CHANGE YOUR SUCCESS PERCEPTION…

Have you ever watched a dog chase its shadow? It can be a very funny sight. Mistaking the shadow for something concrete and catch-able, the dog yaps at it and tries to chase it down. Time after time, the dog dramatically pounces on the shadow, expecting to pin it to the ground. Yet, no matter how hard the dog tries, the shadow always eludes its grasp.

We laugh at the silliness of a dog's futile attempt to catch a shadow, but it's not nearly as funny to watch a person try the same routine. Unfortunately, that's just what many leaders do in life. They chase after a shadow of success, not realizing that what they're pursuing lacks depth, substance, value and impact. They're running after an illusion of success rather than tracking down the real thing.

I've found that there are three core fallacies that cause us to have an unhealthy perception about success. Join me as we cruise to unveil the root cause of it in detail with better insight into the development of such perception of success by a larger number of people in leadership position and also potential leaders.

Fallacy #1: We see success as a destination instead of a process.

Most people have destination disease. They see success as a far-off place where they hopefully will end up in the future. In the meanwhile, they float through life without a sense of urgency. Lacking a plan to get where they want to go and eschewing the hard work needed to get there, people with destination disease rarely arrive at their vision of success.

People with a proper understanding of success know that it is determined by their daily agendas and plans. They're aware that success has two main ingredients: decisions and discipline. Decisions pave the way to goal-setting while discipline fuels goal-getting. The two traits cannot be separated; one is worthless without the other. Be decisive and discipline if you must attain true success in life. This is the formula appraisal…

Good Decision – Daily Discipline = A Plan without a Payoff

Daily Discipline – Good Decision = Regimentation without Reward

Good Decision + Daily Discipline = A Masterpiece of Potential

Successful people know where they want to go. They don't drift; they drive. They press on no matter the challenges.  Along the way, they pay the price of daily discipline in order to achieve their goals.

Fallacy #2: We measure success by the magnitude of our accomplishments rather than by the richness of our relationships.

Many people envision success as attaining a powerful position, commanding a high salary, or obtaining luxurious possessions. None of these goals are inherently wrong. However, distortion comes when, in striving for "success," leaders elevate getting above giving. Rather than connecting with and serving their teammates, they slip into self-absorption and start to treat their followers and subordinates like pawns.

People who live solely for themselves end up by themselves alone and are disconnected. Albert Einstein hit the mark when he said, "Only a life lived for others is worth living." An unselfish life of service never ceases to be filled with the pleasant company of friends and loved ones. If you desire true success, then put a high value on people, make the effort to form relationships, and invest in those relationships regularly.

Fallacy #3: The perception that success is an accumulation of wealth rather than the level of impact, landmarks and legacies.

Average people often times believe that, success in life is the accumulation of wealth and material things. But far from it, true success can only be measure by ones level of impact and legacies. I mean your footprints and landmarks either in your family, society, organization, nation and the world at large. Like my mentor Bishop David Oyedepo once said, you are never a millionaire until you have been able to make millionaire out of millions. Live a life of service and generosity. You will only be remembered in life by your impact, land marks and legacies in the word of Alfred Nobel’s.

Change Your Perception about Success Today and You will Succeed and make Impact…  

GreatPrince Ejeh BONIFACE is a growing Nigerian’s young upwardly Inspired-Motivational Speaker, Trainer, Life Coach, Idea Strategist and Leadership Consultant with a burning passion to serve God and humanity. He is the Founder/Executive Director at Great Impact International, a strategic personal, youth and organizational development and training outfit. The body is committed to help deliver outstanding results by dramatically reducing the gap between human potential and performance. We are poised to develop world-class leaders for the 21st century through a unique transformational process via (Conferences, Seminars, Workshops, Training and Capacity Building) that has been proven over time and also help, individuals, youths and organizations to identify and focus on what matters most in executing desired changes, resulting in increased productivity, effectiveness, profitability and quality of life and service thereby building better workplaces and societies and thus becoming a global brand. Great Impact International is the partner of choice for personal, executive, leadership, management, and organizational development and consulting. His blog can be read @ www.greatimpactinternational.blogspot.com. He can also be followed @ twitter.com/prince_great or www.facebook.com/greatimpact... For further enquiries and booking Call: +2347030786366/+2348051419655.

THE SCIENCE OF LEADERSHIP

The focus of this article and its application of The Science of Leadership are on personal and organizational leadership. This was based on the fact that, leadership isn’t just what we do, it’s also something that we are, which then drives what we do. The deepest and most lasting leadership comes from the inside-out. It’s authentic. It’s real. It’s genuine. You must as leader, be able to lead yourself within before you can lead on the outside. A central theme is that leadership is an action, not a position – each of us, as individuals, need to be leaders, regardless of whether or not we have a formal leadership role. True leadership begins – "in here," before moving "out there" to lead others. When people decide to respect you as a leader, they observe what you do so they can know who you really are. So, the first watch word is “Observation”. People then use this observation to tell if you are an honorable and trusted leader, or a self-serving and selfish person who misuses authority.

A good leader must be of honorable character that selflessly serves his/her organization. In your colleagues/employees’ eyes, your leadership is everything. And therefore, your activities affect the organization’s objectives and their well-being a great deal.

To be a great leader, you must concentrate on these (3) key areas:

1. “Be” - what he/she is, i.e. beliefs, ideologies and values

2. “Know” - what he/she knows, i.e. job, tasks, human nature

3. “Do” - what he/she does, i.e. implement, motivate, and provide direction

The test of time question is; what makes a person want to follow a leader?

People want to be guided by people they respect and who have a clear sense of direction and vision for the future. And to gain respect, such leaders must be ethical.

The Three Most Important Keys of Leadership:

Research has proven that trust and confidence in top leadership position is the singular most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in any organization. And the only factor on which the future of any system/structure lies.

Effective communication by leadership in three critical areas is the key to winning organizational trust and confidence, and involves:

1. Helping employees understand the company’s overall business strategy.

2. Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.

3. Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee’s own division or department is doing – relative to strategic business objectives.

So basically, you must be trustworthy and you have to be able to communicate a vision of where you are going.

The Process of Great Leadership:

1. Inspire a shared vision – Next, share you vision in words that can be understood by your followers.

2. Challenge the process – First, find a process that you believe needs to be improved the most.

3. Enable others to act - Give them the tools, authority and methods to solve problems themselves.

4. Model the way – When the process gets tough, get your hands dirty. A boss tells others what to do; a leader shows it can be done.

Encourage the heart – Share the glory with your followers’ heart, keep the pains in your heart.

The 10 Principles of Leadership:

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement. In order to know yourself, you have to understand your “be”, “know”, and “do” attributes. This is possible by continually strengthening your attributes by reading and self-study.

2. Be technically proficient. As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees’ jobs.

3. Seek response-ability and take responsibility for your actions. Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, do not blame others. Just move…

4. Be a VOICE: Make sound and timely decisions. Use good problem solving, decision-making, and planning tools. Speak what you live! Live – Learn and Leave a legacy.

5. Be the example. Be a good role model for you employees. They will believe what they see not what they hear. Make yourself an eye to them.

6. Know your people and look out for their well-being. Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers. Treat them like you will treat yourself.

7. Keep your people informed. Know how to communicate with your people, seniors, and other key people within the organization. Build a sound communication flow between you and your colleagues/employees.

8. Develop a sense of accountability and mutual trust: These traits will help them carry out their professional responsibilities. And feel free to relate with you their suggestion and recommendations.

9. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished. Communication is the key to this responsibility. Be a supervisor to them not an invigilator.

10. Build team culture and spirit: By developing team culture and spirit, you will be able to move your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities. Make everyone a team player and make them see themselves as pertinent to the success of the organization as this will help instill in them the sense of responsibility and accountability.

You will make IMPACT!!!

Thanks…

For Info, Booking & Feedback Contact Your Life Coach On:

07030786366, 08051419655, or email Us @ prince4gr8impact@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/greatimpact,www.greatimpactinternational.blogspot.com

To Your Summit Success,

Prince Ejeh Boniface

Great Impact International

(Executive Director)

Overcoming Discouragement

It's hard to imagine a time when Tinuola Sowunmi wasn't an A-List Entrepreneur, but ten years ago he was a frustrated, a little-known entrepreneur who couldn't seem to breakthrough. Despite his prodigious talents and business prowess, as of his 35th birthday Tinuola Sowunmi could claim nothing more notable than a small scale business. Intensely discouraged, he turned to alcohol and quickly developed a dependency on drugs. Within a year, he hit rock bottom. When his wife and seven-year old daughter discovered him passed out on the kitchen floor, there was no denying that he had lost control.
After finding Tinuola Sowunmi unconscious, his wife Folake immediately checked him into a rehabilitation clinic. For the first time, Tinuola was forced to face up to his anger and discouragement, and he began to make gradual life changes. To his credit, he submitted himself to the recovery process, and with the encouragement of his family, friends and well-wishers; he was able to break his addiction. Less than twelve months later, he finally achieved stardom in his entrepreneurship career. From then on, his reputation grew steadily, and his career flourished. Today, he is regarded as one of Oyo’s finest and hardest-working business mogul.
What can we learn from Tinuola Sowunmi’s journey?
No one is immune to discouragement.
Regardless of your personality, potential, or position you will encounter discouragement at some point in life and in other area of your endeavours.
Our response to discouragement holds the key to our future.
I've noted two types of people in the world: Splatters and Bouncers. When splatters hit the bottom they land with their back and stick like glue. No matter what you try to say and do, there's no use trying to pick up a splatter that has fallen flat for they will not respond to the challenge positively. But, bouncers on the other hand, pull themselves together and rebound after hitting the bottom. Give them a little bit of encouragement, and they will ride it back to the top one more time.
Everyone who falters has a choice: are you going to get up or give up? The question is yours to proffer answers to. For, the difference between the Splatters and Bouncers lies in their attitude. I mean their personal perception of life. For, splatters bemoan their fate and blame others for their problems and failures. While bouncers learn fast from their failures and find supporters to help them recover.

                     

Our influence can be pivotal in rescuing others from self-destructive discouragement.

Imagine if Tinuola Sowunmi had not been married or associated with well meaning people (friends and well-wishers). He might never have checked into rehab, he might never have beaten his drug and alcohol excesses, and the world might never have been so rich by his business acumen. Thankfully for Tinuola, he was surrounded by people who loved him and encouraged him as he recovered from substance abuse.
In leadership, inevitably you will cross paths with people that are downtrodden. When you do, your encouragement can be a lifeline to save or lift them from spiraling into self-destructive despair. Here are steps you can apply to counteract discouragement:
1) Guide Them to the Right Perspective

People who are discouraged oftentimes seem to be trapped under a black raincloud or shambles. Everywhere they turn appears to be dark, and they cannot see rays of light anywhere. As a leader, you can point to the positives and help them to keep hope alive. In addition, you can assist the discouraged person in properly interpreting setbacks. Remind them that just because they experienced failure doesn't mean they are a failure.

2) Connect Them to the Right People

You may encounter people whom you have limited ability to encourage because you can't relate to their area of discouragement. For instance, if you've never been in sales, it can be hard to cheer up a dispirited salesperson. However, within your network, you may know someone who has undergone similar frustrations in sales and would be glad to share some encouragement from his or her experience.
Also, the depth of someone's discouragement may necessitate professional assistance. In the middle of his alcohol and drug addiction, Tinuola Sowunmi didn't need a pep talk from a buddy as much as he needed medical care and attention from a licensed counselor. Sometimes the best service you can do for someone who has hit rock bottom is to persuade him or her to get help – I mean professional help.
3) Restore Them with the Right Words
Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones, at onetime the greatest heart surgeon in England, says this in his excellent work, Spiritual Depression, its Cause and Cure: and I quote, "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself." Think about it. When you're discouraged, you wake up in the morning and right away, there are streams of thought coming into your mind. You haven't invited them; you didn't ask for them; you are not consciously doing anything to produce them; they just come! They start talking to you.
As a leader, you can help people filter unfounded fears and unwarranted worries from their inner dialogue. After doing so, you have the opportunity to speak affirming and encouraging words that can take the place of negative thoughts. Once people change their thinking, their attitudes and actions eventually follow.
I will like to conclude with this piece, regardless of your personality, potential, or position you will encounter discouragement at some point in life but I charge you to develop and get your mind set and you shall overcome no matter what happened.
You will make IMPACT!!!

Thanks…

For Info, Booking & Feedback Contact Your Life Coach On:

08051419655, 07030786366, or email Us @ prince4gr8impact@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/greatimpact,www.greatimpactinternational.blogspot.com,

To Your Success Summit,

Prince Ejeh Boniface

Great Impact International

(Executive Director)