Top Ten Reasons People Fail To Attain Goals

Top Ten Reasons People Fail To Attain Goals
By Terry Wisner

With the plenary of philosophers and self-improvement gurus in all forms of media, it is amazing how many times a day are we informed that all we need to do is, have a dream and go after it. Many of the clients of PARTNERING TO SUCCESS have told me that Partnering is the secret to success. Well I hate to rain on your parade, but there is no secret. Partnering simply addresses one of the Top Ten reasons for failure to reach your goals.

Although the accountability that Partners enjoy is a major key success factor, any one of the ten will lead to falling short in goal attainment.The goals can be personal; IE, Lose weight, remodel the kitchen, get our finances in order, clean up my credit. Or, your goals may be work related; IE, improve customer service skills, make more cold calls, close more sales, listen better, improve my leadership skills, et cetera. Review the listing and rate yourself on each of the items. Be honest with yourself and identify the areas in your personal planning which need improvement.

10) ILL DO IT TOMORROW: Procrastination! Too many people just keep putting of until tomorrow, that which they know they need to do today. Why? Because its easy! Short term, its always easier to do nothing. If you know you need to improve in some area, make it a priority, develop a plan, and Partner with someone to make it happen.

9) TOO MANY BALLS IN THE AIR: At times, we all feel like we are juggling too many things in our day to day lives. Many folks enjoy having things on their To Do list, simply to check them off. Select two, maybe three things that you want to work on this year. Make those your Priority.

8) DONT REALLY WANT TO: Its important to note that nobody can motivate you. Each of us can motivate ourselves, and only ourselves. If someone else tells you to go after this goal, it is not likely to give you the passion and drive you need to achieve it. The goal must be important to you and your success.

7) NOT SURE ITS IMPORTANT: Once you have established a goal, it sometimes can become secondary to other objectives in life. If the goal is not important to you, it will not be achieved. By the way, just because it is important to the boss, it may not be important to the employee.

6) DONT KNOW HOW TO DO IT! All too often people set goals for themselves, create a plan, and go after their objective. However, without the knowledge of how to do it, they ultimately fail. An essential element of your plan should be to test your knowledge and educate yourself. WARNING: Dont overeducate yourself. Some people never get things done because they try to make it perfect. As the old saying goes, dont let perfect get in the way of good.

5) CANT DO IT: Certainly every one of us has fallen into this category. We want to accomplish something specific, we make it a priority, we develop our plan, and we Partner to hold each other accountable. Unfortunately, we plainly dont possess the ability to carry it out. One can plan to hike to the top of Pikes Peak; however, without the ability to cope with the altitude, the plan will just not come together.

4) SOMETHING IS MISSING: If the right tools arent in the tool box, the job will be difficult or perhaps even impossible. No matter what the task, if the proper resources are not available, the job wont get done. Attitude and aptitude are vitally important, but without a computer, a PowerPoint presentation would be very difficult deliver.

3) CANT STICK TO IT: Every one of us gets distracted. The phone rings, a visitor stops by, something of interest enters our mind, new objectives are given to us or identified by ourselves, and the list goes on. According to a recently completed survey by NFI Research, two of the top sources of stress for managers are interruptions (47%) and conflicting responsibilities (37%). Focus, focus, focus! Post your major objectives in plain sight, put little reminders around your office or home, and remember that your Partner will help you maintain focus. If your goals are most important, then maintaining focus should not be a problem.

2) NO WRITTEN PLAN: Have a purpose. Too many folks go through life and never understand their purpose. Things take up the hours of our lives, but in the end, many individuals look back a simply regret many things they didnt do. Once you have identified your major priorities, its time to develop a plan to achieve them. Make sure the plan is written and includes the following:

Specific objectives and milestones. The steps to reach your goal
Measures that will indicate how you are progressing
Attainable elementsthings you can do
Results oriented statements and actions
Timing of each objective so you know when you are finished

If you fail to planyou plan to fail.

1) NO ACCOUNTABILITY: The number one reason people fail to accomplish their goals is lack of accountability. Any effective seminar, class, or workshop will include an action planning segment in the program. Participants write their action plan, often share it with others at their table, sometimes read it aloud to the entire group, and fully intend to implement the planned changes in their work and/ or personal life. Come Monday, they fall right back into the same old behaviors and fail to execute the plan. Be honest, youve done it, Ive done it, everybody does it. Thats where Partnering comes into play. This process offers a simple and unique approach to accountability. Question, if we could hold ourselves accountable, wouldnt we already be doing it? Are there things in your life you know must change, but never do? You need a Partner, and by the way, they need one too.

Dont let any of these ten things keep you from achieving the success you expect. Prioritize, Plan, and Partner.

Terry Wisner, the Partnering Pro, International Speaker, Consultant, and author, shares his experience and knowledge through energetic, entertaining, and enlghtening presentations and seminars. Do you,or your company want to experience improvement in; Customer Service, Teamwork, Leadership Skills, Communication Skills, or simply Self-Improvement? Then, visit Terry at http://www.terrywisner.com or http://www.p2s.us and learn more about Partnering and how it can help you and your organization eliminate the top ten reasons for failure.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=TerryWisner
http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-Ten-Reasons-People-Fail-To-Attain-Goals&id=169634

10 Critical Success Clues

10 Critical Success Clues
By Leslie Fieger

I don't need to be a gypsy fortune teller to tell your fortune. I can tell with a 95% certainty whether or not a person is (or is going to be) successful.

All I need is 20 minutes of conversation or a few email interactions and I know. It is easy to do. You can do it too. Yes! You can actually predict whether or not someone will have the success they say they want. Better yet, you can tell if you are going to be a success OR not.

The best part about checking to see if you will be a success is that you don't have to 'beat around the bush' in a conversation to discover the clues, as you would normally have to do with another person. The worst part about checking in with yourself is that you will run up against an outright liar. Yes, you will attempt to deceive yourself. Now that you are forewarned about that, you can watch out for your attempts to obscure (or divert yourself from) the truth about yourself.

So, if you want to predict the future of anyone, including yourself, here are the ten most critical clues that you will need to uncover and clarify:

1- Attitude

2- Intention

3- Purpose

4- Passion

5- Plan

6- Resolve

7- Responsibility

8- Words

9- Actions

10-Peers.

Let's take a closer look at each.

Attitude: There is a winner's attitude and there is a loser's attitude. Most people have a mix of the two.

A winner's attitude is characterized by high self-esteem, a positive outlook on life, a general feeling of gratitude, a sense of great personal destiny, a willingness to learn and the will to do what is necessary.

Losers have poor self-esteem, a negative (they say realistic) outlook on life, a general feeling of resentment about the trials and tribulations of life, a sense of impending negative fate, a stubbornness about what they 'know', and lousy will-power or self-discipline.

Intention: As a general rule, things done with intent, produce intended results and things done without specific intent produce unintended results.

It is my experience that most people think, say and do most things in life without any conscious and specific intent. I like to ask people (and especially myself) the following clarifying questions:

What is your intent in holding that belief? What is your intent in thinking that way? What is your intent in doing what you do? Most can't answer. Winners can. More importantly, winners are always asking themselves, what is my intended result for this chosen action, thought or way of being?.

Purpose: This is so simple it is almost ludicrous... a life without a defined and stated purpose is a life of no purpose and no meaning.

Winners have a purpose. Losers do not. Winners live a life of purpose and 'on purpose'. Losers live accidentally; victims of circumstance instead of creators of circumstance. The sooner you write down the succinct and true purpose of your life, the sooner you will discover success, happiness and personal fulfillment.

Important caveat: your purpose does not have to be altruistic or measure up to anyone's standards except your own. It can be entirely selfish.

Passion: Passion is that fuel that drives you. Passion is also what attracts to you the people and resources that you need to achieve your success.

Passion is magnetic. Desire is the metaphysical equivalent of gravity. It draws to you the elements that you need to succeed. Passionate people attract followers and supporters. Winners are passionate! ! ! ! !

Plan: You've heard before. You've read it many times. Every personal empowerment teacher says it... You must have specific and written goals and a step-by-step plan to enact those goals.

Every business needs a business plan. Your life needs a plan. You must create it. As Ben Franklin pointed out, Failing to plan is planning to fail. Winners have a game plan. Losers are spectators and armchair quarterbacks. Do you have written goals?

Do you have a specific game plan?

Resolve: It is persistence that creates winners. It takes resolve to reach the top.

There will be obstacles in your path and impediments to your success. Losers allow themselves to be defeated by these barriers. Winners use them to build up strength and/or to learn a better way to do something. I see it all the time... people quit just before the finish line. They lose focus and direction.

Winners persist. Losers desist.

Responsibility: Ask yourself this question, Why don't I have all the prosperity, happiness, success and fulfillment that I desire?

If you blame any condition, circumstance, event, person or external thing, then you are a loser. Winners accept responsibility. Losers assess blame.

Step up to the plate and accept responsibility for your life and you will become the winner that you desire to be in your secret heartfelt moments. The wonderful part about accepting responsibility for your failures is that you also get to accept responsibility for your successes. You don't have to say that you were lucky or blessed or had the right breaks... you can say, I did this.

Words: The words you speak and the way you speak them tell a lot about you. They tell the world what you believe, what you think, where you have been, who you hang around with and where you are likely to end up.

Below average people talk about other people; average people talk about events and circumstances. above average people (winners) talk about ideas and ideals (especially their own).

Winners say what they mean and mean what they say. Losers say what they think will please others or repeat what they have been told.

Actions: And yes, actions speak louder than words. The things you do are a reflection of your character.

Most people tend to do what most others do, in some sort of willful ignorance of the plain fact that most people live mediocre lives and never achieve the success they had idealized for themselves. Actions produces results.

If you want uncommon results, you must undertake to act uncommonly on purpose, with intent, with responsibility, with persistence, with resolve, with passion and according to your plan.

Do what you love. Do what you will.

Peers: Birds of a feather do flock together.

If you want to be a winner, hang out with winners. Create your own 'mastermind group'. Try to be involved with people who are smarter than you, more successful than you, have greater aspirations than you. If you can't do it in person, read their books or read their biographies or visit their websites.

Losers like to hang around with other losers, not just because misery loves company, but because their self-esteem is not threatened by comparison to their peers. If you can find the way to love yourself enough to always have a high level of self-esteem, then you won't need to compare yourself to others.

Winners believe in themselves. Losers believe in the world around them.

So now you know my secret to be able to predict the future. All I need to know about a person is:

1- Who they hang around with,

2- What they do day-to-day,

3- The way they speak and what they say,

4- Whether or not they assume responsibility or assess blame,

5- Whether or not they have the resolve (the stick-to-it-tive-ness) to overcome obstacles,

6- If they have a plan to live by,

7- A passion for life and their plans,

8- A self-designed purpose to live for,

9- If they act intentionally or in reaction, and,

10- What their overall attitude is to life and their part in it.

Now that you know, you don't need me, or some gypsy tea leaf reader, to predict your future.

The GREAT good news is that, if you discover, through this self-analysis, that you do not have these 10 necessary characteristics of winners, you can change the way you are and the things you do. So there it is... your destiny is yours, by design or by default. It is up to you.

Leslie Fieger. All rights reserved worldwide.

Leslie is the author of The DELFIN Knowledge System Trilogy: The Initiation, The Journey and The Quest plus many more success publications. He also the co-author of The End of the World with Hugh Jeffries and Alexandra's DragonFire with his daughter Ashley. Subscribe to his free and ad-free eZine at http://www.ProsperityParadigm.com or http://www.LeslieFieger.com.

Reprinting and republishing of this article is granted only with the above credit included. Permission to reprint or republish does not waive any copyright.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=LeslieFieger
http://EzineArticles.com/?10-Critical-Success-Clues&id=17750

1 and Only Tip You Need to Set Yourself Up for Success

1 and Only Tip You Need to Set Yourself Up for Success
By Erik Vossman

You could spend days reading all the Anthony Robbins self improvement books, listening to all his CDs and watching all his tapes. You could sift through Amazon reading the reviews of Dr. Phil and the like. This would no doubt motivate you to become better at whatever it is you are hoping to accomplish. You would then find more information and learn how to do whatever it is you want to do. This route is good but too often it shifts focus away from your goal to the point where you don't have the drive to complete it. Sure you are motivated but you might just forget what you're motivated for.

This is why you really only need one tip to start you on the path to success:

1. Become Accountable

That seems like a pretty simple task on a really simplified list. However, as you think about what becoming accountable means you begin to realize just how difficult it can be.

Becoming accountable for your goals and actions means that other people need to know what your doing and what you plan on doing. This means you can't sit back being a gonna doer only telling yourself and a few close friends, I'm going to be rich some day, or This year I'm going to get that promotion. No, instead of telling you significant other, your dog, or maybe, just maybe your best friend, you have to tell everyone especially those you admire most.

By telling all the people around you what your plans are, what your goals are, you are creating a fan base of sorts. When you have fans you have people to encourage you. Most of all when you have fans you have people following your progress that you don't want to disappoint. Not letting someone down can be one of the biggest motivators a human being needs to strive for success.

Looking at your favorite sports team you can see an example of this first hand. Most athletes have a crowd, be it their mothers at the local pee wee baseball game to fanatics that follow pro teams all over the world, these athletes have people who want them to succeed. Sure some get payed outrageous salaries to do what they do, but all that stems from having a fan base that wants them to succeed.

You need to get the word out. Here are several tips that can help you do just that without taking your energies away from accomplishing your goal and achieving the level of success you deserve for yourself.

1. Start a blog and tell the world
2. Bring it up in the next bar room conversation
3. Put it in your Holiday Cards
4. Put it in your email closing
5. Join a club and share your goals with its members

Just trying these five suggestions has the potential to explode your fan base. Getting fans you won't want to disappoint will force you into a situation to succeed, you'll have no choice but to succeed.

By Erik Vossman
Can You Become Good at Everything

Erik Vossman over at http://www.erikvossman.com is working towards becoming good at everything he tries and shares great tips for success in whatever you are trying to do. Join him on his quest and learn how to be successful.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=ErikVossman
http://EzineArticles.com/?1-and-Only-Tip-You-Need-to-Set-Yourself-Up-for-Success&id=145257

Finding Life's Candles for Dark Moments

Finding Life's Candles for Dark Moments
By Ana Tampanna

Tragedy doesnt make an appointment. It attacks! A terrifying surprise that explodes in the midst of a family. Tragedy brings with it multiple consequences as wellfinancial disaster, depression, guilt and blame. Devastating fallout! Marriages fall apart, family members commit suicide, personalities change. Yet tragedies occur daily. Tornadoes and earthquakes rip apart communities, car accidents claim thousands of lives, and children drink poisons or drown in swimming pools. People kill their friends and families, co-workers and peers. Here is what helped me make it through a horrendous time, so should it happens to you or to a close friend. You have some suggestions to fall back on.

Words are not necessary-- a loving presence conveys support. Initial shock and denial are numbing and intensely painful. When we received the dreadful news of our daughter-in-laws murder, we called our minister immediately. He and his wife came over and sat with us silently in the middle of the night. They made coffee, experienced our grief and comforted us with their presence.

Ask people you trust to handle immediate logistical problems. We had to cancel plane reservations, and make new ones. Airlines offer a reduced fare for situations when grieving families need to rush in an emergency. My brother, who travels a lot, made reservations for us. Caring friends wanted to keep our children and pets. Dont hesitate to ask or accept.

Keep inspirational reading with you. Ask your minister or a caring friend to loan you an inspirational book if necessary. I found the book of Psalms particularly helpful, as well as a book loaned to me from an Al-Anon friend. Our minister mailed a wonderful book he had written. Another minister had comforting words about the sweet relief experienced when dying.

Keep a journal. I purchased a thick, spiral notebook and kept it with me. In it put information as well as feelings, events, and questions. I taped business cards of police, investigators, and wrote down addresses of helpful strangers. My portable office became invaluable.

Buy thank you notes. Thank you notes help you to focus on the love and support you receive during this painful time rather than your helplessness or loneliness. Strangers brought us food and took us to dinner. Our church sent flowers to our hotel room. Friends held mass at home for our daughter-in-law. People who admired her came to see us, gave us religious pictures, and bought us sodas. I concentrated on building a new support system by writing immediate thank you notes. When we returned home, more thoughtfulness awaited us including food, vitamins, and an invitation to go cherry picking (a perfect thing to do when processing grief).

Stay connected to home. If the tragedy takes you away from home, arrange a time that you will talk with a calm, clear- headed family member daily. My brother called me at four every afternoon. I looked forward to his call and found comfort in his familiar voice. I took my laptop computer with me which enabled receiving caring messages via email. With my brothers phone calls and emails, our home community stayed informed of our trauma. They organized needed support as soon as we returned. The church casserole brigade had food ready, gift baskets, cards and prayers. A special service at our church and a prayer service with our Marriage Encounter Group provided us with loving friends who listened and cried with us as we worked through our emotional pain. One cant carry such a burden alone.

In the months that follow. Tragedies attract media, curious people, gossips, and people intrigued by dramatic life events. Sometimes people who had nothing to do with the tragedy become obsessed with the details. With our tragedy, information changed constantly upsetting our perspectives and tearing our shreds of hope. Phone calls and emails came from strange sources. Be careful not to answer media questions or give out information to the wrong people.

A year might not be enough. Grieving takes time. Any healing does. For us, ongoing legal trials fester the guilt, doubt, and confusion. Even though life has basically returned to normal, my energy level has not. I seem to accomplish far less than before. I remember having a long to do list and happily checking off task after task. Now, I check off two. (Three if I count my exercise.) My focus has become a wild animal, difficult to train. Yesterday, I had to write down take a shower. Initially, I asked friends to take me places as a distraction. Immediately after I asked, it seemed as if I lacked time to go anywhere. Time became unmanageable. I let go of my career goals, a difficult challenge for an achiever like me. Making sales and booking presentations did not seem relevant any more.

Even now, a year and a half later, I am still in the healing process only now I have a deep understanding of what other people are going through.

Let go of what you didnt do to prevent the tragedy. Focus on what you can to help others now. Both my husband and myself have felt called to serve people in new ways. A year after the tragedy occurred, my husband got laid off from his lucrative computer-consulting job. He wants to make a career change to teach high school. I took volunteer training to answer hotline phones for sexual abuse and family violence. The experience has been rewarding, Im sorry I waited until now to do this. Both of these activities stem from the helplessness we felt after our tragedy. Even our children respect us for taking them on. We know our values are changing.

It has been said that our tragedies make us who we are. We would agree with Corita Kent, Flowers grow out of dark moments.

Ana Tampanna, The Alligator Queen, is author or the The Womanly Art of Alligator Wrestling. To learn more about her books in addition to her speaking and coaching services, visit her site at http://www.alligatorcoach.com/index.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=AnaTampanna
http://EzineArticles.com/?-Finding-Lifes-Candles-for-Dark-Moments&id=16059

Success at Work : People Skills : Complaining

Success at Work : People Skills : Complaining
By Stephen Bucaro

Do you know an individual at work who is a chronic complainer? Are YOU a chronic complainer? People don't like complainers. Listening to a chronic complainer gets people depressed. They prefer to associate with people that make them feel good. If you are always complaining about something, people will start to ignore you.

If you're a chronic complainer, you're sabotaging yourself and your success at work. In this article, I explain how you can improve your outlook at work and improve your prospects for success. The first thing you need to do is get in touch with reality.

People are not perfect and you shouldn't expect them to be. An organization is a group of people, so no company or organization can be perfect. If you expect your organization to be perfect, you need to change your expectations.

Instead of expecting things to be perfect, expect everything to be totally screwed up at all times. Then on the rare occasion when something does go right, you will be pleasantly surprised.

There are many problems that you can't do anything about. Learn to work around the things you can't change. Some things you can change. Instead of whining and complaining, take responsibility for a problem you can solve. Don't try to change the world, focus on improving your own little corner of the company.

You might realize that there are many problems you might be able to solve. Don't try to solve all the problems at once. Prioritize the things that you view as problems and choose your battles. Attack the most important problem first.

When you complain, limit your complaint to one problem and be specific. Along with your complaint, suggest a realistic solution. If you can't think of a realistic solution to the problem, then how do you expect someone else to solve the problem?

Sometimes it's best to put your complaint in writing. Put your written complaint aside for a day. Don't submit your complaint until your writing is clear, logical, and carefully thought out. By the time you finish, you may realize that you didn't completely understand the problem, or you may decide that the problem isn't worth complaining about after all.

If your complaint involves a person, avoid attacking that individual. Don't complain that the individual is stupid or inconsiderate. Complain that what the individual did was stupid or inconsiderate. If a person works really hard, they might be able to change how they act, but they can never change who they are.

Complaining about your boss or a higher manager is very dangerous. Don't complain about the boss to your coworkers. If your boss loses face, the only way to gain back their self respect may be to fire you. Ask your boss for a private meeting and discuss the problem in a calm and polite manner.

Whether the person you are complaining about is your boss or a coworker, try to make some compliments along with the complaint. Everybody has good and bad characteristics. Make sure the individual understands that you recognize and appreciate their good characteristics. That person may not realize that anyone thought they had good characteristics and you may gain a new friend.

Note: Similar to never complaining about your boss to coworkers, a consultant should never complain about his company to the firm that he is hired out to.

It may be difficult to recognize, but all problems have a good side. Many problems are opportunities in disguise. Look for the positive side in every problem. Approach all problems with a sense of humor. If you can find the positives or the humor in a problem and you make positive statements to your coworkers and your boss, you will greatly improve your prospects for success at work.

Copyright(C) 2004 Bucaro TecHelp.

Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included.

About The Author

Stephen Bucaro

To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com. To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=StephenBucaro
http://EzineArticles.com/?Success-at-Work-:-People-Skills-:-Complaining&id=22666

Money Talks How Your Listening Skills Make You Wealthy

Money Talks - How Your Listening Skills Make You Wealthy
By Tania Gabrielle French

Yesterday I spent some time with a friend and kept my mouth shut. Well, not the whole time, but most of the time.

What kind of friend was this?

A person whos expertise in health is one I admire and seek out whenever theres an opportunity.

So, here was a chance to ask a lot of questions and Listen. It made me realize why I dont like small talk. Never have. So, we didnt talk about the news, barely mentioned the weather, and there definitely was no gossiping about others just a joyful exchange of helpful information and laughs.

This friend is highly successful. Hes a great listener. Because of that, he connects on a deep level with those hes listening to. The result of this careful attention is that his answers to questions are intuitive, lightning bolts of reason.

When you hang around people who havent accomplished much with their gifts, you notice that they like to talk and have a hard time listening.

Makes you realize why theyre life is in a rut.

Theyre not asking the right people the right questions, because they arent open to change. They cant even concentrate on the predicament of their own life, let alone anyone elses.

Its much easier to talk than it is to listen. Listening is an art. And it must be cultivated every time an opportunity presents itself.

One of the best exercises you can do is to pay close attention when some one is talking. In addition to learning what they have to say, youll develop strong powers of mental and physical concentration.

You can practice this anywhere, anytime. Even on the phone. Thats just what I did a couple of days back. When I talked to one of my mentors, a master teacher who knows what it takes to go from rags to mega-riches. Hes done it. Needless to say, hes someone I listen to closely.

And when I do open my mouth I ask a lot of questions.

I know what its like to be at the receiving end of questions too. And, believe me, most questions only need short answers. Not much people ask requires a long detailed explanation. Thats saved for the serious students, the ones whose eagerness to learn spurs everyone else on too.

I am such a student. And you should be too. Because every person of greatness remains a student for life.

So if a life of wealth is your goal, read and listen to those you wish to emulate. Immerse yourself in the topic you want to succeed in. Listen closely and quietly.

And put all you learn into action immediately. Action is a critical part of listening. Implementing wisdom is hearing it all over again. That is the key to a prosperous, joyous life.

Tania Gabrielle French is a composer who has enjoyed performances and radio broadcasts of her music worldwide. She is the creator of Recharge and Rejuvenate CD packages combining powerful words with relaxing music for the ultimate listening experience.

Subscribe to her popular Art Abundance Newsletter

2006 Tania Gabrielle French. All Rights Reserved.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=TaniaGabrielleFrench
http://EzineArticles.com/?Money-Talks---How-Your-Listening-Skills-Make-You-Wealthy&id=147208

Leadership Skill: What is Your LQ: Leadership Quotient?

Leadership Skill: What is Your LQ: Leadership Quotient?
By Sharif Khan

The unexamined life is not worth living. Plato

As the New Year approaches, Id like to recommend taking a brief moment of pause from your hectic holiday pace to examine your life and reflect on where you are and where youre headed.

Whether leading yourself toward a higher path, leading a family, community, congregation, or an entire organization, this is a good time to reexamine your leadership effectiveness. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, how would you rate yourself as a leader? Leadership effectiveness, what I like to call LQ or Leadership Quotient, is primarily determinedby a combination of Physical Intelligence, Mental Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, and Spiritual Intelligence. These four areas (Body, Mind, Heart, and Spirit) are essential toward the making of a whole leader. Lets explore the key leadership factors that bring wholeness:

1. Inspire with Integrity (Spirit or Conscience)
2. Initiative and Innovation (Body and Mind)
3. Impactful Influence (Heart)

An easy way to remember this is LQ = 6I (Inspiration, Integrity, Initiative, Innovation, Impact, and Influence). This exercise will only take about fifteen minutes in which you answer some questions and honestly rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each factor.

1. Inspire with Integrity (Spirit or Conscience)

Are you energized with a larger than life vision or transcendent goal that serves the greater good and inspires others, or is your focus limited to only your own immediate needs? Are you aware of your highest purpose?

Great leaders subordinate their ego to their spirit or conscience by putting the needs of others before their own and finding a cause or purpose thats greater than themselves. This gives a leader the moral authority to lead others.

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Inspiration

Do your actions reflect your vision, beliefs, and values? Do you do as you say and honor your word? Andrew Carnegie once said, As I grow older, I pay less attention to what [people say. I just watch what they do.

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Integrity

2. Initiative and Innovation (Body and Mind)

Once you know what your highest purpose and core genius is, how well do you execute on your vision and key priorities? Are you focused on doing the right things, whats important, or are you spending too much time on urgent but not important activities and doing things right?

Leadership is about doing, taking initiative, and getting things done. Do you usually wait for things to happen and wait for others to initiate, or do you make things happen and initiate things on your own?

Additionally, the body is the temple of the spirit. Are you taking care of your body by exercising regularly and eating healthy so you have enough energy to take lots of action, or are you often succumbing to whims of the day?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Initiative

Are you continually growing and innovating as a leader in the never ending pursuit of excellence, or are you settling for mediocrity by being comfortable with the status quo?

Are you using your creative problem-solving skills and imagination to become a change-agent by experimenting with new ideas, solutions, and technology, or are you continually in fire-fighting mode by being frequently blindsided with change?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Innovation

3. Impactful Influence (Heart)

Are you reaching out to people and making an emotional impact in their lives? Are you getting to intimately know people in your circle of influence and taking the time to find out their fears, desires, challenges, and goals? Are you touching peoples lives by serving? The old adage, people dont care about what you know, until they know you care, applies here.

The heros journey is about following your bliss and doing what you love doing in service to others. Interestingly, through the heart, by making an emotional impact in peoples lives and serving, the spiritual dimension is tapped. Rabrindranath Tagore once said, I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. In other words, service is spirit.

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Impact

Finally, influence is a measure of your character that comes with time and experience. How wide and impactful is your influence? Are people seeking you out for your leadership, mentorship, and guidance? What is the quality of people you have attracted in your work and life?

We are in many ways the sum total reflection of the people in our circle of influence. Look around you. What type of people have you attracted in your sphere of influence? The majority of people you attract in your life, whether negative or positive, bright or ignorant, are mostly a reflection of your own character. If youre not happy with the quality of people in your circle of influence, its time to work on yourself.

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Influence

After youve rated yourself for all six factors (Inspiration, Integrity, Initiative, Innovation, Impact, and Influence), add all the scoresand divide by six. This indicator will give you a rough idea of your total LQ and where you need to make improvements. Make it a goalin the New Year to raise the bar in every category. But dont wait till the New Year. Start NOW!

Sharif Khan (http://www.herosoul.com; sharif@herosoul.com) is a professional speaker, coach, and author of, Psychology of the Hero Soul, an inspirational book on awakening the hero within and developing peoples leadership potential. To contact Sharif directly, call: (416) 417-1259

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=SharifKhan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Leadership-Skill:-What-is-Your-LQ:-Leadership-Quotient?&id=119006