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Human Relations Principle #7 to Become a Friendlier Person

Successful business interaction is not a mystery. Nothing is so praiseworthy and important as paying exclusive attention to the person who is speaking to you.

 

 

Human Relations Principle 7: Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

(“An easy way to become a good conversationalist.”)

(This is the seventh in a series of articles where I will encapsulate each of Dale Carnegie’s timeless, life-changing principles for dealing with people. (Adapted from How to Win Friends and Influence People.))*

Listening is just as important in your home life as in the world of business. Listen carefully when a family member wants to speak to you. They will know you love them because whenever they want to talk to you about something you stop whatever you are doing and listen to them.

If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is the recipe: Never listen to anyone for long. Talk incessantly about yourself. If you have an idea while the other person is talking, don’t wait for him or her to finish; bust right in and interrupt in the middle of a sentence . . . Read more

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Human Relations Principle #6 to Become a Friendlier Person

“Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices.”

~Emerson

The ability to remember names is important in business, social contacts and, yes, even politics.

 

Human Relations Principle 6: Remember that a person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

(“If you don’t do this, you are headed for trouble.”)

(This is the sixth in a series of articles where I will encapsulate each of Dale Carnegie’s timeless, life-changing principles for dealing with people. (Adapted from How to Win Friends and Influence People.))*

A person’s name sets the individual apart; it makes him or her unique among others.

The information we are imparting or the request we are making takes on a special importance when we approach the situation with the name of the individual. From the waitress to the senior executive, the name will work magic as we deal with others.

People are so proud of their names that they strive to perpetuate them at any cost which is why hospitals, libraries, streets and other monuments are named after prominent people and benefactors.

However, most people don’t remember names, for the simple reason that they don’t take the time and energy necessary to concentrate and repeat and fix names indelibly in their minds. They make excuses for themselves claiming that they can’t do it or they are too busy to take the time. Read more

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Human Relations Principle #4 to Become a Friendlier Person

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people that you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

~Dale Carnegie 

 

 

Human Relations Principle #4: Become genuinely interested in other people.

(“Do this and you’ll be welcome anywhere.”)

(This is the fourth in a series of articles where I will encapsulate each of Dale Carnegie’s timeless, life-changing principles for dealing with people. (Adapted from How to Win Friends and Influence People.))*

One can win the attention, time and cooperation of even the most sought-after people by becoming genuinely interested in them.

It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring. Read more

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Human Relations Principle #3 to Become a Friendlier Person

“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.”

~ Henry Ford

 

 

Human Relations Principle 3: Arouse in the other person an eager want (He/she who can do this has the whole world with him/her. He/she who cannot walks a lonely way.)

(This is the third in a series of articles where I will encapsulate each of Dale Carnegie’s timeless, life-changing principles for dealing with people. (Adapted from How to Win Friends and Influence People.))*

The only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it. There is only one way under high heaven to get anybody to do anything. By making the other person want to do it. Read more

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Human Relations Principle #2 to Become a Friendlier Person

Do you receive as much appreciation as you deserve?

Do you give as much appreciation to others as they deserve?

Could there be a correlation?

 

Human Relations Principle #2: Give honest and sincere appreciation (or “The big secret of dealing with people.”)

(This is the second in a series of articles where I will encapsulate each of Dale Carnegie’s timeless, life-changing principles for dealing with people. (Adapted from How to Win Friends and Influence People.))*

William James said, “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.

Appreciation is one of the most powerful tools in the world. People will rarely work at their maximum potential under criticism, but honest appreciation brings out their best. Read more

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Human Relations Principle #1 to Become a Friendlier Person

Do you want to be successful in business and life?Then it takes mastery in dealing with people.

Seeing so many people in attack mode these days can be disheartening. Maybe it’s time we remember the basics of human relations much like baseball players will return to the fundamentals of their swing when they are in a slump.

The best guide on effective human relations that I have ever encountered is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, published in 1936. Prior to writing the book, Carnegie spent 20 years researching the habits of successful people. The book has sold over 30 million copies and is still listed on Amazon’s top 100 best selling books.

This is the first in a series of articles where I will encapsulate each of Dale Carnegie’s timeless, life-changing principles for dealing with people. (Adapted from How to Win Friends and Influence People.)

Human Relations Principle #1: Don’t criticize, condemn or complain (or “If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.”)

The easiest thing to do in the world is to criticize, condemn and complain (The 3Cs). It is the lowest form of human creative expression and takes little energy and effort. Using the 3Cs is a destructive habit we mistakenly choose in an effort to prove our superiority over another person in a battle which no one can win. Read more

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How to Create a Balanced, Successful and Fulfilling Life

Do you know what it takes to live a balanced, successful and fulfilling life? If not, you may find that your life feels like it is spinning out of control with all the chaos and turbulence that we have been experiencing lately in the world in the form of hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and politics.

This is the perfect time to refocus your attention on the things that you can control and restore balance back to your life. Don’t let others dictate what you should focus on. Invest some personal time on self-discovery to create your own energy focus for the key areas of your life.

Staying fulfilled and successful is a continuous balancing act. Things are in a constant state of flux—changing and transforming from one state to another. Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed and out of balance it is time to reassess how you are spending your time and refocus your attention on the things that matter most to you. Remember…

There is no guarantee of tomorrow, so live more fully today.

3 Steps to Create a Balanced, Successful and Fulfilling Life 

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Creating Work/Life Balance

Grinnell Glacier, Glacier National Park

How well have you done with work/life balance this summer? Our minds and bodies need time off from work to de-stress and recharge. Ironically, creating time off decreases our level of stress and increases our work productivity. It may seem counter-intuitive but it’s medically proven to be true.

 

Like you, sometimes it’s difficult to achieve the balance that I desire. Just this morning my wife, Lyn, and I wrestled with how to focus our attention today while staying near majestic Yellowstone National Park. How do we balance completing our business work so we can enjoy the beauty of America’s first national park. As a result, here I am completing this article before we set off to soak in the beauty of nature and recharge our souls. Lyn is wrapping up her tasks as well.

 

For more than 10 years, Lyn and I have operated our businesses as we have traveled throughout North America in our mobile office and home. We both have businesses that require consistent attention. It has been a continuing discovery process of figuring out how to live and work while full-time RVing. Our desire for work/life balance has enabled us to experience some of the most incredibly beautiful sights on the planet, stay connected with friends and family, while continuing to serve our wonderful clients as we roll.

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Spring Forth with Renewed Energy

Circle of Growth

Spring is a time of releasing old burdens and planting something new and exciting that make your Spirit soar—both personally and as an organization. What could you plant now that will lead to a bountiful harvest this Fall?

Consider growing your company as you would grow a plentiful garden on fertile ground. During our strategic planning and training sessions with Native American communities and their enterprises, a good Hopi friend and business associate of mine, Perci Ami, often shares about the circle of growth and how it relates to the four directions of the medicine wheel. This cycle has proven valuable for understanding the natural order and balance necessary to yield a successful harvest in life as well as in organizations.

1. Cultivate Your Garden

Every organization is unique like each seed of every plant. What works for one may not work for another. Does your organization have a strategic plan that clearly identifies your unique seeds to success? The strategic planning process naturally reveals and cultivates what to focus your precious resources upon so that your organization is aligned with your desired vision for the future. This alignment will result in an organization that will stand the test of time.

The process also helps to differentiate the uniqueness of your organization compared to that of your competition. It is a great way to determine or reconfirm the core purpose, core values, vision, goals and action plans for an organization.

Successful companies that stand the test of time even during tough times are built upon a solid foundation of core purpose and core values while adjusting their vision, goals and action plans to adjust to the ever-changing external economic and political environment. In other words, their core values and purpose are etched in stone; their vision, goals and action plans are molded of clay.

The process, done right, draws from the collective wisdom of the leaders and employees throughout the different levels of the organization. The result is widespread involvement, buy-in and accountability for the success of the organization. The strategic planning process will illuminate your path toward a bright, prosperous future.

2. Plant Your Seeds

Once your strategic plan is established and you have decided which seeds to plant, it is time for a reality check to assure that the seeds you plant will grow. Ask yourself, “What in our present situation aligns with our strategic plan? What does not?” Similar to weeding a garden, continue doing what aligns with your plan. Stop doing what does not.

Having the right people doing the right things in the right way will assure success. All policies, procedures, systems and processes should assist your employees to achieve what you have defined in the strategic plan. If there are employees who do not support your organization’s direction, they are like weeds that choke the life out of what you desire to grow. These people are probably your unhappy employees. Chances are they are also your least productive employees who demand a lot of your time and energy.

Great leaders do not manage people, they manage agreements with people. Consider having the leaders in your organization create with each employee they supervise a Declaration of Understanding that clearly spells out mutual desires and expectations. Employees will choose to live their agreements or not. As a result, leaders can simply manage the agreement without a clash of personalities. Employees who choose not to live by their agreements, even after extensive coaching, will probably be happier someplace else where they feel better alignment with their values.

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day in the Workplace-It’s All About Love!

What does love and Valentine’s Day have to do with business? In a nutshell, everything!

  • Customers and employees who feel loved are more loyal to your company.
  • Employees who love their bosses and their jobs perform better.
  • Customers and employees who feel loved share their experiences with others.

What if this is true: “It’s all about love!”?

Simply put: Love aspires. Love inspires. Love grows.

Let’s look at two extraordinary companies, both of which were launched in 1971—more than 45 years ago—operating with love as an essential core value.

Have you ever enjoyed a burger and a beer at a Hard Rock Café? Did you know that the company was founded by two hippies who chose love, peace, and rock-‘n-roll as their mantra? Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton were two shaggy-haired Americans who just wanted to find a good American burger while living in London. They built their first café on London’s Hyde Park corner as the first “classless” restaurant in the class-laden English society.

Today there are more than 175 Hard Rock locations, which include restaurants, hotels, casinos, and live music venues in 55 countries. Emblazoned on the wall of every property is, “Love All, Serve All.” It is the life—and business—success principle that Tigrett borrowed from his guru in India.

The Seminole Tribe acquired the Hard Rock companies in 2007, continuing to keep its love-based culture alive. Their mottos are still visible: “Love All, Serve All,” “Take Time to Be Kind,” “All Is One,” and “Save the Planet.” And how’s this for a core value: “Deliver kick-ass service.”

Southwest Airlines is another company that fearlessly embraces love (“LUV”) as a fundamental principle.

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