Your Attitude Will Determine Your Altitude In Business
July 12, 2008
When I first heard a preacher in his sermon make this remark, I have to confess the whole thing went over my head like water over a duck’s back. It was not until the last three years that this statement really made sense to me. I spent endless hours and money trying to fix my attitude to no avail. I even blamed others for the cause of my bad attitude in some areas. When something goes wrong and I lose my temper, I will say to myself that the person was always the cause of my problem. At the time, I had not learnt to take control of my emotions. I had inadvertently handed over my entire life into the hands of people who need help with their own attitude. I thought I knew it all but the fact is I was far from the full grasp of what attitude really means and how it is determined.
Well, today I am in a different league. The situation is different. I have a full grasp of the subject of attitude and I can’t wait to share it with you. The resources below are critical tools that have helped me and I am sure they will help you too.
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As I work with many women in business and more so black businesses, who are in desperate need to change the results in their lives and business, I have been using the techniques I have learnt to help them change their attitude and achieve good results. The only reason I have been able to do this is because I am now more in control of my own emotions and I have learnt to take full responsibility for my actions irrespective of the actions of other people. I am going to share with you a few tips on how I finally got to the point of taking full responsibility for my attitude and then move on to proactively managing my attitude.
First things first, let me define attitude as I have come to understand it. Attitude is the product of thoughts, feelings and actions. Attitude is our recurring reaction towards an event, a person or a situation. When we display a negative or positive attitude the root cause is in our thoughts and feelings towards a situation, person or event. So for instance, when we believe that someone is out to get us, we will automatically generate negative feelings born out of the negative thought, “that the person is out to get us”. With this negative feeling comes a negative or defensive attitude (after all we have to protect ourselves). And with the defensive attitude we generate a negative reaction from the other person who at best will step aside and feel sorry for our lack of maturity or at worst will give us a similar negative response. All in all, our results will be negative. The same is true about positive thoughts, which generate positive feelings and positive action from us. With positive action or behaviour from us, we then experience a positive reaction from the other person. When you understand this connection and your self-awareness on the subject of attitude grows, you would have already won half of the battle that leads you to very often generate undesirable results in your life. But here is the challenge, it is one thing to diagnose a problem, it is quite another thing to find the remedy to cure it forever.
Curing bad attitude by trying to change behaviour without first diagnosing the root of the behaviour is like trying to put a bandage over a wound without first cleaning it to ensure it does not become infectious. So many people are inadvertently trying to change their bad habits or attitude, without going deep into the core of their very thoughts. Until one does so and then take proactive step to replace negative and limiting thoughts for positive and empowering thoughts and then generate and emotionalise the positive and empowering thoughts, it is unlikely that a lasting change will take place. Believe me, I know this for a fact and I have seen this happening in many people’s lives in both my professional and personal capacities. Take for instance, people who have had a series of negative experiences in relationships at work and outside work. There has been serial misfortune with their staff, business partners, customers and even their spouses, which has left them with a belief that people are not trust worthy and must never be confided in. They work around with this thought of mistrust for others, hiding information from others because they believe they may abuse the information and so, they find themselves consistently being defensive when dealing with people. There defensive reaction triggers a similar reaction from the other parties and so they eventually get what they expected. They then carry on in this circle of belief that people are not to be trusted because they have persistently generated evidence to that effect. How do you help such a person? After all their belief would have in part emanated from their parents, schools and friends.
The recommended resources I have shared earlier will help speedy reprogramming of your thoughts pattern. You can ditch old limiting thoughts for new ones and change your pattern of thought and results in your life. For more information on how to do this check out http://www.bsslearningcenter.com
Let me hear from you again.
I am in love with Leadership
July 12, 2008
I once came across someone who loved the title of a leader but did not want to acquire the qualities of a true leader. Needless to say, his story was a sad case.
The story goes like this, this man had been with his company for over 20 years and had been promoted into a leadership position because of his long term service. This leader had nothing good to say about his staff. He perpetually focussed on their weaknesses, often putting them down and telling them how bad they are at their work. After a few years in this position as a leader, all the staff looked up to him for guidance as he had destroyed all the confidence they had in themselves and can no longer trust their own judgement. The staff came to that place in their lives where they believed that their so-called leader was the only one with brains to think correctly and achieve results. Needless to say this leader had his staff relying on him for almost everything and anything. His ego was puffed up, however his results were nowhere close to the departmental goals. He blamed the appalling results on his staff and never once asked what he could do differently. With the passing of time he discovered that whenever his company re-organised its services, his rank in the organisation was slowly diminishing. It got to a point where the leader no longer had the status of a leader in the company and, it was at that point he realised that by crying down his staff, what he really was saying is, I cannot lead these people because I have not got what it takes to lead. What do you think this leader should have done differently? Your comments will be welcome.
Here is another question; do you have what it takes to be a leader or are you just in love with the title “Leader”? Do you know what it takes to be a great leader?
Leadership skills are essential for success in business and if you are a woman in business it is extremely vital you strengthen your knowledge and skills in this area.
If you are to become a leader, there are certain principles you must cultivate in your repertoire of skills set.
• Learn to give yourself instruction and follow it.
• Take control of your thoughts
• Be clear about your vision
• Blast out procrastination
• Learn the art of removing barriers
• Learn to take risks
• Learn to see beyond limitations
• Learn to support people to utilise their potential
• Learn to respect and value people
• Learn to communicate effectively
• Always be honest and true to self and others
• Be a good role model
• Learn how to see the big picture.
Which of the above do you currently struggle with? I will be more than grateful to hear your comments on this blog post.
Top Tips For Bidding For Contracts Successfully- The London 2012 Opportunities
July 2, 2008
This article provides you with information on how to tender for public sector contracts in the UK. The article provides some interesting facts about the public sector market in the UK, as well as useful tips on how to approach public sector tenders.
The first thing you need to know is that the public sector is a huge market that suppliers of services and products can ill afford to ignore. In the UK, annual purchasing expenditure of the public sector is estimated at around £450 billion. The public sector employs around 10 million people and its spending accounts for 40% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Singularly, the central government spends £13 billion on goods and services each year, with the National Health Service being the third largest employer in the world.
So what do you need to do to tender for contracts? This does not come cheap. You need to subscribe to a number of portals and you need to know what is important to public sector organisations when pitching for contracts. Contrary to popular belief, price is just one of many factors the public sector takes account of when determining who to award contracts to. Very often contracts are awarded to businesses that are deemed appropriate and safe choice for the purpose of robust accountability. Reliability, quality, value for money and safety in the services and products purchased from suppliers are all important factors that public sector organisations take account of when deciding who to award a contract to. For this reason, businesses are required at the very minimum to meet the following criteria:
• Technical experience and capability
• Corporate policies
• Business probity
• References
So what does all this mean in practice. This simply means that businesses must demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that they possess the technical competence and capability to deliver the services or products required in the contract. They must have various corporate policies in place such as equal opportunity, quality assurance, environmental, health and safety. The track record of directors must be impeccable and validated by third parties through the medium of references.
Once you’ve got over this hurdle, there is the next stage of targeting and applying for contracts. Here are a number of tips you need to bear in mind in your approach to tendering for public sector contracts.
• Never waste time with any prospects. If unsuccessful, move on to the next one.
• Always focus your attention on the quality of your products and services. Don’t worry too much over your knowledge of the sector.
• Ensure that you focus on the strengths and core competencies of your business in deciding what contracts you want to tender for.
• In order to be short listed you need to fulfil the entire requirements of the tender or bid documents as requested
Lots of businesses have benefited from our expertise. To find out what is available and how we can be of help go to
http://www.sheilaelliott.com/business-development/business-development-growth/
Do women in business need personal development to succeed?
July 2, 2008
If you are like me, you would have asked this question and perhaps come up with answers that are convincing or not so convincing. Hey, I have a strong confession to make right away, I am a personal development fanatic- I sleep, dream, live and eat the subject of personal development. I am wholeheartedly committed to it and you will soon find out why.
In truth, I will take the view that every one needs personal development to succeed but from my experience of working with women in business and black businesses, there appears to be a greater need for personal development skills and leadership skills by these groups. There is a whole range of reasons for this some of which are rooted in our cultural upbringing and the expectations of women in society.
It is my view that the human potential can never be tapped to its maximum until all the tools we were born with are fully and appropriately utilised . Some people think that what they learn in school, college or university is sufficient to help them achieve their goals. How wrong they are. For one thing, our academic education only focuses on developing some aspects of our lives- the intellect. But we are more than our intellect, which is where personal development plays a greater role in moulding us to become a rounded person.
Some of you may be wondering just what is personal development? Well let me give you my own simple definition of personal development. I am sure someone may come up with a better definition and that is ok. Personal development is concerned with developing the whole person which includes the emotional management, intellectual management and mindset. Statistics show that 85% of our success is down to our attitude as opposed to our technical skills. Wow!! This means that only 15% of our success is down to technical competencies. So if you make the mistake of focussing on technical competencies at the expense of your attitude you are doomed- so to speak. When I discovered this lesson some years back, I was so stunned and I started thinking why do our schools spend hard earned cash grooming us for less than 15% of what we will need to succeed in life? Why do they spend time teaching us to count as opposed to teaching us what counts in life? The truth is, the answers to these questions, are less clear to me. However, one thing is certain, personal development is critical for success in business and other aspects of our lives. These are some of the benefits of personal development:
• You learn how to set clear goals and manage activities to achieve them
• You learn how to develop your inner tools to manifest what you want to see on the outside.
• You learn how to manage you thoughts and emotions
• You learn how to build & manage relationships through effective listening and communications skills
• You learn how to motivate yourself and others and more…..
As a business coach and mentor, I get to teach women in business and black business owners personal development and leadership skills all the time. By the time I take clients through the first session, the response is normally “Wow”. I use tools that are appropriate to the clients needs and one thing you can be sure of is confidentiality and respect.
To find out more about what is available, go to
http://www.sheilaelliott.com/leadership-development/introduction-to-leadership/
Growth In Women In Business – but there is a problem you must know now
July 2, 2008
Recent surveys show the growth in the number of women in businesses, in the UK and the USA, continues to accelerate rapidly. Even more interesting is that many black African women and African Americans are now starting their own businesses and the trend indicates a steady rise. I am sure many will be wondering what’s going on and what does this mean for the communities these women are from? What is motivating these trends and what challenges do these women face and how can they be best tackled.
Even though the growing trend is exciting, it is not without its challenges. Most of the black businesses are not surviving after their third birthday. Those that survive are not growing fast enough for all sorts of reasons. The support for women in business and black women in particular must be reviewed and tailored to meet their specific cultural needs as the generic approach has not worked in the past and it is doubtful it will in the future.
As I work with women in business and those that are aspiring to start their own business, it is clear to me that there is a lot of work that needs to be done around personal development. The difference between successful women in business and those who are still lagging lies in the way they manage their emotions, mindset and relationships with others. For instance, in my discussion with a successful woman in business, who has made millions in her business with high retention of staff and customers, I found that not only does she have a very clear vision for her business, she has a very pleasing personality and a high regard for her staff, who are treated with respect and well supported. For instance, she always recruits staff that are technically competent in their profession, with great attitude. Contrast this alongside women in business that still find it hard to make significant progress you will find characteristics such as limiting mindset, low investment in personal development for themselves and those they hire, compromise in the quality of products and services. Low emotional intelligence and relationship management, ineffective communication skills and technical incompetence. Improvements in these characteristics are critical ingredients for success. Most women will say that the greatest barriers they face are cultural and this affects some communities more than others. For instance, cultures where entrepreneurial bent is not rated highly create less support for women in business than those with such a bent. Equally, cultures where women are expected to care for their kids very often leave little time for investment in personal development. Moreover, the concept of personal development is an unknown concept in some circles. So how can more women and black businesses access quality personal development support? My take on this is simple, women in business need flexible support that reflects their needs. Flexible support can mean different things to different people. For that reason let me clarify what I mean by this. In my opinion flexible support means, a support that can be accessed any time I want it without an impairment to the quality of the services or product. We live in an age where this is possible with the advent of technological advancement. I would like to hear your views about my thoughts on this subject. Any suggestions, challenges and more will be welcomed.
Whilst on this subject, I want to share with you a system that will help you access invaluable training resources and flexible support to assist you to start or develop your business. All the support can be accessed from the comfort of your home. Our online business startup and business development is designed to provide business management skills, click here – BSS Learning Center to find out more. Our online personal development programme is designed to help you enhance your personal and professional effectiveness. Your comment on this blog will be more than welcome.
Finance For Women In Business and Black Owned Businesses – Secret Exposed
July 2, 2008
Sourcing finance for women in business and black owned businesses can be one of the greatest challenges facing entrepreneurs starting a business or growing an existing one. Recent research confirmed that in spite of numerous lobbying of financial institutions, this problem is far from abating and in my capacity as a consultant and a coach supporting aspiring women entrepreneurs and black owned businesses in particular, it is clear to me that more work needs to be done to change the current status quo.
Last month, I ran a business seminar during which the subject of available business finance for black and women owned businesses was covered. I invited a well known bank to participate in this seminar and was extremely surprised when I discovered that most of the attendees from black owned businesses do not feel they have had a positive experience with banks.
Although most of them have been managing their accounts with banks for over two years, when it comes down to borrowing money from the banks to expand their businesses their applications for loans were very often rejected. In most cases alternative financing options were provided which often turn out to be very unattractive.
Why is this trend so endemic in the market and I understand that the same holds true in the USA. What should be done to improve access to finance for women and black owned businesses who often find themselves in this predicament?
You may have been in this position yourself and may have thought about solutions to combat this challenge. If you have, I welcome your views on this subject.
The question I now ask myself as I ponder over this issue is this- Is the alternative support provided by the government enterprise agencies helping to improve the statistics of women in business and black owned businesses unable to access finance. My gut feeling is that the support given is not making a big enough impact. There are still a significant proportion of rejected loan applications from women and black owned businesses for government finance schemes and for good reasons. Aspiring women and black entrepreneurs are also having a raw deal in the market and are often bewildered by their experiences.
How can women entrepreneurs and black entrepreneurs be supported to raise their game and increase their success rate with sourcing finance for business start up and growth? Much can be done but there has to be willingness on all sides to effect the desired changes. My take on this is there should be a solid training in finance solutions for start up business and existing businesses. Such solutions should incorporate robust strategies that boost success rate in securing finance, drawing from the lessons learnt from the winners in the market. Moreover such training should reflect the cultural differences in different communities and groups. Why is this not available at present? Well your guess is as good as mine.
I have now put together a system that will support women in business and black owned businesses to learn be successful in raising finance. This unique system is a blend of education, research and link up to loan providers of different types.
Much will depend on your specific needs.
Click on http://www.sheilaelliott.com/business-development/business-finance/
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