Leadership and Ego

In his book ‘Good to Great’, Jim Collins refers to the two key qualities of Level 5 Leaders of being a paradox. The two qualities he defines are ‘personal humility’ and ‘professional will’.

Throughout our careers we make progress by delivering performance and outcomes that are usually better than our peers or when an opportunity arises that we are considered best to meet or deliver.

It is no surprise then that as we progress through our careers that our ego gets continually fed with the ‘good news’. With some people the more positive feedback they get the more the ego grows and so on in an upward spiral. Such is the power of ego that for some nothing would seem capable of giving a knock back and which for others the same happening could be a humbling experience.

The news is full of examples of those who by dint of their ability, and not inconsiderable hard work, become leaders. In this sense leadership is not a hierarchical thing but unconsciously exercised by being an example that others wish to follow. When these ‘leaders’ fall from grace, as so many do, it is tough for them and everyone else, to handle. This is where the ego has won.

So those that rise to the top of their businesses or societies with significant positions of authority over others have to avoid this ego breakdown. This is where humility comes in. The greater our humility and our humanity, the better there is a chance of us being a Level 5 Leader.

Perhaps a conversation with your Dale Carnegie Consultant will lead you to a place where ego does not matter. In this place our Executive Leadership Programme will accelerate your career to being a Level 5 Leader.

Thanks Jim, for the inspiration.

David Pickering

Sales Consultant and Trainer

http://www.london.dalecarnegie.com/

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Dale Carnegie helps sales professionals find effective strategies for dealing with sales stress and other challenges. Inconsistency and the lack of a sales system are the two most common causes of stress. If you make 40 sales calls one week and 5 calls the next week, the amount of new business you close will be different each week. That adds more pressure and greater anxiety.

Here are a few tips:

• Set up a realistic system that you can stick to regularly.


• Develop daily and weekly mini-goals that you know you can achieve.


• Discipline yourself to follow through with your plan.


• Be consistent.

Also to keep stress under control, sales professionals should network with peers by attending professional meetings, events and seminars, this will allow you to see how other salespeople handle challenges such as sales stress.

With that in mind, we'd like to invite you to one of our complimentary seminars...

Sales Advantage preview - Tuesday 2nd March, 9.30am - 12pm

Coaching Salespeople for Success - Thursday 4th March, 8.45am - 10.45am

We look forward to welcoming you!

Corina Balaneanu
Sales Consultant

www.london.dalecarnegie.com

Defeating the winter blues…Why wait…DO IT NOW…

We are in to week six of 2010 and still having to face the weather from snow flakes to sunny mornings. Leaving for work in the freezing cold, getting home after work in the dark and freezing cold! Those credit card statements from all the overspending over the festive period arriving on the doormat. And not to mention those extra pounds gained from tucking into a few too many extra mince pies at Christmas. It’s no surprise that people feel low, associating the start of the year with the blues.

However, a new year should not be doom and gloom and one way that we can overcome this is to have positive thinking. Here at Dale Carnegie we follow the mantra ‘Cultivate a Mental Attitude that will bring you Peace and Happiness’.

To do this follow these seven tips:

1. Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope.
2. Never try to get even with your enemies.
3. Expect ingratitude.
4. Count your blessings – not your troubles.
5. Do not imitate others.
6. Try to profit from your losses.
7. Create happiness for others.

With these in mind I am off to a spaced learning programme by Dale Carnegie “Effective Communications and Human Relation Skills” on March 9th. We are responsible for our own actions and the sooner we make positive changes the quicker we will achieve our goals. Contact us @ Dale Carnegie where we can work together in improving your performance to improve your company’s performance. Some of our key programmes are listed below:

• Effective Communications and Human Relations
• Executive Leadership
• Leadership Training for Managers
• Sales Advantage
• High Impact Presentations

Mohsana Khatun
Performance Consultant

http://www.london.dalecarnegie.com/

Big Waves, Big Business

How many times do you go out on a limb and really push your comfort zone at work? Just ask Ross Clarke Jones, the 42 year old professional big wave surfer (pictured) who has forged a career in motivational speaking whilst he travels the globe in search of the worlds largest waves. Speaking to business leaders about fear management, you must wonder how does Ross relate riding an 80 foot wall of water to business decisions?
In an interview with redbullbwa.com Ross shared “I simply describe what goes through my head, my thought processes, as I decide to go for a big wave. …..Businessmen are simply blown away by what I’m thinking, and how relevant it is. They ask me questions, like, how do I deal with the fear, and how much time do I have to consciously make the decision to go, and when I tell them, they are amazed"
Broken down, the physical skills used to ride a small wave are the same as those applied to riding gigantic swells, it is all in the mental state and preparation whilst eliminating worry and doubt from your mindset.

We can apply Dale Carnegies Basic Techniques in Analyzing Worry to Ross’s situation:

1. Get all the facts.
Ross knows he has the right equipment, has read the conditions on the day, is well prepared and has the skill to catch the wave.

2. Weigh all the facts – then come to a decision.
For Ross this comes to his faith in himself, knowledge of the ocean and he has only a split second to weigh all the facts.

3. Once a decision is reached, act!
Once Ross has committed to catching a huge ocean swell, he is not thinking of falling or not reaching his goal, as a mistake in the wrong place could be fatal. Acting on his decision comes immediately, the whole process for Ross must be weighed up in a matter of seconds.

“That moment when you decide to go for a big one,” says Ross, “can be compared to making a gnarly business decision. You know, when you have to rely on gut instinct, when you have to make a split-decision, when you have to just turn around and go (catch a large wave), that’s just the same as making big calls in business. When there is a sudden gap or turn in the stock market and you have a few seconds to make a decisions, or when there is something else that involves a whole lot of guts and instinct, that’s the same as surfing in big surf.”

After researching more into Ross’s life whilst writing this article, I couldn’t help notice his power of decisiveness, making a decision and sticking to it in very sticky situations. Whilst he may be seen as reckless by others, in fact he is very calculated. Want to be more decisive in stressful situations? Take a look at our Dale Carnegie Course in Effective Communication and Human Relations starting on March 9th.

Angus Firth
Performance Consultant
http://www.london.dalecarnegie.co.uk/