Trust has become a big issue in the world of work. Whenever I am called in to do consulting in the workplace, often I discover some version of lack of trust in the center of the issue. Business people are asking the question, "How can I build trust with my workers, shareholders and community"? Sometimes the question is, "How can I rebuild the trust I lost"?
1. Be transparent. Make sure that you let people around you know your thinking on things. Don't leave them wondering what your motivation is-tell them.
2. When you say you are going to do something, do it. If you put your word on something, follow through. Even if you promised something by a certain time and due to circumstances beyond your control, you can't deliver, contact the person and explain the situation. Don't just wait until you can deliver. Keep people informed at every step.
3. Never say something behind someone's back you wouldn't say directly to that person. Stephen Covey talks about defending those not present by not engaging in gossip and actually defending a person's character and motives when he or she is unavailable to do it himself.
4. Let people know what you stand for, what you will do and won't do in certain situations and then proceed to do exactly as you said you would.
5. Demonstrate consistency. Your people need to know you have a level of predictability. In order to gain trust, it is good if others can predict with relatively accuracy and certainty what your response will be in a given situation.
6. Make decisions consistent with your value system. If your value is honesty, you must be honest. Don't decide being honest can be situational depending upon circumstances. If your value is kindness, don't be mean to certain folks while being kind to those you deem deserve it.
7. Allow people to question you and your motives without becoming defensive. Answer questions honestly until people are satisfied or you decide to agree to disagree. Tell others your hierarchy of priorities so they can understand and trust your decision-making processes.
8. Do not ask people to do things you, yourself, would not do. Explain the usefulness of what you ask others to do.
9. Demonstrate competence in your areas of expertise and continuously improve your knowledge, skills and abilities so people can know you are good and constantly improving at what you do.
10. Demonstrate through actions that you care about your relationships with your people. Listen to and respect them. Acknowledge their strengths and seek their advice on things about which they are knowledgeable. Extend trust to your people. Don't micro manage. Let them know you have faith in their abilities and trust them to do what's best.
Demonstrating these behaviors will go a long way in building trust with others. Trust is an inside out job. You must search inside yourself and decide what type of person you want to be and then engage in the behaviors that will prove this is indeed who you are.
Who doesn't want to be successful in business? I don't know one person who wakes up and claims "I want to fail today". So why do many businesses or business systems fail? Whether you are an entrepreneur, an executive, a small business owner or an employee, there is a standard blueprint to business growth and success - 7 core strategies that are the foundation to every successful business.
1. Bold Thinking
To grow your business you need creative ideas. To create powerful ideas, you need to think boldly. Bold thinking is the art of reaching out of your comfort zone and developing solutions to do things quicker, faster and cheaper or to set yourself apart from your competition with a new product, new brand or a new process. For example, if you traditionally sell on a one to one basis, how can you sell to a group and maximize your time - a hair dresser who traditionally works with clients one at a time can host hair parties and do hair in groups. If you are in a transaction type of business, how can you reduce your transaction volume but increase your unit cost while maximizing your profits - how about increasing your fees? If you are in information marketing, how can you develop the next ebook, membership site or workshop that sets you apart from your competition? To be able to think boldly, you need quiet time away from distractions. Allow yourself time each day to shut down, no t.v, no kids and no phones and just think. Open your mind to possibilities. Our brains are pre-wired to be creative and to solve problems and if you give yourself the opportunity, you can create innovative ideas that will change your business.
2. Access to Learning and Information
New information is available every day and if you are not learning new things all the time, you and your business will not evolve and grow. I work with many businesses and to my surprise, investing in education is not a priority with some. One area where you are certain to get a return on your investment is in education. Surround yourself with a power team and share ideas and information. Don't be afraid to reach out of your industry. Sometimes something that works in one industry can translate into a powerful new idea for your industry. Enroll yourself and your staff in classes and mastermind groups and read about emerging trends. Unless you are constantly learning, you may never come across the next best great thing...
3. Opportunity Discovery and Deployment
The ability to identify opportunities and more importantly, to act upon them is critical to continuing success. Too often, businesses deploy the same practices over and over again and they are so surprised then they get the same results. If you could envision a brick wall and a man running towards it and crashing up against it over and over again in an attempt to get to the other side. He continues to go towards the wall in the same manner he always had and fails to recognize the opportunity to walk around the wall or climb over it. Be open to new opportunities and willing to try new approaches.
4. Strong Support System
You cannot grow your business on your own. You need a team or a strong support system to help create and implement new ideas. One of the principles in "Good to Great", is get the right people on the bus. As business owners, you need to consistently evaluate your support team and be comfortable with their skill, their contribution and the innovation. You also need to be resolved to the fact that your legacy people may not be the right team to get you where you want to go at the speed you want to get there anymore. They may have done a wonderful job in the past but may no longer have the skills, motivation or talent required to keep you moving.
5. Networks and Contacts
No matter what area of business or what industry you are in, your contacts, prospect lists and networks are the lifeline to business expansion and growth. Actively building your network is one of the strongest pillars and requires your attention personally. Business is based upon human interaction and connection and your ability to cultivate relationships will most likely be the source for your next great opportunity, joint venture or business idea.
6. Inspiration and Motivation
Staying focused requires motivation. As business leaders, we carry a large burden on our shoulders to create an energy that will inspire everyone in our circle to perform: Employees, vendors, clients and partners. To maintain the required energy level, we must be motivated and inspired ourselves. Surrounding yourself with positive people who build you up is one of the final pieces of our foundation. Too many times, business owners allow the opinions of others and the judgments of many, dictate their mood. You need to move away from things and individuals who do not inspire you. You need time to recharge and reflect on your core values and translate how those values impact your business. Positive energy creates positive outcomes.
7. A "Can Do" Attitude
All the bold thinking, new information, opportunities, strong support system, large network and motivation will be worthless without a can do attitude. In order to make change and be successful, you need to take action. Many business people come up with wonderful ideas but fail to take action and fail to grow their business at the speed possible and most times out of fear of failure. In business there is much failure and it is important to understand that failure is okay. Not every idea will work and it is imperative that you do not let past failures shake your can do attitude. Continue to create and implement new ideas and continue to believe in them. You need to believe that you can achieve anything and focus your energy on accomplishing your goal. That energy will turn to action and your business will evolve.
BE AWARE OF YOUR THOUGHTS Start watching your thoughts, without identifying with them. Watch them as a detached observer.
You may even get carried away by your thoughts. Never mind. It is natural—especially for a beginner. What you need to do, whenever you detect this, is to take yourself out of your thoughts immediately and get back to the process of thought-watching once again as a detached observer.
Do not get perturbed by your thoughts. Don't condemn or justify them. Don't try to control them. Just watch them. After some time, you will come to know what your negative thoughts are about. Now concentrate on all the positive thoughts that you can replace these thoughts with, in order to switch over to a more positive attitude towards them. Our attempt should be to cut down the quantity of unnecessary thoughts and to improve the quality of the necessary ones. Keep yourself busy. Simple food, deep breathing and relaxation exercises also help manage your thoughts easily. Expect less from others.
IDENTIFY NEGATIVE THOUGHTS Keep a logbook. Jot down your thoughts. Write down happenings of the day. Were they positive, appropriate and adequate or were they confused, superfluous and negative? Could you notice the interval between the happening and your response? If yes, could your foresee your negative thoughts? If not, what can, you do to notice this interval? Was there any discrepancy between words and thoughts? If yes, was it justified—could you find a better way of harmonizing your words and thoughts? Was the verbal response necessary, appropriate and adequate?
Sometimes we talk to others, or simply to ourselves, or think about something just like that. Ask yourself what provoked you to take the initiative to start a conversation. Was it essential? What was the purpose? Did it serve the purpose? If no, then why not? Did it use any unnecessary and emotionally charged negative words? Were the words used in thinking, inner dialogue or in talking to the other person, precise, appropriate, adequate and positive? Did you feel happy or satisfied after the interaction with the other person or with your inner self? Can you find ways of improving your performance as a thinker or a speaker?
Keep in mind that logbooks are meant to get you started and make you aware of your negative thoughts. It is far more important, however, to be aware of these thoughts when they are just taking birth, rather than leave them for later analysis.
Be conscious of the interval that separates the event from thoughts with which you respond to the event.
NEGATIVE THOUGHTS Imagine a strong sun radiating a powerful light. Use this mental sunshine to kill your negative, undesirable thoughts, emotions and images as and when these are detected. Take this sun as a mighty weapon which is always on the alert and which automatically chases any negative thought and kills it with a flash and then withdraws. Don't forget to imagine that this sun is your faithful friend and is extremely kind to you.
Keep a note of how many times you need to call the sun for its services. There will be a gradual increase, followed by a drastic fall. This is so because initially the number of times you call on your mental sunshine increases gradually as your awareness of your thoughts grows.
The drastic fall is because what we do not use (the negative thoughts, in this case), we tend to lose. REPLACE WlTH POSITIVE THOUGHTS A vital step in this process is the immediate replacement of all negative thoughts by the positive ones. The shorter the interval between the disinfecting and the replacing stage, the better it is. Longer intervals between these two events weaken the impact of the positive thoughts. Our success and happiness depend on identifying our goals precisely and chasing them effectively, both of which, in turn, depend on how well we manage our thoughts. The quality of our thoughts decides the quality of the outcomes we land up with. Thoughts have the power to materialize themselves because they are instrumental in channeling energy towards the physical or mental condition they are about.
External situations and the remarks of others can harm us through our thoughts—but only to the extent our thoughts allow them to. So think positive. Talk positive. Read positive quotable quotes of great people. Surround yourself with posters and cards bearing positive messages. Keep them on your table. Hang them on the walls. Paste them near the bathroom mirror and on the doors. Stick them on your watchstrap. Keep them on the refrigerator. Have them on the dashboard of the car. Slip them under the glass of the table in front of you. Slide them in the inner side of the briefcase you carry. Find other suitable places where you are bound to look at them every day.
Remember that these messages will stale with prolonged use. So keep changing their position and contents. Do not let the momentum of these thoughts get weaker.
Use them appropriately in response to specific negative thoughts. The replacing thought must be positive in every sense. Apart from being inspiring and assuring, it should also be suggestive. For example, if you confront a negative thought, "I can never succeed", it will not suffice if you replace it with "Sun! Attack! I can succeed". This kind of replacement may not be effective, for it sounds like wishful thinking and lacks assurance, depth and penetrating certainty. It is better to break your replacing thought down into more definite and specific steps or instructions.
The replacing thought in this case may be: "I can succeed. By earlier failures I have become rich in experience and have come to know specific areas that require special attention. I will jot them down and systematically think of the ways in which I can improve. I shall plan. And then stick to it. There is absolutely no reason why I should not succeed. I will assess, plan, execute, monitor, modify and carryon with the plan, and finally succeed. In fact, I think that success has already been achieved and only time separates my thought of success and its transformation into reality. I am committing myself to all that is required to achieve success. I am a river that knows no obstacles. I shall find my way anyhow—and if there is none I shall make one."
REINFORCE Thoughts like these can be further reinforced with emotions and images. All this may take longer than one single replacing thought, but these are far more effective since they allow you to divide the desired target into workable units. Focus on a pleasant event that took place in the past. This way your thoughts will turn positive and your emotions and images will reinforce each other, resulting in an overall positive attitude.
Our mind contains a steady flow of thoughts, which are filled with experiences, memories, images, judgments, desires and expectations. We can get up in the morning and look at the clock and think; I am not going to get everything done I have to do today; Gosh, I hate this weather; I wonder if I am going to have enough money to pay the bills this month; etc. Or, you can get up and look at the clock and say; I have a good day planned and I am going to move through it the best I can; I know I will figure out how best to budget my finances this month, the weather will help me move slower today; etc. Given these two scenarios, what kind of a day are you likely to have? Just as you heal and develop a relationship with your body through awareness, you can and must develop a relationship with your mind. By understanding the nature of your thoughts, especially your negative thoughts, you may understand why you are feeling hopeless and helpless. You will learn about your fear-based message that somehow suggests, "you are not enough; not smart enough, pretty enough, outgoing enough, fast enough or whatever enough. With this mindset you can become defensive and have an attitude about life and yourself that perpetuates failure or self-defeating behavior. You want to be able to create positive thoughts that give you a sense of trust in yourself and in the world.
There are three common negative themes that can create restlessness: persistent worry, catastrophic thinking and self-critical thinking. This type of thinking is fear based. The first step is to identify the kind of thinker you are.
Worrisome Thinker - Distressing over a situation for a long period of time. An obsessive and incessant thought that is intrusive and persistent.
Catastrophic Thinker - Looking at a situation and immediately taken it out of proportion and anticipating an extreme misfortune or utter disaster.
Self-Critical Thinker - Whatever you do, you tell yourself it is not good enough, or you should have done it differently, or could have done it better. You judge yourself in a harsh manner without compassion or acceptance of your imperfections. No matter what type of negative thinker you are it is "fear" based. This means underneath the thinking is fear of making a mistake, fear of something bad happening, fear of others, fear of self, fear of life, fear of the future, fear of not being happy, fear of being on your own, fear of rejection etc. Here is how to begin to change your negative and fear based thinking.
Learning to Listen - For the next week, pay close attention to the thoughts that are occupying your mind. Do this as you get up in the morning and proceed through your day. Listen while you are driving to work, taking the kids to school, cooking, shopping, or waiting in line at the coffee house. Instruct yourself to stop, turn your attention to your thoughts and make a mental note of what you are telling yourself at that moment. Vary the above technique by giving yourself ten minutes to sit in solitude and stillness without any distraction and just listen to the thoughts that are running through your mind. Are they positive or negative? Are they repetitive, confused, critical, or catastrophic? Are they about the past the future? As you do these two exercises for a few weeks, you will begin to see five basic negative themes and fearful thoughts that occupy your mind most of the time; and probably have been there since you were a child (in fact it is the hidden fear of your inner child). Write them down. Now when they come up during your day you will be able to identify them quickly.
Honor, Update and Change Your Thinking. The first step is to recognize the negative theme, stop the thinking and honor the fear by being compassionate with yourself. Do not berate, yell or get angry with yourself. Then tell yourself you are not going to go down that thinking path. Remind yourself that you are doing the best you can, compliment yourself on the things you do well, tell yourself you will find the good in every part of your day and experiences. Even if you don't believe it tell yourself you are going to try and see this differently and let go of the negative thoughts. Under your fears, self-doubts, and negative thinking lies the strength of your spirit. Do not abandon yourself. As you learn to regularly give yourself support and encouragement, you will begin to see that strength, courage and wisdom that lies deep within your being.
Are you good at positive thinking? Do you expect good things to happen and so they do? Or do you say "Nothing good ever happens to me" - and so it doesn't? Without positive thinking, nothing will!
Do you want to become more positive in yourself and in your outlook on life? You do? Fantastic!
To do this you are going to have to change the inner you. You have to believe that you can become the positive confident person you want to be. Try to be this way every day. An hour after lunch will not be enough!
Still sound good? OK!
The next time you find yourself about to say "I can't", change your words to "I can and I will" - and do it! Be determined to improve yourself.
Negative thoughts get negative results - that's definite! So what must you do? Start thinking positive!
"Not easy" did I hear you say?
It's just a matter of adjusting your self-talk. Your mental attitude needs to be changed so that you start believing in yourself.
Start listening to what you say. Are your comments and ideas negative? You aren't going become positive if you always say negative things. Do you hear yourself say "I could never do that", "I never have any luck", "I never get things right". Wow - that's negative self-talk! Try saying "I am going to do that", "I am so lucky" "I always try to get things right". Can you hear how much better that sounds?
Did I hear you say "Aaarrgh! but what if that's not true?"
Wouldn't you rather the positive statements come true than the negative? I know I would! Do you know that if you say something often enough your subconscious will accept it as true? The next time you begin to say something negative about yourself, instantly turn it into a positive comment. Sit back and notice how good you feel. You will also see that people will be drawn to you to listen to what you have to say. They will like being around someone who always looks on the bright side of things!
When you are sure of yourself you are confident. You can be like that! You can you know! This can be you - start working on yourself now!
Don't forget, the next time you are about to say "I can't", change your words to "I can and I will" - and do it! Be determined to better yourself. Your transformation will be amazing when you work this way towards your personal growth and empowerment.
There are many books available about positive power thinking. One of my favorites is The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. I first got it from the library and gained such a lot from it that I bought a copy for myself to read and to keep.
When you change your thought pattern, you will be rewarded by how you feel. Trust me you will! I know I have been there and done that! It's fantastic to have a positive outlook on life. Nothing will seem as bad as it used to. Doesn't that sound amazing?
You will be able to stay in control and not become frustrated with yourself. Life won't seem to crowd in on you and you will be more able to cope with the things that used to annoy the heck out of you!
The new positive you will feel so sure of things. What used to be a problem will be a challenge because you know you can sort it out - why? Because you are now a positive thinker and nothing will get you down!Your inner strength will grow and grow with all the fantastic positive thinking you are doing. Believe that you can be this way if you try. Remain optimistic - dump all the negative thoughts! You don't need them! All they do is drag you down.
Let positive thinking become a normal part of your life and enjoy the reward it brings. Be a winner!
You will love the way you are - so will everyone else - just you wait and see!
"When you consistently maintain a positive frame of mind, you'll become known as a problem-solver rather than a complainer. People avoid complainers. They seek out problem-solvers." Joseph Sommerville
"Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitable bring about right results." James Allen
"Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life become more secure, more fraught with action, richer in experience and achievement." Edward Rickenbacker
"Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success." Dr. Joyce Brothers
"The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible." Author Unknown
"Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without." James Allen
"If you focus on the possible when you experience difficult situations, YOU CAN positively change your outlook, reduce your stress, and concentrate on achieving things that otherwise may not have been possible." Catherine Pulsifer
"You can give in to the failure messages and be a bitter deadbeat of excuses. Or you can choose to be happy and positive and excited about life." A. L. Williams
Positive thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction. It also helps the daily affairs of life move more smoothly, and makes life look bright and promising.
Positive thinking is contagious. People around you pick your mental moods and are affected accordingly. Think about happiness, good health and success, and you will cause people to like you and desire to help you, because they enjoy the vibrations that a positive mind emits.
In order to make positive thinking yield results, you need to develop a positive attitude toward life, expect a successful outcome of whatever you do, but also take any necessary actions to ensure your success.
Effective positive thinking that brings results is much more than just repeating a few positive words, or telling yourself that everything is going to be all right. It has to be your predominant mental attitude. It is not enough to think positively for a few moments, and then letting fears and lack of belief enter your mind. Some effort and inner work are necessary. Are you willing to make a real inner change? Are you willing to change the way you think? Are you willing to develop a mental power that can positively affect you, your environment and the people around you?
Here are a few actions and tips to help you develop the power of positive thinking:
a. Always use only positive words while thinking and while talking. Use words such as, 'I can', 'I am able', 'it is possible', 'it can be done', etc.
b. Allow into your awareness only feelings of happiness, strength and success.
c. Try to disregard and ignore negative thoughts. Refuse to think such thoughts, and substitute them with constructive happy thoughts.
d. In your conversation use words that evoke feelings and mental images of strength, happiness and success.
e. Before starting with any plan or action, visualize clearly in your mind its successful outcome. If you visualize with concentration and faith, you will be amazed at the results.
f. Read at least one page of inspiring book every day.
g. Watch movies that make you feel happy.
h. Minimize the time you listen to the news and read the papers.
i. Associate yourself with people who think positively.
j. Always sit and walk with your back straight. This will strengthen your confidence and inner strength.
k. Walk, swim or engage in some other physical activity. This helps to develop a more positive attitude.
Think positive and expect only favorable results and situations, even if your current circumstances are not as you wish them to be. In time, your mental attitude will affect your life and circumstances and change them accordingly.
by Remez Sasson 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?
The following story illustrates how this power works: Allan applied for a new job, but as his self-esteem was low, and he considered himself as a failure and unworthy of success, he was sure that he was not going to get the job. He had a negative attitude towards himself, and believed that the other applicants were better and more qualified than him. Allan manifested this attitude, due to his negative past experiences with job interviews.
His mind was filled with negative thoughts and fears concerning the job for the whole week before the job interview. He was sure he would be rejected. On the day of the interview he got up late, and to his horror he discovered that the shirt he had planned to wear was dirty, and the other one needed ironing. As it was already too late, he went out wearing a shirt full of wrinkles.
During the interview he was tense, displayed a negative attitude, worried about his shirt, and felt hungry because he did not have enough time to eat breakfast. All this distracted his mind and made it difficult for him to focus on the interview. His overall behavior made a bad impression, and consequently he materialized his fear and did not get the job.
Jim applied for the same job too, but approached the matter in a different way. He was sure that he was going to get the job. During the week preceding the interview he often visualized himself making a good impression and getting the job.
In the evening before the interview he prepared the clothes he was going to wear, and went to sleep a little earlier. On day of the interview he woke up earlier than usual, and had ample time to eat breakfast, and then to arrive to the interview before the scheduled time.
He got the job because he made a good impression. He had also of course, the proper qualifications for the job, but so had Allan.
What do we learn from these two stories? Is there any magic employed here? No, it is all natural. When the attitude is positive we entertain pleasant feelings and constructive images, and see in our mind's eye what we really want to happen. This brings brightness to the eyes, more energy and happiness. The whole being broadcasts good will, happiness and success. Even the health is affected in a beneficial way. We walk tall and the voice is more powerful. Our body language shows the way you feel inside.
Positive and negative thinking are both contagious. All of us affect, in one way or another, the people we meet. This happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through thoughts and feelings transference, and through body language. People sense our aura and are affected by our thoughts, and vice versa. Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive people and avoid negative ones? People are more disposed to help us if we are positive, and they dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.
Negative thoughts, words and attitude bring up negative and unhappy moods and actions. When the mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which cause more unhappiness and negativity. This is the way to failure, frustration and disappointment.
Practical Instructions
In order to turn the mind toward the positive, inner work and training are required. Attitude and thoughts do not change overnight.
Read about this subject, think about its benefits and persuade yourself to try it. The power of thoughts is a mighty power that is always shaping our life. This shaping is usually done subconsciously, but it is possible to make the process a conscious one. Even if the idea seems strange give it a try, as you have nothing to lose, but only to gain. Ignore what others might say or think about you, if they discover that you are changing the way you think.
Always visualize only favorable and beneficial situations. Use positive words in your inner dialogues or when talking with others. Smile a little more, as this helps to think positively. Disregard any feelings of laziness or a desire to quit. If you persevere, you will transform the way your mind thinks.
Once a negative thought enters your mind, you have to be aware of it and endeavor to replace it with a constructive one. The negative thought will try again to enter your mind, and then you have to replace it again with a positive one. It is as if there are two pictures in front of you, and you choose to look at one of them and disregard the other. Persistence will eventually teach your mind to think positively and ignore negative thoughts.
In case you feel any inner resistance when replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, do not give up, but keep looking only at the beneficial, good and happy thoughts in your mind.
It does not matter what your circumstances are at the present moment. Think positively, expect only favorable results and situations, and circumstances will change accordingly. It may take some time for the changes to take place, but eventually they do.
Another method to employ is the repetition of affirmations. It is a method which resembles creative visualization, and which can be used in conjunction with it.
When you expect success and say "I can", you fill yourself with confidence and joy.
Fill your mind with light, hope and feelings of strength, and soon your life will reflect these qualities.
