Is There an ROI in Leadership Development?
In all businesses there is at least some move towards the further professionalization of its staff; particularly those in leadership positions or who demonstrate leadership potential. Human resource organizations are well aware of this trend due to the opportunities for leadership coaching that this offers.
One of the problems for many companies is in identifying and establishing the ROI or return on the financial investment involved in staff mentoring and training. Establishing the financial benefits of leadership development courses is difficult, not least because it requires a certain perception of where the trainee was, and how they have advanced with the training.
Why is Leadership Development Important?
The emphasis on leaders needing to be proactive rather than reactive may be a good argument for coaching, especially from the provider’s point of view, but whether that change is measurable is unclear. There is a major issue on where professional and leadership courses are sourced. Some of the courses are organized by human resource organizations, while others are start-up businesses.
Where a business has its own human resource department, personnel need to take great care when selecting an organization that offers leadership development courses. Courses can cost £500 or more a day and it is not always easy to assess the provider’s qualifications for offering such a course.
Like many other innovations in the business world, courses on the development of leadership qualities may be just another fad, with too many people trying to climb onto what they see as the latest business gravy train. There is always a problem in estimating the development of soft skills because of the human element, which is problematic when it comes to assessing the ROI of such courses. Everyone does not respond in the […]
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“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible,” Christopher Reeves
Christopher Reeves was an amazing man who never let his disabilities get in the way of experiencing life. Many people see him as going from being Superman to being the man in a wheelchair. In all reality, he went from being the man who played Superman to actually becoming Superman. His life and attitude towards it was nothing short of super.
Reeves’ example is like a beacon in the night. He is there for all of us to look up to and see where life can take us.
There are times in everyone’s life when everything seems bleak. When nothing is going the way you though it should have or would have. It can be hard to look at your life and realize that it’s not where you want to be. Whatever situation you find yourself in, just remember that no matter what is happening you can always have hope.
Happiness is a choice you make. You can choose to accept things the way they are and not do anything about it, or you can choose to have hope and make up your mind to be happy. That’s not saying it won’t be difficult, but it is a deliberate and conscience choice you have to make on your own.
Change starts with you. You can’t change the people around you, no matter how hard you try. You have to start with yourself. Decide that you will be the one to step up and move forward. Outside influences can only affect your outlook on life and your feelings about yourself and others if you allow them to.
You are the only one placing limitations on yourself. First you have to believe that nothing can stop you, then you have to […]
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How to Break Free From the Cycle of Self Defeat
How often have you set a goal, failed to reach it, and used that as a reason not to try something else? Probably quite often, if you are anything like the rest of us. The cycle of self-defeat is a powerful and negative influence on many aspects of life. However, it is something that can itself be defeated. Use these tips to become your own champion rather than holding yourself back.
Accept Failure
When a baby first starts to walk, it is going to fall down. It will fall over and over again, but each time it falls it learns something new about walking. Would you tell a baby to stop trying just because it fell the first time? Failure is simply a lesson that will help you to do better the next time you try. Once you see failure as a tool for learning, you will realize that even those experiences are valuable and worthwhile.
Praise Yourself
Your thoughts have a powerful effect on your mind. Positive thinking might be somewhat of a cliché, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work. Changing your thought patterns is the basis of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and it can have a dramatic impact on how you see yourself. There’s a reason that the most successful rehabs focus on holistic alcohol recovery – your state of mind, state of health and emotions all interact and feed back on each other.
When you have negative thoughts about yourself and your capabilities, think what a friend might say to you or what you would say to a friend if they expressed those feelings. If your friend said “I can’t do anything right,” you would point out their accomplishments. So, the next time you feel […]
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The Magic of Goal Setting
Many people see goal setting as an activity to be done in the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s. It’s the traditional time to make some resolutions which can, just as traditionally, be forgotten about within a couple of weeks. If this describes the way you approach goal setting then brace yourself, because at this very moment you are reading an article with the power to transform your life.
There is one – and only one – trait that the vast majority of successful people have in common. It has nothing to do with ability or education or good looks or wealthy parents or good health or most of the other things you might assume. The trait that separates the majority of successful people from the rest of the pack is a strong goal orientation. Some of these people don’t even realize that they possess this trait, so innate is their drive to achieve their objectives. But when you look closely you will discover, time after time, that nearly all successful people have mastered these fundamental concepts.
The good news is that every one of these steps can be learned, practiced and perfected. So, in a nutshell, here are the key behaviors that goal oriented people exhibit:
1) They know what they want. They imagine the future and get clear on where they intend to be. If they are looking forward to attending a class reunion and want to do so at a certain weight, they literally see themselves at that weight by the date of the event.
2) They focus on what they want. It’s not enough to desire something and forget about it. In order to accomplish an important objective these people know that they […]
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The Importance of Reading Success Stories
No matter what you’re going through, someone has been through worse. There are many resources out there that can help you learn to focus on the positive, improve your character and overcome obstacles. Taking advantage of every possible resource available to you is a smart move. One of those many resources is success stories and profiles of those who have gone before you.
Motivation:
Their stories of inspiration and ingenuity can motive you when things are looking their bleakest. Just as focusing on the negative can influence you to have a pessimistic attitude towards life, focusing on other people’s success can give you hope and clarification for the future.
Obstacles in life come no matter if you are trying to get somewhere or not. Instead of just sitting there and allowing yourself to be acted upon, get up and make things happen. People who are content with things the way they are will find that nothing worth keeping stays the same without fighting for it.
During the Good Times:
Even when things are going smoothly, success stories can ingrain in you the importance of always striving for new and innovative ideas. They serve as a reminder to always strive to achieve more. If you strengthen your resolve and your character when times are rough, you will be better prepared to handle things when they start going downhill.
Don’t just coast through the good times, keep working.
The Right Success Stories:
If you find yourself feeling depressed or not good enough after ready through some success stories, take a step back and look at the type of stories you’re reading. Are they about someone overcoming obstacle after obstacle as they pushed toward their goal or are they about someone achieving “success” because […]
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4 Aspects of a Healthy Lifestyle
At PMI we encourage all our students to strive to be the best, to never settle for less than they deserve. In order to always be at your best you must take care of yourself. Learning how to run a business is hard let alone actually running the business. Being healthy will help you keep up with everything in your professional and personal life.
There are four main areas you can work on to have a healthy lifestyle, attitude and mindset. They are physical, mental, social and spiritual. Each of these areas will have an effect on you and how you operate your business.
Physical: As strange as it sounds exercising your body and using energy will give you more energy. Energy is essential to being an entrepreneur. You will be busy every single day and when you are first starting most of those days will not be sitting at a desk.
Being physically fit doesn’t mean that you have to be ready to run a marathon at any moment. Find a type of exercise you enjoy whether it’s running, swimming, biking, lifting weights or walking. Set up an exercise schedule and do it at least 3 times a week.
Eating healthy goes hand in hand with exercising. Eating a healthy breakfast before starting work will help you stay focused throughout the day and get your metabolism working.
Mental: As you age, your mind learns slower and even starts to deteriorate. You must exercise your brain to keep it sharp. Take time to do Sudoku puzzles, crosswords, math problems or even learn a new word every day. Doing these things will help your mind stay focused and active.
Learn to focus your mind on one thing […]
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Be Willing To Fail
Our talents, skills and knowledge are like our physical bodies. If you don’t exercise them, they start to deteriorate. You can’t sit on a couch for a month and then expect to run a six minute mile. You can’t expect to try something new and be perfect at it the first time. You have to fail so you can build yourself up. Failing helps you become the kind of person who can do hard things.
My dad is a retired Marine. He has been in excellent physical shape his whole life. When he was about 30 years old, he decided to start up swimming. He had always been a runner and thought it was time for a change. He figured that because he ran, weight trained and was a marine that swimming would be no problem.
He got to the pool that first day and decided he would swim a mile. He only made it halfway when his body gave out him. He realized that running and lifting weights uses different muscles than swimming. He couldn’t believe how tired he had gotten in such a short amount of time.
He decided he wasn’t going to let it get him down. He set a goal to swim a mile and that’s what he would do. He continued to swim three days a week for a month. He was getting nowhere. Every time he hit the half mile mark, he was too weak to go on.
He thought that maybe it was his technique. So he started learning more about swimming and all the different kinds of strokes. He worked on his technique until he had it down pat. But, he could still only make it a half mile.
After months […]
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The Truth About Goals
Have you ever heard anybody complain about goal setting? If you haven’t, you probably aren’t listening very closely. When people are asked to set goals a large percentage of them are likely to say that the process is hokey, that they’ve tried it and it didn’t work for them, or that they are somehow turned off by the hype that goal proponents tend to exude.
Well, there is a good reason for that hype. It’s not a mere coincidence that highly optimistic people also tend to be the people most likely to make goal setting a routine part of their day. Who wouldn’t become optimistic upon discovering a system for making their dreams come true? The process is so reliable that people who are really good at it often say things like, “I’m the luckiest person in the world,” “Everything always goes my way,” and “I wonder what the poor people are doing today.” That last statement might sound arrogant, but it’s not about financial wealth at all. It refers to the people who have failed to grasp the simple secret to attracting true abundance into their lives.
That secret is setting goals. Expert goal setters take this process extremely seriously. They don’t start wishing for all sorts of things they’d like to attain if they happened to fall into their lap. Instead they focus on something that they must have… something that they cannot do without… something that they are willing to give their all for. Just so you know, it’s possible to create this level of desire for anything you want, but it’s not possible to create it for everything at the same time. That’s why goal setters like to use the word “focus.” […]
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Know Your Learning Style
Everyone is different; from the way we respond to situations to the food we like. We each have a unique personality. So, it’s no wonder that we all learn differently too. One person could look at graph for 10 minutes and get all the necessary information they need from it. Someone else could look at the same graph for hours and still not completely comprehend the whole picture. It has nothing to do with the intelligence of the people, but rather their different learning styles. Knowing your learning style with help you be aware how to approach learning a new skill or how to best expand your knowledge about a subject.
There are four different learning styles. Each category has specific techniques that will contribute to a person’s potential for learning. They are visual, aural, kinesthetic, and logical.
People who learn visually can usually be found in professions such as architecture, photography, design, or video and film. They learn by using images and color in the place of text. It is recommended that people who learn visually should use colored pens when they are studying.
The next learning style is aural. These are the people who have interests in music; whether it’s playing, conducting or composing. They learn best by using sound, rhyme and music. When memorizing facts or a script, put it to song and that will help to engrain it into your memory.
Another way to learn is through logic. Those who think and learn logically are able to see patterns and trends in various texts. They are able to group content together in ways that are easier for them to understand. Logical thinkers excel in areas such as sciences, mathematics, accounting, and law. […]
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Mary Lou Retton Success Profile
Mary Lou Retton became “America’s Sweetheart” in the 1984 Olympics when she scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault to win the all-around title by 0.05 points. Retton won four additional medals: silver in the team competition and the horse vault, and bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars. For her performance, she was named Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sportswoman of the Year“. She appeared on a Wheaties box, and became the cereal’s first official spokeswoman.
During her gymnastics career, she suffered several injuries and had surgery on her knee only three weeks before the 1984 Olympics. Extensive training was a way of life for her since she really became serious about gymnastics at age eight. At age 14, she moved away from her family to train under Romanians Béla and Márta Károlyi, who had coached Nadia Comăneci, her heroine, before their defection to the United States.
During the 1990s, Retton worked as a spokeswoman for the U.S. drugstore chain Revco. Retton was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
In 1993 the Associated Press released results of a sports study in which Retton was statistically tied for first place with fellow Olympian Dorothy Hamill as the most popular athlete in America.
In 1997, Retton was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Retton has many commercial endorsements, including the first appearance by a female on a […]
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