Teamwork

Team Work – Formula For Success!
Today’s world is full of competition, everyone is trying to out-pace others in the race. Even though almost every person in this race is talented, it has become very hard to survive. In such situation, working in TEAM can help us in achieving our goals. Team work has become immensely important if we wish to achieve what we dream of!

” Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie

Earlier it was believed that if someone believes in him/herself, works hard, has right attitude and works sincerely, then he/she can achieve almost anything he/she dreams of. For hundreds of years, people have proved it to be true and have become icons of success, they achieved everything they wished to on their own. Today, the situation has changed many folds, today there is competition in every profession, people are trying their level best to beat others in the race of success. Almost every single person in this race is talented and competitive, this increases the competition at certain extent making it hard to survive.

It has become very hard for people to survive in competition, because there is only one top position which everyone dreams of. If you really wish to succeed in life, it becomes very important for you to be perfect in almost everything, this brings down the possibility of you getting successful in competition. In such situations, where success is a critical factor, teamwork can help you. All you need to do is build a team of some individuals to achieve your goals with collective efforts of all the team members. Man is a social animal, who, from thousands of years have been living in groups for the purpose of protection, feeling of togetherness, purpose of food, success etc. If we use this idea with some change in it we surely can achieve what we want, with the input of least efforts.

“The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” – Vincent Lombardi

What is a team?

We can say a team is a group of individuals who come closer to work together and achieve a common goal.
What is a teamwork?

Teamwork is a set of activities of group of individuals, which includes effective communication/interaction among the team members which helps in knowledge sharing, understanding each other on personal level, helping others in achieving a level of perfection, building a sense of unity in the team and working towards achievement of common goals.

“A successful team is a group of many hands but of one mind.” – Bill Bethel

Roles and Responsibilities:

Every individual in the team should very well understand that there are certain responsibilities he/she needs to carry out. Every team member’s role is very important in keeping high spirit in team, helping the team in marching ahead on the path of success, helping the team in resolving any problem that can hinder the progress of team etc. Everyone should understand the tasks that he/she needs to carry out in order to ensure smooth operations of the team. Along with this every member should hold him/herself responsible for everything that goes wrong with/within the team and should take necessary steps to avoid such situations.
Common goals and objectives

The reason of bringing the team members together should be clearly defined and should be agreed upon. Every member of the team should be aware of the objectives and common goals that are to be achieved and should always try to achieve the same.

Communication and interaction
This is one of the most point which can help in bringing out a solutions to any problem the team may face. Effective communication is very important, among the team members. Every member should be comfortable with others and should be able to communicate his/her ideas and views effectively to the other team members, this will contribute to the success of the team. Interaction between the team members also helps bringing people close on emotional level. Interaction also helps in creating bonds between the team members and helps the team members to look at the team as a family.

Leader
“Too many cooks ruin the food/party!” It is very much sure that every team member in the team possesses a talent pool and can handle a group, but if every team member starts thinking that he/she can lead the team and start taking decisions, it surely will never be in the interest of the team. Instead all the team members should come together and should decide, who can lead the team. This activity demands a fair selection of the person as a team leader and who will lead the team towards success. Although, there will be one team leader who will have decision taking power, he/she should consult the team member before taking any important decision. Every team member should listen to the reasons of decision taken by leader, and leader even should listen to every member’s view and suggestions. A good advise should always be welcome and any doubt should be cleared.


As it is very important to decide one team leader and support his/her decisions, it is also very much important to help every member in the team to improve his/her leadership and decision making qualities. For this, a Round Robin method can be employed where every member should be given an equal opportunity to manage the team and become a leader for a fixed time period. During this time, the leader should try and improve him/herself and the other team members should help him/her in doing so. Remember, one mature brain can help others grow, but more mature brains together can bring prosperity for the team.
“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” – Napoleon Hill

Trust among team members
The base of the team and its success is the level of trust/belief of team members in each other. If this trust will not be there, the team will never be able to meet the success. Every member should think about the team’s advantage first and then should give a thought for him/herself. If one member is taking any decision regarding the team, he/she should convey the reason to other team members and should take their suggestions. And if someone takes a decision, the other team members should support him/her without doubting him/her.

Besides the above said rules, the success of team also depends on the intellectual level of team members and their understanding.


Remember “No one of us is as strong as ALL of us!”.

How to Focus on Goals ?

Each moment and each minute I try to learn something. I wanted to take some time this week and share with you a few things I learnT that can help you reach your goals faster.

 Here’s the first of a few insights.

 * What You See, You Can Pursue.

 Let me explain.

Many times we get excited about an idea or business and then our focus and enthusiasm diminishes after a while. Many times we work on our business, but in hindsight we spend time on the wrong things.  Often, we lose focus because we can’t SEE what we’re pursuing.

We don’t have a physical or mental picture of what we desire.

One of the ways successful people stay so focused and accomplish so much, is by having a few physical reminders about what they and their staff are pursuing around him.

Let me explain.

If you look at the wall and desk of some successful people, you’ll find their personal and company mission statement, his companies annual objectives and his weekly priorities. It’s all right there. They see it all day.

 By seeing it, it helps us stay focused and get things done. 

By seeing it, we minimize wasted time by focusing on what’s important.

This point is so important.

If we can’t ‘SEE’ what we’re after, how will we know where we’re going or what we’re looking to achieve.
 We can’t. Simple but true.

 Can you put your goals in front of you so you can SEE them often?

 Can you read them weekly or even better daily?

 I think this would help your productivity immensely, don’t you?

 One of the reasons why I put together my goals on my laptop, in my car, in my bedroom etc is so that I am constantly ‘seeing’ my goals, reminding myself, staying focussed on what I want to achieve. ‘Making a Vision Board’  either the traditionl way of pasting pictures on a board of what you want to achieve or via a laptop screen saver mode helps you get clear about what you want. We think in pictures, so putting your goals pictorially connects and helps us stay on track, stay focussed on what we want to achieve.

It’s so important.

Think about this.

* What You SEE, You Can Pursue. What you can’t see, you can’t pursue.
The Bible says, ‘Where there is no Vision, people perish.’

Vision is SIGHT.
These simple, but powerful principles can change your life, if you apply them.

It changed mine!

Speak soon!

www.lesliechoudhury.com

Responsibility – The word “Choose”

Think about the word “choose.”
It may be the single most important word in your life.
Why?

Let’s look at what the dictionary says about the word “choose”
1. To select from a number of possibilities; pick by preference: Example: She chose Sunday for her departure.

2. To prefer or decide (to do something): Example: He chose to run for election.

3. To want; desire.

4. To make a choice: Example: He chose carefully.

5. To be inclined: Example: You may stay here, if you choose.

Let’s look at #3 first, “to want, to desire,” we all have wants and desires, you can “choose” to love or not be loved. You can choose to seek after that which you desire, or simply hope it will magically come to you someday.

Look at #1 “to select from a number of possibilities” WOW, this is powerful. A number of possibilities, I would say this is almost unlimited.

Here are some examples:
1. You could choose to live a sedentary life or an active life.

2. You could choose to imagine your life as successful or believe that success will never come your way.

3. You could choose to believe in something when all those around you say you should not believe in it.

4. You could choose to take “action” or not take action.

5. You could choose to gain knowledge by reading newsletters like this one as well as books and magazines that will empower you with life changing information, or you could choose to watch more TV.

6. Look at #2 from the dictionary listing above. To prefer or decide (to do something): Example: He chose to run for election. Every President the United States has had to first chose to seek and/or accept the job.

My Prime Minister in Singapore and its ministers have to choose to be in their roles in Singapore. It is their choice!

You see, it is “YOU” or “MOI” that chooses, YOU or “MOI” that has the power to choose the direction of your life.

It’s up to “Moi” ….some of you may remember learning some French in class? Yes it’s up to “MOI”.
* You can choose to seek success.

* You can choose to have a healthy body by choosing what you put in it and what you do with it.

* You can choose to use the power of attraction (as discussed in The Secret) by creating a movie in your mind of you succeeding and believing that the success you are visualizing is already yours!

* You can choose to take that new job or influence people around you.

* You can choose to forgive.

But here is the bottom line.

It is “YOU” who must choose, no one else can choose for you. It’s up to “Moi”.

Here is an important question……Will you choose?

Make no mistake about it, even if you choose NOT to choose you have chosen a direction for your life……that is POWERFUL!

So I challenge you today to look at your life and CHOOSE!

* Choose success
* Choose unconditional love
* Choose health

* Choose to take the time to teach your children what you have learned about choosing.
You know there are areas of your life “RIGHT NOW” where you have failed to make a choice….to choose.

Why do I issue this challenge to you?

Because I care about YOU…… I “choose” to care about you. I have that choice and so do you.
Choose to invest in making your life better…yes it’s up to “MOI”.

BOOYAA !!!

Leslie Choudhury – Int’l Speaker, Trainer, Consultant and Author
Serious fun for serious business

www.lesliechoudhury.com

Believe in Yourself !!!







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A professor stood before his class of twenty senior organic biology students, about to hand out the final exam.

 ”I want to say that it’s been a pleasure teaching you this semester. I know you’ve all worked extremely hard and many of you are off to medical school after summer. So that no one gets their GPA messed up because they might have been celebrating a bit too much this week, anyone who would like to opt out of the final exam today will receive a ‘B’ for the test.”

There was much rejoicing in the class as students got up, walked to the front of the class, and took the professor up on his offer. As the last taker left the room, the professor looked out over the handful of remaining students and asked, “Anyone else? This is your last chance.”

One final student rose up and opted out of the final.

 The professor closed the door and took attendance of those students remaining. “I’m glad to see you believe in yourselves,” he said. “You all get ‘A’s.”

It starts with “MOI”  do you believe in yourself?

Your Success depends upon it!

Branding & You !!!

Pepsi-Cola. Nike. Google. Oprah. Michael Jackson. Donald Trump

What success principle do these 6 ‘entities’ use that can quickly help you build your business?

I’ll answer this question in a second, but first.

Here, check out the ONLY 3 ways to grow a business.

1) Get more customers – ‘customer acquisition’
2) Increase the size of the transaction – ‘upsell’
3) Increase the frequency of purchase per customer

Ok, I know you already got that? Tell me something new! It’s very important we agreed first on the basics. Great. Let’s move forward then….

Here’s a concept that took me a while to ‘get’, but once I did it opened my eyes to great wealth building possibilities.

What do those 6 ‘entities’ have in common?

They’re all their own BRAND.

Yes, whether they’re an individual personality, Example. Oprah, or a company, like Nike, both of them are their own brand and you know who else is?

YOU.
Yes, you. You should be!!!

I find that most home based entrepreneurs and small business owners don’t realize that they are their own BRAND.

Yes, how people perceive you and your business says a ton about whether they’ll do business with you. (Especially for their 2nd purchase from you.)

Branding is bonding.
Branding is about 1 to 1 relationships.
Branding is about becoming valuable to your target market.
Branding is a feeling perceived when mentioned.
Have you ever thought of yourself as a brand?

I never did growing up, or in my initial years working in the corporate world. Once I struck out on my own I had to. The company you form may be the brand like the examples I mentioned – Nike, Pepsi or Google but then so is individuals like Oprah, Michale Jackson and Donald Trump.

I mentioned the 3 ways to grow a business above because if people like you, trust you, and you help them, you’ll get an increase in all 3 ways.

An increase = more money in your pocket.

One of branding strategies I suggest is sending ‘thank you’ postcards or ‘Happy Birthday’ cards or emails to people in your world.

Yes, it’s a simple strategy but it says a ton about you.

Oprah, Donald Trump, and Nike all know that everything they do helps or hurts their brand and so should all of us.

Ask yourself:

What is my brand?

How would others describe myself and/or my business?

How can I improve my brand?

Look at my website,  www.lesliechoudhury.com ,  look at my dressing, even certain words I use (made up even!), sounds, expressions, motions, colour, stories will all be associated with “moi” with that brand called – ‘Leslie Choudhury’.  It’s not ego, it’s about being smart, standing out, making a difference, being remembered.

We should ALL  be concerned about The Brand Called “You” or “Moi”.

If it’s a new idea for you, think about it because it can help you short and long term.

You are Awesome because there is only one “You”.

Effective communication … without words

Our ability to communicate effectively is built around three areas.

 These are words, tonality and body language. All three must be congruent, a rather complex word for aligned. All three contribute to the overall effectiveness in different proportions and those proportions may surprise you.In effective communication words contribute 7%, tonality 38% and body language 55%. If we combine the last two percentages we can conclude that 93% of our communication is actually non-verbal.

 That doesn’t mean that words are unimportant, they clearly are important, but it is a fact that we do not spend nearly enough time on our non-verbal signals which can obstruct our ability to communicate effectively.Content and context are the two key components of a message. Content is the actual words in the message. Many words have different meanings and we all use and interpret the meanings of words differently, so even simple messages can be misunderstood.Context is the way the message is delivered. It includes tone of voice, the look in the sender’s eyes, body language, hand gestures and detectable states of emotions including stress, anger, fear, uncertainty and confidence. This is sometimes referred to as paralanguage. A misunderstanding comes from the fact that we believe what we see more than what we hear. Nonetheless, context is a powerful communicator that helps us to understand each other and for effective communication it is important to be aware that we place more weight and trust in the accuracy of non-verbal behaviours over verbal behaviours.

 
We all think we have communicated something accurately. Yet how often have we said, “I can’t understand why this was not done, I could not have made it clearer,” or you have come out of a meeting and said, “I don’t know why I bothered, he did not understand a word I said.” Sound familiar? More than likely your message was misunderstood. A message is not communicated unless it is understood by the receiver. How do you know it has been properly received? By two-way communication or feedback. This feedback tells the sender that the receiver understood the message, its level of importance and what must be done with it.

Think about a time when you were angry and you just let it rip. Your tonality was most likely out of control and your message missed the target although you probably thought you had hit the mark exactly. Your tonality would have conveyed you were angry but what about the message of how you wanted to get the issue corrected?

Let’s look at body language. If you are to deliver a message to maximum effect practice your non-verbal behaviour.
Eye contact: This helps to regulate the flow of communication. It signals interest in others and increases the speaker’s credibility. People who make eye contact open the flow of communication and convey interest, concern, warmth, and credibility.

Facial Expressions: Smiling is a powerful tool as it conveys happiness, friendliness, warmth and liking. If you are a regular smiler you will be perceived as more likable, friendly, warm and approachable. Smiling is often contagious and people will react favourably. People feel more comfortable and will want to listen more to what you are actually saying. It is hard not to like someone who smiles.

Gestures: If you are rigid and stiff while speaking you may be perceived as boring. Gestures help to reinforce the message. A lively speaking style not only captures the listener’s attention but helps retention. This makes the conversation more interesting and helps understanding.

Posture and movement: We communicate numerous messages by the way we talk and move. Standing upright and leaning forward communicates to listeners that you are approachable, receptive and friendly. Interpersonal closeness results when you and the listener face each other. Speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor or ceiling should be avoided as it communicates disinterest.

Distance: Cultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction with others. You should look for signals of discomfort caused by invading the other person’s space. Some of these are rocking, leg swinging, tapping and gaze aversion.
Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood. This will help you through the alignment of spoken words and non-verbal communication to get your message across. If you find yourself in a position where the recipient just doesn’t get the message, ask yourself what it is you are not doing correctly, or put another way, one occasion where you do shoot the messenger. 

Think about it. 

Remember it is not what you say, but how you say it that counts.

EQ

Emotional Intelligence ( EQ) at Work
Good work relationships are the product of people who are able to stay calm and focused, connect to others in ways that attract and inspire, accurately read others, skilfully employ humour, and successfully resolve conflict.

“As much as 80% of adult ‘success’ comes from EQ.”  – Daniel Goleman

Today, we may find it harder than ever to cope with challenges. Stress is on the rise – with more to do and less resources to do it, we all feel the added pressure. Good social and emotional intelligence – provide the resilience and avoid becoming overwhelmed by these mounting challenges. We are able to perform under pressure, motivate others, and creatively solve problems.

What is EQ?
EQ is the ability of understanding and using our emotions in a positive and constructive manner. It’s about engaging others in ways that brings out the best in them whilst building strong relationships. EQ is also about understanding our own emotional state, the emotional states of others and having clear influential communication.

EQ consists of four fundamental capabilities:
• Self-awareness —to understand our emotions and our decisions.
• Self-management – to control our emotions and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Social awareness — to sense, understand and respond to the emotions of others.
• Relationship management — to inspire, influence, connect and manage conflict.

Most of us have learned not to trust our emotions. We’ve been told our emotions distort the more “accurate” information our intellect supplies. Even the term “emotional” has come to mean weak, out of control, and even childish. However, intellectual intelligence (IQ) in reality is usually less important in determining how successful we are than EQ. People who may be academically brilliant but are socially inept are unsuccessful. What EQ give us is the ability to communicate deeply and effectively because 95% to 98% of what we communicate is nonverbal and emotionally driven.
Nurturing our EQ

EQ is a set of personal and interpersonal skills that can be learned in early childhood. Our primary caregiver, usually our mother, creates the first relationship is known as ‘the attachment bond’ and is instrumental to our mental, emotional, physical, and intellectual development.

This first relationship creates a template for our emotional behaviours that we automatically rely on throughout life. This behaviour is learned, but the brain remains able to change this, as we can continue to acquire the skills of EQ even in our adult lives.

However we cannot learn EQ the way we learn a new language. EQ is learned through emotionally–driven, nonverbal means. That’s why a child who cannot speak can get it. As adults, we need to employ similar nonverbal and emotional strategies, in addition to traditional verbal learning.

4 Relationship Strategies :-
1: Reduce stress
Our ability to think is impaired when stress hits our nervous system. Stress triggers automatic “fight-or-flight” responses that make us feel like running or fighting. Directive Communication Psychology calls this our reptilian response, our survival instinct. When this happens, rational thinking and decision making goes out the window.

The best way is through the senses: through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Each person responds differently to sensory input, so we need to find what is soothing to us. For some, certain kinds of music, to another fragrance or it can be as simple as a picture of our loved one! Ask ourselves what soothes us and create that around our desk or office.

2: Connect to your emotions
Any of us who have experienced early-life traumas such as loss, abuse, or isolation – have been displaced emotionally. We can distort, deny, and numb the emotions, but we cannot eliminate them. They are still there, whether we are conscious of them or not.
Unfortunately, without emotional awareness, we are unable to fully understand our own motivations and needs, or to communicate effectively with others. In order to be emotionally healthy we must reconnect to our core emotions.

3: Improve nonverbal communication
Nonverbal communication is emotionally-driven communication that answers the questions: “Are you listening?” and “Do you understand and care?” Answers to these questions are expressed in the way we talk, listen, look, move, and react. Our nonverbal messages will either produce a sense of interest, trust, excitement, and desire for connection – or they will generate fear, confusion, distrust, and disinterest. Studies tell us 55 to 93 % of all communication is non-verbal communication!

4: Use humour to deal with challenges
Humour and play lighten our burdens and help us to keep things in perspective. A good hearty laugh reduces stress, elevates mood, and improves brain functioning. When you laugh together communication is more relaxed, better and memorable.

• Laughter and play: enable us to overcome annoyances, hard times, and setbacks.
• Humour: helps us say things that might be difficult without creating misunderstanding.
• Creativity: free ourselves of rigid thinking allowing us to see things in new ways.

5: Resolve conflict positively
Conflict in work relationships can be a ‘bummer’! and a serious blow to teamwork and camaraderie. Two people cannot possibly always have the same needs, opinions and expectations. Resolving conflict in healthy, constructive ways can strengthen the trust between people. When conflict isn’t perceived as threatening or punishing, it fosters freedom, creativity, and safety in relationships.

• Stay focused in the present. Holding on to old hurts and resentments does not help.
• Choose your arguments. Consider what is worth arguing about. Agree to disagree.
• Forgive. Remember that conflict resolution involves burying the past. Starting anew.

There is a world of difference between knowing how you want to react and actually responding that way. When stressed and under pressure you find yourself on autopilot. The brain becomes overwhelmed and limits your actions to running, fighting, or freezing. If you want to respond differently under pressure, the learning process must engage EQ where we learn to respond using sensory experience – that is what is seen, heard, and felt.

“People, may forget what you did or say, they will never, never, NEVER forget, how you made them feel! “                  - Leslie Choudhury