Be a ROCK STAR Presenter (Pt 1 of 3)

Be a ROCK STAR Presenter (Pt 1 of 3)
by Darren Hardy

Success in today’s world comes down to your ability to sell your ideas, expand your influence and enroll others into a worthy mission or cause. That means you need to learn to present. In this 3-part series I will outline some key ideas to help you become a ‘rock star’ at it.

By the way, EVERYBODY is a public speaker. Maybe you’re presenting your ideas at an office meeting, interviewing for a new job, pitching your argument for why a new piece of office equipment is needed or trying to convince your friends which movie should win the Oscar. Whatever the situation, being able to speak effectively in public is essential to success.

A recent survey conducted by Distinction discovered that, of the executives and entrepreneurs surveyed, more than 86 percent said being able to present effectively has a significant impact on their income and success.

How to be Death-Defying
According to most studies, people’s No. 1 fear is public speaking. No. 2 is death. Doesn’t that sound insane? People would rather die than speak in public. That means if you go to a funeral, more people would rather climb into the casket than give the eulogy!

First off, let’s put this into proper perspective: No one has ever died giving a bad presentation… Well, except for President William Henry Harrison–he developed pneumonia after giving the longest inaugural address in U. S. history. Which I guess is our first lesson on giving a presentation–keep it short… or you might die… or at least kill the attention span of your audience.

The Dirty Little Secret of Successful Companies

The Dirty Little Secret of Successful Companies
Jay Goltz

How many times have you heard the head of a company say it’s successful because of its great people? You hear it in speeches and you read it in interviews, books, and other company propaganda. And it sounds great — gracious and humble and nice. It may even be true, but it is not the whole story.

What these people don’t tell you in those interviews and books — and I’ve read quite a few — is that great companies may be great at a lot of things, but they do not always hire the right people. And that leaves them in the same place as the rest of us (but probably less often). It’s a dirty little secret that even great companies have to fire the people who don’t work out. You don’t read about it very often, because firing people doesn’t make for great public relations. It doesn’t seem gracious or nice. But that can leave a false impression.

Taming Your Inner Perfectionist

Taming Your Inner Perfectionist
Laura Stack, CSP

“A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done.” — Cardinal John Newman, British Clergyman
“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it.” — Anne Lamont, American author and political activist
“People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it.” — Edith Schaeffer, American author

As Voltaire once pointed out, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” Think about that. As I interpret it, here’s what he meant: while a desire for perfection is admirable, it becomes increasingly difficult the closer you get to the goal. At some point, you have to admit to yourself that you’ve done what you can, and accept that it’s good enough.

Finding Purpose in Your Goals and Meaning in Your Mission

Finding Purpose in Your Goals and Meaning in Your Mission
Waldo Waldman, CSP

It’s already a month into 2011 and I hope you’re all off to a great start. One of the most effective things you can do to reach greater heights this coming year is to set high but achievable goals in your personal and professional life. Establishing challenging goals that are specific (and measurable) helps you formulate a game plan for success.
A key component in reaching your goals is to write them down and visualize them every day. This makes your goals real. (I put my goals on my bathroom mirror so that I see them every day. I did this when I wrote my book Never Fly Solo as I wanted to become a NY Times bestseller.)

When you see your goals, it challenges you to ask yourself: “What have I done TODAY to reach them?” “What’s my plan?” “Am I progressing towards my goals?”

There Are Two Kinds of C.E.O.

There Are Two Kinds of C.E.O.
Jay Goltz

I recently had an interesting conversation with Rafael Pastor, the chairman and chief executive of Vistage, a leading organization for chief executives. He relayed a story that one of his members had told him. This particular C.E.O. has a school-age son who came home one day and asked if his father would call himself something other than a C.E.O. It seems that the boy’s classmates were giving him a hard time about the fact that his father runs a company — as if it were something to be embarrassed by. My first thought was, “What?” Maybe I could understand it if his father were a politician! But then I started thinking.

There’s Always Time for Candy

There’s Always Time for Candy
by Darren Hardy

I’m at my publishing office in Dallas this week helping close out the upcoming April issue of SUCCESS (Starbuck’s returning white knight CEO Howard Schultz on the cover – fantastic issue!).

Anyway, the Super Bowl fever here is at an almost hysterical pitch. Reminds me of one of the favorite Super Bowl stories…

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area during the Joe Montana/Bill Walsh 49ers dynasty years. There is a famous story about Joe Montana who earned the name ‘Joe Cool’ that I love and in it lies a fantastic success lesson.

It was Super Bowl XXIII. The San Francisco 49ers are playing the Cincinnati Bengals. The 49ers are down 16-13. They have only one possession left. They have to drive 92 yards if they hope to win. At the start of this crucial drive Joe exclaims to tackle Harris Brown, “Hey, check it out, in the stands, near the exit ramp, there’s John Candy”. Harris grabs the tight end John Frank and points out Candy to him too, “Hey, John. There’s John Candy.” Fifteen seconds later Joe claps his hands in the huddle and says, “You guys want it? Let’s go.” 11 plays and 92 yards later, Joe Cool leads his team to a touchdown with only 34 seconds left, winning Super Bowl XXIII 49ers 20, Bengals 16.

During crucial and critical times, that is when you need to be most cool. If you are going to lead people, YOU have to be the eye of the storm. You have to bring calm to the situation, you have to be cool… Joe Cool. So the next time you get into a crucial moment, take some time to look around, you just might see John Candy.

————————————————————————————-

Content republished with permission from Darren Hardy, Publisher of SUCCESS magazine. For more great insights, tips and strategies on success and achievement go to http://DarrenHardy.SUCCESS.com More about Darren Hardy can be found at: http://DarrenHardy.SUCCESS.com/About

Tool for Risk Reinforcement to Envision Your Healthy Lifestyle.

Tool for Risk Reinforcement to Envision Your Healthy Lifestyle
Libby Gill

Like most people, I have definitely outlined some goals around health for 2011.  Okay, a small percentage of that is vanity. Who doesn’t want to look great, right?  But living long and feeling great are the top goals.  Like most people … I also already feel like I’m not prioritizing those goals!  So here is my Tool for Risk Reinforcement to Envision Your Healthy Lifestyle.

Right now, clarify a vision of you in vibrant good health. How will it feel to have abundant energy? To buy a new wardrobe? To feel fabulous while you’re exercising, dancing or making love? Now simplify the most direct route to realizing that vision. Write out your new diet plan. Put your workout commitments on your calendar. Finally, execute your plan–with a trainer, gym class, workout buddy–whatever it takes to get you into action!

If you’d like to make a real move on getting UNSTUCK in your health and your body, register for my course on “You Unstuck – Mastering the New Rules of Risk-Taking in Work and Life” at http://LibbyGill.com/Clarity.  Increase your chances for change by inviting a friend or accountability partner for only fifty bucks more! (Now that’s a gift worth unwrapping!)

Revisiting the Hollowing Out of R&D – Global R&D Trends

Revisiting the Hollowing Out of R&D – Global R&D Trends
Jim Carroll

Two years ago, I was the opening keynote speaker for the 14th Annual Portfolio Management for New Products & Services Conference in Fort Lauderdale, an event sponsored by the Product Development and Management Association.

In the blog entry I wrote at the time (The Hollowing Out of Big Corporate R&D), I noted that “I spoke to the broad theme of  ’innovating faster,’ but also challenged the crowd to think about how the “source of innovative ideas” has changed.”

It was a pretty interesting conference — it was right after the financial crisis of 2008, and there were quite a few folks in the room — long time R&D professionals — who had just been let go. Others were seeing their budgets cutback; many more were in a state of absolute shock and uncertainty as the economy was still contracting. It seemed as if the entire room was in a state of shock. I spent a good part of my time working to help them understand there were deep, transformative changes occurring in how “big” R&D was conducted, and if they were to survive, they would have to adapt to these realities. Those point are covered in the blog post.

While undertaking some research in the last few weeks for upcoming keynotes, I’ve come across a few interesting articles that have an R&D spin, and which can help to put into perspective the many ways in which R&D is evolving:

Work Life Balance: Planning for Chaotic Transition Periods: Productivity Minute Video

Work Life Balance: Planning for Chaotic Transition Periods: Productivity Minute Video
Laura Stack, CSP

Don’t Stumble at the Starting Line

Don’t Stumble at the Starting Line
by Darren Hardy

Have you made New Year’s resolutions or set goals before and failed?

Have you entered a new year beating your chest and proclaiming your magnificent transformation from every mountaintop only to have it dwindle to a whimper by the time January gets torn off the calendar?

What went wrong?

In my experience, there are about a half a dozen ways you can trip yourself up right at the start. Let me help you avoid these common trip-ups:

1. Too Many, Too Much

You try to tackle too many goals, change too many ingrained behaviors and attempt too much too quickly. Look, you have probably been building, developing and reinforcing a poor habit for 10, 20, 30, maybe even 40-plus years. Breaking one poor habit and trying to install a single new success habit is tough enough (and worth it). If you try to do too many, you won’t do any.