| Money and Business Newsletter for Raja
Publisher: David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com In This Issue:
-- Recommended Resource of the Day: The Buzz Building Toolkit
-- Inspirational Money and Business Quote: Agha Hasan Abedi
-- Article: Changing Your Fortune - By Richard Cawte
-- Article: Tips for Creating an Engaged Workforce - By Renée Cormier
-- Subscription and Contact Information
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** Recommended Resource of the Day **
-------------------------------------------------- * Buzz Marketing - Become a Media Darling and Attract More Clients! * Every day journalists and bloggers wake up and wonder what to write about. Make yourself and your company irresistible to the media - get featured and become a client magnet. Our complete toolkit provides a simple system, actionable ideas, worksheets and templates. Get started today! 20% discount to SelfGrowth readers! |  |
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** Inspirational Money and Business Quote **
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The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.
- Agha Hasan Abedi
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** Article: Changing Your Fortune - By Richard Cawte **
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Approaching my fortieth birthday, and having never had a job - at least, not a nine to five - I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the ways in which so many people are kept "inside the box". Schools and the home is where it all starts. Do you remember the early days of your childhood, when you were happy to take on anything, when you loved life just for the moment and weren't afraid of bills, tax men, mortgages and so on? At five or six years old, we were all happy to volunteer answers, even if we didn't know them! We were happy to get on a bike, give it a go, fall over then get back on again. Yet, by the time most people are 15 - 20 years old, enthusiasm has waned, fears have set in, risks are harder to take. I want to look at why this is, so that we can all review where we are, what we are doing, and how to make changes that we want to happen. How many of you are familiar with any of the following terms? "Money doesn't grow on trees!" "We can't afford it." "Money doesn't buy you happiness." "You have to work hard to be rich" "They don't deserve that". You may well have made your own way in the world, and there is a chance you may have had enlightened teachers or parents who did not say any of the above, but my guess is that the vast majority of us nod our heads when we hear these phrases, and say "yes, I remember Mom or Dad, or Uncle Joe saying that to me". How about this one? "That's way too risky." This is usually a comment about investing of some kind, when the alternative is saving. The wealthy invest all the time and keep generating more. The poor and middle class save money and never have any to spare. At school, we're taught that the best thing to do is to learn all the nonsense they throw at us, so that we can go out there and get a good job. A safe job. A secure job. But in the world of electronic communication and the internet, this has to be some of the worst advice. Why get a job, when companies come and go, people make fortunes and lose them and make them again, almost in the blink of an eye? There is certainly nothing safe about a normal job if all you have to fall back on is the state/government pension. Who knows what is going to happen to government coffers when the baby boomers all reach retirement age? If governments turn round and say "Err, sorry we can't afford it", what do those people do? They'll be wishing they had "taken risks" investing instead of backing the government donkey. "Money doesn't buy you happiness." That's another classic. Yes, of course, money doesn't buy happiness on its own, but as a friend of mine says, "Yeah, but I'd rather cry in the back of a Rolls Royce than the back of a mini!" Then there's all the guff about materialism and spiritualism being opposed, which is nonsense. Being wealthy does not make you a charlatan just as being poor does not make you spiritual. This one often comes down to a religious edict of some kind. Religion is the other great stifler of financial success (unless you happen to be part of the religion's administration, in which case it is just fine for you to accept as much money as possible!). Perhaps the best known challenge to wealth from the Bible is: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven". No kidding! Gee, shucks, I better stay poor then, otherwise we're doomed to a life of roasting on eternal fires. Yet I ask you this: who can give more to charities, local schools, any good cause? Is it the poor who are too terrified of making money, or the rich, who can donate in large amounts? Just look at what John Paul Getty Jr. has done with a portion of his wealth.
You see how serious that gets? How deeply entrenched are the mechanisms whereby we spurn or reject opportunities that could bring us untold riches? Then there is the classic: "The love of money is the root of all evil", which normally gets cut to "Money is the root of all evil". So, the mind is thinking, "Yuk, if I get rich, I'm going to be evil." Not only that, but if I make lots of money, I'll be one of the "Stinking Rich, the Filthy Rich" That money stuff sure is bad news. Makes me filthy, stinking, dirty. Don't want that.
So people stay poor. Supposedly safe inside the cozy hologram that is their day to day job, until the economy collapses, or they get made redundant, or they die. What about: "Never a borrower or a lender be!" Shucks, that cuts out buying a house, or an apartment, or even a hotel, or how about a chain of hotels - if you're thinking of taking out a dreaded mortgage! Forget the leverage such an investment tactic gives you. OK, that's enough ranting from me. But I hope you see where I'm coming from. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why all these blocks have been put in place. Rulers do not really want all their subjects to become financially independent. When that happens, there is a potential threat to the ruler (whether that is a king, a pope, a priest, a government or a military junta). Now, of course, information can travel around the world at the press of a button, so things are opening up for everybody. People are challenging preconceptions they have long held to be "truths". This is great, because the big myth spouted by government and the media is that there is a finite amount of wealth, that we cannot all be rich at the same time (materially rich that is). This is just as stupid as saying the earth is flat. But then, remember what happened to Galileo when he suggested otherwise! Poverty consciousness is the phrase used by many wealth-gurus to encapsulate the state of mind people are educated into by parents, teachers and media. I would go further than that, for what happens is that people lose any sense of their own power, their innate value, their ability to achieve success overnight - and we all have these things. Poverty consciousness is actually denial of self. It is "unreality dependence", a state where the individual has accepted the mainstream views and will fight to support them even to his or her own expense. Changing our own reality is the key to changing our wealth, whether material, spiritual or physical. It is as easy as waking up in the morning and saying "I am rich". ** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.
About the Author:
You can get more advice from the Q Wealth Experts on achieving true wealth and happiness at the Q Wealth Report. Don't miss out on the article about what it means to live a Permanent Tourist Lifestyle.
* Buzz Marketing - Become a Media Darling and Attract More Clients! * Every day journalists and bloggers wake up and wonder what to write about. Make yourself and your company irresistible to the media - get featured and become a client magnet. Our complete toolkit provides a simple system, actionable ideas, worksheets and templates. Get started today! 20% discount to SelfGrowth readers! | |
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** Article: Tips for Creating an Engaged Workforce - By Renée Cormier **
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Are your employees satisfied or engaged? As a business owner or manager, you had better know the difference between the two. Your employees may be satisfied at work because they are happily doing the bare minimum to keep you off their backs, but that’s not the same as being engaged. Engaged employees are the passionate ones who happily put in extra time when needed, are enthusiastic about the projects they are working on and are the most positive employees you could ever have! They love their work, they care about the results they create, they feel appreciated, and believe they make a meaningful contribution to the growth of the company. According to Gallup, only 29% of employees feel that way, so if the remaining 71% of your workforce doesn’t really care about the success of your company, how much better would your financial results be if everyone were engaged? I don’t have an exact number, but I can tell you that Gallup reports that businesses lose billions of dollars annually to disengaged employees. In fact, several researchers report that engaged employees produce more, and cost a lot less than their disengaged counterparts. They even play a significant role in building customer loyalty. So how can you create a work environment that is conducive to building employee engagement? Here are some areas to work on to get you started. On-Boarding:
No one is more enthusiastic about their job than the new hire is in the first two weeks of employment. Sadly, a lot of employers do not have or implement an effective orientation program, and the great attitude goes south almost immediately! A lot of companies train very badly, and then wonder why it is so difficult to find good people. Mission Vision and Values:
All employees should be aware of how their role is tied to the mission, vision and values of your organization. Most companies make the drastic mistake of ensuring only the management team is connected to the goals of the organization. The reality is, every single employee has the power to affect the direction of the business whether he cleans the floors, answers the phones, or develops strategy. What are you telling the receptionist about his/her importance to the company when they have no input and no real idea about the direction of the business? How does that message affect the people he/she comes into contact with? You can be sure a percentage of customers are being driven away because of it!
Integrity:
People like to be led by people who have integrity. Managers who have illicit affairs, steal from the company, or treat people unfairly are never respected. Lack of respect for the boss translates into apathetic employees, i.e. disengagement. As a leader, you must demonstrate that you are trustworthy, reliable, fair minded and unselfish. If you can master that, then you are well on your way to creating an engaged workforce! Connectedness:
Build positive relationships with everyone you work with. Taking the time to actually talk to your employees and co-workers is extremely important. Demonstrating that you value your relationships at work tells people that you also value their contribution. Don’t forget to actually tell people how much you appreciate their efforts, though. That’s part of building relationships and those simple words will pay off exponentially! Flexibility:
All companies have policies and procedures that must be adhered to, but ask yourself where you could afford to be flexible with these. For example, flexibility with scheduling, working from home, and time off may benefit your company more than you think. By taking a little pressure off your employees, you will likely secure their commitment to you and foster pride in the company. Evaluate where you would like more flexibility in your work and offer the same to your employees. Remember, no one goes to work looking for ways to mess up. Humans inherently want to do a good job and to be recognized as valuable contributors to society. Take advantage of that fact and turn your business into a profit machine! ** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.
About the Author:
Renée Cormier is the President and owner of POWERHOUSE CONFERENCES, a company dedicated to working with people to produce better business results. Renée has spent the last 11 years as a training and development professional. She uses her experience in Business and Adult Education to develop and implement training programs that will provide her clients with business results that positively impact the bottom line! Clients say her learning sessions are lively, engaging and valuable. Renée can be reached by email at renee@powerconferences.ca Visit Renée's blog.
* Buzz Marketing - Become a Media Darling and Attract More Clients! * Every day journalists and bloggers wake up and wonder what to write about. Make yourself and your company irresistible to the media - get featured and become a client magnet. Our complete toolkit provides a simple system, actionable ideas, worksheets and templates. Get started today! 20% discount to SelfGrowth readers! | | | 
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