Dieter Langenecker Leadership Mentoring

Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success

2012-01-22T21:08:00.000+01:00

Words of Wisdom

2012-01-19T19:10:00.000+01:00

'There are two great days in a person’s life—

the day we are born and the day we discover why.' (N.N.)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:40:00.000+01:00

In this world everyone searches for happiness outside, but nobody understands their true self inside.

Zen Master Seung Sahn

You Can’t Lead In Fear

2011-12-25T11:37:00.002+01:00

Fear ruins more bright lives than you might imagine. Each of us, by virtue of our very human nature, has the potential to Lead Without Title and achieve great things that elevate everyone around us by our model of possibility. But the chattering voice of fear in our heads stops us from playing big.

A little while back I had the chance to spend 3 weeks in New Zealand. And just before I returned home, I had the opportunity to go heli-skiing. Yes, this is where a helicopter drops you off at the top of a mountain, and you ski down.

The experience was challenging, exhilarating and full of rich lessons for growth. Here are some of them, that we can apply to business and life:

1. You Don’t Grow In Normal
All I mean by this is that if you stay within your comfort zone, you don’t grow. But if you instead stretch and face fear head on by going to your limits, you’ll discover your limits will grow.

2. You Don’t Know Until You TryIt would have been easy to refuse the chance to heli-ski. I could have made a thousand excuses. But Leaders Without a Title recognize good opportunities. So I seized it. And because I tried heli-skiing, I not only grew as a skier, I added another experience to my life that will shape all I do.

3. On the Other Side of Your Fears You’ll Find Your Confidence
By doing what we’re afraid to do because it’s beyond our comfort zone, we grow in confidence. The increased confidence I have as a skier because I skied a new peak will translate to increased confidence as an entrepreneur and as a human being.

4. Life’s Short So Get In The Game
A rich life is one made up of many rich adventures. Don’t miss out on enjoying as many as you can.

Robin Sharma

Inspirational Thought

2011-12-11T14:46:00.001+01:00

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Are You Coachable? The Five Steps to Coachability

2011-11-26T15:20:00.000+01:00

A proverb says that only stupid men learn from experience. Wise men learn from other people’s experience. The education I received sitting at Mobley’s feet was priceless, but it would never have happened if I had not been coachable.

Coachable people all share five distinct character traits.

The first trait is humility. Humility teaches that there are things we need to do that we cannot do on our own. Only humility can teach us that the most important things we need to learn require fundamental changes in our behavior and outlook. Humility itself, for example, can’t be attained by reading a book or taking a class. Humility requires a change of heart rather than a change of mind. Working with Mobley was a humbling experience, and if humility was the only thing I learned it was more than enough.

The second trait that coachable people share is an action bias. Lou Mobley was a saint, but if I hadn’t been willing to get off my ass I never would’ve found him.

10 Secrets of Successful Leaders | Entrepreneur.com

2011-10-18T23:11:00.000+02:00

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” But, becoming a great leader isn’t easy. Successfully maneuvering a team through the ups and downs of starting a new business can be one of the greatest challenges a small-business owner faces.

Leadership is one of the areas that many entrepreneurs tend to overlook, according leadership coach John C. Maxwell, whose books include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Thomas Nelson, 1998) and Developing the Leader Within You (Thomas Nelson, 1993).

“You work hard to develop your product or service. You fight to solve your financial issues. You go out and promote your business and sell your product. But you don't think enough about leading your own people and finding the best staff,” Maxwell says.

It turns out, the skills and talents necessary to guide your team in the right direction can be simple, and anyone with the determination can develop them. Here’s a list of 10 tips drawn from the secrets of successful leaders.

10 Secrets of Successful Leaders | Entrepreneur.com

How to spot a liar: Pamela Meyer on TED.com

2011-10-13T22:08:00.000+02:00

Thoughts of Wisdom

2011-10-12T10:15:00.002+02:00

War of the Worldviews

2011-10-10T22:05:00.001+02:00

"Bravo! This delightful book is bound to be the Gold Standard by which all other books on science/spirituality will be measured. Bold, refreshing, lucid, and insightful, this thoughtful collection of essays seeks to unveil the mysterious of our very existence. Is there a purpose to the universe? What is our true role in the cosmos? This book dares to ask some of the deepest, most profound questions about our very existence, and comes up with some surprising, even shocking answers."--Michio Kaku Prof. of Theoretical Physics, City Univ. of NY. Author of the New York Timesbest sellers Physics of the Future, and Physics of the Impossible.

2011-09-18T10:25:00.000+02:00

"Vision without action is dreaming. Action without vision is random activity.Vision and action together can change the world."
-Joel Barker

Planning an Event?

2011-08-22T16:22:00.000+02:00

You are organizing an important conference or employee event and you are looking for a renowned speaker?

Someone who is able to move your people to a new lasting energy-level with practical and inspirational advice? And maybe even for a multi-cultural audience? And all of this in both a profound as well as entertaining way?

Request information!

With best regards,

Dieter Langenecker (dl@langenecker.com )

ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD

2011-08-17T17:48:00.000+02:00

Prof.Srikumar Rao

2011-08-11T14:23:00.002+02:00

Real Leadership

2011-08-09T08:35:00.000+02:00

"Leadership is not magnetic personality -- that can just as well be a glib tongue.

It is not 'making friends and influencing people' -- that is flattery.

Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations."
- Peter F. Drucker

Words of Wisdom

2011-07-31T09:22:00.000+02:00

"A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose, a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve." ~ John Maxwell

Words of Wisdom

2011-07-28T13:15:00.001+02:00

To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline - training - is about.

-- James Clavell, in his novel "Shogun"

Inspiration of the Week

2011-07-21T13:29:00.001+02:00

Will and I could hardly wait for the morning to come to get at
something that interested us. That's happiness.

-- Orville Wright, co-inventor of the airplane

How to let go for the Need of Approval

2011-07-14T13:15:00.003+02:00

The need for approval kills freedom.

Trust me, I know, because I spent my entire life seeking approval until I realized it was a waste of time and didn’t work anyway. The desire to get people to like me motivated the majority of my choices and actions in early life.

Queen of social chameleons, I mastered the art of telling people what they wanted to hear and being someone they would find impressive—all the while worrying incessantly about what others thought of me, fearing criticism, and holding myself back as a result.

When I first started building my coaching business, this craving for acceptance caused me to hide from opportunities where the potential for reward was high, but the possibility for criticism was equally large.

As an example, one of my first client referrals was to coach the CEO of a major corporation. It’s painful to admit that I told my client I wasn’t the right person for the job and referred the person to someone else.

My need for approval created immense anxiety about the value I provided for my clients and caused me to spend far too much time on tasks in order to perfect them.

It got to the point where I was wasting so much time and losing so many opportunities that I had to make a big decision: either let the business go or learn how to get over myself!

One Minute Meditation

2011-07-09T00:07:00.000+02:00

Inspirational Wisdom

2011-07-07T12:35:00.000+02:00

"When I was young, I had to choose between the life of being and the life of doing. And I leaped at the latter like a trout to a fly. But each deed you do, each act, binds you to itself and to its consequences, and makes you act again and yet again. Then very seldom do you come upon a space between act and act when you may stop and simply be.

Or wonder who, after all, you are. "
-Ursula K LeGuin

Management must be reinvented - Gary Hamel

2011-06-27T14:10:00.000+02:00

Words of Wisdom

2011-06-26T14:38:00.000+02:00

"One thought has struck me over again. We only have our life one moment at a time. It's the way we answer the challenge of each moment, face the fear and live the joy and love possible in each moment that enables us to live each moment to the full. Only then can we really live our lives. " -Outward Bound Student

Words Of Wisdom

2011-06-26T14:34:00.000+02:00

“Things and conditions can give you pleasure but they cannot give you joy—joy arises from within.” ~Eckhart Tolle

Food for Thought

2011-06-25T09:31:00.000+02:00

“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” ~Pema Chodron

Inspiration of the Week

2011-06-23T13:15:00.001+02:00

The best inheritance you can leave your kids is an example of how to live a full and meaningful life.
-- Dan Zadra

Do it!

2011-06-21T15:25:00.000+02:00

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
-W H Murray

Inspiration of the Week

2011-06-16T13:10:00.003+02:00

Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.
Harold B. Melchart

Words of Wisdom

2011-06-13T20:55:00.000+02:00

“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ~Lao Tzu

Book recommendation for the summer (one of the best books I've ever read!)

2011-06-12T18:01:00.000+02:00

Srikumar Rao teaches a hugely popular course at both London and Columbia Business Schools. He helps his students define their personal ethics and goals, and how to reach them, and starts them on a journey that will last them a lifetime. Now, in this extraordinary book, Dr Rao's unique approach is available to a far wider audience. Using his own unconventional methods, including exercises and lessons adapted from many traditions, he explains how to: work out who you are, and where you are going; find out how you really view the world; discover the joy of effortless action; sharpen your ability to focus; and, discover true freedom and happiness. "Are You Ready to Succeed?" is in a different league altogether from most business books already on offer. If you too would like to be in another league, this fresh, accessible and groundbreaking guide to a meaningful and successful life is the one for you.

Inspiration of the Week

2011-06-09T13:10:00.003+02:00

Do what you love to do, and do it so well that those who come to see you do it will bring others to watch you do it again and again.

-- Mark Victor Hansen

Listening

2011-06-02T12:45:00.002+02:00

The commonest reason for losing a customer who seemedinterested is NOT LISTENING ENOUGH. If you don't spend
enough time and concentration on that, you are going to
miss something that the guy is telling you without trying
to tell you. And that something probably has to do with
why he is afraid, why he is hesitating, and what you are
not doing to get him over the last hurdles. - Joe Girard

Quote of the Day

2011-05-28T11:22:00.000+02:00

"Find out what you want, imagine things as you want them, build new ideas of life, stop believing that some people are lucky and some must be poor, change your ideas and find that life is a beautiful adventure, that each day brings new opportunities to those who will lift their eyes above the everyday grind. "
-Venice Bloodworth

Food for Thought

2011-05-28T11:14:00.002+02:00

“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” -Pema Chodron

Lessons From Successful Leaders #1: Building and Selling a Vision

2011-05-27T18:21:00.001+02:00

Executive Leadership & Management Training - MeetTheBoss TV

If you are given a chance to change one thing in the world what it would be

2011-05-22T13:25:00.000+02:00

Read this profound answer by Eric on the question "If you are given a chance to change one thing in the world, what would it be?"

If you are given a chance to change one thing in the world what it would be

Wisdom

2011-05-21T16:07:00.000+02:00

It isn't the things that are happening to us that cause us to suffer,
it's what we say to ourselves about the things that are happening.
~ Pema Chodron ~

POSITIVE QUOTE OF THE DAY

2011-05-19T12:12:00.002+02:00

The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you finish the work.

-- Pat Clifford

Thought of Wisdom

2011-05-19T11:00:00.000+02:00

"Plan for the future but live in the present moment. It's the only life you have. Success is a journey, not a destination, enjoy the trip! "
-Mary Manin Morrissey

I got a question

2011-05-14T17:05:00.002+02:00

If you are given a chance to change one thing in the world, what it would be?

Two Great Days

2011-05-14T16:59:00.002+02:00

There are two great days in a person’s life—the day we are born and the day we discover why (N.N.)

Can your business plan survive this stress test?

2011-05-14T16:45:00.000+02:00

POSITIVE QUOTE OF THE DAY

2011-05-12T12:48:00.004+02:00

A life without purpose is a languid, drifting thing; Every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves: This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught!

-- Thomas A. Kempis

On Finding Your Purpose

2011-05-05T12:18:00.000+02:00

“There is not one big cosmic meaning for all, there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.” -Anais Nin

Someone asked me recently if I feel as though my life has changed since I found my purpose and started living it. This struck me as odd because it seems to imply before I discovered a professional path that felt meaningful to me, my life was meaningless.

It’s a logical conclusion: the opposite of having a purpose is being purposeless–doing without intent or value.

But in retrospect, I have always had a purpose, even if it wasn’t work related.

When I was at some of the lowest points of my life, my purpose was to get strong. When I was trying to find what I want to do professionally, my purpose was to explore. And I’ve learned we’re all born with a shared purpose we can acknowledge or deny–to simply be good for other people.

These things may not seem significant in the grand scheme of things, but they’re absolutely meaningful.

We might not always feel like we’re making the impact we’d like to make on the world, but that doesn’t mean that what we do doesn’t matter. Just like every action has its own purpose, every day contains its own meaning. It’s up to use to decide whether or not it’s something valuable, for our own evolution and for the people we love.

What does today mean to you?

TinyBuddha

The Power of Purpose

2011-05-01T17:55:00.001+02:00

Can there be more to life than just going to work everyday and doing your job? Is there work that is unique to you? Is there a job that you are uniquely called to do? In The Power of Purpose, Richard Leider provides a practical process for answering these questions and creating a life filled with meaning and passion.

Follow your bliss (and your grunt)

2011-05-01T12:10:00.000+02:00

Inspirational Wisdom

2011-04-25T07:12:00.000+02:00

It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.

George Horace Lorimer

22 Ways to Become Spectacularly Inspirational

2011-04-21T12:30:00.000+02:00

1. Do important work vs. merely offering opinions.

2. Lift people up vs. tear others down.

3. Use the words of leadership vs. the language of victimhood.

4. Don't worry about getting the credit for getting things done.

5. Become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

6. Take your health to a level called superfit.

7. Commit to mastery of your craft instead of accepting mediocrity in your work.

8. Associate with people whose lives you want to be living.

9. Study for an hour a day. Double your learning and you'll triple your success.

10. Run your own race. "No one can possibly achieve real and lasting success by being a conformist," wrote billionaire J. Paul Getty

11. Do something small yet scary every single day.

12. Lead Without a Title.

13. Focus on people's strengths vs. obsessing around their weaknesses.

14. Remember that potential unused turns into pain. So dedicate yourself to expressing your best.

15. Smile more.

16. Listen more.

17. Read the autobiography of Nelson Mandela.

18. Reflect on the words of Eleanor Roosevelt who said: "Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people."

19. Persist longer than the critics suggest you should.

20. Say "please" and "thank you".

21. Love your loved ones.

22. Do work that matters.

By Robin Sharma, author of the #1 bestseller "The Leader Who Had No Title"

True Wisdom

2011-04-18T07:59:00.000+02:00

It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.

A. de Saint Exupery

15 Free, Beautiful Inspirational Wallpapers For Your Desktop

2011-04-14T12:54:00.001+02:00

Download

Inspirational Wisdom

2011-04-11T06:43:00.000+02:00

“A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” -Unknown

Never underestimate your ability to transform hardship into growth and loss into gain. Today, if you feel stressed, take a deep breath and remember: the way you handle it shapes both today and tomorrow.

TinyBuddha

On Stresses

2011-04-07T12:29:00.000+02:00

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” -Jon Kabat-Zinn

Experts estimate that 70 percent of our illnesses are related to stress. Since conflict is inevitable, we have two choices: allow stress to consume and control us, or find ways to navigate stressful situations with a sense of inner calm.

If you’re dealing with a particularly stressful situation, you may find one of these tips helpful.

- Use a deep breathing technique, like ujayii, to soothe yourself and seep into the present moment.

- Metaphorically release it. Write down all your stresses and toss the paper into your fireplace.

- Take a sauna break. Studies reveal that people who go to sauna at least twice a week for 10-30 minutes are less stressed after work than others with similar jobs who don’t.

- Organize your desk. According to Georgia Witkin, assistant director of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, completing a small task increases your sense of control and decreases your stress level.

- Laugh it out. Research shows that laughter soothes tension, improves your immune system, and even eases pain. If you can’t relax for long, start with just ten minutes watching a funny video on YouTube.

- Use it up. Make two lists: one with the root causes of your stress, and one with actions to address them. As you complete these tasks, visualize yourself utilizing and depleting your “stress supply.”

TinyBuddha

Do we need more knowledge?

2011-04-04T06:59:00.000+02:00

I'm not certain what the definition of wisdom is without looking it up but in my mind it's the understanding of knowledge acquired and being able to apply that knowledge to practical everyday life for the betterment of humankind.
Eric Overton

Neue Zusammenarbeit

2011-04-03T22:28:00.000+02:00

Ich freue mich, die Zusammenarbeit mit René Ulrich, Organisationsberater bekannt geben zu dürfen.

Das Mass aller Dinge

ist die individuellste Sache der Welt.

Wir Menschen verfügen grundsätzlich über geeignete Ressourcen, Schwierigkeiten und Hindernisse im Leben zu bewältigen. Oft fehlt uns aber in den entscheidenden Momenten der Zugriff auf diese Ressourcen oder wir kennen sie gar nicht. Die Folge: Ressourcen bleiben ungenutzt und Chancen werden verpasst.

Ich erlebe bei meinen Kundinnen und Kunden immer wieder, dass es durch Bewusstmachen und Nutzen der eigenen Fähigkeiten gelingt, Herausforderungen anzupacken. Überdies kann so die eigene Wirkung auf das Umfeld gewinnbringend verändert werden.

Solche Erfahrungen lassen das Vertrauen in die eigenen Fähigkeiten wachsen und stärken das Selbstbewusstsein. Aktiv gestaltete Lebenssituationen versprechen mehr Zufriedenheit und Ausgeglichenheit.

René Ulrich

Archstrasse 6
CH-8400 Winterthur

+41 44 865 60 60

contact@reneulrich.com

Lesen Sie mehr unter www.reneulrich.com

What is your Life Purpose? Your Free "Wisdom & Personal Leadership Mentoring" Program

2011-04-01T18:24:00.000+02:00

Your Personal Mentor Online!

Read more and watch the short introductory video

On Perfect Plans

2011-03-31T12:45:00.002+02:00

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” -Proverb

Tomorrow always seems like a safe bet for action. Then you’ll be ready to get started, or get serious, or get over it, or get on with it. Tomorrow you’ll finally sett your plan in motion instead of shaping it into something just right. You’ll take the offer, the plunge, or the road less taken tomorrow–when you feel sure.

Tomorrow can become a moving target while todays pile up and expire.

Sometimes we need to be patient, but oftentimes we use it as an excuse to wait for something that will likely never come. Today is our chance to act. We might not always know precisely what to do, but we can trust that we’ll figure out as we go if only we get started.

Of course that comes down to whether or not we’re willing to trust in our abilities. What do you need to start today, and if you don’t trust in yourself, what can you do to change that?

TinyBuddha

Wisdom of the Week

2011-03-28T07:30:00.000+02:00

No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work.

-- Mother Teresa

Conscious Leadership with Inspirational Speaker Dieter Langenecker 3/26/2011 - OmoYemaya H2O Netwo | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio

2011-03-26T23:40:00.000+01:00

Conscious Leadership with Inspirational Speaker Dieter Langenecker 3/26/2011 - OmoYemaya H2O Netwo | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Experience the Benefits of Meditation

2011-03-25T14:11:00.005+01:00

“Silence is a source of great strength.” (Lao Tzu)

The dates for next Live Online Video Meditations Sessions (Zen) are
in March 2011:
Sunday, March 27th, 2011 at 17.00/05.00 pm GMT
Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 19.00/07.00 pm GMT,
in April 2011:
every Wednesday at 19.00/07.00 pm GMT
every Sunday at 17.00/05.00 om GMT

The date for the next Live Online Video INTRODUCTION Meditation (Zen) is
April 3rd, 2011, at 16.00/04.00 pm GMT

Check your local time here:

On Letting Go of Pressure

2011-03-24T12:45:00.000+01:00

“The only pressure I’m under is the pressure I’ve put on myself.” -Mark Messier

There are a lot of things we can’t control in life–dramas that will unfold around us, circumstances that will seem overwhelming, fires that appear impossible to put out. We can’t ever stay on top of everything, but it gets a lot easier if we remember to breathe and take it all one step at a time.

We don’t need to solve everything right now. We don’t need to take responsibility for fixing everyone’s problems. We also don’t need to have all the answers. We just need to do what we can and then let ourselves recharge until it’s time to do again.

What do you need to do today, and when will you let yourself recharge?

TinyBuddha

Wisdom of the Week

2011-03-21T07:30:00.000+01:00

If you don't enjoy the journey, chances are you won't enjoy the destination. Start having fun now! N.N.

40 Ways to Give Yourself a Break

2011-03-17T12:45:00.000+01:00

“Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.” ~Lao Tzu

It’s common among overachiever types: we like to push ourselves.

Sometimes it’s to get from A to B. Sometimes it’s to create the illusion of change when in all reality you’re just spinning your wheels. Sometimes it’s simply to avoid standing still and accepting the moment as is.

All that pushing can feel so smart and productive until you’re exhausted, dehydrated, overextended, overwhelmed, or otherwise ready to snap. I’ve been in all those spots—and not just way back when, in a time when I was some completely different person.

There are still days when my instinct is to push myself to the limits for reasons I may or may not fully understand in the moment. I suspect we all do this from time to time: spread ourselves way too thin while trying to expand our world only to realize there’s only so far we can stretch.

I know there’s only so much my body, mind, and spirit can take, so I try to learn from these days as I go. Since I haven’t yet discovered the secret formula for complete balance, I’ve come up with a few simple ways to give myself a break when I’ve been pushing myself too hard.

If you feel physically, mentally, emotionally, or even digitally exhausted, these tips may help: 40 Ways to Give Yourself a Break

Wisdom of the Week

2011-03-14T07:30:00.000+01:00

One day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you as the
most beautiful.

-- Sigmund Freud

Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything

2011-03-10T12:45:00.001+01:00

I've been playing tennis for nearly five decades. I love the game and I hit the ball well, but I'm far from the player I wish I were.

I've been thinking about this a lot the past couple of weeks, because I've taken the opportunity, for the first time in many years, to play tennis nearly every day. My game has gotten progressively stronger. I've had a number of rapturous moments during which I've played like the player I long to be.

And almost certainly could be, even though I'm 58 years old. Until recently, I never believed that was possible. For most of my adult life, I've accepted the incredibly durable myth that some people are born with special talents and gifts, and that the potential to truly excel in any given pursuit is largely determined by our genetic inheritance.

During the past year, I've read no fewer than five books — and a raft of scientific research — which powerfully challenge that assumption (see below for a list). I've also written one, The Way We're Working Isn't Working, which lays out a guide, grounded in the science of high performance, to systematically building your capacity physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

We've found, in our work with executives at dozens of organizations, that it's possible to build any given skill or capacity in the same systematic way we do a muscle: push past your comfort zone, and then rest. Aristotle Will Durant*, commenting on Aristotle, pointed out that the philosopher had it exactly right 2000 years ago: "We are what we repeatedly do." By relying on highly specific practices, we've seen our clients dramatically improve skills ranging from empathy, to focus, to creativity, to summoning positive emotions, to deeply relaxing.

Like everyone who studies performance, I'm indebted to the extraordinary Anders Ericsson, arguably the world's leading researcher into high performance. For more than two decades, Ericsson has been making the case that it's not inherited talent which determines how good we become at something, but rather how hard we're willing to work — something he calls "deliberate practice." Numerous researchers now agree that 10,000 hours of such practice is the minimum necessary to achieve expertise in any complex domain.

That notion is wonderfully empowering. It suggests we have remarkable capacity to influence our own outcomes. But that's also daunting. One of Ericsson's central findings is that practice is not only the most important ingredient in achieving excellence, but also the most difficult and the least intrinsically enjoyable.

If you want to be really good at something, it's going to involve relentlessly pushing past your comfort zone, as well as frustration, struggle, setbacks and failures. That's true as long as you want to continue to improve, or even maintain a high level of excellence. The reward is that being really good at something you've earned through your own hard work can be immensely satisfying.

Here, then, are the six keys to achieving excellence we've found are most effective for our clients:

Read the whole article at Harvard Business Review

Wisdom of the Week

2011-03-07T07:30:00.001+01:00

"To use the past, learn its lessons and then let it go." N.N.

Michael Porter on Rethinking Capitalism

2011-03-03T12:45:00.001+01:00

Michael E. Porter, Harvard University professor, explains why business leaders must focus on shared value--creating products and services that benefit not only the company but also society.

Wisdom of the Day

2011-02-28T06:51:00.000+01:00

Buddhism teaches that nothing happens by chance. Everything has meaning. Please be convinced that your inner life is already endowed with everything you need. No matter how difficult your situation may be, you are alive now, and there is no treasure more precious than life itself.

Daisaku Ikeda

Growing Your Seeds

2011-02-24T12:36:00.001+01:00

We have just had the third part of our series Your People but then, it does not end there. And why not? Human resources is, after all, an organization's greatest asset. Fathom that while management is about technicalities, leadership is about people. Oh yes, I heard you... Vision. But then, vision involves steering your organization, your people to a higher level.

"We desperately need... a national and global economy in which people act not only as consumers but as citizens, in which workers reassert their responsibility for themselves and the success of their companies." - Hillary Clinton

See? The foundation of a great company lies on how well it handles its people. You know that... unfortunately, not all knows how to bring out the best in their people.

Again:

People in your company should not be taken for granted, but nurtured and cared for. They are your internal customers. They bring in the business for you. They make customers happy enough to make them come back for more, thus, helping spread the good word about your company's products and services. Your people are your company's ambassadors of goodwill, the direct extension of your office, of your company.

Catch them doing right even for minor tasks rather than finding faults.

Be broadminded. Allow for some mistakes from your employees. Help them realize that failure is not so bad but can be part of growing. Understand that committing a mistake is normal so long as one learns from it and does not repeat it.

One way to "exploit, reverse and maximize" on this is by investing in the hiring, training and development of your employees, bottoms up and across other functional areas of the company.

"Companies die because their managers focus on the economic activity of producing goods and services, and they forget that their organization's true nature is that of a community of humans."
~ Arie De Geus

With that, look for hidden talents of employees that might have been overlooked. Encourage them to perform tasks they're smart enough of doing.

Apply positive strokes, words of encouragement, and a healthy working environment. Cheer for your employees so they are encouraged to go beyond what is required of them. Help ordinary employees deliver extraordinary results.

Lastly, if possible, make public announcements like press releases about outstanding performances of employees. Like artists and musicians, employees need an applause after a good performance.

Sounds simple? So, have you?

Remember:
"Growing your seeds starts with recognizing the seed then doing what it takes to nurture it to its full potential."

Jesse Domingo

Food for Thought

2011-02-21T06:44:00.000+01:00

It is not how you compare to others that is important, but rather how you compare to who you were yesterday. If you've advanced even one step, then you've achieved something great.

Daisaku Ikeda

Your People...

2011-02-17T12:27:00.001+01:00

How many of you still thinks that employees are expenses instead of assets? We have heard of this. So, one... thousands?

Why?

Well, perhaps these people would say "just look at the books, where do employees fall on?" Uhmm - trying to use logic huh, however blind? This is like, which came first, chicken or egg? There are those who would say egg, for they would argue that before becoming a chicken, it would still be an egg.

Alright then. We'd just run circles if we fall for that. It's just like believing that employees are expenses instead of assets.

You want logic, here's logic.

Did God create Cain or Abel before He did Adam and Eve? Did God fashion an egg before showing us the chicken? You might say "but that's not business". Right.

Leaders, readers... everything is simply common sense. Don't complicate things to make it sound prestigious. It would only show how shallow you are if that's the case. Everything can be learned. And if only you look deeper, you would realize how valuable your employees are. And it's not because others say so, but because you really understand how business works.

"A personnel man with his arm around an employee is like a treasurer with his hand in the till." - Robert Townsend

Without employees, you would not have the people to help you produce... from visualizing to creating to innovating to marketing to selling to collecting and all.

Oh, what if you are a "one-man army"? Guess what? We are talking about the value of the employee not about yours. For if you insist on that argument then sadly, you are narcissistic and do not deserve to have employees.

"It is difficult to love mankind unless one has a reasonable private income and when one has a reasonable income, one has better things to do than loving mankind."
~ Hugh Kingsmill

Without empathy, you can never be that Leader. Yes, you could pay your people to do this and that; but have you ever wondered of what your performance appraisal would be if they be the ones to do it on you instead? Good?? Technically possible, however, satisfaction, respect and loyalty is yours if you not only know your job but understand and value your people.

Do you? Then walk the talk.

Remember:

"People are people... not personnel." - Tom Peters

Jesse Domingo

On Love

2011-02-14T07:16:00.000+01:00

The capacity to be alone is the capacity to love. - Osho

Dr. Martin Luther King on Violence

2011-02-12T13:11:00.000+01:00

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder the hate. In fact violence merely increases the hate. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
--Dr. Martin Luther King

Tiny Wisdom: On Life’s Questions

2011-02-10T12:04:00.000+01:00

“We must never forget that it is through our actions, words, and thoughts that we have a choice.” -Sogyal Rinpoche

Our work lives are made up of a million tasks, relationships, deadlines, duties, commitment, and goals. We are often at a loss as to how to communicate difficult news, create consistency, or even just feel less stressed during the day.

When we work with teams we can find ourselves trying to be the best to the detriment of the whole or we start gossiping in the break room, even when we don’t want to do those things.

In my years of working with management of large corporations, community groups, non-profits and small businesses I have seen some deplorable communication skills, folks ripping each other apart to get ahead, and teams clueless to their impact to the larger project or individuals. There has to be a better way.

When I was managing a creative group in San Francisco, I found it difficult to deal with the ups and downs of a changing workplace (this was just after the DotCom bust). It was especially challenging because I wasn’t skilled at addressing the raw emotions of workers who were undergoing work and family stress.

This led me to seek a mediation teacher who could at least share some wisdom about finding balance on a black cushion sitting on the tiled floor of a church basement.

It was in that first introduction that I realized that I lacked a guiding set of rules for dealing with my staff, coworkers, clients and management. Learning about the ideas inherent to the Eightfold Path I was able to start the timid steps towards a new way of communicating and finding balance both at work and in the rest of my life.

I did it through the idea of Zen Business.

Food for Thought

2011-02-07T06:52:00.000+01:00

Don't get so focused on one goal that you miss other opportunities that might pop up right beside you. Sometimes the journey is more fun than reaching the end. ~Jason O'Neill

Muhammad Ali’s Powerful Guide to Punching Through the Wall

2011-02-03T12:41:00.001+01:00

“I’ll be floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.”

“I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.”

“A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”

I’m guessing Muhammad Ali doesn’t need a long introduction. As an amateur he won the Olympic Gold. He then went on to become a three-time World Heavyweight Champion.

And in 1999, Sports Illustrated and the BBC named him as “the Sportsman of the Century”.

But what can we learn from one of the best boxers of all time?

Well, here are five tips from Muhammad Ali on how to break through the barriers in the world and in your mind.

“Some pursue happiness, others create it.”

2011-01-31T06:52:00.000+01:00

There’s a lot you can pursue and accomplish in life, but you don’t need to plant seeds for happiness. It’s not a destination. You simply need to let yourself blossom in this moment, exactly as you are.

Don’t get caught up thinking about how much further you might stretch tomorrow. You’ll get there soon enough.

In the meantime, choose to embrace where you are. Right now is full of possibilities. Right now is full of beauty. There may be some shadows in your day, but it’s your choice to either dwell there or create a little light.

How can you create and share happiness today?

TinyBuddha

The Calm After the Storm?

2011-01-27T11:42:00.000+01:00

During summer 2010, we (Tom Peters Company) were sensing that among our clients that had survived the worst of the recession, the mood was becoming more buoyant. Our customer base tends to be more forward-thinking and adventurous than the norm, and is often a bellwether of new trends. We therefore decided to find out what this group was seeing ahead, and if there were lessons for other leaders.

Our recent survey involved a select group of clients located in 29 countries and 6 continents. Overall, we found they, particularly those in the private sector, are indeed ready to put the past behind them. One respondent summed it up this way: "We've been in survival mode and it has hurt our growth. We need to focus on the future and stop the survival mentality. But how?"

We used our Excellence Audit™ survey to identify the development priorities that participants now see as important. A sign that recovery is on the way was that the prior focus on cost and systems has been overshadowed by a realization that Leadership is now the key element for attention.

Managers in our sample realize that it is time to pay attention to the people that have brought them through the recession. "Now that the economy is on the up, we need to step back the pressure, to work on the experiences of clients and workers, and to use technology to help us to do that."

According to our customers, leaders must devote attention to two action areas in our Excellence Audit, above all others.

Read the whole article at Tom Peters Group

Food for Thought

2011-01-24T04:28:00.000+01:00

The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you
lost all your money.

-- Bernard Meltzer (1914-) American Law Professor

Food for Thought

2011-01-20T04:23:00.000+01:00

I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still
I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

-- Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer

Inspirational Wisdom

2011-01-17T04:19:00.000+01:00

"There is no security in life, only opportunity. "
-Mark Twain

Inspirational Wisdom

2011-01-13T11:11:00.000+01:00

We are face to face with our destiny, and we must meet it with a high and resolute courage. For us is the life of action, of strenuous performance of duty; let us live in the harness, striving mightily; let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.

Theodore Roosevelt

Your Personal Mentor

2011-01-10T16:00:00.003+01:00

The boundaries and limitations that we may have set for ourselves are not as real as they seem. They are simply what we have been conditioned to believing. In these Online Wisdom & Personal Leadership Mentoring sessions, you will be stretched to go beyond all your ideas of what you thought was possible, and learn the art and science of creating real results.

You will learn ways to step outside of the confines of the limitations you have set, and into the realm beyond boundaries - both in your private life as well as in business.

Read the whole description and register at http://conta.cc/eaUHyH

With best regards,

Dieter

Inspirational Wisdom

2011-01-06T13:21:00.000+01:00

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. "
-Henry Ford

Inspirational Wisdom

2010-12-30T14:12:00.001+01:00

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Food for Thought

2010-12-27T08:05:00.001+01:00

Let no man turn aside, ever so slightly, from the broad path of
honour, on the plausible pretence that he is justified by the
goodness of his end. All good ends can be worked out by good means.

-- Charles Dickens

Do It Anyway

2010-12-23T12:45:00.000+01:00

Great and noble tasks

2010-12-20T07:10:00.001+01:00

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty
to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.

-- Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer

I Can Do It! At Sea - Caribbean

2010-12-19T13:31:00.000+01:00

January 28 – February 4, 2011
Special Discount: 20% off cruise price per person!

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to spend a week with your favorite authors who inspire, motivate, and challenge you to reach your greatest potential! Choose from five extraordinary workshop programs throughout seven incredible days at sea on a private Hay House Charter! Explore the beautiful Caribbean with these Ports of Call: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. This private Hay House Charter will be the experience of a lifetime!

We are offering you a 20% discount when you mention Affiliate Priority Number 112.

Click here to register online now! The box to enter the "Affiliate Priority Number" is located on the registration page above "Cabin Selection."

Don't forget to enter Affiliate Priority Number 112 on your registration! Or, call 888-259-9191 ext.1239 Ericka or ext.1262 Adam and mention your Priority number to get 20% off!

Cabins are Limited - Register Online Now!

*Please note: this offer is valid for new bookings only and cannot be combined with any other discounted offer. The discount is applicable to those attending the seminar programs only. Offer applies to the first two passengers in the cabin and is not applicable to third or fourth passengers sharing cabin. $650 cancellation fee applies through 11/11/2010. No refunds from 11/12/2010 through date of sailing.

Tim Jackson's economic reality check

2010-12-16T12:56:00.001+01:00

As the world faces recession, climate change, inequity and more, Tim Jackson delivers a piercing challenge to established economic principles, explaining how we might stop feeding the crises and start investing in our future.

Invitation Next Dates Free Online Meditation (Zen)

2010-12-13T18:58:00.000+01:00

The next sessions are:
Online Meditation (Zen): :Sunday, December 19th/26th 2010, January 2nd, 2011 (17.00/05.00 pm GMT)
Online Meditation (Zen Basic Introduction): January 2nd, 2011 (16.00/04.00 pm GMT)
Meditation Q&Q/Chat: January 2nd, 2011 (18.30/06.30 pm GMT)

More Information

Personal Leadership Wisdom

2010-12-13T07:22:00.001+01:00

"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric."
-Bertrand Russell

Organizations That (Can) Thrive in Crises

2010-12-09T12:38:00.001+01:00

“Most organizations believe they are not working as well as they used to. They blame the rapid and unpredictable changes that are going on around them. But many of them have failed to grasp one fundamental truth: CHANGE IS THE NEW CONSTANT. To be successful in the 21st century requires an approach that change is here to stay, so one of the most critical components for success is now the ability to build a culture to adapt and thrive in change.”

Read the article

"The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them." (A.Einstein)

2010-12-06T14:21:00.002+01:00

I have just increased and updated the dates for the free Online Meditation (Zen Basic Introduction), Online Meditation (Zen), and Meditation Q&A/Chat:

Basically there will be

- weekly Online Meditation (Zen) sessions every Sunday at 17.00/05.00 pm GMT (starting January 2011 there also will be weekly sessions on Thursdays at 17.00/05.00 pm GMT)

- monthly Online Meditation (Zen Basic Introduction) sessions on the first Sunday of each month at 16.00/04.00 pm GMT

- monthly Meditation Q&A/Chat:s on the first Sunday of each month at 18.30/06.30 pm GMT

Go to more information

Personal Leadership Wisdom

2010-12-06T07:16:00.001+01:00

"You are not what you think you are, but what you think...you are."
-John C Maxwell

Thank You!

2010-12-05T20:44:00.001+01:00

THANK YOU to all who joined me from around the globe for the Online Meditation (Zen). It was an very special event! Stay tuned for the announcement of the new dates tomorrow!

Deadline Invitation - Free Online Meditation Zen (Basic Introduction and Meditation Session

2010-12-04T14:00:00.001+01:00

Join me at our next free Online Meditations (Zen Basic Introduction, and Zen Meditation) to learn about the basics of Zen as well as meditate online.

Dates:

Introduction to Zen Meditation: Sunday December 5th, 2010 from 16.00/4:00 pm to 17.00/5:00 pm GMT (Register at Introduction to Zen Meditation)

Zen Meditation Session: Sunday December 5th, 2010 from 17.00/05.00 pm to 18.30/06.30 pm GMT (Register at Zen Meditation Session)

I hope you'll be able to attend and look forward to seeing you!

With best regards,
Dieter

The way to happiness is:
keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry.
Live simple, give much. Fill your life with love.
Do as you would be done.
(Buddha)

Can't make it? For an introduction into meditation visit Meditation Introduction, for meditation at your own schedule Meditation Session, and for an overview of all future scheduled events Meditation Calendar

Correction!

2010-12-02T17:26:00.000+01:00

Correction Free Online Meditations (Zen Basic Introduction): instead of Saturday, Dec. 5th, 2010 it should read Sunday, Dec. 5th,2010. My apologies! See below!

Reminder Invitation - Free Online Meditation Zen (Basic Introduction and Meditation Session

2010-12-02T14:22:00.001+01:00

Join me at our next free Online Meditations (Zen Basic Introduction, and Zen Meditation) to learn about the basics of Zen as well as meditate online.

Dates:

Introduction to Zen Meditation: Sunday December 5th, 2010 from 16.00/4:00 pm to 17.00/5:00 pm GMT (Register at Introduction to Zen Meditation)

Zen Meditation Session: Sunday December 5th, 2010 from 17.00/05.00 pm to 18.30/06.30 pm GMT (Register at Zen Meditation Session)

I hope you'll be able to attend and look forward to seeing you!

With best regards,
Dieter

The way to happiness is:
keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry.
Live simple, give much. Fill your life with love.
Do as you would be done.
(Buddha)

My Leadership Style Warren Gatland Head Coach, Wales National Rugby Club

2010-12-02T12:49:00.001+01:00

"When you look at teams and you look at success, I think it’s about overachieving." So says Welsh Rugby's celebrated Head Coach Warren Gatland in this candid interview about his team management style, his big lessons on and off the pitch.

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Invitation Free Online Meditation Zen (Basic Introduction and Meditation Session)

2010-11-29T14:21:00.000+01:00

Join me at our next free Online Meditations (Zen Basic Introduction, and Zen Meditation) to learn about the basics of Zen as well as meditate online.

Dates:

Introduction to Zen Meditation: Saturday December 5th, 2010 from 16.00/4:00 pm to 17.00/5:00 pm GMT (Register at Introduction to Zen Meditation)

Zen Meditation Session: Sunday December 5th, 2010 from 17.00/05.00 pm to 18.30/06.30 pm GMT (Register at Zen Meditation Session)

I hope you'll be able to attend and look forward to seeing you!

With best regards,
Dieter

The way to happiness is:
keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry.
Live simple, give much. Fill your life with love.
Do as you would be done.
(Buddha)