Is It Better to Be Pushy... or a Pushover?
By Michael Masterson
Are you a pushy person? Not sure? Take this test: - Do you find that your subordinates often work more slowly than you would like them to?
- Do you worry that they do not entirely understand how to get the job done right?
- At the start of a project, do you worry that they won't make the deadline?
- Do you find yourself thinking that it would be easier to do things yourself than to delegate them?
If you answered "yes" to three or four of these questions, you are almost certainly pushy. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Pushy people get things done. Being pushy isn't a choice, it's part of your personality. And our personalities are pretty well imprinted by the time we are teenagers. Problem is, being pushy can interfere with your ability to interact with other people. By being aware of your natural inclination to be a bit of an autocrat, you can keep that from happening. If you know that you have a tendency to be pushy, focus on being diplomatic, courteous, and fair. If, on the other hand, you know that you have a tendency to be a pushover, focus on asserting yourself and saying "no" to delegated tasks that don't advance your career. -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- Your Website Is the Crossroads of the World - Imagine if you could open up a store in the "Times Square of the Internet." But instead of the 26 million people who pass through Times Square every year, you got 91 million "passersby" -- every day! It's very easy (and cheap) to do. And with Bob Bly's help, you could see income in just a few weeks. Read more...
"Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire." Arnold H. Glasow Is It Time to Rethink Your Career?
By Brian Tracy A great number of people spend their lives doing something they don't enjoy during the week, always looking forward to the weekend. They refer to Monday as "Blue Monday" and to Wednesday as "Hump Day." At the end of the week, they say "Thank God It's Friday!" These are men and women with very little in the way of a future. They look upon their jobs as a form of drudgery, a penance they have to pay in order to enjoy their free time. And because of this attitude, they have trouble making progress. They stay pretty much where they are, always wondering why other people seem to be living the good life while they feel like they are living a life of quiet desperation. At my seminars, people frequently ask me what they can do to be more successful. In almost every case, they are working at a job they don't like, for a boss they don't particularly respect, producing or selling products or services for customers they don't care about. And many of them think that if they just hang in there long enough, the clouds will part and everything will get better for them. But in order to advance -- in order to move up to more difficult, more interesting, and higher-paid positions -- you must become extremely good at what you are doing right now. If you don't have the desire to be very good at your job, that means you are probably in the wrong one. Too many people do their work in a mediocre way, with the idea that, when the right job comes along, then they will really work hard. But the right job never comes along. They are always passed over for promotions. They are always the last ones hired and the first ones laid off. What about you? Are you in the right job? Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself what you would like to do if you only had six months left to live. What would you choose to do if you won a million dollars in the lottery tomorrow? What sort of work would you do if you were absolutely guaranteed of success in your field? If there were no limits on your abilities and opportunities -- if you had no debts, no problems, no commitments -- what would be your ideal career? Research shows that the things people liked to do between the ages of 7 and 14 were a very good indicator of what they would be most successful at as adults. A man at one of my seminars told me that when he was 7 he loved to build model airplanes. As he got older, he built more and more complicated planes. By the time he was 14, he was building them with engines and flying them in contests. Today, he is 35 years old. He has a degree in aeronautical engineering. He designs small aircraft. In addition, he owns an aircraft maintenance company and an air charter firm. He is a multi-millionaire, and he feels like he has never worked a day in his life. He has always done what he loved to do from the time he was a boy. If you're not sure of your true calling, ask the people closest to you. Ask them, "What do you think would be the very best thing for me to do with my life?" It is amazing how the people around you -- your spouse, your best friends, your parents -- can clearly see what you should be doing when you cannot see it yourself. Project yourself forward five years, and imagine that your entire life is perfect in every respect. Imagine that you are doing exactly the right job for you, in exactly the right place, with exactly the right people, and earning exactly the amount you want to earn. What would that look like? Where would you be, and what would you be doing? Who would you be with, and how would you have changed? When you have that picture in your head, think about the steps you would have to take to get from where you are today to where you want to be in five years. What skills would you have to develop? What information would you have to acquire? What obstacles would you have to overcome? Success comes from being excellent at what you do. The market pays excellent rewards only for excellent performance. It pays average rewards for average performance, and below-average rewards for below-average performance. All really successful and happy people know in their hearts that they are very good at what they do. And if you are doing what you really love and enjoy, if you are following your true calling, you will know it too. [Ed. Note: Rethinking your career? Brian Tracy's new how-to book, Reinvention, will show you that it's never too late. Reinvention teaches you the 7 steps you need to take to change your life. This book will enable you to reinvent yourself by capitalizing on your talents, skills, and experience to work in a career you love! It all starts today!] -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- No Silver Spoons Here - Success mentor Bob Cox knows first hand that hard work trumps talent. He helped four men go from rags to riches. Each one became a billionaire thanks to their work ethic. They also had an attitude, a mindset, that drove them to succeed. It's something you can learn. Why not let Bob help you...
How to Increase Response by 15 Percent Just by Changing a Few Words in Your Copy
By Bob Bly
Years ago, I had a client who sold utility software for IBM mainframes. He would send out a letter with a technical description of the software and its function. He would offer to send the software on magnetic tape for a "free 30-day trial." That was (and still is) an industry standard. One day, he made a minor change to his offer. Instead of "a free 30-day trial," he said, "Use this software free for 30 days." Much to his amazement, response to all his mailings increased by 15 percent. When he asked his buyers why this made such a difference to them, they explained that the word "trial" was a turnoff. It made them think of all the extra work they would have to do in order to try out the software for 30 days. They would have to come to the office late at night, take systems offline, interrupt service, and possibly lose files. But being able to "use" the software at no cost was immensely appealing to them. What can we learn from this? 1. The wording of your offer is important -- not a trivial afterthought. 2. You never know which offer will pull best unless you test several different ones. 3. If you can't understand the appeal of the winning offer, talk to some of your customers and find out what it is. You might learn something that will help you make your offer even stronger. Forget the Bread -- but You Can Still Have the Butter By Jon Herring
Managing Editor, Total Health Breakthroughs Contrary to what you may have heard, butter can be a very healthy food. Organic, whole-milk butter from grass-fed cows is loaded with vitamins A, D, E, and K, trace minerals, and the potent cancer fighter conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Grass-fed butter also has a healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. However, all these benefits are compromised when the butter is made from milk that comes from grain-fed cows. Besides lacking nutrients, the fat composition of this butter is distorted. That turns it into a health risk instead of a health enhancer. If you enjoy butter, go ahead and eat it. But be sure it's the organic, grass-fed kind. You can find a supplier in your local area by visiting RealMilk.com or EatWild.com.
A Small Thing That Can Make a Productive Difference
By Michael Masterson About two years ago, BK, a retired publisher who does more work in one day than most working publishers do in a week, shared one of his secrets with me. Wherever he goes, he carries in his pocket a very small pad of paper and a pencil. He uses these not only to jot down phone numbers and the like but also to record those fleeting good ideas -- big and small -- that seem to come when we are least prepared to make note of them. You are watching your kid play soccer. The goalie makes a spectacular stop. It triggers an idea about how to get your secretary to keep people from interrupting you in the morning. It's the kind of idea that would make your life a little better if you could just remember it. Instead of a pad of paper, I use 3 x 5 index cards that I keep in a small leather case. And I take BK's idea one step further. I not only have a blank card on which to jot down my random thoughts, I have four additional cards on which I list my yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals. I review my cards each morning and consult them whenever I have a spare moment. And it really is helpful. Why not try it and see what happens? I think you'll be surprised by how much more "on top of things" you'll be in just a few days.
Latest News -
Yesterday, MaryEllen Tribby, ETR's former Publisher and CEO, shared some important secrets about her new business and explained how she can help you. Thousands have already signed up to be part of this life-changing community. I encourage you to do the same right here.
"A positive contribution." "I've been a fan and admirer since reading Automatic Wealth in the winter of 2006 while I was in military service. It guided me when I really had no idea of what my next step was. Mr. Masterson, your ideas have made a positive contribution to every part of my life." MW
Taipei, Taiwan
-----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended----------------------------------------------------- Need Help With Your Offer? - Bob Bly just gave you a great example of how the right offer can totally turn your sales around. But if you are having trouble figuring out how to apply that lesson to your business, ETR can help. In the Internet Cash Generator, Bob walks you through this and every other step of creating your own profitable Internet business. Find out all about it here.
Today's Words That Work: Autocrat An autocrat (AW-tuh-krat) -- from the Greek for "ruling by oneself" -- is an absolute monarch. By extension, it is any person who exercises authority in a domineering way. Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): "Problem is, being pushy can interfere with your ability to interact with other people. By being aware of your natural inclination to be a bit of an autocrat, you can keep that from happening."
We want your feedback! Let us know your thoughts on today's issue. Email us at: AskETR@ETRFeedback.com | 
No comments:
Post a Comment