(Click on the names below to access more about each person)
I use to ask myself why so many dreams and goals are never attained. Why do some people fail to GO FOR IT? Why does fear drive us away from reaching for the stars? And lastly, what is the deciding factor between those that achieve, and those that don’t?
It is difficult to understand what defining moment in the decision making process entices someone to think to themselves, “This isn’t as important as I thought it was. I WILL QUIT.”
One of the greatest inventors in the history of the world once said, “When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting, I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.” That inventor was Thomas Edison. Imagine what the world would be like if Edison did not get up after each slip and fall.
Procrastination can lead to failure!
It is my opinion and experience, that when a plan is put into action, it is much easier to continue to strive for goal accomplishment. We can talk and plan, plan and talk until the cows come home. The fact of the matter is that until a plan is set in motion, it will never materialize.
Fear leads to procrastination!
Without fear, we as humans would be numb. Fear is what drives confidence, effort, and the ability to feel. Failure is what drives people (or doesn’t drive them) to try new things. Conquering fear may be one of the most exhilarating feelings anyone can achieve, and nobody ever felt good because they didn’t do something that was important to them in some way.
A classic example is the story of Michele Hoskins. Dr. Michele Hoskins took an idea and put it into action. She made a decision to BEGIN! She took an old recipe for pancake syrup and built a successful business. Her motivation? She set out to leave her daughters a business instead of just a recipe. She has become the first African-American vendor to land a contract with Costco.
My challenge to you is to BEGIN something. Whatever it is that you have been thinking about for years; whatever it is that makes you feel great about yourself, BEGIN. Nothing can BE without a BEGINNING. Set the wheels in motion and try it. A small commitment on your part will reap many benefits. There is no regret in trying; there is only regret in not trying.
"There are no hopeless situations; there are only men who have grown hopeless about them." - Clare Booth Luce
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Build a person, not a position!
Build a person, not a position!
Marcelene Cox said, “A child can never be better than what his parents think of him.”
How true is this statement? Many of you will read this and think about the times your parents helped to build you as an individual. How often they said things like, “You can do anything you want,” or “you are so smart!” Unfortunately, others who read this will think about how many times they did not hear encouraging, uplifting, and motivating statements.
Without completing research on the matter, it is difficult to say how the majority of each type of individual would be affected either way. However, here are a couple of things I do know when using this theory, whether it be with children, employees, co-workers, etc.
- Once is not enough. Reinforcement is the key to their success. If you believe in them, tell them so, and do it often. This will build confidence and rewards.
- Build the foundation. If you help someone to build self-confidence and self-respect, they will emulate that and gain respect wherever they go in life.
- Trust is essential! Through often confidence building statements, a new level of trust will be built between you and the other individual. With trust comes confidence and respect.
Of course there are exceptions to this. We have all seen made for TV movies in which a child raised in a destructive home refuses to be held down and becomes the President of a Fortune 500 company. But these cases are rare and shouldn’t be viewed as the norm.
My challenge to you is to build a person from within. Provide confidence building statements to your children, co-workers, and employees. See what miracles happen when those people know how much confidence you have in them. Watch the level of responsibility grow exponentially.
Remember; build a person, not a position!
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Marcelene Cox said, “A child can never be better than what his parents think of him.”
How true is this statement? Many of you will read this and think about the times your parents helped to build you as an individual. How often they said things like, “You can do anything you want,” or “you are so smart!” Unfortunately, others who read this will think about how many times they did not hear encouraging, uplifting, and motivating statements.
Without completing research on the matter, it is difficult to say how the majority of each type of individual would be affected either way. However, here are a couple of things I do know when using this theory, whether it be with children, employees, co-workers, etc.
- Once is not enough. Reinforcement is the key to their success. If you believe in them, tell them so, and do it often. This will build confidence and rewards.
- Build the foundation. If you help someone to build self-confidence and self-respect, they will emulate that and gain respect wherever they go in life.
- Trust is essential! Through often confidence building statements, a new level of trust will be built between you and the other individual. With trust comes confidence and respect.
Of course there are exceptions to this. We have all seen made for TV movies in which a child raised in a destructive home refuses to be held down and becomes the President of a Fortune 500 company. But these cases are rare and shouldn’t be viewed as the norm.
My challenge to you is to build a person from within. Provide confidence building statements to your children, co-workers, and employees. See what miracles happen when those people know how much confidence you have in them. Watch the level of responsibility grow exponentially.
Remember; build a person, not a position!
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
How do YOU see yourself?
HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?
This is the final installment of the Motivation posts. The first post dealt with YOU and the second dealt with motivating others. This post will venture back into the YOU realm. Because YOU are most important and what YOU do affects others.
Dr. Tony Allesandra said, “Write your own eulogy. Seriously, actually sitting down and writing your own eulogy can be a marvelous exercise in goal-setting. Make it long and detailed. Your eulogy can become your script, telling who you were, what you did, how well you were liked. If you are like most people, you will first list your accomplishments, successes, and positions in organizations. Then you will revise your eulogy, realizing that what you want to be most remembered for is not how many initials you had after your name or how many employees were beneath you on the organization chart.”
This is a great exercise for anyone. After all, great people leave great legacies. You don’t have to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or be in the NFL Hall of Fame. All you have to do is be happy and content with who you are. When you are happy and confident, you become “magnetic.” The Law of Attraction comes into play and good things happen to you and all around you.
How you see yourself and what you have “given back” is most important of all. The exercise listed above helps define who YOU are and motivates you to plan, develop, and accomplish your goals. It helps motivate YOU! When you accomplish this exercise you will learn more about YOU than you thought. It will cause you to look deep and think critically about where you have been, where you are now, and where you are going. It will motivate YOU to strive to meet your own expectations…which are and should be the most stringent.
I challenge you to write your own eulogy and think about where you want to be. Use it to develop your new five year plan. Ask yourself the following questions to get started, “Who am I? What do I do? How do I give back? What purpose do I serve? “
Once you have answered these questions, the exercise will take you to new heights, and motivate you to excel in whatever it is YOU want to.
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
This is the final installment of the Motivation posts. The first post dealt with YOU and the second dealt with motivating others. This post will venture back into the YOU realm. Because YOU are most important and what YOU do affects others.
Dr. Tony Allesandra said, “Write your own eulogy. Seriously, actually sitting down and writing your own eulogy can be a marvelous exercise in goal-setting. Make it long and detailed. Your eulogy can become your script, telling who you were, what you did, how well you were liked. If you are like most people, you will first list your accomplishments, successes, and positions in organizations. Then you will revise your eulogy, realizing that what you want to be most remembered for is not how many initials you had after your name or how many employees were beneath you on the organization chart.”
This is a great exercise for anyone. After all, great people leave great legacies. You don’t have to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or be in the NFL Hall of Fame. All you have to do is be happy and content with who you are. When you are happy and confident, you become “magnetic.” The Law of Attraction comes into play and good things happen to you and all around you.
How you see yourself and what you have “given back” is most important of all. The exercise listed above helps define who YOU are and motivates you to plan, develop, and accomplish your goals. It helps motivate YOU! When you accomplish this exercise you will learn more about YOU than you thought. It will cause you to look deep and think critically about where you have been, where you are now, and where you are going. It will motivate YOU to strive to meet your own expectations…which are and should be the most stringent.
I challenge you to write your own eulogy and think about where you want to be. Use it to develop your new five year plan. Ask yourself the following questions to get started, “Who am I? What do I do? How do I give back? What purpose do I serve? “
Once you have answered these questions, the exercise will take you to new heights, and motivate you to excel in whatever it is YOU want to.
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Be the ONE! Energize your employees!
Be the ONE! Energize your employees!
Motivation definitely begins with YOU. After my last post, you can understand how important it is to be self-motivated, or be motivated by oneself. So now, the burning question should be, “How do I help motivate employees and others, and maintain a high level of motivation in them?”
Dr. Mark Silber and Antonio Vianna wrote about it in their book (Leader Champions: Secrets of Success).
DO YOUR EMPLOYEES HAVE A TINGLE?
If you want your employees to have a tingle, a feeling of excitement and interest in their job, career, you and the company, you might consider the following:
- Show them that they and the work they do are important and useful to the company.
- Ask them what they want out of their job, from you, and the company.
- Show them they are part of something great.
- Help them be proud of the company and its products and services.
- Show them you care about them as individuals.
(Silber, M. & Vianna, A., 2004, pp. 157)
Think deeply about what was written. Also, I encourage you to think about the way you felt when you first began to work. Were you motivated? Did your manager or leader go to great lengths to motivate and build his/her employees? If so, you were probably very lucky.
Tapping in to passion and emotions is the key! When you provide reasons for people to reach deep and feel emotionally confident, great things happen. And it is contagious which is exactly what a great manager/leader wants to happen. After all, it is the job of the manager to build people, not programs. When the people grow and become motivated, they bring others on board with them. Employees that exude confidence and motivation become bright and shinning stars within their organization. Others take notice and learn through witnessing what is happening.
This type of motivation does two things. Not only does it provide pure motivation, it builds leaders, proud leaders. My challenge to you this week is to practice the five steps listed above and measure any changes in employee morale and motivation. See what works and what doesn’t. Through qualitative and quantifiable information gathered, you will be able to develop sound motivation skills. Success? Now that is motivation!
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Motivation definitely begins with YOU. After my last post, you can understand how important it is to be self-motivated, or be motivated by oneself. So now, the burning question should be, “How do I help motivate employees and others, and maintain a high level of motivation in them?”
Dr. Mark Silber and Antonio Vianna wrote about it in their book (Leader Champions: Secrets of Success).
DO YOUR EMPLOYEES HAVE A TINGLE?
If you want your employees to have a tingle, a feeling of excitement and interest in their job, career, you and the company, you might consider the following:
- Show them that they and the work they do are important and useful to the company.
- Ask them what they want out of their job, from you, and the company.
- Show them they are part of something great.
- Help them be proud of the company and its products and services.
- Show them you care about them as individuals.
(Silber, M. & Vianna, A., 2004, pp. 157)
Think deeply about what was written. Also, I encourage you to think about the way you felt when you first began to work. Were you motivated? Did your manager or leader go to great lengths to motivate and build his/her employees? If so, you were probably very lucky.
Tapping in to passion and emotions is the key! When you provide reasons for people to reach deep and feel emotionally confident, great things happen. And it is contagious which is exactly what a great manager/leader wants to happen. After all, it is the job of the manager to build people, not programs. When the people grow and become motivated, they bring others on board with them. Employees that exude confidence and motivation become bright and shinning stars within their organization. Others take notice and learn through witnessing what is happening.
This type of motivation does two things. Not only does it provide pure motivation, it builds leaders, proud leaders. My challenge to you this week is to practice the five steps listed above and measure any changes in employee morale and motivation. See what works and what doesn’t. Through qualitative and quantifiable information gathered, you will be able to develop sound motivation skills. Success? Now that is motivation!
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
It's All About YOU!
It’s All About YOU!
2007 is going to be a fabulous year for YOU! The key to success, in any endeavor is self motivation and self confidence. YOU need to make a plan for YOU.
This year, one of my goals is to learn and teach more about motivation. This will be the first in a series of posts designed to help you become and stay motivated and motivate others.
You must ask yourself if you are a motivator or a motivatee. You must also define what motivates you? And lastly, how do you motivate others?
Because YOU are the most important person on Earth, you must begin with yourself. Are you a positive-thinker that requires little outside motivation? If so, chances are that people migrate to you. Just as misery-loves-misery, energy-loves-energy! I will cover this within the next month or so. What we really need to work on is YOU!
With that in mind, how do you look within yourself and figure out what motivates YOU? The answer is not always easy to see. What are your goals? What do you want to accomplish? What are you willing to do to achieve those goals? These are sometimes the toughest questions to answer. Developing a plan is most important. After all, it is not easy to find a new location without an address!
Motivation is contagious! When you accomplish something that is important to YOU, others feel it! You won’t even have to say a word, the look in your eye, and on your face will let them know something special has happened…and they will probably ask you!
Author Denis Waitley once said, “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, learn them or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable.”
So, I challenge you to start off 2007 in the right direction. Look within yourself to develop and define your personal goals. Write them down and read them often. Remember, the first step to accomplishing something is taking action!
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
2007 is going to be a fabulous year for YOU! The key to success, in any endeavor is self motivation and self confidence. YOU need to make a plan for YOU.
This year, one of my goals is to learn and teach more about motivation. This will be the first in a series of posts designed to help you become and stay motivated and motivate others.
You must ask yourself if you are a motivator or a motivatee. You must also define what motivates you? And lastly, how do you motivate others?
Because YOU are the most important person on Earth, you must begin with yourself. Are you a positive-thinker that requires little outside motivation? If so, chances are that people migrate to you. Just as misery-loves-misery, energy-loves-energy! I will cover this within the next month or so. What we really need to work on is YOU!
With that in mind, how do you look within yourself and figure out what motivates YOU? The answer is not always easy to see. What are your goals? What do you want to accomplish? What are you willing to do to achieve those goals? These are sometimes the toughest questions to answer. Developing a plan is most important. After all, it is not easy to find a new location without an address!
Motivation is contagious! When you accomplish something that is important to YOU, others feel it! You won’t even have to say a word, the look in your eye, and on your face will let them know something special has happened…and they will probably ask you!
Author Denis Waitley once said, “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, learn them or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable.”
So, I challenge you to start off 2007 in the right direction. Look within yourself to develop and define your personal goals. Write them down and read them often. Remember, the first step to accomplishing something is taking action!
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Starting off in the right direction
Happy New Year!
With the coming of a new year, it is now time for everyone to evaluate and re-evaluate their goals and motivation. Developing sound goals is essential to the success of every individual, and should be a priority for each one of us.
Many leaders take this simple step for granted. We have all heard many different clichés about goals and motivation, but living a goal-driven life, and leading this by example, can propel you and your people to the next level.
One of my college professors Dr. Mark Silber and his colleague Antonio Vianna wrote the following in their book (Leader Champions: Secrets of Success),
“One of the many tightly held secrets of leadership is how to align the employee’s identification of him/herself, to his/her profession, to the job, and to the organization. How can the leader gain the employee’s emotional passion and ownership of their assignments? While many leaders have insight into building team commitment, motivating the employee is something different. Leader champions encourage working with employee and by stimulating the release of their internal motivation that is already within them.”
True leader champions realize the need for creation, implementation, evaluation, and re-evaluation of goals. Through believing in and “living” this process, the framework for motivation is created and grown.
My challenge to you is to look at it is you want most to accomplish over the next year. Determine what objective(s) WILL be accomplished, be it personal or professional. Create goals that will help you attain your objective and review them, over and over again. Reinforce the importance of attainment and the realization of being in control of your own destiny.
By living these goals, true leaders will emulate the goal driven life and people will follow…with passion. They will be encouraged to do the same and focus on what must be accomplished.
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
With the coming of a new year, it is now time for everyone to evaluate and re-evaluate their goals and motivation. Developing sound goals is essential to the success of every individual, and should be a priority for each one of us.
Many leaders take this simple step for granted. We have all heard many different clichés about goals and motivation, but living a goal-driven life, and leading this by example, can propel you and your people to the next level.
One of my college professors Dr. Mark Silber and his colleague Antonio Vianna wrote the following in their book (Leader Champions: Secrets of Success),
“One of the many tightly held secrets of leadership is how to align the employee’s identification of him/herself, to his/her profession, to the job, and to the organization. How can the leader gain the employee’s emotional passion and ownership of their assignments? While many leaders have insight into building team commitment, motivating the employee is something different. Leader champions encourage working with employee and by stimulating the release of their internal motivation that is already within them.”
True leader champions realize the need for creation, implementation, evaluation, and re-evaluation of goals. Through believing in and “living” this process, the framework for motivation is created and grown.
My challenge to you is to look at it is you want most to accomplish over the next year. Determine what objective(s) WILL be accomplished, be it personal or professional. Create goals that will help you attain your objective and review them, over and over again. Reinforce the importance of attainment and the realization of being in control of your own destiny.
By living these goals, true leaders will emulate the goal driven life and people will follow…with passion. They will be encouraged to do the same and focus on what must be accomplished.
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Community Involvement Requires CHANGE!
Community Involvement – Do you have what it takes to initiate a change?
I am writing to you today with a very heavy heart. You see, last night a police officer in my community was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop. This is even more disturbing to me as it occurred less than a mile away from my home. While I was reading the newspaper article about it this morning, I couldn’t help but ask myself what can I do to help? I figured that there are probably two different types of people, or better yet, two different reactions to this violent action.
The first reaction deals with those that don’t care and figure if it didn’t directly affect them, they don’t have to worry about it. The second reaction contains anger, action, and worry. These are the people like me who want to make a difference in the community.
I wrote a “Letter to the Editor” this morning in reaction to this horrible pre-Christmas tragedy. I sent a challenge to the community. I wrote about the fact that citizens need to be responsible, honorable, and proactive. I wrote about the citizens “taking back” their community in a law abiding, meaningful, and responsible way…by reporting suspicious, unlawful activity. By not acting like "ostriches."
As I reflect upon the time when I was writing my letter, I realized what I was asking the community to do. I was asking them to CHANGE. That's right, the "C" word. I know that I cannot change the community or the world by myself. I know that change requires “buy-in” and collaboration.
I am sorry to bring you such bad news right before the holidays, but I felt compelled to tell you my story, and hope that the officer’s wife and 3 month old daughter will be in your thoughts this Christmas.
My challenge to you? Be a proactive member of your community and initiate positive change. BE A LEADER! Be the one to initiate positive change in your home, on your street, in your community, in the WORLD! And do it through leading by example.
May you all have a very Merry Christmas and may 2007 bring you all good health and much prosperity!
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
I am writing to you today with a very heavy heart. You see, last night a police officer in my community was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop. This is even more disturbing to me as it occurred less than a mile away from my home. While I was reading the newspaper article about it this morning, I couldn’t help but ask myself what can I do to help? I figured that there are probably two different types of people, or better yet, two different reactions to this violent action.
The first reaction deals with those that don’t care and figure if it didn’t directly affect them, they don’t have to worry about it. The second reaction contains anger, action, and worry. These are the people like me who want to make a difference in the community.
I wrote a “Letter to the Editor” this morning in reaction to this horrible pre-Christmas tragedy. I sent a challenge to the community. I wrote about the fact that citizens need to be responsible, honorable, and proactive. I wrote about the citizens “taking back” their community in a law abiding, meaningful, and responsible way…by reporting suspicious, unlawful activity. By not acting like "ostriches."
As I reflect upon the time when I was writing my letter, I realized what I was asking the community to do. I was asking them to CHANGE. That's right, the "C" word. I know that I cannot change the community or the world by myself. I know that change requires “buy-in” and collaboration.
I am sorry to bring you such bad news right before the holidays, but I felt compelled to tell you my story, and hope that the officer’s wife and 3 month old daughter will be in your thoughts this Christmas.
My challenge to you? Be a proactive member of your community and initiate positive change. BE A LEADER! Be the one to initiate positive change in your home, on your street, in your community, in the WORLD! And do it through leading by example.
May you all have a very Merry Christmas and may 2007 bring you all good health and much prosperity!
Josh Brody is the President and CEO of Corporate Guidance Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals realize their potential and enhance their performance.
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