UQ Power – Have You Got It?

Heidi-UQ-PowerSix months ago a wonderful and original book hit the world by my good friend Heidi Alexandra Pollard called, Power Up Your UQ: Boost Income, Influence, & Impact. I truly regret not sharing this book sooner, but life has been full of twists and turns that have made it difficult to get my review out. Heidi asked me to review the book last year and write the forward. I was honored when she asked me, but even more so after I finished the book. This book is like no other self improvement or leadership book you have ever seen, I guarantee it. Below is the forward I wrote, after reading it recently, I am  sure I could not write anything better to get you to want to read it.

Forward to Power Up Your UQ: Boost Income, Influence, & Impact

“Every successful person has habits, knowledge, and skills that elevate them to rise above others and achieve phenomenal feats. They don’t just desire success, they hunger for it. It’s an unquenchable hunger, and unfortunately there’s not a simple recipe for success. Success is about so many things, such as: changing your mindset, becoming productive, always learning and improving one’s skills. It’s about being creative, asking questions, being a good listener, standing-out from the crowd, and so much more.

In my search on what makes organizations truly successful, I have found that the best organizations are ones that know how to get things done, they execute, and they have a culture of execution that creates and amazing power to excel far above their competition.

Before you can arrive to culture of execution, there are a lot of things that must be present in an organization. A successful business is one that stands-out in the marketplace, its unique; it’s filled with individuals, from the top to the bottom, that possess passion and strong leadership skills. At the heart is a culture that is positive and uplifting which brings out the best in people and motivates them to help the business grow and be mo
re successful. There is a lot more, but the end result is – they get things done.

In my search for the secret to success in life and business, I have read hundreds, if not thousands of books on leadership, management, self-improvement, productivity, personal branding, and every other topic under the sun to improve my skills and ability to stand-out in work and life, and to become more successful. Every once in a while I come across a truly original book that changes lives, enriches souls, and helps to fill in the recipe of how to create success. Power UP Your UQ: Boost Your Income, Influence, & Impact, is just that and much more. In a unique, fun, and creative style, Heidi makes you laugh, all the while teaching you valuable lessons to change your life and business.

This book wraps a hundred years of business and self-improvement literature into a concise, unique, and fun volume that touches on just the right elements to take an individual or business to the next level of success.

Will it be easy? —- Of course not!

Will it be fun?  —- You bet!

Will it be worth it? —- Absolutely!

So enjoy the story, laugh at the illustrations, be inspired at the nuggets of wisdom – then get to work and build your UQ Power.”

If you have read the book or have some thoughts please leave a comment. If you want to buy the book, which you really should, you can get it from Heidi’s website. I’ll be mailing a few copies to some people that leave well-thought out comments.

Personal Leadership: It’s All About the People, Stupid!

Personal-LeadershipIt’s been reported that Henry Ford once said, “Why is it that I always get the whole person, when what I really want is a pair of hands?” While Ford may have only wanted to hire sets of hands to run his assembly lines, the only way to do that was to hire the people attached to those hands: people with complex baggage, personalities, and expectations.

One of the important elements of personal leadership is to lead the people within your team. After all, if there are no people to lead, then there is no leader! I have worked with lots of leaders that absolutely HATE dealing with people. Many leaders just want to tell their people the goal, and then expect them to just go out and create amazing success without any guidance, coaching, managing, or …leading.

Part of being a great leader is to master the art of valuing the people you work with, while at the same time holding them accountable for the results. By creating a culture where people are valued, we can be more effective in achieving desired results. In other words, people are not just means to an end, but must be valued for their contributions and perspectives. This does not mean they need to be coddled or sheltered.

Personal leadership is all about relationships with those you lead. Simply learning the names of one’s team-members is not sufficient to building a strong team of committed workers, although it s start.  By learning their values, skills and dreams, you learn how they see themselves within the organizational structure.  Instead of simply evaluating their work, seek opportunities for them to provide feedback on the organization.  Take care to listen, and see if you can incorporate their ideas.

As you demonstrate that you value the contributions of your team-members, you will find that they are more likely to think outside of the box.  They may see things you may have missed, and you may discover a wealth of skills and abilities you have previously missed.  As morale improves, so will productivity and results. Creating a culture of creativity and excellence will require you to view people as ends, not simply as means to an end.

What ways have you found to lead the entire person, instead of just hiring a pair of hands?  What are some of the complexities of leading people with their personalities, perspectives, and personal baggage?  Please leave a comment below to continue the conversation.

Dream or Die, That’s Just How the World Turns

Dreams-Personal-LeadershipJim Valvano said, “Be a dreamer. If you don’t know how to dream, you’re dead.” No matter how you feel after the election, and no matter what comes out of the next few weeks; you must keep YOUR dream alive. Governments, kings, rulers, and bad relationships cannot kill your dream. They may dampen your spirits, crush your hopes, and cut into your nerves; but they cannot take away YOUR dream.

Norman Cousins stated, “People are never more insecure, than when they become obsessed with their fears at the expense of their dreams.” Many people have fears about the next 4 years. I have fears about the next 4 years. If we spend too much time worrying about those fears, and worrying about what we cannot control, we will be spending less time in making our dreams a reality.

Execute on your dreams, not your worries.” Tweet This!

Michael Phelps stated, “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” How many achievements have been accomplished in the last century that far surpasses the dreams of previous generations? If you dream, dream big, no …DREAM AUDACIOUS. Dreamers are the creators,, they never limit themselves to what is possible.

You may be dealing with a hard financial situation, stuck in a crappy job, struggling through a difficult relationship, or besieged with a painful health problem. Keep your dream alive! Your dream may be THAT THING, which pushes you through the pain, struggle and heartache.  Don’t let anyone tell you what is possible and what is not.

No matter how you feel today, Dream On, all is not lost; the future is ours to create.