In Order to Gain Self-confidence, You Must Extend your Life Skills and Get Out of your Comfort Zone

                     

Gaining self confidence through challenging our comfort zone is not really as difficult as it can be. In fact, doing such can be a lot of fun. There are several ways that could help you in gaining your self-confidence so easily while at the same time challenging your comfort zone. Here are three of them:

Establish Eye Contact

Sadly enough, several people does not know the importance of making eye contact  and as you’ve noticed, some people that you are dealing business with does not even look at you in the eye when dealing business with you. One of the most effective ways to gaining self-confidence is though having an eye contact with another person while you’re on a conversation. This may be easy for others to do, but for some people, doing such is like leaving out of their comfort zone. However, once you get used to this habit, you will feel that you are more confident about yourself.

Sitting on the Front Row

During conference meetings, most people would usually choose to sit at the back part of the room. From classrooms as well as on conference rooms, it seems that people would choose to sit at the back part of the room. If you want to gain confidence, get out of your comfort zone by challenging yourself to sit in the front row. It may be difficult to do this at first, but once you keep on practicing this, you’ll realize that you are gradually building your self-confidence.

Speak up

If you’ve noticed, most people on meetings or during classroom discussions are too hesitant to say a word in front of many people, especially if they are being asked to speak. The next time you’re in this situation, volunteer to speak up and voice out your thoughts. Once you do this, you’ll be more confident with yourself, and what’s great is that people will even commend you for doing such a brave act. Don’t let the fear of being ridiculed stop you. What’s important is that you’ve exerted an effort to get out of your comfort zone, and this brave act is definitely worthy of praise.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/self-help/in-order-to-gain-self-confidence-you-must-extend-your-life-skills-and-get-out-of-your-comfort-zone.html

Tips for Enhancing Your Personal Confidence

Here are five tips for boosting your confidence as a performance manager so that they can successfully conduct conversations with employees.

A primary goal of our new Painless Performance Conversations workshop is to build confidence in leaders so that they can successfully conduct the tough, yet important, conversations with employees. Here are five tips for boosting your confidence as a performance manager:


1. If not you, then who? Remind yourself that when it comes to helping an employee enhance or modify their performance, there's no one else who has that direct responsibility. If you are expecting something other than what you are getting, you are the best person to raise the issue.

2. Build mastery. Feeling confident in your role as a leader takes practice. Take little steps each day to practice having performance conversations. Separate attitudes from behaviors and focus on providing specific feedback related to the behaviors you observe. Little by little you'll build confidence as you become more proficient.

3. Model successful people. Identify other leaders within your organization who appear to confidently conduct performance conversations. Watch how they deliver the tough messages. Listen to the questions they ask. Model your approach after those you admire.

4. Practice visualization. Before you enter into a performance conversation, use a planner to imagine yourself confidently and successfully leading the discussion. Even if you don't write out a plan, just think about the steps you'd like the conversation to follow. The conversation probably won't go as you planned, but having a roadmap will give you the confidence you need to get back on track when you are hit with a surprise.

5. Mind your negative thoughts. Do you find yourself thinking, "Oh, I don't want to have this conversation." or "I'll just wait to see if the employee changes...?" These thoughts do nothing but slow you down. They aren't helpful and do nothing to build your confidence. Try to catch yourself when you see that you are using these statements and replace them with positive self talk.


Some conversations are just tough. They cause our hands to sweat, our heart to pound, and our mouth to go dry. Still, you can convey confidence and strength in your approach. It just takes a little work. 

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/business/tips-for-enhancing-your-personal-confidence.html

How door knocking got this kid a job in the City

Top 10 Resume Writing Tips to Get You the Interview

There are many reasons why you could be in the market

for a new job right now. Perhaps...

==> You just graduated from high school--or even better,
college--and you're ready to strike out on a quest for
your first "real" job.

==> Your worst fears finally manifested and you've been
downsized.

==> You're bored with the career path you've been on for
the past few years, and you're ready to strike out in a
new direction.

==> You want to change jobs (within your field) for better
salary, benefits, or chance at promotion.

Whatever your motivation, a powerful resume is
essential. In truth, a resume alone won't get you that
dream job you're craving. Not even if you implement
every resume writing tip you can get your hands on!

But a great resume will get you in the door for an
interview. It will make you stand out as a superior
candidate for the job you've applied for. And that
achievement is huge, given the fierce competitive
nature of today's job market. Not only that, but a
well-crafted resume will put the decision-maker you
meet with in a hiring frame of mind. As long as you
don't blow the interview, you'll have a great shot at
that job!

Digest and apply each resume writing tip below as you
craft a powerful resume that will make all the
difference in your adventure to land a job!

POWERFUL RESUME WRITING TIPS: 10 Steps to Success

Resume Writing Tip #1: Gather your background
materials. To complete your resume, you'll need to know
your dates of employment at each of your previous jobs
and when you went to school. You'll also need to be
able to describe your skills and accomplishments on the
job, so put some thought into those areas.

Resume Writing Tip #2: Decide on a format. Before you
can start writing a resume, you'll need to decide if
the functional or chronological format will work best
for you. Remember, you want to put yourself and your
abilities in the best light.

Resume Writing Tip #3: Put together a general outline.
A resume outline will help you get organized and will
prevent you from overlooking any essential pieces of
information that should be included.

Resume Writing Tip #4: If your resume is targeted at a
specific employer or career path, learn all you can
about what they need. Spending time on this research
will help you with your resume, with the cover letter
that goes with your resume, and with the upcoming
interview. Make sure you know what qualities will most
benefit the employer and think about how your abilities
match those qualities. (Read another resume writing tip
on how to target.)

Resume Writing Tip #5: Plan, plan, plan. Before you
actually start writing, spend time just thinking about
how you'll present yourself in the resume. What is your
objective in seeking a job? This objective should serve
as a sort of bull's-eye to structure your resume
around. What have been your most significant
accomplishments? You'll want to highlight them. What
unique qualities do you bring to an employer? Think in
terms of benefits. Also think about the resume design
you'll use, the fonts within, and the resume wording .

Resume Writing Tip #6: Start writing, following your
outline. Take your time. Use a lot of action words . Be
concise. Don't use "responsibilities included" or
"responsible for." It's a waste of space. Use bullets,
rather than long paragraphs.

Resume Writing Tip #7: Cut and paste your content into
your resume template. If you're at this site, you're
probably not an experienced, professional resume
writer. So, take a resume writing tip from a pro. Use a
resume template . There is no reason why your resume
must look amateurish.

Resume Writing Tip #8: Review, edit, and proofread like
a maniac. One of the biggest resume mistakes is typos
or grammatical errors. These errors may seem trivial,
but they can cost you the interview, and ultimately the
job. After all, if you can't be bothered to make sure
that your resume is 100% accurate, what guarantee is
there that your job performance will be high caliber?

Resume Writing Tip #9: Get someone else you trust to
look at it. It can be really helpful to get someone who
knows you to look at your resume. Not only are they
more likely to catch simple errors, but they may point
out strengths you've missed or underemphasized. Tell
them you want their honest opinion and you're open to
questions. Use their input to clarify your resume. Even
if you write your own resume, you may want to think
about getting a professional to do a resume critique .

Resume Writing Tip #10: Send it out into the world. The
more resumes you submit, the more likely you are to get
an interview. Don't put all your eggs in one basket by
applying for only one job. And, don't be afraid to take
some risks and apply for a job you're interested in,
even if you don't quite match all the qualifications.
Most employers ask for many more qualifications than
they absolutely require.

Hopefully, at least one resume writing tip on this page
has given you some food for thought. But don't stop
your training here!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-10-Resume-Writing-Tips-to-Get-You-the-Interview&id=6451

What Your Recruiter Absolutely Needs to Know

You've done the research, you've considered the competition, and you may have even signed with a recruitment firm you are confident in. Don't check recruitment off your to-do list; throughout the recruitment process, there are some things you need to do that'll you discover by continuing to read this article.

You've done the research, you've considered the competition, and you may have even signed with a recruitment firm you are confident in. After that, what’s next? Isn't it time to simply sit back and wait for the resumes to start pouring in? Don't check this to do off your list; throughout the recruitment process, you must maintain open communication lines with your recruitment firm to make sure they have the information they absolutely need to know. These should include:

A Clear Picture
Your recruiter may not have known you before this juncture, and they have probably never worked for you either! Maybe you have explained the position you are aiming to fill, but have you talked about the company this position operates in? Talk to your recruiter about your organization's mission statement, history, culture and core values. Provide an overview of how this specific position fits into the grand scheme, after all, this is what candidates want to hear about.
Your Vision
If you have followed the steps necessary prior to the decision to recruit, you have researched the position in depth. In doing so, you can not only explain the responsibilities of this role, but also the characteristics integral to success in this role or job position. Or were you just trying to find body instead of a star?
Your Nightmare
If you can communicate clearly the education, skills and personality that your star or candidate will bring to the table, you must also communicate the deal breakers for this role. This helps greatly if the recruit company offers a short listing service. Is a Masters education an absolute must have? Are the work hours flexible? How many years work experience in the related field is needed? It is important to let your recruiter know.
Your Changes to the Plan
If the original job description, office location, operating hours or any other previously disclosed detail changes, the recruitment plan may need to change as well. Be sure to discuss new developments or job descriptions with your recruiter so that they can respond to your changing needs appropriately.
At the end of the day, you and your recruiter have a common goal, to recruit the best person for your organization. Be an equal partner in the process. Understand what your recruiter absolutely needs to know, and make sure you provide them with that information needed to make this process work for you. 

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/business/what-your-recruiter-absolutely-needs-to-know.html

7 everyday stress busters for a productive day at work

Following the daily routine of handling office task is a default activity required to be done at job. At times it may lead to a boring schedule and increasing stress. A stressful day at work can lead to a lesser productive day.

1. Start with an organized plan
When first time you see your desk, organize it properly. Take a pen and notepad and chalk out, what can be done for the day. Give short notes on how you want to start your day, what tasks to be completed how to complete them. A planned day is the best booster of your worklife.

2. Take a break from Gadgets
When whole day is required to be spent in front of computer and smartphones, it is advisable to take short breaks from technology and move out of your working area. Take a walk, talk to colleagues and understand what they are doing. If possible move out of office floor and observe the creative world around.

3. Do not miss the coffee
Foodstuffs like coffee and chocolates are known to be great stress busters. Experts recommend in-between breaks from work and relish these snack items. This helps in relaxing the mind from daily routine. Green tea is said to be a good mood booster as well.

4.  Be prepared for anything
When it is an important day at office, like client meeting or presentation in front of management; check every arrangements before hand. Be prepared by booking of a meeting room in advance, check if all gadgets are working, sound systems are perfect, presentation slides etc.

5. Achieve Small targets
To make it large, win the small targets. Break the tasks in small accomplishments and be proud of the success. These small tasks will gradually build up the platform to reach the next milestone of your work. The best practice is to celebrate those small achievements and not to be sad about what not achieved. Build more connections with people, learn what they are doing.

6. Work offline as well
It is true internet and smart gadgets have made our life much easier. Specially when it comes to handling an office task. But at times it is advisable to divert from the screen and involve in offline work. The best way to keep eyes on rest as well from staring on the screen whole day. Call a meeting, read a magazine, write things on paper instead of computer etc.

7. There is life after office as well
The best way to cheer up after a busy schedule is to not talk about office work for sometime. Take colleagues to coffee breaks and try to learn their interests, hobbies etc. Talk about their weekend plans or what they did last weekend. Share your after office schedule and see if you can connect well with new colleagues.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/internet/7-everyday-stress-busters-for-a-productive-day-at-work.html

How to Create an Exponential Mindset

Digital business models are a bit of a misnomer. It’s not digital technology that defines them; it’s their ability to create exponential value. The music and video industries, for example, weren’t redefined by converting analogue to digital formats. Just ask Sony about Minidisc players and Netflix about their DVD business.

To create exponential value, it’s imperative to first create an exponential mindset. The incremental mindset focuses on making something better, while the exponential mindset is makes something different. Incremental is satisfied with 10%. Exponential is out for 10X.

In the last century, industrial business models were defined by their use of machines to create increasing returns to scale. Digital business models use network effects to create what Ray Kurzweil describes as accelerating returns to scale. The key difference is that industrial models are linear while digital models are exponential.

While others have written about how to design exponential strategies and organizations, I want to focus here on how to create an exponential mindset. My work with clients suggests that the incremental mindset is more deeply embedded than we might think. Unless you are conscious and diligent, you can end up with a strategy that looks digital (i.e. uses digital technology) but doesn’t actually operate digitally (i.e. achieves accelerating returns).

The role of incremental and exponential mindsets vary in each phase of the business journey: launch, grow, and expand.

Launch: Vision and Uncertainty

In the launch phase of a business, the team needs to develop and refine the business model. The Lean Start-up approach of test, iterate, and pivot is the right thing to do. But you also need the right way to think. Are you thinking about your business incrementally or exponentially?

The incremental mindset draws a straight line from the present to the future. A “good” incremental business plan enables you to see exactly how you will get from here to there. But exponential models are not straight. They are like a bend in the road that prevents you from seeing around the corner, except in this case the curve goes up.

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Without an exponential mindset, Google would never have created such an ambitious vision as “organizing the world’s information,” Facebook would never have set out to “make the world more open and connected,” and Airbnb to “create a world where all 7 Billion people can Belong Anywhere.” Similarly, a group of innovative organizations in the public sector are out to solve global social issues by achieving “transformative scale.”

In Maine they have an expression that “You can’t get there from here.” In the launch phase, you need to realize that an exponential strategy has inherent uncertainty. You can’t know what things will look like on the other side of the curve. You can’t draw a straight line from where you are to where you are going. There’s no step-by-step plan. The exponential mindset helps you become comfortable with uncertainty and more ambitious with your vision.

Build: Courage and Patience

These days, many companies are able to get through the launch phase with an exponential mindset. They manage their uncertainty, take the leap, and start the journey despite being unable to see around the bend. Fear of disruption and envy of unicorns can be a powerful motivator. But then something happens. Or more precisely, something doesn’t happen.

Take a look at the chart above. In the first part of the build phase, you don’t see a lot of change. It’s not until the second part when the line starts to bend. It’s simply the nature of exponential change. Things happen very slowly before they happen very quickly. If this was the only world we knew, it wouldn’t be a problem. But we were raised with an incremental mindset. So we can’t help but compare the exponential path to the incremental path. And this creates a problem.

We are accustomed to measuring progress linearly and incrementally. If 30% of the time has gone by, we assume that we should be 30% of the way there. That’s how things work in the physical world when we are traveling to a destination. But exponential models don’t work that way.

What happens is that businesses run into something I call the “expectation gap,” where the exponential strategy is at greatest risk from the incremental mindset. It’s where many companies abandon the exponential model for the incremental.

I see this consistently on a micro scale in my own work. My workshops are designed with an exponential mindset to generate new ways of thinking about marketing, culture and strategy. Somewhere around a third of the way into a workshop, the leader invariably says something like “so when are we going to get something done?” The reason is that they are still operating with an incremental mindset. A third of the time has passed, but it seems like they are only 10% of the way to our destination. In fact, most of the progress happens once the curve starts to bend. Invariably by the end of the day the same people are remarking that they can’t believe how much we got done in such a short period of time.

In your exponential journey, pay attention to when people get the most impatient for results. It’s the point in the chart where there is the largest gap between incremental and exponential paths. This expectation gap is a risk to the business strategy because the impatience can be used by opponents or skeptics to convince stakeholders to jump from the exponential to the incremental. You will have the immediate relief of having “line of sight” once again and see steady progress. But you will also have given up the possibility of accelerating returns and the opportunity to keep up with customers and competitors. The exponential mindset helps you have the courage to persevere and the patience to see it through.

Grow: Agility and Control

In the third phase, you have managed the uncertainty of the early days, the impatience of the middle phase, and now you are firmly “in the curve.” Growth is happening faster than you can handle. At this point, the incremental mindset is to try to rein things in and get things under control. But that would be a mistake. To sustain the accelerating returns, you need to shift your mindset about how to mobilize and manage resources.

The incremental mindset assumes that it takes more inputs to produce more outputs. So as growth starts to accelerate, teams start to look for more resources in proportion to the growth. But the addition of too many people or too many resources can “flood the engine” of growth. You need an exponential mindset to figure out how 1X additional input can create 10X additional output.

You also need to apply an exponential mindset to how you manage the resources you have. The incremental mindset about management is like creating a line of dominos. Everything needs to be highly coordinated with active oversight to make progress one step at a time. The exponential mindset is like this demonstration with ping pong balls in which things happen in parallel with a focus on the interactions among participants.

As I’ve written about separately, there is a way to let go without losing control. In the exponential mindset, managers replace control of people with control of principles. The use of doctrine to guide decision-making generates alignment, consistency and empowerment. But most leaders are accustomed to making decisions rather than empowering decisions. The anxiety from a loss of control can easily push companies off the exponential path back onto the incremental path. The exponential mindset helps to grow output faster than input, and empower teams to achieve both alignment and autonomy.

To summarize, digital business models require a shift from incremental to exponential. At the start, it takes vision and a leap of faith to commit to the unknown. In the early days, it takes courage and patience to build the foundation for growth even when results aren’t yet apparent. When growth kicks in, agility comes from empowering others and letting go without losing control. In all of the stages, the challenge is to “unlearn” familiar ways of thinking and embrace the unfamiliar. But with a shift from the incremental to exponential mindset comes the opportunity for real innovation.

https://hbr.org/2016/07/how-to-create-an-exponential-mindset