There is an old cliché that says “leaders are made, not born”. Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an effective leader? Who is a great leader? These questions often plague people who have the aspirations for leadership.

One will realize that leaders have one thing in common. Their leadership quality is one that distinguishes them from the others. However, developing leadership qualities is the first step in becoming a leader.

Let’s go through the steps in developing your leadership traits.

1. Lead by example.
Being a leader through example means showing your peers what it takes to be a leader. Exerting effort, working hard, and showing your commitment will gain the respect of your peers.

2. Inspire others.
Good leaders show exceptional skills in reaching out to others. Your listening skills are as important as your communication skills. As a leader, you must have the ability to address the concerns of your followers. Establishing a harmonious relationship is a crucial factor especially in the workplace.

3. Read books on effective leadership.
To be an effective leader, you need to spend some time looking over educational books. Instructional and audio-visual materials centering on the subject of leadership are readily accessible in the market. These are important tools to pick up some helpful reminders on how to be an effective leader.

4. Imitate the leaders you idolize.
Try to think of influential leaders that you look up to, and find out the reason why you admire them. Explore and read about the lives of these people. Try to recognize the attributes and qualities they possess that contributed to their influence and effectiveness as a leader. Try to discover if you picked up something important about these people which you feel you can integrate into your own leadership system.

5. Maintain a positive attitude.
To be a leader, you should not easily lose hope. You need to move on despite the odds not being completely in your favor. To be a good leader, you should not easily succumb to the pressures of failures and emergencies. You should always think ahead and remain optimistic. You need to be strong and persevere. In doing this, you can influence other people.

Leadership is not always an option; more often than not, it arises out of necessity. Given the chance, you can become a good leader with sufficient training and given the appropriate conditions. You can have the qualities of an effective leader; all it takes is self-control and commitment.
12 WINNING LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: Unleash The Leader Instinct Within You!
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About the Author

Kevin has written articles regarding health, self-motivation, public speaking and today’s environment. He speaks at business clubs regarding personal development. His website is: www-powerbooks.com

Do your peers, customers, family and friends find you credible? To be considered credible, people must find you to be trustworthy and an expert on the subject at hand. Building trust is the most critical component for establishing and maintaining credibility. If people have a difficult time trusting someone’s character, they will struggle with developing compatible professional and personal relationships. Trust is like the foundation of a house. Without the foundation, the house will not have its primary support in place; consequently, the house (relationship) will collapse. Having expertise on a topic, may make someone the go-to person but without the behaviors that build trust, credibility will not be fully established or maintained.

Since developing trust involves demonstrating positive character traits in behaviors, it usually takes time to establish. In some situations, building trust can happen quickly like when someone jumps into a situation and swiftly delivers positive results. It can also erode in a heartbeat when someone’s actions show disrespect towards others and a lack of accountability.

Behaviors That Build Trust:

1. Makes actions match words; follows through and keeps their promises.
2. Possesses a successful track record of achievements and establishes themselves as an expert in the subject at hand.
3. Communicates clear and consistent goals, expectations and standards.
4. Listens with empathy; understands other perspectives, validates people, and asks questions to show interest and eliminate false assumptions.
5. Makes an effort to show genuine sincerity and concern for employees as individuals.
6. Maintains confidentiality and stays out of the gossip circuit.
7. Approaches rather than ignores tough conversations and situations.
8. Is approachable and open-minded.
9. Thinks and responds with a growth versus a fixed mindset.
10. Acts authentically and is likable.

As the above behaviors are demonstrated, credibility is established and maintained. When credibility is maintained, high-performance teams emerge and personal relationships are strengthened, deepened and healthy. Work on developing your credibility by demonstrating trusting behaviors and watch others follow. Be the role model to bring greater success to your work teams, family team and yourself. It’s never too late to be how you could have been.

About the Author

Nancy Stampahar inspires people into action with her enthusiasm and lemons to lemonade wisdom and expertise. She is the author of the 2009 IPPY Award winning self-help, inspirational book, peace, love and lemonade: a recipe to make your life sweeter and a sought-after organizational development consultant, trainer and speaker. She earned her BSBA in human resource management from Robert Morris University, after she decided to make lemonade. Visit: http://www.silverliningsolutions.com

As I see it, those organisations that survived 2008 are only going to get through 2009 if they manage cash really carefully. Cash management is only useful if it takes into account the full range of possible risks faced by the organisation. Simply hanging onto cash, not paying creditors and avoiding all expense and investment, is not the same as managing cash – because, even in a recession, there are business opportunities and growth prospects and those organisations that manage their cash effectively are able to prepare themselves to handle the range of possibilities – both on the upside and the downside.

Effective risk management tends only to happen in well-governed organizations. Where risk management has failed (such as in our banks, the Big Three auto manufacturers and so on) it doesn’t take long to spot that their governance framework must also have been ineffective – not least if the organisation has had to beg for a support package from central Government.

I think that governance and risk management are going to be key themes in 2009 for the world’s better organisations; for all the rest, those for whom governance is just about box-ticking, 2009 will bring much more box-ticking, because regulatory authorities are not going to allow a repetition of 2008′s ‘perfect storm’, which means that compliance requirements are going to increase.

Of course, box-ticked governance will still be the poor relation of more constructive, fully engaged governance and risk management models that boards – under the guidance of an independent Chairman – deploy to manage the risks faced by the organisation in the difficult economic climate we all face this year.

I kind of hope that those organisations that eschew proper governance will go bust quickly, and get out of the way of the rest of us.

Some evidence is emerging that that ISO/IEC 38500, the best practice standard for IT governance, is catching on. We’ve certainly seen steady demand for copies of the ISO38500 standard itself, as well for the ISO38500 Pocket Guide and, more importantly, the ISO38500 IT Governance Framework Toolkit.

ISO38500 is a catch-all IT governance standard and it’s much more attainable for a lot of businesses and it will give the directors of those businesses a sense that they are doing things the right way.

In a nutshell, ISO38500 provides practical, straightforward guidance for directors as to how they should go about ensuring that their IT operations are doing the right things – and doing the right things, cost-effectively, is going to be a critical component for all organisations of surviving the tough economic conditions that we are currently experiencing.

About the Author

Alan Calder – author of “IT Governance – a Manager’s Guide”, is a founder director of IT Governance Ltd. Before that, he was CEO of Wide Learning, a supplier of e-learning, of Focus Central London and, before that, of Business Link London City Partners (BLLCP).

Training new Managers is essential to the effectiveness of any organisation. It is amazing that many organisations put time, effort and money into training their staff, but leave their new Managers to find their own way in the world. It makes even less sense when you appreciate that the staff will only achieve results if they are led by a Manager who is effective in their role.

Training the New Manager
Every new Manager achieves their promotion because of attributes they have displayed in their previous role. The role of the Manager or Team Leader is a completely different role. This is one of the most difficult issues for the new Manager, to get a full appreciation of the role of the Leader as opposed to that of the follower.

If you are exploring training for your new Managers, ensure that this aspect of the training covers the full range of headings that will help the new Manager really understand the role. The following is a checklist of headings that should be included in an effective training programme for new managers.

1. The Role of the Manager. What exactly is the Manager’s role and responsibilities regarding their Team, their colleagues, senior Management and the achievement of results and objectives? It is important that this is clearly defined for the new Manager, and that he or she understands the difference in positioning of this role versus their previous role as a member of staff.

2. Success in the Management Role. A new Manager needs to have a clear success vision, as clear as a target in a shooting range. The clearer he or she is on the end goals, the better chance they have of making a good beginning in their role. Any training for the new Manager must give them a clear focus on success.
The success vision is not a figure or result. It is a Team who can achieve the results, clients who will provide the results, colleagues who will work with you to achieve the results and Management who will provide resources and encouragement. Prior to their Management role, the staff member might use any one of these factors as blocks to achieving success. However, as a Manager, removing blocks or devising work arounds is part of the role.

3. The Manager is the Owner of the role and is responsible for achieving success. The new Manager must be aware that it is their responsibility to achieve that end result. Prior to being a Manager, the person may well have taken responsibility for a lot of their role, but certain aspects were beyond their control.
A Manager’s role is to remove blocks, repair broken relationships, draw down resources, inspire others, solve problems and come up with creative ways of improving. Training for new Managers must bring this point home. When the new Manager gains a full appreciation of the role from the above factors, they will then be open to working on and improving the essential skills and competencies.

4. The Competencies of the Manager. The skills of the Manager include people centred competencies, process competencies and personal management. Management training should provide a range of topics on all aspects. Some training courses will favour people management as opposed to managing metrics or time management. The new Manager needs an initial grounding in all factors, to emphasise that they must learn, develop and become competent in this aspect of their role.
The aim is not that they will be competent after one training event, this is not possible. You want the new Manager to be aware that this is an area they must work on and improve. It is like providing a framework on which they will build.

Training for new Managers must include the role definition as well as the key competencies to be effective in the management role.

About the Author

Kate Tammemagi provides training for new Managers. She also designs Leadership Training Courses for all levels.

=>> Watch the Video of Mark Hurd Here! <<=

Mark Hurd fired has been a wide discussion over the nation. Mark Hurd was a little-known executive from Ohio when he was tapped to lead Hewlett-Packard five years ago, after one of the most turbulent periods in the Silicon Valley icon’s history. Hurd had been CEO of NCR Corp. where he earned a reputation as a skilled manager that turned around the then-Dayton, Ohio-based maker of ATMs when the H-P board picked him to lead the company. It was widely considered a bold but risky move. Hurd was not that well-known, and he had been running a company much smaller than H-P. Even Hurd himself seemed surprised as he took on the role.

Hewlett-Packard Co.’s Mark Hurd joins a long list of corporate leaders felled by personal ethical lapses in recent years. Robert Moffat, a former senior vice president at International Business Machines Corp., left the company last year after becoming ensnared in big insider trading case involving the hedge fund group Galleon and other corporate executives and traders on Wall Street. John Browne, the former chief of oil giant BP PLC, resigned in 2007 after he admitted lying to a judge while trying to prevent a British newspaper from exposing details about his personal life.

=>> Watch the Video of Mark Hurd Here! <<=

Hurd was not beloved, and plainly didn’t care to be. It will be remembered about his first press conference, where he was prodded by reporters to put a cap on the turmoil of the Fiorina years by giving HP’s employees a verbal pat on the back. He was also egged on to state that there would be no upcoming layoffs. He refused to do either. It worried that former HP CEO Mark Hurd might not know what to do with himself after getting caught falsifying expense reports to hide the girl #2 and being forced to resign. Mark Hurd just got $12 million in cash for fraudulently filing expense reports to conceal his mistress — not a bad trick if you can pull it off.

Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Mark Hurd fell fast after the company revealed his secret relationship with a former contractor Friday. Until Mark Hurd Fired, sending HP’s stock tumbling after hours, he had a nearly bulletproof reputation on Wall Street. During his five-year stewardship of the world’s biggest maker of personal computers and printers, its stock price had doubled, boosting its market value more than $40 billion, and it became the world’s No. 1 technology company by revenue. HP said Hurd was forced out after the company discovered he had a relationship with a woman who worked with HP on marketing matters.

=>> Watch the Video of Mark Hurd Here! <<=

About the Author

=>> Watch the Video of Mark Hurd Here! <<=

Leading industrial and manufacturing companies around the world are today confronted with a range of new and increasingly complex challenges. As the rules of doing business within a fiercely competitive industrial and manufacturing environment continue to evolve, so too do the requirements for world-class management leadership within these markets.

Regional Perspectives on the Market Shift

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So just how are leading industrial and manufacturing companies addressing the mounting pressures on their bottom-lines? Are there any strategic courses they might take to avoid a commodity-driven race to the bottom of the pricing wars?

Gary Williams, a regional consultant in the Transearch Shanghai office, says an increasing number of companies across the Asia-Pacific Rim are moving their operations to low-cost countries such as China, India and Vietnam. “Many companies, including Schindler and Tyco,” Williams points out, “are focusing on solution selling as opposed to commodity selling to avoid the commodity-driven race.”

Reflecting on market conditions in the United States, Jason Meschke, Managing Partner in the Transearch office in Kansas City, says that despite softness in some bellwether markets such as the supply chain, logistics, transportation and consumer goods sectors, most economic indicators still look positive for North America’s industrial and manufacturing companies.

Where to Invest?

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Beyond the immediate economic environment, many industrial and manufacturing companies are wrestling with questions about how and where they should leverage attractive workforce dynamics and manufacturing advantages. Should they deploy more resources to the emerging markets of Asia? And if so, what are the tradeoffs, and is it important for big industrial and manufacturing companies to retain a base of operations and talent in the West even if they are investing more in the East?

If the recent engagement experience of Transearch Global Industry Practice is reflective of broader market trends, a major challenge for industrial and manufacturing companies is to strike a balance between developing new business in mature markets versus emerging markets in the developing world.

“Companies will go where there is a need for their products. It’s about supply and demand,” says Gary Williams in Shanghai. “If they don’t adopt and embrace the ever changing environment they will not be very competitive.”

The New Leadership Challenge

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As the rules of doing business within a fiercely competitive industrial and manufacturing environment continue to evolve, so too, do the requirements for world-class management leadership within these markets. In fact, the demands of corporate leadership have never been higher in the industrial and manufacturing markets.

The specialist executive search consultants who comprise the global Industrial search practice of Transearch International – and one of the global ‘Top 10′ executive recruitment firms – are on the frontlines and fault-lines of the competitive shift.

This article is a summary of the White Paper entitled ‘The way forward for industrial and manufacturing leaders – Perspectives from Transearch International’. Get your copy of the full White Paper via the Transearch International website at http://www.Transearch.com/press_room/display.asp?nID=201. It may alter your view of the market and competitive forces at work and how to evolve with them.

About the Author

Executive search firm Transearch International has representation in most of the major economic centres of the world with over 50 offices in more than 30 countries and is currently rated as the 9th largest global executive search firm by Executive Recruiter News (ERN). Transearch executive search firm.

You know for years we have held the majestic eagle as our sign of a good leader. It soars so high above everyone else, has a beautiful wingspan, eyes that can see its prey from miles away and uncanny accuracy in getting its food. Definitely a leader. Definitely something we should admire and look up to. Definitely the way we should be if we want to lead, right? Wrong!

I think eagles are one of worst animals we can model after as leaders. Why? Well for several reasons. They don’t play as a team. They build their nests in cliffs where no one has access to them. They take care of their young only. They do everything for their young and when they feel their young are ready they push them out of the nest and say, “fly or die.” Now I ask you, is that a warm environment to work in?

We need a new way to look at leadership. You see, leadership is no longer a position, it is a way of thinking. So whether you are a secretary, a foreman, a sales person or an executive you all should be leaders. You should feel you are the master of your work space every day. And every day you should ask whether you would hire yourself tomorrow if you were the owner.

In order to be a good leader there are several key traits you need to exhibit. First you need to be a clear communicator and you need to have a clear vision that you can share with others. Most companies I meet with have a long mission statement that even the CEO can’t remember. A good mission statement should be one you can wrap your arms around and use to judge whether you did a good job today. When Les Wexner, Chairman of Limited designed Victoria’s Secret his mission was “to design a store where Cybill Shepherd would love to shop for lingerie”. This gave his people a clear vision of what to look for as they designed the store. Bill Gates mission is to “put a computer on every desk”. This is something tangible that every person can see and can act in accordance with. One telephone company I worked with switched their mission statement to “your best friend’s on the line.” This way every person could make sure their voice tone, and actions matched what they would do for their best friend. Within 3 months their sales rocketed to the highest they had ever had.

Now, you might be saying, but wait that is the CEO’s job to come up with our mission statement. Not so. You should get together with the other people in your department and decide what is the one key reason you are all there. What is the one result you all want to see and then come up with a mission statement that fits that goal and gives passion to your team.

The second key ingredient in leader is they are very “WE” focused. They see themselves as supporting others and working towards a united outcome. They are willing to take all blame and share all victories. They don’t worry about how to make their job easier, they worry about doing what is right. If you are a true leader you will share information you have with others. You will want to draw out the best in others. Job descriptions become irrelevant. What is most important is what needs to be done to get the result you desire. You will think outside the box and work for solutions never thought of before. Finger pointing doesn’t happen with true leaders. They instead want to know how the problem can be fixed. They want to know what caused it so people can learn from it and not repeat it. They do not shame or embarrass others. They are the first to point out good things that others do.

Third, good leaders lead as well as follow. They don’t worry about how others perceive them. They know that some of the best ideas can come from others around them so they keep their ears open. They know that in order to lead they need to continually learn so they see themselves as teachers and students at the same time. They welcome new ideas and suggestions from others.

“A leader is not someone you look up to because they are the best. A true leader is someone that looks in to you and draws out your best.” Anne Warfield

And fourth, good leaders are willing to set guidelines. They know that in order to do a good job people need to know what is expected of them. They need to know the outcome they are working towards and they need to know what flexibility they have with decisions. Good leaders will share all that needs to be shared so people can achieve results. They look to shatter paradigms and see things in a new way.

So ask yourself, do you lead or do you follow? Do you take risks at your company or do you strictly follow policy? Are things going on at your company that you think should change? If so, have you taken the time to offer your ideas and suggestions? Do you take charge and work as a team?

I would like to see a new mode of leaders. People who are not trying to be the best but rather people who are willing to draw out the best in others. What animal best reflects this? Well, I hate to tell you because it is not as glamorous as the eagle. From this day on think of yourself as a goose. You see, geese fly in a V formation. And since the lead position is tiring, the lead goose will fly to the back and new goose will take the front position. Because their outcome has been clearly communicated they don’t worry about flying off course. If one goose gets hurt, then two geese fly down to take care of the wounded goose. They never leave one goose out to struggle on its own. Just imagine how your company would soar if it was full of geese as leaders!

About the Author

As the leading Outcome Strategist, Anne Warfield shows people how to present their ideas, products and services so people WANT to listen to you. Her communication formula is easy to apply and produces proven results. Fortune 500 companies around the world have utilized her expertise and her work is published around the world. To book Anne, contact her at 888-imp-9421 or check out her web site at http://www.ImpressionManagement.com.

I recently had the opportunity to spend several hours working with professional horse trainer Dee Janelle and it reminded me of the powerful lessons in leadership and communication horses offer us if we take the time to listen and truly connect. Working with horses is a lifelong journey of self-discovery as we strive to understand the equine mind. It is no wonder that many of the greatest leaders throughout history were as gifted in their connection with horses as they were with people. Alexander the Great, George Washington, Joan of Arc, Robert E. Lee, even Ronald Reagan were all distinguished equestrians. The Secret Service actually had to assign experienced horsemen in order to keep up with President Reagan and his horse, El Alamein. But what is the underlying factor in this correlation?

The study of nature reveals remarkable patterns of structure, balance, and function. Nothing exists in nature for long if it doesn’t serve a purpose. When we examine our natural world we witness systems that have evolved to provide a competitive advantage for survival. Darwin astutely revealed that it wasn’t the strongest or the fastest species that thrive, it was the ones most capable of adapting to their environment. Faced with the many challenges of today, business leaders can learn much from the natural world, and horses afford humans a gateway into that world.

Horses have evolved to live within highly functional teams. Comprised of a group of individual sentient beings, the herd offers us a wonderful model of effective leadership and conscious communication. The teamwork of the herd is key to their survival in the wild. Even with a lack of speech, horses are master communicators, maintaining constant connection with one another. Like humans, each horse is an autonomous individual with very different emotional and cognitive attributes. Also like humans, horses require a certain degree of personal space, and maintain healthy boundaries without compromising their interconnectivity. Each herd has a lead stallion as well as a dominant mare, and the greater herd looks to them for their strength, wisdom, and stewardship for survival.

It turns out that horses, just like people, desire congruent, authentic leadership. Without it, the herd cannot survive. This is not ego-derived leadership, as horses don’t have what we would call an ego. It is leadership driven by the survival of the herd; leadership that is, by the horses very nature, incapable of obfuscation or incongruence. When working with a horse, it is the human’s responsibility to provide this highly conscious level of leadership. Not only for the horse’s peace of mind, but for our own safety as well. Interestingly, horses can immediately discern between incongruent leadership and authentic leadership and will refuse to acknowledge the former and gladly join up with the latter.

The first step in establishing leadership with a horse is to engage in a conversation. This isn’t one-way communication. It requires the human to understanding the non-verbal language of the horse. I mentioned earlier that horses are sentient beings. They have a highly astute sensitivity to their environment. Human beings have similar capabilities, but our dependence on language has lowered our awareness of this ability. To understand how horses communicate (and in fact, how we humans often communicate unknowingly), let’s explore a little background on non-verbal connection and communication.

Recent advances in neurophysiology have revealed the neural networks we human beings have in parts of our bodies other than the brain. Our hearts have more than five million neurons, capable of the same informational and electromagnetic function as the neurons in our brain. One difference, however, is the electromagnetic field of the heart is five thousand times stronger than the electromagnetic field of our brain. This network acts almost like radar, actively scanning for signals in our environment. Our gastrointestinal system is also populated with neurons. More neurons than exist in our entire spinal column. The old sayings, “his heart wasn’t in it” or “she had a gut feeling” actually have a basis in scientific fact. These “embodied” neural networks are connected to our brain via the vagus nerve (vagus is latin for wandering, as this neural pathway wanders throughout our bodies).

Our attachment to language actually creates a barrier in our ability to recognize and “listen” to our embodied “minds”. These neural networks connect to our brain at the basal ganglia. This ancient part of our brain evolved prior to our cerebral centers that enable speech, and there is no direct pathway between this base section of our brain and our higher functioning, language processing regions. Therefore, the information that comes into our consciousness through these neural networks is non-verbal. It comes to us in the form of emotions, in the form of sensations and feelings. What many people refer to as intuition.

Additional research has also proven the existence of “mirror neurons” in our brains as well. These are neural cells that are capable of sensing the emotional charge of other beings around us. We actually pick up on other peoples’ emotions and states of being and react biochemically to these stimuli.

As fellow mammals, horses are wired in a similar way. The combination of their size (think of how much larger their hearts and guts are to ours) and their lack of dependency on speech, makes them more non-verbally sensitive and aware of the impulses and stimuli in their environment through these embodied, sensory networks. As prey animals, they live on the edge of fear response, highly tuned to the fight/flight/freeze response. In order for humans to engage in a conversation with a horse we must heighten our own non-verbal sensitivity; to pick up on the subtle cues that speak so loudly in the equine world but are often overlooked in our own.

The fact is, more than ninety percent of human communication is non-verbal as well. Connecting, communicating, and leading a horse requires us to heighten our own self-awareness; to reconnect with our embodied sensing and cognitive abilities. To stop talking and start listening with our entire being, our entire presence. It demands congruency of intention as well. Fast talking, incongruent leaders may be able to fool people (for a time), but they’ll never fool a horse. Through experiencing relationship with a horse, leaders improve their ability to communicate, to converse authentically with the full spectrum of their being, to recognize the importance of leading from the heart as well as the head.

Is it any wonder why Ronald Reagan was nicknamed, “The Great Communicator”?

About the Author

Terry Murray is a professional coach and business executive and is the founder and president of Performance Transformation, LLC. With twenty-five years of progressive experience in strategic development, executive leadership, and the deployment of highly profitable business teams, his executive leadership has directly contributed more than $1 billion in market capitalization growth throughout his career. For more information please visit us at http://www.leadership-eq.com.

I think we all shared a level of outrage at the Wall Street excesses of 2009-2010. And that can make good business leaders tiptoe around strategic objectives like Profit Maximization.

Profit maximization – with integrity – is the fuel for corporate growth strategies and getting the economy back on track, with employment opportunities and a higher standard of living for all. Because when you can comfortably fund business growth internally, you’re protected from the types of credit crunch issues we’ve seen in the turbulent economy of the past couple of years.

And healthy profits that have been well-earned, best reflect the value that the company is delivering to its customers, hence its competitive advantage and market leadership position.

Profit Maximization Must Be Based on Integrity

More often than not, I’ve seen profit maximization – with integrity – ignored in strategic marketing plans, and thus done the wrong way by leaders, mid-level managers and on the front lines. Yet when done right, many of the most profitable companies in the world are the ones we look up to. And measuring Revenue is not enough: many companies on the “Top 100 lists” actually have high revenues but lose money… reflecting a lack of value to customers. Too many leaders fall into the trap of focusing on how to increase sales at any cost, even if those sales are not in the best interests of the customer or the company, including:

• price gouging that destroys relationships with trusting customers
• excessive discounting that tries to profit purely from market penetration
• losing essential talent by downsizing employees to cut costs
• cost cutting strategies in business related to travel and training that harm future results

They’re all tactics that can temporarily increase profits, but they have nothing to do with creating the kinds of value for customers that drives sustainable profit maximization with integrity. I’ve seen these questionable revenue management strategies many times as I’ve helped companies get back on track and recover from abusing their customers when they’ve:

• Over-promised and under-delivered
• Taken advantage of a trusting business relationship
• Acted only in the short-term interests of the company and not in the best interests of the customer.

Profit Maximization With Integrity Occurs Naturally When Value Is Created For a Customer

In your “consumer life”, do you have a favorite store, restaurant, or service provider that you always go to, because…
• they almost always have what you want
• they’re helpful if they don’t
• they create a great experience while you’re transacting business
• you know they’ll be there for you if there are any problems?

Are you happy to pay prices above rock-bottom because of the value you get? Do you recommend them to others you know? Do you always go to them first, even though you might get discount coupons from competitors? That same type of value-creation process is what’s needed by businesses who believe in profit maximization with integrity.

5 Straightforward Next Steps to Profit Maximization With Integrity

1. Talk with your customers, not at them, to find out what they truly value – then deliver on that promise.
2. Find out what they love about you and give them more of it.
3. Find out what drives them crazy and fix it for good.
4. Find out what business challenges they’re still wrestling with, and see if you can develop a new product or service, or even tweak something you’re already doing, to provide a better solution.
5. Be a helpful resource and recommend other solutions, even if they’re not your own.

Finding new ways to deliver value to customers and earning superior profits by capturing that value on the bottom line, is a hallmark of some of our greatest corporations, some of whom earn annual profits in excess of $300,000 per employee. How does your industry rate? How do YOU rate?

The first step in achieving profit maximization with integrity is realizing what is possible. If you haven’t yet picked up your copy of the Benchmark Revealed Special Report, which documents 5 years of profitability data across 72 industry categories, get yours now at the link below.

Take a look at how you’re doing compared to your industry… and compared to some of the most profitable companies in the world. Set a new target, and develop a customer-value-based Profit Maximization plan to achieve it with integrity.

About the Author

Leaders, get your FREE Customized Profitability Analysis plus FREE 53 page Benchmarking report shows you how to set and achieve higher profitability targets quickly and easily, at www.profitmaximizationsystem.com
Anne C. Graham is a Profitability and Growth Expert, Fortune 500 Insider, and Author of The Profitability Maximization Breakthrough System™, which shows motivated business leaders exactly how to achieve profit increases of 243% – 415%, safely and sustainably.

As a business owner, you may feel that one leadership skill is more essential to the survival of your company than another. While it may seem that a single leadership skill enhances your organization more than others, there are seven that are crucial to according to an article posted on Money Central. This article was contributed by Gartner, Inc. and Korn/Ferry. When it comes to leadership skill, there are seven that are necessary to drive results in any business environment, according to the article. These relate particularly to IT executives.

Interviews were conducted in order to determine the most essential leadership skill; as a result of the interviews, it was determined that those who excel at leading people, setting aggressive goals and holding those under their leadership accountable for exceptional performance achieved the best results. Take a look at the seven areas below to determine if you believe a single leadership skill is more effective than the rest:

“In today’s world, people are looking for growth, for the company to be acquisitive, to be expanding quickly. Our belief is a little different…”. Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd is a very successful, values-led company looking to expand into China and Europe. What values drive the organization, and why does it believe these values and beliefs equip it better than most? CEO Clement Kwok explains.

Commit to leadership first; everything else comes second

With this leadership skill, individuals embrace the idea that accomplishments will be achieved totally through people; this means by individual employees, good leaders and through team work.

Lead in a different manner than you think

Some leaders are extremely creative and complex thinkers, yet when it comes to this leadership skill, they work with employees and other personnel in a way that all can understand and use to the advantage of the company. They don’t try to push their “analytical” skills on others.

Become more vulnerable

An important leadership skill, according to the article, is letting go of control occasionally in order to gain more influence. When a leader is more vulnerable, deep connections can be formed that enable people both inside and outside of the organization to become inspired.

Relationship management

By forging the right relationships, extraordinary results can be achieved. This leadership skill is one that many successful managers possess. By spending the time and energy to manage relationships with peers, suppliers and customers, a solid foundation for success is built.

Establish core messages and values

Communication is an essential leadership skill, especially between managers and employees. It is necessary that leaders and managers realize that employees are always watching; leaders should reiterate core messages and values consistently, so that those under them understand what the goal and messages of the company are. Through good communications, employees are motivated and compelled to take the correct actions.

Inspire your staff

Most people give a certain amount of themselves to their job performance, but with inspiration that will give more of their energy and motivation. Good managers use this leadership skill often; they know that when employees feel that their work is meaningful and valued by the company, they will give their all.

Realize that people make a business successful, not systems

Nearly every successful business owner knows that it is the people who ultimately make the business thrive, not systems. By using leadership skills that motivate employees and make them feel an essential part of the whole picture, leaders can increase their ability and capacity to deliver exceptional results. This means that even after current management is long gone, a strong network of people will be the lasting legacy of the company.

Can you choose a single leadership skill out of the above list that would take your company to the ultimate level on its own?

About the Author

Hakan Samad Graduated in University of Washington, majoring in Business Policy, International Business, Organizational Behavior, Business Communications, Consumer Research, Managing Information Systems, New Media Communications and business leadership.
He is currently a Freelance writer for few business leadership websites and now recides in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.