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Editor: Dr. Wolf J. Rinke
Publisher: Wolf Rinke Associates, Inc.
(c) 2008 Wolf J. Rinke
Vol. 11 No. 4, August/September 2008
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Feel free to forward this eNewsletter to others.
To get your own FREE subscription click on the link above.
IN THIS ISSUE
1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
2. MONEY SAVING OFFER--FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
3. HOW TO ACHIEVE A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN A TOUGH ECONOMY--PART III
4. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
5. HUMOR BREAK
6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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REALITY CHECK
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"Without action, a terrible thing will happen--nothing."
--Wolf J. Rinke
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1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
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WORK-LIFE BALANCE MORE IMPORTANT THAN PAY
In a survey of 1,634 employees, recruitment firm Hudson found that in
response to the question: "What is the primary reason you accepted
your current position" 29% of employees picked "work-life
balance and flexibility"; 23% selected "compensation";
13% identified "work culture"; and 5% each picked "training
opportunities" and "advancement opportunities."
ACTION STEPS
To compete more effectively for talent in today's tough economy offer
slightly more pay than the competition and as much work-life balance
and flexibility as possible.
Source: http://us.hudson.com/node.asp?kwd=workplace-surveys
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2. MONEY SAVING OFFER--FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
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Want to learn how to build a peak performance organization?
Listen to my six-CD audio album: "Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe
Strategies for Building High-Performance Organizations."
Over 5 hours of fail-safe management strategies to help you succeed
faster. According to Bill Marriott, these "strategies provide invaluable
guidance."
Price: $69.95+s/h and you get the book (same title) for FREE.
SAVE $24.95
You risk absolutely nothing! If for any reason the CD's are not everything
you expected, send them back to me and I will give you your money back.
The book is yours to keep!
Log onto www.wolfrinke.com/Specialwmbkcds.htm or call 800-828-9653.
Mention this ad when ordering by phone!
------------------------- Offer expires 9/15/2008 ------------------------------
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3. HOW TO ACHIEVE A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN A TOUGH ECONOMY--PART III
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In the last issue (11-3) of this eNewsletter (www.WolfRinke.com) you
found out that to survive in this tough economy you must:
--Think projects
--Think global
--Think weird
--Become an effective team player and leader
--Focus on delivering exceptional quality service
--Become a problem solver
--Think of yourself as self-employed
--Keep Growing
--Network Now
In this issue you will find out how well you are achieving a competitive
advantage in this tough economy by asking yourself the following diagnostic
questions:
Am I learning?
If you are not learning something new all of the time, your value in
the marketplace is diminishing rapidly.
Am I being taken advantage of?
Your employer is taking advantage of you when you consistently sacrifice
your long-term development to put out short-term "fires."
Don't let your ego get the better of you when you are being told that
you are so critical to the organization that "we can't afford to
do without you." Hogwash! No one is indispensable. Never ever get
caught in persistent short-term traps, at the expense of your long-term
development.
If my job were open today, would I get it?
Be sure to "benchmark" your skills all of the time. One way
to do that is to look at the on-line want ads to find out what the marketplace
is looking for. And if you do not possess the skills that the marketplace
is looking for, it's time to invest more in yourself by reading, studying
or going back to "school."
Am I adding value?
How long does it take you to answer this question? If you are unable
to answer it immediately and in fewer than two or three sentences, you
can assume that no one else knows how you contribute value either. In
that case, you are a likely target during the next downsizing.
Am I good at selling?
Many professionals see no need to become excellent at selling. The reality
is that you sell all the time. You sell your vendor on a delivery date,
your boss on a raise, and your team members on an idea. In addition,
you do the same at home with your spouse, your children, and even your
pets. Since it is something you do all of the time, I recommend that
you get good at it. No wait I recommend you get great at it! So start
looking for a good sales seminar and attend it this year!
Am I computer savvy?
If you have not made your computer your best friend and learned to master
a wide variety of software that makes your work-life easier, it's time
to start, now!
Am I energized by change?
If you are still fighting or resisting change, you are in trouble. All
indications are that change will continue to accelerate at "hyper
speed," so you might as well start welcoming it.
Does my resume focus on contributions?
To check how focused you are on contributions, get out your resume and
check for specific outcomes, specific impact on the bottom line, and
variety and content of work, projects and leadership experiences. Are
you impressed? Would you hire this person? If yes, congratulations.
If no, start focusing on contributions now, and make sure your resume
reflects that.
Do I do more than what is expected of me?
If you do, you'll be the last one to go when your organization downsizes,
and may even get a pay raise, no matter how tough things are.
Do you put the Energizer Bunny to shame?
If not, get in the driver's seat of your emotions and make a decision
today and every day for the rest of your life, to be energetic and positive
no matter how bad things are going for you. Remember, how you feel is
your choice; do not give it away to anyone or anything else!
And for the Most Important Principle of All Time: Take Action
This is more important than all the others. It can best be summarized
by ready, fire, aim! (Not a typo.) It's the one skill that when all
else fails will determine whether you will thrive in this tough economy.
Action lets you know whether what you've tried works. If it does, do
more of it. If it does not, try something else, and soon you'll find
yourself succeeding faster than you have ever thought possible. And
whatever you do, avoid fretting about having failed--there is no such
a thing, unless you keep repeating the same mistake. Action gets you
away from bemoaning change and mourning the lack of job security. Action
will liberate and empower you. Action will get you to grow, change and
adapt. Action will provide you with virtual job security. In short,
action will enable you to achieve a competitive advantage and will help
you thrive even in a tough economy.
SOURCE: Based in part on Chapter 8 of my book "Winning Management:
6 Fail-Safe Strategies for Building High-Performance Organizations."
(Get this book for FREE. See the special offer in section #2, http://www.WolfRinke.com)
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4. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
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8/22/08 Copenhagen, DK. "Education: How to Achieve Lasting Job
Security," In-House Seminar, Toms Gruppen A/S.
9/9/08 Philadelphia, PA. "Achieve Peak Performance by Increasing
Personal Effectiveness," full day Institute of Management Studies
(IMS) seminar. Contact: Joe Paesani, Philadelphia@ims-online.com
10/3/08 Copenhagen, DK. "Perseverance: How to Deal More Effectively
with Change and Stress," In-House Seminar, Toms Gruppen A/S.
NOTE: I have other "in-house" presentations scheduled in
the U.S.A., Canada and Europe. Please let me know if you are interested
to preview me or bring me into your organization at reduced expenses
when I'm scheduled to be in your area. That way we can let you know
when I'm coming your way!
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5. HUMOR BREAK
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A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her
shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a
towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door there stands Sam,
the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Sam says, "I'll
give you $800 to drop that towel." After thinking for a moment,
the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Sam. After a
few seconds, Sam hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps herself back up and heads upstairs. When she gets to
the bathroom, her husband asks "Who was that?" "It was
Sam," she replied. "Great!" the husband says, "did
he bring the $800 he owes me?"
Moral of the story: Sharing information with your team members' in a
timely manner may prevent avoidable "exposure."
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6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
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Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, CSP is a highly effective management consultant and
executive coach who specializes in building peak performance organizations,
teams and individuals. He is the author of 14 books including "Don't
Oil the Squeaky Wheel and 19 Other Contrarian Ways to Improve Your Leadership
Effectiveness" and "Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies
for Building High-Performance Organizations" available at www.WolfRinke.com.
Wolf is also an internationally recognized management/leadership keynote
speaker and seminar leader who delivers customized presentations that
combine story telling, humor and motivation with specific "how
to" action strategies that participants can apply immediately to
improve their management and leadership effectiveness. Preview a live
demo at www.WolfRinke.com. To take advantage of Dr. Rinke's services
contact us at 800-828-9653 or WolfRinke@aol.com
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7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
===================================================
We will not make your name or e-mail address available to anyone. Period!
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