10 Insights on Building, Motivating and Managing an Exceptional Team

Is team building an art or a science?

When it comes to assembling, motivating and keeping a great team happy so that they can flourish in your business, the truth is that it’s a bit of both.

It cannot be understated how important a great team is to a business’ success. The quality of the work you do will never exceed the quality of the team behind it. To many entrepreneur’s and manager’s dismay, team building often seems as complicated as watchmaking—there are a lot of moving parts, and things have to be just right in order to create something magical.

Fortunately, academic research on team culture and group dynamics sheds some much needed light on creating and motivating the perfect team.

Today we will look at 10 of the best studies available, and break down what’s important to look out for and what practical things you can do to ensure your team is set up for success.

1. Team-Building Exercises Can Work

Building a great team and actual "team building" exercises are often viewed in very different lights.

Team building is one of those business topics that will evoke a few eye rolls. The first thing that comes to mind for many are those superficial activities that force people together into some sort of awkward scenario, with all of the participants hating the process and wishing it would end.

Team building shouldn’t have this sort of reputation.

The Small Group Research journal paper "Does Team Building Work?" analyzed data from 103 studies conducted between 1950 and 2007. This cumulative research provides the strongest scientific evidence to date that team building can have measurable, positive effects on team performance.

As you’ll soon see, the "secret" in making team building work is to keep things normal, and to avoid situations that feel invasive, awkward, or forced. Do NOT assemble your team and ask everyone to share their greatest fear—a huge majority of the people involved won’t appreciate this forced mix of their work life and personal feelings.

What far more practical things should you do instead?

Read on…

2. The 5 Best Team-Building Activities

In light of the lackluster reputation of team building, you probably aren't surprised to read that research from Citrix has shown that 31 percent of office workers say that they can’t stand team-building activities.

This negative association is a shame, because, as discussed in this Harvard Business School publication, a connected team is a motivated team. Further supporting research from the American Psychological Association (APA) finds that team building activities can help employees feel valued, and those that do are the most motivated to do great work.

Almost all employees (93 percent) who reported feeling valued said that they are motivated to do their best at work."

There are ways to circumvent this mentality and fulfill the goal of providing great bonding experiences for co-workers. David W. Ballard, head of APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program, discussed in a U.S. News & World Report interview five simple team-building activities that have shown to be successful time and time again. They are:

1. Volunteering. The best activities are those that the entire team feels proud to participate in. Research even suggests that helping others makes you feel like you have more time on your hands! The Help Scout team recently assisted the Cradles to Crayons project to help support a great cause in our community, and all of us found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience that encouraged conversation outside of the workspace.


2. Physical activities. Sports make for superb outings that allow employees to work together and get physical exercise. However, Ballard warns that always playing the sport that the CEO likes may make the activity feel like an obligation. Also, pick your sport carefully: Activities that could result in injury (e.g., football) aren’t as effective as milder, non-contact options (e.g., bowling, ice skating).


3. Field trips. Simple, casual trips such visiting a park or museum or going to a baseball game can work wonders for your team. Companies like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters offer a more extreme example here: They sent employees to Guatemala to learn more about the coffee-making process!


4. Professional development activities. Quality workshops give teams the opportunity to stay up to date with education and develop professional relationships in new settings—all without the stigma of going it alone or the awkwardness of trying to network solo.


5. Shared meals. Eating regularly with your team allows for casual conversation in a comfortable environment, letting team members get to know each other outside of work. As a remote worker, I don’t get to see the Help Scout team every day, but when I’m in Boston we spend lunchtime together and I regularly dine out with individual team members.

3. Great Teams Need Non-work Communication

A study from MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory shows that when it comes to predicting the success of a great team, the most important element is how well the team communicates during informal meetings:

With remarkable consistency, the data confirmed that communication indeed plays a critical role in building successful teams. In fact, we’ve found patterns of communication to be the most important predictor of a team’s success."

This doesn’t mean team members have to be best friends outside of work, but managers should recognize that non-work discussions arecritical to creating a team that looks out for each other. Otherwise, co-workers may begin to view one another as just cogs in the machine.

How can informal conversations be regularly prompted within teams?

We advised the center’s manager to revise the employees’ coffee break schedule so that everyone on a team took a break at the same time."

In short, a simple nudge works far better than awkward, forced team-building exercises that mandate casual conversations.

4. Star Performers are Often Dependent on Their Team

Your rockstar employee that seems to thrive off of natural talent may be more dependent on their team than you think.

A Harvard study published in 2006 revealed that the overall performance of heart surgeons improved over time (patient mortality was the outcome measured) when they were able to consistently work with their usual team at the primary hospital they performed in.

When the surgeons would cover for other doctors, the researchers found that this measured improvement didn’t translate to other familiar hospitals with unfamiliar personnel.

So even though these surgeons were well acquainted with the other hospitals (thereby sidelining worries about feeling confused or "out of place"), they didn’t have the same tacit understanding of their team members. As a result, they did not perform at the same level as they did at their primary hospital with their primary team.

This finding is very important for both employees and employers to consider when evaluating how a particular team is contributing to their rockstar’s consistency.

5. Remote Teams Can Outperform Local Teams

Yahoo’s recent announcement that they would be ending their remote working program kicked the argument over remote working into a frenzy. But the research shows that not every company should write off the practice just yet.

A 2009 study from MIT’s Sloan School of Management found that virtual teams working for software companies were regularly outperforming on-location teams, as long as they had the proper systems in place.

What systems are required? According to the MIT study:

Those processes can be classified in two categories: task-related—including those that help ensure each team member is contributing fully; and socio-emotional—including those that increase the cohesion of the group."

The group’s findings show these elements to be critical for remote-team success:

6. In-Person Brainstorming is Not the Best Option for Teams

Great teams are often denoted by their ability to unite to come up with stellar solutions to brain-busting problems.

The problem is that study after study has shown that brainstorming in groups is generally a bust when it comes to generating the best, most novel ideas.

Here are a few reasons group brainstorming can fall flat:

1. Social loafing: Studies on the concept of "social loafing" show that in brainstorming groups, creatives often won’t fully exert themselves because they feel that others are likely to pick up the slack (bystander effect, anyone?).
2. Production blocking: In a group brainstorming session, the rest of the group has to wait while a peer shares an idea. This has been shown to cause some folks to actively dissuade themselves from sharing when they feel they are being talked over.
3. Evaluation apprehension: Unsurprisingly, contributors to brainstorming groups know that their ideas will be judged. Researchers have found that this often prevents people from sharing, since they don’t have the time to fully flesh out an idea the way they would if they were brainstorming alone.

But brainstorming is important for teams—research shows it gets employees invested in the projects they are working on. When people feel like they’ve contributed, they tend to be more invested in making the project a success.

So what’s the solution?

According to this research, the answer may be a new form of online brainstorming known as electronic brainwriting. This practice consists of brainstorming through a chat program, which circumvents many of the face-to-face problems. The following rules are also recommended:

• Don’t criticize.
• Focus on quantity.
• Combine and improve ideas produced by others.

The Help Scout team prefers HipChat for this sort of quick communication, and the app is also perfect for setting up the electronic brainwriting sessions mentioned above.

7. Great Teams Benefit from Having an Analytical Thinker

When it comes to assembling a great team, this study from Carnegie Mellon University suggests that having an analytical thinker on the team is a must to balance out big-picture strategists. How is an analytical thinker defined? The study described this person as someone who pays close attention to "process focus," which is the art of identifying and focusing on the sub-tasks needed to achieve the goal.

In other words, this detailed-oriented person sweats the small stuff; they’re a great complement to the broad thinkers who concentrate on executing overall strategy.

They key is to educate team members on appreciating the process of creation, which can help negate potential disputes. When the entire team understands the often difficult nature of the details, this analytical thinker can thrive without being at odds with those planning out strategy.

As a software company, we can offer a candid example—adding "this one button" or "that one little feature" is almost never as easy as it sounds. Very rarely are these small changes actually small, and big picture people need to be in tune with this side of an analytical thinker’s work, so that misunderstanding’s and disputes can be avoided.

8. Forming "Micro-Cultures" Can Be Bad for Teams

Varying degrees of friendship are bound to form within teams. Research shows that it’s common for closer bonds to be formed among team members who share similarities based on their social identity and by the department they work in (e.g., marketing, support, product, etc.).

In a psychological study on getting the most out of multidisciplinary teams, lead researcher Doris Fay found that multidisciplinary teams produced better quality innovations than more uniform teams, but that this boost in performance was only consistent if there wasn’t a problem of teams fracturing into smaller subgroups.

Team leaders need to ensure that each member feels committed to the unified cause and that everyone on the team has a voice.

While private friendships are obviously fine, office cliques and inter-departmental rivalries aren’t ideal for a positive, goal-minded environment.

9. Teams Need "Social Sensitivity"

For a team to perform well across a range of challenges, it’s essential for its members to have the character trait of social sensitivity.

Recent research on this topic shows that the ability to read co-workers’ emotional states is pivotal in determining a team’s success. Detecting when co-workers may be frustrated, busy, confused or embarrassed has proven helpful to a team’s cohesion.

Seemingly small things—such as being able to take turns while speaking—can go a long way toward increasing social sensitivity among teams.

You may not be surprised to hear that women are often more attuned with this trait than men. This may be why additional research suggests that teams that lead (company boards) with at least one woman represented will regularly outperform all male boards.

Either way, this is an important trait to establish in your company culture. Check out how the Buffer team promotes these values by encouraging employees to ‘default to transparency’ and to be a "no ego doer" when working with others.

10. The Best Teams Have Extroverts and Introverts

If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid." – Albert Einstein

Many companies actively encourage their employees to open up and be more extroverted. But be careful of this mentality; even though introverts don’t tend to make as strong of a first impression as extroverts, they have proven to be key members of teams.

Research shows that although introverts "start off with the lowest status" (i.e., their peers didn’t evaluate them as having much influence), as time progressed their status climbed whereas the extraverts’ status fell.

These underrated quiet types offer a unique way to balance a team, so be sure that any ‘wallflowers’ on your team are given a chance; their reserved nature may just mean that they are shy, not that they have nothing to contribute.

Original Article Here

Have you ever said to yourself, ‘‘I can’t get any work done at work?’’

75% of the time in any work environment there are never-ending distractions, interruptions, and telephone calls. Your job at work is to create chunks of time by using good time management and getting things done by motivating yourself in the office. Doing hard work at the office will help lead you to better productivity, and greater success in any job.

TIME MANAGEMENT AND HARD WORK, WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS

The very fact that you know that you will not be interrupted enables you to concentrate better and produce more. If you are working at home, you should keep your phone off so that no calls can get through to you. Hard work without interruption for long periods is an extraordinarily powerful way to increase your output and get much better results at work.

STARTING EARLIER, WORKING HARDER, STAYING LATER AND GETTING THINGS DONE

There are 4 very simple techniques for getting things done that you can use to double your productivity, improve your time management skills and accelerate your results.

1. Early to Bed, Early to Rise. When you get up and get going early, you can get the equivalent of an entire day’s work done before the normal working day even begins. If you work from 5:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. and then go to the office, you will soon be great at time management and on top of all your major tasks. Getting things done at work will be a bonus to you because you have already accomplished so much during your day.

2. Go into the office one hour earlier, before the workday begins. By leaving home early and getting into the office early, you will avoid most of the traffic. Since there is no one there to interrupt you, you can get started immediately. Often you will find yourself able to clear up an entire day’s work in that one hour.

3. Develop the habit of doing hard work straight through the typical lunch hour when almost everyone else has left the office. Company policy permitting, there is no law that says that you have to go for lunch when everyone else goes. There is no law that says that you have to eat lunch from twelve to one each day. You can take your lunch hour before noon or after one o’clock. In both cases, there will be no lunch-hour crowds or delays. You can eat quickly and be back at work with very little downtime. You can get in and out faster and you will get better service. You will be more productive.

4. Getting things done by working one extra hour after everyone goes home. This is one of the best ways for busy people to stay on top of their jobs. During that uninterrupted hour (which, as you know, is worth 3 hours during the day), you can clear up all your responsibilities, write your reports, dictate your correspondence, and plan the next day in detail. The key is to take those 60 to 90 minute chunks of time to do hard work without interruption. Close the door, turn off your cell phone, put your head down, and work without stopping for that one hour.

These are 4 very simple ways to increase your productivity just by working a little harder during the day. If you don’t believe me, try them for yourself. If you decrease your distractions at work and commit to working harder, you will accomplish so much more and get ahead at your job much faster. To learn more about how to increase your productivity at work and discipline yourself to get more done, download the first chapter of my book “No Excuses” HERE for FREE.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article on time management, hard work, getting things done faster and doubling your productivity at work. If you liked reading, please comment and share this post with your friends.

Best Methods to Build Rapport by Anthony Robbins

How I kicked my time management habit and became exceedingly more productive, profitable and thrilled

I’m done putting my life into categories. Quadrants. Day types. Feck.

Here’s how it happened: Last year I turned my life upside down. Moved. Shelved numerous obligations to meet a writing deadline. Avoided said writing deadline for a long time. Slammed that writing deadline. Put my health significantly further up on the priority list. Chose yoga over blog posts. Hung with friends instead of wooing clients. Launched stuff at light speed. Killed projects. Stopped cooking dinner mid-boil to capture an idea. Talked on the phone with friends…in the middle of the day…for hours.

I lived more, because it was time for some things to die.

I devoted myself more deeply to liberation because the longing to be free was the passion of my inner Christ. I had to arrive at thrive or I would get stuck in survival mode. In this dimension, nothing is predictable, and unbridled is the only way to go. It was not the time to “manage” my time.

Time management systems are tricky beasts. They may help us be more productive, but not necessarily less stressed, or more fulfilled, or more in touch with our true nature. We may look freer with our priorities all tidy, but too often, time remains the master and we get “given” time for obeying the system.

I’d rather be fulfilled than obedient. And it turns out that when I’m fulfilled, I’m…fulfilled — whether I’m productive or not. And that gives me plenty of energy to be more focused on what matters most, which makes me truly productive. It’s a beautiful thing. Here’s how I got there:

HOW TO PUT TIME MANAGEMENT IN ITS PLACE.
(BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT TO.)

1. Stop keeping a detailed to-do list. If it’s truly important, you’ll remember to do it. A few post it notes and texts to yourself should be all you need.
2. Say no, thank you to four things a day. My coach gave me this assignment. It changed my life.
3. Relentlessly focus on the one or two vocational desires that turn you on so much that envisioning doing JUST those things seems so fantastical that it borders on erotic pleasure (yep, I think it’s your birthright to feel that hot about your work in the world). Everything else that is not about fulfilling your most intense vocational desires is getting in the way of making your fantasy life a reality.
4. Work with talented and excellent human beings. Amateurs, posers and mediocrity-makers are time squatters. Move ‘em out.
5. Delegate the stuff that doesn’t light you up.
6. Have (only) 3 important things to accomplish every week. Make those three things happen and you’re closer to making your fantasy life a reality. Accomplish more than that and you’ll feel like a super hero (good esteem fuels fulfillment AND productivity.)
7. Batch n’ chunk. Pay all of your bills at the same time. Create a day just for errands. Make all of your calls before noon. This “while you’re at it” kind of momentum is incredibly efficient.
8. Ask yourself every morning what you really feel like doing. Not what’s most important. Not what’s expected of you. But what you’re most excited to do. Enthusiasm is the DNA of making things happen. Start there.

Flying without a to-do list made me worry. It was scary to let go of revenue streams and planned projects. Going to yoga when I had obligations actually took some moxie.

Doing what I was truly stoked to do each day was unnerving, guilt-inducing and exhilarating all at once.

And… it didn’t take long for this free forming time style to reveal my most lucrative, artistically satisfying, relationship-enhancing year ever.

Easy does it.

http://www.daniellelaporte.com/how-i-kicked-my-time-management-habit-and-became-exceedlingly-more-productive-profitable-and-thrilled/

7 Keys to Building Great Workteams

Fostering teamwork is a top priority for many leaders. The benefits are clear: increased productivity, improved customer service, more flexible systems, employee empowerment. But is the vision clear? To effectively implement teams, leaders need a clear picture of the seven elements high-performance teams have in common.

1. COMMITMENT 

Commitment to the purpose and values of an organization provides a clear sense of direction. Team members understand how their work fits into corporate objectives and they agree that their team's goals are achievable and aligned with corporate mission and values. Commitment is the foundation for synergy in groups. Individuals are willing to put aside personal needs for the benefit of the work team or the company. When there is a meeting of the minds on the big picture this shared purpose provides a backdrop against which all team decisions can be viewed. Goals are developed with corporate priorities in mind. Team ground rules are set with consideration for both company and individual values. When conflict arises, the team uses alignment with purpose, values, and goals as important criteria for acceptable solutions. 

To enhance team commitment leaders might consider inviting each work team to develop team mission, vision, and values statements that are in alignment with those of the corporation but reflect the individuality of each team. These statements should be visible and "walked" every day. Once a shared purpose is agreed upon, each team can develop goals and measures, focus on continuous improvement, and celebrate team success at important milestones. The time spent up front getting all team members on the same track will greatly reduce the number of derailments or emergency rerouting later.

2. CONTRIBUTION

The power of an effective team is in direct proportion to the skills members possess and the initiative members expend. Work teams need people who have strong technical and interpersonal skills and are willing to learn. Teams also need self-leaders who take responsibility for getting things done. But if a few team members shoulder most of the burden, the team runs the risk of member burnout, or worse -- member turn-off. 

To enhance balanced participation on a work team, leaders should consider three factors that affect the level of individual contribution: inclusion, confidence, and empowerment. The more individuals feel like part of a team, the more they contribute; and, the more members contribute, the more they feel like part of the team. To enhance feelings of inclusion, leaders need to keep work team members informed, solicit their input, and support an atmosphere of collegiality. If employees are not offering suggestions at meetings, invite them to do so. If team members miss meetings, let them know they were missed. When ideas -- even wild ideas -- are offered, show appreciation for the initiative.

Confidence in self and team affects the amount of energy a team member invests in an endeavor. If it appears that the investment of hard work is likely to end in success employees are more likely to contribute. If, on the other hand, success seems unlikely, investment of energy will wane. To breed confidence on a work team, leaders can highlight the talent, experience, and accomplishments represented on the team, as well as keep past team successes visible. The confidence of team members can be bolstered by providing feedback, coaching, assessment and professional development opportunities.

Another way to balance contribution on a work team is to enhance employee empowerment. When workers are involved in decisions, given the right training, and respected for their experience, they feel enabled and invest more. It is also important to have team members evaluate how well they support the contribution of others.

3. COMMUNICATION

For a work group to reach its full potential, members must be able to say what they think , ask for help, share new or unpopular ideas, and risk making mistakes. This can only happen in an atmosphere where team members show concern, trust one another, and focus on solutions, not problems. Communication --when it is friendly, open, and positive --plays a vital role in creating such cohesiveness. 

Friendly communications are more likely when individuals know and respect one another. Team members show caring by asking about each other's lives outside of work, respecting individual differences, joking, and generally making all feel welcome. 

Open communication is equally important to a team's success. To assess work performance, members must provide honest feedback, accept constructive criticism, and address issues head-on. To do so requires a trust level supported by direct, honest communication. 

Positive communication impacts the energy of a work team. When members talk about what they like, need, or want, it is quite different from wailing about what annoys or frustrates them. The former energizes; the latter demoralizes. 

To enhance team communication, leaders can provide skill training in listening, responding, and the use of language as well as in meeting management, feedback and consensus building. 

4. COOPERATION

Most challenges in the workplace today require much more than good solo performance. In increasingly complex organizations, success depends upon the degree of interdependence recognized within the team. Leaders can facilitate cooperation by highlighting the impact of individual members on team productivity and clarifying valued team member behaviors. The following F.A.C.T.S. model of effective team member behaviors (follow-through, accuracy, timeliness, creativity, and spirit) may serve as a guide for helping teams identify behaviors that support synergy within the work team.

Follow-through 

One of the most common phrases heard in groups that work well together is "You can count on it." Members trust that when a colleague agrees to return a telephone call, read a report, talk to a customer, attend a meeting, or change a behavior, the job will be done. There will be follow-through. Team members are keenly aware that as part of a team, everything that they do --or don't do---impacts someone else. 

Accuracy 

Another common phrase heard in effective work groups is "We do it right the first time." Accuracy, clearly a reflection of personal pride, also demonstrates a commitment to uphold the standards of the team, thus generating team pride. 

Creativity

Innovation flourishes on a team when individuals feel supported by colleagues. Although taking the lead in a new order of things is risky business, such risk is greatly reduced in a cooperative environment where members forgive mistakes, respect individual differences, and shift their thinking from a point of view to a viewing point. 

Timeliness

When work team members are truly cooperating they respect the time of others by turning team priorities into personal priorities, arriving for meetings on time, sharing information promptly, clustering questions for people, communicating succinctly, and asking "Is this a good time?" before initiating interactions.

Spirit

Being on a work team is a bit like being part of a family. You can't have your way all of the time, and - to add value - you must develop a generous spirit. Leaders can help work teams by addressing these "rules" of team spirit: value the individual; develop team trust; communicate openly; manage differences; share successes; welcome new members.

5. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT 

It is inevitable that teams of bright, diverse thinkers will experience conflict from time to time. The problem is not that differences exist, but in how they are managed. If people believe that conflict never occurs in "good" groups, they may sweep conflict under the rug. Of course, no rug is large enough to cover misperception, ill feelings, old hurts, and misunderstandings for very long. Soon the differences reappear. They take on the form of tension, hidden agendas, and stubborn positions. On the other hand, if leaders help work teams to manage conflict effectively, the team will be able to maintain trust and tap the collective power of the team. Work teams manage conflict better when members learn to shift their paradigms (mindsets) about conflict in general, about other parties involved, and about their own ability to manage conflict. Three techniques that help members shift obstructing paradigms are reframing, shifting shoes, and affirmations. 

Reframing is looking at the glass half-full, instead of half-empty. Instead of thinking "If I address this issue, it'll slow down the meeting," consider this thought: "If we negotiate this difference, trust and creativity will all increase."

Shifting Shoes is a technique used to practice empathy by mentally "walking in the shoes" of another person. You answer questions such as "How would I feel if I were that person being criticized in front of the group?" "What would motivate me to say what that person just said?"

Affirmations are positive statements about something you want to be true. For example, instead of saying to yourself right before a negotiating session, " I know I'm going to blow up", force yourself to say, "I am calm, comfortable, and prepared." If team members can learn to shift any negative mental tapes to more positive ones, they will be able to shift obstructing paradigms and manage conflict more effectively.

6. CHANGE MANAGEMENT 

Tom Peters, in Thriving On Chaos, writes "The surviving companies will, above all, be flexible responders that create market initiatives. This has to happen through people." It is no longer a luxury to have work teams that can perform effectively within a turbulent environment. It is a necessity. Teams must not only respond to change, but actually initiate it. To assist teams in the management of change, leaders should acknowledge any perceived danger in the change and then help teams to see any inherent opportunities. They can provide the security necessary for teams to take risks and the tools for them to innovate; they can also reduce resistance to change by providing vision and information, and by modeling a positive attitude themselves.

7. CONNECTIONS

A cohesive work team can only add value if it pays attention to the ongoing development of three important connections: to the larger work organization, to team members, and to other work teams. 

When a work team is connected to the organization, members discuss team performance in relationship to corporate priorities, customer feedback, and quality measures. They consider team needs in light of what's good for the whole organization and what will best serve joint objectives. Leaders can encourage such connection by keeping communication lines open. Management priorities, successes, and headaches should flow one way; team needs, successes, and questions should flow in the other direction. 

When a work team has developed strong connections among its own members, peer support manifests itself in many ways. Colleagues volunteer to help without being asked, cover for each other in a pinch, congratulate each other publicly, share resources, offer suggestions for improvement, and find ways to celebrate together. A few ideas for developing and maintaining such connections are: allow time before and after meetings for brief socialization, schedule team lunches, create occasional team projects outside of work, circulate member profiles, take training together, and provide feedback to one another on development. 

Teams that connect well with other work groups typically think of those groups as "internal customers". They treat requests from these colleagues with the same respect shown to external customers. They ask for feedback on how they can better serve them. They engage in win/win negotiating to resolve differences, and they share resources such as training materials, videos, books, equipment, or even improvement ideas. To build stronger connections with other groups, work teams might consider: scheduling monthly cross-departmental meetings, inviting representatives to their own team meeting, "lending" personnel during flu season, and combining efforts on a corporate or community project. 

To compete effectively, leaders must fashion a network of skilled employees who support each other in the achievement of corporate goals and the delivery of seamless service.  

Suzanne Willis Zoglio, Ph.D., is the author of Teams At Work: 7 Keys to Success, The Participative Leader, and Create A Life That Tickles Your Soul. 

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7 Self-Reflection Questions for Personal Development Goals

We all have a dream that we want to experience but it can remain hidden without asking ourselves some self-reflection questions. If you are staring at your computer screen thinking to yourself "I don't have a dream or what questions" do not worry. We will go over some great questions in order to help you with your personal development goals.

1. What one personal development goal if achieved tomorrow would give you the greatest feeling of success?

By discovering which goal is most important to us we can better focus our energy and time on what means the most to us. This does not mean we sacrifice the rest of life to get that goal but by being clear on what is most important to us we make better decisions. If you do not find the answer to this question your life goals will not align with your true purpose. Your intentions will not attract the individuals and circumstances needed to make your dreams come true.

2. Are these your goals or someone else's?

Are you living into what you believe is a predetermined future for yourself? If your parents, grandparents and siblings are all lawyers do you feel obligated to be the same even though you dislike the profession?

You are not anyone but who you are and you need to determine your goals based on that fact in order to live your dream life. A life lived through others expectations, is a life that is filled with regret and what could have been.

You do not have to feel selfish for pursuing your own dreams and not the dreams others have for you. You have the right to listen to your heart and follow what you believe is your destiny.

3. Are you passionate about your vision of life?

If you are not waking up excited to live the day then chances are you do not have personal development goals that you are passionate about. People who are passionate about their lives do not want to go to bed at night because they love being awake. They live such fulfilling lives that they cannot wait to wake up and do it again.

If you just can't wait until its bedtime so you can finally end the day you need to identify what you are passionate about. What could you wake up to tomorrow that would make you throw off the covers and practically run out the door? Your real goals will give you energy you never knew existed.

4. Do you understand what success feels like?

Success has a million different definitions and every one of those only applies to the person who is saying it. Success is a feeling we get inside and not our materialistic belongings.

Take time to reflect on what you consider to be past successes. Do not think of the achievement you got in terms of tangible rewards but try to express how you felt in that situation. Was it exhilarating and mind-blowing or were you just slightly happy.
Real goals make you feel like you are on top of the world. Internet marketers always say that their first $100 online is more memorable than their next $100,000. The reason is because that $100 made them feel true success inside. They actually did what they set out to do and it matched what they wanted it to feel like.

Spend the time needed to determine your definition of success. What will life look like, who will you be and what will it take to get there. Most importantly what do you expect to feel when you arrive at your dream destination?

5. What are the daily habits you can create to achieve your goals?

Successful people have successful habits. They didn't just stumble upon those habits but through taking one step each day towards their personal development goals they developed them. By setting up daily routines that push you towards your goals you can create habits.

Most habits are always on autopilot which puts your success on autopilot. If you were in the habit of exercising 30 minutes every day in some form or another I am guessing you would be in fairly good shape. At first you may have to force yourself to go but before long you would wake up and consider doing nothing but go exercise.

This applies to every goal you have. Set up a plan on how to take small daily steps, they turn into habits and before you know it your goal is accomplished.

6. Are you telling yourself: "I can't achieve these goals?

Most people don't believe they can actually achieve the goals they set. They do a good job of writing their goals and planning the steps they need to take but the whole time they tell themselves inside that it won't happen. So it doesn't.

If your belief system is telling you to forget it this isn't going to happen you will need to discover where those beliefs come from. Maybe you don't believe following your passion will pay the bills or that you can't be rich because your parents are poor. You could have been hurt by someone so you believe you can't be loved. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a positive self-belief system.

You can, you will and you deserve to be.

7. Are you afraid of success?

You thought fear of failure was bad. Can you imagine the fact that some people are more afraid of being successful then failing? If they never get to be successful they can blame their failures but when they achieve success they only see one way to go and that is down.

Instead of going after their goals fully they essentially self-sabotage themselves by creating situations where they get fired, make people mad at them or anything that would give them an excuse as to why success wasn't possible. Then they are like "Whew, I almost became more than I already am, dodged that bullet."

Look at success as something you achieve and then do again, over and over. There is no going backwards just in a different direction.

I understand change is scary but I find it even scarier to think that all I am right now is all I ever will be. You deserve to live the life of your dreams so go out there and crush those personal development goals.


Personal development provides us with the knowledge we need to succeed in life by increasing our self-awareness to the point where we consciously choose all of our actions and create all of our results. Darrin is an expert Goal Coach and loves helping others discover their definition of success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darrin_Wiggins

A Personal Development Plan Example for Success in Network Marketing

The secrets of success of the wealthy have now became common knowledge for every man and woman to take control of and use. The only options we have left are either to take these same principles and use them in our daily life, or to just walk away and choose another lifestyle for us that we may feel more comfortable with.

Not everybody wants to be rich, not everybody wants a job and not everybody wants the same things, but I'm talking about here is going over the personal development that is necessary to cultivate a mindset for success which ultimately shape our decisions in life.

If we really sit back and analyze the information we can see that we are in the information age, and with it comes access to so much free information (as well as paid) information that will just absolutely propel us into the stratosphere of success in an instant, when we decide right now to do so.

I'm prefacing my personal strategies for success with this because I've been at points in my life where I traveled all across North America in search of what makes successful people in network marketing and internet marketing, and it really boils down to a few fundamental principles that gives us 80% of our desired outcome.

What I will do now is give you my four main secrets to success when it comes to personal development producing the results that we want in our lives and much more. It works if you are consistent with these strategies, and they have worked for thousands of people that also recommend the same course of action.

Here are my 4 Personal Development Strategies for Success:

1) Listen to audio Daily. By listening to audio every single day you actually train your mind to start thinking in the terms that successful people think. I'm talking about listening to audio that will you get to your goals in some way shape or form and that is useful for you. One of my mentors always said, "Your mind cannot differentiate between listening to an actual conversation or listening to an audio." Therefore, our minds actually believe that we are having the conversation in person when listening to an audio.

2) Read daily. When you start to read daily and absorb information from other successful people you will quickly start to embed the information that is required to experience success in our lives. The more we read the more seeds that we sow in our mind, which will eventually blossom into flowers if we give them time and we continue to focus on personally growing.

3) Attend a live training weekly. By attending weekly live training we are also associating ourselves with people that are like minded, are experiencing success, and are there to help us grow inside of our business. This is key right here because this is what helps us grow and mold ourselves into leaders of our industries.

4) Get to every industry event you can go to. Attending the events is of upmost importance, because it's not what you learn at the events that will get you to the next level. It's the conversations that you have at the dinner table across from somebody that is having success that will actually just blow your business up! The conversations bring out the magic my friends.

So here I have my personal strategies that I follow religiously every day to grow inside of my business, grow inside for myself so I can attract bigger things in my life, and of course transform into the person you were always meant to become.


If you would love to learn more about these principles of success inside of your business be sure to visit my blog by clicking here. In there I have resources for growing a business online, as well as personal growth strategies for success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cesar_A_Soto

8 Simple Tips to Maximize Career Fulfilment

BY GLORIA PITAGORSKYAPR 01, 2014

Finding a career that you’re passionate about isn't always a picnic. A 2013 Gallup poll suggests that 70% of workers either dislike their jobs or are completely disengaged with what they do.

As managing director of Heard City, a growing company in New York, I’m constantly meeting with people young and old who are struggling with the daily frustration and boredom of their current workplaces. Figuring out what you truly want to do with your life is a challenge for many people; below are eight tips to help you find a fulfilling career path.

1. Write down who you are

What do you like to do after work hours or on the weekends? Write down all of your personality traits or interests — you might surprise yourself with what you find. Whether it’s a baby step or a huge leap, every day you should challenge yourself to embark on something that plays to your passions; you never know when you might stumble upon a career path (or a side project that ultimately turns into a full-time gig) that aligns with them.

Remember the old saying, "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have?" The same rings true for how you conduct yourself every day: You need to embody the person that you want to be in order to become her.

2. Say goodbye to your comfort zone

After a certain amount of time in a specific city, industry or job title, it can be easy to start feeling "stuck." Let go of behaviors that keep you feeling this way and try new things, no matter how different (or intimidating) they might be. Take a risk: Try a class, go to a networking happy hour or attend a conference or event. You might learn something new about yourself, professionally or personally.

3. Be extremely selective with your time

Don’t overbook — you can't be everywhere 24/7. Time is precious, so try to be as selective as possible with the activities that you choose to pursue, and make sure they're really worth the investment. On a related note, don't underestimate the importance of down time or "me" time. Allotting time in your schedule for self-reflection is healthy.

4. Use networking and social media to your advantage

Actively pursue and study the industry in which you want to be involved (even if it's not the one you're currently working within). Hiring managers are more likely to open and review a resume that is passed along by a client, friend or peer, so take a look at your network and determine which connections could potentially lead to a job, and don't be afraid to take a risk and reach out.

On social media, be sure to connect with brands, companies and professionals on LinkedIn that you admire or that interest you. Follow people or industry influencers on Twitter and Instagramthat inspire you both professionally and personally. These relationships don’t happen overnight; they require time, effort and care, but they will be worth it in the end.

5. Find a mentor who will vouch for you

Here's a crucial one: Find a mentor in the industry you want to work. While you have to be your biggest advocate, it doesn’t hurt to have someone else be your cheerleader as well. Meet with your mentor on a regular basis — ask them questions and advice and use the information you glean to your advantage.

6. Don’t be afraid to say 'no' (or to hear it)

As humans, we are scared of failure; it’s one of our biggest downfalls. You aren't always going to win at everything, and sometimes you are going to have to make calls that you are afraid to make. This means that
you will hear 'no' sometimes, but don’t let that little word discourage youyou will hear 'no' sometimes, but don’t let that little word discourage you; let it motivate you and drive you forward.

7. You’re valuable, so invest in yourself

Whether that means going back to school at age 40 or deciding that your current job isn’t inspiring you anymore and changing careers completely, you need to invest in yourself. You are never too old or too young to learn, so take some time for yourself and create opportunities on your own.

8. Become a 'gardener'

At the end of the day, you need to take a step back and figure out what you find the most fulfilling and what mark you ultimately want to leave. You must navigate all of your various interests and pick one (or two) that you want to grow — think about that interest as a plant. Take care of and nurture it. You don't have to walk away from other things; just focus more on what you love the most and bring that passion to fruition.

When it comes down to it, most people aren’t truly "lost" — they often just need to apply direction and focus.

Three Simple Steps For Starting Your Personal Development Plan

Are you looking for ways to start your own personal development plan? Wondering how you should do it? Well today, I will be sharing with you how I did mine. Feel free to borrow my ideas and use them for your own.

Think Of Your Goals

The first step you should take while you are planning your own personal development plan is to think of your goals. What do you want to achieve out of this whole ordeal? Actually, you should think of it from a broader perspective. What do you want to achieve in life, and what do you think you need to do to achieve those goals? What areas of your life do you want to develop and how do you intend to develop them? Take some time to ponder over these thoughts carefully. The decisions you make today can affect your outcome tomorrow.

Take Action

I mentioned earlier that you should think about how you want to achieve your goals. Once you have your goals planned out in your personal development plan, you need to take action steps. You see, your goals are like a map that ensures that you are moving towards the right direction. However, what good is a map unless you are going somewhere? Take baby steps in moving towards your goal. Once in a while, you may need to refer back to your goals to motivate you and keep you going in the right direction, but what's important is that you take action. Even with a map, people can get lost sometimes. That should not be a worry though, because at least you have the chance to turn around and move towards the right direction.

Learn From Your Mistakes

We are all human and bound to make mistakes in life. What do you do when you fall in life? Do you stay down or do you get up? I am sure you get up. Use each mistake as a lesson that you can learn from in life. Try not to make the same mistake again. Examine where you have gone wrong and think of how you can avoid making that mistake in future. However, do not dwell on your failures. A motivational speaker once said that failure is nothing more than an event and not a person. Do not be afraid to make mistakes in life.

I hope you have a better understanding of how to create a personal development plan. Do remember these points that I have mentioned today.


For more information on how to create a personal development plan, visit SelfEnrichment.com. You will learn more about developing a personal development plan, setting your goals, learning from mistakes, and much more!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_J_Ho