N.E Partners: Organizational Leaders Conference in NYC

This past weekend our company had the opportunity to attend an Organizational Leaders conference in New York City. It was a really great opportunity for everyone to learn from leaders in different markets, share the success of this previous year as well as go over some of the goals for the organization for 2012. There are many new developments for our clients and great markets opening up. NEP is poised to make a lot of growth in the following year and we are extremely excited for whats to come!

Pictures from the holiday party to come up soon...

N.E. Partners: Focus!

That's a 20 minutes video but it's worthwhile your time. Mel Robbins talks about how to do what you want to do: force yourself out of your head, feelings and comfort zone. It's so simple but not easy.

N.E. Partners: 30 Habits That Will Change Your Life

Developing good habits is the basic of personal development and growth. Everything we do is the result of a habit that was previously taught to us. Unfortunately, not all the habits that we have are good, that’s why we are constantly trying to improve.

The following is a list of 30 practical habits that can make a huge difference in your life.

You should treat this list as a reference, and implement just one habit per month. This way you will have the time to fully absorb each of them, while still seeing significant improvements each month.

Health habits

1. Exercise 30 minutes every day. Especially if you don’t do much movement while working, it’s essential that you get some daily exercise. 30 minutes every day are the minimum recommended for optimal health.
2. Eat breakfast every day. Breakfast is the more important meal of the day, yet so many people skip it. Personally, I like to eat a couple of toasts in the morning along with a fruit beverage.
3. Sleep 8 hours. Sleep deprivation is never a good idea. You may think that you are gaining time by sleeping less, when in reality you are only gaining stress and tiredness. 8 hours are a good number of hours for most people, along with an optional 20 minutes nap after lunch.
4. Avoid snacking between meals. Snacking between meals is the best way to gain weight. If you are hungry, eat something concrete. Otherwise don’t. Update: for clarification, I mean don’t eat junk food between meals, but eating real food it’s ok.
5. Eat five portions of fruits and vegetables every day. Our body and brain loves getting vegetables and fruit, so I highly recommend eating as much of them as possible. Five portions is the dose that’s usually recommended by many health associations.
6. Eat fish. Fish is rich of omega 3 and other healthy elements. At least one meal per week of fish should be enough for getting all these nutrients.
7. Drink one glass of water when you wake up. When you wake up, your body is dehydrated and needs liquid. Make the habit of drinking one glass of water after you wake up in the morning. Also, drink more during the day.
8. Avoid soda. Soda is often one of the most unhealthy beverage you can find. Limit your consumption of soda as much as possible and you’re body will be grateful for that.
9. Keep your body clean. I don’t advise spending your day in front of the mirror, but a minimum of personal care does never hurt.
10. If you smoke, stop it. There’s no reason to smoke anymore, and quitting is possible.
11. If you drink, stop it. Same as above. Don’t think that alcohol will solve your problems. It never does. The only exception is one glass of wine per day during meals.
12. Take the stairs. This is just a hack that forces you to do a minimum of exercise. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs.

Productivity habits

1. Use an inbox system. Make the habit of keeping track of all the ideas and things that comes to mind. You can use a notebook to do this, and then sync everything on your computer.
2. Prioritize. If you have a list of things to do, where do you start? One way is to prioritize your list. If you are in doubt, ask yourself: “If I could only accomplish one thing today, what would it be?”
3. Plan, but not too much. Planning is important, and you should decide in advance what you are going to do today or this week. However, planning for more than a few weeks is usually inefficient, so I would not worry too much about that.
4. Wake up early. Waking up early in the morning is a great way to gain extra time. I personally like to wake up at 5 am, so that by 9 am I have already accomplished what otherwise would have taken me many days..
5. Check your email only twice per day. Email can easily become an addiction, but it’s usually unnecessary to check it every 10 minutes. Make an effort and check your email only once or twice per day, see if the world will still rotate as before after you try this.
6. Eliminate unimportant tasks. Being busy all day does not mean you are doing important stuff. Eliminate every activity that’s not important, and focus on what really matters.
7. Clean off your desk and room. Having a clear room and desk is important to maintain focus and creativity.
8. Automate. There are a lot of tasks that you need to perform every day or every week. Try to automate them as much as possible.
9. Set strict deadlines. When you do something, decide in advance when you’re going to stop. There’s a rule that states that you will fulfill all the time you have available for completing a task, so make an habit of setting strict deadlines for maximizing your productivity.
10. Take one day off per week. Instead of working every day, take one day off per week (for example sunday) where you are not going to turn on your computer. Use that time for doing recreational activities like going for a walk.

Personal Development habits

1. Read 1 book per week. Reading is a good way to keep your brain active. With just 30 minutes per day you should be able to read one book per week, or more than 50 books per year.
2. Solve puzzles. Quizzes, word games, etc. are all good ways to exercise your brain.
3. Think positively. You are what you think, all the time.
4. Make fast decisions. Instead of thinking for one hour wherever you are going to do something, make your decisions as fast as possible (usually less than 1 minute).
5. Wait before buying. Waiting 48 hours before buying anything is a tremendous money saver, try it.
6. Meditate 30 minutes per day. A great way to gain clearness and peace is through meditation. 30 minutes are not a lot, but enough to get you started with meditation.

Career habits

1. Start a blog. Blogging is one of the best way to put your word out. It doesn’t have to be around a specific topic, even a personal blog will do.
2. Build a portfolio. If your job is creating stuff, building a portfolio is a great way to show what you are capable of. You can also contribute stuff for free if that applies to your work.

Mind Management

If you challenge your mind to expand your comfort zone, you will naturally expand your wealth zone. By striving to grow your comfort zone, you are constantly taking risks and finding more opportunities, ideas, actions and growth than you ever imagined. The bigger your “container,” the more income and wealth you will attract and hold. Challenge yourself to constantly make your container larger, and watch the universe rush to fill the space.

What is the single most important skill you can master to increase your happiness and success? Training your mind.

How do you train your mind? Start by observing your thought process. If you are like most people, your mind continuously produces both empowering thoughts, such as those that lead to success, and disempowering thoughts, including those that don’t support your wealth and happiness. As you identify your thoughts, you need to begin consciously replacing your disempowering thoughts with empowering ones. In doing so, you will begin adopting empowering attitudes as your own. Start by making declarations to yourself, such as “I act in spite of fear,” “I act in spite of doubt” and “I act in spite of inconvenience.”

Believe it or not, you can choose your thoughts and control your mind. You have the natural ability to cancel any thought that does not support you. You can also install self-empowering thoughts at any time by choosing to focus on them.

At one of my seminars, Robert Allen, a close friend and bestselling author, said something quite profound: “No thought lives in your head rent-free.”

What he meant is, you pay for your negative thoughts in money, energy, time, health and happiness. If you want to move to a new level in your life quickly, begin by dividing your thoughts into two categories: empowering and disempowering. Observe them, and determine if they are supporting your happiness and success. Choose to entertain only the empowering thoughts, and refuse to focus on the disempowering ones. When a nonsupportive notion comes to the surface, replace it with a more supportive way of thinking. I call this process “power thinking.” And mark my words, if you practice it, your life will never be the same.

So, what is the difference between power thinking and positive thinking? The distinction is slight, but profound.

People use positive thinking to pretend that everything is rosy when they really believe it is not. With power thinking, though, we understand that something is neutral until we assign it meaning by creating a story.

"You have the natural ability to cancel any thought that is not supporting you."

This is the difference between a positive thinker and a power thinker. A positive thinker believes their thoughts are true. Whereas a power thinker recognizes that their thoughts are not true, but since they are making up a story anyway, they might as well make up a story that supports themselves. Why do we do this? Not because our new thoughts are true in an absolute sense, but because they are more useful to us and feel a heck of a lot better than nonsupportive ones.

Observe yourself and your thought patterns, and entertain only the thoughts that support your happiness and success. Challenge that little voice in your head whenever it tells you, “I can’t” or “I don’t want to” or “I don’t feel like it.” Don’t allow this fear-based, comfort-based voice to get the better of you. Make a pact with yourself that whenever the little voice in your head tries to stop you from doing something to support your success, you will do it anyway to tell it that you are the boss. Not only will you increase your confidence dramatically, but eventually, the voice will get quieter and quieter as it recognizes it has little effect on you.

Particularly during economic downturns like this, it is crucial that we change our pessimistic thoughts into empowering ones and stretch our comfort zones to attain and hold more wealth. We must constantly choose to remain positive and not let disempowering thoughts take hold, regardless of what the media says about the global economy.

Practice getting out of your comfort zone by consciously making decisions that will make you uncomfortable. Talk to someone you would normally avoid, ask for a raise at work or try something that scares you.

Living a mediocre life does not lead to happiness. Constantly wondering what could have been does not lead to happiness. What does lead to happiness is living in our natural state of growth and reaching our full potential.

The next time you are feeling uncomfortable, uncertain or afraid, press forward instead of retreating. Experience the feeling of discomfort and accept it for what it is—a feeling. Recognize that a feeling does not have the power to stop you. Push on, and eventually you will reach your goal.

The point, however, is not whether or not those feelings of discomfort eventually subside. If they do lessen, take it as a sign that you need to increase your objective because the minute you get comfortable, you have stopped growing. Managing your mind to live at the edge of your comfort zone will allow you to grow and reach your fullest potential.

Because humans are creatures of habit, we have to practice. Practice acting in spite of fear, in spite of discomfort, in spite of inconvenience. By doing so, you will quickly move to a higher level, and your wealth will almost certainly increase.

The mind is a powerful tool, but it is also the greatest soap-opera scriptwriter in history. It creates powerful stories based on dramas or disasters that have never happened and likely never will. As Mark Twain said, “I’ve had thousands of problems in my life, most of which never actually happened.”

It is important to remember that you are not your mind—you are much bigger and more powerful than your mind alone. By learning to train it, though, you can conquer your fear, expand your comfort zone and dramatically increase your wealth.

9 Qualities of a Leader

A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it’s not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said, "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion."

A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious.

A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer “analysis paralysis” but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same.

Integrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity.

Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. A leader who is centered in integrity will be more approachable by followers.

Dedication means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, leaders can show followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great.

Magnanimity means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of effective leadership.

Leaders with humility recognize that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god. Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders, and he pursued a “follower-centric” leadership role.

Openness means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment while listening to others’ ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision.

Creativity is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. The most important question that a leader can ask is, “What if … ?” Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, “I know this is a dumb question ... ”

Fairness means dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must check all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication.

Assertiveness is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader must be assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader.

Many leaders have difficulty striking the right amount of assertiveness, according to a study in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the APA (American Psychological Association). It seems that being underassertive or overassertive may be the most common weakness among aspiring leaders.

A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie.

Organizational Leaders Conference

This past weekend our office traveled to Manhattan, NY for out quarterly organizational leaders conference and team day. We started the morning watching a couple individuals getting promoted to a branch management position, which is always exciting to see the growth of the org. We also went over new clients and acquisitions for the new year. It's a very exciting time in our business and we are all looking forward to close of this year with big results and move into next year with a ton of momentum! After the meeting many of us spent the day in New York city sight seeing and enjoying the day. At night we went to Hoboken, NJ to the Pilsner Haus.. check out their site http://www.pilsenerhaus.com/ .

Power of Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds.

Not everyone accepts or believes in positive thinking. Some consider the subject as just nonsense, and others scoff at people who believe and accept it. Among the people who accept it, not many know how to use it effectively to get results. Yet, it seems that many are becoming attracted to this subject, as evidenced by the many books, lectures and courses about it. This is a subject that is gaining popularity.


It is quite common to hear people say: "Think positive!", to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effective. How many people do you know, who stop to think what the power of positive thinking means?

Check out the video! .. and this site on positive thinking!

http://www.successconsciousness.com/index_000009.htm

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us!

How can you hire highly skilled workers, persuade them to work for free, and then release your product to the masses for free? It's not impossible; in fact, several active companies such as Linux and Wikipedia has accomplished this feat. In this video, the RSA gives a comprehensive animated seminar on what motivates workers to work, and how to take advantage of that in business.

The Supervisory Behavioral Continuum: An applied approach to develop leadership in athletes

The Supervisory Behavioral Continuum
An applied approach to develop leadership in athletes

Dr. Larry W. McDaniel, Allen Jackson, M.Ed., and Dr. Laura Gaudet, discuss concepts related to developing leadership skills through measures of practical application.

A basic understanding of the Supervisory Behavioral Continuum (SBC), consisting of specific behaviors, is important in the process of developing skills of effective leadership. The Supervisory Behavioral Continuum has been proven to play a vital role in the decision-making process. SBC is the continuum adapted for use in the educational process of developing leadership in coaches and athletes. SBC includes ten specific behaviors; listening, clarifying, encouraging, reflecting, presenting, problem-solving, negotiating, directing, standardizing, and reinforcing. Each behavior is clustered into the sub-groups of directive, directive informational, collaborative, and nondirective. 

Throughout the coaching process it has been our intent to encourage leadership by involving athletes in experiences aimed at developing independent thinking and leadership skills. Dr. Larry McDaniel, an Associate Professor at Dakota State University, has developed an array of educational episodes where the use of the Supervisory Behavioral Continuum plays a major role in this instructional process. Through an understanding of specific behaviors within the continuum, Dr. McDaniel discusses methods of supervising athletes and provides examples of different supervisory strategies which will be employed in physical activities and sport settings. After the behaviors, which will be employed throughout the learning session or practice, are introduced and discussed, Dr. McDaniel demonstrates the behaviors specific to the "Supervisory Behavior Continuum." Demonstrations offer opportunities to incorporate "direct informational supervision" and clarify expectations. 

Dr. McDaniel's instructional methodologies are specific to the field of physical education and athletics. His use of supervisory strategies includes direct informational, collaborative, and nondirective supervision thus allowing participation in a variety of different learning experiences followed by different behaviors augmented by feedback. Learning episodes involving physical activity produce a variety of opportunities for student leaders of various physical activities and sports. These novice leaders are given opportunities to interact with groups of athletes at different levels of human development while capitalizing on the use of the SBC to guide participants toward a greater sense of self and the realization that they too have the potential to be leaders.

In the educational leadership settings developed by Dr. McDaniel, students assume the role of instructional leader or coach and are in charge of the participants. Each learning experience involves a focus on developing a safe environment and progresses to encouraging student leaders to engage in specific learning episodes. These student leaders are directed (Direct Informational Supervision) to provide a learning or working climate which minimizes the fear of failure and the fear of injury (mental or physical injury). These novice leaders through "collaborative leadership" become proficient in the four "D's", directing, demonstrating, providing practice drills, and discussing progress. By partaking in the above processes, the student leaders are engaged in the use of the "Supervisory Behavioral Continuum"! 

Physical activity and sports skills are presented through demonstrations by the student leader in charge. These demonstrations are accompanied with "directions" and "clarifications" (Direct Informational Supervision) for correct performance. Throughout all of the above activities appropriate feedback (critical cues to perform the skill) was delivered. While participants practice the skill, the student leader moves along the outer perimeter of the activity "observing" and assisting athletes in problem solving and performing skills correctly. Throughout the practice session, the student leader "reinforces" the desired behavior and performance of skill patterns. The student leader asks participants questions related to the skill and then "listens" to the answers provided by the participants. This allows the student leader information which may result in quality feedback and encourages and motivates participants to improve performance. These processes assist in training prospective leaders in the processes related to "Withitness Skills" and "Qualitative Analysis". 

After the lesson, the student leader "reflects" on not only the performance of the participants but their own leadership performance. This process allows for an objective evaluation of the performance of the student leader. The coach may offer suggestions about how to improve the practice and whether or not pre-determined objectives were realized. Coaches encourage student leaders to offer extrinsic rewards for good behavior by allowing participants time during the next practice session to become involved in a favorite activity. A typical practice session would consist of other athletes and a student leader as the coach. These sessions provide an outstanding opportunity for student athletes to develop leadership skills. These activities are videotaped. This allows the coach to use the learning experience as a teaching tool and an opportunity for timely and appropriate feedback. Video, a powerful learning tool for prospective leaders, provides the opportunity for the learners to see themselves as others see them. It is extremely important for athletes as student leaders to have a high level of confidence and readiness to assume leadership roles. Students leaders must realize that the decisions they make may impact another student's life forever. The above processes will provide learning opportunities to grow as reliable individuals who possess the tools necessary to enable them to assume leadership roles within their chosen profession. 

 

Conclusion

With training one can be conscious and competent in the use of the "Supervisory Behavioral Continuum" and employ these strategies in planning various activities. The continuum consists of a number of different supervisory behaviors which play a major role in the decision-making process when interacting with a group. Behaviors such as observing, listening, reflecting, standardizing, and clarifying, with supervising strategies involving collaboration and non-direct supervision to guide prospective leaders. These leaders employ direct, direct informational and collaboration when working with groups of other learners or athletes. Student leader actions include the full spectrum of behaviors identified in the Supervisory Behavior Continuum. These young leaders are also given freedom to engage in other forms of supervision not identified in the continuum. 

To be an effective leader, one must have the ability to engage in all aspects of this continuum which gives the coach or leader a method for dealing effectively with everyday issues that may occur within the practice or competition setting and develop workable solutions that contribute to athletic leadership and performance.  Supervisory skills are an essential part of effective instruction and coaching. By providing the coach with knowledge about knowing when and with whom to engage appropriate behaviors included in this continuum. Although one may have a preference or leadership philosophy which indicates a personal inclination to supervision, the supervisory continuum is vital to the overall success of any organization and may be employed in athletics to begin building leadership skills among athletes and novice coaches. 

This model applies just the same to our business here at N.E. Partners. We give our people the tools and coaching to develop themselves and their people into strong leaders with an understanding of each other while being solution oriented.

Check out our website at nepartners.net

Information for this blog was provided by http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article040.htm

How to Assess Your Leadership Skills

Are you persuasively steering your team, and the company you founded? How do you know?

“Often without meaning to, we create complexity for people who work with us,” says Katherine Ebner, executive leadership coach at Nebo Leadership inWashington.

The first step is to recognize you can always do better. The next one? Follow Ebner’s seven leadership tenets.   

1. Clarify what your job is. Before anything else, says Ebner, you must understand your roles and responsibilities as a leader. “Often people will do their old job; they will do what is familiar versus what’s needed.” Ebner says it is an adjustment to step up to a leadership role, often one that people are not prepared for.

She recommends you define your work by researching your job description, making a list of your roles and responsibilities (according to you), defining outcomes expected of you and, invaluably, asking direct reports, directors, and other senior level staff what they expect from you.

2. Invite feedback. Just as you offer colleagues and subordinates constructive critiques to improve performance, those people can also help you evaluate how you’re doing. To get the deepest and most actionable commentary, Ebner recommends you make the feedback loop simple. It can be formal or informal, as long as it is confidential, respectful, and efficient.

Ebner recommends conducting such leaderships reviews annually, or twice a year, because your staff may turnover and market conditions change. She advises asking key staffers open-ended, low risk questions such as: ‘What could I be doing better to support your success?’ ‘What do you need from me?’ ‘Is there anything I do that make things difficult?’

She also points out the importance of observing nonverbal cues. She stresses you should always be aware of the impact your make others. You can observe it from body language. Does the staff fall silent when you walk in the room, say? Do key executives meet your gaze or look away when you are speaking? “The key is to understand that you are collecting observable data,” says Ebner. “Don’t project, or be overly sensitive about what you may be seeing.”

There are also a lot of resources to help you do peer reviews:

• 360-degree evaluation tools. Ebner says there are several excellent online 360-degree survey tools that protect privacy while also providing thorough assessments, including Leadership Circle, the Booth Company, and the Center for Creative Leadership.

• Leadership coaches. “A coach can interview stakeholders and produce a narrative from confidential conversations,” says Ebner. This is often valuable when you want to go one layer deeper than online assessments.

3. Define goals. Establishing goals and milestones for performance over time is important not only in the financial arena but also in the organizational one. “The number of people you can impact everyday does not change in a big or small company. People who work most closely with you will pick up on your tone and mood,” says Ebner. This is then reflected throughout the company.

You can track “people performance”: turnover of key positions, length of tenure in position, ability to attract top talent.

4. Refine your storytelling skills. Once you define your goals, you must be able to articulate them. Ebner says that an effective leader is the company’s chief storyteller, not just someone who keeps his or her nose to the grindstone. You have to be able to say where you have been as a company, where you are now, and where you ’re going.

Ebner recommends using a three-year time horizon. “When you can answer where you want to be in three years in detail, you can identify what it will take to get there, and start filling the gaps.” Remember it’s not just financial or market positioning, it’s also organizational goals—everything from staffing to technology choices to office locations.

5. Check in on employees. Ebner says it is important to find out if the message you are relaying is trickling down to employees. You can do so by asking around, or by setting up a more formal process. Take annual employee satisfaction surveys, or conduct a culture survey. There’s also a slew of online vendors that can help assess your company culture and its impact on performance.

6. Look into leadership training. Many universities and institutes offer leadership-training courses. You can also engage a leadership coach, or even go on one of numerous CEO retreats. Among the subject matter you might expect: how to use conversation to inspire action and results, how to garner respect and credibility through your presence, and how you can use social networks for career development.

7. Expand your circle. Networking is critical to being an effective leader. It can come in the form of professional peer groups like industry associations or community involvement at, say, your local Parent Teacher Association. “Practicing leadership in a variety of settings and observing leaders in a variety of settings will enhance leadership skills,” says Ebner.

Don’t overlook peers as an important group with whom to network, either. “As you progress professionally, so do your peers,” points out Ebner. “By investing in these relationships and getting to know others at a similar level of responsibility and authority, you are building a community of colleagues who care about you and your success.”

Another networking tip: The aspirational—or “stretch” lunch. One of Ebner’s coaching clients regularly invites leaders she admires for a bite, and focuses on talking with them about their lives, careers, and goals. She even follows up with ideas, articles, or an intro to someone relevant she knows. But she holds off on asking for anything. Says Ebner: “Over time, the good will and relationships from these lunches has led to a powerful network of people who are more than happy to support, advise, and assist her when the time comes.”

Coach John Wooden

For each of his practices as coach of UCLA’s mens basketball program, John Wooden used a set of 3 x 5 index cards.

On those cards was the sequence and duration of each drill he wanted to practice.  It was the same practice every day, and everyone worked on the same skills—there was no need to differentiate.  Wooden saw no need to mess with what worked, a system in development since his earliest coaching days at Indiana State in the 1930s.

It is one of many lessons Coach Wooden has for us as educators—especially since he himself saw himself as a teacher more than a coach.

Former players, coaches, and sports pundits will be busy expelling reams of print on the legacy of John Wooden, who died this past Saturday June 5 at age 99.  They will laud his 10 national championships, his 88-game winning streak that still stands as an NCAA record, as well as the stars under his tutelage such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. 

Many more will praise his impact beyond the basketball court as an educator and motivator.  They will extol his timeless virtue and humility; his steadfast beliefs and conservative demeanor that were at once folksy and endearing.  His legacy on this front is ironclad: the Seven-Point Creed, the Pyramid of Success, and the endless maxims that made him an icon to millions of Americans beyond the confines of sports.

 Along will all his usual parade of well-wishers, the Neighborhood is not alone in celebrating the life work of one of the most remarkable men in America’s last century. 

Yet in the spirit of our journal, we seek the virtues of Wooden as teacher, educator, and mentor. 

To that end, I’ve selected a few of Coach Wooden’s most poignant and perceptive maxims so they can be applied to our own practice as educators.  Wooden, like any good teacher, believed in the learning power of self-reflection, and it would do us good—and honor him—to reflect on our practice this last month before summer.

“Be quick, but don’t hurry.”

Probably one of Wooden’s most famous, if not the most famous quote.  Its complexity is in its apparent simplicity.  How many times do we get bogged down on lessons based on needless minutia?  On the other hand, how often do we rush into covering a unit while many of the students still have trouble grasping the concept?  Timing is based on both the needs of the teacher and the needs of the students.  The material has to be covered, yet one should never go so fast as to leave students behind. 

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”

His other well-known maxim, this quote is fairly obvious to most teachers.  It’s been paraphrased in numerous ways by numerous characters, including a Navy officer that alluded to Slavic toilet habits.  The results are always the same.   We can ad lib all we want, but the best learning experiences are those that are planned and managed in advance.  Even if you have to change things on the fly, the plan will always keep you oriented towards the learning goals of your students.

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do”

Every classroom has the kid that doesn’t want to learn.  Often, a student doesn’t want to perform due to shame at their lack of ability or comprehension.  The above maxim is the basis for special education: use your abilities to their utmost, and with proper training you can overcome those shortcomings.

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

We all mess up once in a while.  Teachers, students, administrators: we all have times when we come up short.  That lesson didn’t come out as planned.  You did poorly on a test.  That conflict wasn’t resolved in the best way.  Mistakes happen—it’s how we react to mistakes that really matter.

“Never mistake activity for achievement.”

So much can fit into this category: those hackneyed homemade greeting cards used to waste time.  A busy assignment used to discipline an unruly child.  Standardized tests designed to derive meaningless data to make the suits feel better.  Just because things are happening does not make it meaningful.  True achievement involves activity and purpose, focusing work toward a real, organic end.

“Young people need models, not critics.”

This is especially true where the role models are few and far between—the South Bronx, for example.  My students have plenty of people hassling them, harassing them, even abusing them.  Yet so few of those adults that get on their case actually model the right form of behavior themselves.  Boys need to see men act as gentlemen.  Girls need to see smart, confident professional women.

 “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

One of the sad casualties of modern education is the dearth of moral or character-building education among young people.  In a media-driven world where reputation is not only easily attained, but easily disposed, today’s students need ethical guidance more than ever.

“Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.”

Check out John Wooden's website, and take a look at his "Pyramid of Success" to download a copy!

N.E Partners 8 Steps To Continuous Self-Motivation

Many of us find ourselves in motivational slumps that we have to work to get out of. Sometimes it’s like a continuous cycle where we are motivated for a period of time, fall out and then have to build things back up again.

A good way to be continuously self-motivated is to implement something like these 8 steps from Ian McKenzie.

1. Start simple. Keep motivators around your work area – things that give you that initial spark to get going.

2. Keep good company. Make more regular encounters with positive and motivated people. This could be as simple as IM chats with peers or a quick discussion with a friend who likes sharing ideas.


3. Keep learning. Read and try to take in everything you can. The more you learn, the more confident you become in starting projects.


4. Stay Positive. See the good in bad. When encountering obstacles, you want to be in the habit of finding what works to get over them.


5. Stop thinking. Just do. If you find motivation for a particular project lacking, try getting started on something else. Something trivial even, then you’ll develop the momentum to begin the more important stuff.

6. Know yourself. Keep notes on when your motivation sucks and when you feel like a superstar. There will be a pattern that, once you are aware of, you can work around and develop.


7. Track your progress. Keep a tally or a progress bar for ongoing projects. When you see something growing you will always want to nurture it.


8. Help others. Share your ideas and help friends get motivated. Seeing others do well will motivate you to do the same. Write about your success and get feedback from readers.

By continuously following these 8 steps, you will gradually develop certain skills that become motivational habits.

N.E Partners Gets Advice from Myron Curry on Leadership

What Makes A Good Leader

By Myron Curry

It goes without saying that good leadership is crucial to any successful business. But, what makes a good leader and how can someone develop himself or herself into a good leader if they are not one to begin with? The answer is that there are many factors that contribute to good leadership. And, whether someone is naturally a good leader or not, anyone can become a good leader.

 Get To Talking

One of those factors of good leadership is communication. Communication is one of the most key elements of leadership. Good communication skills need to be learned to effectively become a good leader or manager. When communication occurs, as a leader, you will be able to accurately convey your ideas and thoughts to those that work for you. In fact, simply being able to convey these things in the first place, much less accurately, puts you in the right direction for leadership. If employees have no idea what is on your mind, your leadership is going to falter. Employees are not typically mind readers.

If there is a problem a certain employee is experiencing, good communication can filter the problem out. You, as a leader, can dissect the problem and offer solutions in various ways.

Ideas that are given to employees work both ways, as well. Employees can give helpful feedback and generate new ideas to you that help the company as well, when good communication is present. 

Get Something Moving

Motivation is another variable that plays into good leadership. Employees tend to stagnate when motivation decreases and it will decrease, without proper motivation. Many leaders try to motivate the old-fashioned way through fear. (Do what I say or something bad will happen) This is not advisable, since it tends to only deliver short-term results and cause even less competent work in the long run, due to resentment resulting from the fear tactics.

Instead, try adding challenges for employees. A fresh challenge always adds excitement and spawns creativity. Challenge your employees with tasks that may be slightly out of their range and let them at it! This increases motivation. 

If they run into a snag, guide them towards a solution but don't offer the actual solution outright. Coach them into discovering the solution themselves. Once they have, their self-esteem will rise, thereby raising their motivation level.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

Teamwork is always something to consider when striving to become a good leader. This means not only teaching your employees to work together but to become part of the team yourself.

Use others potential. Many times, employees potential is wasted. A good leader recognizes that his or her employees are more than just employees, they are people too. These people have lives outside of work where they have to make decisions on a daily basis, from how to deal with house payments, to car bills, to raising children, to uncountable tasks in everyday lives. Yet, at work, their decision making skills are not trusted enough to choose what type of toner needs to be ordered for a set of printers.

The point here is that employees need to be trusted to do more. A good leader doesn't manage every single detail. Use others potential to your benefit. You will find that you have become a better leader for it.

Back to School

As always, increasing your education is definitely a good thing when trying to improve leadership, but the school that really needs to be brought at attention here is the kind of school that you don't get a degree for.

Take the time to learn as much about your position of being a leader as possible. Do some reading at the nearest bookstore. Talk to other leaders and see how they do things; trade notes. The more you continually evaluate yourself and your practices and search for as much information on leadership as possible, the more you will be able to keep up with changing times and the better leader you will be for it.

About the Author
Myron Curry is President and CEO of Business Training Media, Inc., a leading provider of workforce and business development training programs designed exclusively for corporate deployment. Myron has over 20 years of successful management experience with leading fortune 500 companies and has written numerous articles about workplace management issues.

N.E Partners Tip Of the Day from Harvard Business Review

 Management Tip of the Day: The three networks you need

(Reuters) - Many of the most successful managers have networks that include high-quality relationships with people from several spheres and from up and down the corporate ladder, says Harvard Business Review.

The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

"The old adage 'It's not what you know, it's who you know' is truer than ever in today's organizations. But how do you know whom to know?

Here are three types of networks it pays to have:

1. Personal support. Form relationships with people who help you get back on track during a bad day. These may be friends or colleagues with whom you can just be yourself.

2. Purpose. Include in your network bosses and customers who validate your work, and family members and other stakeholders who remind you that your work has a broader meaning.

3. Work/life balance. Seek out people who will hold you accountable for activities that improve your physical health, mental engagement, or spiritual well-being."

- Today's management tip was adapted from "A Smarter Way to Network" by Rob Cross and Robert Thomas