John J Arent Consulting Group: Micro-Management

John J Arent Consulting Group: Micro-Management: Micromanagement (MM)– A major reason that employees leave an organization is due to their relationship with their immediate supervisor. ...

John J Arent Consulting Group: Effective Communications

John J Arent Consulting Group: Effective Communications: Effective communications in the workplace between colleagues as well as manager/employee interchange is very important in order to creat...

John J Arent Consulting Group: Emotional Intelligence ~ John J Arent

John J Arent Consulting Group: Emotional Intelligence ~ John J Arent: Last week I wrote a blog on “mental toughness”, please see: http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/06/6-ways-to-build-mental-t...

John J Arent Consulting Group: 3 Ways to FAIL as a Leader

John J Arent Consulting Group: 3 Ways to FAIL as a Leader: Intimidate rather than Motivate ~ Managing operations by negative results and critique will be a sure-fire way for you to fail as a...

John J Arent Consulting Group: 8 Key Traits of Great Communicators~John J Arent

John J Arent Consulting Group: 8 Key Traits of Great Communicators~John J Arent: I am on a communications kick and have researched many traits of Good communicators.  Ronald Reagan was known as the “Great Communicator...

The #1 secret to Success ~ John J. Arent

Over the course of my career I have had the great fortune to meet with some of the most successful people in my industry.  I have always tried to "steal" ideas from these people who are "head and shoulders" above ordinary achievers.  Sometimes it is the language that they use....Simple phrases that make impact.  Other times it is their body language....eye contact, positive vibes, etc.  Professionalism, Integrity, Charisma all add to the traits of true success.  A smile and positive behavior by being genuine and nice to the people that they come in contact with. Humility as I have numerous times mentioned as a key trait to top performance.
There is a core concept that combines all the individual actions into one.  The simple answer to whatever we encounter is this...

"How can I help you"?  

If we are truly going to be effective in anything we do...business or personal relationships, if we can bring value by being genuinely interested in our day to day interactions, we will be blessed with incredible success throughout your career.  Seek to understand and bring value to those who you work with and your success will be guaranteed!

John J Arent Consulting Group: Some thoughts on "how to build a terrific team?" ~...

John J Arent Consulting Group: Some thoughts on "how to build a terrific team?" ~...: Over the years I have seen some great teams put together in sports and more importantly for our subject, the business world.  There are seve...

A time to be Thankful!~ John J Arent

As we approach what is perhaps the greatest holiday of the year...Thanksgiving...I wanted to post a follow-up to my blog in February 2012 entitled Gratitude...

http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/02/gratitude-is-feeling-thankful-gift-last.html

Recently the East Coast has been hit by two major storms that have caused loss of life and and has brought much pain to millions of people in the storm's path.  I recall as a young boy growing up when the 1962 storm destroyed thousands of homes along the coast of New Jersey.  I had never before seen such destruction where homes were in the swampland and I prayed to God that I would never see it again.  This storm eclipsed that storm of 50 years ago by a wide margin but also brought a feeling of togetherness as we move forward.  I do not live on the coast anymore but witnessed what we all saw on the news channels.  The devastation was horrific but the strength of mankind is evident.  You did not hear of looting but rather a "coming together" to get through this disaster.  Across the vast area affected, crime was minimal...support was universal. One life lost is far too many but the ability to evacuate and heed the warnings saved thousands of lives during these storms.  The leadership in those states and our national leaders are to be congratulated  for their strength and support to their constituents. I know of several people who have taken off from their jobs to help people displaced in this natural disaster.  I applaud them and their sacrifice and will keep them in my prayers as we rebuild through this tragedy.  I am reminded of a quote that helps me in time of great struggles and will paraphrase what those words meant to me....

"Be grateful to everyone you meet and your blessings will shine through you to them and beyond...By doing this everyday will be a GREAT day".  In other words, live the golden rule.  Help each other through tragedy and our lives together will be rewarding in this life and beyond.

Some thoughts on "how to build a terrific team?" ~ John J. Arent

Over the years I have seen some great teams put together in sports and more importantly for our subject, the business world.  There are several key qualities that I wanted to list to help you build that "dream team".  to make this article brief, I am going to limit my thoughts to just 5 qualities...Please feel free to add more and I encourage you to do so by your comments.  Let's start with:

1. COMMUNICATION ~ You want to staff your team with people who are not afraid to speak up and offer a different point of view.  By sharing ideas respectfully, a true team can emerge.  Also do not forget that the most important part of communication is listening!
2. Blending of various backgrounds ~ As most successful investors preach diversity, it is those managers and leaders who can bring together a group of people with various bckground and insights which will help build a strong, unbeatable team.  Expand your thinking beyond just talent, but also consider culture, experience, education, geography.
3. Cultural Fit ~ In earlier articles I shared with you my thoughts on cultural fit and core values.  Do not under any circumstance allow for anyone not meeting the standards of the company to join the team.
4. Volunteer traits ~ Look for people who are active in their communities.  Generally these individuals are team oriented who are quite passionate about reaching goals.  Volunteers are generally very positive and outgoing Never forget that belief and passion is contagious.  Those colleagues who have a good positive attitude can move mountains....conversely those with bad attitudes can destroy one within minimal time.  This is especially true during times of crisis....who do you want on your team...someone who will persevere or someone who quits!
5. "Gut" feeling ~ Never lose sight of your gut feeling about people.  It rarely lies!

I hope that these ideas may "turn on the lightbulb".  In any case, I enjoyed putting my thoughts together and look forward to hearing from you....All my best!

How to gain ownership ~ John J. Arent

One of the most frequent questions that I have received from my managers and others who want to develop into managers is "How can I set goals for my direct reports that will help them be motivated?"  There may be some people who do not believe what I am about to say, but that is ok...I strongly believe that in order to motivate someone, their goals have to be generated by their inner self.  

Goals and targets are strong motivating factors for all employees but only when your employee feels that he is moving towards a goal that he/she has been a part of.  The manager can help draw out the goal and the strategies but in the end, for the goal to be truly motivational, it needs to have the employee "own" it.

Keep in mind that each employee is unique.  You need to first identify the needs of your employees to better serve them. Each individual possesses certain needs and expectation from their management.  If you are not connected and "dialed in" to your people you will more than likely off target.  Take time to get to know your people, what makes them tick and how you can best serve them!

I have written a number of articles on this subject.  Please review my entire blog and sort on team-building and employee motivation.  

I hope that this is helpful and please feel free to share!  All my best!

Be Thankful ~ John J Arent

I have been out of the loop for the past month or so and hope to continue my blog in the coming weeks.  I appreciate the many comments that you have sent to me.  With nearly 15,000 views of the blog, I am quite humbled and plan to re-engineer the blog shortly  I recently came across a quote that I wanted to share with you as a "Friday" gift...

"To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have."   Ken S, Keyes, Jr.

Have a great weekend!  John

Life defines CHARACTER ~ John J Arent

"Life is full of setbacks...your CHARACTER is determined by how you handle those setbacks"

John J Arent

Innovation ~ John J Arent

Innovation requires that you think "outside the box"....  This is what many people feel when they think about innovation.  My thoughts on this is that you not only have to think outside the box....but you literally have to blow it up...Get out of habit and start on a fresh new adventure.  True innovation is not just improving a particular product but it is in discovery of new and exciting revolutionary ideas.

How far will you go in your career....it depends! don't get stuck in the box!

Build on your STRENGTHS ~ John J Arent

Comments over the years and research from most executive training sites illustrate the need to build on STRENGTHS to become truly adroit in what you do.  This is not to underestimate the deficiencies that we all have but it does focus on "needs" areas where a little bit of lagniappe goes a long way in advancing our skill sets.

Take a few minutes to write down your strengths and development areas that you want to work on....Once you have them limit yourself to no more than 3 skill sets at a given time.  Work on these skills by taking two of your strengths and one development area...You will be amazed at how this 2-1 focus will help you not only attain your goals but be resilient to stay focused on your overall plan.

Too often, much is discussed about the areas that we need to improve drastically.  Focusing on them can be discouraging and sometimes we can surrender ourselves in the process.  Take pride in the things that you do well, but always remember there is additional room for improvement.

You need this to be a LEADER ~ John J Arent

Over this past weekend, I watched a number of sports teams in person and on TV.  One common thing that I saw in all the games was LEADERSHIP.  In the NFL pre-season games, when a QB made a poor throw, he acknowledged that it was his fault.  We have all seen it in many sports where a player recognizes his mistake and takes the blame.  One of my favorite times of the year is late August when the Little League World Series takes place in Williamsport. PA.  I had the honor and privilege to tour this site a number of years and spend hours in the museum.  The names of the "now famous" leaders in our times are immortalized on the museums walls.  I often wondered if the core values learned in competitive youth sports served these eventual leaders in their careers...

In the Little League WORLD SERIES, a throwing error was acknowledged by the player who threw wildly to first base. So often during the high stress level that is associated with competitive sports, the humbling acknowledgement by players prove what they are really all about.   I realize that not all of this is true acknowledgement that we are imperfect at times...but from what I have observed over the years and have learned from my mentors...True Leadership is the ability to show HUMILITY.

Let's take a lesson from our youth and humble ourselves and admit that we may be wrong...What are your thoughts?

Will you soar or will you bore? ~ John J Arent

Soar like an Eagle or Bore like a gopher...what do you want in your life?

The best advice that I received over the years is to set yourself apart from others by always being POSITIVE.  Keep that positive, can-do spirit and achieve greatness in your actions.

As I have stated previously, "If you expect to win, you more than likely will...if you expect to lose, there is no doubt that you will!"

Avoid negative people, negative gossip and actions that will deter you from your goals.

Body Language supports what you say ~ John J Arent

In selling situations, be very careful to ensure that what you say is being backed up by your body language....Body language can make or break a contract.  Being aware of what your body is saying can help you win that new contract or job.  Keep in mind the following:

• Are you smiling?
• Are you paying attention?
• Eye Contact?
• Posture?
• How is your confidence?
• Hand Shake?
• Are you being open?
• Make sure your arms are not crossed.
• Palms up and arms open.
• Observe personal space
• Show interest by "moving closer"

These are a few body language signals that could make or break you.  If you have others, please comment on the blog.  Thanks and have a great day!

Winning is not the only thing - John J Arent

"The Coach who truly cares about what he does and who he helps is successful beyond what the score says" - John J Arent

Beliefs ~ Behaviors - John J Arent

"It is not your merely your belief system but rather your behaviors that are important"  - John J Arent

#1 way to get that new job! ~ John J Arent

There are many facets of the interview process that are important.  Often times when you have a strong background and have accomplished much....you may begin to sound boring...Particularly for those with many years of experience you need to be well-prepared and above all....

Emphasize “Precision in your responses”. Keep your responses short and on target to the question that was asked. Certainly you want to be engaging and thorough, but be careful not to drone on. What may sound exciting to you based on your experience and recall tends to be "babble" to your interviewer. Include examples and incorporate actual circumstances and outcomes whenever possible in your responses.

Good luck!  JJA