It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Believe

“If there is one principle that explains why some organizations — Apple, Southwest Airlines, USAA, Cirque du Soleil, the Marine Corps, Pixar — consistently and dramatically outperform their rivals, it is that every person in the organization, regardless of job title or function, understands what makes the organization tick and why what the organization does matters.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Believe”, by Bill Taylor.

In this April 4, 2012 article on the HBR Blog Network , the author provides a quick look at the difference between understanding what it takes to be successful, and truly believing.  Christina, who shared this article with me, had this to say:  “We are getting our organizational to feel.  Sustainable culture isn’t when we can get everyone to say the right words of our vision or mission statement; it’s when we can get them to BELIEVE it.”

More from the article:

“What do you promise that nobody else in your industry can promise?  What do you deliver that nobody else can deliver?  What do you believe that only you believe?

The organizations that can answer those questions crisply, clearly, and compellingly are the ones that win big and create the most value.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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The Executive’s Guide to Better Listening

“Good listening—the active and disciplined activity of probing and challenging the information garnered from others to improve its quality and quantity—is the key to building a base of knowledge that generates fresh insights and ideas. Put more strongly, good listening, in my experience, can often mean the difference between success and failure in business ventures (and hence between a longer career and a shorter one).”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “The Executive’s Guide to Better Listening”, by Bernard T. Ferrari.

In this February 2012 McKinsey Quarterly article, the author describes the power of effective listening skills to engage and develop talent, drive innovation, and facilitate organizational results.  We all could use a reminder of the importance of listening and this article provides some tools to help us achieve expertise as effective listeners.  If you want to lead effectively, you need to practice listening skills.

“Throughout my career, I’ve observed that good listeners tend to make better decisions, based on better-informed judgments, than ordinary or poor listeners do—and hence tend to be better leaders. By showing respect to our conversation partners, remaining quiet so they can speak, and actively opening ourselves up to facts that undermine our beliefs, we can all better cultivate this valuable skill.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

What do you think?  Please add your comments to join the discussion!

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6 Steps Successful People Take

“What is so different for successful people? How did they get where they are? Why are you where you are in your life? It’s easier and more comfortable to believe that success just happens to some people. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “6 Steps Successful People Take”, by Mike Michalowicz.

In this December 14, 2011 post on the Amex Open Forum Blog, the author provides a tantalizingly simple set of principals followed by most successful people.  These ideas are not new – but bear repeating.  If it was so simple, everyone would be successful.  It tales courage and persistence to follow these steps, and it is true – anyone can do it.  Will you?

More from the article:

“Each notably successful person has taken six steps, whether they are financially successful or achieving at a high level in some other way. They didn’t just wake up one day and find that success had been delivered to their doorstep. Quite the opposite: Successful people have worked to get where they are.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

What do you think?  Please add your comments to join the discussion!

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An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day

“Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing process we follow no matter what to keep us focused on our priorities throughout the day. I think we can do it in three steps that take less than 18 minutes over an eight-hour workday.”

 

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day”, by Peter Bregman.

 

In this July 20 2009 blog on HBR Blog Network, the author discusses the power of rituals to allow us to more effectively manage our time.

 

If you are like me, it is always helpful to learn ideas about managing your time better.  I challenge you to try the simple steps in the article for a week and see if it doesn’t help you get more in control of your time.

 

More from the article:

 

“The power of rituals is their predictability. You do the same thing in the same way over and over again. And so the outcome of a ritual is predictable too. If you choose your focus deliberately and wisely and consistently remind yourself of that focus, you will stay focused. It’s simple.”

 

Read the short article to learn more!

 

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

 

What do you think?  Please add your comments to join the discussion!

 

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4 Keys of Successful Project Leadership

“Leaders play a critical role in setting the conditions for a team to successfully manage a project.  If you focus on the following four key roles you can play on a project as the project leader you’ll dramatically improve the odds of project success.  More important, you’ll create a culture where your team members trust you and know you’re doing everything you can to help them succeed.”

 

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “4 Keys of Successful Project Leadership”, by Mike Figliuolo.

 

In this January 16, 2012 article from the thoughtLEADERS blog, the author discusses the difference between project management, and project leadership.

 

As a DFS leader, you are managing various projects for which you are responsible for delivering excellent results.  The four key roles detailed in the article, if played well, will make all the difference in the success of your project.

 

More from the article:

 

“In creating the right culture, you’ll boost morale, reduce turnover, improve productivity, and generally have a team that wins more often.”

 

Read the short article to learn more!

 

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

What do you think?  Please add your comments to join the discussion!

Thank you for visiting my blog. Please follow, subscribe using RSS, and/or comment on my postings.