yourself as an expert? For the purpose of today’s prompt, I decided to share Female Entrepreneur’s three tips on how to become an expert in your field. Naturally, these are not all inclusive but is a solid foundation to begin. They serve as a starting point for you to establish yourself and your business as an expert in your field.

1. Get your name in the media

2. Pursue Speaking Engagements

3. Build Strategic Alliances

It Starts With A Dream…

It starts with A Dream. When I was growing up I participated in sports. I’m no Usain Bolt but I could always sprint. I ran for my elementary, middle and high schools. I even ran in business athletic competitions. Not only did I participate, but I also won. I won because I had a goal to win for my team. The challenge was beyond that point I did not excel because I had no dream. My goal was simply to do the best for my team, help them win, and after that…nothing. I did not have a dream.

Dreams propel us. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. Though he did not live to see it come through, great strides have been made towards his dream becoming a reality. Estée Lauder had a dream. She created a perfume with a magical scent. She knew she had to get it into the hands of consumers. But that was hard to do because in those days marketing to department stores was difficult. Estée Lauder came up with a brilliant idea. She ‘accidentally’ spilt a bottle of expensive perfume in a department store. Customers smelt it; liked it; and demanded it. The rest is history. Today her perfume is a household name.

So yes, it starts with a dream. What’s your dream today? Is it career, job, home ownership, relationship, business development, or more? Whatever it is… start it today. Here are 3 tips to get you going.

DREAM: 3 Steps to get you going…

1. Envision Your Future
In 3-5 years or even longer (yikes!) where do you see yourself? If you had all the resources in the world what would you like to see yourself doing?

2. Pause and Reflect
Reflect on the things you are doing now. Are they propelling you to accomplish your goals?

3. Now Go Do it

Now that you know your dream, work backwards. What are the steps you need to put in place today to get to your desired goal? Let’s say it’s for education. Have you registered for that program? If home-ownership, are you saving? If business, is it in line with your passion? If relationship, are your Eyes open? Are you looking, or playing hard to get? Whatever you are doing, make the move to get one step closer today.

Remember, it starts with a Dream! Take action today.

Cheers to your success!

20 Reasons Success Eludes Some

Why do some people succeed, while others don’t? It’s simple. Success means hard work, dedication, and the drive to achieve goals. Athletes, entrepreneurs, and high achievers do not just rise up and achieve success. No…they are products of resilience… that never-give-up attitude. In this season of Olympics pump, many are inspired by the stories of athletes around the world who have joined the ranks of the best of the best globally. Success Vista’s founder Ibibo Justin‘s invitation for guest post tugged at the reminder of the reasons success eludes some people.

Many have explored the paths to success to unveil the answers for those whose appetites long to devour its true meaning. To those standing at a crossroad uncertain of which way to go; and to those who hide beneath the Surface their feelings of fear, apprehension, and apathy, success seems distant.

Shane is not alone in her writings that success leaves clues, trails and signs. Whatever the goal …be it to achieve success in business, personal relationships, sports or more, we should strive through thick and thin. Most well-known successful people including my favorite writer Stephen King, never gave up when the going got tough. They stuck to it through thick and thin. That said, we reflect on success that at its core refers to the achievement of wealth, honors or the like. Failure on the other hand refers to the lack of success, or more specifically the omission of expected or required action.

So here are 20 insights into the behaviors and actions of people who Success seems to elude. These have been pulled from a few individuals including the likes of Kayiba Mpoyi, Stephen Guise, Deborah Shane, and my own book on Success Strategies as gleaned from phenomenological study. Ibibo revealed the top 6 Qualities of Successful People. Here, we look at the reasons people fail to succeed:

Underestimate time management.

Successful people learn how to say No. They know which commitments to take on to achieve great success in areas of their lives.

Have misaligned Goals. They mistake busyness for productivity. They want to be a part of everything and in the process do nothing that aligns with their goals. This undermines success.

Have self-imposed limitations

People who are not successful often say things like “I’m not good with numbers”; “I hate studying”; and “I can’t run a successful business”.

Have little social IQ.

They don’t know how to treat others and say things like “well at least I’m being honest”, or “this is just the way I am, deal with it”. It’s said that you can judge a man’s character by watching how he acts when standing in a very long line and is met with bad service; or by how he reacts when you ruin his expensive items.

Procrastinate.. Never take action

They think, and think, and think… a lot. They Dream big but lack the courage to go out and get things done. My mantra…Get up! Show up! Just Do Something!

6. Can’t face adversity

Overcoming challenges not only bring us closer to our goals but they turn us into someone we never imagined. Don’t be afraid to conquer your fears and embark on new terrains. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself.

They don’t plan They do not have a complete vision of their intentions. They are not specific which goes a long way in the execution of our goals.

They always Give up

They get discouraged and apathetic when they fail. Essentially, they have a failure mindset long before they even started.

10.They are scared.

They freeze just like the deer that stands fixed before the car hits.

They are always in the wrong place.

Wrong job. Wrong state. Wrong country. Everything they do they complain is wrong. It is important for them to know when to to move on to something else. Mpoyi’s observation is for real….humans do not have the capacity to be successful at all things.

They don’t care

Apathy can infect any area of our lives and when it strikes it produces failure. The scariest part is how contagious it is. It spreads to other areas of our lives. Beneath the surface, apathetic friends can also infect us.

14. They are unwilling or too slow to change

15. They become irrelevant.

16.They have a bad attitude

17. They have skill gaps.

18. They have not developed a unique personal brand.

19. They lack discipline, focus and balance.

20. They lack a deep sense of belief in themselves

People who success eludes are more numerous than we can imagine. More importantly, it’s sad to see people with amazing potential …give up. Really it is. But not so obvious are individuals who internalize things and therefore their true feelings may not always be evident. As Myopi said very well, sometimes it is the guy in the cubicle with the $90K salary, who accepts misery because it comes with a fat paycheck.

Today, make a change. Be inspired. Stop thinking. Take action. Then success…how ever you define it… is highly guaranteed. Make that move right now.

Cheers!

World’s Top 50 Greatest Leaders

Surprise, surprise. Fortune released the annual list of World’s Greatest Leaders and it makes an interesting read.

Time Out…

Peace, quiet, calm, serenity. That’s what weekends, holidays, vacations are for. To reboot, unwind, and get back in the game.

As workaholics, we don’t often do it. We feel it’s a Luxury that we cannot afford. Still, we spend time wishing, hoping, even complaining at times. But we can do anything that we put our minds to. And …relaxing is one of the most important things to do.

So plan a getaway! Or a Staycation! It will work wonders for your mind, your work, your business, career, and your life.

Breathe.

To Lead. To Wade. Darkness

To lead, to Wade…Darkness. Life’s unexpected changes often knock us off our feet. Business fail. Sudden job loss, relationship spiral, sickness, accidents, natural disasters, tragic losses. These changes knock us off our feet causing darkness in our souls, our lives, our all. We look around and all we see is gloom and doom.

Questions abound often going unanswered. Why? Why didn’t we listen? Why weren’t we forewarned? …Then how. How could this happen? How could we have not seen, or heard? How can they not care?

Enter the example of the ‘sudden’ departure of Basketball’s Icon Dwayne Wade from the Miami Heat . The why’s, the how’s, and the blames reign. Answers provide little comfort as he walks behind the heels of those gone before.

That’s how it is with change. It throws us off balance and causes alarm, cries, and sighs. We want things back the way they were!

But often there are warning signs.

So today activate your senses. Keep your eyes wide open…see. Keep your ears attuned. Look around. Listen. Often the signs are very evident if only we are in tune.

Stay healthy. Stay alert. Stay focused. As darkness draws nigh, we always see the sun setting.

Peace.

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/darkness/”>Darkness</a>