17 Inspiring Quotes to Fuel Your Ambition and Ignite Your Success in Business and Life

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by Peter Economy

When doubt envelops us, inspiration can be that inner fire that sets us back on track.

There will always be times in life when the challenges seem beyond our grasp. If the challenges are too overwhelming and our abilities are at their limit, a dose of motivation can be just what the doctor ordered. It’s a light that can give us a direction forward when the sky is dark.

Inspiration is the catalyst that sparks a renewed sense of purpose, willpower, and hope in us. When doubt envelops us, inspiration can be that inner fire that sets us back on track and helps us continue moving forward with a greater intensity.

These 17 quotes will surely give you the spark you need to ignite your success.

1. “Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.” —Helen Keller

2. “What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds.” —Wayne Dyer

3. “There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” —Nelson Mandela

4. “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it.” —Lou Holtz

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4 common-sense ways to get a promotion faster

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by Tracy Brower

 

Chances are, you want a promotion—and you want it faster than it’s likely to come. It is human nature to want to move up, get ahead, and advance your career as soon as you can.

Most promotions happen based on a combination of your length of service, experience, and performance. But there are also elements that are more subtle, such as your relationships, your network, and your visibility.

And while you can always wait and watch, you can also take proactive steps to get a new job title, increased responsibility, more decision-making power, greater salary, or a new leadership opportunity.

How to get promoted faster 

Many workers, especially those early in their careers, aim to receive a promotion about every three to five years. However, it is not uncommon for promotions to happen every couple of years. Interestingly, about 30% of people in a study by Nectar say they have received a promotion during the last year and another 30% reported they had achieved a promotion in the last two years.

There are all kinds of promotions, from a traditional vertical promotion in which you obtain a bump in your title, salary, and responsibilities to a horizontal promotion in which you move to another role with a similar spot in the hierarchy and salary range.

You might also receive a dry promotion, also known as a “quiet promotion,” which comes with an enhanced title and tasks, but doesn’t deliver more money or benefits. These types of opportunities are great for your résumé but may be tough on your morale.

Fortunately, there are strategies you can leverage to increase your chances of getting the promotion you want. Here are four that can help you get a promotion faster. Continue reading →

Effective Leadership Evolves Within People Who Take These Steps

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by MICHAEL MINK

 

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, also a five-star general, said effective leadership is like a string: Pull the string, and it follows wherever you wish. But push it and it goes nowhere.

Reaching even a top leadership position, though, doesn’t mean the journey is complete. Executives evolve by consistently improving their leadership skills.

Effective leadership is the blending of many skills including communication, motivation and empathy.

However, “You can’t make changes as a one-off,” said Chris Lewis, founder of Team Lewis, a marketing consulting firm. “It needs to be embedded as part of a routine. Excellence is not a single act. Excellence is a habit.”

Set High Expectations For Effective Leadership

Winning leaders are not passive. They exert pressure in a positive way to get people to act and commit to the right path, said Sarah Dalton. Dalton is a partner at Conchie Associates, a talent assessment and development firm.

“Talented leaders agitate for change, provoke thinking and never settle for average outcomes,” she said “That drives commitment and engagement.”

Hall of Fame basketball coach Phil Jackson was famous for being blunt with players. He’d even call them out in the media to make them uncomfortable. Jackson not only won 11 NBA titles, but earned the loyalty of his players, including such all-time greats as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Continue reading →

Winning Vs. Success: Five Ways to Focus on Real Impact

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by Justin Bookey

 

If you “win” a negotiation but end up alienating the other players, the long-term benefits are negligible. Focus on the real prize.

In sports, business, arguments and relationships, “winning” often implies a zero-sum game, where there’s a clear victor and a defeated opponent. Winning certainly feels great in the moment, and can bring material gains, status and a surge of dopamine. But if there’s only one winner, where does that leave the others? They may feel dejected, envious or hollow.

“Success,” however, can benefit everyone involved. Consider breaking your personal best time in a 10K race, but finishing 12th in your age group. In a national championship, that would be recorded as a distant loss. But you made it to the Nationals, achieved a personal best, and forged great relationships. These are all significant successes.

Success is Inclusive and Lasting

Success encompasses winning, but also recognizes everyone who advances in their own challenges. This isn’t about participation trophies; it’s about acknowledging the efforts of all participants who overcome meaningful hurdles. Whether it’s a company bonus, a check-mark on a goals chart or an ice cream cone after a game, everyone who contributes their best effort and achieves some positive result deserves to enjoy some reward. Continue reading →

The 3 most undesirable traits of leaders—and how to fix them

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ByHRM Asia 

We have all been there before: A micromanaging manager who does not trust employees to carry out their job roles competently. An unempathetic manager who only has her self-interests at heart and does not recognize the feelings of others. An inarticulate manager with poor communication skills who encourages a culture of non-transparency and second-guessing.

For organizations with workplace leaders who demonstrate these undesirable traits, are they at risk of losing their best talent? Are employees really leaving managers and not organizations?

A recent LinkedIn poll conducted by HRM Asia would seem to give credence to these suggestions, with an overwhelming 88% of respondents saying that they would choose a “great manager” over a “great job.”

3 leadership traits to avoid

To put things into perspective, this is not to suggest that bad managers are the only reason why employees leave an organization. Factors such as better job growth and career advancement opportunities also need to be considered.

However, with employees spending more than half of their waking time at work, it is perhaps not surprising that they desire to work with “great managers” who are competent and can support them in achieving key work goals.

“Undesirable traits can cause irreversible damage to trust, collaboration and strategic alignment, which are critical for organizations to thrive,” Grant “Upbeat” Bosnick, an award-winning author and keynote speaker, told HRM Asia.

Specifically, he identifies three undesirable leadership traits that organizations must identify and fix.

1. Ego-centered decision-making

Boastful leaders driven by ego prioritize their personal interests over the organization’s goals. This trait destroys trust within the team, leads to poor decision-making and promotes a toxic culture that values individual success over collective growth. A leader’s inability to prioritize the business and people over personal ambition can cripple organizational effectiveness.

To overcome this, leaders need to implement a collective decision-making process where input from key stakeholders across different regions, functions and levels is actively sought before major decisions are made. Creating a “team of teams” culture encourages leaders to see themselves as part of a larger ecosystem, not the sole decision-makers. Continue reading →