Happy New Year

Well it’s 2012 and what will the year bring..... What goals and dreams will be achieved?

Promotion within the business
More bonuses
New place to live
New relationships
??????

I was inspired last night to listen to an enthusiastic group of people setting their goals and visions for the year ahead at the first session of the Skills for Success Course at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel.

The group talked about the importance of setting goals and the power of leading an intentional life. As you think about the year ahead, as many of us do at this time, an effective way to make sure we achieve our goals is to write down a vision for 2012. If you choose to take some time out today to do that here are a few simple tips to writing an effective ‘Vision & Goal Statement’
Write in the Present tense – start your vision with the words “It is (Pick a date) and I am ...... By locking in on a set date and writing as though things are already happening it makes it real for us and easier to remember where it is we want to get to.

Write using Powerful language – the words you write should stir your enthusiasm and if when you read it back you’re excited about what you read and looking forward to making it happen you’re on the right track.

Write in Positive language – Talk about things you will be doing rather than things you won’t. For example rather than saying ‘I won’t be stressed and worried at work when something goes wrong’ try something like ..... ‘I’ll be happy and relaxed when problems come up at work and deal with them effectively.’ The reason behind this is our brains are generally more inspired by positives than negatives .... give it a try!

We encourage the clients we work with to set goals for themselves and their businesses and love helping people achieve things that they didn’t think was possible.

We wish you every success in achieving your goals and dreams in 2012. Anything we can do to help give us a call or come along to one of our free sessions.

David Anderson
Managing Director

It feels like Spring!

The sun is shining, the temperature has reached 17 degrees and the flowers are blooming...it’s finally feeling like spring!

It’s amazing what a little bit of sun can do to your mood, it puts a smile on your face when you get up and makes you feel optimistic about the day ahead. After the cold, snow and grey of the last few months it finally feels like things are changing and that anything is possible. The sun always helps to lift my spirits and make me feel happy.

‘The world always looks brighter from behind a smile’ Anonymous

With spring comes new beginnings, so what better time is there to take another look at your news years goals or even to set some new goals.

1)First look at what you have already achieved this year. You may not have reached all your goals but I bet you have done more than you first thought. Write down what you already done this year and this will give you a boost for achieving your next set of goals.

2)Goals are not just limited to your career. You can set goals in any area of your life, goals typically fall in to the following categories – family, social, financial, career, health, spiritual, mental state and community.

3)Make sure that as well as concentrating on what you want you also look at what you are becoming. Setting self-improvement goals will allow you to accomplish your goals more quickly and effortlessly.

4)Share your goals with those around you so that they can support you and assist you in reaching your vision.

Achieving your goals will probably involve time and effort but make sure you have fun while you are doing it and wear a smile on your face. Enjoy the sunshine!

Sophie Whittall
Marketing & Admin Co-ordinator

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

Purpose

John Fisher's transition curve is an excellent analysis of how individuals deal with personal change.

Fisher explains the different emotional stages that a person faces behind a change, with the following order:

1.Anxiety. Can I cope?
2.Happiness. At last something’s going to change!
3.Fear. What impact will this have? How will it affect me?
4.Threat. This is bigger than I thought!
5.Guilt. Did I really do that?
6.Depression. Who am I?
7.Hostility. I will make this work if it kills me!
8.Gradual acceptance. I can see myself in the future.
9.Moving forward. This can work and be good.

If we notice how people think and feel depending on their situation when their environment is changing, we can anticipate their behaviour and take actions.
People’s feelings can provoke them to give up just before a task is achieved.

How do great leaders engage their people when everything seems to be going wrong?
In relation to the above emotional stages, leaders have the power to remind their teams why they are there and give them a purpose.

Most people spend the majority of their time at work, why not give them a purpose for being there everyday? A purpose is what will fill people with the energy and enthusiasm to come to work with the desire to succeed and achieve the impossible.

One of the reasons why Dale Carnegie programmes have been so successful for the last 98 years is because we are focused on changing behaviours by giving people a purpose and a vision. Every participant is encouraged to take risks and try new things that stretch them out of their comfort zone. With this new mindset and courage, people will love their jobs.

People love doing business with people who love their business!

Jose Bort

Sales Consultant

www.London.Dalecarnegie.com

Engaging Employees during Times of Uncertainty

As a manager, turbulent times can be unsettling. Employees want to be upbeat, positive and encouraged about the future, but news about the economy, conversations with some customers and input from others in the organisation can often leave them feeling uncomfortable and unsure. So how do you balance these conflicting ideas, maintain a positive environment and keep employees focused on a positive future?

• Focus on Vision and Mission
  
  
• Develop Connections



• Create Ongoing Dialogue



• Encourage Empowerment
  

While there is rarely an easy answer to the unique issues that arise during times of turbulence, managers cannot retreat to the office and hope the situation will simply cure itself. Difficult times call for consistent leadership. Helping your team stay focused on the organisation's direction, their individual role in achieving that direction and encouraging them to develop new approaches for helping the organisation succeed are just a couple of ways that managers can help create an environment that continues to engage employees in uncertain times.

Join us for a complimentary session of the Engage & Inspire Your People seminar on 27th July from 8.45am - 10.45am! Click here to register

Corina Balaneanu
Sales Consultant

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

Motivation is What You Need!

‘To succeed......you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.’ Tony Dorsett

The difference between achieving a goal and not achieving a goal depends on the motivation and inspiration you have driving you forward.

This week the England football team have travelled to South Africa in preparation for the start of the World Cup. They are fully motivated and hungry to win, they will have envisioned themselves lifting the trophy to a huge cheer from the crowd and then returning home to receive a winners welcome from the English fans. When you set yourself a goal imagine what life will be like when you have achieved this goal, picture it in your mind – set yourself a vision for the future.

Create a Vision

Nothing is more personally motivating than creating a compelling vision. Visualize yourself succeeding as a result of the goals you set and achieve. Imagine the benefits of growing as a result of the changes you make -- creating new opportunities, building a more exciting and dynamic future and opening up new opportunities for success.

Inspiration is also an important factor when it comes to succeeding. We are usually motivated to work at achieving something when we have seen someone we respect achieve something similar; someone whose values and beliefs we admire. We can also be inspired by the way someone motivates us to achieve our goals, they can appeal to us in such a way as to make us think and act differently.

The England squad will take their inspiration from the 1966 England football team who achieved their ultimate goal by winning the World Cup and were able to lift the trophy and receive the respect and reward that comes from succeeding. They will also be inspired by their manager Fabio Capello who will give them pep talks before each game and keep reminding them that they can win the matches

Be Inspired

Think of someone who you admire and who really inspires you and whenever you are struggling and feeling de-motivated picture that person in you mind and remember what you admire in them and this will help you to get back on track and succeed. Surround yourself with positive people that will be enthusiastic and help to drive you towards success.

Good luck with your goals and visions for the future and good luck to the England team next week!

If you would like to find out more about setting your vision for the future then please attend our preview of Strictly Business: The Dale Carnegie Immersion Seminar on 10th June – Click here to register.

Sophie Whittall
Marketing & Admin Co-ordinator

www.London.dalecarnegie.com

Masters of Our Fate, Captains of Our Soul!

When the English Poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) wrote the lines: 'I am the Master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul', he could have told us the reason for this is because we have the power to control our own thoughts. He could have also told us that our brains become magnetised with the dominating thoughts we hold in our minds!

So as Session 1 of the Dale Carnegie Course: Effective Communications and Human Relations Skills kicked off on Tuesday the 9th of March with a room full of up to 40 amazing people, one of the elements of the evening involved awakening and creating a vision for ourselves in our professional and personal lives that is somewhat outside of where and who we are right now.

Whether you are one of the delegates on the current programme, a graduate, a potential delegate, a surfer through our website or like us all, a human being interested in simply living a fulfilled, successful and peaceful life for ourselves and for all those around us at work and at home, here are some tips for when you embark upon creating your own compelling vision:

1. Write down your own vision and be definite - let your heart and inner desires flow freely.

2. Imagine you are already in possession of what you want or who you are, whether it's material or emotional.

3. Establish a definite date by when you intend to achieve it.

4. Share your vision with as many people as possible!

5. Read it aloud every morning when you first awake and last thing at night before you fall asleep.

6. Be alert, awake and alive and live each moment - focused on your vision - yet DETACHED from the outcome.

7. Be grateful and smile :)

Lizzie Thomas
Trainer

www.london@dalecarnegie.com

Natural Leadership

This is Emma and Juanci, my beautiful niece and nephew, 9 & 8 years respectively. Like many children they are spontaneous, energetic, fun loving, joyful, creative and daring souls. Their mission in life is being happy and their vision is doing the things that make them happy; simple really. They live each day to the full, content and satisfied and sleep deeply at night unless it is their Birthday, Christmas or another special event!

Recently a client of mine from the Finance sector said to me, ‘I want to be like my son. He is learning to walk. He falls down, gets back up again, succeeds a little, falls down, gets back up again and so on. He is fearless! If I did the same in my business I would achieve my dreams!'

Like Emma and Juanci and like my clients son, what if we woke up each day with a clear mission and vision in life that would have us leap out of bed with excitement and boundless enthusiasm? How many of us actually know and live the mission and vision of the companies we work for? What if we aligned our mission and visions with that of our organisation? Would we perhaps feel we were contributors and a part of a diverse leadership within our business and for our clients?

Despite the current economic situation, confidence is returning, risks are been taken, and opportunities are abound, if only we look for them. The overwhelming challenge for the UK is in leadership and management, we spend 1,100 Euros per manager on leadership and management training compared to our European counterparts who spend just under 5,000 Euros. Now is as good a time as ever whether you are an employee, a Manager, a Director or an Executive (if we are not already being this way) to be ourselves, to communicate our mission and our vision clearly with each other and to involve our customers, partners and suppliers in the challenges we face. We are all leaders after all and this collective, co-operative approach is what kids do so naturally. I know Emma and Juanci are constantly and unwittingly reminding me.

Lizzie Thomas
Consultant

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