What is the eighth habit? “Find your voice, and inspire others to find theirs.”

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey. It has sold over 15 million copies in thirty-eight languages since first publication, which was marked by the release of a 15th anniversary edition in 2004. The book lists seven principles that, if established as habits, are supposed to help a person achieve true interdependent “effectiveness.” Covey argues this is achieved by aligning oneself to what he calls “true north”; principles of a character ethic that, unlike values, he believes to be universal and timeless.

The 7 Habits has sold 15 million copies and continues to sell 50,000 to 100,000 a month.

A survey by Chief Executive magazine chose 7 Habits as the most influential book of the 20th century. Time magazine in 1996 named Covey one of the 25 most influential Americans.

No. 8 is a half-ton habit that invites the merging of talent, passion and conscience that few mortals accomplish — otherwise we would be populated with Gandhi’s. Simply, Habit 8 asserts that everyone has an inner longing to seize the day and live a life of contribution. It requires heavy lifting, and Covey challenges readers to get there.

Here are the 8 habits:

• Be proactive. (Take initiative, be responsible.)

• Begin with the end in mind. (Develop a mental image of how projects, including your life, will turn out.)

• Put first things first. (Use discipline to put off today’s pleasures for greater future pleasures.)

• Think win/win. (There’s plenty for all.)

• Seek first to understand, then to be understood. (Listen more, speak less.)

• Synergize. (The whole is greater than the parts.)

• Sharpen the saw. (Improve physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.)

• Find your voice, and inspire others to find theirs. (Don’t ignore that longing to make a difference.)

Motivating your team can seem to be one of the hardest things to do. Many use the wrong methods and tactics whilst others have simply no clue how to go about it. In most cases, motivation will have to come from with the aid of external factors helping that person become infused about doing something.

This is one of those soft skills that are really the hardest skills. Concepts and frameworks, like leadership, are easily learnt – but the application is very different and will depends a lot on the character, charisma and interpersonal skills of the new manager.

Some of the biggest problems faced by managers include:-

• Don’t know how to motivate
• Use their authority
• Use money as incentive or make empty promises
• Not very good at motivating employees

Herzberg’s hygiene factors in the worlplace described many items such as pay, status, safety, etc as essential motivators that need to be place. And whilst these may not necssarily motivate staff, they do prevent dissatisfaction.

Here some practical ways you can attempt to increase the motivation levels of your staff or other individuals in the workplace: -

• You can raise motivation in your staff by increasing their responsibility and thus “enriching” their jobs.
• Your mood will either motivate or de-motivate your staff.
• Give reinforcing and positive comments throughout, even when there are mistakes.
• Recognize your staff  through personal touches.
• Lead by example.
• Stand up for your department people when need be even if it is to some dissatisfaction elsewhere.
• Communicate daily with them on job tasks.
• To enhance personal responsibility, provide more direct employee contact with customers, both internal and external.
• Motivation to achieve more than the ordinary requires long-term commitment. Employees are more motivated when they perceive their work as serving a meaningful purpose.

Impress training conducts courses geared towards new managers facing a range of issues facing them taking on the role o working with direct reports.

In this video, you’ll learn a radically new way of thinking (or forgetting) about motivation and moving on to the next level of Inspiration.

Green is now the must-do issue in many businesses. Sparked by more recent media coverage of the topic over the last couple of years, more scientific study and popular culture. The enviroment has once again come to the forefront of everyones attention.

Back in the late eighties and early ninties, when much was being said and as with all things, if not backed by the masses (business masses mainly), it was essentially relegated to a trivial thing, i.e. people with long hair, shouting slogans and marching up and down alot of streets (not that this is always a bad thing when its called for). But the green issues didn’t really make a dent.

Remember the O-Zone - How many people talk about that now? It’s still an issue, but we acted enough to repair it. Now it’s Climate Change - this is bigger and has much more potential to do harm.

A decade later, the enviromental issues are being taken seriously by businesses and the social masses. Businesses have been slowly educated that by going green can mean real cost savings - and more importanly, has real revenue potential. Just look at the number of new businesses coming up which are soley green-based. Even exisiting companies, large and small, are cashing in.

Customers too are dicating who and what products they wish to purchase based on the company having a green policy. In fact, many businesses are fighting over each other, even in Singapore, to wave the green banner.

No matter the motives, this is still a good thing, because the issue is real.

At Impress Training, we try to use electronic transmissions as much as possible and our curse notes are only printed on recycled paper. We have significantly cut our power bills by switiching the mains off when not in usage - and whilst they are small savings month by month, this will add up over time.

You might like to think about the following: -

• What new or augment product and services could you launch within your business area?
• What internal initiatives are being meansured to ensure the ‘green’ policy is being maintained by your employees?
•  Are there real measures or rewards inplace - are there disincentives in place if they don’t keep to it?
• Marketing your business as ‘green’ must be more than lip service or a PR exercise - it doesn’t take much these days to dig for the trueth. And Word-of-Mouth advertising is powerful (both ways).

One major voice for this issue has to be Ex-Vice President Al Gore who was in Singapore recently for the Global Brand Forum to talk on issues such as this.

This video excerpt is Al Gore explaining how business and individuals can do more regarding the issue of climate change.

With ever more singaporeans taking up Wine as a preference for drink and perceptive climb in social status (remeber the 5 C’s), the two founders of Impress Training recently attended Lianhe Zao Bao Wine Review 2007 Challenge

It is Singapore’s first independent wine competition as well as Singapore & South-East Asia’s most important wine competition.

Each year, 300 to 400 different wines from >30 to 40 countries & wine regions all over the world; including France, Italy, Germany, Spain, South Africa, US, Australia, New Zealand etc, participate in the Award. 

Whether you’re having lunch with well known business associates or you’re sitting down to a formal dinner with friends , knowing dining etiquette will help you put you and others at ease. Wine enhances food. The only concern is knowing that your knowledge is so limited that you won’t order the right one. The key to choosing a wine is to find one that won’t overpower the food or be overpowered by it. In general, the following are examples of wines that compliment certain food.

RED: goes with light meat dishes

WHITE: Lighter fish and shellfish dishes

SPARKLING: Another words is Champagne is use for celebrating and is normally served before a meal or with dessert.

DESSERT: These rich-flavoured sweet wines go well with dessert of cheese, nuts and fruits and served best at room temperature

Because like the first word and first looks, your body language will give a lasting first impression.

The way you move means 3 things:

1. Conveys meaning

2. Influences the audiences attention and judgment of you

3. Establishes spatial relationship

Simply put – positive body language will provide a perception of confidence and poor body language will the perception of nervousness or lack of confidence. In sales, poor body language is a career buster!

Source: BBC News Report on Body Language (2006)

You can tell when a politician is lying, according to the old joke, because his lips start moving. But according to psychologists a much more reliable give-away is the position of his hands. Hidden palms, clenched fists and - worst of all - hands kept deliberately out of view, send out the clearest possible signal that a person has something to hide.

Blair does it… It is no surprise that modern image-obsessed politicians would therefore rather be seen dead - or covered in egg - than allow their hands to drop out of view of the picture.

The party manifestos - carefully groomed to give the right impression rather than minute detail over policy - are full of pictures of the party leaders striking dramatic gestures with their hands.

Gesture politics “As much as 80% of communication is in the body language,” says Robert Phipps, a specialist who advises salespeople and politicians on effective communication.

Another of Mr Phipps’s rules is “Nothing Crossed”. He tells clients that they must keep their arms and legs relaxed and uncrossed. If possible they should leave their jacket open and unbuttoned: “It relays the message ‘I am being open and honest with you’.” If the palms are turned too far upwards or the arms raised too high, this is a sign of surrender and therefore weakness.

Take a look at this video from Terri Sjodin, a top Sales Presenter on the world of body language.

  In today’s modern context, the ability to deliver an effective visual presentation using the available ICT tools such as Power Point ^TM has become part of an evolved and participative method of learning and teaching. Sadly, many educators and trainers still use only a fraction of the tools available; using the media as an information dumping ground rather than an opportunity to visually empower their delivery. Many replicate much of the textual information found in training and reference book material in a summarized form which ultimately leads to a stale delivery and serves more to jog the memory of the trainer than stimulate the mind of the leaner.

If you find yourself guilty of still using multiple bullet-points on white and dark-blue backgrounds in your slides; then its time to re-think, upgrade and integrate into a larger environment by bringing out the best that these rich teaching aids have to offer.

This course aims to improve and blow away any preconceptions that trainers and teachers have about using Power Point ^TM as a teaching and training aid. This course will teach participants how to use Power Point ^TM to makeover their slides, construct info graphics, add video, sound and motion as well as introduce them to the concepts and foundations of visual design communication.

If you want to showcase your visual talents, have a desire to improve your slides or just have a keen interest, then this course sets out a direction that will change the way you design your materials.

This course will actively be using Power Point 2003 & XP ^TM versions as these are most commonly found in Corporate and Educational sectors at this time. Power Point 2007 ^TM also available upon request. Participants must have a basic working knowledge of Power Point ^TM

If you look around you today in magazines, television, and web media alot of new design trends start to appear. One such design trend currently in use is Vector art and Graphics.

If you’re in marketing and sales and looking to do a slick presentation, the inclusion of a vector graphic can greatly enhance the visual look of your presentation slides.

Take a look our quick DIY Vector Art lession: