Principles from ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ – Dale Carnegie’s Golden Book

Leadership is influence.

- John C. Maxwell

Six Ways to Make People Like You

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.

2. Smile.

3. Remember that a man's Name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

5. Talk in the terms of the other man's interest.

6. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking

1. Avoid arguments.

2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone they are wrong.

3. If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.

4. Begin in a friendly way.

5. Start with questions the other person will answer yes to.

6. Let the other person do the talking.

7. Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.

8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.

9. Sympathize with the other person.

10. Appeal to noble motives.

11. Dramatize your ideas.

12. Throw down a challenge.

Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.

2. Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly.

3. Talk about your own mistakes first.

4. Ask questions instead of directly giving orders.

5. Let the other person save face.

6. Praise every improvement.

7. Give them a fine reputation to live up to.

8. Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.

9. Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.

We firmly believe that how people live, how they think,

and how they act and react to life’s situations

can be positively influenced.

Byron & Catherine Pulsifer

Seven Types of Listeners and Tips for Better Listening Skills

Exceptional listening skills and the ability to persuade others to your way of thinking make the difference between good and great teams. Pure listening builds trust, credibility, and respect. One reason is that when you fully listen instead of trying to compose your response, the result is a relevant and on-target response. What you say when you do respond is proof of how well you listen.

1) The "Preoccupieds"

These people come across as rushed and are constantly looking around or doing something else. Also known as multitaskers, these people cannot sit still and listen.

Tips

If you are a "Preoccupied" listener, make a point to set aside what you are doing when someone is speaking to you.

If you are speaking to a "Preoccupied" listener, you might ask, "Is this a good time?" or say, "I need your undivided attention for just a moment." Begin with a statement that will get their attention, be brief, and get to the bottom line quickly because their attention span is short.

2) The "Out-to-Lunchers"

These people are physically there for you, but mentally, they are not. You can tell this by the blank look on their faces. They are either daydreaming or thinking about something else entirely.
Tips

If you are an "Out-to-Luncher," act like a good listener. Be alert, maintain eye contact, lean forward, and show interest by asking questions.

If you are speaking to an "Out-to-Luncher," check in with them every now and again and ask if they understood what you were saying. As with the "Preoccupieds," begin with a statement that will catch their attention and be concise and to the point, because their attention span is also short.

3) The "Interrupters"

These people are ready to chime in at any given time. They are perched and ready for a break to complete your sentence for you. They are not listening to you. They are focused on trying to guess what you will say and what they want to say.

Tips

If you are an "Interrupter," make a point to apologize every time you catch yourself interrupting. This will make you more conscious of it.

If you are speaking to an "Interrupter," when they chime in, stop immediately and let them talk, or they will never listen to you. When they are done, you might say, "As I was saying before..." to bring their interruption to their attention.

4) The "Whatevers"

These people remain aloof and show little emotion when listening. They do not seem to care about anything you have to say.

Tips

If you are a "Whatever," concentrate on the full message, not just the verbal message. Make a point to listen with your eyes, ears, and heart. Pay attention to body language and try to understand why this person wants to talk to you about this issue.

If you are speaking to a "Whatever," dramatize your ideas and ask your listener questions to maintain their involvement.

5) The "Combatives"

These people are armed and ready for war. They enjoy disagreeing and blaming others.

Tips

If you are a "Combative," make an effort to put yourself in the speaker's shoes and understand, accept, and find merit in another's point of view.

If you are speaking to a "Combative," when he or she disagrees or points the blame, look forward instead of back. Talk about how you might agree to disagree or about what can be done differently next time.

6) The "Analysts"

These people are constantly in the role of counselor or therapist, and they are ready to provide you with unsolicited answers. They think they are great listeners and love to help. They are constantly in an analyze-what-you-are-saying-and-fix-it mode.

Tips

If you are an "Analyst," relax and understand that not everyone is looking for an answer, solution, or advice. Some people just like bouncing ideas off other people because it helps them see the answers more clearly themselves.

If you are speaking to an "Analyst," you might begin by saying, "I just need to run something by you. I'm not looking for any advice."

7) The "Engagers"

These are the consciously aware listeners. They listen with their eyes, ears, and hearts and try to put themselves in the speaker's shoes. This is listening at the highest level. Their listening skills encourage you to continue talking and give you the opportunity to discover your own solutions and let your ideas unfold.

Tips

If you are an "Engager," keep it up. People truly appreciate this about you.

If you are speaking to an "Engager," take the time to acknowledge their attentiveness. Thank them for their interest in you and your topic.

Source : http://www.dalecarnegie.com/
The link provided by : Tania Roberts, TIL.

Every person in this life has something to teach me,

and as soon as I accept that,

I open myself to truly LISTENING.

Thanks to Catherine Doucette

Making Change Stick

Flexibility of leadership style and the speed to respond to external drivers are essential for making change stick, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study.

The success of a big-change program hinges on leadership style and the role played by the CEO, who needs to be chameleon-like and flexible enough to choose the “right” leadership style to initiate a transformation and change at different points in the program, to achieve set objectives.

“There is no one right leadership style for success, but it is critical that the CEO walks the talk,” said Steve Woolley, partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, which conducted the study.

Based on 40 face-to-face interviews with CEOs and other executives of leading ASX-listed companies and large government departments, the study found that people, processes and technology remain the three levers for change, but can no longer be looked at in isolation.

In designing and executing successful large-change programs that draw all of these levers together, CEOs said they have learnt lessons in seven key areas.

1. “Right” leadership dictated by type and time

2. Need for speed in driving change

3. Customer : number one

4. Cultural change

5. Invest in stakeholder communication

6. Model for transformation

7. Measuring success.

Source : Human Resources Leader Magazine ( Leading People & Organisations)
Issue Number 171/ 3 March 2009. Website : http://www.hrleader.net.au/

Leadership : best practice

1. Create clarity – people know exactly what is expected of them

2. Encourage development

3. Drive accountability – hold senior managers accountable for commitments

4. Recognise successful leaders

5. Increase the number of matrixed roles in organisations

6. Make leadership development a priority – rather than across-the-board development for everyone

Source : Hay Group / Chief Executive Survey 2008.

The 3 C's for Leading in Tough Times

source : http://agentgenius.com/

As a Leader, you’re undoubtedly feeling pressure to get the most out of your team in these trying economic times. But it can be easy to push your people too hard or, worse, pass along your anxieties to them, causing a productivity backlash and lowering morale and motivation.

How to walk the fine line between getting everyone to pull their weight and keeping a cool head?

Professor Christopher Bones, dean of Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the U.K., suggests following three C's - communication, clarity, and commitment - to get through the recession both personally and professionally.

Communication:

Tell your staff what the current market conditions mean to your business and how big the problem truly is. If jobs or earnings are at risk, letting your team know the stakes can both explain the added pressure on them and encourage them to pull together to achieve success.

Clarity:

A clear plan of action is essential. As a Leader, it’s your job to look for new business markets or for opportunities to reduce operational costs. Depending on your organisational situation, you might even want to encourage brainstorming with your staff to help build engagement and allow employees a greater sense of control over their destinies.

Commitment:

When a plan is in place, allocate responsibility and accountability among all team members. Short weekly meetings allowing employees to report on progress and request help or advice can foster a common purpose and help reduce anxiety.

These guidelines form the sound basis for a management strategy even in prosperous periods, but they’re more critical as the financial forecasts become more gloomy.

Any other suggestions for leading in tough times? Share them in the comments.

Source : http://blogs.bnet.com/

"Tough times never last, but tough people do. "

Dr.Robert Schuller

Tip of the Month

How to Encourage Your Team Members to Stand Up and Lead
Source : http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/

To win in today's market, team members have to step up and be ready to take a leadership role. It is not easy to develop leadership skills in others. It's very important to also understand that some people do not share your goals and aspirations. Keep an open mind and learn to use different techniques to inspire different team members to stand up and lead.

Challenge

Issue a challenge. (In today's market environment, you probably have many challenges to issue!) Some people need a specific challenge to motivate them. By laying down a challenge, you also create a very clear and measurable goal for a staff member to achieve.

Appeal to noble motives

Many employees think that their work does not make a difference. By appealing to a team's noble motives, you can increase morale while also setting higher standards for your staff members.

Be empathetic

Always listen to another person's ideas and desires and be prepared to hear their point of view even when you disagree.

Evidence

Back up your ideas with proof. By providing evidence, you can give instant credibility to your ideas. If you have evidence, even staff members who have a different perspective will take notice.

Listen

Listen to what your staff members have to say. Some employees may not want to reach top corporate positions; instead, they may simply be content if their opinions and ideas are valued.

Ask questions

Instead of giving direct orders, ask questions to guide your staff members to think through the issues and come up with their own solutions.

Value your staff

Make your staff members feel genuinely important. Faced with the market challenges today, your employees must be reassured that their contribution and leadership DOES have a huge impact on the company's survival, stability, and growth.

"You have to water the flowers

you want to grow."

–Stephen R. Covey

Source : http://www.dalecarnegie.com/
The link provided by : Tania Roberts, TIL.

How to encourage people and create a good / conducive working environment?

Source : http://the-positive-manager.blogspot.com/

These ideas are focusing on how we as leaders can initiate activities that will help others to be positive, encourage staff to go extra mile willingly, recognise employee’s contribution and also create a happy and productive work environment.

Note : Ideas collected from Leadership Fundamentals sessions held in November / December 2008.

1. Recognise staff or team contributions / achievement such as Good Customer Feedback, additional effort by employees, etc. For example :-

- Give credit or thanks when it is due with reasons and explanations.

- Acknowledge and provide immediate encouragement for good work

- Share success to ensure the whole team is aware of the achievement and make everybody feel like they were part of the action. Let them know how it was achieved.

- Listen to the achiever as to how they achieved it.

- Congratulate all concerned and publish the achievements in notice board or Company Newsletter with employees photo and details.

“Many managers ignore or underestimate the power of praise.”
-Roger Flax,President, Motivational Systems

2. Constantly provide positive feedback to staff

3. Employee of the month award by staff members

4. Arrange for a team to present the results of their efforts to top management

5. Health & Safety Recognised

- Lunch shout for 3 months accidents free

6. Email acknowledgements of performance and cc to top management

7. Personalised birthday card from Manager

8. Organise Friday drinks – reflection of week events or could be organised on monthly basis

9. Merit Awards

10. Social event monthly – where were possible or tea talk for goal setting

11. Long service awards

12. Pat on the back

13. Welcome lunch for new employees

source : http://aquarius.lunarpages.com/

14. Celebrate small successes especially when the department / team achieve targets. In tight financial times, ongoing , meaningful rewards and recognition provide an effective, low cost way of raising morale and encouraging higher level of performance.

Here are the list of ideas on how to celebrate small success in the workplace.

- A personalised thank you card

- Allocate some budget and have a recognition event created by a peer group that decides on how they will celebrate the success. Invite the boss to attend the celebration

- Free lunch for a week

- $20 Voucher

- Fruit basket

- Favourite book or DVD

- A subscription to a magazine

- Extra long lunch break for a few days

- A mug filled with treats

- Morning tea shouts

- Drinks & BBQ Barbecue at end of month for a good month

- Time Off – finish early

- Tickets to sporting event or cinema

- Company merchandise, hats, t shirts , etc.

- Certificates of achievement

- Borrow vehicles

“Compensation is what you give people for doing the job they were hired to do. Recognition, on the other hand, celebrates an effort beyond the call of duty.”
- from How to Profit from Merchandise Incentives

How to be a Role Model and setting the right pace at workplace?

Ideas collected from Leadership Fundamentals sessions held in November / December 2008. These ideas are focusing on how we as leaders should carry ourselves and provide a good example to the people we lead.

1. Greet staff (immediate reports) every morning and thank them for turning up to work. Always greet staff pleasantly – be cheerful, with a warm smile and inquisitive.

2. Acknowledge the employee by their name instead of using a general greeting such as ‘Hi Buddy’, ‘Hi Mate’, etc.

3. Once in a while (once a month or fortnightly), welcome the employee at the entrance and thank them for turning up to work on time. Give them a snack bar or chocolate fish.

4. Demonstrate a positive demeanour. Always present a positive attitude and behaviour that is courteous, respectful, compassionate, and friendly. Make them feel valued. For example :-

- good personal presentation
- smiling
- take the time to talk to the employee (don’t rush)
- ignore negativity and promote positivity
- portray positive body language when dealing with employees : show interest in staff well being
- talk to all staff – don’t play favouritism
- be an advisor to staff – approachable
- provide support and guidance when required

5. Demonstrate effective communication . For example : -

- listen effectively – para phrase, seek clarification if necessary, give feedback
- don’t interfere when staff are talking
- maintain good eye contact
- use an appropriate tone of voice
- be highly observant – read moods

6. Lead by Example. For example :-

- show commitment : be punctual when you come to work or when attending meetings
- maintain work place and work area cleanliness and orderliness
- meet deadlines
- deliver on promises
- work hard – demonstrate additional effort in carrying out duties
- be organised – have a daily plan (goals) and prioritise work
- take responsibility
- show compassion
- share ideas
- be creative, innovative and always thinking outside the box
- admit when you are wrong
- be fair
- be an effective team player

7. Set objectives / goals which are realistic, attainable and achievable.

- share the objectives / goals with staff and get feedback to gauge their understanding
- Set a positive goal for the day.

8. Encourage sharing of ideas and open communication. For example :-

- ask for feedback
- listen to feedback
- encourage discussion with anyone
- be receptive and open with constructive criticism
- be willing to implement new and good ideas
- be prepared to change plan to suit unforeseen circumstances
- provide the outcome of discussion / implementation of ideas

Quotes of the Week :

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more,
you are a LEADER”.

John Quincy Adams