I recently started asking myself a few questions when I found I no longer enjoyed my job. Why do I work, and more importantly why do I work a job that I don’t like? It’s just not worth it to pursue a cearrer you don’t enjoy, and I think I need a new path. That just leads to more questions like what job would I like.

My primary question to myself was why I even work at all. The picture I always have in my head when I’m slaving away is the thought of my kids gather happily around the {christmas wreath}. That’s the image that get’s me out of bed in the morning. The business world is not a gentle nice place, nor is it fun, and when I start to think of it as a means to a bi-weekly check then I come to the conclusion that it just isn’t worthwhile.

Next I thought about activities I enjoy. I like fishing! I could be a fisherman?  No that doesn’t sound as fun as the fishing I do. Then I thought that I like coaching my son’s football team. I suppose I could be a school teacher. I actually probably would like that, but the idea of going back to school for two more years, at my age, just doesn’t seem worth it.

No I guess when I really think about it I’m stuck in my job for a few more years. Retirement is close enough that I really guess I can cope. My jobs not that bad anyway. It’s really participating in the rat race that is really hard for me, playing the game. That’s  it, I’ll just stop playing! I’ll relax and let the world go by. I’ll no longer take my cell home during my off hours, or update spreadsheets in front of the TV. My boss can’t can me. My severance package alone would take me past my planned retirement.
Maybe this year I’ll just slack off, hang a decorated christmas wreath with the kids, and make some real memories. Well there that alone gives me a year to look forward to. A merry Christmas, and a new years resolution to do less work. That’s one I may actually keep.

The best new ideas are often old ideas brought back to life. Sometimes the ideas are altered to fit particular circumstances but, many times, the application is altered to fit current circumstances.

Over twenty years ago, when I was in the financial services industry, I decided to alter our business from commission-based to charging a monthly fee based on a percentage of assets. This was a radical thought at the time because the brokerage business was based on commissions. The change was also difficult to execute because it took some time for monthly income (based on a lower rate) to catch up to handle current overhead. The change required confidence that the new monthly fees would last and we had to temporarily cut overhead at the same time.

Fortunately, it proved to be the best decision I ever made in business. Since that pivotal moment, I have never had a business that did not have a continuity component attached to it. Additionally, every business we consult with is taught the value of continuity and has it structured into their business plan. Refer to voice recovery infrastructure for more information.

Continuity income is simply income that is based on a monthly plan or membership program. If you have a continuity program, you can count on a certain income stream coming in each month whether you find a new client or not. This is not to say that you do not need to keep looking for new clients, because you do. Instead, it is a mechanism that produces income so that, should you have a bad month in finding new business, or should the economy falter, you still have money coming in regularly, allowing for time to make adjustments. If you do not have a continuity program in your business or profession at this time you have to get a certain amount of new customers or you are going to have serious problems in a short amount of time.

The ideal goal in a continuity program is for the continuity to first cover your monthly overhead. When you do that, all new business goes to profit and expansion. The next goal is to make money just on your continuity.

When we present the continuity factor to clients, some have an immediate experience. Others struggle with how the application could possibly be structured into their business. These clients frequently say the same thing: But my business is different. Trust us. It’s not. Let me give you some examples so you can see the applications of continuity in different businesses. Our goal is for you to consider how continuity can be applied to your business so you can enjoy its benefits. For more information visit business continuity management toolkit

A real estate broker in Iowa works exclusively with investors. He has a successful track record of finding good income-producing properties. He offers a tiered continuity program where investors pay different amounts each month for the opportunity to be higher up on his investor list in order to see new properties first. For $1,000 per month, you get to see them immediately. In addition, he must agree to work with you exclusively and give you a fee as a buyer’s broker when you buy the property. He also represents you when you sell the property. The continuity factor in his business takes the pressure off having to find something new in a particular month.

Frequently, continuity is designed around a marketing service or an ad campaign that a company has developed to consistently produce new clients. For example, a client we are working with has a commercial cleaning company. They have developed a very successful lead generation system. We are developing a monthly payment program based on providing leads to other cleaning companies in non-competitive areas that pay a fee for the exclusive rights to those proven marketing methods.

Our latest client is a pizza business, which our law firm is franchising. The pizza delivery company sells a monthly membership service that gives discounts and higher priority for phone orders based on membership levels.

And to blow your mind even more: We actually know of a funeral director that guarantees recovery for the family of a lost one and charges a continuity fee for counseling and grief services.

Continuity in your business will improve your income and your stress level. We encourage you to think about how continuity can be used in your business.

Visit revive for more information.

Leadership: WORLDWIDE ISSUE FOR THE NEXT DECADE.

First of all, What’s the motivation to be a leader?

The answer is not really easy, but it is not difficult either. In fact, the world today is much more interconnected than several decades ago, and the studies show that the world will be even more interconnected in the next 50 years.

What does it mean? In simple terms: team work, collaborative work and other initiatives are going to be daily activities, and of course not only confined to your work but to your life too. So big are the implications that leaders will be required to help the teams reach their goals.

Chances are you’ll be in more than one team at once, and with several asignments on each of the workgroups.

Amazing Leaders

Won’t you agree that Martin Luther King Jr,Nelson Mandela,Margaret Thatcher have something in common?

That’s easy:They were oustanding leaders.

Through the years we have been delighted to see exceptional leaders to be over their peers and move empires towards big achievements, to stand out over the worst circumstances.

Great leaders have two qualities in common, citing Warren Bennis in his book “Learning to Lead”:

1. A leader knows that leaders are made and not born.
2. A leader keeps growing and learning every single day.

In Bennis’ book, you can trace a couple of steps to become a leader:

1. Get the people you want to lead, to “buy” your vision (or shared objectives).
2. Generate and Sustain Trust.

Please read “the formula” once more and try to check if any of the famous names previously mentioned pass the test. I’m sure you’ll find that all of them totally pass the test. Let’s check the steps of the recipe and check how can we become real leaders.

Spreading The Vision

This is as essential as breathing in and out for living to happen. If you can not sell your vision, certainly you are not leading. Leading is opening the way towards that known vision. You have is to present that destination as a [desirable] land for all of your teammates. That vision has to resonate in the followers minds and hearts.

Building Trust

• Be competent, show you know what you’re doing.
• Be congruent, do what you say and say what you do. Don’t let your actions speak something different from your words.
• Be supportive, stay on the side of your team.
• Be empathic, take care of your people.

It seems too easy but the formula to turn yourself into a proficient leader is not. Leadership has to do with your ability to lead, and that ability is one you need to develop.

Remember Leadership IS A WORLDWIDE NEED FOR THE NEXT DECADE.