With the start of the new year, you may be planning some new career goals you want to achieve in 2008. But before you start acting on your plans, it’s a good idea to stop and consider how people currently see you.

Do others view you as “leadership material,” or as just another face in the office?

In business, perception is everything. Develop the image of a winner and achievement becomes easier.That’s how winning streaks get started. When people view you favorably, you’ll get more resources and support, higher-profile career-boosting assignments, and more opportunities to show your leadership potential.

In this article, you’ll learn a strategy that can help you build a winning image and start your career on a winning streak.

Build Your Winning Image

Have you ever wondered how some people just keep winning…
and winning… and winning?

They always manage to land on their feet, while other equally talented people stumble again and again. Read the rest of this entry »

With BlackBerry owners numbering in the multi-millions and new devices and applications coming on the market every day, mobile messaging devices have become a essential business tool.

Yet these devices represent a larger threat to your career success than any economic slowdown, company setback, or aggressive new competitor.   Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have a strategy to distinguish yourself in your career and help you stand out from the crowd?

As Tom Peters said, in today’s business environment you need to be distinct, or you’ll be extinct. Today promotions, raises, and important career-accelerating assignments often go to the most visible people - not necessarily to those who are most “deserving.”

In this post we share 7 steps you can take to develop a strong career identity and position yourself as someone to watch. Read the rest of this entry »

How are you celebrating National Boss Day (October 16th)? Or are you  celebrating at all? Here are some tips, extracted from our new career development manual, How to Become a Rising Star in Your Career in 60 Days or Less, that will help you celebrate with a gift that keeps on giving.

National Boss Day was first registered in October 16, 1958 as a day for workers to officially acknowledge their bosses.

But how to celebrate?

Giving flowers, cards or gifts is traditional, but probably won’t help in getting that promotion you’re after. However, there is a way to both show appreciation to your boss and accelerate your career at the same time. This National Boss Day, in addition to your tangible tokens of appreciation, why not give a gift that will keep on giving. Learn how to Manage Your Boss.

Managing your boss effectively isn’t a matter of being a “yes man” or playing politics. It involves working together to generate the best solutions for you, your boss, and your company.

Here are some action steps you can take RIGHT NOW to build a more productive and rewarding relationship with your boss: Read the rest of this entry »

These expert performance strategies can help you get on the road to the top.  

Do you long for the financial acumen of a Warren Buffett, the presentation ability of a Steve Jobs, the magnetism of an Oprah Winfrey, or the golf swing of a Tiger Woods? Have you ever wished that you too had been born with advantages that would lead you to success in your chosen field?

Well think again.

Researchers in Expert Performance Psychology have found that no one is “born great.” Over 20 years of data suggest that there’s no significant inborn difference at all between average and top performers in any field. The only exceptions the researchers found were in a few sports, like basketball, where physical size offers you a competitive edge.

While top performers may not have any inborn advantages, there are some significant differences that distinguish leaders in their fields from everyone else.

Top performers put in more practice than average people, they practice strategically, and they seek out feedback and coaching to make them even better.

The good news is that by adopting these expert performance strategies and habits, you too can put yourself on the road to leadership. Here’s how to get started. Read the rest of this entry »

Employee motivation involves more than just salary and bonuses.

A frequent question we get from managers at all levels is how to motivate consistent high performance from others.

In today’s business environment, you can’t force anyone to do anything.

As a manager, you need to think of yourself as leading a volunteer army. In the words of President Dwight Eisenhower, you need to get people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.

The fact is, psychological research proves that praise and appreciation is far a more effective employee motivation strategy than threats or punishment. 

When people want to do something they tend to put in more and better effort than if they believe that they have to do it. And in this post we share a motivation strategy that you can use to encourage this kind of voluntary contribution from everyone around you.  Read the rest of this entry »

Do you make the most of criticism? Or do you overreact, missing out on any opportunity to benefit from the feedback?

There’s no question that, for most of us, receiving criticism is not easy. Even when it’s well-intentioned constructive feedback, listening to someone point out an error that you made or a flaw that you have can be very tough to take.

While learning how to accept criticism graciously, and even thankfully, may not be at the top of your list right now, learning how to deal with negative feedback could make a big difference in your ability to advance rapidly in your career.

Research in Expert Performance psychology reveals that top performers in every field learn to view criticism differently than the rest of us. Read the rest of this entry »

Using activity logs as part of your time management strategy can significantly increase your productivity.

Have you ever had the experience of looking back on a busy day, week, or month only to realize that you didn’t accomplish nearly as much as you had planned?

If so, you’re not alone.

Most people, even those of us who diligently block out our time and prioritize our schedules, find that, while we’re always busy, we often don’t make the progress we anticipated.

Whether you’re building a successful career or a successful business, your time is your most valuable asset.

Just as your financial condition is a direct result of how you use your money, your productivity is a direct result of your time management.

However unlike finances, which you can easily keep track of with bank statements, receipts, and other records, it’s easy to lose track of just where your time is going.

Before you can effectively use any time management system, you must have an accurate picture of how you’re spending your time right now.

By far the best way to keep track of your time is to use an Activity Log. With this system, you keep a detailed record of just how you’re spending each hour of your day. After you see where your available time is going you’ll be in a much better position to make decisions that increase your productivity.

How to Benefit from an Activity Log

Click Here to Download our Activity Log. (Or create your own by making a table with 3 columns: Time, Activity, and Value.)

Starting tomorrow morning, Read the rest of this entry »

After a great deal of prodding from friends and colleagues, we’ve decided to enter the blogosphere.

Our mission is to offer you news and information that can help you maximize your personal career performance as well as the performance of your business. Over our many years of consulting to senior executives and business leaders, we have seen that the principles of Expert Performance Psychology, when used effectively, can make a massive difference in your ability to rapidly achieve your objectives.

We welcome your comments and suggestions and look forward to hearing from you.