Being on Top!

If you are involved in negotiations, it is always good to be on top. Do not assume things, as your assumptions can be wrong and misguided.

What you don’t know could hurt you. Ignorance of a situation is not bliss. Being on top of things is the best strategy.

Find the real problem and make it an opportunity.

Ask:

• What is really preventing me from meeting my goals?

• Find out why the other party is acting the way they are?

• Problems are only the sharing of one’s paradigm. They usually can be turned into negotiation opportunities.

Getting to the bottom of the situation is the best way to resolve it!

One minute video from Azim

Being Decisive!

Do your homework as you wish. However, once you have gathered the facts then decide!
If you sit on the fence, it will not get you too far in life. It will look safe but actually can be more risky.

Taking action on your goal and being decisive moves the needle. If you waiver too much that shows lack of confidence and clarity. Make a decision then put all your energy in executing around it.

Invest time in what you want, get the team whose help you need then move quickly to get the job done.

One minute video from Azim

Effective Leadership

Effective leadership is one that draws from the strengths of others. It is about awakening what is half asleep inside people. This requires that we inspire people to discover their innate abilities.  In a corporate setting, such leadership is crucial to business success.  The ability to unleash people’s potential, to energize them to use their talent and to work towards a common goal is the master skill of a true leader.

Leadership is about making leaders of your followers. People learn best when they have to teach others, so it is about unleashing the spirit of empowerment and involvement. There is so much richness within each person to be discovered. Until it is discovered, it will forever be absent from the workplace. It is the role of effective leaders to nurture this richness.

One minute video from Azim

The Art of Listening!

Listening can help us build and strengthen relationships; solve problems; build understanding; resolve conflicts; reduce errors, and improve accuracy.

When you listen deeply, others feel free and comfortable in your presence. They are able to expand on their thoughts without fear of rejection. We’ve all experienced how incredibly comforting it is to when we are truly being heard.

You are a good listener when you:

-Give your full attention
-Avoid interrupting the speaker
-Refrain from immediate reaction
-Empathize
-Desist from offering unsolicited advice
-Ask questions only to ensure understanding
-Give feedback
-Avoid judgement

The foundation of the art of listening is to make the conversation about them, not you!

One minute video from Azim

Contribution!

In your effort to make positive life contributions, think in terms of cooperation, not competition!

Contributing towards bringing about positive change creates significance, value, happiness, and balance. This value-added makes others want to be around you.

Every career offers opportunities to show genuine concern and compassion toward those you come into contact with.

Japan’s economic growth following World War II was a major 20th-century success story. The growth was not based on competition, but moreover, a fundamental element expressed in the Japanese word “Kyosei”, which means ‘a spirit of cooperation’.

So, imagine what successes could follow in not only our own lives but the greater good if we all were to follow the same sense of contributing by thinking in terms of cooperation, not competition?

One minute video from Azim

Being Authentic!

When you come from a place of authenticity there is power around you!

A lot of people fear being authentic because maybe they won’t be liked or accepted. If someone is going to like you because you are living a lie, then sooner or later the truth will reveal itself and their liking for you will be short lived. Thus. you will attract people in your life who you really do not want to associate with.

If you want your success to be sustainable; if you want your success to have a strong foundation; if you want your success to have a purpose and meaning, then there is no other way but to be authentic.

As Steve Jobs aptly said:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice……”

When you are authentic, there is a twinkle in your eye and something magnetic around your aura that reflects power!

One minute video from Azim

Genuine Understanding!

If you take the time to understand others by listening with your eyes, ears, heart, undivided attention and without judgement, you will already be halfway there.

I did a presentation some time back for a cancer group. I started by saying: “If I say to you I know and understand your pain, I will be lying to you. The truth is I don’t. I do not have cancer and do not know how it feels to have cancer. So help me understand how you feel and what your biggest challenges are?”

The group responded by expressing thoughts like:

“Why me?”
“I feel a loss of control.”
“I’m angry.”
“I’m afraid.”

These are real issues with no quick-fix solutions. I did my best to respond to them, but the fact that I took to the time to ask and be attentive to the group’s feelings was important. The participants felt their feelings were valued, so they responded well to the presentation.

One minute video from Azim