IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Feature Article - Make It So
Words to Inspire
Guest Column - Eight Characteristics of Leadership
Resources for You

WELCOME

Happy New Year and welcome to each of you! May your New Year be filled with great joy and prosperity. We are delighted to send you another issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS. Thank you for joining us.

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Tip of the Month: If you want to energize your mind, body and spirit, Check out "Take Five" at http://www.coachexecs.com
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Make It So!

Ready or not the New Year is here! Are your friends asking you about your resolutions and goals for 2002? Have you asked yourself what you want and how you will get it? The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to design a life and business that works for you.

In years past did you have good intentions of starting an exercise program, losing those extra 15 pounds, making more money, and being kinder to others? How long did those intentions last? Was it a week, a month, or two months before you started to slide back into old patterns on behavior? You found your good intentions fading into the sunset.

Intentions aren't enough to sustain making changes. You need to also be committed to achieving your goals and be willing to do what it takes to make those goals come true. Think about a goal you achieved last year. What was different about that goal versus the ones you let slip away? Were you more committed to that goal and more willing to take steps to make it happen?

We know that success is not an accident! It requires knowing what you want and then creating a plan to get it. That's where goals come into play. How can you achieve results without goals to keep you focused and moving in the right direction?

Here are three practical strategies to help you increase your commitment and willingness to create the life you want and make your dreams come true.

First, create a vision. Know what you want to achieve. Create pictures to make your vision real. Make a collage of your vision so you can reach out and touch it. See yourself already having what you want and being who you want to be. Having a strong vision will help you hurdle all those road blocks and obstacles that seem to appear as your dream gets closer to becoming reality.

Second, write down your goals. Your mind is bombarded with so much new information every day that it becomes difficult to remember the specifics of your goals. Writing your goals down allows you to clarify and objectify what you are doing. Connecting your goals to your vision is a proven way to achieve your ultimate dreams.

Third, break down your goals. Small bites are easier to swallow than big bites. Breaking goals down into a manageable size encourages you to do a little more every day. Taking continuous small steps keeps you in action and moving forward. Notice how your self- confidence increases with those small steps.

How serious are you about creating abundance and prosperity in 2002? Do you want to live and work by design or default? If you choose a life by design, just apply the above three strategies and you will be in charge of creating what you want and how you get it. In Star Trek language, "make it so"!
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WORDS TO INSPIRE

"The beginning is the most important part of the work."
Plato

"In dreams begins responsibility."
William Yeats

"If you don't know where you are going, then it doesn't matter which road you take, does it?"
The Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland
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GUEST ARTICLE

Eight Characteristics of Leadership:
The Leadership Strength Inventory by Paula Taylor

Leadership is everyone's responsibility. Regardless of your
position or job function, you can and should demonstrate
leadership.

Rate yourself on each of the eight characteristics of
leadership using a 1 to 5 scale. Consider a rating of 5
to be outstanding and a rating of 1 to be poor.
Leaders are strong in these characteristics. How strong
are you?

Leaders . . .
1. Envision the Future Confidently While Seeing
the Present Realistically.
Leaders are future oriented, imaginative and excited by
change, but they also have a firm grasp on the realities
of the present.

2. Communicate their Vision Clearly and Enthusiastically.
Leaders communicate their vision when they speak, when they
write and in their actions. Having a vision and not being
able to communicate it is as useless as having no vision at all.

3. Motivate and Inspire Others to Participate with Them.
Leaders know they can accomplish very little alone. People
participate when they feel connected and part of a shared
vision. Strong leaders ignite that connection. Do people
join you willingly?

4. Recognize and Take Advantage of Opportunities.
Leaders sense opportunities, are prepared to act and are
willing to take risks. They are flexible when it comes to
timing and persistent when it comes to pushing their vision.
Are you prepared? Do you know how to balance and evaluate
opportunity and risk?

5. Encourage Others to Act and Grow Strong.
Strong leaders surround themselves with strong people.
They encourage ideas, opinions, dissent and risk taking.
Leaders do not fear controversy or bad news.
Do people tell you what you need to know or what they think
you want to hear? How strong are the people around you?

6. Model the Behavior They Expect of Others.
If anything, leaders set higher standards for themselves
than for others. Leaders serve as models for those around them.
They teach by example.

7. Provide Recognition and Rewards.
Leaders share the credit and shoulder the blame. They use
mistakes as opportunities for learning and successes as
opportunities for celebration. How do you treat success and
failure?

8. Possess and Demonstrate Character.
Although there are many ways to define character, two
character attributes that stand out among strong leaders
are empathy and trust. Leaders are empathetic toward
others, and they have a positive view of people. They
trust people to do the right thing.
What character attributes do you possess and how well do
you demonstrate them?

Leadership can be learned. To be a strong leader,
you must have strong skills. The stronger you are
in all eight characteristics, the stronger your will be
as a leader.

Copyright (c) 2001 Paula Taylor. All rights reserved.

Paula Taylor is the founder and President of TaylorGroup
a consulting and training firm dedicated to improving
business effectiveness by focusing on the strategy,
skills and service of companies and their people.
Visit TaylorGroup's website:
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RESOURCES FOR YOU

Here are two great books to challenge your actions as you begin the New Year. I've recommended them before as powerful resources. The recommendation still holds.

Success Is Not An Accident by Tommy Newberry is an inspiring practical easy to digest book. Take the time to read it and you will understand how and why success is a choice. Success is what you make happen! Use his goal setting technique to create extraordinary results. Check it out on the resource page at http://www.coachexecs.com