5 Things to Remember About Winning People

The toughest thing about fresh insight, new strategies and personal passion to see it through is waiting for others to catch the wave! Here are five things to help you stay the course as you try to champion a dream, win people over and lead changes of any kind.

■ It’s a trip, not a destination.

If we’re focused on the outcome, we’ll constantly feel the frustration instead of the win. But, if we focus on the people over the project (or the process over the event) relationships will gradually strengthen and each little step will feel like a win on the way to our ultimate goal. Remember, it’s less about technique than it is attitude.

■ It’s not “all or nothing.”

We can’t change everyone and everything at once. There’s going to be several steps forward and a couple steps back along the way. Don’t let that discourage you if it’s more of an exception rather than a rule. It’s like a golf game. You’re going to have some good holes and some bad ones. When you have a bad hole, move on to the next one. It’s not game over.

■ Focus on a few rather than many.

Rarely, if ever, is a one-size-fits-all roll-out effective. We are going to have to spend more time with some leaders over others. And, what works to get buy-in from one person won’t work with the next. It takes time to navigate through the personalities to discover what motivates and builds trust for each person. Invest in constant and ongoing conversations with your boss all along the way. Not to get things done, but to keep processing the wins, the struggles and the cost of standing still. And, then pick one or two leaders to invest in to build a trust and create some key, visible wins. It will attract others to the cause and you’ll gradually gain momentum and speed.

■ It takes time.

God isn’t just using this change to help improve others, he’s using others to help change us. Whatever time you think it’s going to take to roll something out, multiply that by at least 3. It’s not linear but multi-dimensional. There is more at play than we can see. With faith, persistence and a commitment to self-awareness the stars will start to come into alignment down the road. It may take us about 3 years to start to see a tipping point for some initiatives we’ve led in the past-not 3 months.

■ You’re never done.

While you will build more advocates in your camp among the way, it will never be 100% consensus. You will need to keep refining your vision casting, coaching and redirecting skills. There will always be new team members or difficult personalities unwilling or unable to change. What you can look forward, though is the hard part being 20% of your job instead of 80%. – St. Paul United Methodist Church “The Weekly Beacon”

Practicing Self-Control (2 of 2)

Self-denial is a must: Stop kidding yourself that you can develop self-control without giving up some of the things you like to do. give up the move, refuse the sweet, turn off the TV, shorten the telephone call, refrain from telling the story . . . Where will you start to say no to yourself? Don’t consider it a decision against some form of fun, but a decision for some desired goal. You might even offer the sacrifice of an innocent pleasure as a prayer for another who needs God’s help in some manner.

I’ve noticed often that the more small pleasure a person gives up to concentrate on one important task, the stronger he becomes. Jesus Christ was the greatest example of One Who depended on self-denial for strength to perform His ministry. And He put it in these words to His disciples: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

Remember that the ultimate in self-control is not for you to become master of your fate, but to be above to serve a higher Master. -N.V.P.

A diamond for the youth - 2

We all get to a point in our lives where our vibrant dreams suddenly turn into a dismal blur. Some would instruct us to do our part then leave it all to God. On the other hand, some would insist that your human abilities are just not enough. So which is it, really? Is it because you lack the faith and fervent prayers to back your aspirations, or are you really not capable of receiving what you long for because of your lack of skills, patience or education? I guess that certain elements will always come to play when it comes to the achievement of things that we hope for. The first is your actual qualifications.

Ask yourself, are your credentials, training and experience sufficient for whatever goal you want to achieve? You cannot be the CEO of a large, multinational firm if you didn’t even finish college. Some may argue that there are still some people who make it big even without the necessary education, as seen in the success stories of dropouts who have become tech magnates or street children who have metamorphosed into boxing superstars. But this is simply a myth; one way or another, these people have paved their way to get there. They did not simply wake up one day with the hand of God casting them from the slums to the big time. They had to work long hours, developed virtues and self-studied to know how to get to where they are now.

And now you wonder why you have all it takes and you’re even overqualified, but you still don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Here’s where life’s most important aspect comes into play—making a huge effort where it matters most. There are those who might not be as talented, but they have excelled more because of their perseverance. After all, diamonds are simply bits of coal that stuck to their jobs. I admit that I am one of the many people who are guilty of the lack of this—I allowed myself to drift from one job to another, not focusing on just one thing because I thought that I could do everything. I also confess that I’ve considered immediate gratification rather than knowing the ropes and then earning my wings to orchestrate the show. Like most of the young people, I’ve sought acceptance, popularity and easy money. We all forget top build up on the essentials and never run out of excuses for not sowing yesterday what we could be reaping today.

Forgiving our mistakes and pledging to get better is the first way to get somewhere right. There’s a fine line between keeping your mess and fixing up straight. Your decision today will determine your tomorrow.

ref: inquirer.net