The Top Five Skills of Extraordinary LeadersWritten by Chris Widener
Those who become Extraordinary Leaders are those who master skills of leadership. Followers will follow leaders based on two primary aspects: The Leader’s character and his or her skills. Here are top five skills an Extraordinary Leader must master. Get on top of these and you will find your influence growing extraordinarily!1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with passion that you have for vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non verbally. Above all, communicate often! 2. "Sees" End Result Long Before Others. I think greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership! 3. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!
| | 10 Ways to Kick Start Your Cash FlowWritten by June Campbell
Is your cash flowing out faster than it's flowing in? This can happen for a number of reasons and can be a sign that your business is growing at a faster speed than you are ready to handle. Perhaps your best customer has given you a $100,000 order -- but you need cash right now to buy supplies needed to produce product. Challenges like this one are commonplace occurrences with businesses of all sizes. Without adequate operating capital, your ability to grow your business is limited. When this happens, you need a strategy that will either infuse your business with some quick cash or reduce your operating expenses. Try one of these: 1. Hold a Sale. You reduce inventory while brining in some quick cash. Offer a discount or other incentive to customers who pay now. 2. Ask for Payment in Advance for Recurring Services. If you are offering web-hosting services, for example, offer one month free to customers who pay up front for 12 months hosting. 3. Lease Your Equipment. Purchasing equipment ties up large sums of money. By leasing, your money is freed up to be used for other purposes. Often it is possible to lease a variety of equipment -- including office equipment, computers, software, telecommunications equipment, vehicles and more. 4. Joint Venture with Another Business. Find a business offering services or products that are compatible with your own and offer to promote each other's business. For example, if you are selling health food products, offer to cross-promote with a business selling fitness products. You'll both enjoy increased sales. 5. Obtain a Line of Credit. Bank credit is usually subject to standard ratios of debt to equity, working capital and profitability.
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