True Leadership During "Troubled" Times - by Anand Kumar

Its been a long time since the world has faced economic conditions like the one we are currently experiencing. When you switch on the news or read the newspapers, all you hear are the dire conditions of economic downturn - loss of jobs, house repossessions, companies going into administration and the dreaded R word, Recession ! When we look at what is happening to some of the world’s strongest economies like the United States, the United Kingdom, economic superpowers of Germany and France, Asian giants such as Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, it’s unprecedented.

But is this really the true picture ? Have we been manipulated to think that conditions are that terrible ? Media hype definitely hasn’t helped. There’s so much about what’s gone wrong with the various economies yet rare mention of any positives. Sensational news sells ! Have we ever thought to think that one of the contributing factors to economic turbulence was due to poor leadership ? Surely there were signs of impending economic challenges? We seem to have forgotten that the global economy goes through its cyclical trends of upward growth and downward spirals. That’s the nature of economics, and history has shown us these trends on many occasions. It’s not new at all. So why are we placing blame on economic conditions and not looking at ourselves as a cause for this state ?

Just looking at the financial sector in countries like the UK and US begs to ask these questions? Short-term quick fixes and exorbitant reward payment packages when they were not affordable have raised serious questions about leadership capabilities within these industries. Unfortunately, the impact of their mismanagement has led to a negative chain reaction across other sectors impacting global economies. Yet we still hear of many positive stories of economic growth and abundance, for example the supermarket chain, TESCO, having achieved annual profits of £3 billion, despite the economic downturn. Is it therefore possible that we can see and embrace leadership opportunities during such “tough” times ? I believe we certainly can! Human beings have faced disasters of monumental proportions throughout history and yet lived through them and progressed to even higher standards, for example, post war reconstruction of Japan and Germany after World War II and Asian economies bouncing back stronger after previous economic recessions, just to name a few.

Industries that are Booming During Tough Economic Times

Not only are some industries producing products or services that are always in-need and in-demand, regardless of the economy, but some categories are actually enjoying strong growth during difficult times. For example, as businesses downsize staff, they still have a need for the services those full-time employees once performed, so they are now outsourcing tasks to service providers. Commercial cleaning services, printing companies, staffing agencies, and computer repair and IT professionals are all popular categories that continue to flourish. Retail sectors like TESCO have proven themselves really well. Regardless of the economy, businesses and individuals want to be successful and those who see opportunities during difficult times continue to experience growth.

So what differentiates the men from the boys during these “difficult” economic times?

a. Successful Leaders find their defining moments during troubled times. During times of progression and growth, when economic conditions are positive and manageable, leadership is rarely tested. True leadership comes during difficult moments. Recognising this is critical as it allows leaders to re-evaluate their business, i.e., its values, its business architecture and what the business stands for. It about going deep within an organisation’s business culture and structure to truly understand what it’s doing, where its heading and what can be considered to move it ahead. Leaders should see this as an opportunity to redefine their organisation and reflect on its current status. It’s not about making hasty decisions such as laying off people and cutting costs unnecessarily. It’s about re-checking what made it successful so far and how it can further be developed.

b. Successful Leaders understand human nature. Bottled up in all of us are great emotional forces. If these are given an outlet, they can be used in a positive and constructive way, and which warms the heart and excites the imagination. If the approach to the human factor is cold and impersonal, then you achieve nothing. If you gain the confidence and trust of your people and they feel their best interests are safe in your hands, then you have in your possession a priceless asset and the greatest achievements possible. Harry Truman, 33rd President of the United States defined leadership as: ‘A leader is a person who has the ability to get people to do what they don't want to do and like it’.

c. Successful Leaders always keep lines of communication open. Communication is the key to making a difficult process more effective. In a crisis, managers are often inclined to stop communicating with their employees. In an effort to avoid any panic some leaders believe that saying nothing is the best approach. However, acknowledging the difficult circumstances is important to maintaining trust. It also shows that management is aware of the problems and working on ways to address them. The communication from the leader thus needs to be positive, proactive, and motivating, and it needs to be authentic.

d. Successful Leaders listen to other views; Don’t surround themselves with yes men! Be ready to hear different views, listen to what your employees are saying, surround yourself with a team of strong challenging thinkers, willing to be your sanity check and offering views that may go against your usual thinking. Having yes men around you can often be a recipe for disaster, and creates mistrust between management and staff. Leadership is about listening to all views and then having the courage to make decisions that are right for the business. A good example of a strong leader in current troubled times is President Obama of the United States. His unwavering ability to infuse confidence, credibility and authenticity in his leadership style has been largely due to surrounding himself with a strong, highly experienced leadership team, capable of challenging him to make tough, informed decisions.

e. Successful Leaders make time for Personal Development. When faced with tighter budgets, companies often try to squeeze as much work as possible out of their employees. However, encouraging round-the-clock availability and excessive overtime leads to frustration and burnout – and ultimately, poor performance – for managers and employees alike. Allow for opportunities to take leave when necessary to rejuvenate tired emotions. Create a learning culture so that all within the organisation can benefit with opportunities to grow. Very often companies try to cut the very costs that can help them progress in difficult time - people development. Visionary leaders are those who see development of their human resources as key to coming out of the difficult situation their company may be facing. By doing so, they get loyalty, motivation and desire to progress.

f. Successful Leaders know how to have fun and deal with Leadership Stress. Leaders need an outlet to vent and express their feelings. They need to make sure they have some sort of support system where they can air their concerns, such as family, friends, or peers. For a leader to be strong during these times, he or she needs to be emotionally and physically fit. Make time to be healthy and reduce stress – exercise, play sports, eat and sleep well, meditate and breathe fresh air. Leaders need to be at their best during these times, but very often, they do the opposite, leading to stress driven judgement and action.

Conclusion

By adopting a more positive, responsible outlook for yourself, your team and employees, you gain credibility, trust and loyalty that give you the strength to steer any organisation through difficult moments. Your choice is to make the experience either daunting or one of opportunity for all.



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Basic Steps Of Earning Money From Home - by Anand Kumar

Everyone wants tips on how to earn money with a online home based business. However, a lot of people with a work at home business are not earning some money. Just because you have joined a MLM or affiliate program, don’t think just by sitting back you will make some money. This will achieve nothing but dissatisfaction and frustration.

Here are some tips to be on the right track. If you honestly do these things, and still don’t make any money then maybe a home business is not for you. But you need to be honest about this and put out the effort.

• Create your website using host servers such as "Just Host" or "GoDaddy". They are cheap but provide very good quality service.

• When you first start with a work at home business, set out at least an hour a day devoted to your business.

• Spend the first day advertising your business on the free classified websites and social media sites (like facebook, Squidoo, Twitter). There are literally thousands of these sites to advertise on.

• If you have a website for your business, then spend day 2 submitting your website to all of the search engines, Yahoo, MSN, Google, AOL, etc.

• Day 3 start submitting articles to ezines as this is a very good way to promote and market your business.

• Day 4 start by writing an article to use in the yahoo groups. And with this article your can promote your website at the end of the article.

• Day 5 submit your business to the various business message boards, there are lots out there that let you post an ad for your home business.

• Day 6 you will want to start advancing up and checking for “Leads” that are interested in starting a home business. When you find a good source you will want to start emailing them. To do this you will want a good auto responder to handle the high volume of emails. Aweber would be a good recommendation for autoresponders.

• Day 7 you will want to start this process all over again.

You can do these steps in any order, but remember persistence is the key.

Spend an hour a day for the first 30 days on these items. Each day promote your business in a different way.

Within 30 days you will start to see the rewards of your work that you only spent 7-10 hours a week on! Further more don’t expect to get rich overnight. The businesses offering “pie in the sky” so to speak do yourself a favor and stay away from those type of offers.

Do yourself a favor when you get involved with a work at home business. You owe it to yourself to give it an honest try. Nothing will happen, if you don’t do anything.



Fed up of long hours at work, the daily commute to work and not being able to spend enough time with family ? Visit My Web Site Below And Learn How I Make Money Online and Created A Dream Life From Home And How You Too can experience the same. Free Information reveals details:

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Getting the Foundations Right for Your Online Business - by Anand Kumar

For every beginning business (whether online or brick&mortar, etc), there are a few rules to success that can help you to get the results you desire. If you are just starting out and moving into entrepreneur status, you want to make sure that you follow some simple concepts. This ensures that you are able to move your business in the right direction, while avoiding start-up failures that are common among beginners. Following these simple guidelines can help you to get the outcome you desire with your business.

1. Start with basic organization. Whether this is your first business or your tenth, you want to begin with planning everything out so you know what your goals are and what you would like to do. Having a business plan, which defines your vision, mission, objectives and services or products, can help you to look at the big picture of what you want to do. You want to combine this with a strategic plan and marketing plan so you have goals to reach in the first year and future years.

2. Building your finances. If you are starting from scratch, then you want to make sure that you are able to create an income flow and revenue, as well as know what you can or can't invest in. By creating a financial plan for the first few years through estimated values, you will be able to grow your business with the right amount of revenue in mind. Be conservative in your figures. Many first timers over estimate their income and underestimate their expenses therefore setting themselves up for failure from the beginning.

3. Branding your name. After the planning is done, you want to make sure that you are able to step into the next level by creating a strong brand for your company and yourself. This means that you will need to have a visual representation of yourself and what your company does, such as through a logo and promotional materials. You want to combine this with branding through content, including slogans and basic information that potential customers have access to that help them to remember who you are. Build up relsationships with your customers as it builds credibility and trust.

4. Marketing new prospects. Once you have the basic set-up, it is time to get to the potential customers that are interested in your product. If you have a brick and mortar business, then holding a grand opening and making sure that you reach your demographic area can help you to build your business quickly. If you want to compliment this, then marketing on the Internet can help to create a sustainable presence while allowing you to move forward with your business. Learn to use free ads online and classified ads in newspapers. Use as much of social media such as facebook and twitter to get yourself known.

5. Know how to progress. The initial footwork for any beginning business can help lead you to new opportunities for growth. Making sure that you take the organization and foundation that you set up in the beginning with the ability to expand on the main ideas can then lead you to continuous success for your business. You will find that this will provide you with continuous opportunity and growth, without moving into the pitfalls of beginning business.

With these simple and effective beginner tips, you will soon be on your way to wealth and prosperity with your business. Making sure that you are able to set up the foundation of your business first and then move into growth can help you to get the right return while helping you to move forward with your products or services.


Fed up of long hours at work, the daily commute to work and not being able to spend enough time with family ? Visit My Web Site Below And Learn How I Make Money Online and Created A Dream Life From Home And How You Too can experience the same. Free Information reveals details:

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