The Most Important Thing Youll Ever Do

The wellspring of confidence is belief. When you believe in something, you accept and have conviction about the truth, actuality, or validity of that thing. When the belief is about you, its called self-confidence. Self-confidence is your belief that you can marshal your physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual resources in the successful pursuit of a goal.

The number one predictor of individual or team success is confidence level. Confident people tend to initiate action and control their environment - even under difficult conditions. Your degree of self-confidence will determine the kinds of risks you take, the amount of effort you'll expend, and the strength of your perseverance in time of trouble. Your confidence will determine the amount of flexibility you creatively apply in new situations. Your confidence will promote either optimism or pessimism and will dictate the degree to which you are vulnerable to debilitating stress or depression.

We've already said that confidence is the single most important factor in determining an individual or team's likelihood of success. That being the case, promoting confidence is the first task that any leader should undertake. Even though confidence is a personal, intangible belief, it can be actively promoted. There are four basic ways in which we build confidence: the direct experience of success, observing someone similar to you, model success, coaching from a respected individual, and celebration.

The four ways of promoting confidence can work alone or in concert. The important point for leaders to remember is that confidence is the single greatest key to success. The great news is that confidence can be home grown and nurtured. Thus, it's vital that individuals and teams be provided the opportunity to succeed as part of their development. Such opportunities may be provided by assigning progressively more difficult tasks or by scheduling associative experiences. High-energy models or coaches can be employed. However it's done, this is a function of the planning process. The best results will come from the best-developed resources. It's also a planning function to ensure that success, and sometimes failure, is celebrated on a routine basis. That is not to say that the celebration should become routine - celebrating Tuesdays would quickly lose its impact - but it should be recognized as an integral part of the work process. Growing confident people and teams is a leader's first and greatest responsibility.

The bottom line: productivity gains of 30% can be achieved almost immediately and at little cost by simply boosting confidence.

George Ebert is the President of Trinity River Seminars and Consulting, a firm specializing in the custom design and delivery of team building, personal growth and ethical development programs. Mr. Ebert is a highly sought after speaker, educator and consultant with over thirty years experience in both the public and private sectors. He has presented widely throughout the Unites States. He is the author of the management cult classic, Climbing From the Fifth Station: A guide to building teams that work!

---

Google News Updated : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:25:40 GMT Protests Rise in Thailand In Challenge to Regime - Wall Street Journal GulfNews Protests Rise in Thailand In Challenge to Regime Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago By JAMES HOOKWAY and STEPHEN WRIGHT BANGKOK -- Waves of antigovernment protests spread beyond Thailand's capital Friday as clashes between police and demonstrators intensified, forcing the closure of several regional airports and disrupting rail ... Thai protest alliance not so happy with democracy The Associated Press US asks Thailand to end crisis through democratic means AFP New York Times - BBC News - guardian.co.uk - Reuters all 2,421 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:33:23 GMT Microwave baby killer convicted - BBC News BBC News Microwave baby killer convicted BBC News - 3 hours ago A US court in Dayton, Ohio, has convicted a mother of murdering her one-month-old daughter by burning her to death in a microwave oven. Video: Prosecutor: Ohio Mom Killed Baby in Microwave AssociatedPress US jury convicts mom in microwaved-baby case International Herald Tribune ToTheCenter.com - WZTV - NBC6.net - Dayton Daily News all 689 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:30:22 GMT Earwax: Too Much of a Good Thing? - WebMD eFluxMedia Earwax: Too Much of a Good Thing? WebMD - 5 hours ago By Kelley Colihan Aug. 29, 2008 -- The body is a miraculous mechanism. Consider the once-lowly earwax. People used to try to remove it. Leave That Ear Wax Alone Washington Post National Guideline Against Ear Poking eFluxMedia MSNBC - RedOrbit - MedPage Today - eMaxHealth.com all 36 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:32:14 GMT US Economy: Spending Slows, Inflation Accelerates (Update1) - Bloomberg Washington Post US Economy: Spending Slows, Inflation Accelerates (Update1) Bloomberg - 6 hours ago By Shobhana Chandra Aug. 29 (Bloomberg) -- US consumer spending grew at a slower pace in July as the impact of the tax rebates faded and a pickup in inflation eroded Americans' buying power. Bonds fall on mixed economic reports CNNMoney.com Consumer spending flags, but confidence rises Reuters Wall Street Journal - New York Times - MarketWatch - AHN all 520 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:25:06 GMT Aid agencies scramble to help flood victims - CNN CBC.ca Aid agencies scramble to help flood victims CNN - 39 minutes ago (CNN) -- The grinding misery triggered by the massive floods in a downtrodden part of northeastern India and across the border in Nepal persisted Friday, with government and aid agencies swinging into action to help the 2 million-plus people fleeing ... India: Up to 2000 feared dead in Bihar floods guardian.co.uk Millions displaced in Bihar floods PRESS TV Reuters India - CNN International - New York Times all 551 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:45:57 GMT Boeing union leaders recommend strike - MarketWatch Washington Post Boeing union leaders recommend strike MarketWatch - 1 hour ago By MarketWatch Leaders of the International Machinists and Aerospace Workers on Friday rejected Boeing's third and final contract proposal and recommended its workers vote to go on strike. Union Leaders Reject Boeing Contract Offer Wall Street Journal Boeing Union Urges Workers to Reject Offer, Setting Up Strike Bloomberg Bizjournals.com - guardian.co.uk - The Associated Press - TheStreet.com all 1,041 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:15:15 GMT Obama’s Plane Palin Problem - FOXNews BBC News Obama’s Plane Palin Problem FOXNews - 2 hours ago by Major Garrett Reporters covering Barack Obama heard the news aboard Obama 1 (the campaign for the first time chartered a second plane for the swelling press corps), just before takeoff. Video: Raw Video: Schwarzenegger Praises Palin kcratv “Tougher in Alaska” host Geo Beach discusses Sarah Palin Christian Science Monitor CBS News - Chicago Tribune - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Seattle Post Intelligencer all 5,468 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:07:29 GMT RSS Software Increase Online Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Quick Tips On Bringing Out The Best In People

Want to bring out the best in people?Edward W. Smith,... Read More

Bosses Are Out ? Managers As Coaches Are In

There is a new trend taking hold in business today... Read More

Supplier Sees 53% Reduction in Out-of-Spec Orders Case Study

The goal of perfection is a challenge. It is often... Read More

Why All Managers Are Alike

Because, like you I suspect, they have key target audiences... Read More

Miracle Max On Market Breakthroughs

Successful enterprise building requires seven elements. These are:1. People, who... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management - Core Competencies and Competitive Advantage

Following is a brief definition of core competencies and competitive... Read More

To Thine Own Self Be True--Its Better for Business: What Arthur Andersen Would Say to His Company

As a child, you probably heard, "to thine own self... Read More

The New Five Truths of Employee Motivation

Motivation is a term that is so widely used, yet... Read More

Never Punish Yourself or Others for Failures

If you want to find success in various ramifications, be... Read More

Is Your Brain Getting the Memory Full Message? 5 Ways to Free Up Room on Your Brains Hard Drive

Lynn was tapped to head up the project team for... Read More

Operating on Perpetual Overload?

Check Out Your E-HabitsAnother week has ended. And, despite moving... Read More

Sarbanes Oxley 404 Compliance - How Nov. 15, 2004 Deadline Affects You

Fast Relief for Sarbanes Oxley Section 404 ComplianceSection 404 of... Read More

Project Management - The Traveling Product Manager

Various studies ? and common sense ? indicate that involving... Read More

Solve Problems Permanently - Ask WHY

As Albert Einstein said:-"The significant problems we face today, cannot... Read More

The Key to Successful Performance Objectives

Have you ever tried to drive somewhere without proper directions?... Read More

How to Keep a Good Employee: Look, Listen, Learn

Recently a client told me a wonderful story about how... Read More

Improving Patient Sensitivity in Doctors and Hospital Staff

COMPANY/ORGANIZATIONA South Florida hospital. The CEO of the hospital saw... Read More

Goodwill is an Intangible Asset

'Goodwill' is regarded as an intangible asset in a business.... Read More

Industry Analysis Section of Your business plan

Writing a Business Plan for your next entrepreneurial endeavor is... Read More

Recruitment - What Youre Really, Really Looking For

Imagine that you're a sports coach and you need a... Read More

Hire Winners: Ask the Right Questions

How do you as a manager, supervisor or team leader... Read More

Tales From the Corporate Frontlines:The Importance of a Competitive Wage and Benefit Package

This article relates to the Compensation and Benefits competency, commonly... Read More

5 Steps to Continuous Process Improvement

Part One of Creating Well-Defined Processes SeriesWhat if your sales... Read More

7 Strategies for Sustained Innovation

The need for constant reinvention is a given in today's... Read More

Succession Planning for Your Business - 7 Key Benefits

A core activity in many successful businesses, Succession Planning is... Read More