Tip #529 - Four Steps to Revise and Conquer New Year's Resolutions

Lose weight; spend less money and more time with family; don't text while driving, etc.

More than 40% of Americans make New Year's resolutions, yet only 8% actually achieve them. If you set resolutions and are unsatisfied with your January results, shake it off and read on...

1. Brief is Better - Many people set overzealous goals. For example it is practically impossible to quit smoking, lose 20 pounds, spend more quality time with your family and enroll in an evening graduate school program. Instead, shorten up your list of resolutions. Ask yourself, "Which of these would have the greatest positive impact on me personally and professionally?" Then rank the resolutions and choose the three with the highest payout. By refining your list, you are narrowing your focus, reducing pressure and positioning yourself for optimal performance.
    
2. Reality Check - It is critical that the resolutions you set are actually attainable; otherwise, you are merely setting yourself up for failure. If you have set a resolution to lose 50 pounds for the last few years yet never achieve that goal, consider reducing the number of pounds. A lot of people join a gym in January and diligently work-out, improve their nutrition and make other lifestyle adjustments. Once they skip a few work-outs or indulge in their favorite dessert, they give up-for the entire year. Revising your resolutions based on what is realistic is the only way to realize them.

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Tip #528 - 7 Traits Exhibited by a Team Player

The ability to work effectively in a team is essential to your professional growth. If this is a concern for you, then it's time to examine what type of primary traits you should work on developing in yourself and your employees.

If others see you as a team player, there is a good chance that you will be invited onto more projects. Should this happen, you will get tagged as the "go-to person" and meet key decision-makers within your organization.

Team members work best together when they mesh well-that is, when they respect each other and enjoy each other's company. While not everyone on your team will be friends, respect is mandatory for successful teamwork.

Here are 7 traits effective team players tend to exhibit from your friends at Dale Carnegie Western Connecticut:

1. Take Accountability - Team players accept an appropriate amount of personal responsibility. They will follow through with whatever tasks they accept.

2. Have A Great Attitude Toward Challenges - A friendly, positive attitude is required to work well with others. Team players recognize that they must share responsibility and that they cannot control every aspect of a project.

3. Have Strong Communication & Interpersonal Skills - Teamwork requires clear, effective communication. Team players communicate well with those on and off the team. They also know how to build the right working relationships, providing the maximum number of resources for their team

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Tip #527- Sales Strategies To Win The Battle (and the War)

Any good salesperson knows that winning a sale is not a one hit wonder. There are rounds of conversations, relationship building and negotiation along the way. Sometimes, it can seem almost impossible, if not exhausting, to get the desired end result. 

Sherrie Campbell seems to understand the challenge of securing that next sale, and recently wrote a great article for Entrepreneur.com titled, "7 Psychological Strategies For Mastering Sales Negotiations." While we agree with and support all seven strategies, we want to focus on two today - Campbell's third and sixth strategies.

Campbell's third strategy is to take full advantage of listening. One of Dale Carnegie's main principles is to be a good listener; to encourage others to talk about themselves. Not only does this give your customer a feeling of being heard, it allows you to understand exactly what your customer wants and needs.

By doing this, your customer feels heard, understood and appreciated, and you are able to offer the best options based on their needs. Too many salespeople try to talk themselves into a sales win, when all it would have taken is more listening. The strongest relationships come from genuinely listening and taking an interest in the other person.  The key to listening is to be focused, engaged and sincere - anything less than genuine and authentic will guarantee a loss of the relationship - and the sale.

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Tip #526- 6 Signals of Healthy Leadership

Good leadership is good business. For clients, employees, suppliers, and even competition, solid leadership is good for the entire area as we continue to focus on local and regional economies.

Across Dale Carnegie Training, we spend a good deal of time supporting professional lives and strategizing how leadership is defined and assessing the quality of this critical skill. Here in Western Connecticut, we want both leadership and management to be successful so employees and organizations benefit.

If the leadership is not successful, then the business is challenged in a number of ways. The entire team struggles and profits are lost.

Here are six signals that leadership is healthy and effective:

• Trust and respect: As leadership goes, so does the entire organization. Trust is a key ingredient. A belief in trust is earned and it must grow every single day.

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