Reaching Milestones

What is it about turning another year older that makes us think about things a little differently? As you might guess I write this having just celebrated my birthday!

It was a few years ago when I turned 30 that birthdays started to have a little more significance and made me think differently. It was probably because I'd always had in my mind a number of things that I wanted to have achieved by the time I reached that milestone age it was the usual things based around Career, Property, Friends & Relationship. I'm pleased to say that 30 came and went without much drama .... I was content with where I was and what I'd achieved. Four years later I still find myself reflecting on what the year has brought and what the year ahead will bring. It's dangerous turning a year older as it causes us to evaluate what we've accomplished. It won't surprise you that working in the business that I do I'm a believer in setting goals, working with individuals and organisations asking them on a daily basis what is it they want to achieve and by when, you can't help a little bit rubbing off on yourself.

If I look at the goals that I've set for myself in this past year I've achieved about 70% of what I hoped to and on reflection I'm delighted with that. A few years ago I might have beaten myself up about what hasn't happened yet, what hasn't been achieved and focused on that missing 30%. I've heard the argument many times of people not setting goals for fear of disappointment when they don't hit them, If running a business through a recession has taught me one thing it is how important it is to focus on our successes as we pass each mile stone as I know that is what will take us to the next goal. That said it is I believe important to evaluate goals and see how they can be set again or adapted to fit our new circumstance. In business and in life we don't always set achievable goals .... on reflection perhaps a goal to learn more about wine in this past year and develop a flat stomach were not two goals that should have been set in the same year..... You guessed right .... The Wine Won.

As I'm writing this Blog I also have a document open called 'Goals for 2011' I'm sitting on a plane on my way to a meeting in Denmark with other managers from the Dale Carnegie business. One of the things that I look forward to most about these meetings is as well as getting new ideas from my colleagues it causes me to set goals for the months ahead and reflect on what has been achieved in the past business quarter. By the end of the day tomorrow I know that I will have a document full of new ideas and things I want to achieve.

If you'd like to find out more about setting goals, building a vision and making sure that as you cross that next mile stone; whether it be a Birthday, New Year or Business Quarter that you are happy with what you've achieved then come and join us for free at the first session of the next Dale Carnegie Course on either the 1st of March or the 4th of May. By the end of the evening you'll have new goals and breakthroughs in place.

Give us a call to discuss your goals or book your place.

David Anderson
Managing Director
http://www.london.dalecarnegie.com/

People support the world they help create!

People will support a world they helped create! A simple statement to comprehend, yet we see so many organisations getting it badly wrong when it comes to creating work environments that are conducive to collaboration and working towards a common goal.

With the current economic climate that we find ourselves in, it has never been more important for organisations to have the individual goals of their employees aligned to the company’s goals, and to treat their employees as partners rather than as commodities.

So let’s consider why employee engagement during times of turbulence is so important. According to Lockwood (2007), employees with the highest level of commitment perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave the organisation.

This shows a clear link between employee engagement and performance. In fact, two of the earlier studies on employee engagement conducted by Watson Wyatt found that “high commitment” organisations (those with loyal and dedicated employees) out-performed “low commitment” organisations by 47% in one study and 200% in another study.

Not only have highly engaged employees been linked to higher levels of performance, they have also been linked to delivering more innovative solutions to situations and solving problems more effectively, Scarlett (2008). Finding ways to create an engaging environment for your employees during the financial crisis can yield positive results for everyone in the short term and the long term.

Therefore what changes might you look to implement when trying to increase your employee’s engagement you may ask?

Regular interaction with your employees gives them the mental support to speak out about any issue concerning them. The first lesson is that workers model their leaders’ behaviour. If leaders are not fully engaged, workers will not be either.

So what can leaders do at an organisational level to engage employees? They must create an engaging environment—one that lends itself to providing the tools and elements employees need to build a sense of commitment. Rather than point their fingers at workers alone, the leaders must lead rather than manage. What managers do and how they behave sets the tone for employee engagement therefore managers must model the level of engagement they seek. HR’s role in this regard is to serve as coach to managers when they do otherwise.

In the long term, education and training of personnel is key, not only in their own personal growth but that of the organisation. Employees are engaged because they have a sense of connectivity, and because they have the drive and desire to be a part of the organisation.

Therefore let’s make sure that we as individuals help create a world that our people support.

Dale Carnegie’s next Free Inspirational Leadership for Managers workshop is on the 8th March or 6th April. Click here for more details.

Mark de Stadler
Peformance Consultant

www.London.dalecarnegie.com

A helping hand

This week I read two very interesting news items which really made me think.

Firstly, there was a granny in Northampton who foiled a jewellery robbery by running across the street, and hitting youths with her handbag as they were trying to smash into a jeweller’s store with sledgehammers. Yes you have read this right, an elderly lady decided that she wasn’t going to stand and watch four or five youths with crash helmets on attack and try to rob a jewellers (please note, she was the only one who went to help). Instead she took a stand. And none of the youths hit her, instead they tried to flee but I believe were eventually captured. If it sounds unreal, have a look on You Tube!

Secondly David Beckham, an international football star and probably one of the most famous people in the world today, stopped to help a motorist who had broken down. Everyone else kept passing the motorist but not David Beckham, he decided to see if the driver was ok and helped push the car out of the way.

Two completely different incidents in the same week. One involving an unknown elderly lady and one involving a superstar....but both with the same thing in common....offering help to someone in need.

And the thought struck me....how often do we help those in need without thought for ourselves. And how often do we do this without expecting anything in return. I don’t know about you but I always remember being told when I was growing up that we should never give to receive.

Now I’m not suggesting anyone tries to stop a robbery with courage and a handbag, but for most of us the offer of help could be listening to a colleague who really needs to talk to you, either on a work or personal matter. Help to carry a buggy up a flight of stairs at the train station during rush hour when a mum is struggling. Seeing a colleague over-worked and offering to help them out in any way you can, even if it’s just fielding telephone calls. Or it could be just what David Beckham did, assist a stranded driver.

There’s another old quote which I will leave you with....and again is so true ‘Actions speak louder than words’.

If you are interested in finding out about Human Relation Principles at Dale Carnegie then why not join us for a preview of the course on 23rd March.

Helen Mills
Financial Controller
www.london.dalecarnegie.com

To Do or To Be - that is THE question?

Have you ever wondered what makes some people more successful than others? Whether success is measured as wealth, a large circle of friends, health or happiness it doesn't really matter at one level.

What does matter is how we behave - that produces the success? You will have heard of the 'be, do, get' formula. That's the one that says the results we get in life are a consequence of the actions we take (or don't take) and this action or inaction is driven by our being. Our being is our values, paradigms, constructs, habits, etc. picked up on our passage through life. So our success, whether measured by tangibles or intangibles is down to who we are, our being. The formula thus suggests that if we want different outcomes in life they will not be permanent unless we shift who we are.

Dale Carnegie's Golden Book is so because of the golden rule for life - treat other people as you would want to be treated yourself. If we care for others we will be cared for; if we love others we will be loved; if we trust others we will be trusted. It's this simple and one of the reasons why some participants say they did not learn much new from our programmes but they certainly got a reminder of what is important in life - and it changed their lives as a result.
Few training programmes change lives.

ALL Dale Carnegie programmes provide the best opportunity for people to change their lives - permanently. How? By making the 'be,do,get' link come alive in each and every session and by providing the best possible opportunity for a permanent behaviour change by affecting our core being.
So here's the question. Are you a human being or a human doing?

David Pickering

Trainer and Sales Consultant

www.London.dalecarnegie