William Frank Diedrich's Articles - Approved Articles Directory | Search Find Free Content | Submit Articles

Search:

William Frank Diedrich's Articles

Display Category\|Title\|Newest\|Oldest
Sex, Guilt, and Spirituality It's difficult to get through a day without thinking about sex. That's not a confession, but an observation of the world we live in. We are surrounded by messages pertaining to sex. I can't help but think about sex when I go through the grocery line. Peace from Within The world we observe and participate in is a reflection of the thoughts we hold. This is our world. The helping, the hurting, the peacemaking, the war making, the blaming and the blessing are all reflections of us. The key to creating a more peaceful world lies in creating a more peaceful you. The Right People Great leaders surround themselves with great and skillful people. As leaders, we should want for every person in our care to be excited about getting up in the morning and coming to work. If we can help them find this, we won't have to motivate them. The Power of Your Words Most of us underestimate the power of our words. We sometimes miss how our words set a tone. A few words can make someone’s day, or shatter it. Words can inspire someone to buy, or to go away without buying. Our words can move someone to do their best work, or to work against us. Your spoken words serve either to build up or to tear down. A Culture of Discipline A “culture of discipline” is a phrase used by Jim Collins (Good to Great) in his study of great companies. All of the great companies, those that far outperform others, have a culture of discipline. This does not mean that they spend their time disciplining people. When you have a culture of discipline you rarely need to discipline people. Back to Zero 2007 is your opportunity to begin again. You begin again by going back to zero. At zero there are no scores to settle. You have a blank slate. This doesn’t mean that others will give you a blank slate, because that could be impossible. The idea is that you will give yourself a blank slate. You will truly allow yourself to begin anew. Here is how you do it. Let Go of My Ego? I have studied literature in leadership and spirituality and have found a common thread. The common thread is this: if you want to be successful and fulfilled you need to keep your ego in check. Data and experience suggest that the playing field may be more level than we thought, that anyone can build success if they can step outside of their ego and do something well. Charisma and attractiveness are as much liabilities as they are assets. Healing Your Workplace You can heal your workplace. Symptoms of workplaces needing healing include poor service, unresolved conflict, complaining, blaming , confusion, defensiveness, excessive stress, hurtful behaviors, inability to communicate openly and honestly, lack of trust, and apathy. If your workplace exhibits any of these symptoms you can help to heal it. A Lighter Way of Life Give yourself the gift today of a lighter way of life. All stress and pain are created in the mind. Whatever kind of day you have, it will be one of your own making. You are the producer, director, writer and star of your own day. Step Up and Lead Most people today believe there is a leadershgip crisis. They don't have much confidence in their leaders. The answer is not to complain about other leaders, but to become an effective leader yourself. here are some steps you can take. Living Your Purpose You have a purpose. You have specific gifts, talents, and abilities that are uniquely yours. At the intersection of “what you love to do” and “what you are good at” you will find your purpose. Do you know your purpose? The Three R’s of Success We can create what we want, and this is evidenced by the unprecidented number of people who are starting their own businesses. How do these people do it? How are so many people finding success today? They pracrtice the three R's. Negative Feedback Is An Opportunity Most of us have difficulty with negative feedback. We tend to become angry, defensive, or hurt when people offer negative feedback. We blame the bearer of the information. Many leaders avoid it altogether, because it strikes at one of our most prized possessions--our image of self. Negative feedback is an opportunity that should be welcomed and valued as a great gift. Healing the Great Divide There are no short cuts to healing the divisions we see in this world. We have a diversity of viewpoints and perspectives. The illusion is that we must somehow convince others of our viewpoint. If we could only convince others that we are right then all would be well. This goal is unattainable. A more attainable goal would be to accept others as they are and to release the need to fix or change them. Do this and your influence will increase. Transcending the Blaming Culture Many organizations have a blaming culture. A blaming culture is where blaming is a common occurrence. Blaming behaviors include pointing the finger, complaining, criticizing, and making excuses. This can change with leadership. True leaders are people who initiate new ways of being. Moving Beyond Normal Normal is the usual condition. It is the set of conditions to which we have become accustomed. What is normal in your life? For many people, pain is normal. They have a collection of aches and pains they deal with each day, both physical and emotional, and they have become used to them. Is this you? From Blaming to Blessings It can be wonderful to be a victim. First of all, I get to be right. I am misunderstood, mistreated, and miserable, but at least I know I’m right. But being right doesn't make you happy or effective. It is not until we move from blaming people and situations to blessing them that we experience greater well-being and success. Clarity At The Core Does your organiztion have a clear purpose? Do the people you serve see you as important to their business or to their lives? Does every customer and every employee clearly understand your purpose? The purpose of an organization is clarified in the mission, vision, and operating principles. I call this grouping the core message of an organization. It's The Law Billboards tell us to wear our seat belts because it’s the law. I envision a day when prominent signs and ads say: “Your thoughts create your life,” and “Like attracts like.” We would have constant reminders of the Law of Cause and Effect everywhere we go. Actually, we do have constant reminders of this law wherever we go. By following this law we can create and maintain greater well-being. The Power of Non Resistance When you are nonresistant toward the vision of what you want, your vision runs to meet you. You seldom win until you become willing to do without the prize. Who Am I Being ? Who am I being right now? Who was I being in that situation? These are questions I ask myself every day? I want to know. If I am interacting and the interaction feels uncomfortable--who am I being that this feels so bad? It's not about people skills or about being nice. Success in our relationships is about who we are being. Finding and Expressing Your Voice Each of us has a unique and significant set of traits, abilities, passions, and skills that we offer to the world. This is our voice. When we are expressing our voice we feel significant, valuable, and joyful. We seek and find a sense of meaning in our work and in our lives when we are operating at this level. When we are expressing our voice we are in alignment with who we are. How do we help the people we lead to express their voice? Never Assume We have all heard the old adage, “Never Assume,” but we do it anyway. We assume the paycheck will come on the expected day. We assume others will do their job or do what they say. We are always assuming. What “Never assume” really means is that we need to be aware of our assumptions and often, test them. This is of great importance to any organization that considers itself a learning organization. Reinventing You One of the most beautiful aspects of life on this planet is that we always have the option to reinvent ourselves. If you don’t like what you are experiencing, you can change it. If you want to play at a higher level, you can choose to grow. We have the ability to dream and to make our dreams come true. One thing that stops us is our own fear. Living With a Bold Heart A bold heart is a big heart. It does not play at being small. It is not tentative or hesitant. It moves forward, embracing life, creation, and its own ability to love. Motivation: What Works? Criticism and blaming do not work to create motivation. To lead is to create a motivating environment through a clear understanding of how people think and work. Leaders need to shift their vision from fixing what doesn't work to reinforcing what does work. Beyond Blaming Effectiveness is found beyond blaming. Whenever we blame we make ourselves ineffective and we are of no help to others. Once we are willing to give up the payoffs blaming seems to offer, we become more powerful leaders. Moving beyond blaming is not about being nice or overlooking poor behavior. It is an effective way to lead others through directness, compassion, and clarity. Raising Your Expectations We receive in life according to our expectations. If I expect to be rejected, inevitably I will be. We can raise our expectations. Raising our expectations changes our experience. If I accept myself, I find others accepting me, too. Kick Your But's "But" is the great negator. We express our good intention and then qualify it with "but". “I want to help these people, but they are unreasonable.” As leaders we need to kick our but's and take complete responsibilty. Power Power comes from within. Seeking external sources of power frustrates us and leaves us powerless. We are powerful beings when we derive our well-being from our Source within. Power is also increased when we live in this moment and in intergrity with who we are. Conversation Conversation is when two or more people speak, listen effectively, and come to a shared understanding. We are often afraid to listen or refuse to listen because we already have an opinion. When there is no conversation people make things up, and it usually isn't positive. It is important to look at what we say to others and determine what effect we are having on them. As we increase our willingness and ability to converse our influence grows. Finding The Greatness Within Greatness is found within, but we don't always find greatness when we look there. Often an inner sense of lack, conditioned by years of negative messages convinces us we aren't great. The problem is that we attach our sense of worth and our well-being to the opinions of others and to "failures" we have experienced. We can face our thoughts and feelings and move through them. There we will find our greatness. Working With Dominant People Dealing with dominant people can be difficult, but it doesn't have to be. It's not so much about managing them as it is about managing your own tendencies. The tendency of most people is to avoid dominant people and then complain to others. This does not work. Instead be clear, honest, and straight forward. An understanding of how dominant people function will help you gain influence. Instant Success Success is a state of mind. External trappings of success may or may not indicate true success. You can be successful right now. Make the decision to do so and success is yours.

Submit Articles
Member Login
Top Authors
Most Popular Articles
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds