• Skip to main content

Quantum Achievement

Expansive Clarity

  • Meet Mitchel
  • YPO
  • Programs
    • Executive Coaching
    • Couples
    • Family Business
    • Team Coaching
  • Testimonials
  • Explore
  • Contact

Pathways to Wonder

Words of Great Power

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. Man does not weave this web of life; he is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”
Chief Seattle, chief of the Suquamis

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their views, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.  Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and bow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
Tecumseh-Shawnee

“Real Education consists of drawing the best out of yourself.”
Mohatma Mohandas Ghandi

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, while in the expert’s mind there are few.”
Suzuki Roshi

“Keep me from the wisdom that does not weep, and the philosophy that does not laugh, and the pride that does not bow its head before a child.”
Kahlil Gibran

“Nothing happens without personal transformation.”
W.Edward Deming

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it is amazing what they can accomplish.”
Sam Walton

“No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.”
Albert Einstein

“If you want to be a leader, you have to be a real human being. You must recognize the true meaning of life before you can become a great leader. You must understand yourself first.”
Master Nan

“The true nature of anything is the highest it can become.”
Aristotle

“O’ GREAT SPIRIT, help me always to speak the truth quietly, to listen with an open mind when others speak, and to remember the peace that may be found in silence.”
Cherokee Prayer

“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”
John F. Kennedy

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”
Helen Keller

“Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day’s work. I follow in building the principles which nature has used in its domain.”
Frank Lloyd Wright

“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle.”
Albert Einstein

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.”
Buddha

“Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward; for there you have been, there you long to return.”
Leonardo Da Vinci

“I want to know God’s thoughts. The rest are details.”
Albert Einstein

“And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.”
Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“From the space between compassion and courage emerges freedom.”
Marti Foster

“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.”
Jimi Hendrix

“A clever man commits no minor blunders.”
Goethe

“Never mistake motion for action.”
Ernest Hemingway

“We do not deal much in facts when we are contemplating ourselves.”
Mark Twain

“If you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”
Henry Ford

“In becoming a champion, you learn a lot more from your losses than from your wins.”
Chuck McKinley

“Don’t stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed.”
George Burns

“Turn what has been done into a better path. Think about the impact of your decision on seven generations into the future.”
Wilma Mankiller

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.”
Vince Lombardi

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Walt Disney

“Life doesn’t require that we be the best—only that we try our best.”
Jackson Brown Jr.

“Don’t compromise yourself, you’re all you’ve got.”
Janice Joplin

“When you stop comparing what is right here and now with what you wish were, you begin to enjoy what is.”
Cheri Huber

“You can observe a lot just by watching.”
Yogi Berra

“Answers make us wise. Questions make us human.”
Unknown

“The only thing that exists is the present. It has no beginning and no end. The future is… Now!”
Unknown

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”
Herbert Spencer

“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”
Unknown

“Without Vision, the people perish.”
Proverbs 29:18

“There is one thing stronger than all the armies of the world, and that is, an idea whose time has come.”
Victor Hugo

“If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.”
John D. Rockefeller

“Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say, ‘why not?’”
Robert F. Kennedy

“There is not heavier burden than great potential.”
Charlie Brown

“Man cannot discover new oceans until he has courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Unknown

“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their mind.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Tell me, I may listen. Teach me, I may remember. Involve me, I will do it.”
Chinese proverb

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”
Schuller

“The key to growing up is to have one’s eyes opened without having one’s heart hardened.”
Olivier Guisan

“An angry man opens his mouth and shuts up his eyes.”
Unknown

“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Prepare now for death so as to intensify and fulfill your life.”
Stephen Levine

“Letting go of our suffering is the hardest work we will ever do.”
Buddha

“Life is what is happening while you are busy making other plans.”
John Lennon

“A happy life begins with tranquility of mind.”
Cicero

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”
Unknown

“And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
T.S. Elliot

Filed Under: Curated, Pathways to Wonder

Spiritual Journaling Process

Reflect and journal: Write a two-sentence answer to the following questions

 

PROCESS 1

Who am I?

What does your answer reveal about what you value?

In what areas of my life am I most prone to self-rejection?

 

PROCESS 2

Do you want to feel a peace of mind and joy and happiness that is not dependent on how other people view or feel about you?

How can this become possible for me?

Is it OK for me to be happy and fulfilled?

Why is it OK for me to be happy and fulfilled?

Is this important and why?

 

PROCESS 3

Make a list of all your fears in every domain of your life?

Write about conflicting beliefs?

I’m not good enough?

I am afraid to succumb to praise?

It is conceited to accept praise?

It isn’t ok to feel too good about what I accomplish?

I can’t feel too good about what I accomplish?

 

PROCESS 4

Write my spiritual autobiography?

What are my first memories of G-d?

What is my concept of G-d?

Who influenced it?

Filed Under: Curated, Pathways to Wonder

Guidance for Starting a Business

PROFILE OF AN ENTREPRENEUR

A first and often overlooked step is to determine WHY you want to go into business.

From the list below, check the reasons that apply to you.

Do you enjoy being your own boss?
Are you a good leader?
Are you a confident person?
Do you want to improve your standard of living?
Do you adapt well to changes?
Are you a good organizer?
Do you plan ahead?
Do you like to make your own decisions?
Do you have will power and self discipline?
Do you enjoy competition?
Are you a self starter?
Do you realize that many business owners work 60 to 80 hours a week?
Do you have work experience in the type of business you are considering?

The checklist above cannot tell you whether or not you should be in business, but it will give some areas to consider. A “yes” answer should be considered a good indicator and a “no” answer indicates some potential problem areas. You should carefully consider the “no” answers and determine how you will deal with problems that may arise. After reviewing the results of this exercise ask yourself one final question: “Would you be better off working for some else?”

PITFALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

  • Being your own boss can have many advantages and disadvantages. Take a few moments to examine each statement carefully and think about how it may apply to you.

Opportunities

  • Being your own boss and not having to report to a superior.
  • Having the independence and authority to make your own business decisions.
  • Direct contact with customers, employees, suppliers and others.
  • The personal satisfaction and sense of achievement that comes with being a success, plus the recognition that goes with it.
  • The opportunity to create substantial wealth and job security for yourself.
  • The opportunity to be creative and to develop your own idea, product or service.
  • The chance to make a living doing something you truly enjoy.
  • Doing something that contributes to others, whether it be providing an excellent
    product or service, providing employment, paying dividends to stockholders, or
    doing something else that is useful or that creates value.

Pitfalls

  • In many ways you are still not your own boss. Instead of having one boss, you will
    have many – your customers or the government agency to whom you must report.
  • There is a larger financial risk. The failure rate is high in new businesses, and you may lose not only your own money but also that of your friends and relatives who may have bankrolled you.
  • The hours are long and hard. When you start your business, you will no longer be working 9 – 5. Count on working 10, 12, or even 15 hour days, often six or seven days a week.
  • You will not have much spare time for family or social life. And you can forget about taking any long vacations for the first few years since the business is unlikely to run itself without your presence for any long length of time.
  • Your income may not be steady like a salary. You may make more or less than you would working for someone else. But in either case, your income may fluctuate up and down from month to month.
  • The buck stops with you. If a problem arises, there is no boss you can take it to and say ‘What do we do about this?” You are the boss and all the responsibility is yours.
  • As a business grows, the amount of activity now associated with the primary business objective will increase. You will spend more time on personnel, administrative and legal matters and less doing what you may have wanted most to do in your business.
  • Increasing legislation and litigation make owning a business risky. You can work a lifetime to build a business only to have it lost because of a lawsuit or a new law or regulation

THE BASICS

Identifying the Market

Remember, no matter how good you think your product or service is, what the customer thinks is what really counts. And, even if your product or service is well-liked, you need to be sure that your customers will buy from you often enough, and in large enough quantities to consistently generate the revenues needed to support and maintain your business and make a profit.

  • The product or service
    • What evidence is there of a need for the prospective service or product?
    • How will you price it?
    • Why is it unique?
    • Why will customers prefer your product/service over the alternatives?
  • The customers
    • What kinds of people have a need for your product/service?
    • Is the population of prospective customers large enough to support your business?
    • How often will the typical customer use your product or service?
    • Is the customer base growing or shrinking?
  • The competition
    • Who are your competitors and how large are they?
    • Where are they located?
    • How do they price their products/services?
    • How are their operations similar or different from yours?
    • How many similar companies were opened last year?
    • How many similar companies went out of business lost year?
  • Location of your business
    • Is the location properly zoned for your type of business or service?
    • Is there adequate parking available for customers and employees?
    • If customer traffic is important to your business, is it adequate in the proposed location?
    • Is there room for expansion in the future?
    • Is the property well maintained?

You can determine the answers to these questions through market research that may involve
talking to potential customers and future competitors or looking at census data.

WHAT FORM WILL YOUR BUSINESS TAKE?

There are four major legal forms of business organization to meet the different personal and
business needs of business owners. Listed from the simplest to the most complex they are:

  • The sole proprietorship
  • The partnership
  • The corporation – C corporation and S corporation
  • The limited liability company (LLC)
  • Sole Proprietorship
    • Most common form of business ownership
    • Owner runs the business
    • No shareholders
    • Inseparable from owner
    • Advantages
      • Quick, easy and in-expensive to set up.
      • Sole ownership of profits.
      • One owner has control and decision making power.
      • No separate taxation.
    • Disadvantages
      • Unlimited owner liability.
      • Difficulty in raising outside capital.
      • Business may dissolve when owner dies.
  • Partnership
    • Traditional form of business ownership for professional organizations like legal and accounting firms.
    • Owned by two or more people.
    • A written partnership agreement is essential.
    • Inseparable from partners but can have debt and property in its name.
    • Advantages
      • Ease of formation.
      • Taxation as individual partners.
      • Flexibility in decision making.
    • Disadvantages
      • Unlimited partner liability, also liable for partners’ acts.
      • Relative difficulty in obtaining large sums of capital.
      • Legally dissolves upon change or death of partner.
  • Corporation – C Corporation
    • Separate legal entity created and operated with the permission of the state in which it operates.
    • Can sue or be sued, pay taxes, borrow and repay money.
    • Can have one owner or many owners.
    • Articles of incorporation are filed with Secretary of State.
    • Advantages
      • Limited liability for investors
      • Continuity of life
      • Easy transfer of ownership
      • Greater access to capital
    • Disadvantages
      • Can be costly to set up
      • Double taxation of corporation and investors
      • Extensive government regulations and required reports
  • Corporation – S Corporation
    • Major differences between C and S Corporations.
    • Shareholders limited to 35.
    • Only one class of stock permitted.
    • Shareholders are taxed individually.
  • Limited Liability Company (LLC)
    • Relatively new form of entity in the U.S.
    • Separate legal entity, but not perpetual .
    • Advantages
      • Limited liability.
      • Unlimited number of owners.
      • Easy to raise capital.
    • Disadvantages
      • Can be costly to set up.
      • Due to its newness as a form of business ownership, the law regarding the LLC is still evolving.

THE BUSINESS PLAN

Your Business Plan is the most important document you will ever put together. It provides a road map to help guide your business as it grows. In it you establish benchmarks and a set of checks and balances to keep your business under control. It will safely guide you through the turbulent waters of constant change.

It will also serve as an instrument to raise capital and obtain financing. It is your representative at the bank and as such will provide answers to the bank loan officer and the credit committee.

The following is an outline for the business plan. The elements are flexible and can be changed or altered to fit specific situations.

Business Plan Outline

  • Introduction and Executive Summary
    • Business description
    • Product or service to be offered
    • Market potential
    • Management and ownership
    • Amount and purpose of the proposed financing
    • Loan retirement
    • Financial summary
  • Section 1: The Company
    • Description of the company
    • State the company’s goals and objectives
    • Company history (if applicable)
    • Company objectives and strategies
  • Sections II: Amount of Financing Needed
    • Amount the business needs to borrow
    • Use of the funds
    • Payback period or Services
    • Describe the product or services
    • Describe any patents, trademarks or royalty agreements
    • Need for manufacturing and engineering (if applicable)
  • Section IV.- Marketing Strategy
    • Industry
    • The current status and prospects for the industry
    • New products and developments, new markets and customers
    • Market
      • Market size and history
      • Seasonal fluctuations and growth potential
    • Customers
      • Demographics and size of customer base
      • Basis for purchase decision
    • Competition
      • Type of competition in terms of location, size, reputation and market share
    • Strategy
      • Define market strategy
      • Current and projected market share
      • Product pricing and profitability
      • Advertising and promotion plans
      • Selling methods
      • Service and delivery
  • Section V: Operations
    • Plant location(s) and description
    • Cost and quality control
    • Production process
    • Labor force
    • Capital equipment requirements
    • Sales forecasts
  • Section VI: Management
    • Organization chart
    • Management team, duties, responsibilities, skills
    • External advisors and relationships
    • Board of directors (if applicable)
  • Section Vii: Financials
    • Latest balance sheet and income statement for past two to three years.
    • Profit and loss and cash flow forecasts by month and quarter for first year, and by year for years two and three.
    • Forecasted balance sheets at year end.
  • Section Viii: Proposed Financing
    • Amount of proposed financing
    • Use of proceeds
    • Payback and collateral

HOW WILL YOU FINANCE YOUR BUSINESS?

The need for capital is common to all businesses, both large and small. However, small businesses often have a more difficult time attracting investment capital. A major cause of business failure is inadequate financing. It is important that the business owner look carefully at the needs of his/her business and develop the documents necessary to convey these needs to investors or a commercial lender.

How much money will you need to start your business?
One assumption every business owner can be assured of is that it will take more money than
anticipated to start the business. Be sure to take into account the following:

  • Initial expenses
    • Advertising and promotion
    • Beginning inventory costs
    • Supplies and furnishings
    • Renovation and/or remodeling
    • Licenses and permits
    • Signs
    • Furniture and fixtures
    • Deposits (electricity, water, telephone, gas, lease, etc.)
    • Monthly expenses
    • Salaries and wages
    • Rent
    • Utilities
    • Advertising and promotion
    • Supplies
    • Taxes
    • Interest
    • Maintenance
    • Miscellaneous

It is advisable to have working capital on hand to cover the first few months of expenses until the business begins generating income to cover these expenses.

Where will you get the money to finance you business?

  • Personal resources
    • Savings, stocks, bonds
    • Family, friends
    • Credit cards
    • Home equity loan
    • Loan against cash surrender value of insurance
  • Equity capital
    • Partners
    • Public stock offering
    • Sell part of the business to a venture capital company or angel investor
    • Bank loans
    • U.S. Small Business Administration
    • Finance companies
    • Certified Development Companies
    • Local revolving loan programsConventional lending sources

HOW DO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND REGULATIONS AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS?

There are certain government regulations that you must adhere to. Among the things
you need to do are:

  • Building Permits and Inspections:
    • Zoning clearance (if any construction takes Place)
    • Building permit (if construction or demolition takes place)
    • Health inspection (for any food service business)
    • Electrical inspection (if additional lines needed)
    • Gas inspection (if additional lines needed)
    • Sanitation inspection (if on non-municipal septic system)
  • Licensing:
    • City privilege license
    • State business license
    • State income tax registration
    • Federal tax registration
    • Unemployment insurance regions (businesses with one or more employees for more than 20 weeks per year or pay wages over $1500 in a calendar quarter)
    • Workmen’s compensation registration (businesses with five or more employees)
    • Incorporation registration (business wishing to incorporate)
    • MS Secretary of State Business Services Phone: (800) 256-3494
    • Franchise tax registration
    • Alcoholic beverage license (if alcohol sold on premise)
    • Surety bond (if applicable)

FEDERAL REGULATIONS

Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN)
Before hiring anyone in your business, you must first obtain a Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN) which will be used to identify your business payroll and income tax returns. An application form SS-4 may be obtained by contacting the IRS at 800-829-1040 or by visiting the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) nearest you.

Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate (IRS Form W-4)
An employee must fill out and complete this form for his employer when employment begins. This form guides the employer in determining how much federal income tax to withhold from wages. The Internal Revenue Service “Employer’s Tax Guide, Circular E” provides federal incometax witholding tables. Further information may be obtained by contacting the IRS at 800-829-1040 or by visiting your nearest SBDC.

Social Security Taxes (FICA)
A n employer must deduct half of the required social security tax (FICA) from wages paid to employees. The employer pays the other half of this tax and remits the total amount to the United States Internal Revenue Service when withheld federal income tax is deposited. The total amount of FICA taxes paid is reported quarterly on Form 941. The IRS ‘Employer’s Tax Guide, Circular E’ has social security tax table for employees. Further information may be obtained by contacting the IRS at 1 -800-829-1040 or by visiting your nearest Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires that businesses hire only American citizens and aliens who are authorized to work in the United States. If you employ anyone to perform labor or services in return for wages, you must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification (Form 1-9) for each employee within three days of the date of hire to verify that the employee is eligible to work in the U.S. and documentation has been verified. A Form I9 may be obtained from the Small Business Development Center.

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforces federal safety and health standards for business and industry. OSHA’s standards apply to all businesses with one or more employees.

WHAT INSURANCE DO YOU NEED?
The importance of proper insurance is often overlooked by the small business owner. If used correctly, insurance can help reduce the uncertainty under which your business operates. Insurance can help keep your business operating under adverse circumstances and help improve your credit rating. Talk with a qualified insurance agent to discuss the needs of your business.

    • Insurance checklist:
      • Fire
      • Worker’s compensation
      • Disability insurance
      • Key-man insurance
      • Group life
      • Group health
      • Automobile/truck
      • Crime insurance
      • Business interruption
      • Retirement income
      • Rent insurance
      • Business life

Remember, your local Small Business Development Center is available to help you through
this process and to continue to provide assistance after your business is in operation. Their
assistance is free.

Filed Under: Business Development, Curated, Leadership, Pathways to Wonder, Small Business Solutions, Strategy & Women's Coaching Solutions, The Opportunity is NOW

Pyramid for Success

Coach Wooden’s approach to creating success was grounded in practical wisdom and spiritual awareness.

Click here to see an interactive version of this pyramid.

Filed Under: Business & Life Coaching, Business Development, Curated, Executive Development, Leadership, Organizational Dvelopment, Pathways to Wonder, Personal Development Coaching, Professional Business Development, Team Building

Do you want to pursue a career in the Arts?

ASK YOURSELF

Do you dream of becoming a successful artist, performer, filmmaker, musician, composer or writer?
Do you think you’re not good enough to realize your artistic vision?
Do you believe in your artistic ability but don’t know how to sell yourself?
Do you want to build a profitable livelihood from your art?
Do you let day-to-day responsibilities interfere with your art?
Do you begin projects but don’t finish them?
Do you want to wake up every morning excited about your art and life?
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the business side of a creative career?
Do you want to overcome distractions and procrastination?
Do you feel stuck and unable to move forward?
Do you dream of giving up your nine-to-five job to pursue your your art?

There is a solution…

Filed Under: Awakened Imaginations, Curated, Pathways to Wonder, Transition & Transformation

Powerful Resources for Continued Personal Growth

An Invented Life-Reflections on leadership and change, by Warren Bennis
Study of 60 successful leaders revealed 4 key skills: (1) Management of attention involves the ability emotionally to draw others; (2) Management of meaning through creating and communicating a vision; (3) Management of trust through relationships; (4) Self-awareness, self-knowledge and management of self, including knowing one’s skills. Also by Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader.

The Art of Living Consciously, by Nathaniel Branden
“Living consciously has its roots in respect for reality—a respect for facts and truth” Says Branden. And in fact the old adage of ‘the truth shall set you free” still applies. In becoming conscious we free ourselves to act with conscious intention rather than based on automatic conditioned triggers. Other books by Branden (“the father of the self-esteem movement”) are: The Six Pillars of Self Esteem, “Of all the judgments that we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves, for that judgment touches the very center of our existence.” This book examines the essentials of high self-esteem (awareness and self-acceptance) and its impact on happiness and effectiveness emotionally and professionally; and Honoring the Self – Personal integrity and the heroic potentials of human nature; Self-Esteem at Work (touches on the relationship between self-esteem and productive work); and Taking Responsibility.

Working with Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
Leaders are not defined by their IQs but by their ‘emotional intelligence’ This book explains what emotional intelligence is and why it counts more than IQ or expertise for excelling on the job. It details 12 personal competencies based on self-mastery (such as accurate self-assessment, self-control, initiative, and optimism) and 13 key relationship skills (such as service orientation, developing others, conflict management, and building bonds). Also by Goleman Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ.

Change the World: How Ordinary People Can Accomplish Extraordinary Results, by Robert Quinn
Offers transformational leadership lessons from the world’s great leaders such as Gandhi and applies them to every day leadership challenges. Among the first lessons is that transformational leadership begins first and foremost with deep change and transformation within ourselves. As Rishi Vyasa said in 1000 BC “His own self must be conquered by the king for all time; then only are his enemies to be conquered.” Transformational leaders are inner directed (do things that are inherently rewarding for their own sake) and other focused (practice empathy.) Paradoxically, they are both task AND people focused.

Leading Out Loud: Inspiring Change Through Authentic Communication, by Terry Pearce
Terry offers practical and profound insights on how to connect and inspire through authentic communication. Authentic leadership communications is built on: (1) going inside to discover what matters; (2) deciding to lead; (3) connecting to others; (4) giving voice to values; and (5) applying courage and discipline. Terry also shows how to apply these building blocks in communications through the use of analogy and metaphor, stories, and personal experience.

The Leadership Challenge, by James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Study of several thousand leaders reveals 5 key practices supported through 10 behaviors of effective leadership: (1) Model the way supported by finding your voice by clarifying your personal values, and setting an example by aligning actions with shared values; (2) Inspiring a shared vision through envisioning the future by imagining exciting and ennobling vision, and enlisting others in this common vision by appealing to shared aspirations; (3) Challenging the process by searching for opportunities to seek innovative ways to change, grow and improve, and experimenting in taking risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes; (4) Enabling others to act through fostering collaboration in promoting cooperative goals and building trust, and strengthening others by sharing power and discretion; and (5) Encouraging the heart through recognition of contributions and showing appreciation for individual excellence, and celebrating values and victories to create a spirit of community.

Primal Leaderhip: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, Annie McKee, and Richard Boyatzis
This book argues the importance of developing ‘resonant leadership’ since the actions of the leader account for 70 percent of employee’s perception of the climate of the organization. The best leaders maintain a style repertoire, switching easily between “visionary,” “coaching,” “affiliative,” and “democratic,” and making rare use of less effective “commanding” styles.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Powerful lessons in personal change, by Stephen Covey
Presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. Other good books by Covey are Principle Centered Leadership, and First Thing’s First on effective time management.

The Fifth Discipline -The art and practice of learning organization, by Peter Senge
Uses systems dynamics and feedback systems theory to analyze and solve problems more holistically and facilitate organizational learning.

Creativity in Business, by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers
Based on famed Stanford Business School creativity course that has inspired the likes of Jim Collins (author of From Good to Great) and Jeff Skoll, founder eBay, this book is draws on various spiritual traditions and teaches us to look inside in finding the essential source of our creativity. The book also teaches how to pay attention, destroy judgment, create curiosity, and ask dumb questions, all are great sources of fresh perspective and increasing creativity. Also by Michael Ray The Highest Goal: The Secret that Sustains You in Every Moment..

Built to Last: Successful habits of visionary companies, by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras
This book argues that not all visionary companies were founded by visionary leaders. However, they tended to have core values and ideology that guided them in times of crisis and served as constant benchmark for key decisions.

Stress Free for Good, by Fred Luskin and Kenneth Pelletier
Easy to learn and implement skills that can be incorporated and practiced in a few minutes each day at the office that lead to less stress and burnout and improved life satisfaction and job performance.

Improving Organizational Effectiveness through Transformational Leadership, by Bernard Bass, and Bruce Avolio
Transformational leaders go beyond transactional rewards (raise, promotions, bonus, praise, etc.) to inspiring followers to transform themselves and reach their true potential. They do so using the 4 I’s of transformational leadership: (1) Individualized consideration reflects the leader’s concern about developing followers as individuals; (2) Intellectual stimulation based on an open dialog around the process of vision formation and implementation; (3) Idealized influence that sets high self-behavior and standards for emulation; and (4) Inspirational motivation which provides meaning through work that engages followers in inspiring goals.

Reclaiming the fire – How successful people overcome burnout, by Steven Berglas
This book was written by someone who has coached and worked with many executives and provides good advice on how to cope with pressures of work.

Whole Brain Thinking – Working from both sides of the brain to achieve peak job performance, by Jacquelyn Wonder and Priscilla Donovan
On how to combine left- and right-brain thinking for greater effectiveness.

You’ve got to be Believed to be Heard – Reach the first brain to communicate in business and in life, by Robert Decker
If you are interested in becoming a more effective communicator and reach others both conceptually and emotionally, this is an excellent book.

You are the message – Getting what you want by being who you are, by Roger Ailes
How to become a more powerful communicator.

Supe-Leadership, for every manager, new or experienced…, by Charles Manz and Henry Sims.
“Today’s most accomplished leaders are self-leaders-those who use their skills to teach others to lead themselves.”

The Oz Principle, Getting results through individual and organizational accountability, by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, & Craig Hickman
“Like Dorothy and her companions in the Wizard of Oz, most people in corporate America posses the power within themselves to get the results they need.”

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, by Wess Roberts
“Reveals the leadership secretes of Attila the Hun-the man who centuries ago shaped an aimless band of mercenary tribal nomads into undisputed rulers of the ancient world… offers timeless lessons in win-directed, take-charge management.”

The C Zone – Peak performance under pressure, by Robert Kriegel and Marilyn Kriegel
“Is type A behavior killing you – but you’re too ambitious to be type B?” Also by Robert Kriegel: If it Ain’t Broke…Break it! -Unconventional wisdom for changing business world
Strategy vs. Tactics From a Venture Capitalist, by Arthur Rock, Harvard Business Review Nov/Dec. 1987
Arthur Rock is the lead venture capitalist behind Teledyne, Fairchild, Apple and Intel. “Good ideas are a dime a dozen. It is great people that build great companies.”

Customers for Life – How to turn that one-time buyer into a lifetime customer, by Carl Sewell
Serving the customer pays off in the long run.

The Customer Comes Second – and other secrets of exceptional service, by Hal Rosenbluth
Treat your employees well and they will take care of the customer.

The Sources of Innovation, by Eric von Hippel
Managers who fully understand how the innovation process in distributed among users, suppliers and manufactures have a significant advantage.

Positioning: the Battle for Your Mind, how to be seen and heard in the over-communicated world, by Al Ries and Jack Trout

Flow – The psychology of optimal experience, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Summarizes research on the positive aspects of human experience – joy, creativity, the process of total involvement with life – flow.

Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain
Teaches how to use visualization and affirmation to bring into reality that which is imagined internally or mentally inside.

Getting to Yes – Negotiating agreement without giving in, by Roger Fisher and William Ury
Use win-win approach to reach mutually satisfactory agreements.

Filed Under: Community Soul Food, Curated, Pathways to Wonder

Spiritual But Not Religious

Filed Under: Curated, Pathways to Wonder

Copyright © 2023 · Quantum Achievement Programs