“Let the work you do be a source of joy. Find pleasure in your work. Let it not be done under compulsion. The mind turns away from that which it does not like, and then takes recourse to other objects for getting pleasure. You should work freely and happily, so that there may not be occasions for the mind to resort to unhealthy practices. Work for the sake of God. Then all work will become interesting. Take to hard physical labour but do not exhaust yourself. Do your work as a hobby. Then you can do it happily.”

I think the quote speaks for itself and has enormous potential in it if we all try to practice it, even a little bit!

- Quoted from:

http://www.hinduism.co.za/celibacy.htm#The Eight Breaks of Brahmacharya (Celibacy)

- Nilesh (Neil) Shreedhar.

neilshreedhar.wordpress.com;

neilshreedhar.com

or…

Google: Neil Shreedhar.

‘And Now for something really important….’

Healthy Living

My thoughts…

Stick with something that you love…I started with stair climbing when I felt flabby and weak years ago…now I am hiking, playing hockey, soccer, weight-training, yoga, meditation, and anything else that comes my way…I discovered how much I love sports when I came to my new office, I don’t plan to give them up and I have never looked back!

Build in your priorities into your lifestyle…initially that may mean going to the gym with or without your partner….but you have to begin with yourself first!

A married friend of mine had some advice for me a while back. He said you must respect yourself to be respected by others. He figured out a way to get his spouse involved who was a total non-athlete. No interest in sports!

It can be done, perhaps slyly at first, like playing frisbee so that ‘she’ doesn’t realize how much fun (sport) exercise can be, or what hit her…What? Were we exercising? LOL. That was fun! Let’s do it again!

Emphasizing being out in the great weather with the wind passing by your faces might help, and the rest is up to you.

Going back to being a kid and remembering what it was all about when we were young and carefree is what staying young is about to me.

It’s an attitude or frame of mind….That way you never get old…..just my thoughts on the topic….an important one…..

Good luck!

- Nilesh (Neil) Shreedhar.

Location: Sheraton Centre.Richmond Hill, ON, Canada.

Date and time: 715am – 9:30am. 30/11/11.

Title: Effectively Use Social Media to Grow your Personal Brand and Profile in the HR and Business Market Place. (En francais au-dessous).

Business and Social Network information from LinkedIn

Here are some easy tips straight from the experts on how to use LinkedIn successfully….

1. Fill in your employment history. Keep your network up to date about past positions and professional accomplishments.

2. Add your education. LinkedIn can be a great way to re-connect with former classmates and fellow alumni.

3. Add a photograph. This helps people remember you, looks professional, and is memorable.

4. Add at least three skills. This helps you get found. Useful: keywords which represent your industry and function such as IT, marketing, healthcare, etc.

5. Create your own vanity URL and have it appear in search results. Share with colleagues and add to signatures and business cards.

En francais…

1. Précisez vos antécédents de travail. Tenez votre réseau informe des postes que vous avez déjà occupes et de vos réalisations professionnelles.

2. Indiquez votre niveau de scolarité. Identifiez votre collège our votre université. LinkedIn peut vous aider a renouer avec vos anciens condisciples ea a les rencontrer.

3. Ajoutez une photo. Aidez les gens a se souvenir de vous en ajoutant une photo de qualité professionnelle a votre profil. On n’oublie jamais un visage.

4. Indiquez au moins trois domaines de compétence. Pour faciliter les recherches, entrez des mots clés reliés a votre industrie et a votre poste, par ex. TI, marketing, soins de sante, etc.

5. Personnalisez votre URL. Personnalisez l’adresse URL de votre profil qui apparait dans les résultats de recherche. Partagez-la avec vos collègue, joignez-la a votre signature et a vos cartes de visite.

Source:

www.linkedin.com/profile.

- Nilesh (Neil) Shreedhar.

Who – me?…and computers….Just who or what is the problem here?! 

One of our computer systems was down, so I asked a colleague (call her Gracie) ….”Are you having difficulties as well?” She replied…”No, it’s just you! “I laughed, getting the joke; she added softly, “you’re probably just working too hard.” I added, “I’m probably working it (the computer) too hard.” (We both giggled).

Never Give UP!

Time: 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm.

Date: 26 Nov 2011.

Location: London Convention Centre. (Ontario). Workshop #3

Confidence Revolution

(Confidence, Credibility, Clarity)

This empowering Toastmasters workshop (www.toastmasters.org) was about having the confidence to achieve any goal that you felt worthy of achievement.

Debra encapsulated the key element to her workshop in this grand thought:

“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

-Trina Paulus. “

You will note these pair of bookend quotes at the start and end of the summary of the above workshop. That is because the key to this and any workshop is to ACT upon the information and Debra Dowdell, a charming and sweet self-made entrepreneur clarified this for us at the outset of her workshop…. Point taken D!

Ms. Dowdell gave a lively and fun presentation and emphasized it with her PowerPoint slides.

Revolution: a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something. It results in a change in your paradigm. This bears reflection. Just one idea can better someone’s life.

Einstein: insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

Brief background…. Ms. Dowdell explained her humble beginnings in a life of poverty; as her father had been an alcoholic so she was raised by her single mother.  She has been working from a very young age and so learned life’s lesson very quickly, in total having worked for 14 years.

Those of us who came to the workshop were made to realize that we weren’t there just to take another set of notes: we’re not here for INFORMATION, but TRANSFORMATION.

How? Follow your passion and SILENCE! your fears.

Here’s what students have to go through in this day and age, if you can imagine it!

Dowdell then spoke of a scenario in which high school students go through speed interview process which involves being given a problem to solve, and within ten minutes they are expected to come up with a solution on which the hiring decision is based. In other words, they must come up with a winning solution within minutes! Talk about intense pressure!

In the scenario the students must focus on three C’s: Clear communication doing so in a Credible, and Confident manner.

Dowdell used the above example to put things into perspective for us: we may think things are challenging, but they are even more challenging for the younger generation!

Fears: we must confront our fears: involving Failure, Success, Judgement and Change.

Tony Robbins – consider:  how to  live today… to create a tomorrow you are committed to?

Stephen Covey….there is a huge difference in meaning between greatness and mediocrity…. As Moon is to Sun.

Finding the Key to Unlock your success….

Dowdell’s Prescription. Three steps to finding your greatness: Confidence, Credibility and Clarity.

1A. You can grow your confidence by finding what is your ‘why’ in life. Power into that every day and access it from a deep and passionate place. Your why is what gets you up in the morning and gives you joy. It is the area from which you access your authenticity, your passion and build trust and excellence.

1B. Write it down. With all the seminars and workshops, and media we are subject to Information Overload very quickly. If you write it down (i.e., your goal), you are more likely to look at it and succeed.

1C. Accountability. Be careful to find supportive people and build such a team around you that will propel you forward in life and to your goals. Core activities will get you to your A+.

2 A. Create Power and Energy. Build credibility. Find a ‘tribe’. People who resonate with you. This creates credibility. It is not necessarily composed of a wide-net. It could simply be a small circle of friends, colleagues or other supporters. They should be easily drawn to you.

2 B. Finding clarity. It is a gift to give. Doing so adds Value. Build strength, delegate weaknesses. Perfect your game, focus and enjoy the results…the circle continues and builds more credibility. Power and energy, or momentum is created in this step.

3 Finding clarity…. there is value in clear messages. Actions create – clarity – a powerful message – creating your Brand – you! Find out your who, what, where, how and… when? Now! She notes that it is a gift to give….so be INTENTIONAL. Make each act count: is each act moving you forward towards your ultimate goal? Become a Me worth knowing…someone you would want to know…through acts done daily anyway! Are you the Technical Creative solutions planner? Perhaps you are known as a lover of baked goodies, a nurturer, or a great listener? Send clear messages, solutions get results – are your day to day activities Action – clarity – powerful message!

Final note. Debra reiterated:

“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” -Trina Paulus. “There’s one teaching that my mother passed onto me…so…“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams….” – Thurow.

True – you may not have attended the above workshop, however, you have it in you to make the changes you need to in order to live the life you wish to live. The above material was used with permission and highlights the skills, qualities and steps needed to move forward to your best life…As we are all ‘works in progress’….

Good luck and happy progressive living!

-          Nilesh (Neil) Shreedhar.

For a copy of this presentation, view:

www.TheConfidenceRevolution.com

Improving Interpersonal Effectiveness

Step 1

Success Tools

Think, feel and act.

Interaction: Influence and persuade. Build trust, and foster buy-in, reduce resistance. Work well together. (Team approach).

Step 2

Personal stories: Learning from family and sharing with the audience. Lindan’s son has Asperger’s Syndrome – which often very bright individuals have. Watching television, his son tends to take everything literally and doesn’t ‘get’ the nuances.

It is very important for him to interact face to face in or with his environment to understand – and to be understood. Lindan shares this important lesson with us in mind too.

Lindan’s Magical Concepts: Anthony tells great stories, relates well using the language of the particular field adapted to the audience (for example Human Resources) that he is addressing, and he uses magic to illustrate important concepts such as the importance of working together to get excellent results.

Examples:

Magic Demonstration with paper: He uses: 1. A circular paper with no twists (separate or individual person). 2. A circular paper with one twist 3. A circular paper with 2 twists. Magic Lesson: Surprisingly – the two paper twists interlink if cut through! The result is an enjoined and now very long piece of paper! Key Concept: working together produces substantially larger results!

Lindan also did a rope trick using ropes of different lengths, using them to demonstrate that we should connect and engage with one another.

Step 3

Command Stage

‘Stage mind’: Define, Set, Command.

Being in the now: be 100% focused; your audience (or the receiver of your message) should feel that you are the 100% focus of their attention and that you are Listening, Interested, Engaged and not Distracted (My acronym: LIED). Big idea:

One can change the world in ten seconds- just by its quality (vs. its quantity).

Authenticity

Circa 1992…An important official was in the audience that Anthony was speaking to…Anthony was a popular radio jockey…Unfortunately, trying too hard…it was a fiasco trying to impress this official…who remained decidedly UN-impressed which Anthony later realized was the exact wrong thing to do! Key concept: Express, don’t Impress Concept: Express not impress.

Be yourself. Know who you are and what you bring….

Engaging an Audience requires…

Confidence, belief and commitment. Remember to move with purpose on stage.

In an organization, problems in any one of these areas could mean: you don’t believe in your corporation, are not committed to it or you lack confidence.

Great Quote

Benjamin Disraeli

The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.

Benefits to You and Me

In a nutshell, from Anthony’s personal experience – we should give back what we ask from others!

Mr. Lindan’s workshop was successful – instructive and useful – catering to his unique strength (magic) to illustrate important concepts for Human Resources and enable an organization to function more smoothly, more effectively and more productively.

Paying attention to the concepts and ideas above can significantly improve your interpersonal effectiveness! Good luck!

Nilésh (Neil) Shreedhar.

Time: 07:30 – 10:30; May 19, 2011

Location:Sheraton Centre Highway#7

Anthony Lindan – Tips on Personal Impact Workshop (Part 1 of 2)

 The Magic of Personal Impact

Unique angle. Mr. Lindan tells great stories and relates well to his audience using the language of the field or particular audience he is addressing. In our case we were Human Resources Professionals and he used magic to illustrate important concepts such as the importance of working together to get excellent results. It was a pleasure attending his workshop.

Going to an event sponsored by the HRPYR (Human Resources Professionals of York Region) is an opportunity to grow and to hear world-class speakers like Anthony Lindan.

Anthony made it easy for us to remember how to make a memorable impact with others by relating well to us providing excellent acronyms which served as reminders for reflection and immediate application.

The world is a stage and we are constantly making presentations, whether on stage, or on a one to one basis….so here are important things to remember… for the next time that you make a presentation!

Step 1

EASY

While making personal impact remember these four crucial components; acronym: EASY.

Environment – see the big picture down to the micro environment (details)

Audience – who (are they?), what (are they looking for?), why (are they there?)

Situation – focus on right now, focus on your stage.

You – is your mind in the present?

magic

Step 2

Success Tools

Personal impact also requires attention to these elements:

Attitude

Energy

Presence

My useful Acronym: APE; as a memory aid think of an energetic ape with a positive attitude!

Make your Broadcast Frequency high-energy: project and your audience will reciprocate.

A presenter should also ask himself: What do I need to succeed?

Step 3

Command the Stage

Personal impact also demands certain clichés being repeated for their value:

Own (the stage).

Live (in the moment)…

Make it Happen…It’s Show Business.

Mr. Lindan has friends in various fields, from comics to hockey players. From hockey we learn: ‘play (the) puck or it plays you!’ You can act or react – better to act. As performers – we have to be professional!

Secrets of the Stage

Acronym: ACE…

Acknowledge

Connect

Engage

Example: ‘Undercover Boss’ – in one episode an employee was brought to tears of joy, as employee felt appreciated for the first time.

Handshake – generally shows ‘you have my undivided attention’.

Authenticity

Eliminate mixed messages which could cause people to speculate about credibility and integrity…this occurs when our words don’t match our actions (body language).

SOS system

These are questions Mr. Lindan has created to maintain his objectivity while self-evaluating his level of engagement with his audience. His tool is the acronym SOS:

S – Self Awareness; asking oneself how one currently feels to how one wishes to feel….

O – Objective focused; asking oneself the objective prior to any incident and what is it going forward?

S – Situational Awareness; asking oneself what was the nature of situation before the incident and what would one want it to be going forward?

Benefits

In a nutshell, Anthony says self-analysis can help one to understand an audience’s needs (big, small or a single person) keeping one focused on achieving one’s goals!

Start using acronyms as memory aids for such material – they work really well!

…continues

- Nilésh (Neil) Shreedhar.

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being Intentional, or, as he quotes at the preface of the chapter, “You’ve got to think about “big things” while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.”

Maxwell described how he recently became a grandparent and how he was impressed by a potential gift for his granddaughters that his wife discovered, a book from the American Girls Collection which taught American history uniquely from the perspective of a girl.

His interest piqued, upon further research he discovered the name of the publisher, Pleasant Company and discovered that the company belonged to a former teacher disenchanted with the lack of creative historical material available. Eventually she decided to develop her own material: “As an educator, I wanted to give girls an understanding of America’s past and a sense of pride in the traditions they share with girls of yesterday. Out of this desire, The American Girls Collection was born (Maxwell, 2002, p. 82).”

The brief example above serves as a backdrop to illustrate points which Maxwell advises us to check for to determine whether we (as a team or individually) have developed the attribute of intentionality: Have a purpose worth living for, know your strengths and weaknesses, prioritize your responsibilities, learn to say no, and commit yourself to long-term achievement.

Using the example of Pleasant Rowland, he explains how she was able to turn a strong purpose, “a purpose worth living for,” the desire to educate children in particular by helping girls, into actions which helped her build a $300 million company. He states “You can’t be intentional if you don’t have a strong sense of purpose (Maxwell, 2002, p. 84).”

By “Knowing your strengths and weaknesses,” Maxwell refers to how knowing yourself, especially your own strengths, helps “rekindle your passions and renews your energy (Maxwell, 2002, p. 84).” He reminds us that people like to do what they’re good at.

 “Prioritizing your responsibilities” means exactly that and to back this up, Maxwell uses the famed Henry David Thoreau, quoting him as saying: “One is not born into the world to do everything, but to do something (Maxwell, 2002, p. 85).” So work your priorities continually.

To illustrate “learning to say no,” Maxwell quotes chemist John A. Widtsoe: “Let every man sing his own song in life (Maxwell, 2002, p. 85).” Maxwell cautions, don’t say yes to everything, though you may be tempted to do so, or “you won’t excel at what you were made to do (Maxwell, 2002, p. 85).”

In “committing yourself to long-term achievement” Maxwell reminds us to keep the big picture in mind. Instead of having an all or nothing” mindset, he wisely counsels us that:

“…most victories in life are achieved through small, incremental wins sustained over time. Being willing to dedicate yourself long term to the process of achievement, instead of to its immediate rewards, will enable you to be more intentional. That’s true when it comes to personal growth, relationship building, financial investment, or professional success (Maxwell, 2002, p. 85).”

To sum it up, being intentional therefore means having a purpose worth living for, knowing  your strengths and weaknesses, prioritizing your responsibilities, learning to say no when necessary, and committing yourself to long-term achievement.

 Nilesh (Neil) Shreedhar.

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being adaptable, or, as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting Constantin Brancusi, “To see far is one thing; going there is another (Maxwell, 2002, p. 141).” He then quotes Rick Mears: “To finish first, you must finish (Maxwell, 2002, p. 141).”

Tenacious

In the final chapter of this powerful motivational book, Maxwell provides a personal example to drive home the concept of Tenacity….

When faced with the challenge of trying to accommodate the lifelong ambition of a friend, Dan, as they vacationed together as a group in England, Maxwell and friends, who came all the way from the United States, overcame seemingly huge obstacles to fulfill his wish, a trip which would have otherwise felt incomplete. The team’s objective, and especially Dan’s was to get a picture done in the exact manner and location where the Beatles had last recorded together, in the manner of one of their famous album covers – featuring John, Paul, George and Ringo, the ‘Beatles,’ walking across a pedestrian crosswalk. There were however a major impediment or two: getting the photograph done had been left until the very last day before departure, and construction equipment and workers were all around Abbey Lane making physical access to the location difficult:

“When we got there, we couldn’t believe it. The street was closed (Maxwell, 2002, p.143)!”

Then when they understood why we were there, they folded their arms, stood as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar, and told us it couldn’t be done (Maxwell, 2002, p. 144).”

Amidst strong opposition from the construction workers working in Abbey Lane, and a tiny window of opportunity, using cajoling and a never-give-up attitude, the group eventually succeeded in taking the photograph as the burly construction workers ultimately came on-side to facilitate instead of to impede progress. It was a job well done, as the photograph was taken on the very last day the friends would be returning back to theU.S.! Now the prize photograph sits as a reminder on Maxwell’s desk.

Despite poor timing, ordinary skills, and few people, Maxwell and his team succeeded in getting the picture done, which he attributes to sheer tenacity.

Maxwell advises checking for the following characteristics to see if you have developed tenacity. Thus here is how tenacity is defined: Giving All That You Have, Not More Than You Have, Working With Determination, Not Waiting On Destiny and Quitting When The Job Is Done, Not When You’re Tired. 

Fleshing it Out

Giving All That You Have, Not More Than You Have. Being tenacious, and affording yourself every opportunity to succeed, means …giving your all – though not necessarily more than 100%- certainly not less than 100%: “…General George Washington…during the entire course of the Revolutionary War…won only three battles…but he gave all he had, and when he did win, it counted (Maxwell, 2002, p.145).”

Working with Determination, Not Waiting on Destiny. As T. Edison once quipped, “I start where the last man left off (Maxwell, 2002, p.146).”

Quitting When the Job Is Done, Not When You’re Tired, or as put by motivational speaker and author Napoleon Hill, “Every successful person finds that great success lies just beyond the point when they’re convinced their idea is not going to work (Maxwell, 2002, p.147).” 

Reflecting on it

Maxwell asks us to reflect on how tenacious we are…if your team is down in the last few minutes of a game – do you give up, or can you be resilient or tenacious enough to win? I can relate to this from a personal example as I enjoyed Dragon boat racing the summer of June 2010, and our team struggled hard to eventually take second place in our first race! It was an upwind battle all the way through as Dragon boats were neck to neck….we were proud of our strong second place accomplishment. Tenacity meant us being adaptive and asking ourselves: could we push harder to finish? As Maxwell states, tenacity requires that we come back stronger next year, that we adapt for the team, and not expect the team to adapt for us.

Bringing it home

(Tips on becoming a more tenacious team player)

These tips are: working harder and/or smarter, to stand for something and to make work a game…. 

To work harder may mean putting in an additional 60 – 90 minutes daily (30 to 45 min. before and after work hours). To work smarter may mean optimizing the use of your time, especially if you are already burning the midnight oil just trying to keep up.

Maxwell says we should stand for something….how does daily work relate to your overall purpose? Review daily to stay emotionally involved with your purpose.

Maxwell’s idea of making work a game involves friendly competitions with colleagues at work to positively motivate one another.

tenacious

Daily Take-Away

1859 was a year when the remarkable tenacity of one Ernest Malinowski was demonstrated, as he slowly but surely, carved a railway from sea level on the Pacific Ocean coast into the AndesMountains, a range second in height in the world only to the Himalayas. People said it wasn’t possible. TheAndes embody frigid conditions, glaciers, and a potential for volcanic activity. To cut through such a terrain requires remarkable engineering skills and abilities to motivate men. Switchbacks, zigzags and numerous major engineering feats including 100 tunnels and bridges, using relatively primitive construction equipment amidst high altitudes and mountainous terrain as obstacles – all were encountered – but in the end Malinowski and his men prevailed remaining a testament to the courage and tenacity of man over mountain as well as to someone we can all learn a great deal from.

Nilésh (Neil) Shreedhar.

 One of our computer systems was down, so I asked a colleague (call her Gracie) ….”Are you having difficulties as well?” She replied…”No, it’s just you! “I laughed, getting the joke; she added softly, “you’re probably just working too hard.” I added, “I’m probably working it (the computer program involved) too hard.” (We both giggled).

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being dependable, or, as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting Wolfram Von Eschenbach: “Fear not those who argue but those who dodge.” Put another way by Maxwell himself, “dependability is more than ability alone (Maxwell, 2002, p.46).”

He uses the example of Christopher Reeves who ‘had it all’ in 1995: he was married to his best friend Dana, had three amazing children and a bright future living together inWestchester County,New   York. Successful at whatever he put his mind to, he was an accomplished pianist and composer, an expert sailor, a licensed pilot, an excellent skier, scuba diver and a horseman – a tremendous outdoorsman and all-round athlete!

Then, the sudden and unexpected happened during the cross-country portion of a riding competition – Reeves was thrown hard from his horse Buck. Due to the force and angle of the throw, he sustained life-altering injuries to his spine at the first and second vertebrae, his breathing stopped and he was paralyzed from the neck down (Maxwell, 2002, p.48).”

Reeve’s own words after coming to consciousness some time after the accident describe how he realized that he couldn’t do anything for himself any longer:

“If all the people who are around to help me were mad at me or in a lousy mood or whatever, and they went away, there’d be nothing I could do about it. Absolutely nothing…It all comes down to goodwill. Nobody has to do any of these things; I’m completely dependent on them.” That’s the way it is on every team whether we can se it as clearly as Reeve does (sic). Teammates must be able to depend on one another (Maxwell, 2002, p.49).”

It’s true – teams need dependable players.

Maxwell’s tips on becoming a more dependable team player

According to Maxwell, the essence of dependability is found in four principles:

Pure motives, responsibility, sound thinking, and consistent contribution. Maxwell explains….

To illustrate pure motives Maxwell quotes and contrasts Aristotle: “all we do is done with an eye to something else (Maxwell, 2002, p.50).” Perhaps Aristotle didn’t believe that we can trust anyone’s motives. However, Maxwell uses this relational rule of thumb until proven wrong: he prefers to give people the benefit of the doubt most of the time as he keeps his motives right; he encourages teammates to do likewise. Be there for your team and put your own agenda behind. Maxwell cautions: “When it comes to teamwork, motives matter (Maxwell, 2002, p.50).”

To demonstrate responsibility in this four-part dependability formula, Maxwell quotes Michael Korda: “In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have…is the ability to take on responsibility (Maxwell, 2002, p.50).” Maxwell advises that “While motivation addresses why people are dependable, responsibility indicates that they want to be dependable (Maxwell, 2002, p.50).”

As poet Edward Everett Hale states:

I am only one,

But still I am one.

I cannot do everything

But still I can do something;

And because I cannot do everything

I will not refuse to do the something that I can do (Maxwell, 2002, p.51).

In other words dependable people do what they can.

Maxwell demonstrates sound thinking, his fourth principle, with the example of a reporter missing the ‘scoop’ for the newspaper he was writing for. Initially he had been sent to cover the story of the game which was to occur but couldn’t write about the game because the stadium collapsed. Alas, he came back empty-handed with no scoop missing the obvious story of the stadium collapse as he wasn’t thinking well! Maxwell recommends that dependability needs to be coupled with good judgment to be of real value to a team.

To illustrate consistent contribution Maxwell quotes the powerful words of Winston Churchill: “It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required (Maxwell, 2002, p.52).” Maxwell’s own feelings about the topic are quite revealing: “Consistency takes more than talent. It takes a depth of character that enables people to follow through – no matter how tired, distracted, or overwhelmed they are (Maxwell, 2002, p.52).”

Here are tips on improving our dependability: check our motives, discover what our word is worth and find someone to hold us accountable.

For checking our motives we should commit our goals to paper and check to see how committed we are to all of the teams that we happen to belong to – organizations, families, volunteer groups, or athletic teams. He suggests we compare how we benefit to how we benefit our teams and spend some time to align personal priorities with those of the teams we belong to.

To discover what our word is worth, ask such team members “when I say that I intend to do something, how reliable am I? Rate me on a scale of one to ten.” Don’t defend yourself if the answers don’t meet your expectations, and remember to include a superior and a subordinate in your survey.

Finally, in finding someone to hold you accountable, partner with someone in order to develop your dependability as you are more likely to keep your commitment.

The above ideas are excellent and practical tips to increase your dependability.

Nilésh (Neil)Shreedhar.

Be solution oriented.

Review of Maxwell’s Leadership Keys: #16 –

Solution Oriented

What could possibly be more tragic than losing a child?

Before John Walsh became host of “America’s Most Wanted,” he experienced the loss of his child. First Adam Walsh had been asked to leave the department store by a security guard, then abducted, and later he was found murdered.

While John and his wife Reve did experience anger and depression associated with this difficult loss, they adopted a solution-oriented mind-set and became proactive about child abduction.

First John worked to create a national computer base to assist in locating missing children, and then he co-founded the National Centre for Missing and Exploited children (NCMEC). NCMEC’s “Code Adam” is an important tool being used in more than thirteen thousand stores nation-wide in theUnited States.

If a child is missing, a store-wide alert is announced, employers are provided a description, and store exits are closely monitored. Police are notified if a child isn’t found within ten minutes. NCMEC now has 125 employees and has resolved more than 48,000 missing children cases, and assisted in more than 73,000 others. Its work has also been credited with increasing the recovery rate of missing children from 60% in the 1980′s to about 90% today.

Instead of succumbing to becoming morose due to Adam’s murder, the solution-oriented mind-set that John developed has assisted tens of thousands of families to find their children and honours Adam Walsh’s memory at the same time.

Fleshing it Out

Alfred A. Montapert remarked that “The majority see obstacles; the few see the objectives; history records the successes of the latter, while oblivion is the reward of the former (Maxwell, 2002, p.136).”

Maxwell notes that such solution-oriented people can be difference-makers and that “A team filled with people who possess that mind-set can really get things done (Maxwell, 2002, p.137).” He suggests we examine how we think -”problems are a matter of perspective, all problems are solvable, and problems either stop us or stretch us (Maxwell, 2002, p.137-138).”

If we understand that problems are a matter of perspective, then we can appreciate how solution-oriented individuals consider problems to merely be temporary setbacks, interim obstacles, or solutions in the making. Then one doesn’t have a problem because one hasn’t created one! Obstacles, setbacks and failures simply form a temporary part of life not allowed to become problematic.

If we follow the example of Charles Kettering, holder of more than 140 patents, then it is easy to believe that all problems are solvable. If he hadn’t had that strong notion, perhaps he would have acquiesced to the belief that solutions couldn’t be found to the many problems he encountered while he was head of research for General Motors. Often employees would come into his office and say “Boss, you can’t do it.” HoweverKettering went on to be inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame by believing all problems could be resolved.

Problems either stretch or stop us. Maxwell quotes Orison Swett Marsden, founder of Success magazine: “Obstacles will look large or small according to whether you are large or small (Maxwell, 2002, p.138).” By overcoming difficult circumstances we often better ourselves in the process, however the choice of how to overcome problems is ours to make as problems can hurt or help us during the process.

Reflecting on it

Maxwell reminds us that life challenges present us with four options – we can flee, fight, face or forget them. The difference is whether we see such opportunities in a negative or problem-centric light or in a solution-oriented one. The difference then is perspective.

Bringing it home

(Tips on becoming a solution-oriented team player)

To become a more solution-oriented team player, Maxwell recommends we should: refuse to give up, refocus our thinking, rethink our strategies and repeat the process. 

Refuse to give up.

Often the difference between overcoming a challenge and being defeated by it is one’s initial attitude. Solution-oriented individuals choose not to give up until they find a solution.

Refocus your thinking.

Successful problem solvers realize that “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking (Maxwell, 2002, p.139) Set aside time to resolve problems with key players using “prime think time,” not leftover time when tired or distracted.

Rethink your strategy means exactly this and Maxwell buttresses is opinion quoting Einstein: “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them (Maxwell, 2002, p.139).” ‘Thinking out of the box’ then also includes entertaining absurd ideas to generate fresh ways of tackling issues.

Repeat the process.

As the adage goes, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.’ This is useful with solvable or ‘temporary’ problems, for it allows you to improve the whole resolution process. In leadership circles the concept is equated to kaizen, the development of a solution-oriented attitude.

Daily Take-Away

1939 was a year in which Soviet troops were taking over neighbouring Baltic states and found the American vice-consul both inLatvia’s capital,Riga, and in a state of consternation. He was upset that Russian soldiers might loot the supply rations of the American Red Cross. Wiring the U.S. State Department to obtain permission to fly theU.S.flag over that of the Red Cross, he received the reply that “No precedent exists for such action.” Here is what followed:

“The vice-consul climbed the flagpole and secured the American flag to it. Then he sent a message back to the States Department: “As of this date, I have established precedent (Maxwell, 2002, p.140).”"

The solution lay in the precedent set.

Nilésh (Neil) Shreedhar.

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being selfless, or as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting Charles Goodyear:  

“Life should not be estimated exclusively by the standard of dollars and cents. I am not disposed to complain that I have planted and others have gathered the fruits. A man has cause for regret only when he sows and no one reaps (Maxwell, 2002, p.125).”   

Put another way by George Burns:

“When you stop giving and offering something to the rest of the world, it’s time to turn out the lights (Maxwell, 2002, p.125).”

Selflessness 

Philip Toosey joined military service to be with his friends and was initially commissioned as a second lieutenant, excelling to be major in a fairly short time.  

In 1939 Toosey served in France, then transferred to Malay Peninsula. He was part of a failed attempt to defend this and Singapore region from Japanes aggression. He had been promoted to lieutenant colonel in command of the 135th regiment, however his troop had been forced to retreat all the way back to Singapore and thus, as surrender was inevitable, he was ordered “to leave his men and ship out (Maxwell, 2002, p.127)” to preserve his expertise for use elsewhere (Maxwell, 2002, p.127).”  

It was here that Toosey demonstrated a truly unselfish nature as he realized that if he left his troops it would devastate their morale. He got a tremendous “rocket” but won his point as he courageously spoke up to his superiors and was able to reply that as a Territorial Officer, all orders were subject to discussion. Thus Allied forces surrendered to the Japanese in 1942 and Toosey and his men were held in a Prisoner of War (POW) camp which left him in charge of Allied prisoners as the senior officer of Allied forces. Life in a POW camp can be described at best as grim, but Toosey was an excellent negotiater and despite the personal sacrifice and hardship tthat it caused him, he persevered in his efforts to gain benefits for his charge. The movie Bridge on the River Kwai was based (however inaacurate in its portrayal of him) on Toosey. For the audacity of having to  and being able to stand up to the Japanese, in looking out for the needs of his men, Toosey was often rewarded in such a fashion:  

“He suffered regular beatings and was made to stand at attention in the sun for twelve hours, yet his persistent badgering caused the Japanese to improve conditions for the Allied prisoners (Maxwell, 2002, p.128).” 

Toosey’s behaviour represented the epitome of selflessness and there is much subsantiating war data as to his heroics and his humility. Notable is his selfless regard for former comrades in the Allied war effort: upon return to England after the war, he continued his pre-war work with the merchant bank Barings as well as work for the Far East Prisoner of War Federation, to assist former Prisoners of War. 

Fleshing it Out 

In order to develop the qualiy of selflessness Maxwell suggests a few tips: be generous, avoid internal politics, display loyalty, and value interdependence over dependence. 

Starting in reverse order of these qualities….

Although North Americans value independence (“innovation, hard work and standing for what is right”), taken too far, independence represents selfishness, especially when it in some way harms others. Ancient philosopher Seneca suggested that “you must live for others if you wish to live for yourself (Maxwell, 2002, p.131).” 

To display loyalty, put yourself on the line for team mates, much as Toosey did for his men, who apparently reciprocated gladly with hard work and completed deadlines, no matter how difficult the task. “Loyalty fosters unity, and unity breeds team success (Maxwell, 2002, p.130).” 

Avoid internal politics and positioning yourself for maximum personal benefit in addition to internal politics as these can damage important relationships. Einstein encapsulated this as follows: “A person starts to live when he can live outside himself (Maxwell, 2002, p.130).”  

Be generous, or, as St. Francis of Assisi stated: “All getting separates you from others; all giving unites to others (Maxwell, 2002, p.130). Selflessness or generosity of spirit sets a team up to succeed through unity and generous sharing of one another with the team.

Reflecting on it

Maxwell asks us to reflect on how selfless we are….Do we graciously put others on the team ahead of ourselves? Do we cringe if others get credit for work that we’ve done, or if we have to take a backseat to someone else? He offers us the choice of shouting, pouting or toughing it out and being selfless.

Bringing it home

(Tips on becoming a more selfless team player) 

To become more selfless….

Promote others; take a subordinate role and give secretly.  

Instead of promoting yourself, Maxwell suggests why not praise colleagues by finding positive things to say about them over the span of a few weeks? 

Instead of taking the best place for yourself, allow someone else to come before you; see how you feel… as you may find that it affects your whole being in a positive way. 

Writer John Bunyan recommended that we give to others without them realizing it. He suggested that this was an important habit to develop: “You have not lived today successfully unless you’ve done something for someone who can never repay you (Maxwell, 2002, p.132).”

Daily Take-Away

It is well to contrast an opposing quality to gain a true appreciation of a positive one…. 

In 1916, Georgia Tech played a tiny law school – Cumberland University – and were beating them badly. The mindset and final score of 222 to 0 was succinctly captured in this brief exchange between the quarterback, who fumbled the snap from centre, and his fullback who was tired of being repeatedly sacked:

Quarterback: “Pick it up! Pick it up!”

Fullback: “Pick it up yourself – you dropped it.”

A poignant example of how things shouldn’t go….

Nilésh (Neil) Shreedhar.

Review of Maxwell’s Leadership Keys: #14 Self-Improvement

(A Team is Many Voices with a Single Heart).

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being communicative, or, as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting William Butler Yeates: “Think like a wise man, but communicate in the language of the people (Maxwell, 2002, p.28)”

Remember the Titans 

Screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard did a little research before he wrote the screenplay for Remember the Titans. He undertook this endeavour because he was drawn to Alexandria Washington and to a barber shop. Here he overheard local men talking energetically about a team. It was only after listening intently for a while that he discovered that the team being discussed, important even now to Alexandria, was a team assembled in 1971!

In the ‘70’s, times were changing and tangible steps had to be taken to show that America was serious about racial integration. The first group to come together in Alexandria was football players.

Herman Boone was selected to be the coach instead of a local white coach who was very popular in the community. This meant players who were to be on the team together for first time rode together to training camp, and roomed together, yet, sadly, despite Herman’s best efforts, all except one player kept separating themselves. In a pivotal moment in the movie Coach Boone asks that player some facts about some of his African-American team members. The player easily answered the questions asked. “That’s when the coach tells all of the young men that until they all learn about every other player on the team, they can expect to endure gruelling practices three times a day (Maxwell, 2002, p.30).”

Years later when Boone was asked what were the keys to get the team to bond, he stated: “Winning…(and)…communication. Talking to each other. We forced kids to spend time with each other…with teammates (who) were a different race (Maxwell, 2002, p.31).”

To this day the people of Alexandria still remember – and talk about – the Titans (Maxwell, 2002, p.31).

Fleshing it out 

It’s true…”without communication, you don’t have a team, you have a collection of individuals (Maxwell, 2002, p.32)” who are not interacting for the benefit of the organization. In fact, to improve communication, Maxwell has particular suggestions.…

Maxwell’s tips on becoming a more communicative team player 

According to Maxwell, the essence of good communication is found in four principles. Good team communicators: Do not isolate themselves from others, make it easy for team members to communicate with them, Follow the 24 hour rule, Give attention to potentially difficult relationships, and follow up important communication in writing. 

The first two tips are easy to implement, and a little self-reflection will emphasize their importance. Basically, Maxwell suggests that the more team members know about one another, the more they care, and thus the more engaged they become in their work. In addition, it is easier for players to become more connected with one another if it is easy to communicate with one another.

Following the 24 hour rule however, means that things should not be allowed to fester. Here avoidance though it may seem to be a good option, is a poor choice as situations only become worse if they are not discussed early. Maxwell advises that the sooner you address issues, the better off that you and your teammates will be.

Finally, Maxwell uses the difficult but central relationship between Julius Campbell and Gerry Bertier to demonstrate that such thorny relationships may be tricky, but if given the special consideration he feels they deserve, they can actually be crucial to the success of a team. 

Reflecting on it

 Maxwell challenges: How are you doing when it comes to communicating? Are you connected to all of your teammates? Have you neglected or excluded any? Do you isolate yourself to be more productive? How about accessibility – are you available to the team? (Maxwell, 2002, p.34).”

Maxwell ends the chapter with an important lesson from a legendary fable from Aesop. He recounts the story of a hungry lion that faces three bulls who together could easily defeat him, but who fail to communicate with each other. The lion easily overcomes them as they do not band together to face his threat. The lesson ends on Aesop’s note:

“Union is strength, but there is no strength without communication (Maxwell, 2002, p.32).”

The above ideas provide practical tips to increase your ability to communicate well in a team.

- Nilésh (Neil )Shreedhar. 

There are no Half-hearted Champions. 

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being committed, or, as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting William H. Murray:

“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way. (Maxwell, 2002, p.19)”  

Taking One for the Team 

Maxwell tells the compelling story of Jonas Salk, who completed his medical training at the age of 25 at New York University  (Maxwell, 2002, p.20).” Although he had originally wanted to be a lawyer, he was discouraged from doing so by his mother who felt that he wouldn’t make a very good one. After many trials and tribulations Salk became interested in the diverging opinion about how polio should be combated and this concern later drew him to the field of research. Advancements at Harvard University allowed viruses to be multiplied and this allowed Salk to capitalize by supplying him with a constant source of virus strains on which to do his trials. Through his dedicated hard work he was, after four years, able to develop a vaccine which he felt was strong enough to combat polio: 

“It’s one thing to believe in something you’re doing, it’s another to be totally committed to it. In the summer of 1952, Jonas Salk inoculated healthy volunteers with his vaccine (including)…himself, his wife, and their three sons. He was committed (Maxwell, 2002, p.21)! 

 Salk’s commitment paid off. Four million children were vaccinated in 1955, and from an initial 28,985 cases in that year, the number was cut in half by 1956 and by 1957 there were only 5,894 cases. 

As Maxwell, puts it, Salk further demonstrated his commitment in his decision not to patent the vaccine so that it would be available to everyone around the globe: 

“You could say that the team he was most committed to was mankind (Maxwell, 2002, p.22).”

Fleshing it Out 

Maxwell insists that true commitment is not doing something just when you feel like it, rather it is a persistent quality which enables one to keep going, even when difficulties arise. He says that the barometer of our human emotions seem to rise and fall all the time, but commitments have to be rock-solid and advises that if you want a solid team, whether it is in business, sports, or in marriage, you must have players that are committed to the team (Maxwell, 2002, p.22).

Maxwell’s tips on becoming a more committed team player

According to Maxwell, commitment is usually discovered in the midst of adversity, commitment does not depend on gifts or abilities, commitment comes as the result of choice and commitment lasts when it’s based on values. 

Commitment is usually discovered in the midst of adversity. The funny thing about people is that the harder they have to struggle for something, the more they seem to value it.  The same goes for commitment; it seems to thrive under adverse conditions and to make the point clear Maxwell quotes NFL Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi: 

“The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender (Maxwell, 2002, p.23). 

Commitment does not depend on gifts or abilities. To make the point that a person doesn’t necessarily have to already be endowed with some natural ability in business, sport, or art in order to be successful, Maxwell contrasts the person who has such ability but whose talent is squandered away from lack of use. To further reinforce the point he then quotes author Basil Walsh: 

“We don’t need more strength or more ability or greater opportunity. What we need to use is what we have (Maxwell, 2002, p.24).” 

Maxwell states that commitment comes as the result of choice and prefaces this paragraph with a quote from Choices, by Frederic F. Flach, who writes: 

“Many people look back over the years and identify a time and place at which their lives changed significantly. Whether by accident or design, these are the moments when, because of a readiness within us and a collaboration with events occurring around us, we are forced to seriously reappraise ourselves and the conditions under which we live and to make certain choices that will affect the rest of our lives (Maxwell, 2002, p.24).” 

According to Maxwell, commitment lasts when it’s based on values. He summarizes this point by articulating that “A commitment to something you believe in is a commitment that is easier to keep (Maxwell, 2002, p.24),” because once decided on, it doesn’t have to constantly be reevaluated. The issue is settled once and for all. 

Reflecting on it

Maxwell challenges: How important is commitment to you? Are you someone who values loyalty and follow-through? Do you muster the strength to continue when things get difficult, or do you have a tendency to compromise, or even quit? If you are in any way tentative in your commitment to your team, you should aim for greater commitment (Maxwell, 2002, p.25). 

As usual, Maxwell ends the chapter on tips on how to improve your level of commitment. He suggests you tie your commitments to your values. He suggests that you first take the time to find out what these values are through reflection, then, after taking inventory of personal and professional commitments, he tells you to articulate your core values. This exercise will bring forth commitments unrelated to core values. These commitments should be reevaluated against values that you are not living out and that you should commit to (Maxwell, 2002, p.25-26).” 

Maxwell advises us to take risks, as the act of commitment involves moving into uncharted territory, quoting George Halas former owner of the NFL Chicago Bears who said: 

“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it (Maxwell, 2002, p.26).” 

Wise words also follow in a caution by Maxwell to ‘evaluate your teammates’ commitment,’ because a reluctance to commit on your part may be related to the fact that your teammates may be untrustworthy; put another way: 

“You cannot make a commitment to uncommitted people and expect to receive a commitment from them (Maxwell, 2002, p.26).”

Maxwell ends the chapter with a dramatic example of the commitment to a cause shown by Hernan Cortes in 1519. Cortes had been preparing his whole life to sail to Mexico from Cuba to gain riches for Spain and fame for himself. He discovered that his crew was not as devoted as he. Rumours sprung that the crew might mutiny and return to Cuba with his ships. What was his response? He burned his ships and left no possibility of return. Maxwell then asks, ‘how dedicated are you…, do you always have an out? If so, perhaps you need to burn a ship or two, as there are no halfhearted champions (Maxwell, 2002, p.27).”

The above practical ideas, when implemented, will assist you to increase your commitment to a team.

Nilésh (Neil)Shreedhar.

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being disciplined, or, as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting Roy L. Smith: “Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability. It is put another way by H.P. Liddon, “What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we are; and what we are will probably be the result of previous years of discipline (Maxwell, 2002, p.55).”  

He uses the example of Bill Toomey, through the eyes of his friend Gordon MacDonald illustrating Bill’s disciplined workouts. While at the University of Colorado, The two friends worked out together, and then, while Gordon was showering, Bill would do the whole workout once more! Bill proved that it was possible to achieve more than one thought with greater than average discipline even if one considered himself an average athlete like he did. (Maxwell, 2002, p.56).” 

What was Bill’s secret? Bill didn’t consider himself a great athlete but believed in the “‘bag of tricks’ theory… that is, there is no big move that you can make in your training or in competition, but there are thousands of little things you can do ((Maxwell, 2002, p. 56).” Toomey never earned a medal in national collegiate championships, nor was he named All-American, yet through disciplined effort and constant improvement, his unspectacular college achievements eventually culminated into induction to the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984. As a decathlete in 1966 he set a world record then won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 1968.  Following this won five national decathlon championships in a row – a longstanding record in this sport which may stand to this day! 

Gordon MacDonald summarized the difference between the two of them as athletes: “He was unafraid of discipline and did the maximum; I was afraid of discipline and did the minimum (Maxwell, 2002, p.57).” According to Maxwell, a team and its members need discipline in three main areas: disciplined thinking, disciplined emotions, and disciplined actions. 

By disciplined thinking Maxwell refers to ‘using your head.’ You need not be a genius, but use the mind that God gave you. To quote George Bernard Shaw:  “Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself thinking once or twice a week (Maxwell, 2002, p.58).” So Maxwell recommends keeping our minds active, often taking on mental challenges, and continually thinking about the right things. Such habits will facilitate any chosen endeavour.

 Disciplined emotions. People have just two choices when it comes to their emotions: they can master their emotions or be mastered by them. Enough said…. Upon a bit of self-reflection, each of us can probably think of examples where we let our emotions get the best of us, to our, and perhaps even to others,’ detriment. We could probably all use a little bit more self-control and mastery over our emotions; perhaps we can even try to be positive all or most of the time. In this regard Maxwell quotes older golfer and mentor Granpa Bart referring to his mentee Bobby Jones as such: “Bobby was fourteen when he mastered the game of golf, but he was twenty-one when he mastered himself (Maxwell, 2002, p.59).” 

Disciplined actions. Maxwell quotes Albert Hubert to make his point about this topic: “Parties who want milk should not seat themselves on a stool in the middle of the field and hope that the cow will back up to them (Maxwell, 2002, p.59).” Cute….disciplined actions therefore entail keeping commitments, which people counting on you really appreciate! It also includes the focus one keeps on the goals, objectives or hobbies one chooses to keep. Finally, it refers to the extra time or practice one gives to getting a bit better at one’s chosen field. 

Maxwell’s tips on becoming a more disciplined team player. 

Biologist and educator Thomas Huxley remarked, “Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned, and however early a man’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson he learns thoroughly (Maxwell, 2002, p.60).” Maxwell states it another way: “discipline means doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason (Maxwell, 2002, p.61).” He recommends that we review our priorities and do something necessary but unpleasant to keep disciplined. Further tips include taking on extra challenges, even to the point of going in over your head, and taming our tongues. He actually recommends holding our tongues for five minute for those times when we feel like lashing out on others. 

Disciplined thinking, emotions and actions result in greater team contributions, and though it takes effort and a bit of determination, the rewards, for both the individual and their team, are considerable!  

Nilesh (Neil)Shreedhar.

Maxwell described the rise and fall of the Harley-Davidson company (Maxwell, 2002, p. 72),” from its heydays in the 1970’s where it held an 80% market share, to its low point in the 1980’s facing declining market share to 30% and then its sell-off to AMF. What ensued was the move of its head office and assembly plants for the first time in 65 years, further Japanese competition and looming in the horizon what appeared to be a grim future and even lower morale amongst its employees.

Vaughn Beals, a Harley enthusiast running one of the AMF divisions, and his twelve disciples (yes, exactly twelve executives comprised his team) turned things right around by purchasing the company, streamlining its operations, improving manufacturing methods and introducing new motorcycles.

By tapping into the enthusiasm of Harley owners and also forming HOG, the Harley Owners Group, for the first time in five years Harley-Davidson earned a profit and in 2002, Harley-Davison boasted sales of more than $2.9 billion. These results were derived from a unique partnership between labour and management which now also included customers, suppliers, shareholders, government and society. John Maxwell: “What saved Harley-Davidson? I believe it was enthusiasm (Maxwell; 2002, p.74).

The Harley-Davidson example serves as a backdrop to illustrate points which Maxwell advises us to check for to determine whether we (as a team or individually) have developed the attribute of enthusiasm and what steps we can take to augment this important quality: Take responsibility for your own enthusiasm, act your way into feeling, believe in what you do, and spend time with other enthusiastic people.

By “taking responsibility for your own enthusiasm,” Maxwell refers to the fact that attitude is essentially a choice: “Positive people are positive because they choose to be (Maxwell, 2002, p. 75).” It is not out of negativity, but out of positivity that one develops an enthusiastic attitude.

Maxwell suggests we “act our way into feeling” enthusiastic. He uses the example of fear to demonstrate that it is best to act our way into feeling enthusiastic. One has to take action, no matter how small that step might seem. “to get over fear, you’ve got to get started (Maxwell, 2002, p. 76).” Similarly, he states that if we try to wait for the feeling of enthusiasm, rather than acting on it, it may never come.

In order to “believe in what you do” and “spark the fire of enthusiasm inside you,” Maxwell makes the simple but practical suggestion of focussing on all the positive aspects of what we do in our daily work (Maxwell, 2002, p. 76).”

Finally, another way to increase your EQ, or your enthusiasm quotient, is to “spend time with other enthusiastic people.” Famous author of ‘psychology of winning’ books Denis Waitley says:

“Enthusiasm is contagious. It’s difficult to remain neutral or indifferent in the presence of a positive thinker (Maxwell, 2002, p. 77).”

To sum it up, taking responsibility for your own enthusiasm, acting your way into feeling, believing in what you do, and spending time with other enthusiastic people leads to increasing your EQ, your enthusiasm quotient, and results in benefits to the team and your own morale.

Nilesh (Neil) Shreedhar.

All rights reserved

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being competent, or, as he puts it at the preface of Chapter 5, quoting Howard W. Newton: “People forget how fast you did a job – but they remember how well you did it (Maxwell, 2002, p.37).”

He uses the example of Bob Taylor, the proud owner of the Taylorguitar company. These guitars are sought all over the world due to their attention to detail and their magnificent playing abilities. Bob’s experience in building such a great company evolved from his meticulous attention to detail and knack of taking apart and putting things back together again. He developed this ability while still young, experimenting with toys that had been bought at Christmas time. Now his company produces two hundred of the finest acoustic guitars in the world, daily.

Bob attributes success in his chosen profession to dedication, perseverance and the ability to constantly look for improvements to better his product:

“I’m a ‘tweak head,’” says Bob. “I’m continually trying to refine the process (Maxwell, 2002, p.39).”

It’s true, we need to focus on competence to get better, not the type of competence that means “good enough to get by,” or in being mediocre – that literally means being half-way up a stony mountain.” leaving yourself far short of the summit or peak, but developing a more satisfactory and complete type of competence, which allows you to summit the peak instead.

Tips on becoming a more competent team player

Such players are:

Committed to excellence, never settle for average, pay attention to detail, and perform with consistency….

By ‘they are committed to excellence’ Maxwell explains how excellence gauges us against our potential. He quotes Dale Carnegie who stated “that success grants its rewards to the few, but is the dream of the multitudes…(Maxwell, 2002, p.42).

They never settle for average. As already stated above, mediocrity means doing something half-well, well short of the best that you can do; competent team players have learned to go all the way in their efforts at peak performance.

They pay attention to detail. Once again quoting Dale Carnegie, Maxwell reiterates that “if you do little jobs well, the big ones tend to take care of themselves (Maxwell, 2002, p.43).”

They perform with consistency. Another attribute of highly competent people is that they perform consistently well. To give a vivid example, he estimates that “If 99.9% were good enough, then 811,000 faulty rolls of 35 mm film would be loaded this year, 22,000 checks would be deducted from the wrong account, in the next 60 minutes, and 12 babies would be given to the wrong parents today alone (Maxwell, 2002, p.43).”Likewise, Maxwell’s producer/songwriter friend says that if you pick up aTaylor guitar, there’s never a bad one in the bunch. That’s consistency (Maxwell, 2002, p.43).

Bob Taylor, owner of Taylor Guitars is a man who can scrutinize his strengths, hone in on them and focus them. This comes through the art of self-reflection, or as Maxwell puts it, “he’s good at “editing” himself (Maxwell, 2002, p.44). Maxwell advises that we pick an area in which to specialize, and become so good at it, that we become experts. He advises us to figure out the one thing that brings together our skills, interests and opportunities, and to seize it. He further suggests to ‘sweat the small stuff,’ by getting the details right and to discuss how to improve the entire process of implementing or putting into practice ideas that have been thought of (Maxwell, 2002, p.44). In this thought he concurs with Bob Taylor, who states: “… inspiration is easy, implementation is the hard part (Maxwell, 2002, p.41).

Once again, these ideas are excellent and practical tips to increase your competence. Use them well.

Nilésh (Neil)Shreedhar.

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being relational, or, as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting Rabbi Harold Kushner: “The purpose of life is not to win. The purpose of life is to grow and to share. When you come to look back on all that you have done in life, you will get more satisfaction from the pleasure you have brought to other people’s lives than you will from the times that you outdid and defeated them.”

He relates Sir William Wallace of Scotland’s story. He dared to oppose King Edward I of England in 1313 (Maxwell, 2002, p.65).” In Braveheart, the movie, William was actually portrayed as a daring and determined fighter who valued freedom above all else. As second born, he had been groomed to enter the clergy and developed a resentment of the English after his father was killed and his mother was forced to live in exile. His decision to become a fighter came after a group of Englishmen tried to bully him and by his early twenties he was considered a skilled warrior.

His early ideological foundation was based on the high value he placed on freedom and allowed him to inspire his countrymen: He “had an unusual ability. He drew the common people of Scotland to him, he made them believe in the cause of freedom, and he inspired and equipped them to fight the professional war machine of England ((Maxwell, 2002, p. 65).”

His life was ultimately sacrificed in the battle against the English, and he was brutally executed in a manner worse than depicted in the movie, but his spirit lived on (to this day, 700 or so years later), so much so that another man, Robert Bruce, a nobleman inspired by his example, claimed the throne of Scotland the following year rousing both nobility and peasants to win Scotland its independence in 1314.

As above, here is what team players who enlarge others do: they value their teammates, value what their teammates value, add value to their teammates, and make themselves more valuable. 

In valuing their teammates; Maxwell notes how Charles Schwab once observed, “I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism ((Maxwell, 2002, p. 6).”

Maxwell illustrates how enlargers value what their teammates value by pointing out how such people listen to what their teammates talk about and understand what they spend their money on. This knowledge, along with a desire to relate to their fellow players creates a strong bond between teammates.

The previous characteristic allows an enlarger the perspective in order to assist others in improving their abilities and attitudes and add value to their teammates. Looking for the gifts, talents and uniqueness in each individual, he helps them increase these abilities to the benefit of the entire team allowing them to get to a whole new level.

Finally enlargers make themselves more valuable by working at it and in doing so they are able to make others better too. A great player such as Karl Malone is assisted by a great passer like all-time assist leader John Stockton. Maxwell advises that to make others better be better yourself. 

Maxwell’s final commentary on the above views on enlargers is particularly instructive as he empathizes that it is not always easy to be such a person; it takes a person who is self-assured and unafraid of giving – not one who believes that enlarging others somehow hurts one and one’s opportunities for success. 

If one is able to overcome this hurdle, he has a few other interesting pointers to increase your abilities in this important area in the chapter which you might read to find out….

Nilesh (Neil)Shreedhar.

(Working Together precedes Winning Together)

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being collaborative, or, as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

“All your strength is in union, all your danger is in discord (Maxwell, 2002, p.10).”

The Great Escape

Maxwell tells the compelling story of the heroic effort, great because of its scale and not because of its outcome, to get prisoners out of a German prison camp (Maxwell, 2002, p.11).” Stalag Luft III was a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp that once held as many as 10,000 Allied POWs. Within that number was a core group of individuals determined to escape and to get no less than 250 of them to freedom. Such a daunting task had never been attempted before and would require an extremely cooperative attempt.

This overwhelming task involved digging, hiding, engineering, and shoring tunnels to keep them hidden. It involved disposal of dirt in creative ways, pumping air into these tunnels, and creating tracks and trolleys for men to move through them. Wiring and electrical lighting was required as were supplies such as bed slats, battens, blankets, long tables, knives, shovels, rope and electric wire in massive quantities. It required a horde of men to steal the required supplies and men to act in numerous capacities. Men were required to tailor, blacksmith, pickpocket and forge, working covertly week after week and month after month. John Sturges, the man who directed the historically-based 1963 movie The Great Escape stated:

“It demanded the concentrated devotion and vigilance of more than 600 men – every single one of them, every minute, every hour and every night for more than a year. Never has the human capacity been stretched to such incredible lengths or shown with as much determination and courage (Maxwell, 2002, p.13).”

Maxwell stated that the important ingredient in great teamwork is the quality of collaboration, which he distinguishes from cooperation:

“Cooperation is working together agreeably. Collaboration is working together aggressively….Each person brings something to the table that adds value to the relationship and synergy to the team. The sum of truly collaborative teamwork is always greater than its parts (Maxwell, 2002, pp.13-14).” He advises us that such a collaborative effort requires attention in the following four areas: perceptions, attitude, focus and results.

The key to having the right perception is to not view members on the team as competitors, but rather as people that they can help complete, or as Maxwell says, “…to collaborative team members, completing one another is more important than competing with one another (Maxwell, 2002, p.14)” as competition can be destructive for the team.

Having the right perception enables one to maintain the right attitude, which is that of being supportive, not suspicious of teammates. Maxwell says that one must suspend suspicions and become a supportive team player. Assume that people’s motives are good unless the contrary is proven, or, put another way, ‘assume positive intent.’

The third area which enables one to develop a collaborative team atmosphere is the right focus, which Maxwell advises should be the team, and not yourself. Once again, stressing the theme of completing others, rather than competing against them, Maxwell advocates a statement attributed to author Cavett Roberts: “True progress in any field is a relay race and not a single event (Maxwell, 2002, p.15).”

Discussing the results possible through collaboration, Maxwell warns working alone leaves a lot of victories on the table, whereas working together results in a synergy which multiplies skills that lead to remarkable things!

Reflecting on it

Maxwell asks us to reflect on the concept of collaboration, in which you try to complete others instead of competing against them. You then open up possibilities in which greater things are feasible. The right ingredients of collaboration encompass cooperation and added value; though you may not enjoy everyone’s company, it includes not detracting from the overall group effort, while helping to multiply everyone’s efforts.

Bringing it home

(Tips on becoming a collaborative team player)

These tips include thinking win-win, complementing others and, at times, taking yourself out of the picture.

Maxwell quotes King Solomon: “iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,” to make his point that we are often better off in helping others, in sharing information and working together than in viewing them as competitors. You win, they win and thereby the team wins.

A whole is often greater than the sum of its parts, just as your skills may complement the skills of another team member. Maxwell challenges us to find out just how we fit together well increasing the overall benefit to the team, just as one might fit together pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, ending up with something greater than the sum of even its individual parts.

Another challenge that he provides us with is to see if we might benefit the team more by taking ourselves out of the picture. It might actually benefit the team more if you were to promote others who might be benefit the team in greater ways.

Daily Take-Away

Maxwell seems to intuitively realize that there exists a power, one of multiplication as he calls it, in collaborating together. He uses a simple example that everyone can relate to which involves children who challenge one another to walk along a rail on a railroad. A couple of children offer a challenge to the others of being able to walk all the way to the end of the track, a challenge which so far no one has been able to accomplish alone without falling off the rail after a dozen or so steps. No one thinks that it can be done. Sure enough, two friends link hands and arms together, stabilizing one another on the rails, and handily walk all the way done – demonstrating the power of collaboration!

Practical ideas such as the ones above, when implemented diligently, will greatly assist you in your ability to collaborate.

- Nilésh (Neil) Shreedhar.

 (If You Won’t Change for the Team, the Team may Change You).Review of Maxwell’s 

He’s a New York Times Bestselling management-guru and in “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” John C. Maxwell writes about being adaptable, or, as he puts it at the preface of the chapter, quoting Michael McGriff:

“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape (Maxwell, 2002, p.1).”

An Adaptable Mind

If one were ever looking for an ideal example of adaptability, then Quincy Jones’ illustrious career would truly be a worthy one.

Quincy Jones is a legend in the entertainment industry and has worked with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Cont Basie, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and many others. He can include among his many accomplishments the best-selling single of all time – “We are the World,” and the best-selling album of all time – Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” These achievements stand apart from his nominations for more Grammy awards than any other person, seventy-nine, of which he has won a total of twenty-seven, another monumental record.Quincy’s career has been marked by an ability to adapt and evolve….

Quincy Jones, born in 1933, grew up in a harsh neighbourhood – one of Chicago’s toughest, and both he and his brother used to get into a lot of trouble in those days. The family then moved to a new neighbourhood,Bremerton,Washington, where he flourished. He discovered a passion for music and on his own time after school he decided to try out various instruments. He tried the clarinet, violin and finally brass instruments. Exploring further into the latter selection, he discovered the baritone, French horn, sousaphone and trombone. When he discovered the trumpet, however there was no turning back – he had discovered his instrument of choice and he excelled. At age fourteen, he was already being paid to play music, becoming friends with Ray Charles and other music greats in the process.

Jones’ evolution was rapid as he began to compose, learn how to do arrangements, and was able to hear or play with the best bands and singers inSeattle. At age eighteen he was already touring with Lionel Hampton. In his career Jones’ demonstrated what he himself called an “obsessive curiosity,” and a remarkable ability to adapt: in the 1950’s he worked with many of the greatest jazz performers and in 1957, feeling he could use more education he moved toParisto study under Nadia Boulanger, who had also tutored Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.

Jones’ phenomenal growth as an individual and as a musician then allowed him to go from taking a position with Mercury Records to make ends meet, to becoming vice-president of the company. Later he wrote music for movies and television programs and eventually worked with many different musicians. He made diverse genres of music although he had spent so much of his initial time working with jazz greats. His personal growth helped him transcend music allowing him to coproduce The Colour Purple and produce several hit television shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Jones and some partners ventured into Qwest Broadcasting; he is also the founder and chairman of Vibe magazine. Broadway didn’t escape his reach either, as he wrote a Broadway show based on Sammy Davis Jr.’s life.

“Jones has never been afraid of a new idea, a new team a new industry. Challenges have been no problem to him because he is so incredibly adaptable (Maxwell, 2002, p. 5).”

Fleshing it Out

Teamwork and inflexibility won’t work if you want to work well with others. Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at theHarvardBusinessSchoolremarked that “The individuals who will succeed and flourish will also be masters of change: adept at reorienting their own and others’ activities in untried directions to bring about higher levels of achievement (Maxwell, 2002, p.5).”

Maxwell emphasizes the qualities of teachability, emotional security, creativity and service-mindedness which can enhance such adaptability.

Teachability. A good learner, one that is adaptable doesn’t care about the physical discomfort that s/he may go through as long as it brings them to a new, higher level. Diana Nyad states it this way: “I am willing to put myself through anything; temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level. I am interested in the unknown, and the only path to the unknown is breaking barriers (Maxwell, 2002, p. 5).” Similarly, Quincy Jones always believed in working hard and becoming an expert in one area, and that these skills could be transferred to other areas.

Emotional security. If we compare the reactions of an emotionally secure individual to that of an insecure one, we will see that the reactions of the former individual are more accepting in regards to any change such as including a new team member, a change in title or position, or in the way of doing things. On the one hand a change can be viewed with rigidity and suspicion, but on the other hand it can be viewed with adaptability and flexibility – a characteristic of adaptable people is security.

Creativity. As the saying goes, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ so instead of just giving up the next time you meet up with an obstacle, try or be open to trying something different such as a new suggestion or a new idea. This may make the difference between overcoming the obstacle and being stuck. Creative people don’t react with fear when they come across challenges. ““They’ll say, “Let’s go there even if we blow it (Maxwell, 2002, p. 7).””

Service-minded. Educator and college president Horace Mann explains this concept succinctly: “Doing nothing for others is the undoing of one’s self, (Maxwell, 2002, p. 7),” by which he means that if you put your needs behind those of the team’s, you will not only help your team, but by being adaptive, you will serve yourself as well.

Reflecting on it

Maxwell asks us to reflect on how adaptable we are….How do we react when a new member joins the team, are we willing to take on new roles? Do we adjust well to other changes? In short, do we adapt for the team, or do we expect the team to adapt for us? He counsels us that our expectation should be that we adjust for the team and not the other way around.

Bringing it home

(Tips on becoming an adaptive team player)

These tips include thinking get into the habit of learning, reevaluate your role, and think outside the lines.

The example that Maxwell uses in terms of getting into the habit of learning is a personal one where he shares the fact that for years he got into the habit of writing new information onto a three inch by five inch card which he carried with him and which information he then made sure that he shared with a friend or colleague.

Maxwell’s idea of reevaluating your role means examining how beneficial your role is to the team. This exercise may result in you finding a role that enables you to increase your service, or, at the very least, increase your flexibility by having gone through the mental exercise.

As for thinking outside the lines, for those who are prone to get into mental ruts, Maxwell suggests this daily mental affirmation: “Not why it can’t be done but how it can be done.” In effect he suggests that in order to increase our mental agility, we should continually challenge ourselves creatively.

Daily Take-Away

Napoleon Bonaparte, the great French warrior was described by The Duke of Wellington, one of his most formidable enemies: “I consider Napoleon’s presence in the field to equal forty thousand men in the balance.” Napoleon’s critique of an opponent was that he had drawn up the plans the day before battle, “when you do not yet know your adversary’s movements (Maxwell, 2002, p.9).”In other words, Napoleon recognized in his opponent a lack of adaptability, a weakness that he himself did not have.

- Nilésh (Neil) Shreedhar.

Linda Galindo – “The Straight Truth”

One of the key focuses in HR Professional’s Aug/Sept 2009 edition has been the impact of present-day conditions on the average worker.

If you compare the average hard working employee to the worker-bee for comparison purposes, then these days everyone is feeling the sting! Worker-bees are being stung from both above and below. From above, they feel the demands that their queen bee (whether male or female) places upon them. From below, they feel the uncertainty of present times, and job instability – so anxiousness abounds.

As Antoinette Blunt states in “Under Pressure,” such workers have to deal with “the fear of losing their own job, or the stress of a partner facing unemployment,” and for those with job stability, diminished retirement savings, so ”anxiety is bound to accompany employees to work.”

This tangible tension in the workplace can also be the result of retiring-aged employees who were about to leave now deciding to stay and work longer as their retirement honeycombs are impacted causing disappointment for younger employees  hoping to move in to potential vacant management positions. Employers are beginning to feel the impact at work and Ms. Blunt warns that “understanding the potentially negative consequences of those issues is something employers need to be aware of….” She recommends that the wise thing for employers to do is to be aware of and become familiar with “the signs and symptoms of stress-related work problems.”

What might these warning signs might be? They include poor performance, stressful or ineffective communication, inabilities to meet deadlines and higher rates of absenteeism. Ms. Blunt also warns that according to Benefits Canada longer-term disability such as mental or nervous disorders tend to increase during an economic downturn. Something else to watch out for, although it has not been a common occurrence in Canada, is workplace violence. Here she recommends being vigilant in regards to stressed employees as it is still a possibility that exists.

Her advice is hopeful and it is for employers to be alert of the potential for problems during the present times during which layoffs, downsizing, bankruptcies and cutbacks exist and for them to realize that solutions realistically may be of a longer term nature.

- Nilesh Shreedhar.