Shaharuddin Mohamad

How to be a leader others want to follow.

Examples abound of poor leadership. Who hasn’t had a teacher or boss who invoked feelings of disrespect?

A positive leader is someone who inspires, motivates, energizes and unites, while generating loyalty and producing results. Victor Parachin offers 10 rules on how to be that kind of leader:

• Give more than you expect others to give.
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• Combine optimism and perseverance.
• See everyone as a diamond in the rough.
• Express appreciation; accept responsibility.
• Keep your ego in check.
• Show respect for the people around you.
• Treat team members as family.
• Be a source of inspiration.
• Stress cooperation, not competition.
• Maintain a sense of humor.

(Toastmasters International)

To accomplish anything of significance, you must have the right people by your side. Finding a great hire often goes hand in hand with identifying potential leaders.

John Maxwell, Ph.D. credits his friend Fred Smith with helping him arrive at these 11 questions to ask when looking for a leader:

• Does the person question existing systems and push for improvements?
• Do they offer practical ideas?
• When they speak, who listen
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• Do others respect them?
• Can they create or catch a vision?
• Do they show a willingness to take responsibility?
• Do they finish the job?
• Are they emotionally strong?
• Do they possess strong people skills?
• Will they lead others with a servant’s heart?
• Can they make things happen?

(Toastmasters International)

How do you serve your clients?

By preparing their tax returns? Auditing their financials? Diversifying their portfolios?

Don’t make me laugh. If those are your reasons for being, you’re not helping anybody.

“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it,” Osborne, a business performance management thought leader and author of Strategic Benchmarking for Success, told a crowd of CPAs at Accounting Today’s Growth and Profitability Summit in Las Vegas. “What you do is the manifestation of what you are passionate about.”

Think about it. Is your passion selling tax or accounting services? Is that truly why you got into the business?

Of course not. You wanted to help people, right? You wanted to give your clients insight — to help them understand how the numbers impact their long-term goals.

Somewhere along the way, though, we all became salespeople. In Osborne’s words, we’re out there “committing random acts of consulting.” We’re trying to sell as much as we possibly can without really understanding what the client needs.

“A lot of folks have had a passion bypass,” said Osborne, pictured at right. “Often, the reasons they became an accountant are not the reasons why they remain an accountant.”

Here’s the thing: According to Osborne, the really good clients don’t want your services. They want your passion. They want to know that you care about their problems and are committed to finding a solution that’s right for them.

“Most firms take whatever comes through the door,” Osborne said. “Tax and accounting serivces should be a byproduct of an advisory relationship. They should not be the focus of that relationship. By focusing first on why you do what you do, you will attract like-minded clients and talent that appreciate and value your passion.”

I could swear I’ve heard that before. Here’s a taste;

• Ask yourself, “Why us?” Why should a client choose you and your firm over the competition? Do you have a good answer? Does everybody in your firm say same thing?
• Think benefits, not features. If your answer to “Why you?” is a feature (experience, age of firm, number of CPAs, industry expertise, dedication, commitment, number or type of clients, etc.), you’re missing the boat. What are the specific benefits the prospect is seeking? What’s in it for them?
• Question for needs. You won’t know the answer to the question “What’s in it for them?” unless you ask what they need.
• Listen. Regardless of what we think, almost all of us are pretty poor listeners. We hear what we want to hear. We talk too much.

The moral of this particular story? Forget about what you do. Focus instead on why you do it. Therein lies your future.

By Business Learning Institute

To help get the most out of yourself and become a better leader start with what you can do for yourself. Learn to take control of bad habits and turn them into good habits. If you can accumulate an abundance of good habits then you will be a better person, a better manager and ultimately a better leader.

Don’t Worry about Being the Best

Believe it or not, you just have to be better than the people around you. Instead of trying to be the absolute best, strive to be the best that you can be at whatever the task may be. It’s the experience of trying that really counts.

Make sure You Are The One Making The Choices

If you’re unsure about your choices, make the best possible choice given the information you have in front of you. Whether the decision is right or wrong, making your own decision will still be better than letting someone else make the decision for you. It’s part of the process of learning.

Don’t Wait for Someone Else to Teach You

No matter what the task, if you teach it to yourself, you’ll learn it better. This might require a bit of research on your part; you may need to end up asking a bunch of questions. Just keep in mind that the only “stupid” question is the one that you don’t ask.

Then the next thing that you have to do is to share the knowledge. Pass it along. Learn to be a mentor so that the next person gains the knowledge.

Always Follow Your Dreams

Every dreamer pays a price, but so does everyone who fears to dream. The price for not dreaming or ignoring dreams is much higher.

Every now and then, sit down and let yourself imagine. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain. Let go and put no limits on yourself it is amazing what you can do.

Always Look For An Opportunity

We pass opportunities by every day. Be vigilant and take note of where you can help someone else. Always ask yourself the question “What can I offer that will be of benefit to that person or situation?”. Providing a solution to others’ problems can become a huge opportunity for you.

Don’t Sell Yourself Short – Ever

Don’t doubt your abilities, and don’t doubt your talents. Forget about what you’ve been led to believe by the media or people in your life. Recognize your strengths, and listen to your inner voice. Eliminate “I can’t” from your vocabulary.

Don’t Accept or Expect Mediocrity

Expect excellence of both yourself and of others. The minute you expect less of yourself is the same minute that your inner self will get the compromised message and start delivering less. Always push yourself to be the best you possibly can be.

Self Learning

Your happiness is in your hands.

We all have tremendous potential. Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, produces the intensity of our activity and predicts the quality of the result we receive is our attitude.

Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and infl uences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us, or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.

No one else “makes us angry.” We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose; not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.

If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path, and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.

If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value that must be protected accordingly.

When you have the right attitude, you can do the remarkable.

When you recognize your gifts, you can change anything for yourself that you wish to change. If you don’t like how something is going for you, change it. If something isn’t enough, change it. If something doesn’t suit you; change it. If something doesn’t please you, change it. You don’t ever have to be the same after today. If you don’t like your present address, change it—you’re not a tree!

Having the right attitude is an essential prerequisite for success and happiness. The right attitude is one of the fundamentals of the good life. That is why we must constantly examine our feelings about our role in the world and about our possibilities for achieving our dreams.

It is our emotional nature that governs most of our daily conduct in our personal and business world. It is the emotional aspect of our experiences that determines our behavior. How we feel about life’s events is a powerful force that can either freeze us in our tracks or inspire us to take immediate action on any given day. With the right attitude, human beings can move mountains. With the wrong attitude, they can be crushed by the smallest grain of sand.

Jim Rohn.

The other day my wife, daughter and I went out for my birthday dinner. It was the restaurant my 5 year old chose (of course…). Once we got seated the waitress came over and asked what we’d like to drink. My daughter said, “What do you have”? The waitress responded with all the major sodas (pop for us Michiganders), various lemonade flavors and then like a right hook and with a big smile she says and “root beer floats”. She pauses just for a second, looks at me and says, “oops, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that should I… ugg I am so sorry”. Well, my daughter wasn’t sorry. She was shouting “yes yes a rootbeer float sounds yummy”.

Now, I’ve never waited a table in my life but I can smell a ploy when it’s being dealt. She knew exactly what she was doing. Problem is, a five year old drinking a rootbeer float with a main course never gets to the main course.

I looked at my daughter and said if you eat all your meal (hey wait… now I’m running a game) you can have a rootbeer float or a dessert. She said, “ok dad”. I got off easy that time. Another night and we’d have had a pouting angry 5 year old.

Toward the end of the meal the waitress asks if we’d like a dessert. My wife and I declined but my daughter asked what they had on the menu. The waitress looks at me after my daughter decided and said, “let me get that for her, I’m not even going to charge you anything for it”. Beep beep, radar up. She already pulled one scam earlier what is she up to now? Well, I read my birthday coupon and it said my free meal included a sundae. Guess who got my “free sundae”? Yeah, she acted like she was doing a favor for us to improve her gratuity but in my eyes she dug a little deeper into her transparent repertoire of tricks.

You know, I’m not one to think the world is all out to scam me but sometimes you can just feel the game someone is playing on you. It makes you wonder if they really think the world isn’t up to their speed. Why do I share this? Well, young or old, people can often tell when someone is trying to bamboozle them. Most people are too polite to say a word. Most people however will vote with their dollars when it comes back to giving a business a second chance.

Think twice and always work from a place of integrity. It will come back to you many times in all that you do. It doesn’t mean you’ll never get taken advantage of but it does mean you can hold your head up high knowing you do the right things even when no one is looking.

Dan Nichols – Business Coach

If you want to start your own online business, then you need to look for reliable information in devising your own website marketing strategies. With so many things to think about and figure out, you may be left wondering where you should even start.

You probably already know the first year for any business is the most crucial. You have to start out right; you have to set up a foundation that will get you through the hard times.

Below are some website marketing strategies that could help start your busines on the right track and propel your profits to sky-high levels:

1) Create a business plan and a market analysis on your target audience.

When you strive to do business online, one of the most important things you must do is plan. Make sure that your timing is right.

It is important to be flexible in your business. Be aware of any fashions, crazes, patterns, and anything that’s getting increasingly popular; and then jump right on the opportunity.

The sites below will update you on new trends:
news.google.com
news.yahoo.com
cnet.com
msnbc.com

Use this site to anticipate the popularity of trends:

http://www.google.com/trends

Something that’s popular now, might not be popular in a year or even after a few months, so it’s important to capitalize on what is currently hot or in-demand to maximize your profit potentials.

2) Outsource.

Many small starting marketers outsource their work to prevent any time-consuming trials-and-errors in operating their business.

This strategy is a good idea, as it will provide the opportunity to pass on projects that are too time consuming, or those that just aren’t aimed at any of your personal strong points.

For instance, you may need to hire someone to set up your whole website, with all the graphic and coding demands of a successful site. Those aspects of an online business, along with any other extra things you may want to add to your new site, would benefit from hiring someone else with the extensive knowledge or expertise to accomplish the task flawlessly.

Outsourcing, if you can afford to do so, will leave you more time to think about the necessary aspects of your online business.

3) Know exactly what marketing strengths you possess, and how they can help your business.

Knowing your marketing strengths will allow you to plan and execute your website marketing strategies, which will lead to more paying customers, more business and ultimately more money.

This is because you will know what aspects of the online business you can take care of yourself, and what parts would be better off in the hands of someone else. The less time you devote doing something you really don’t know anything about, the better off your online business will be.

When it comes to online marketing, numerous people just don’t know what their strengths are. It is therefore important to have sound website marketing strategies – and to know yourself, your strengths (and weaknesses), and your business inside and out.

If you don’t know yourself and your capabilities, than you will not fully understand what it really takes to set your business on the road to success.

Imagine walking into a job interview, and being required to answer what strengths you can bring to the table that your potential new job could benefit from.

If you haven’t ever thought about it, you may end up just sitting there silently, ruining your chances of being hired. The same scenario may come about when trying to start your online business; hence, it may delay your success.

4) Get help from your business friend

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As you do your business online, it is very important to continuously increase your business friends and nurture your relationships with them.

They might have assets you don’t have access to, and skills you don’t currently possess. They might be able to help you out on several aspects, so be there for them also when they need you.

While you may be the type of person that prefers to work or study alone, even when it comes to your business, don’t underestimate the importance of friends. You should understand that sharing tips – and even experiences – with other like-minded individuals can prove to be helpful.

If you want to achieve faster success and a continuous flow of clients, then sharing ideas and knowledge with others can lead to better results for both you and your business.

How do you make more friends? You have to go out and talk to people. Go to seminars. Invite them for a lunch or dinner. Meet new people as much as you can; the more your networks grow, the more successful your business will be.

It is very important to do your very best as you plan and execute your website marketing strategies. Capitalize on hot trends, outsource the mundane tasks, be aware of your strengths, and grow your list of friends. Best of luck to you!

By Jeremy Gislason
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One of the most important principals for achieving success is to understand that your mind is like a garden bed where you cultivate and grow the seeds of thought.

When you plant a positive seed of thought in your mind and nurture it carefully, it germinates and grows until it leads you to take action.

As soon as you begin acting on your idea, your seed of positive thought becomes a seedling of positive action.

If you continue to feed and encourage this seedling, it gradually develops into a tree of positive habit.

Once this habit has become solid and immovable, it is then only a matter of time before it blossoms to produce the fruits of success.

However it is important to be aware that the garden of your mind does not discriminate between positive and negative seeds of thought.

A negative seed of thought planted within your mind often leads you to take negative actions. These actions gradually develop into negative habits that will inevitably produce the fruits of failure.

When you understand that your thoughts lead to actions and your actions develop into habits and that it is your habits that determine your results in life, then you’ll appreciate why it’s so important to be careful about the seeds of thought that you plant within your mind.

One of the real secrets of success is to become a watchful caretaker over the garden of your mind and make sure that you only plant and cultivate thoughts that will develop into the positive habits necessary for making your dreams a reality.

So what does this mean in the real world?

It means that you should carefully monitor the thoughts that you are planting within your mind each day. Whenever you catch yourself planting or nurturing a negative thought, make the conscious decision to uproot and discard it.

For example, when Andrew went to see his doctor, he was told that he had high cholesterol and needed to lose 10kg. In response to this advice, Andrew joined his local gym and started exercising three days a week.

A few weeks later Andrew stood in front of his bed room mirror and assessed his reflection.

His first thought was, “I look exactly the same! All that hard work and I don’t look any different. This isn’t working at all.”

Then he stopped and realized that this was a negative seed of thought.

He knew that if he continued to nurture this negative perspective it wouldn’t be long before he started skipping sessions and pretty soon his exercise program would be a thing of the past.

Having recognized his negative seed of thought, Andrew made the conscious decision to uproot and discard it before it took hold in his mind.

He took a second look at his reflection and told himself, “Every training session is making me fitter.” This was a positive seed of thought that made him feel good about the action he was taking.

Over time, Andrew continued his training program while protecting his mind from the disempowering seeds of negativity.

Eventually he reached his goal weight and brought his cholesterol level down to a healthy level.

So today I’d like to encourage you to become a watchful caretaker of your mind. Whenever you identify a seed of negative thought, uproot and discard it.

Remember, it is much easier to uproot a seed of negative thought than it is to chop down a tree of negative habit that has taken root over many years.

By planting and cultivating seeds of positive thought, you will set in motion a truly remarkable process.

In the same way that a tiny acorn develops into a mighty oak tree, your positive seeds of thought will germinate into the actions and habits that will ultimately lead you to success.

By Anthony Fernando

One of the most important skills you can develop for success in life is the ability to evaluate situations quickly and make definite decisions.

Many people struggle with the process of decision making. Whether it is at home, or at work, it is easy to become paralyzed by the fear of making the ‘wrong’ decision.

This fear often leads us to avoid making decisions altogether and we end up delegating our decision making to the people around us.

For example, when someone asks, “What movie would you like to see?”

You might reply with one of these tell-tale responses:

“Oh, I don’t mind.”

“Whatever you like.”

“I’m not fussed.”

“Your choice.”

“Anything is fine.”

The problem with dismissive responses such as these is that they quickly develop into the habit of indecision. This in turn can become a major obstacle to achieving your most important goals in life.

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.”
- Flora Whittemore

The first step to becoming more decisive is to understand that making decisions is a skill and just like any other skill, it improves with practice.

Instead of waiting until you are confronted with a major decision, the best way to exercise your ‘decision making muscle’ is to practice on the multitude of small decisions that you make each and every day.

Whenever someone asks for your opinion on any subject, here’s what you should do:

(1) Avoid responding with a dismissive remark such as “I’m not fussed”
(2) Stop for a moment and give yourself time to think
(3) Become aware of what your ‘gut feeling’ is
(4) State your opinion confidently

So, the next time someone asks you “What movie would you like to see?” don’t leave the decision making up to others.

Instead, stop for a moment, become aware of your ‘gut feeling’, and then state your opinion confidently. For example you might say something like “I feel like seeing a comedy…”

As you practice this simple process, you will find it becomes easier to tune into your gut feelings and identify what YOU want instead of always being influenced by those around you.

By exercising your ability to identify and express your opinion, you will gradually overcome the fear of making decisions.

Eventually, when you are confronted by a more serious decision, you will be able to draw upon your well-practiced decision making skills to evaluate the situation and make a decision quickly

and confidently.

By Anthony Fernando

If you deal with daily meetings and interactions with coworkers, you know just how important it is to speak assertively. But what exactly does “assertively” mean and how do you speak your mind without coming across as rude? These are important questions, as communicating effectively — not to mention politely — is pivotal to your professional success. The last thing you want to do is alienate coworkers (or clients!) with in-your-face boldness.

As Don Draper once said, “…Keep it up, and even if you do get my job, you’ll never run this place. You’ll die in that corner office, a mid-level executive with a little bit of hair who women go home with out of pity. Want to know why? Cause no one will like you.”

And Draper’s advice is spot on; no one responds well to a bossy coworker and being rude is definitely not the way to win a promotion or in-office respect. Remember when asserting yourself or your ideas, your main goal should be to gain and give respect. How?  We suggest focusing on confidence instead of assertiveness. You’ll find that a confidently presented idea or viewpoint will get you far and will garner you more respect in the long run.

Show Confidence

The best solutions come out of problems. A healthy discussion and even a disagreement can be very beneficial, especially in the work space. It means both sides are passionate and want the best for the company. But   in order to communicate effectively you must show confidence in yourself and your ideas. Confirm this confidence by facing coworkers when speaking. Remember that while it’s perfectly fine to refer to notes, the majority of a conversation or presentation should be spent making eye contact – both when you are speaking and (even more importantly) while you’re listening.

Exhibit Leadership Qualities

Part of speaking in an assertive manner is demonstrating leadership skills. When you are assertive in a conversation, you are leading that conversation. But don’t use this as a time to be condensing. Steer clear of using big words in an effort to deliberately impress people and try to avoid making coworkers feel defensive. Think about your approach, delivery, and what you want as a result of your conversation.

Be Specific and Clear

Part of speaking to people is, well, speaking to people. To avoid miscommunication, speak clearly and stay on topic. If you are curious or need clarification about something, just ask. If you are feeling frustrated by a coworker’s solution or point-of-view, for the interest of a win-win situation, try to look at the big picture and, if you must, excuse yourself from the conversation altogether. The quickest way to lose respect in the office is to let your emotions take over your professionalism. Being kind and courteous should always win out over your efforts to be right.

On that note…

Say Exactly What You Mean

No one likes to listen to someone drone on. Often, the more you say, the less is heard. Keep things specific, use facts, and be conversational — not confrontational.

Listen — REALLY Listen

When you’re talking, show coworkers that you hear them and that you understand. Most times, people just want to be heard. Prefacing your comments with a rephrasing of their last statement will both put them at ease and make them more open to listening and understanding your stance and possible solution.

Don’t Feel Guilty for Being Assertive

It’s more than okay to stand up for yourself, your ideas and opinions. Being assertive is in fact very important when communicating with others, not to mention coworkers. Practice, assess the situation, and use confidence to emphasize rather than provoke. Remember, in the end, it’s respect you seek.

By Christina Macres