Make Plans Firm And Flexible

Set and use objectives the way an airplane pilot uses schedules and flight plans. With schedules the airline sets a goal to be in a city of destination at a certain time. They plan the route in the flight plan. So they have a goal and a plan, however, they are flexible to change in response to situations, weather conditions and other hazards. They may decide to fly around or over bad weather and if the destination airport is closed they quickly choose an alternative landing ground as close to their original destination as possible. Make your plans firm yet flexible!

Play For Position

Should you ever study championship billiard players you will find they have almost equal capabilities to pocket the next ball, all other things being equal. However, the winning advantage usually belongs to the player with the best acumen to predict and position himself well for the next shot. Most successful business people similarly look a few steps ahead in a sales situation or in deal making. It is a good idea to do as the great chess players do and always play position for the next move.

Create Conditions For Success

As a contributor in a team you create value by getting your job done and producing results. When you are in a leadership role your primary value creation comes from getting the team to deliver the results. As a leader your responsibility is to create the conditions for success. Putting the right people and processes in place, building trust, raising morale, creating a good environment to help the members of your team to perform at their highest potential.

Speculate With Your Time And Effort

In general terms I am not a proponent of speculation. Personally I never gamble in the casino or the lottery. I would rather gamble in places where the odds were stacked in my favor, you see. From a business development perspective however, it makes all the sense in the world to devote a portion of your time to speculative efforts. Try new things! Develop your marketing programs. Speculate with your time and effort in order to accumulate. You got to be in it to win it!

Samurai Decision Making

The fear of making a bad decision stalls most decision makers at times. In many situations it is better to make any decision than no decision at all. You see, doing nothing is really a decision to maintain status quo. The samurai lived by a simple creed - no hesitation, no doubt, no surprise, no fear. Of course you need a little time to think hard before major decisions but once you make up your mind, get on with it swiftly. Make your decisions timely, wisely, and responsibly.

Ask Questions To Learn More

Sometimes when you ask an open ended question you still only get a short reply. No problem! Here are a few tips how you can get more information. Just be silent and let the silence draw out the other person. You can say "And...?" or "Therefore...?" in an inquiring tone of voice. Finally you can ask follow up questions to get the other person to speak more. Say something along the lines of; "What does that mean for you?" or "And how is that better?"

It's A Small World After All

It is safe to say that due to technology and globalization the world is getting smaller. There is a theory about six degrees of separation, suggesting that you can get in contact with anyone on the planet through the linkage between your friends and their respective acquaintances in no more than six steps. Social networking experiments on the Internet verifies this is plausible. So what can you do with this piece of information? Figure out ways to stay in touch with business associates, friends, classmates, previous co-workers etc. Work your end of the network. You never know when an introduction may come in handy.