What Qualities Make a Great Leader?

I was asked to list just three qualities that I thought made a great leader. It’s interesting that if you asked me to list 6 or 7 or even 10 I could just reel them off. But when you limit it to just three, it does make you target in on what makes a great leader for you. I say for you because we probably all have different things we look for in a leader.

Now while there are a lot of qualities I admire such as courage, charm, consistency, boldness, confidence, and positivity to name just a few, there are some qualities that, for me are non-negotiable. If a leader lacks them, then I find it impossible to follow them, so by that reckoning that would make them the most important characteristics, because without them, you cannot be a leader.

Taking this approach, the three qualities that I believe are most important are:

Compassion
Integrity
Persistence

Compassion

I want to know that the leader is interested in the well-being of the team and will take care of them when things are not going well. I don’t want to work for a leader who has an all for one approach, which seems a common trait in many bad or unpopular leaders. I know one company who had to let 600 staff go, and they did it by cancelling their security passes and when hey couldn’t enter the building security brought them their belongings and a severance letter. What a horrible way to treat people, such a lack of dignity. I appreciate that it sometimes we have to let people go because the company is struggling and it’s the only way to survive, but this is no way to treat people, especially at such a difficult time.

Integrity

I want to work for a leader who’s is going to do the right thing, each and every time. His integrity is my integrity, and I don’t want my integrity to damaged because of who I am working for. That doesn’t mean we don’t make difficult decisions, but that we do it with a clear conscience know we made the best choice, not just the right choice for us. Too often I have seen leaders take the easy option and do what was right for them, but not necessarily good for their teams or the organisations. Look at how many leaders make short terms decisions that boost their bonus checks but damage their companies in the long-term.

Persistence

There are a couple of aspects of persistence that I look for. The first is that we need to hold the line when things are tough, we need to be able to grit our teeth and continue to push forward because bold goals are not easily achieved, and we need the resolve to not only keep ourselves going forward but also our teams. The other aspect of persistence is that related to people management. People management is not always easy, and often the simplest solution can be just to say “ok fire them and get me someone else”. The harder option is to find out what’s going wrong and to fix it. In my experience, people fail more often than not because they lack clarity into their role, or they lack the tools or the skills to do the work. We need to persist with people to get the best out of them; we can’t just be a manager a hire and fire type of manager, as we’re not fixing the underlying problem.

What three qualities would you want your leaders to have, please leave a comment letting me know?

By: Gordon Tredgold
Expert on Leadership

11 important phrases to avoid when working with others

Use the power of words for goodness and clarity, not confusion and chaos.

What you say in the work setting will be the perception that your colleagues and managers see. These perceptions can have lasting impacts on your career. It is in your best professional interests to mind your words when at work.

These 11 phrases are often a source of confusion when heard by other workers. They are vague enough to where you don’t think you cause harm, but can be interpreted in different ways. Know that these words are ones to avoid when working with others.

1. “It’s not fair”

This phrase is too often uttered by ungrateful teens, not working professionals. By saying this in your workplace, you look immature and naïve. If you actually do feel slighted by someone you work with, don’t complain about it to others, address the concern to the person you actually have a problem with. Stick to facts and provide examples and speak in a constructive manner in order to best get your point across.

2. “This is the way it’s always been done”

In order to appear innovative and seeking improvements in your own professional development, you need to challenge the status quo. Yes, there need to be standards, but don’t succumb to this statement in order to just sound safe. When you use this phrase, you sound stubborn and opposed to change and progress.

3. “No problem”

Even though you mean well, this phrase comes off as if the person who asked you a favor is imposing on you. There are much better ways to respond, such as, “It was my pleasure” or “Happy to do it.”

4. “I think…/This may be a silly idea…./I’m going to ask a stupid question”

These passive phrases make it sound like you are either clueless or unconfident. Both are equally unattractive characteristics in the work world. If you are unsure of what is being asked, say something along the lines of, “I don’t have that information right now, but I’ll find out and get right back to you.”

5. “This will only take a minute”

Even though you may be hurrying and try to sound efficient, you come off as someone who rushes through tasks. Say something like “this won’t take long.”

6. “I’ll try”

This is another passive phrase that makes you sound uncomfortable in your abilities. It also makes it sound like you won’t try that hard at all on the task. If you are unable to accomplish a task, provide an alternative.

7. “He’s lazy/incompetent/ a jerk”

Even though it is tempting to call out horrible coworkers, don’t do it, especially if it isn’t really within your power to do anything about it. You have nothing to gain by advertising their poor qualities. If your remark is accurate about someone, then everyone already knows so there isn’t

a point in saying it. But if it isn’t, you look like the jerk and people will scrutinize your behavior and work.

8. “That’s not in my job description”

Although it is frustrating to be assigned additional tasks on top of your own load, don’t flat out refuse to do it. When you find yourself faced with this situation, it’s best for you to just complete the task and then later ask your manager if your list of descriptions should be verified. You then won’t look petty and you get an update on what is expected of you.

9. “It’s not my fault”

Never cast blame on others. If you are accountable for your shortcomings, you come off as responsible. If it truly wasn’t something you are in control of, offer an explanation of what happened using only facts and without any emotions in the explanation. That way, if you are telling the truth, your boss and coworkers can draw the correct conclusion in your favor.

10. “I can’t”

How do you know if you can’t if you haven’t tried it? Offer an alternative at least, so it isn’t apparent that you are actually a quitter.

11. “I hate this job”

Nobody wants to hear you whine and complain. Don’t be the person that brings down the office atmosphere with your negativity. If you really hate it, then quit and find something that makes you happy. There are plenty of people who would readily take your job if you don’t want it.

By: Zig Ziglar

How to find a potential leader? A simple test

Hello, dear friends!

In this article I will tell you about one of the many ways to recognize the leadership potential of a client. It is a very simple and short test which results can help you distinguish who can be a great and noteworthy leader.

When you invite a new person to the business, you don't know much about him or her. If the person becomes a client and participates in the GoldSet marketing incentives program, he or she can be motivated to achieve the Leadership Status and our task is to always encourage and support them!

Here I show you a short test that can help you find out whether that person has what it takes to become a leader:

What do you have to do? Give him a book and ask him to read it in three or four days so later both of you can discuss the topic of the book.

Some people may lose their initial enthusiasm, especially if the book is not exactly short. If so, he would thank you for the book but won't read it – either because he didn't have enough time, or well, he wasn't interested enough. In this case, the probability to become a true leader is rather low.

Other people will act in the opposite way. They will take the book and call you when they've read it to discuss its main ideas. These people have bigger chances to become real leaders.

This is one of the ways to test their attitude, enthusiasm and willingness to work step by step. What other methods do you know? Leave your comments!

Dear friends, I wish you a great success in the business!

Also, read: How to behave in front of a camera? 9 tips

5 typical objections and how to answer

Hello, dear friends!

Today I want to talk about the objections which clients often hear when they introduce the business. These are some of the most typical ones.

1. I can't sell

I have said it before, and I will repeat it one more time: this business is simple. You don't need a deep knowledge or a wide experience in sales, economics, etc. This is a solid and simple business which you just have to recommend to people – some will be interested and others not. But it is like recommending a film or a restaurant to friends. That's how the business is sold.

2. I don't have many friends

The number of your friends doesn't play a crucial role in the business, because everyone starts with something. Even if you have only 1 person interested in the business, he/she definitely has friends, and they have their friends. And today's advanced technologies allow us to meet and talk to people from any corner of the world - you will always find a person to recommend the business to.

3. I'm not a good speaker

Eloquence might be key in other businesses to sell other products. When you are sure about the reliability of your business and product, knowing every detail about them will be enough to talk about it. Public and private speaking will come with experience.

4. I am not self-confident

If you are nervous when introducing thebusiness, just take a deep breath and begin. The most important thing is to feel confident about the information you are going to give. If you don't believe in your business, nobody you talk to will.

5. I don't want to annoy people

And you won't need to do it. Moreover, you don't have to do it. You just need to ask people if they want or need to earn money, if somebody is not interested don't insist. Find those people who are interested in the business and you won't be annoying for them.

Dear friends, I wish you a great success in the business!

Don't miss: How to find a potential leader? A simple test

Top 5 Mistakes New Leaders Make

It always feels great when we get offered our first leadership position, but we must not let this go to our head. The hard work starts once we are in position and too often first time leaders make mistakes that significantly impact their ability to succeed.

Here are 5 common mistakes that undermine first team leaders:

#1 – Distance themselves from the team
Leadership is a contact sport.  We need to be able to make connections with our teams, engage with them and this cannot be done from behind the desk in a corner office.  I appreciate that your boss may have led like that, but we need to get out of our office, we need to be part of the team. But too often I see people become leaders and cut ties with everyone beneath them, now that they have joined management they are no longer part of the team.  This is a big mistake, as it’s the team that does the majority of the work, and creating a gap is the first step in alienating the team and making them feel inferior, which is not the action of a good leader.

Now we cannot be a leader and also be part of the gang, things have changed, but we shouldn’t look to accentuate it.

#2 – Believe their own publicity

Ok, you’ve been made the leader but don’t make the common mistake of believing that you are now the best of the best. Don’t look to flaunt your position or your power. You are still a rookie leader and you will make mistakes, but if you lord it over people, when those mistakes come you will find yourself on your own trying to fix it.

Everyone knows you’re in charge, it says so on your business card, maybe even on your office door, so there is no need to constantly remind people.

Good leaders are humble, they respect their teams, and don’t act like they are special.

 

#3 – Think they need to provide all the answers

As leaders it’s our job to get the best out of the teams, to set direction, provide the motivation and to support the team. It’s not our job to provide all the answers, and more often than not when leading teams of experts we maybe the least qualified person in the room.

Many people make the mistake that leaders need to provide all the answers, and this is just demoralising or demotivating for the team. At one company I worked a new leader was appointed who had no experience in the department but decided he would be the font of all wisdom within the department. This alienated the entire team and within 12 months he was relieved of his position.  As leaders we do get to make the decisions but we should look to get as much input as we can, understand the opinions of others and then make informed decisions. Not only do we not need to provide the answers it would be foolish of us to try. The collective IQ of a group is always higher than the individual IQ of any one person, and good leaders leverage that collective knowledge.

#4 – Play Favourites

If we get promoted into a leadership position where we were previously part of the team, for sure there will be people we like more than others. But if we look to play favourites we will create divisions and damage the morale of the other staff.

It can be tough, I know that, we are all human and it’s natural to like some people more than others, but we need to work on being fair.

Fairness is a key leadership quality, it creates trust, builds engagement and fosters teamwork. We need to be objective in all our dealings rather than subjective.

#5 – Forget that leadership is about action not position

Leadership is not about giving out orders, commands or instruction, it’s about inspiring people to follow you in spite of the title rather than because of it. We need to make people want to follow us voluntarily, not because they feel they have to. The best way to do that is through action. Showing your team the way, showing them you care about them and supporting them.

Leaders who rely on position to lead do not build loyal followers, and when those people have a choice, they will choose not to follow you. I worked for a leader who used his position to force people to do things, he never asked he always told, and I remember the day we had a big problem and he needed volunteers to come in over the weekend to work and fix it, and to save his job/reputation, and not one person volunteered. They chose to let him fail, because he had not built any loyalty, he had just demanded it through his position.

In my opinion leadership is actually an easy, we just make it hard by making the mistakes above, which then alienate us from the people we need most.

If you want to be a good first time leader: be close to your team; be humble and don’t let the position go to your head; let your team provide the answers; treat everyone fairly, play no favourites; and inspire them by your actions, especially supporting them.

Thznks to Top Leader Gordon Tredgold

Règles de base de la réussite:

1 - Travailler Dur (1,2,3,4,5 ans)
2 - Avoir l'attitude et l'aptitude d'Apprendre
3 - Connaître son projet, business
4 - Respecter et Travailler en Équipe
5 - Choisir une Équipe qui vous offre un support sérieux et un système de travail duplicable
6 - Avoir des objectifs clairs, précis (personnels et globales)
7 - Être fièrs de ce que vous faites
8 - Partager (partager avec vos amis, votre famille, votre communauté, votre quartier, votre pays)
9 - Être vous même, Être heureux
10 - Libérer le Meilleur et offrir aux autres le meilleur de vous même

What People Expect From Their Leaders

I had the great pleasure of giving a talk on FAST Leadership to a team at one of the largest Insurance companies in the world.In addition to doing the FAST talk I also ran a small workshop on what people want from their leaders, discussing the different aspects of leadership, listing them and then ranking them in order of priority.

As I had just done the talk on FAST leadership, which had been a very interactive discussion, I had managed to build a good rapport with the team and as I wasn’t their leader, we had a really open dialogue about what they were looking for in their leaders.

I thought it would be good to share their thoughts as it really resonated with me.

I would add that they didn’t say that all of these items were currently missing from their leadership, this was a generic exercise in what they would look for in any leader, in any company that they would work for, which is why I felt it would be worth sharing.

I’d also like to thank Jo Simpson, @JoSimpsonSpeaks, for the voting system which I borrowed from her talk on Values, which I found to be very effective, it really does make people think about what’s most important.

Here are the Top 5 Expectations that the team have for their leaders.

1 – Keep Commitments

I wasn’t surprised that this was on the list, but I was surprised that this was the top requirement from each of the groups. The teams were very clear that when their leaders make commitments that they keep them. This was the number one driver of trust, if the leaders didn’t keep their commitments then there was no trust, no matter how inspiring the leader was, or people focused they were. Keeping commitments= trust!

2 – Clear Objectives, Clear Expectations

I thought that this might be the top requirement as lack of clear direction is usually one of the biggest frustrations within teams. It was interesting that the team didn’t just request clear objectives, but also that they wanted to know the expectations of them in achieving the objective, what was their role in this. They also added that these should be communicated clearly, it was mentioned that sometimes even when there are clear objectives they are not communicated clearly, which is the same as not having clear objectives.
So be clear about the objective, set clear expectations of your team and communicate them as clearly as possible.

3 – Timely Constructive Feedback

The team said that they were desperate for feedback, but they also added that the feedback needed to be timely, don’t want until my annual review to tell me you weren’t happy, let me know at the time of the incident or issue. Also the feedback should be constructive, supportive and provided with a view to helping them to improve their performance so that they can then meet the expectations.

Feedback which just criticises was a big no-no, that was just seen as de-motivational and the leaders could keep that to themselves, that was seen more as punishment than feedback.

4 – Stand Up For The Team

Each group was very clear on this, it was the leaders job to stand up and protect the team. One member even said the leader should be the shield that the team can stand behind when faced with undue criticism. They were not looking for the leader to take the blame for their mistakes, but they did expect the leader to stand up for them when they were being criticised unfairly. They also wanted their leaders to make sure that the team didn’t get over committed and would also fight for the necessary resources so that the team could be successful.

This was also another of the key contributors to building trust within the team, they wanted to know that their leader would stand up for them when they needed them.

5 – Challenge Me, But Support Me

This last item will probably come as a surprise to some leaders, but it was mentioned by all the groups. Everybody said that they wanted to do a better job, that they wanted their leader to push them to achieve higher levels of performance, and to help them to develop to be better.

But they didn’t just want challenging, they also wanted supporting on this journey, and they were very clear that they felt it was the leaders job to support them on this journey. They didn’t just want to be told about big bold goals that they should achieve, and then be left alone to struggle alone to achieve them. They were keen to push performance to new levels, but they want their leads to come on the journey with them, helping them, coaching them, challenging them.

In the discussions we also talked about things like Trust, Openness and Honesty, but the general conclusion was that if the Top 5 Expectations were met then things like Trust would be the result, the outcome, and what people would see in the leadership, so they preferred to cover expectations rather than leadership qualities as they felt it would be more informative for the leadership team.

Having been part of the discussion, I would fully agree with that conclusion, as I think these expectations give leaders much more information of what good leadership would look like than a list of qualities ever would.

For sure it will be hard for people without qualities such as Trust, Openness and Honesty to deliver  these expectations, but even with them you might fail to deliver what the team is looking for, without more guidance.

So my challenge to leaders is to ask yourselves, how many of these Top 5 Expectations are you meeting? Also, check with your teams whether these would also be their Top 5, and I would be surprised if they weren’t close.

Also I would ask anybody who is in a team, are there any other expectations you would put int the Top 5 and also which one would you take out for it?

Providing clear expectation to leaders of what you expect from them is one way to increase the probability of achieving them. 

Thank's to Gordon Tredgold

Antonio Miguel
World Team Global Intergold

Team Work - You Plan A not Plan B

Teamwork should be Plan A, not Plan B!

As we watch Germany win the World Cup, what we are seeing is a triumph for team work over individual brilliance. Germany has a team of very good players and throughout the tournament we have seen them dispatch teams with players who are ranked amongst the best in the world.

Portugal had Ronaldo and Argentina had Messi, who depending on whom you ask are claimed to be the best players in the world. They also overcame a Brazil side which was a shambles once they were shorn of their best player and possibly the third best player in the world Neymar. In fact in lists of the top 10 players in the world there were no German players included.

Each of these sides relied on the brilliance of an individual rather than on the collective talents of their teams, which meant that when their stars faltered they, they faltered, they had no plan B to fall back on.

That’s not to say that the German did not contain stars players, but they play in a way that they put the team rather than the individual first. This approach allowed them to overcome the injury to one of their top players in the warm up, Sami Khedira, and for him to be replaced with another player who stepped in performed his duties.

When you focus on the team rather than the individuals it makes it much more difficult for teams to prepare to play against you. With Argentina, the goal of their opposition was, stop Messi and if you can do that then you have a good chance of stopping Argentina.

Whereas with Germany there was no one player that you could focus on stopping which would then stop Germany. Individually Argentina was a great match for Germany, but collectively they fell short.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, teamwork doesn’t just happen, the leader needs to build teamwork, it takes time and effort. If you have great individuals it’s much easier to defer to them than build team work, but then you can become reliant on one or two individuals.

This is what happened to Brazil, they focused so much on Neymar, they relied too heavily on him, to such an extent that when he was injured and no longer available, the belief in the team and also of the team dropped.  And in the few days between him becoming injured and the next game it was too little time to build the teamwork that would help them against Germany.

This German team has been built and worked upon over the last 4-6 years, it’s not a sudden overnight success. In the last world cup they were excellent and produced some great results but ultimately lost to Spain in the semi-final. Spain were another country who put the emphasis on team first and individual second.

When you focus on team you make every player feel important, you make every player feel that they could be the difference, so when your star players under perform then you have many players who could step in and fill the void.

In this World Cup 8 German players scored goals, of whom 6 scored 2 or more goals, compared to 4 scoring players from Argentina, of whom only Messi scored more than 1 goal, and 5 scoring players for Brazil of whom only 3 scored more than 1 goal.

In many companies I have worked for they have taken a similar approach to those teams with star players, looking to identify their top performers and then focusing on them believing that star performers will lead the company to top performance. But in business, as in football, it’s teamwork that allows us to achieve our full potential.

We do need to ensure we get the best out of our top performers, but we also need to focus on building the team, increasing the collective output of the team by working to improve all players, not just the superstars.

If you choose to focus on individual contribution, when the individuals turns in a poor performance, is ill, or chooses to leave, then where does that leave your company.

Teamwork cannot be a plan B that you fall back on, that won’t work, teamwork should be plan A.

Antonio Miguel

World Team Global Intergold

Réussire son année

Est-ce que le manque de clarté et de stratégie vous empêche d’augmenter vos résultats dans vos affaires et votre vie ? Avez-vous le sentiment de tourner en rond dans vos projets ? Vous manquez d’énergie et de volonté pour progresser depuis des mois ?

Si tel est le cas vous faites bien partie de ces femmes et de ces hommes qui attendent en 2016 une vie meilleure, des relations plus riches, des revenus plus importants et une carrière épanouissante. 

La venue de la nouvelle année est souvent l’occasion de prendre de nouvelles résolutions ou de nouvelles directions de vie.

Dans les faits, ce sont bien les nouvelles habitudes qui vont venir enrichir notre carrière, développer nos affaires, améliorer notre santé et développer de meilleures relations avec les autres. Sans cette mise en place pérenne, il n’y a pas de progression de vie. Résultat : on assiste bien souvent à un retour à la case départ. 

Cet immobilisme laisse souvent la place au découragement...

Dans les faits, 88% des résolutions prises en début d’année ne sont jamais suivies d’effet. En clair, cela signifie que 88% des gens ne passent jamais à l’action. Ils veulent changer, ils ont un minimum d’informations pour changer, mais ils ne passent jamais à….. l’action.

Selon les études, la plupart utilisent cette même approche depuis plus de 10 ans !

Afin de vous préparer à vivre la plus exceptionnelle des années, voici en cette période de fêtes les deux cadeaux de toute l’équipe de 
World Team:

Premier cadeau :
Découvrez ci-dessous 16 questions à vous poser pour engager votre réflexion et clarifier votre pensée. Aussi simples soient-elles, ces questions sont à se poser pour amorcer 2016 avec une meilleure vision.

Deuxième cadeau :
Vous allez recevoir une invitation personnelle pour les webinaire gratuits uniques et en direct avec Antonio Miguel et les leaders du Groupe.
Ces atelier internet de 45 min vont  vous permettre de préparer 2016, d’affronter vos défis et de prendre l’avantage pour réussir votre année avec Global Intergold.

Vous pourrez le suivre depuis votre ordinateur, votre tablette numérique ou votre cellulaire.

LES 16 QUESTIONS À SE POSER POUR
RÉUSSIR SON ANNÉE:

1- Chaque soir vous trouvez facilement le sommeil. Chaque matin vous vous levez tôt plein d'énergie.

Oui
Non

2- Vous subissez le choix des autres et vous cherchez à vous réapproprier vos choix et votre vie.

Oui
Non

3- Vous êtes vraiment décidé à faire de cette nouvelle année, un nouveau tournant dans vos choix et vos priorités.

Oui
Non

4- Vous avez tendance à idéaliser le passé, à vous plaindre du présent et à craindre l'avenir.

Oui
Non

5- Vous voulez changer d'état d'esprit pour rester plus souvent positif malgré les difficultés de la vie.

Oui
Non

6- Votre vision est claire pour les douze prochains mois quant aux décisions et actions à prendre.

Oui
Non

7- Vous consommez des subtances (Junk food, sucre, caféine, alcool, drogues...) pour assurer vos journées et gérer votre stress ?

Oui
Non

8- Vous connaissez vos points forts et vos talents pour ne plus perdre de temps.

Oui
Non

9- Vous êtes sensible à la critique et aux regards des autres au point de changer vos décisions.

Oui
Non

10- Vous manquez de reconnaissance pour ce que vous faites.

Oui
Non

11- Vous vous sentez souvent épuisé physiquement et émotionnellement ?

Oui
Non

12- Vous finissez souvent vos semaines avec un sentiment de frustration.

Oui
Non

13- Vous avez une méthodologie pour augmenter votre productivité et mieux gérer votre temps.

Oui
Non

14- Vous prenez en général vos décisions en fonction de vos émotions et non en fonction des impératifs.

Oui
Non

15- Vous êtes souvent indécis sur les directions importantes à prendre?

Oui
Non

16- Vous avez du mal à tenir vos résolutions et à rester engagé sur la durée ?

Oui
Non

Suivez les Pages Facebook du Groupe World Team et ces Leaders afin de développer les Programmes et réussir des aujourd'hui votre projet.

Dale Carnegie’s 5 tips to create value for your business

Noted author and lecturer Dale Carnegie’s works have graced almost every entrepreneur’s reading list. Here are the top five lessons you need to know

I’ve always been inspired by the teachings of Dale Carnegie. For more than 60 years, Dale’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” has been devoutly read by thousands of people looking to understand the art of navigating relationships.
Released in 1936, the book has sold more than 15 million copies and has been revised numerous times to be relevant in the modern age. If the book wasn’t profound enough, there is the Dale Carnegie training facility that offers hands-on leadership training using the principles of Dale’s teachings. The institute, founded in 1912, emphasises practical processes designed to offer knowledge, skills and practices needed to create value in people’s businesses.
Almost everyone I’ve worked with has either read or heard of Dale, and there is a great deal of insight on leadership that can be gleaned from his teachings. I’ve distilled some of the most powerful lessons for entrepreneurs looking to become influential leaders.

1. Be the king of conversation and the lord of listening

“If you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested.” -Dale Carnegie, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”
“The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.” -Dale Carnegie, “How to Enjoy Your Life and Your Job”.

It’s surprising how many leaders actually forget to do such a fundamental thing as listening. Listening offers a window into the other parties’ wants, needs and values.
Once you know how to listen, you’ll be able to talk with them about what they want. Establishing ways to appease the interests of the other party is crucial to success as a business leader.

2. Believe in your vision

“Take a chance! All life is a chance. The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.” -Dale Carnegie

Very few memorable successes have been a result of doing the same thing as everybody else. It’s the change-makers and rule-breakers that are creating the memorable innovations and lasting experiences that breed success and make an imprint on society.
One thing that makes successful leaders stand out amongst their peers is their willingness to see something differently and do something out of the ordinary. As Carnegie said in “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living”:
“Two men looked out from prison bars. One saw mud, the other saw the stars.”
Carnegie regularly contrasted differences in perception to show how people view every aspect of life individually. While discussion centred around the acceptance of different views, he considered action as a critical element to success.
Where the ordinary person will see nothing, the successful leader will visualise and drive change.
A current example of this is Brian Chesky, Founder and CEO of Airbnb. He saw a world where the travel and accommodation industry could be enhanced by offering personal and unique experiences.
In an article he posted on Medium, Chesky discussed early rounds of investment for his startup, which suffered five out of seven rejections — the outstanding two investors did not even bother to respond. But he persevered, staying true to his vision. Airbnb was recently valued at over $25 billion.

3. Seek opportunity in failure

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” -Dale Carnegie

For all leaders, failure and rejection are almost certain. Learning and developing resilience is what separates the wheat from the chaff, the “want to be” from the “going to be.” This attitude toward failure as an opportunity to learn rather than simply the final consequence was a recurring theme throughout Carnegie’s works and holds true for many of today’s top leaders.

In a 2010 interview, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaks of his return in 2008, recollecting how he felt he had failed the coffee chain by leaving eight years prior.
Shultz took steps to take ownership of the company’s dire situation, saying: “We had to admit to ourselves and to the people of this company that we owned the mistakes that were made. Once we did, it was a powerful turning point. It’s like when you have a secret and get it out: The burden is off your shoulders.”
Amidst its failure, Schultz saw an opportunity to return Starbucks to its core values, taking 10,000 managers to New Orleans to try and remind the company of what the brand stood for. Since then, Starbucks’ share prices have risen from US$3.92 in 2008 to a staggering US$60.07 in 2015 (and rising).

4. Love what you do and do what you love

“People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.” -Dale Carnegie, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”

In some of his more philosophical moments, it was common for Carnegie to highlight the futility of life, and in today’s fickle marketplace, making sure you are doing what makes you happy has never been more crucial — not only for success as a brand, but for living a fulfilled life.
A recent article in Business News Daily called, “12 Reasons You Should Do What You Love for a Living,” indicated that “high-earners are happy — at least in part — because they have jobs they love.”
“Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.” -Dale Carnegie
Serial entrepreneur Russell Simmons is a big believer in this notion. In one video, he attributes his success to his love for everything he attempts. Similarly, as the old saying goes, “You only get out, what you put in.” If you don’t love to do something, you’re not likely to put much time or effort into making it succeed.

5. Seek to learn and expand your soul

“Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.” -Dale Carnegie

It’s no secret that Carnegie was a proponent of self-improvement. It was the foundation for his entire career as an author and lecturer. Whether it’s new skills, more efficient processes or learning from mistakes, the majority of successful leaders will be able to give you a whole load of stories about what they learned in a variety of situations.
Elon Musk has spent his entire career seeking knowledge and innovating in everything from online payments to space travel.
When asked about how to approach learning, Musk said, “I think most people can learn a lot more than they think they can. They sell themselves short without trying. One bit of advice: It is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree — make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e., the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details, or there is nothing for them to hang on to.”
Learning is the foundation of success, and the foundation of your story as a leader. Those who are most successful seek opportunities to learn, constantly striving to find new methods to achieve more and be more efficient about it.
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” -Dale Carnegie
On of the most important things that Carnegie holds as key to success is action. Don’t sit around waiting for the “right time.” Take your first step on the road to being a successful leader today.


Antonio Miguel
World Team Leaders
Support Service for the Team

Leadership - Être un Leader (Expect the un-Expected - Prévoyez l'inattendu)

Expect the un-Expected

I just read an article about project and one of the quotes from the organisers was  “The unpredictable side of the project requires a lot of preparation.” 

I thought this was a great quote, at first glance it seems bit nuts, how can you plan for the unexpected, but the answer is actually very simple, try and expect it.

This is just simple risk planning, if it’s a sunny day ask yourself what the chance of rain is, if its high enough, then maybe take an umbrella out with you.

We just need to use the power of our imaginations, and understand a little bit about probability and consequences.

If the risk is low and the consequences low, then we can ignore it, but if the consequences are high, then even if the probability is low we should still consider doing something to mitigate it.

As leaders it’s one of our jobs to expect the unexpected, to be prepared for every eventuality, as Gary Player used to say “the more i practise the luckier I become”.

When we prepare we create our own luck, this might be because we expected a flat tyre on on our car and as a precaution we checked them before we set off, and during the checking we found a nail sat on the driveway which we would have driven over.

We have now prevented that problem from happening. We were lucky for sure, but we were lucky because we were preparing. Luck doesn’t always come to those sat waiting, sometimes we have to go out and create our own luck.

We can create that luck by expecting the unexpected, by thinking about what could go wrong and then looking to prevent it.

The better we do this the lower the probability of failure due to something preventable, and consequently the higher the probability of success.

As the saying goes, “hope the the best, but plan for the worst”

World Team Leaders

How to talk to clients about the business?

Dear friends, welcome to our blog! Today we prepared one more educative article for you - this time it is about the right way of speaking about the business.

You already know that clients can be divided into “cold” and “warm” ones. Warm clients already know you, and cold clients are strangers. Both sort of clients can become Global InterGold clients, so it is essential to communicate in the right way.

Let's start with warm clients.

The contact with these people has already been established, so you can start telling them about the product and about the business in a friendly way. Mention how much benefit it brought to you and remember to be positive.

If a person is totally not interested in a conversation about the Global InterGold business don't go on. Don't waste your time, better search for people who are really interested in the business. And remember not to insist too much and be always formal.

If a person is interested in the topic then continue telling about the business opportunities. Don't overload your listener with information, though, tell as much information as the potential client can grab. For more information, you can arrange a second meeting.

But what to do if a client is “cold”? How to awake in them the interest in the Global InterGold business?

The most common mistake is to talk about the business at once. Don’t rush to present the business, start conversations with more neutral topics: you can talk about the weather, ask what time is it, or try another topic, depending on the situation.

Remember that the aim is to get the contact details of the potential client to arrange a second meeting. Only then you can start talking about the business.

Here's a little story for you. A few time ago, many teams gathered in Saint Petersburg and one day we were standing near the St. Isaac Cathedral where there are always a lot of tourists. A group of Mexican tourists were passing by and started talking with our Mexican clients. They asked where did they work, and they answered that they buy and sell gold. They expected to hear something more ordinary, so they wanted to know more. Then they told that they could give their contact details so that they could contact them later. They agreed, and now they have new potential clients.

Dear friends, it is really easy to find new clients! I hope this example helped you understand how easy is to communicate with potential clients. Now it’s time to put this theory into practice!

I wish you the greatest success!