The Great Leadership Challenge

The bee at work at a sunflower
in Burnham Park in Baguio City

by Jim Rohn

( I have been through highs and lows in my career. One thing constant though is my belief that I am a leader and a good one at that. I have led from as many as thirty-three engineers at one point and three nationalities at another. I am at a point in my career that I am not exercising much leading as I don't have subordinates reporting under me. Still, the leadership growth is a never ending process ...the only time I will stop being a student is when I have come to the end of my journey on this earth. Let's keep growing! ) 

If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills, and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manager, as a parent. What’s important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics:

Learn to be strong but not impolite. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It’s not even a good substitute.

Next, learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake weakness for kindness. Kindness isn’t weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell someone the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.

  

Next, learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you’ve got to walk in front of your group. You’ve got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble. Like the farmer, if you want any rewards at harvest time, you have got to be bold and face the weeds and the rain and the bugs straight on. You’ve got to seize the moment.

Here’s the next step. You’ve got to learn to be humble but not timid. You can’t get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. But humility is a virtue; timidity is a disease. It’s an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.

In addition to reading and listening, you also need a chance to do some talking and sharing. I have some people in my life who help me with important life questions, who assist me in refining my own philosophy, weighing my values and pondering questions about success and lifestyle.

Humility is almost a God-like word. A sense of awe. A sense of wonder. An awareness of the human soul and spirit. An understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we’re part of the stars.

Here’s a good tip: Learn to be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to build your ambitions. It takes pride in your community. It takes pride in a cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is to be proud without being arrogant.

Do you know the worst kind of arrogance? Arrogance from ignorance. It’s intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that’s just too much to take.

The next step is learning to develop humor without folly. In leadership, we learn that it’s okay to be witty but not silly; fun but not foolish.

Next, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony of delusion. Just accept life as it is. Life is unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It’s fascinating.

Life is unique. Leadership is unique. The skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. However, the fundamental skills of leadership can be adopted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community, and at home.

To Your Success! See you at the finish line my friend =)

Read More

Process of Winning ...Must be Your NEW FOCUS!

In life when we strive for something ...we do not want to let go out of sight the Prize or the expected outcome. Sometimes it becomes our Obsession. In my recent reflections, what I come to realize is that what I have to Focus on is the Process of reaching the Worthwhile GOAL. The JOURNEY itself is what we need to savor. We master our craft, we become the expert in what we do. Practice..Practice...Practice ....forget the GOAL or the PRIZE. Before YOU know it...you will have more than what you expected in return. You become a better person and you become the YOU. Everything you touch will turn into GOLD ...people will sense it and they will feel it. They would be ATTRACTED to You and would want to join you in your pursuits and be with your company. 

In this post, I would like to share with You , the contest that me and my wife joined. In this contest we have the chance of  Winning a Brand New Ford Focus 2012. The New Ford Focus raises the bar with unmistakable design and impressive efficiency. Focus also helps keep you connected and offers available driver-assist technology.

Our FOCUS shifted from Over-zealously wanting to win this car to doing the necessary actions that will enable our chance to go higher in winning it. What are the strategies or the processes that we plan to do and how to execute them well. Part of the strategy is this post on my blog. The other things we do are part of the learnings I acquired from earlier seminars and trainings that I have attend: Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and Laws of Persuasion are all put into use.

Me and my wife are having Fun doing the process of  Having You Viewing the video, Enjoying it, and learning about the New Ford Focus. If ever we WIN it, it is Absolutely Fantastic! If not, we still had FUN and Great Learnings, most importantly meet New Friends while doing it! To Your Maximum Potential!

Here's that video..they count Unique Views only so Ask Your Friends to View it as Well =)

Read More

Sixtyish and Going On Strong...

Grand Father and His Grand Son...Imparting Words of Wisdom

(translated from original Chinese) excerpt from Joey Concepcion of GO Negosyo 

There are many 1000-year old trees in the mountain, but not many 100-year-old people.

At the most, only 1 in 100,000 people will live to be 100 years old.

So, if you are now 60 years old, if you live until you are: 

90, you only have 30 years more;

80, you only have 20 years more;

70, you have only 10 years more.

Because you don’t have many years to live, and you can’t bring anything with you when you die, you don’t have to be too thrifty. Spend wisely the money that should be spent, enjoy what should be enjoyed, donate what you are able to donate, and don’t leave everything to your children or grandchildren, for you don’t want them to become parasites.

Don’t worry about what will happen after you are gone because when you return to dust, you will feel nothing about criticisms or praises. Don’t worry too much about your children for children will have their own destiny and find their own way.  Don’t be your children’s slave.

Don’t expect too much from your children.  Caring children would be too busy with their jobs and commitments to render any help.  Uncaring children will fight over your assets even when you are still alive, and wish for your early demise so they can inherit your possessions. Your children may take for granted that they are rightful heirs to your wealth, but they really have no claims to your money, neither do you have any claim to theirs.

Don’t trade in your health for wealth because no amount of money can buy good health.

When should you stop making money, and how much is enough -- hundreds, thousands, one million, ten million?  Remember that out of 1000 hectares of good farmland, you can only consume three quarts (of rice) daily; and if you have a mansion of several thousand square meters, depending upon your size, height and weight, you can actually occupy only eight square meters of space to rest at night.

So as long as you have enough food and enough money to spend, that is good enough.

You should live happily. Every person and every family has its own problems.   Do not compare yourself or your family with others.  To compare yourself, your children, your family with others is foolish.  Fame, fortune, and social status do not really bring true happiness, good health, or longevity. It does not help to worry about things that you can’t change; worrying about them will only spoil your health.

Create your own level of well-being and happiness.  Try your best to always be in a good mood and to have happy thoughts.  Do things daily, which you give you fun and happiness, then you will pass your time happily every day. There is no certainty that everyday will be a happy one but every day of happiness is one day gained; sometimes you gain and win, sometimes you lose. Having a "good spirit" cures sickness, cures sickness fast, and even prevents sickness from coming to you. 

To have good health and happy life, get a suitable amount of daily exercise, exposure to the sun, variety of healthy food, reasonable amount of vitamins and minerals. Hopefully, you have 20, 30, or even more happy and healthy years ahead of you! 

Read More

The Mousetrap Story

And so you thought other people's problem and dilemma shouldn't be of your concern, think again! Let this mousetrap story tell you why should you bother and give others the attention they deserve ...

 A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain? The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning:

"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse , but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."   

            

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. 

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; in fact, she died.

So many people came for her funeral; the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, REMEMBER:  

When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

  We are All involved in this journey called LIFE. 

We must keep an eye out for one another and 

make an extra effort to encourage one another. 

To Your Success!

Read More

15 Challenges to Pursue in Life

by Jim Rohn from the 2004 Jim Rohn Weekend Leadership Event . In life, this is one of my important realization, we are designed to pursue dreams and face challenges along the way. It is a never ending dream, attainment, new dreams, new goals, achievements and yet breeds to new more desires and dreams. Let us all enjoy the journey and I know you - The Smart Pinoy is up to it =)

1. Review Your Performance. Whether it’s communication, whether it’s activity, whether it’s a CEO, whether it’s on the job. Here’s what my father said: “Always do more than you are paid for to make an investment in your future.” Now some unions would argue with that. My father was so unique. Review your performance—your language with your children. Say, “Have I been too harsh, too strong, too stubborn? Should I have learned to be easier and mixed more compassion with the tough stuff I have to deal with?” And yes, prayer will help. Ask for help to say the right thing, not to ruin it all by poor communication.

2. Face Your Fears. That’s how you conquer them. Don’t dismiss them; face them. Say, “Here’s what I’m afraid of. I wonder what I could do to change that.”

3. Exercise Your Willpower to Change Direction. You don’t have to keep doing what you’ve been doing the last six years if it’s not yielding the benefits you want. My mentor helped me review the last six years so I wouldn’t repeat those errors the next six. Pick a new destination and go that way. Use your willpower to start the process. You don’t have to repeat last year. Clean up the errors. Invest it now in the next year. Watch it make the difference.

4. Admit Your Mistakes. Sometimes you have to admit them to others. Parents have to do it. We ask our kids to do it. We have to do it. Here is one of the best phrases in the English language: “I’m sorry.” The reason those are good words is because they could start a whole new relationship. It could start two people going in a whole new direction. Simple, not easy. You get this done, the turnaround can be dramatic. The early years can be big in payoff. Here’s the big one. Admit your mistakes to yourself. You don’t have to babble about them to everyone in the neighborhood. But it doesn’t hurt to sit down and have a conversation with yourself and say, “There’s no use kidding myself. Here’s where I really am. I’ve got pennies in my pocket and I’ve got nothing in the bank.” That’s what I said after a Girl Scout left my door. I had a conversation with myself and I said, “I don’t want this to happen anymore.”

5. Refine Your Goals. Start the process. Set some higher goals. Reach for some higher purpose. Go for something beyond what you thought you could do.

6. Believe in Yourself. You’ve got to believe in God and you’ve got to believe in the community. You’ve got to believe in the possibilities. You’ve got to believe in the economy. You’ve got to believe that tomorrow can be better than today. Here’s the big one. Believe in yourself. There isn’t a skill you can’t learn; there isn’t a discipline you can’t try; there isn’t a class you can’t take; there isn’t a book you couldn’t read.

7. Ask for Wisdom. This is communication of the highest source. Ask for wisdom that creates answers. Ask for the wisdom that creates faith to believe things are possible. Ask for wisdom to deal with the challenges for today and tomorrow, to deal with the challenges your family brings you. Don’t wish it was easier; wish you were better.

8. Conserve Your Time. Sometimes we get faked out. Bill Bailey says the average person says, “I’ve got twenty more years.” No, Bill says you’ve got twenty more times. If you go fishing once a year, you’ve only got twenty more times to go fishing, not twenty years. That fakes you out.

9. Invest Your Profits. Here’s one of the philosophies that Mr. Shoaff gave me. Profits are better than wages. Wages make you a living, profits make you a fortune. Could we start earning profits while we make a living? The answer is yes.

10. Protect Your Family. These are troublesome times. At school—troublesome times. Protect your family as best you can from the hidden dangers, the lurking evil one.

11. Live with Intensity. You might as well turn it up a notch or two. Invest more of you in whatever you do. Be a little stronger; be a little wiser. Step up your vitality contribution. Put everything you’ve got into everything you do and then ask for more vitality, more strength and more vigor, more heart and more soul.

12. Find Your Place. If you just work on a job, find the best place you can serve well, and sure enough they’ll ask you to occupy a better place. And if you keep doing a job well, do the very best you can. That’s your best way out. Here’s a Bible phrase. If you work on your gifts, they’ll make a place for you.

13 Demand Integrity from Yourself. Integrity is like loyalty. You can’t demand it of someone else; you can only demand it of yourself. Be the best example of loyalty, and you’ll get some loyal followers. Be the best example of integrity, and you’ll have people around you who have integrity. Lead the way.

14. Welcome the Disciplines. Can’t give you much better advice than that because disciplines create the reality. Disciplines build cities. A well-disciplined activity creates abundance, creates uniqueness, productivity.

15. Fight for What’s Right. It’s a fight we’re in. The storyteller says “And there was a great war in heaven.” One of the writers of later Scripture said, “I fought a good fight.” That’s extraordinary to be able to say. I fought for my kids, and I fought for what was right and I fought for good health, and I fought to protect my company and I fought for a good career that would bless my family. I fought a good fight. It’s good to fight the encroachment. Opposites are in conflict, and you’re in the middle. If you want something valuable, you’ve got to fight for it. Then this writer also said, “I fought a good fight and I kept the faith.” See, that’s the deal. Keep faith with your family. Fight the enemy and keep faith. Fight the illness and keep faith. Fight the evil and keep faith. I can’t give you much better advice.

To your Success! 

Read More

On Mind Map and Hot Rods ...

Another week have past and as I have committed I'll post my mind map about self-development or what this blog is supposed to cover. As I go through it , the more I realized how big the scope self development is, approached holistically should cover our physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental development. The mind map I have created did not go through the rest of possible subtopics available on a certain subject. I guess I'll just cross the bridge when I start to touch on the particular subject.

As it is, I'll definitely have more than a years worth of topics or subjects to blog about. For some of the subjects, I may have to borrow from some articles and books and add my inputs or thoughts on it. In the end, I'll blog what I feel is more relevant at the moment and hope that you'll be able to relate it with your own life's experience.

My apology for having the mind map unreadable from this page. You may have to download it and zoom it on your screen later. I used the SmartDraw 2009 for it, it is relatively easy to use. It is still on the trial period. Gives me time to think if I'll purchase it or not.

I mentioned that we went to McKinley Hill in Fort Bonifacio last Sunday where a car restoration expo was held. It was a fun day and we went there with a family friend. Took some photos of the kids with some of the hot rods, monster trucks, and some mini coopers. Different people have different passions, most of the folks involved here definitely have passion for restoring cars. Someday, with enough resources and add'l inspiration I might dive into this...for now catch me posing on the side of Mr. Bean's car...

You did see me, don't you ? Coz you are already at this part of the blog. Perhaps you are smiling now. This is me saying, don't take life too seriously...have fun, shrug of your failures, and move ahead with what life still has to offer. Enjoy the journey!

Now, who says Mind Map and Hot Rods is an odd match...but one thing for sure...both exists in between your ears and fascinates men more than women or so I say.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Read More

Ready...get set...GO!

After several weeks of contemplating on what do I blog about, here I am taking my first baby step by creating a blog here at Blogger. I hope I made the right choice of topic for this blog which will be mainly about SELF-DEVELOPMENT.
As I travel thru my life's journey, I am sure that I will get more out of it by sharing to you those time tested principles. In the end, we will become better persons that walked this earth.

Let's hit the road! Ready...get set..Go!

Read More