Bare Essentials for Successful Leaders

Action Planner– Planning is an essential attribute of leadership. Proper planning and seamless execution is what the followers expect. Detailed, practical & definite plans is what makes tasks easier and achievable. A successful leader chalks out reasonable & and achievable plans, but a plan without action is like a Rocket without fuel- it may look good but is of no use. A Good Leader plans and executes the plan first before inducing his followers to do the same.

Apolitical– A leader is looked upon by his followers as a problem solver. The leader has to unbiased and should keep away from politics amongst followers. Being just and fair is the key to win the respect of the followers. Without a sense of fairness and justice, a leader cannot command and retain the respect of his followers.






 Analysis– In a given situation, a leader needs to be a good analyzer of details. Active decision making involves a lot of responsibility as well as courage. Analysis reduces the risk of accidents. Successful leadership calls for knowing every detail that affects leader’s position.


 

Charisma -A Charismatic Personality is an extremely good Value add for a Leader. No one would like to follow a sloppy leader who cannot entice his own people. A charismatic personality earns more followers than any other leader.




 Character– Followers duplicate their leaders and learn more from action than what is spoken. A true leader has a clean character and maintains a clean image. A successful leader needs to keep himself away from all incidences and occurrences that could tarnish his image that may raise a question about his character. A clean character gives more room for the followers to trust the Leader.

Courage– Courage is an in built quality of a Good Leader. Courage to take decisions, courage to be unbiased & courage to hold on in adverse conditions define the metal of a good leader. It’s his strength and display of courage that makes followers feel strong.


Clear Communication– Correct communication is of utmost importance for a leader. He has to master the art of communication. It’s essentially important that followers understand exactly what their leader intends to communicate and what he has communicated with them.

Decisiveness– Decision making is an ability that involves courage, knowledge and self- confidence. It’s an outcome of instinct, knowledge, experience and self-belief. No follower would be interested to follow a leader who doesn’t have the ability to take prompt decisions.

Empathy– One of the crucial characteristics of leadership is Empathy. Being a leader you need to have an eagle eye view of everything at the same time you need to fit yourself in your follower’s shoes to know how, what, why, when… you need to feel the feel they feel. You need to empathize with your followers rather than sympathizing with them.

Motivator– Motivation is an important aspect of leadership. The Leader should have the integral ability to motivate his people who may be low or disturbed. He has to have the strength to touch the inner being of his followers that can change their opinion, priority or thought process that may be barring from achieving success.

Outspoken– A leader has to be outspoken at the same time be sensitive enough to not be harsh and arrogant. He should have the strength to speak the truth ensuring corrective actions and not destructive ones.




Running an Extra Mile– Every athlete puts in all the efforts he can to win the race. But it’s the winner who put just a little bit more to pull up his victory. The willingness to go on and on tirelessly makes up a Strong Leader. He should run the extra mile, go out of his way for his people. Put the extra effort that commoners don’t put to win over the situation and his followers.

 Responsible–As they say, “With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.” The successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers. It’s the leader who gives the credit to his followers and keeps the debits with himself. He has to own up to his responsibility. A true leader takes the blame and gives the followers a good name.

Team-Player– A Leader is of no consequence without a Team and a Team cannot go too far without a leader. A true leader is a part of a team and dents sit out and order. He fits in like a team mate and does his part to perfection. The successful leader must understand, and apply the principles of team work and shall also induce his followers to do the same.

Will Power & Self Belief– A strong willed person has an inbuilt core to go against all odds and do what he believes is right. It’s quintessential that a Leader trusts his own instinct and believes in himself. This attribute builds high self-confidence and high self-esteem that displays strength which in turn gives energy & confidence to followers.

Inspiring Story of Hollywood Super Star- Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone is one of the most famous American Movie stars.. With characters like Rocky and Rambo he is a household name in the hearts of millions.

During birth, a wrong gynecological procedure caused Stallone to have one sided paralysis. At school, his middle class being and his facial paralysis became a thing for others to make fun of.

He started body-building because he wanted to frighten those who bullied him. Slowly he started thinking of a career in movies.

Around 1974, he had a pregnant wife, a dog that he loved a lot, a lot of bills to pay and no success in his movie career. What he still had was a belief in his dream that he will make it big.

Soon a time came when he went broke. He was heavily under debt.

Restless, anxious, stressed and still loaded with hope that he WILL make it big.

 Things got so bad that he had to sell his wife’s jewelry and ended up homeless. Sleeping at the New Jersey Bus station for 3 days.

The cold American winter forced him to choose between electricity and his dog. He sold his dog, his best friend for $25.

Two weeks later, on TV he watched a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner. That match was like a flash of divine inspiration… For the next 20 hours he sat and wrote the script of what today is a cult movie, ROCKY.

In the words of Stallone himself, “After nearly 1500 rejections”,  he got a production house to offer $125,000 for the script.

Despite the poverty, pains, pregnant wife and lost dog… His dream was to STAR in the movie  as the MAIN LEAD.

In an era when heroes were super handsome men and spoke fluently, a body builder with a facial paralysis that made him stammer while speaking, made Stallone the wrong choice for any role.

The studio bluntly rejected his offer… And Stallone went back home with another failure.

A few weeks later, the studio offered him  $250,000 for the just the script, and not him.

-He refused.

Soon they offered  $350,000 for the script but not him.

At that time everyone was pushing him to accept.. It would be MAD not to do so.. He was making a fortune.

-He still refused.

 Someone in the studio really loved his script, and as fortune favors the brave.. They finally accepted to give $35,000 for the script and have him as the lead star.

The rest as they say is history!

The movie was made for $1 million and went to make around $200 million. It won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Film Editing. Stallone was a

“bankable” hero for the next 20yrs, till the late 90s… with his movies making billions of dollars.

And what did he do with the first $35,000?

He stood outside the liquor store, where he sold his dog, for 3 days. Identified the man who had bought it, and finally got him back for $15,000.

 AND IN THE WORDS OF ROCKY BALBOA -

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you, no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain't gonna have a life.

― Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

Defeat Your Fears...!!!

"Like a Child fears the Dark, Adults fear Future".

 

Try and recollect what have been your fears in the past?

In School-Your first exam? Your first soccer match? Your first Public Performance? Its absolutely normal to have fears about various things in our lives, but it is important to develop the strength and prepare in advance and you will overcome those fears and move on.

the fear of failing has helped most people fail...!!!

Situations are unpredictable and the only thing prima facie that helps you surpass adverse situations is the ability and strength to deal with it in the right way.

The strength is not in your arms... its in your mind.

 

Visualize and practice going through the event or activity.

Many Sports Champions, Athletes as well as Professional Artists and Performers admit to visualizing themselves winning repeatedly before they actually attempt doing that act. The power of positive thinking should not be underestimated, and visualizing yourself succeeding can help you believe in yourself that you can truly do it. your Subconscious mind controls your conscious mind. now its up to you what resides in your Subconscious Mind. Positive Visualization alone can’t win you accolades or awards, however, so make sure you practice as much as possible. Whether it’s your sales presentation or an opportunity meeting with a prospect, practice alone, in front of others, while looking in the mirror, or recording yourself. The acts of visualizing and practicing will also ease your fear of failure.

 

The Power of A Positive Mental Attitude.

The most important step towards moving forward is having a positive mental attitude. You cant scale heights with the fear of falling. You go to think of climbing rather than falling. Feed your mind with positive stuff and watch the body achieve it. Winning is a result of a Wining Attitude.

 

Preparation & Study.

An integral part of Preparation is to study. Studying isn't connected to only schooling but studying can be pertinent to your direct sales business too. You should be constantly studying your projects, market behavior, brochures, new offers, next strategy etc. You cant afford to be caught off guard about your business or the company you represent. Efficient studying and ample preparation are more than worth your investment of time and can help you overcome your fear of the unknown.

 

Stay Away from Negativity, focus on Positivity instead.

Negativity is a an aspect that will always keep you away from winning. It could be loose talks, negative autosuggestions or people in your life who question your abilities or voice their doubts about your chances of success. Instead, tune in to the positivity you find with people who are successful and full of positivity. "A piece of coal keeps burning in a furnace, if it is separated from the furnace it is bound to go off. You need to choose your company, it could be your supportive friends and family, and of course yourself. Pat your back, cheer yourself and explore new horizons.

 

Top 10 Traits of Highly Successful People

Success is not field dependent, it is evidently dependent on the way one adopts successful traits..... Here are the Top 10 traits that can turn your life a whole 360 degrees.

Successful People.......

1. They work hard! Yes, they play hard, too! They get up early, they rarely complain, they expect performance from others, but they expect extraordinary performance from themselves. Repeated, high-level success starts with a recognition that hard work pays off.

2. They are incredibly curious and eager to learn. They study, ask questions and read constantly! An interesting point, however: While most of them did well in school, the difference is that they apply or take advantage of what they learn. Repeated success is not about memorizing facts, it's about being able to take information and create, build, or apply it in new and important ways. Successful people want to learn everything about everything!

3. They network. They know lots of people, and they know lots of different kinds of people. They listen to friends, neighbors, co-workers and bartenders. They don't have to be "the life of the party", in fact many are quiet, even shy, but they value people and they value relationships. Successful people have a rolodex full of people who value their friendship and return their calls.

4. They work on themselves and never quit! While the "over-night wonders" become arrogant and quickly disappear, really successful people work on their personality, their leadership skills, management skills, and every other detail of life. When a relationship or business deal goes sour, they assume they can learn from it and they expect to do better next time. Successful people don't tolerate flaws; they fix them!

5. They are extraordinarily creative. They go around asking, "Why not?" They see new combinations, new possibilities, new opportunities and challenges where others see problems or limitations. They wake up in the middle of the night yelling, "I've got it!" They ask for advice, try things out, consult experts and amateurs, always looking for a better, faster, cheaper solution. Successful people create stuff!

6. They are self-reliant and take responsibility. Incredibly successful people don't worry about blame, and they don't waste time complaining. They make decisions and move on. Sometimes they are criticized for taking this to extremes Jimmy Carter carried his own briefcase and a President "shouldn't" do that! Extremely successful people take the initiative and accept the responsibilities of success.

7. They are usually relaxed and keep their perspective. Even in times of stress or turmoil, highly successful people keep their balance, they know the value of timing, humor, and patience. They rarely panic or make decisions on impulse. Unusually successful people breath easily, ask the right questions, and make sound decisions, even in a crisis.

8. Extremely successful people live in the present moment. They know that "Now" is the only time they can control. They have a "gift" for looking people in the eye, listening to what is being said, enjoying a meal or fine wine, music or playing with a child. They never seem rushed, and they get a lot done! They take full advantage of each day. Successful people don't waste time, they use it!

9. They "look over the horizon" to see the future. They observe trends, notice changes, see shifts, and hear the nuances that others miss. A basketball player wearing Nikes is trivial, the neighbor kid wearing them is interesting, your own teenager demanding them is an investment opportunity! Extremely successful people live in the present, with one eye on the future!

10. Repeatedly successful people respond instantly! When an investment isn't working out, they sell. When they see an opportunity, they make the call. If an important relationship is cooling down, they take time to renew it. When technology or a new competitor or a change in the economic situation requires an adjustment, they are the first and quickest to respond.

These traits work together in combination, giving repeatedly successful people a huge advantage. Because they are insatiable learners, they can respond wisely to change. Because their personal relationships are strong, they have good advisors, and a reserve of goodwill when things go bad. And finally, none of these traits are genetic! They can be learned! They are free and they are skills you can use. Start now!
 

The Inspirational journey of Refugee Swimmer Yusra Mardini

On Saturday, Yusra Mardini swam to victory during her first heat for the women's 100-meter butterfly swimming competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. It was a historic first win for the Refugee Olympic Team, the first-ever team of its kind to compete in an Olympic Games. But the victory also marks a sharp contrast from Mardini's life just one year earlier, when the stakes for swimming long distances looked less like gold, silver and bronze and more like life and death.

In 2015, Mardini fled Syria in the midst of a civil war that was being waged in the streets and suburbs of Damascus, where she had grown up. 

 

 

From the time that she was 3 years old, her father, a swimming instructor, trained her personally in a pool near their home in Syria. Then the war began in 2011, when Mardini was 13. 

 

 

In the beginning of the war, she told the New York Times, everyone was worried, but as the years passed and the violence intensified, friends and neighbors became resolved to the idea that they might not survive the rebellion, and tried to carry on normal lives.

 

 

"...after a few years, we were like: 'O.K., if I'm going to die, I'm going to die! But let me live my life. I want to see my friends!'" Mardini told the Times.

 

 

After the roof of the swimming center where she had once trained was destroyed by a bomb, she begged her parents to let her try to escape the country. Eventually they relented, and she and her sister set off for Europe with two family members and a friend. At every step of the way, terror and heartbreak plagued them.

 

 

When the engine cut out on the small boat they were using to cross the Mediterranean Sea, Mardini and her sister lept into the water to try to push it to shore. Two young men attempted to help them but grew tired quickly, so the Mardini sisters swam for three-and-a-half hours on their own and eventually the boat reached the shore.

 

 

"I'm thinking, what? I'm a swimmer, and I'm going to die in the water in the end?" she said.

 

 

Eventually, the girls made it to their final destination, Germany, where they have been granted temporary asylum. Their parents and two younger sisters have since joined them, and Mardini is competing on the elite squad of refugees in the 2016 Olympics.

 

 

She told the Times that she is "...expecting personal best," at Rio, since two years without training have left her well behind the official Olympic qualifying times for the 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly.

 

 

But her real victory at the Rio Olympics, she says, will be having the chance to share her story in Syria, where she hopes to return someday to help out other refugees like herself.

 

6 Ways to Build Momentum

Have you ever taken on a task that seems so complicated you don’t even know where to begin? Once you do jump into it, you often find yourself in the swing where you’ve built up so much productive momentum that you feel unstoppable. The creative juices are flowing and you’re accomplishing tasks left and right. This is a great feeling, but getting there can sometimes prove to be extremely difficult. Here are some suggestions to help you get to that point with built-up momentum and maximum productive potential.

 

 

 

1. Prioritize your Work.

You may have several things to do, but tackling the most challenging task first can help you accomplish what you need to when you are freshest, starting your day. So make a list of what needs to be done, and then prioritize the list so that the most important tasks are the ones you do first. This can help you avoid distractions and help you get things done.

2. Remember- You are the Boss.

You are your own boss. Although that fact does come with its fair share of stress and responsibility, it also comes with the freedom to schedule your workday to accomplish your most important tasks and execute them to the optimum level. Maximize the benefits of being in control by delegating tasks to team members when possible. Ask for help when you need it, and take breaks when you are feeling too overwhelmed. Sometimes, just the thought of being in the driver’s seat of your business is enough to get you through a difficult project.

       Short Story:

John, a professional Photographer was told that a Twin-Engine Plane would be Waiting at the Airport.

Arriving at the Airport he spotted a Plane warming up outside the hanger.

He jumped in, said ‘Lets go’.

The Pilot taxied and took off.

Once in the air John told the Pilot: ‘Fly Low over the Valley so I can take Pictures of the Fire on the hill’

Pilot : Why.?

John : Bcoz I’m the Photographer for CNN. I need to get some close up shots.

Pilot was strangely silent for a moment, then he stammered ‘So, what You’re telling me is . . . You’re Not My Flying Instructor’?.

Life is Short...

Always ASK, NEVER ASSUME.!

3. Block all negative thoughts and stay positive.

You’ve no doubt heard about the power of positive self-talk. Not surprisingly, negative self-talk is just as powerful, so it’s important that you tune it out. Anytime you catch yourself having a negative thought, remember that it is only hindering your productivity, not helping it. Replace it with a positive thought or motivational message. Positivity goes a long way in building the momentum you need to accomplish your goals.

4. Be focused and avoid distractions.

What types of things distract you from working on the task at hand? Is it your phone, your peers, market rejections or failures in past performances that distract you? Maybe you should put all these on sleep mode. Reward yourself with some “fun” time on your social networks when you’re done with your project. Socialize with friends other than work. Distractions come in all shapes and sizes, so identify what distracts you and put yourself in a situation where they don’t get in your way. Remain focused on your desired goals to maintain your momentum.

5. Stay away from negative people.

Some people display negative behavior always : constantly complaining, persistently blaming others, and always having a reason they don’t succeed. These people should not be in your immediate circle, and they certainly shouldn’t work for you, as they may bring down not only you but your team as well. Surround yourself with people who will be your cheerleaders, motivators and who are as ambitious and result oriented as you are. You will be much better equipped to build your momentum with positive people around you.

6. Keep Records- Maintain a Tally.

The busier our lives become, the harder it gets to remember what we actually accomplished by the end of the day or week. Keep some sort of tally or list to remind you what you completed and motivate you to continue. Such a record will also serve show you how much you are really accomplishing on a regular basis.

Building momentum is crucial to continuous goal accomplishment in your business...!

 

Learning Attitude

Your attitude towards life decides your experience of it. The attitude of looking to “learn” is the most powerful attitude to carry since it allows for an inherently positive experience of life. For example, when you are in a seemingly negative life situation, if your attitude is to just complain, and feel frustrated, you will never allow yourself to really get a sense of the learning that this situation is trying to provide you – and when you don’t “learn”, what needs to be learnt, you just keep repeating the same life situation again and again until you finally learn, after which a new reality can come through. If you see yourself repeating the past negatives constantly (like living the same negative experiences in new faces) it just means you are not “learning” and hence there is no positive growth in your reality.

The simple way life works is that when you’ve really learnt everything that you need to learn from a present reality, you become ready to move to a new/expanded reality. Until then you mostly just keep repeating the same patterns, and life feels as if its gotten stuck on a tune. The immediate reaction people have when they are in a negative situation is to complain, fret and be frustrated, rather than having the attitude of allowing what arises and bringing awareness to their inner space to get a sense of the negative patterns within them that this reality is reflecting – such an attitude is a complete shift in paradigm from the old attitude of fretting about a negative reality.

When you just sit complaining about a negative reality you are inherently focused on the negativity and hence keep perpetuating it – this allows no room for growth or improvement to come in, or allows it very slowly. Instead, if you simply look to learn from every situation, to look within and identify the negative patterns that your present situation is helping reflect (which is what awareness is), you keep letting go of inner resistances steadily, and thus moving out of contrasting/negative realities more swiftly.

Be the change you want

Reality always manifests from inside to outside – the inside is what creates the outside, or rather it’s our inner vibration that attracts our external reality. So if you want a change in your reality, guess what needs to change first? – your inner space. By this “inner change” I don’t mean you need to change who you naturally are, rather you need to change your maturity level, expand your outlook, let go of inner resistances and deepen your understanding. Your natural makeup is your uniqueness, and it’s something you need to align with, but your maturity level and your learning can keep deepening eternally – in your physical life, you will never reach a point where you have nothing to learn, if you think you’ve reached such a point, you are basically living in denial.

When you know that physical life is an eternal movement of learning, why would you feel that you are stuck in a negative reality, instead of seeing it as a platform for learning and growing as a person? Instead of the attitude of “why is life doing this to me” develop the attitude of “what is the learning this situation is giving me” – in this way you won’t be wallowing in self-pity and would thus not keep perpetuating a negative life situation for long, you will learn, grow and move on to an improved reality. Worrying, blaming, complaining and fretting serves absolutely no useful purpose, instead it does the opposite by creating more resistance – it’s just a waste of energy when you indulge in any of these behaviors. If you want change, look within and change the aspects in you that have attracted your current reality – it’s always about bringing awareness to an inner negativity and thus letting go of it.

Use your awareness for faster learning

A lot of people ask about how to let go of negativity after bringing awareness to it – if you notice, this is an inherently illogical question, it’s like asking how to stop eating bad food when you’ve become aware that it’s bad – well, you just stop feeding it to yourself, it’s not a technique it’s just the normal thing to do. When you become aware of something negative you automatically stop fueling it. Of course, it takes time before the negativity can die away, because it has a lot of past momentum, so you have to allow time for it to dissolve – instead of constantly worrying about when it will dissolve. The fact that you’ve become aware of a negativity is enough for it to dissolve, so your job is to just “learn” by bringing awareness to your resistances, and the growth will happen on its own. Negativity, that you have been carrying for years, needs time to dissolve even after you let go of it – it’s pure physics that a object which is already in motion requires time to stop even if you are not fueling it, it will move on its past momentum for a while.

The power of your awareness keeps growing when your attitude is to look within to detect the patterns of resistance/fears and negativity in your inner space. You can’t achieve a strong awareness overnight, it takes time. It’s like when you wake up from sleep in the morning, it takes time to feel fully awake – so again you need to allow for this time instead of constantly fretting about it. Of course, the fretting happens when one is highly irritated with the present reality and wants out, but this fretting inherently is delaying the change. If fretting is happening from the past momentum of the mind, just let it be, don’t try to suppress it and don’t give belief to it either, just allow it to dissolve by staying in an open awareness. When you know fretting serves no purpose, you will no longer fuel this behavior in you.

When you’ve learnt what needs to be learnt from your present reality, you automatically move into a better reality (the one without the negative elements of the old reality). Life is an eternal growth of course, so don’t imagine that you will ever reach a reality where you would have nothing to learn – the deal is to keep moving forward rather than be stuck, because it’s the stuckness that feels depressing. Movement forward always feel exhilarating because you keep staying in sync with your life-stream’s pull and hence will feel less resistance in you. The attitude of learning ensures that you never get stuck and thus live out your potential to the max.