Jay Wren – Page 49 – Be in the Top 1% in Mindset – Leadership

Do You Want to Get Promoted? Do These Twelve Things.

Do You Want to Get Promoted? Here are twelve things that will help you achieve your goals and receive the credit you deserve.

#1 Get things done.

The phrase “[He] gets things done” is the description that appeared on “Mashable” as a description of Sundar Pichai as he assumed the role as the new CEO of Google. The way to get promoted, at least at Google, is to get things done.

#2 Use the correct tools.

If I am fixing a leaky faucet, I need wrenches and screwdrivers. If I am building a deck, I need a hammer and a saw.

#3 Work with the correct people.

To build a website, I contact a website developer. To create images for my website, I contact a graphic designer. I work with the correct people.

#4 Help people understand how to help you.

The best way to help people know what to do is let them know the goal of the project. Then when they are doing their part, they can know how to make the piece they make fit into the project.

#5 Set priorities.

If I am building a house, the first thing I do is clear the land. The last thing I do to hang the finished cabinets and fixtures.

#6 Set the deadlines.

If my clients need my work to fit into their larger project, I can set my deadline to get my work to them before they need it. They are happier. I can work to get my money more quickly. If my client does not know exactly how my work will fit into the total project, I can set my deadline when I know exactly what they want me to do.

#7 Know the purpose of my work.

I know who will benefit from the work and how to make the work fit the needs of those people.

#8 Operate efficiently.

If my goal is to write a new article for my blog, I can exhaust myself wandering around the Internet. I limit my research efforts to books and websites that I need for my article.

#9 Create a plan of action.

Some work may take a day to complete. Some work may take weeks to pull together. Each piece adds service to my customers. I can never finish the total job. I plan to continue to add services. My plan of action is a series of plans that continue to expand my services. I know what I what I want to do. I create and adjust my plans of action to accomplish what I want to do.

#10 Help people.

I have a sense of purpose. I want to help people become successful. My work is meaningful to me. I want people to use the ideas and the services of my websites for their success.

#11 Take breaks.

I enjoy my work. Knowing that I am trying to help people makes my work fun.

#12 End the day with a list for tomorrow’s work.

I know at the end of my day where to step right into my job the next day. This list helps me to sit down to my desk and get into action.

8 Simple and Powerful Daily Steps to Success

Daily Steps to Success: Here are 8 things you can do every day. These things are simple. These simple steps will increase the joy and productivity in your workday.

How do you make success a habit? Repeat the things that make you successful and repeat them daily. Here are 8 daily steps to success that can work for you.

The 8 Powerful Daily Steps to Success

#1 Arrive early.

I find that it is nice to arrive early for work or appointments. When I meet someone locally, I leave in time arrive fifteen minutes early. I can always find a comfortable place to relax before stepping into the appointment.

When I must travel for several hours for an appointment, I may even go in the night before. Arriving early is one of the simple and powerful daily steps to success.

#2 Keep healthy snacks on hand.

When I get a little hungry, I feel anxious. I take things more personally. Eating a banana, a piece of whole-wheat toast, or a few nuts can relieve that hunger and anxious feelings. My head clears. I work more effectively.

Keep healthy snacks on hand makes it easier to follow simple and powerful daily steps to success.

#3 Seek advice.

I am very lucky to have a family and friends who can help me make decisions. I turn to people who have experience with similar situations as my own. It is very easy for me to overlook things or see things incorrectly. Having other people around to work through situations is very helpful.

#4 Make decisions.

When my wife asks me what I want for dinner, I tell her what I want for dinner. If she asks me which movie I prefer, I tell her my preference. Indecision on my part may seem as though I am being flexible.

When I go out to dinner, I keep the process simple. I read the menu, pick an item. Then I pick an item and order it. Asking the waiter what I should eat or asking others what they are having may give me some options, but why make a simple process complicated?

#5 Act.

At one time, I might spend all day going through my email as my day progressed. I would have the stress of reading the same emails more than one. Most emails have the meat of the content in the subject. I immediately delete all email that I will not need to read. I read and move the email that I need to save to a folder labeled “Read.” I send a short reply to email that requires an answer. Then I have finished working on email for the day.

#6 Take breaks.

When I take breaks, I feel refreshed and work more effectively. Putting off taking breaks is as unproductive as putting off doing anything else. My mind and body need breaks.

#7 Be grateful.

I feel better if I think about the good things in my life. By developing an attitude of gratitude, I feel less stressed.

#8 Enjoy the moment by writing.

I am more effective if I keep my thinking in the present moment. I also enjoy life. Even when I am working on a long-term plan, I am not living in the future. When I think about the future, I can write what is on my mind. The act of writing returns my mind to the present moment.

6 Signs Your Boss Hates You and 6 Solutions

Signs Your Boss Hates You: What are the signs and what can you do about them? Should you just ignore the situation? Should you act?

6 Signs Your Boss Hates You

#1 Your boss’s criticisms are personal.

Your boss has the responsibility to keep you on task and doing your job on time. However, criticizing your work and criticizing you are different issues. If your boss is criticizing you personally, you have issues that you can’t solve by simply improving your work. This is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#2 Your boss criticizes your work more than your boss criticizes the work of other people.

Bosses have biases. They are humans. One of the signs that your boss has a bias against you is criticism that only you receive. Your coworkers make a mistake and your supervisor overlooks the mistake. You make the same mistake and your boss criticizes you.

This is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#3 Your boss gives your coworkers glowing reviews for the same work that you receive mediocre or poor reviews.

When performance reviews are subjective, they are not tests of your skills. They are your boss’s opinion of your performance. When you learn that people who do equal are less quality work than you and yet that get better reviews, your boss is revealing personal problems with you and not problems with your performance.

This is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#4 Other people are getting pay raises. You are not.

If your boss is paying you less than he or she is paying your coworkers, your boss is taking a risk of losing you to a company that will pay you based the work that you do. When your boss is willing to take that risk, this is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#5 Other people are getting promotions. You are not.

Some people don’t want promotions. However, if you are not getting promotions that you are seeking and other people are getting those promotions, you need to ask yourself why this problem is happening. If you are more qualified and are not getting a promotion, this is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#6 Your boss gives credit for your work to your coworkers.

You know whether you deserve credit for your work. You know when your boss is giving other people some or total credit for your work.

This is one of the signs your boss hates you.

6 Solutions When Your Boss Hates You

#1 Can you discuss the situation with your boss?

If you can talk with your boss about the situation, explain that you want to do a great job. Ask for advice on how you can do a better job. Keep the discussion on your work. Try not to make the issue personal even though your boss may hate you for personal reasons.

#2 Document your work.

Build a record of your daily performance to show that you are doing a great job. List the tasks your boss gives you. List the results of your work on these tasks. Communicate with your boss in writing.

#3 Seek Personal and Professional Advice

Turn to the people you trust and ask for their advice. Ask the people you trust about what they think about your situation. Ask these people for their ideas on job options and confidential referrals. Get their advice on the best way to protect yourself in your current situation.

#4 Respond Intelligently

Getting angry and lashing out at your boss might be the best thing to do. You do have a right to defend yourself. Perhaps you can intimidate your boss into changing your relationship. However, more nearly what you will do is escalate an already difficult situation.

A better solution might be a conciliatory way to get your boss to help you improve your relationship.

#5 Get the Truth About Your Options

Can you find a job at your current company working for a different supervisor? Should you start looking for another job? Have you polished your resume and have it ready to go? Have you explored the jobs that look like a fit for you at other companies?

#6 Change Jobs

Some relations will always be the way they are. It is not healthy for you to work where you have a mean boss or for a boss who is mean to you. Find a job in a culture where you can be happy and enjoy going to work every day.

4 Warning Signs You are Interviewing with the Wrong Company

Wrong company: What should you look for when you are interviewing for a job? Are you wasting your time when you could be making better progress in your job search?

As the owner of a recruiting firm, I coached applicants who dealt with troubling issues during the interview process. Here are things I learned from my experience in helping these applicants.

Wrong Company: The company location is unsafe.

In major metropolitan areas, office and factory spaces are expensive. To save money, companies locate their offices in inexpensive locations. In major metropolitan areas, the less expensive locations are often in high crime locations. I have had three clients whose offices were inside chain link fences that had barbed wire on the top.

If you do not believe that the location is safe, you need to ask yourself whether you are interviewing with the wrong company.

Wrong Company: The interviewers fail to keep their commitments.

Interviewers may have valid reasons for cancelling an appointment, and they explain those reasons to you. An effortless way to manage the situation is to show understanding and simply reschedule.

However, interviewers raise red flags when they fail to keep commitments.

The interviewers cancel appointments without attempting to reschedule.
They cancel appointments more than once.
Worth of all, the interviewers completely fail to call you or to meet with you without calling to cancel or reschedule.

If interviewers can’t keep their commitments, you should see that as a sign that you are interviewing with the wrong company.

Wrong Company: Interviewers make calls during your interview, or they allow people to come into their office to interrupt your interview.

This type of behavior is a sign that the interviewer is not interested in you or simply does not respect your time.

Remember that the way an interviewer manages an interview is a sign of how a company deals with its employees. This behavior is uncommon, but when it has happened, applicants have often complained to me about it and rightfully so.

The interviewer is the face of the company. If the interviewer does not respect your time, how well will you be able to do at a company that may not respect your time? This type of company is the wrong company.

Wrong Company: The company withholds details on benefits and salary range during the interview process.

The company benefits and compensation are confidential information. For competitive security issues, companies must protect the details of their operations. However, to avoid wasting their own time and the applicant’s time, the best interviewers provide general information on benefits and compensation. Often, companies include information on benefits and compensation in the job description.

You need to work for companies that put the information out front. Companies that play games during the interview may be companies that bait and switch on commitments. This type of company is the wrong company.

When Leaving a Company: How to Say Goodbye Gracefully

Leave them with a smile.

A former employer is a future reference. ~ www.jaywren.com

When Leaving a Company, knowing how to say goodbye gracefully is important. What are the do’s and don’ts of an exit interview?

When Leaving a Company, there are things to do and things not to do.

Using these techniques will reduce the stress for you and avoid burning bridges with the company you are leaving. First, here are some things to do when you leaving a company.

Do prepare for the things to do in an exit interview.

Despite what some headhunters will tell when they are preparing you to leave your current company, there are benefits to attending and even excelling in the way you handle your exit interview.

Before resigning, weigh the pros and cons of leaving your current company.

Once you are committed to leaving, give the company two weeks’ notice. Two weeks’ notice is common courtesy. You owe your company no more.

Also, before you resign, remove your personal property from your workplace and download or delete your personal files from the company computers. You do not want to run into your company holding your property until someone gets around to doing an inventory of what belongs to you and what belong to your employer.

Do prepare to return company property.

When you go into an exit interview, bring the company property to the interview: e.g., keys to a company car, company laptop, mobile phone, etc. Since you have already recovered all your property, put the burden on your employer to give you an inventory of any other property they believe that you need to return. You may not have to offer to turn over the property during the exit interview. However, having it on hand will make things simpler if your company decides to walk you out the door.

Do prepare for questions that you have about compensation and benefits you receive when leaving.

Prepare for to discuss compensation due you upon leaving the company: unpaid vacation time, unpaid bonuses, and unpaid salary. Your company should explain to you what money you have coming and when they will pay you.

Know the questions you need answering in transitioning or continuing your health benefits after you leave the company.

As you will discover from the DOL website, your employer owes you information on the way that your benefits extend beyond your employment.

Using these techniques will reduce the stress for you and avoid burning bridges with the company you are leaving. First, here are some things to do when you leaving a company.

Do be positive but firm in your resignation.

Politely explain that it is time for you to move on. Thank your employers for the support they have given you. Ask for your employer’s’ direction about how you can transition your material and responsibilities smoothly and promptly.

When Leaving a Company, avoid some things.

There are things not to do in an exit interview to make sure that you leave on good terms. Somewhere down the road, you may find that the company you are leaving will help you with a strong reference in seeking another job. Avoiding these things will make you exit go more smoothly.

Don’t discuss counter offers.

One of the purposes of an exit interview is to prevent losing employees who are critical to the company at the time. I emphasize “at the time,” because people known for disloyalty have a mark against them in future evaluations and layoffs. Counter offers can drag out the length of the exit interview, perhaps into days. Counter offers just increase the stress in your exit interview. As I have written elsewhere, they are offers that are too good to accept.

Don’t make the exit interview a gripe session.

If you are unhappy with the people or practices of the company you are leaving, an exit interview is not the time to express them. The time to express your concerns is before you start looking for another job and you can still make a difference at your current employer.

Don’t discuss your new job.

Don’t say where you are going to work or how much money your new employer is paying. Avoid giving any details about the function of the new job or your capacity in the new job. The information about your new job is confidential information between you and your new employer.

Don’t be rude or disrespectful.

Whether you are going through an exit interview with your supervisor or an HR person does not matter. Remember that the person who is conducting the interview is simply doing a job. They are not your whipping child. They are human beings you may or may not like. However, being rude or disrespectful will not help you garner respect from people who may read or hear about the interviewer’s experience with you.

As I said in the first paragraph, somewhere down the road, you may need the people involved in your exit interview to help you find your next job.

Delegating Authority in Large Organizations

Cruise ships are complex organizations. Examining the operations of a cruise ship presents an operating to see the necessity of delegating authority.

Delegating Authority in Cruise Ship Operations. What can we learn from the operation of a cruise ship? How does it compare to other complex organizations? Just because you are the captain doesn’t mean you can make every decision.

Delegating authority is not abdicating.

On the contrary, it is the personal power of becoming bigger by letting go.

Cruise ships have come a long way in comfort and complexity since the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower.

In a large organization, each person has a role in the success of that organization. A cruise ship is a complex organization that relies on a wide range the skills. In fact, the range of skills on a cruise liner is wider than the range of skills in most organizations.

Additionally, hiring and training people who can make good decisions is important for any organization.

As an organization becomes more complex, executives must learn how to delegate authority to people at every level of responsibility.

Furthermore, executives learn how to empower people with the knowledge and confidence to use authority and accept responsibility for their decisions.

There are nearly 60 cruise lines currently operating around the world. There are literally cruises to the Arctic Circle, Antarctica, and everywhere in between. You can cruise major rivers and waterways, including the St. Lawrence River, the Mississippi River and 8 of the major rivers in Europe.

Cruise Ships: Floating City Centers

Cruise liners are like city centers or floating malls. The services on board a cruise ship include clothing stores, tuxedo and formal rental stores, barber shops, beauty parlors, dry cleaners, laundries, souvenir shops, liquor stores, jewelry stores, convenience stores, luggage shops, restaurants, snack bars, ice cream parlors, nightclubs, casinos, movie theaters, television stations, Internet services, doctors, dentists, print shops, athletic and fitness centers, a post office, spas, beauty treatments, photo services, and multiple swimming pools.

Delegating authority over each of these operations enables the site managers to do their job.

Businesses on a Cruise Ship

Cruise ships make money from their room and board fees. They make extra money from ship-board sales. Cruise ships rarely stay in port overnight. Every port is a competitor to all the businesses that run within a cruise ship.

Mind-Blowing Size and Operation

Cruise ships are 800 to 1200 feet long and 100 to 155 feet wide. The largest ships have 14 to 18 decks and each deck is the size of 2 to 3 football fields

Cruise ships board and feed 4000 to over 8000 passengers and crew.

The captain of a ship must rely on the cruise lines company to provide highly trained people who have the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions.

These people must have the skills and the authority to make decisions as they interact with the thousands of passengers.

Behind the Scenes

Before a ship goes to sea, a navigation department lays out a course and speed for the ship to go from port to port. Navigators control the ship as it crosses the waterways and passes other ships.

Engineers operate the systems to produce electricity, distill fresh water, and maintain the ballast to keep the ship stable.

The purser oversees supplies such as food and drink, clothing, bedding, and passenger comfort. He or she is the face or liaison of the ship to the passengers on board.

In Conclusion

In a large organization, each person has some role in the success of the organization.

A cruise ship is more than thousands of people floating across the ocean. It is a large and complex business.

The training and performance of the people who work on the ship determine the ship’s success.

An important part of that training is teaching the crew how to use authority and to accept responsibility. People who fail to make good decisions affect the success of the ship’s business.

Likewise, the failure of the captain to empower people with the knowledge and authority to make decisions undermines the success of the ship.

On the other hand, captains who empower a well-trained crew to make decisions can do a better job of running the total operation.

For the captain of a cruise ship, delegating authority is not abdicating. On the contrary, it is the personal power of becoming bigger by letting go.

Auftragstaktik: Empowering Site-Based Leaders

Auftragstaktik: Empowering Site-Based Leaders. What is Auftragstaktik? What are its limitations and risks? How does it free leaders for greater success?

The German word Auftragstaktik is coined from the phrase: Auftrag (assignment) taktik (tactics).

The idea is that everyone in an organization needs to know how much authority they have and how to use that authority.

Simple Example

NOTICE: In the event of a fire, the person closest to the fire extinguisher has the authority to use it.

Auftragstaktik and Practical Disobedience

Frequently studied as a form of military command, the concept has its roots in Prussian and German military training.

Frederick II, also known as “Frederick the Great,” was the King of Prussia between 1740 and 1786. Under his rule, Prussia expanded its territories and became recognized as a military power in Europe.

He was King of Prussia during the Seven Years’ War. This war pitted England, Prussia, and their allies against the allies of the French and Russian alliance.

The people of Prussia admired their “War King.” His people and his soldiers affectionately referred to Frederick the Great as “Old Fritz.”

The Micromanager

In battle, “Old Fritz” was a micromanager.

His most precocious and creative general was Friedrich von Seydlitz. This general was unconventional and independent in his tactics. His independence on at least one occasion ran counter the “Old Fritz’s” command.

In the Battle of Zorndorf in 1758, the king ordered the general to attack the Russian front. Instead the general attacked the Russian flank.

“Old Fritz” ordered his general to return to the king’s camp and explain himself.

The general, still engaged in battle, ignored the order. “Old Fritz” again ordered the general to report to the king’s camp. A second time, the general ignored the order. In a third attempt, the king sent an order to the general that he would either report to the king immediately or the king would lop off the general’s head.

The general replied, “After the battle the king can do what he likes with my head, but during the battle will he please allow me to use it?”

Seydlitz tactics worked to win the battle against the Russian army. He went on to become one of Prussia’s greatest generals. King Frederick became one of his friends. Operating under the thumb of a micromanager, he succeeded through the success he achieved with this mission tactics.

Empowering Others: Leadership and General Patton

Empowering others is not a concept that people often associate with George S. Patton, Jr. But at what point does success depend on empowering others?

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” General George S. Patton, Jr.

This quote from Patton gives us some idea of what he expected from the people who worked for him.

Iconic, hard-driving, relentless, Patton was strict in managing the people under his command. He fined soldiers for uniform infractions. He said, “It is absurd to believe that soldiers who cannot be made to wear the proper uniform can be induced to move forward in battle. Officers who failed to perform their duty by correcting small violations and in enforcing proper conduct are incapable of leading.”

Empowering Others to Achieve Success

Based on his reputation for strict command, it may seem surprising that Patton ever delegated authority to anyone. However, he demanded that people under his command respect themselves in the way they dressed, in the way that they prepared for duty, and in the way that they performed their service. With this respect for themselves, he instilled in them a respect for their abilities as well as demeanor.

Patton recognized the importance of delegating decision-making to the officers who managed the thousands of men under his command.

He insisted on people pushing forward the ideas they believed to be correct. This Patton statement shows how much he depended on the input of other people in his command. “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking,”

He could not be everywhere at the same time. He could not make thousands of decisions on the spot during the action on the battlefield.

Of necessity and common sense, he empowered the soldiers under his command to have the authority to make decisions that led to success.

Hiring the Best People and Empowering Them to Excel

Hiring the Best People and Empowering Them to Excel: How do great leaders build great companies? Here are some of the things great leaders say.

Hiring the Best People

Lee Iacocca – Automobile Executive

“I hire people brighter than me and I get out of their way.”

Bill Gates – Co-Founder Microsoft

“The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.”

Steve Jobs – Co-Founder, Apple

“I noticed that the dynamic range between what an average person could accomplish and what the best person could accomplish was 50 or 100 to 1. Given that, you’re well advised to go after the cream of the cream. A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.”

Jim Collins – Business Consultant, Author

“Great vision without great people is irrelevant.”

“The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you’ve made a hiring mistake. The best people don’t need to be managed. Guided, taught, led–yes. But not tightly managed.”

Edwin Booz – Consultant, Founder Booz Allen & Hamilton

“Often the best solution to a management problem is the right person.”

Brian Tracy – Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International

“As a business owner or manager, you know that hiring the wrong person is the most costly mistake you can make.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – Author, Scientist, Philosopher

“A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.”

Theodore Roosevelt – President, United States of America

“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

Malcolm Forbes – Publisher, Forbes Magazine

“Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he’s hired to do.”

David Ogilvy – Advertising Executive

“Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.”

Akio Morita – Co-Founder Sony

“When I find an employee who turns out to be wrong for a job, I feel it is my fault because I made the decision to hire him.”

Warren Buffett – Chairman & CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”

Paul Russell – Paul Russell Consulting, LLC

“Development can help great people be even better–but if I had a dollar to spend, I’d spend 70 cents getting the right person in the door.”

Red Adair – Oil Well Firefighter

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

Robert Bosch – Founder Robert Bosch GmbH

“I don’t pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages.”

Highly Successful People: 7 Quotes to Live By

Conquering Self-doubt

Highly successful people experience self-doubt. Sometimes life is uncertain. But highly successful people find ways to conquer self-doubt.

“We are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. We grow up with this idea, and as the years accumulate, so too do the layers of prejudice, fear and guilt. There comes a time when our personal calling is so deeply buried in our soul as to be invisible. But it’s still there.” – Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist

Staying Positive

Highly successful people find ways to see opportunity through difficult times.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

Tuning Out Distractions

Highly successful people find ways to stay focused to get their work done. They stay on task.

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” ― Steve Jobs

Learning from Mistakes

Highly successful people learn from their mistakes.

“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” ― Richard Branson

Finding Courage

Highly successful people find courage when life becomes uncertain.

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. – Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Bouncing Back

Highly successful people know that life has its frustrations and disappointments. When they get knocked over, they bounce back.

“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this – you haven’t.” ― Thomas A. Edison

Making Great Choices

Highly successful people make great choices. Every one of us only has so many hours in the day. Highly successful people make great choices in how they use their time.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!