Ian Dickson – Performance Coach

Napoleon Hill’s 17 Principles of Personal Achievement

Lesson 1: Definiteness of Purpose
Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. Without a purpose and a plan, people drift aimlessly through life.

Lesson 2: Mastermind Alliance
The Mastermind principle consists of an alliance of two or more minds working in perfect harmony for the attainment of a common definite objective. Success does not come without the cooperation of others.

Lesson 3: Applied Faith
Faith is a state of mind through which your aims, desires, plans and purposes may be translated into their physical or financial equivalent.

Lesson 4: Going the Extra Mile
Going the extra mile is the action of rendering more and better service than that for which you are presently paid. When you go the extra mile, the Law of Compensation comes into play.

Lesson 5: Pleasing Personality
Personality is the sum total of one’s mental, spiritual and physical traits and habits that distinguish one from all others. It is the factor that determines whether one is liked or disliked by others.

Lesson 6: Personal Initiative
Personal initiative is the power that inspires the completion of that which one begins. It is the power that starts all action. No person is free until he learns to do his own thinking and gains the courage to act on his own.

Lesson 7: Positive Mental Attitude
Positive mental attitude is the right mental attitude in all circumstances. Success attracts more success while failure attracts more failure.

Lesson 8: Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is faith in action. It is the intense emotion known as burning desire. It comes from within, although it radiates outwardly in the expression of one’s voice and countenance.

Lesson 9: Self-Discipline
Self-discipline begins with the mastery of thought. If you do not control your thoughts, you cannot control your needs. Self-discipline calls for a balancing of the emotions of your heart with the reasoning faculty of your head.

Lesson 10: Accurate Thinking
The power of thought is the most dangerous or the most beneficial power available to man, depending on how it is used.

Lesson 11: Controlled Attention
Controlled attention leads to mastery in any type of human endeavor, because it enables one to focus the powers of his mind upon the attainment of a definite objective and to keep it so directed at will.

Lesson 12: Teamwork
Teamwork is harmonious cooperation that is willing, voluntary and free. Whenever the spirit of teamwork is the dominating influence in business or industry, success is inevitable. Harmonious cooperation is a priceless asset that you can acquire in proportion to your giving.

Lesson 13: Adversity & Defeat
Individual success usually is in exact proportion of the scope of the defeat the individual has experienced and mastered. Many so-called failures represent only a temporary defeat that may prove to be a blessing in disguise.

Lesson 14: Creative Vision
Creative vision is developed by the free and fearless use of one’s imagination. It is not a miraculous quality with which one is gifted or is not gifted at birth.

Lesson 15: Health
Sound health begins with a sound health consciousness, just as financial success begins with a prosperity consciousness.

Lesson 16: Budgeting Time & Money
Time and money are precious resources, and few people striving for success ever believe they possess either one in excess.

Lesson 17: Habits
Developing and establishing positive habits leads to peace of mind, health and financial security. You are where you are because of your established habits and thoughts and deeds.

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Ten Strategies for Time Management

1. The first step is being aware of where your time is going, now.
   You can’t find something you’ve lost when you don’t know where you might have lost it in the first place. So the first strategy for managing your time is to know where it’s going, now. That means actually tracking or logging your time daily, for at least 1-week (preferably 2). Track the exact time you begin and end an activity, make a note of the duration in exact minutes, and a few words to describe the activity. This step requires you to be really honest with yourself and track EVERYTHING you do in your work day so you can see where your time is really going — so if you spent 23 minutes chatting with co-workers at the coffee machine (no cheating by logging all your time in nice, even 15, 30 or 60 minute intervals) — write it down exactly.
2. Analyze and summarize your time logs.
   At the end of the week, review your time logs and start to summarize the tasks (and the amount of time spent on each) into categories. You will create these categories yourself, and you should have between 6 and 12 categories. They should be meaningful to you, self-defining, mutually exclusive and as concise as possible. Some examples might be Administration, Business Development, Sales & Marketing, Computer, etc. You will then summarize, for each day, how much time you spent doing tasks or activities for each category, in the exact number of minutes. You might also do a little math, to figure the percentage of time each category takes out of each day. You make this step as detailed as you like, but the key here is awareness.
3. Create a New Daily Routine.
   If you were honest and diligent during steps 1 and 2, chances are you had a rude awakening when you reviewed and analyzed your time logs. You no doubt can see where the time drains are occurring — and now you’re ready to make better choices and create a new daily routine. This routine will maximize the time you spend on productive work by conforming to the natural flow of your day and with your natural rhythms, by taking into consideration when you’re at your best for certain tasks, grouping similar tasks together for greater efficiency and by setting aside dedicated time for doing uninterrupted work. How do you create your routine? Look at where you’ve been spending your time and start making some decisions about where the different tasks can best be fit into your day, then actually write this routine down and post it where you’ll see it every day. Strategies 4 through 10 will give you some food for thought as you develop and implement your new daily routine.
4. Prioritize and stay focused.
   Once you’ve done the up-front work of tracking and analyzing your time, and creating a new routine, how do you keep it on track? You will also need to do some work on prioritizing what you do. You can create your own easy tools to do this. On one sheet of paper, create 5 sections: High Priorities, Secondary Priorities, People to Contact, Telephone Calls, and Schedule. You can fill this out each day, first thing in the morning (or better yet, at the end of your workday so you are well prepared to start fresh tomorrow!) Each day, ask yourself: “If nothing else gets done today, what are the one or two items that absolutely MUST be done?” Those are the items you will use to focus your day. You should also periodically go back to the time logging exercise, so you can determine if you are slipping back into those old bad habits and take immediate steps to get back on track.
5. Reduce interruptions by creating stronger boundaries.
   It is true that interruptions to your day can and will happen, and to some degree they are out of your control. However, you probably have more control than you think. Instead of blaming other people and getting frustrated with them for interrupting you, take responsibility for creating stronger boundaries with your co-workers where appropriate. Keep in mind, other people don’t mean to be inconsiderate by interrupting, they are just caught up in their own “stuff” and probably don’t realize. It is really up to you to set up some guidelines for when you can and cannot be interrupted, to communicate them to others, and then to stick by them. For example: you might institute a “quiet time” policy (mornings are usually best) where you let everyone know that this is a time where you cannot be interrupted — and then set up another time later in the day where you have an open-door policy. This strategy creates a firm boundary but also provides time for you to be accessible to others. At first, those around you might try to cross your boundaries, and it’s up to you to gently remind them that they can come back and talk during your “open door” time. After a while, they’ll get used to it. Change takes time, so stick with it!
6. Structure your telephone time.
   Set aside certain periods of the day to accept, initiate and return calls. The best time to accept incoming calls is just prior to lunch or at the end of the work day (the other person will not want to dawdle on the phone at those times either) — so whenever possible, let others know this is your preference and set that time aside so you are available. When initiating or returning calls, the best time to contact those difficult-to-reach clients is early in the morning, just before or after lunch, or late in the day.
7. Don’t procrastinate.
   Procrastination is probably one of the biggest “time hogs” we have. Not only are we NOT doing the thing we’re procrastinating about, but we also end up wasting even more time worrying about how much we’re procrastinating. So, if you have an unpleasant task to do, simply make up your mind to take care of it immediately and just get it done.
8. Under-promise and over-deliver.
   You may have heard this one before, but a little reinforcement never hurts. Many of us have too many requirements on our time because we take on more than we should. When we over-commit ourselves, we are not only creating unnecessary stress in our lives, but we are also creating potential situations where we cannot deliver what we’ve promised. We also don’t realize that when we can’t deliver what we’ve promised, we can inadvertently cause more pain and hurt feelings than if we’d been willing to say no in the first place. Remember that you’re not doing yourself or anyone else any favours by taking on more than you can reasonably deliver. Commit yourself to making this strategy a high priority in your life, and watch what happens.
9. Separate your work from your personal life.
   It is critical for your health and emotional balance that you find a way to separate your work from your personal life. If possible, don’t take work to be done after hours at all unless you are certain you can get to it. It’s better to stay a little longer at the office (but be sure and set time limits for yourself) to get it done, then enjoy your leisure time without the stress of having to do work after hours. If you work from a remote office, you will need to be even more diligent in setting aside separate times in your day for work and for your personal time and family.
10. Remember that you’re only human.
    We all have only 24 hours in the day — and sometimes that just doesn’t feel like enough, does it? There will always be days where things happen that are unplanned and which can throw even the most organized day into a tailspin. When that happens, take a deep breath or two, and accept that you are doing the very best you can, right now. Tomorrow is a new day and a chance to start fresh. Let go of the need to be a perfectionist and remember you’re only human.

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Hi there.

I am re-publishing this article today for several reasons.

Most importantly is that I want people to have an opportunity to make 2011 a really great year and that starts by building a plan.

The 90 day plan format is perfect for so many reasons, not least it is manageable and achievable for pretty much anybody.

The vast majority of business owners (over 90%) will go into 2011 exactly the same way they went into 2010, but will expect and hope for different results.

By taking just a few hours out of your business and concentrating on planning and strategy for the first quarter of the New Year has the potential to make a massive difference.

This Friday (10th December) I have just two spaces available for my last and best 90 day planning day of the year.

If you really, truly want different results in 2011 then you really, truly need to do something different. Building a great plan is the best place to start.

These workshops have been going on all year every 90 days and we have returning business owners at each event. They have an edge over their competition – you can too.

Join us this Friday 10th 12 noon through til 16:30 with lunch provided.

• Small group
• Planning workbook to complete
• 121 time with the coach to help you find some goals and objectives
• Help with building your very own plan
• Work together with like minded local business owners

It’s not too late to book, simply go to www.iandickson.biz/events

It’s that time of year where we begin to evaluate how well we did and start to develop new plans for this year. This year I’d like to suggest that you try something new, rather than creating a one-year marketing plan or a five-year marketing plan, why not try creating a 90-day plan?

While it’s important to always monitoring your marketing it is vital in this economy to be diligent and watch where you spend your marketing pounds as well as track how effective your marketing campaigns are.

Why a 90-day plan?

• You can use it to clearly track progress in the short-term.
• You can use the data you gather over the 90-days to create a baseline that you can use to track your grand plan.
• It enables you to re-direct your plan if something is not working and do it quickly without worrying that it will affect your annual plan.
• Using 90-day increments enable you to stay in tune with change and meet the market demands, without detouring from your master goal.
• Your master plan will not become irrelevant, because your 90-day goals will continue to drive you the finish line.

What better time to get started than today? I’ve always noticed when working with companies to redo their marketing plan and build out a workable strategy that it ignites a new excitement about the business and the potential that may have been lost in the paperwork and busyness of day-to-day duties.

Are you ready to get started? Find a quiet place, sit down and spend some time evaluating and answering the following questions:

• What marketing worked well for my business in 2010?
• What marketing worked well, but could have done better in 2010?
• What marketing did I do in 2010 that didn’t work well at all?
• The marketing that I did in 2010 that did well, performed well because:
• The marketing that I did in 2010 that failed, failed because:
• In the next 90-days, I define my target market as?
  • Will I change the geography I target?
  • Will I target a different income level or demographic of consumers?
  • Will I target product-oriented users, service users or both?
• In 2010 my consumers could be defined by target market as?
• What marketing vehicles will I use in the next 90-days and why?
• I really need to work on enhancing, concentrating or revising my marketing message by:
• In the next 90-days my marketing budget will be?

Now use the answers to these questions and chart them on a 90-day timeline. Set your start date, your end date and what you will do in between. Evaluate weekly how your plan is working, make changes where you need to and adjust when necessary. When you list out what has to happen in the next 90-days, you’ll have a clearer picture of priorities, a realistic working plan, and the results you’ll generate.

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Reticular Activating System

Part of your brain is known as the Reticular Activating System – or RAS. Your RAS plays a vital part in your ability to achieve goals.

Imagine that you’re walking through a busy noise airport passenger terminal. Think of all the noise – hundreds of people talking, music, announcements, luggage carriers. How much of this noise is brought to your attention? Not a lot. True, you can hear a general background noise, but not many of us bother to listen to each individual sound.

But then a new announcement comes over the public address system – saying your name or maybe your flight. Suddenly your attention is full on. Your RAS is the automatic mechanism inside your brain that brings relevant information to your attention.

Your reticular activating system is like a filter between your conscious mind and your subconscious mind. It takes instructions from your conscious mind and passes them on to your subconscious. For example, the instruction might be, “listen out for anyone saying my name”.

There are some interesting points about your reticular activating system that make it an essential tool for achieving goals.

First, you can deliberately program the reticular activating system by choosing the exact messages you send from your conscious mind. For example, you can set goals, or say affirmations, or visualize your goals. Napoleon Hill said that we can achieve any realistic goal if we keep on thinking of that goal, and stop thinking any negative thoughts about it. Of course, if we keep thinking that we can’t achieve a goal, our subconscious will help us – not achieve it.

Second, your reticular activating system cannot distinguish between ‘real events’ and ‘synthetic’ reality. In other words it tends to believe whatever message you give it. Imagine that you’re going to be giving a speech. You can practice giving that speech by visualizing it in your mind. This ‘pretend’ practice should improve your ability to give the speech.

What we need to do is to create a very specific picture of our goal in our conscious mind. The RAS will then pass this on to our subconscious – which will then help us achieve the goal. It does this by bringing to our attention all the relevant information which otherwise might have remained as ‘background noise’.

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I often get asked about motivating teams and how to get the best from people. Over th years I have experimented with many different tools, strategies and methods to get my teams working to the very best abilities. Motivation is the key here.

Once you have satisfied a team member’s basic needs, (a salary that is enough to pay for basic food, shelter, and health care) then you need to go up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and satisfy their need for security, belonging, self-esteem and self-fulfilment.

If you create the right environment, the team will effectively motivate themselves.

Some people find filing a relaxing task, while others just seem to want to get it over with as quickly as possible. Each member has different needs when it comes to self-motivation. Looking at the short-term, they may be motivated by a number of different factors such as

• Being able to go home earlier
• Getting a task done and out of the way
• The satisfaction of completing a task
• The prospect of praise for a job done well
• Wanting a reputation for always delivering on time

Long-term motivation means you want your team to deliver consistently over time. Short-term motivation requires they have enough enthusiasm and energy to tackle the next project.

Long-term motivating factors tend to be more general and more abstract such as

• Security
• Money
• Status
• Recognition
• Responsibility
• Job satisfaction
• Challenge

Key motivating factors:

• The more your team members understand about their jobs, the reason for them and their value to the whole organization, the more they will be motivated to perform well.
• Always set clear and achievable targets
• Reward and celebrate achievements
• Involve people in everything that’s going on

Good leadership guide:

• When someone makes a mistake, don’t criticize him/her outright. Sit the person down and talk about the circumstances and how it happened, and maybe how it can be avoided in the future. Nobody does bad work on purpose unless they are trying to sabotage your company.
• Say what you mean and mean what you say.
• Focus on the positive, and don’t dwell so much on the negative things the team member did.
• Make mistakes a learning experience.
• Be likeable. If your team members genuinely like you, they will stay around longer, and will want to please you.
• Be polite. Ask people to do things in a nice and polite way.
• Treat them like human beings.
• Be generous. Don’t expect people to do things for you if you aren’t prepared to stick out your own hand to help them.

Techniques to consider for building team spirit:

• Encourage team members to support each other. If anyone passes an empty desk they should answer the phone, even to just take that person’s message.
• Train the team together.
• Put different people in charge of different projects. This gives everyone a sense of mutual respect.
• Give your team confidential information. It makes them feel included in company policy.
• Treat everyone as part of the team, from the messenger, to the temp worker, to the secretary up to the managers.

Individual rewards:

• Praise – Circulate a memo or email congratulating Alison on a job well done
• Thanks – A thank-you card with a small present, like theatre tickets, a free lunch, or a three-day weekend for someone
• Money – Offer a commission on top of the basic salary for the successful account, or a bonus for someone
• Status – Give someone a new job title or promotion
• Responsibility _ Give someone a new area of responsibility based on his success on the previous project
• Freedom – Allow someone to leave the office earlier on a particular day
• Challenge – Focus on how well someone performed on one task, maybe he can tackle this next big one and earn an even bigger bonus!
• Training – the opportunity to learn new skills, grow intellectually and become better at what they do is a great motivator and of benefit to the business too
  

Team rewards:

• Cream cakes all around
• A team drink after work
• A team lunch
• A team outing, picnic, or a trip to see a trade fair/exhibition
• A team breakfast in the office
• Redesign the workplace so it’s brighter and more pleasant to work in
• Buy more easy chairs for the meeting room and play some nice CD’s
• Buy a better coffee machine or a cold drinks dispenser

Motivating temps and part-timers

• Pay part-timers the same rate pro rata as you do full-timers
• Make an effort to see to it everyone knows the temp’s name and use it often in front of the others
• Follow the same guidelines about keeping them informed
• Include them in team activities and rewards
• Give them bonuses and rewards individually when their performance deserves it
• If you set a good example, the rest of the team will follow it and treat temps and part-timers with the same respect as the other colleagues.

Motivating a team that’s never around.

How do you build and maintain a team that’s always out on calls, and spread around the country?

• Meet once a week or once a month
• Stay in touch by mobile phone and email
• Encourage contact in twos or threes; tell team member A that maybe team member B is the best person to work with on this problem…
• Have a bulletin board in a common area or on the internet
• Train as a team
• Encourage the one or two members who are always on a fixed site to help foster team spirit and keep everybody gelled together

Motivating people to accept difficult or unpopular decisions

• Once you’ve outlined the case for the new decision, ask the team members for their views on the decision. Listen.
• Tell them their arguments are valid
• Offer a compromise
• Give good reasons why your decision is more cost-effective, or practical, or logical. Never say simply because “it’s better”.

And remember… Motivation is like food for the brain. You cannot get enough in one sitting. It needs continual and regular top ups.

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Go Givers!!

I have recently been speaking and writing about the winners mindset. Having the right attitude/mindset in life and business is fundamentally more important  than things like  knowledge or your actions. Because if you don’t have the right attitude and mindset before yous start you really won’t ever get there. Here is my view on the givers mindset…

It’s been said that you cannot give away what you do not have. One of the most spiritual important insights or secrets in life is that you already have, and always have had, what you need to give away! If you impart the message that ‘I am not worthy’ the universe will send it straight back in many shapes, forms and circumstances.

When we say ‘give me’ we are imparting this message. We are saying we think we need to get something to complete ourselves or prove our worth. Most of us are taught to live a life of gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!! - always striving, desiring, wanting, struggling.

We do so only because we think that when we get what we want we will be fulfilled and esteemed by others. But it’s an illusion. We are all already complete and worthy but we cannot know it and experience it, until we give it away!

Only giving allows us to know what we are and what we have within. Ask the question- how can I serve? The intention to serve will point you towards what you need to give. If the intention is real it also generates the will.

The most successful people in life are not go getters, but go givers!

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Portsmouth Football Club & The Directory Group are proud to announce the launch of The Business Club.

I am delighted to announce that I will be supporting and chairing this fantastic iniative for local business on a monthly basis.

Photographer Grantly Lynch

Photographer Grantly Lynch

If you you are a local business owner who is looking to thrive or survive in the current challenging commercial world then this is the place for you!!

The Business Club has been created specifically with the local small to medium business in mind. It is YOUR club!

The Business Club has been designed as a business learning and training event that runs on a monthly basis. The content is designed to give you “take-away” solutions and techniques that you can apply to your business the very next day.

Here are just a few of the things you can expect from The Business Club..

• It is not designed as a networking club!
• It is designed as a business learning club!
• It is run on a monthly basis
• The launch event is FREE to attend
• Ongoing meetings will be FREE to attend too(Conditions apply)
  
• It is hosted and supported by Ian Dickson (Business Coach)
• It will have a panel of business experts
• There will be special offers for additional support
• We will have a B.L.T. every month – Business Learning and Training
  
• It will run in the evenings (6-8pm)
• We have a fantastic venue

To take advantage of the fantatsic and exciting new business support club you really must join us for the launch event on 6th October.. We are expecting over 200 businesses at this launch event –
So book today!

***NEWS*** LINVOY PRIMUS will be joining us for the launch!

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Trying doesn’t work. When we say we’re going to try, it presupposes failure.

I tried for years to make certain changes and do certain things. What I didn’t realise was that the feeling of trying was becoming familiar. People like what’s familiar, so once I got used to trying, my neurology didn’t want to shock me by having me succeed. So I went on trying for years.

Have you become familiar with the experience of trying or struggling? If so, it may be time to find out what happens when you move beyond trying. What happens when you imagine getting what you want? How does it feel?

There is another phrase I like to use when people use the “TRY” word. “The worst angle you can approach any problem with is the TRY-ANGLE – However I do highly recommend the DO-ANGLE”

As Yoda said “Do or do not. There is no try.” Trying doesn’t work.

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Six Steps to Becoming More Self-Disciplined

Discipline is the bridge between your goals and accomplishments.

Discipline, willpower, self-control – Whatever you call it, self-discipline is difficult for many people. Some days you think you simply don’t have it in you to make those 10 cold calls, and other days it seems much easier to drive by the gym than to go in and do a work out.

Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure. So, how do you become more self-disciplined?

These are not tasks to cross off as “completed”; instead, they are principles to use to guide your daily life.

1. Pace Yourself – Sometimes we have so much to do, we feel overwhelmed. For example, look at your business plan for the entire year. If it looks like an impossible undertaking, you might be tempted to give it a half-hearted effort. After all, it won’t work anyway, so why try, right? If approaching a project on the global scale intimidates you, don’t let it. Instead, take it one day, or if necessary, one hour at a time.

2. Organize – When lacking willpower, any minor setback will completely derail your efforts. So plan your day and then you won’t waste time or become discouraged. Make a list of the tasks you need to accomplish. Review the list and be realistic about what you can and will do. As you evaluate the tasks, look for any entries that are what you want to do, rather than what you need to do.

3. Be Honest – Self-discipline is powered by motivation; therefore, be honest about what motivates you. If its money, admit it and don’t think you need to apologize. If the admiration of others keeps you going, embrace that and use it to propel you even further

4. Be Flexible – Continually re-evaluate your list of tasks and do them because they are the right things to do, not because you might feel like a failure if you don’t complete a task on your list. Too many times we fall into a routine of doing things simply because it’s what we’ve always done, without examining if the reasons why we did them are still valid. Our goals and visions continually change, so our responsibilities might need to as well. If you lack willpower or self-discipline, it might be because you are trying to do something no longer in line with your goals and beliefs.

5. Take Responsibility – As you work toward your goals, be mindful of your effect on others. Take responsibility for your actions and, if necessary, apologize or change your behaviour. If left unresolved, a sour experience will become much bigger than the original event. Handle it now, and it won’t require a lot of willpower or discipline in the future.

6. Reward Yourself – Being self-disciplined is hard. You deserve credit for doing things you don’t want to do, or don’t feel like doing right now. Give yourself praise and a reward when you accomplish tasks. Don’t wait for others to notice, go ahead and pat yourself on the back. You deserve it!

You may also like to consider some of my recent tweets on Discipline.

DISCIPLINE

• Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
• We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.
• All disciplines affect each other. Mistakenly the man says, “This is the only area where I let down.” Not true. Every let down affects the rest. Not to think so is naive.
• Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure.
• Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles.
• The best time to set up a new discipline is when the idea is strong.
• One discipline always leads to another discipline.
• Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.
• You don’t have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next 90 days, let alone in the next 12 months or the next 3 years.
• The least lack of discipline starts to erode our self-esteem.

Ultimately the price of excellence is discipline.

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