Simpleology Blog

Is it possible to get to the top without stabbing anyone's back?

This is the question that Kevin Eikenberry aims to answer in his book Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at a Time. And he does answer the question in the most direct way possible. In fact, the answer is right on the book's cover.

Eikenberry reiterates that the most honorable path to becoming a leader is through strengthening and adding to one's skills. He writes: "We are all given a unique set of talents when we are born and it is our job to tap into our personal skills and abilities to maximize our potential throughout our lives. Some of our natural talents help us on our journey to become an effective leader, but other skills need to be nurtured and developed."

Eikenberry then presents a checklist of the qualities that remarkable leaders must have. They...

• Learn continually
• Champion change
• Communicate powerfully
• Build relationships
• Develop others
• Focus on customers
• Influence with impact
• Act innovatively
• Value collaboration and teamwork
• Solve problems and make decisions
• Take responsibility and have accountability
• Manage projects and processes successfully
• Set goals and support goal achievement

Bottom line: Great leaders rise to the top by playing up their strengths and working on their weaknesses. They don't resort to ruthlessness to earn the right to the position. The focus on doing things to the best of their ability.

Suggested Resource: Start your journey to the top with weekly mental upgrades from the Kaizen Club.

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Biographies are great reads, but there are times when you wish that you could have easy access to all the highlights of a certain person's life. This is especially true for those who want to focus on, say, the career moves of the movers and shakers of the industry.

Cashmap Lifelines: 2009's Wealthiest Americans is a course that features insightful "maps" to the lives of Michael Bloomberg, Warren Buffett, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Donald Trump, and Oprah Winfrey.

The Cashmap Lifelines maps systematically pinpoint the milestones that contributed to the success--as well as the setbacks--of each person's life. It even features icons for easy reference.

What's even cooler is the fact that each Cashmaps Lifelines map consists of just one page. Thus, you can indeed go through eight biographies in just one day. You can even print out each one and take it with you.

Get hold of the inspiring Cashmap Lifelines: 2009's Wealthiest Americans "bio maps" by signing up for Simpleology and clicking on the dashboard link. You'll just be a few clicks away from getting instant inspiration from some of the most well-known trailblazers of our time.

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Harnessing friendly power. Having friends who will enrich your life in any way is always great. They often also contribute to your success--no matter what profession or line of business you may be in. Take, for instance, stand-up comedy, which is very serious business.

Your friends can give your business a boost.

This was what Simpleology user Nancy Hall realized when she signed up for the 7 Day Business Turnaround Kit. On top of imparting valuable information, the course has paved the way for her to connect with peers who give her added feedback and insights. "I'm so blown away by the 7 Day Business Turnaround Kit," she states. "It addresses different levels of business and provides juicy new ideas to create cash injection machines."

Nancy goes on to expound on how the course has helped her so much:

1. It cuts the learning curve. The course's multimedia approach makes it easier for anyone to master business strategies. Nancy explains: "The daily checklists are great. The videos of experts are so amazingly inspiring and full of wisdom and tips. They [enable you to leap through] a costly, time-sucking learning curve."

2. It makes information stick. "The material is brilliantly organized and structured. Thus, the course's blueprint is crystal clear," says Nancy. The course has been designed to flow at a pace that maximizes a person's ability to absorb information.

3. It sets you up for peer support. Nancy points out: "Having access to the peer and expert support on the Simpleology community board quadruples the value of the course." By connecting with other Simpleology users who are in the same industry, you get a lot of advice and perspectives that would enrich your own business strategies. Bottom line: Simpleology doesn't leave you out in the cold after you've gotten the 7 Day Business Turnaround Kit.

Overall, Nancy is certain that she has gotten " immense value for her investment." "There is a wonderful, grounded ethic woven through the content. This is a course that over-delivers," she says.

Create more of your very own cash injection machines with the 7 Day Business Turnaround Kit.

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Home Issues. Simpleology user Kim Cooper and her husband Steve host The Love Safety Net and discuss issues that disrupt relationships.

Relationships require a lot of hard work--but not a lot of people know how to keep things peaceful in the face of disagreements.

Preserving Harmony
Kim Cooper--host of The Love Safety Net and author of Back From the Looking Glass: Living with the Disorder that Causes Emotional and Domestic Abuse--has realized that Simpleology can be used as a resource to help couples keep the peace.

Kim states, "Working with couples who are experiencing chronic fighting and abuse I am always on the look out for resources I can pass on and, so far, Simpleology tops that list. It's the fastest way I know to get people focused on their own life and goals. This, in turn, is also the fastest way to promote a healthy mind and body, as well as healthy interpersonal relationships and boundaries."

Added Benefit
"Because domestic abuse is so rampant and devastating for those caught up in it," Kim continues, "Steve and I are also always on the look out for ideas to get our message out to as many people as possible. To this end, we have searched far and wide for the best teachers in the area of internet marketing. And, after personally subscribing to dozens of the top marketing experts lists and testing all sorts of programs, I have again found Simpleology as the hands down winner."

Kim likewise points out another aspect that makes Simpleology an effective tool for her line of work. "There are very few people who can see beyond ideology and convention to get a clear and intelligent view of what really matters, what is really at stake, and what really works in order to achieve solid and lasting results, while making life both satisfying and challenging. Simpleology is a clear ray of peace and sanity amidst the quagmire of ideology, superstition, ego, and nonsense that so often undermine what can be accomplished in the average person's day," she says.

That's why it's no surprise that Kim is looking forward to doing more Simpleology courses.

Strike out the the things that prevent you from achieving your life goals. Take it one day at a time. Sign up for Simpleology 101: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want.

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Our jobs take up so many hours of our waking life. As such, many of us feel that we are defined by our job description. We forget that while it's necessary for us to make a living, we also shouldn't forget to live.

Welcome Break
That realization came to Leta Tedrow in 2005, the year she left a job that she had had for almost 30 years. "The business was sold and the new management was not a good fit for me," Leta says. "I was scared to death. I knew I had to get everything under control."

It was then that Leta stumbled across Simpleology and promptly signed up for Simpleology 101: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want.

Habit Forming
It wasn't long before Leta had made a habit of tackling her Daily Target Praxis for 15 minutes each day. At the same time, she took to heart The Five Laws of Simpleology: The Law of Straight Lines, The Law of Clear Vision, The Law of Focused Attention, The Law of Focused Energy, and The Law of The Inescapability of Action/Reaction.

Ultimately, Leta's 15-minute habit enabled her to do these three things:

1. It gave her a sense of direction. According to Leta, Simpleology helped her see "the road she wanted to travel" and "equipped her with tools to get to where she wanted to go."

2. It helped streamline her life. "I am thrilled tell everyone that my life is less complicated. I am more productive. My house is cleaner, my husband is happier, and I am literally headache free," Leta reveals.

3. It made her feel content in every way. Simpleology did not only empower Leta to lead the best version her life, it likewise helped her manage her other tasks. "The bills are paid and there is a little left over at the end of the month," she says. "I have found I have more time, energy and money than I ever did on the nine-to-five rat race."

Simple Pleasures
As Leta's experience shows us, we can lead fulfilling lives outside of a job. She reminds us that there's more to life than working. When you really think about it, there is a way for your life to work even after you've left your job. After all, productivity is not confined to the office alone.

In any case, even if you have a nine-to-five job, you owe it to yourself to keep a balance between your work hours and your personal time. Remember that the people who are most effective and exemplary at their jobs are usually just as fulfilled with their lives during their downtime.

Credits: Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Start your own 15-minute habit and find out how you can make your life simpler and happier. Sign up for Simpleology 101: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want.

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When you've just had your feet knocked out from under you, it's not easy to dust yourself off and go on with your life. Nevertheless, Simpleology user Leslie Wise accomplished this feat--and then some. "Simpleology is fantastic for a reason you might not be aware of yet," he says.

Silver Lining
"About two two years ago," Leslie reveals, "I suffered a hypertensive stroke and lost partial use of my right hand and right leg. As a result I no longer write legibly. I can still type a little and have been searching for a simple system that I could operate totally on my computer so I could keep track of my life."

No doubt, Leslie dealt with a great deal frustration early on. Fortunately his can-do attitude motivated him to ride out the setbacks and start aiming for success.

Self-Empowering System
Through Simpleology, Leslie found a renewed sense of purpose. He shares his moves. Check them out and see if you can make them work for you, too:

1. Hook up with a complementary application. Leslie set up his Simpleology system using Adobe Acrobat Pro. In particular, he placed the Simpleology Cockpit in Mind Manager Pro and hyperlinked all the pages as PDF files.

2. Make notes diligently.By using the commenting feature of Acrobat, Leslie was able to make notes on each page. Thus, he could easily keep track of his insights.

3. Create an efficient system. "With the Mind Manager, I am able to operate the complete system. I can track and call each page, add items, delete items, and make new pages as necessary. Plus, it's all digital."

Self-Empowering System
Despite his challenges, Leslie was right on track with Simpleology--thanks to the cool system he had devised for himself. It sure goes to show that while necessity may be the mother of invention, nothing compares to inventions that are inspired by empowering simplicity.

Credits: Photo by Petr Kratochvil, courtesy of Public Domain Pictures.

Check out Simpleology 101: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want and you may just discover how it can help you lead a happier and more productive life.

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There's no doubt about it. Word of mouth marketing is one of the most effective ways of creating a buzz for products and bringing it profits.

Flip Side
Then again, Simpleology user Maxwell Gregory, 27, a marketing communications associate who has signed up for the 7 Day Word of Mouth Marketing Accelerator Kit, has stumbled upon an epiphany that changes the conventional way of looking at word of mouth marketing.

"On Day 3 of the course, the lesson tackled the WOM Key Area of Improvement: Your Message. This was when I had this light bulb moment. I realized that word of mouth marketing efforts can be strengthened by a message that invites people to participate in something that's bigger than them, such as a worthy cause," says Maxwell. "By bringing the heart into it, the message that you deliver to people transcends your desire to generate profit."

Getting Real
"The way I see it, there are two ways to strengthen your word of mouth marketing," says Maxwell. "One way is to get into cause-related marketing--wherein a product becomes affiliated as a supporter of a particular organization by donating a portion of its profits for the group's cause. The other is to highlight your company's authenticity factor."

Maxwell cites Lance Secretan, an organizational strategist and leadership adviser and author of ONE: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership. He relates: "Secretan says, 'Inspiring people in this new and different business and social environment depends on a new level of transparency and authenticity. Authenticity, as much as anything, generates love in the hearts of others because it fills a deep human need.'"

By authenticity, Maxwell says, Secretan is referring to compassion and the adherence to a code of ethics. "With authenticity," writes Secretan, "we can build relationships and inspire one another and our communities, families, friends, customers, colleagues, and suppliers."

Lasting Value
The way Maxwell understands it, authenticity enhances a company's identity through the following ways:

1. It shows that you're not just that big bad corporation. "With authenticity, you establish the fact that you don't see the world through a cash register and that you treat people as individuals, not just mere cash cows," Maxwell explains. "Moreover, you demonstrate that you respect them by having high hopes for their goodness. This is essentially what you're telling them each time you market your product with claims such as, 'This product was not tested on animals.' By publicizing this claim, you're actually saying, 'I know you're not the kind of person who buys products that have caused so much pain. I want to assure you that our company does not condone cruelty to animals, either.'"

2. It shows that you're not too wrapped up in yourself. By revealing that there are other issues and concerns that matter to you, you show people that you are aware of what is happening around you. More importantly, you show that you have the desire to make the world a better place.

3. It shows that you are a company that has a conscience. Authenticity also extends to the way you treat your employees. Secretan illustrates: "People go out of their way to fly Southwest Airlines, for instance, because they know that they're a great company. People may know little about the technology of their planes, air-traffic control, or baggage handling, but they know that they have 800 married couples working for them; that they put their employees above everything else, including those of customers and shareholders; and that their teamwork leads to operating costs that are lower than those of many in the industry."

Beyond Marketing Success
"Now, imagine if your word of mouth marketing campaign is powered by authenticity. Sure, it's good when your efforts give way to brand recall, but being able to deliver a powerful message that transcends consumerism is simply wonderful. In this sense, you take word of mouth marketing to a higher level because you also enhance your identity," says Maxwell.

Discover ways to strengthen your word of mouth marketing campaigns. Sign up for the 7 Day Word of Mouth Marketing Accelerator Kit.

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