Follower verses Leader

Every Guru had a teacher first. Well, every leader was a follower first. Be a good follower and you will be a good leader.

Leadership is not a position

The title and position of leadership or ‘leader’ does not make you a leader. It is not about the position. People can lead from any position. It is not a formal authority that you need to lead; it can be a moral authority. Y

True and effective leaders embrace their responsibilities; are accountable; and lead people by influence and not manipulation.

 

Here are some essential characteristics of true effective leaders. I call it the 4 ‘I”s.

1.       Inspire- ability to bring out the best in people. To be able to lead by example. To be able to be a role model, a mentor. To make an impression in a person’s life in a positive way. To be a source of encouragement.

2.       Ignite- to develop people, to get them excited about abilities and talents that they did not even know existed. To be creative as you get others to be creative. To be able to move out of and get others to move out of their comfort zones. To be innovative, creative and volcanic.

3.       Initiate- to carve an new path; to embrace a different perspective. To not wait to be asked. To be proactive; to take the initiative and go the extra mile. To take on tasks that are not even part of your job description.

4.       Interested- this is all about evolving. It’s about stretching your tents of skills, knowledge and interests. Don’t be stagnant. Always be moving forward.

 

 

 

 

 

American Vice President Joe Biden recounts wife's and daughter's death

American Vice President Joe Biden lost his wife and daughter 40 years ago. He shared his feelings and struggle about this loss in an emotional address to survivors of slain U.S. military service members at a Washington gathering organized by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), a non-profit advocacy group, to commemorate Memorial Day.

“For the first time in my life, I understood how someone could consciously decide to commit suicide,”  “Not because they were deranged, not because they were nuts, because they’d been to the top of the mountain and they just knew in their heart they’d never get there again, that it was … never going to be that way ever again. That’s how an awful lot of you feel.”

Biden described how he first learned of the accident on Dec. 18, 1972, just weeks after he was first elected to the U.S. Senate from Delaware. While he was in Washington, D.C., his wife, Neilia, one-year-old daughter, Naomi, and sons, Beau and Hunter, were Christmas shopping in Hockessin, Del. Their car was struck by a tractor-trailer. Only Beau and Hunter survived.

“And just like you guys know by the tone of a phone call — you just knew, didn’t you? You knew when they walked up the path. You knew when the call came. You knew. You just felt it in your bones something bad happened,” Biden said. “And I knew. I don’t know how I knew. But the call said my wife was dead, my daughter was dead, and I wasn’t sure how my sons were going to make it.”

The vice president told the families he genuinely understands the “black hole you feel in your chest, like you’re being sucked back into it.” And, he said, while the ache never goes away, it “gets controllable.”

“Just remember two things,” he said. “Keep thinking what your husband or wife would want you to do. Keep thinking what it is, and keep remembering those kids of yours, or him or her the rest of their life, blood of my blood, bone of my bone, because, folks, it can and will get better,” he said.

“There will come a day, I promise you, and your parents, as well, when the thought of your son or daughter or your husband or wife brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye,” he said. “It will happen. My prayer for you is that day will come sooner or later. But the only thing I have more experience than you in is this: I’m telling you it will come.”

 

10 Questions to ask yourself when interviewing

Here are 10 questions that every interviewer should be asking themselves as they sit across the candidate during the interview process. This is over and above any revelations that have been taken from the candidates CV. In fact these questions may be asked by the interviewer to himself after the interview as part of the decision making process and should be used if you have a panel that interviewed the candidate and a decision needs to be made.

1.    What impact will this candidate make in the company? Can he make a difference?

2.    Do I like him?

3.    Can I see her as a manager in X years’ time?

4.    Does he have the right credentials for the job?

5.    Is she a risk or a bit immature?

6.    Will she (he) get along with her (his) bosses, coworkers, customers, suppliers, clients, and vendors?

7.    Is this her idea of style and will she be wearing these kind of clothes every day?

8.    Does this candidate belong in this company and can you send him with confidence to client meetings?

9.    Is she of good value or should I lower the salary expectation?

10.  How does she measure up against the other individuals that I have interviewed for the position? Do I like him more that the owner’s nephew?

 

 

Interview tips

The candidates that you interview are first and foremost people. They are creatures like me and you that are ruled by emotions, especially fear and apprehension, and not merely logic. The mistake that we make when interviewing them is that we want them to give perfect answers. Answers that are already in your mind and answers that they have to guess. Answers that are beneficial to you and not necessarily to them. Should they make one mistake, regard this as one part of the whole, and not the whole itself.

You suddenly regard this as a weakness, blindside yourself, and base your decision on the weakness instead of exposing the strengths.

More of these weaknesses and ‘wrong’ answers have a lot to do with character or personality and thus overlooking the candidates skills and experience.

Start looking at it from a different perspective. Start making decisions based on the whole person and all the answers. Start concentrating your interview questions on positive, probing questions instead of trick ‘caught you out’ questions.

The Buying Process

Selling must be sequential and progressive. Sequential means to use the buying process. Note- not selling process. Selling process indicates that it is more about the sales person. Buying process is about the client. Progressive means when the sales person sell and the client buys in chunks. This means taking the client from a base of little knowledge to a base of much knowledge. Selling is a scientific formula. It can systematically learnt and implemented by anyone.

 

To know more send a request to plural@plural.co.za

Sales Process

A typical sales process is to generate a lead, qualify the lead, analyse the needs, propose solution, be prepared to negotiate and close. Don’t make the mistake and disregard any of these steps in the process. And don’t make the mistake to disrupt the sequence of the steps.

Taking rejection personally

Are you a salesperson, and being rejected often. Are you taking it personally? You should. Your first point of inflection should be: is it my soft skills; indequate product knowledge; lack of empathy. Sales Managers- that should be your first starting point with your people. Too many of them are labouring under the belief that it is not them doing something wrong; it is the customer. This may be a misnomer.

Coaching

Just because I am learning to swim and making mistakes, and just because I am drowning, does it mean that you don't save me because it's not worth me living? This was a question asked by a contestant in a reality talent show. How much of ouir coaching is based on this premise? A person may have talent but after a while you give up. Yet you may be the only resource that can turn the fortune around. To you a person may be one, but to that one person you may be the world.

Creativity and you

Creativity does not have to be something extraordinary. It can be something that you have not done before. Same like #innovation.
It can be

Show the world

The world needs to know how good you are secondary to you showing them how good you are. But all important is first be good at what you are.

Don’t break your heart
Women and heart disease.
By Dr Karen Koch (mbchb) (cum laude)

Women are twice as likely to die from a heart attack than men. While men are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease as women, cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer in women. In South Africa, one in four women will suffer from a heart attack or stroke before the age of 60. Too often women don’t take their risk of heart disease seriously enough. It can be a fatal error.

What is heart disease?
The heart is a muscle pump responsible for the circulation of blood around the body. Without a functioning heart, blood cannot reach the organs with vital oxygen and nutrients. Your body (and moreover, your brain) cannot survive for longer than five minutes without circulation. The heart’s function in keeping the body alive is truly central to our health and wellness.
The heart muscle itself is supplied with blood by tiny blood vessels known as the coronary arteries. These small blood vessels can become narrowed and thickened in a process known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis compromises blood supply to the heart muscle. The narrowed space within the blood vessels allows less blood to reach the heart muscle.
When this happens it is known as cardiovascular or “heart disease”. Heart disease usually shows itself in two possible ways:
• Angina: At first the compromised blood supply may only be noticed when the person tries to exert themselves. When the heart speeds up (e.g. when climbing stairs) a higher supply of oxygen is needed. The damaged blood vessels cannot supply this. The pain usually disappears when the person stops and rests. The heart becomes painful from the lack of oxygen. This is known as “angina”. Angina is a warning sign that there is underlying damage to the coronary blood vessels.

• Heart attack: A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs where blood supply to the heart muscle is completely cut-off, resulting in compromise and even death of part of the heart. Unless the blood supply is urgently restored, damage to the heart muscle can be permanent and fatal. Heart attacks occur in people with underlying damage to the coronary vessels, often where a clot completely eliminates blood supply.
What causes heart disease?
The underlying problem in heart attack and angina is “atherosclerosis”. Hardening and thickening of the blood vessel walls causes them to become narrowed.
Fatty deposits laid down in blood vessel walls usually start very early in life. Most people have small streaks of fat in their aorta – the main artery leaving the heart by the time they turn 10. Everyone has it to some degree by middle age.
Atherosclerosis is caused by many factors, but an unhealthy lifestyle is the single biggest cause of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can also be worsened by conditions like high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Women are relatively protected from atherosclerosis until the time of menopause. Their risk of heart disease then massively increases.
Women in SA are also at higher risk of heart disease due to strong genetics which often play a role in its development.

Keep your heart in shape
In your 20s
Your lifetime eating and exercising habits are normally set during your 20s. Make sure they’re good ones.
Eat a diet low in saturated fat. Saturated fat is easily deposited on blood vessel walls leading to atherosclerosis. Saturated fat is found in animal protein such as red meat, processed and fried foods. No more than 25% of your total dietary energy intake should come from fat and less than 9% of this should be in the form of saturated fat, which sounds like a lot, but most of us are eating about 45% fat at the moment. Aim for low fat (less than 3g per 100g fat) or fat-free (less than 1g per 100g) foods.
Eat fresh fruit and vegetables. If you can get into the habit of eating fruit and vegetables every day you can slow down the ageing of your heart (and your skin). Try to prepare lunches for work at home as you’re more likely to include a healthy salad. Work on your menu ordering skills so you can still go out but do so while eating healthily.
Get active. Cardiovascular exercise such as walking, jogging, dancing and cycling exercises the most important muscle in the body – the heart. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of activity in a week. You can increase your activity levels by consciously making an effort to exercise throughout the day. Speak to your doctor before exercising if you are very unfit, have underlying disease or suffer from chest pain.
Screening. About 20% of South African adults suffer from high blood pressure, 16% suffer from dangerously elevated cholesterol and 14% of South Africans suffer from diabetes. The majority of people with diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol don’t feel a thing until complications occur. It involves a simple blood pressure or finger-prick test to check for these conditions. Speak to your Dis-Chem sister about getting these tests done.

Your 30s
Many women in their 30s are juggling family and work. Bad habits from your 20s can impact on your health in your 30s. Healthy eating during your 30s can ensure that you are not hit by lifestyle diseases early on in life.
Quit smoking. Smoking, even second-hand smoke is extremely harmful to the blood vessels. A smoker has two to four times the risk of having a heart attack as a non-smoker. Passive smoking increases your risk of heart attack by 50 to 60%. Quitting smoking can significantly reduce your risk of heart attack. Within 10 years your risk can reduce to that of a non-smoker.
Discuss your risks. If you are not certain about your risk of heart disease, speak to your doctor. Factors such as having many first-degree relatives who’ve had a heart attack or stroke, suffering from underlying conditions or following an unhealthy lifestyle could be increasing your risk of a heart attack.
Keep alcohol intake at a moderate level. The recommended alcohol limit for women is two units of alcohol per day. One unit of alcohol is the equivalent of 125ml wine, one tot of spirits or 325ml of beer. Drinking higher amounts of alcohol leads to elevated cholesterol levels and can increase your risk of a heart attack. Apart from cutting down on alcohol, drinking a glass of red wine as opposed to cocktails or white wine can also reduce your risk of heart disease. Red wine contains flavanoids – heart disease fighting antioxidants.
Maintain a normal weight. Being overweight, especially in the belly area increases your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and elevated cholesterol. Having a belly circumference more than 80cm in women and more than 94cm in men is also an indicator of increased risk of heart disease. Losing weight of 5 to 10% in obese individuals can reduce your risk of developing heart attack by up to 40%. Speak to your doctor about ways to lose weight if you are obese or suffer from underlying conditions.
Your 40s and 50s
Hopefully you have laid down the groundwork for a healthy lifestyle and can now reap the rewards. If not, don’t despair – it’s never too late to improve your health. Women in their 40s and 50s are at high risk of developing conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Reduce your salt intake. The recommended salt intake is less than 6g per day. Table salt is made of sodium chloride. Excessive salt intake can exacerbate your high blood pressure and lead to poor control. Most of us eat far above the recommended daily intake of salt – 3 to 4 times more than we should. Salt is used in most processed foods – not just salted foods, but any baked, fried, packeted or tinned foods contain additional salt. Just one teaspoon of salt is about 5g of sodium chloride. Learning to flavour food without salt and removing the salt cellar from the table will help you cut back on your intake.
Eat ‘good’ fats. Unsaturated fats are an important part of your diet. In particular omega-3 fatty acids have been found to reduce your risk of heart disease. Aim to eat 200 to 300mg of omega-3 fatty acids each day. Salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, leafy-green vegetables are all good sources of omega-3 fatty acids
Discuss Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT was previously thought to reduce the risk of heart attack in women. Nowadays, doctors recommend that women who have had a heart attack or stroke avoid HRT. If you are taking HRT already, make sure you discuss your personal risks and benefits with your doctor.

Over 60
Women over 60 are at high risk of developing stroke and heart disease. It’s never too late to quit smoking, improve your diet or lose those extra kilos.
Go for a stress ECG. Apart from your regular screening, women in their 60s should have a full check-up with their doctor including a stress ECG. In this test you will need to walk along a treadmill or ride a bicycle while the doctor monitors your heart. Often this sort of testing can detect early heart disease.

Women and heart disease
As a woman it is important to understand that you are at risk of heart disease. Many women and even doctors don’t really believe this. Knowing your risk means you can take steps to live a healthier lifestyle, and go for regular screening to prevent or identify the condition.

What are the symptoms of heart attack?
Symptoms of heart attack or angina are experienced differently by different people. Most people will experience chest pain or discomfort in the chest. Many people describe the feeling as a “pressure” rather than pain on their chest.
The classic symptoms of a heart attack include:
• Pain in the neck, jaw, arm or fingertips
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
Unfortunately only 60% of women with a heart attack have typical chest pain symptoms. In fact, some people, especially diabetics experience no chest pain at all. The end result is that women are most often misdiagnosed. Women who do have a heart attack are more likely to die from their condition because of the atypical symptoms and the fact that the diagnosis is not considered.