Success is a word used too often in today’s world that its true values have lost its impact on many people’s lives. Our parents want us to be successful individuals just as our friends and well wishers pray that we succeed in achieving our goals and aspirations. It is a term you would find every institution stresses upon because sometimes being successful is what life is all about.

But the question is, what does success really mean?
Is it only about achieving Big and getting famous? Is it about getting into the showbiz and having fans following you all over? Or is it about breaking world records and the like? Well, you may call these success. Indeed they are, if getting there brings overwhelming joy and that incredible feeling which only true success brings.

Yet, success is not about wealth and fame, it isn’t about being celebrities. It isn’t about getting degrees after degrees and still feeling like a failure. It isn’t about having everything within your reach and still hungering for more.

Success is enoying the fruits of one’s hard labour. It is the realisation that hard work pays you back in double measures. For a farmer, success is reaping rich crops. It is a celebration of the good harvest that his whole year’s labour has brought. It is overcoming obstacles, hurdles and challenges by defying all odds with sustained and dedicated effort.

There is only one kind of success that determines every individual’s life. You may be a student, a housewife, a doctor, an engineer, a journalist, a musician, a preacher, a businessman and the like but success justifies and crowns you according to the amount of dedication and effort you put into anything that you work upon.

It may not bring you great wealth and fame but reaching the pinnacle of success is about being rewarded with the fruits of your hard labour.

Great figures like Gandhiji, Shakespeare, Edison and Leonardo Da Vinci, have attained success and remain respectable to date. It is because they pursued what they believed in and went forward to achieve greatness, giving in all that is required of them.

Life is a constant struggle but despite odds if you choose success to be your sole aim, you will always be a winner. Go and get the crown before its too late.

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” Without initiative, leaders are simply workers in leadership positions.”
Bo Bennett

How do you determine if you are strategically thinking or just doing good planning? That is an excellent question, Leader. Follow my hard lesson. I was completing my assignment during a graduate course on strategic thinking and felt pretty confident about the assignment. I sent my draft report to my professor and got his response. My professor informed me to start over. I had read the books and looked at several examples. However, I had missed the intent of strategic thinking. I thought, how could I make this mistake?

Let’s explore the errors of my ways. I had failed to distinguish between strategic thinking and planning. My draft report contained plenty of planning but was anemic on strategic thinking. Strategic thinking is more than carefully planning the organization’s work. Strategic thinking consists of two components, which are knowledge about the present and foresight about the future. Wacker, Taylor, and Means, leadership gurus, advocate the importance of duality for exemplary organizations.

The following are characteristics of strategic thinking: (a) focusing on important issues, (b) selecting relevant information, (c) recognizing systematic properties (linkages, patterns, etc.), (d) understanding through distinguishing causes from effect; clarifying assumptions; considering the issue in a big picture; maintaining a long-term view, (d) appreciating consequences, (e) generating alternatives, (f) integrating logical with creative, divergent thinking, (g) remaining flexible, and (h) acting during crises. This was a painful lesson I learned. Likewise, leaders must be flexible to sudden market changes. Therefore, effective organizations go beyond detailed planning to strategic thinking.

References:

Irene, T. (1998). Strategic Thinking and the New Science. New York: The Free Press.

Mitchell, R. (2005). Strategic Thinking. Received on June 6, 2006 from http://www.csun.edu/~hfmgt001/st-thinking.htm.

Wacker, W., Taylor, J., & Means, H. (2000). The Visionary’s Handbook. New York: HarperBusiness.

© 2006 by Daryl D. Green

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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela

How can organizations that have highly intelligent staff and an abundance of information falter? From my experience, it goes back to a leader’s personal pride or arrogance. Many feel they made it on their own because they operate in a meritocracy. They find comfort in implementing the latest management fads.

Surprisingly, executives are gullible to the latest consultant’s trickery (empowering management, TQM, matrix management, etc.) in spite of their intelligence. How can organizations apply strategic thinking to their organizations? Although there are various innovative management programs, real strategists don’t need to use tricks.

Recently, I interviewed a former co-worker and friend. He had left the government at a time of great promise in his career. He started his own consulting firm in 2000. Many people criticized him and felt it was a reckless behavior. Today, my friend runs a top Inc. 500 company with 40 people and a budget over $22 million. His passion and foresight are strategic. He launched his career based on his faith in several key dates in an undeveloped industry. His strategic thinking led to this current success in the market.

Loaded with his vision, he didn’t follow any script. This has kept him competitive. He’s indeed “a rebel with a cause.” Wacker, Taylor, and Means, leadership gurus, advocate a leader’s need for an attitude of insurgency. They write, “Fail to see yourself as a radical in whatever domain you aspire to, and you’ll be just another player.” My friend is no ordinary player.

Likewise, I hope that other individuals grow this type of passion to become an organizational “rebel with a cause.” These individuals are not happy with the status quo. Effective leaders understand how to harness this creative energy while self-serving managers view these individuals as threats to their corporate structure. As global competition continues to threaten organizations, today’s leaders cannot afford to underutilize the power of its knowledge workers within their organizations.

References:

Bacal & Associates (n.d.). Management Fads: Things You Show Know To Not Get Suckered. Received on January 1, 2006 from http://www.work911.com/articles/mgmtfad.htm.

Wacker, W., Taylor, J., & Means, H. (2000). The Visionary’s Handbook. New York: HarperBusiness.

© 2006 by Daryl D. Green

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I like tracking the progress of professional and college sports teams, noting their ups and downs, developing certain predictions for their future performance. How they behave, under pressure, is emblematic of our own performances in business and in nearly every walk of life.

Unlike most businesses, however, baseball, for example, is largely visible to its customers. Quite quickly, we’re told who might be traded or acquired, which minor leaguers are in line for promotion, and whose contract options might be bought out.

Plus, we get to form our own opinions by watching people at work, hitting, fielding, running, managing and coaching.

Will last year’s World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, snapping about eight decades of failure, come back to repeat its success this year?

As a fan of the team, I’ve wondered about this, especially as I’ve observed the Sox celebrating their 2005 accomplishments. And my assessment of their 2006 performance, at this point, nearly half way into the season, is that they’re going to have to struggle mightily to prevail again.

How come? Somewhere, in the collective unconscious of the team and its management has been planted the idea that success is permanent, that once you reach the brass ring, your achievement will always be great.

I believe the Sox over-celebrated and started to believe their own publicity, indicating that they were building a team that would withstand the test of time. They forgot that in 2005 they won one game at a time, many of them by a single run, and they never took anything for granted, until that threatening reversal in fortune they sustained toward the end of the season, when the Indians surged.

This year, they started out thinking they were in first place, that they had a head start because they wore last year’s rings. Not so. Kansas City’s early season victories should have shocked the Sox into their senses, but they didn’t.

The incredibly strong and sustained start by the Detroit Tigers should have been an even more jarring kick in the butt, but the Sox still seem groggy from October’s champagne.

Still, despite their sober sounding pronouncements about their competitive challenges, the Sox haven’t started to play as if every pitch counts. They’re still giving away innings and ballgames to lesser opponents.

Now, I sense there is a voice inside that is assuring them: “Don’t worry; at this rate you’ll still be in the post-season as the Wild Card team. After all, you have the second best record in the American League, after Detroit.”

Not good enough.

Let me repeat that phrase: They’re not good enough—yet.

This is what they need to start telling themselves, instead of resting on their laurels, expecting that no matter what, their success will be permanent.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com & The Goodman Organization is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to http://www.customersatisfaction.com

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Are you aware of the fact that most spiritual belief systems are
rooted in a handful of universal concepts? No matter when or
where in the world you look?

Did you also know that those universal concepts are the key
principles behind creating happiness and success in your life?
No? Don’t worry you’re not alone.

Where else can you find the keys to happiness and success? All those
self-help and New Age books have them. Usually, hidden in plain
sight. In fact, once you learn what they are you’ll see them all
over the place.

And what are these keys? Here’s a simple memory aide for you.

PAIDA

The letters PAIDA captures each of those important principles.
Just toss in a little meditation during your day. Maybe add a
couple of handy techniques for applying them and you’re set.

Health, wealth, success and happiness are just waiting around the corner.

Ready to live a life filled with happiness and love? Feel more
confident? Get rid of stress?

Try these 5 keys to happiness and success:

• Presence
• Attention
• Intention
• Detachment
• Acceptance

Presence

Presence is about living in the moment. Be here, now. Don’t lean
into the past or the future with your emotions.

Life is happening in the Now. Don’t miss out because you’re not
where the action is, psychologically.

Attention

Whatever you put your attention on becomes stronger in your life.

Think a lot of depressing negative thoughts and you’re going to
increase the misery in your life.

Put your attention on how poor and unlucky you are, the more bad
luck and poverty you’ll experience.

Attention is interesting. You can be in a state of low or
negative cash flow. But if you put your attention on finding
opportunities and solving problems you’ll find your cash flow
problem is temporary.

The same principle applies in other areas of your life. If you want
to feel good, find things to feel good about. Appreciation of what
you do have is the easiest to shift your attention in a positive
manner.

Intention

Intention is just making the decision to move toward goal, action
or state. Only you mean it. Not an idle daydream. There’s a sense
of focus to the intent.

Combine presence, with focused attention, to the goal you have
chosen with your intent. You are now on your way to achieving
whatever you set out to do.

Just don’t scare your goal away by being attached to attaining
it. Seems like goals can smell neediness.

Detachment and Acceptance

Detach. Don’t lean emotionally. You can be in the moment
planning for the future or learning from the past. Just don’t be
transported through time, out of the present, via your emotions.

Another word for detachment and acceptance is, surrender.

Does that mean you give up on your goals when the going gets
tough? Surrender sounds like giving up doesn’t it?

No. What I mean is you look at the situation in the present
moment. Can you do anything about changing it? Right now? Choose
to do so or choose not to do anything about it.

What you are surrendering to is the reality of what is. You’re not
investing wishful thinking into escaping the reality of the
moment.

Working to change the situation is fine. Battling it by wishing
circumstances were different in the present moment just wastes
your time and energy.

What now?

Now, it’s time to cultivate these qualities in your own life.
Meditation can help. Also, be aware of when you’re not aligned
with the PAIDA principles. Just noticing being out of alignment
can be a big help in bringing you back.

At random times during the day, you can ask yourself, “Am I PAIDA?”
And go through the list. Without judgment. Judging yourself
will just knock you further out of alignment.

After a while you just might find some subtle changes occurring
in your life. “Good Luck” starts finding it’s way into your
life. Maybe bad habits are disappearing. You’re more relaxed,
enjoying life. You are happy!

(C)2006 William Cole, Permission is granted to use this article, as long as it remains unchanged, including the resource box and links.

William Cole is an experienced energy healer. He provides
support for people looking for ways to use energy healing
techniques in their lives. Creating lasting, positive changes
for themselves and others.

For more information and the Our Healing Wisdom Newsletter please
visit http://www.ourhealingwisdom.com, today.

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“Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery.”
Warren G. Bennis

Why doesn’t the federal sector engage in more strategic thinking in its operations? Clearly, the average American can witness strategic thinking in a war or other military combat. As a manager with over 17 years of management experiences, I have seen various types of organizational structures. Clearly, the federal system is an intriguing investigation for any organization behavior expert. In a bureaucratic structure, large organizations control employees by giving leader legitimate power and standardizing work processes. Bureaucratic leaders influence employees primarily on their legality of authority and the right to issue commands.

Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel, who are leadership experts, denote strategy as a plan, pattern, position, or direction. On the contrary, it is my theory that bureaucracies are often shortsighted in strategic thinking. Don’t get me wrong. Bureaucracies have plenty of plans and consistency. However, they fall short on focus.

Let me expand on this concept. Wacker, Taylor, & Means, authors of The Visionary’s Handbook, argue that intrinsic worth disappears as a measuring stick when circumstances change. In the federal environment, politics are high stakes. The top power positions change between 2-4 years.

How does an organization maintain a consistent vision when the key leadership change as often as changing an automobile tire? Therefore, any long lasting change flows upward until it reaches the right champion and the right climate. Leaders need to possess vision and think strategically even in a federal system.

References:

Bass, B. (1999). Bass & Stogdill’s handbook of leadership. New York: The Free Press.
Mintzberg, H. Ahlstrand, B. & Lampel, J. New York: The Free Press.

Wacker, W., Taylor, J., & Means, H. (2000). New York: HarperBusiness.

Wren, D. (2005). The Evolution of Management Thought. Hooboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

© 2006 by Daryl D. Green

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