Building A Learning Organisation

A learning organisation is an organisation that learns and encourages learning among its people. It promotes exchange of information between employees, hence creating a more knowledgeable workforce. This produces a very flexible organisation where people will accept and adapt to new ideas and change through shared vision.

It is said that the only constant in life is change and organisations are not spared. Change brings about not only uncertainty and risks but also opportunities for growth. Those organisations that can manipulate the information available have a bigger chance to succeed. It is therefore important for everyone to be more knowledgeable about the work environment they are in. Building a learning organisation is a means to a business goal. It is not a new theory but a concept that has become an increasingly widespread philosophy in modern companies, from the largest multinationals to the smallest enterprises. It is to be applied according to the circumstances of each business, which has to cater for it at strategic and operational levels.

‘Systems Thinking’ takes a holistic approach to learning whereby not only does the organisation learn but so do all its employees, irrespective of their role within the organisation. Information has to be disseminated to all levels and does not stop at top management, thus, facilitating learning through flexibility and open communication by removing barriers to communication and adopting flatter organisational structure and design.

Therefore the message is clear: any organisation that is committed to future success must become a learning organisation in order to compete and survive. Today continuous improvement is a must. “Any organisation is only as good as its people and continuous improvement in business is about the development of people and therefore creating a learning culture.” (Sheppard)

Systems Thinking
The idea behind the concept coined ‘Systems Thinking’ in the 1950’s was that enterprises need to be aware of both the company as a whole as well as the individuals within the company – taking a holistic approach to managing. Gould-Kreutzer Associates Inc. defined it as “a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things; to see the forest and the trees.” System Thinking therefore tries to change the managerial view so that it includes the ambitions of the individual workers, not just the business goals.

However, it was only during the 1990’s that this concept started to be taken seriously by organisations. Systems Thinking nowadays is synonymous with Peter Senge, one of the modern day gurus, who in his book “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organisation” popularised the concept of the learning organisation, and referred to ‘Systems Thinking’ as the Fifth Discipline. Since its publication in 1990, more than a million copies of this book have been sold and in 1997, Harvard Business Review identified his book as one of the seminal management books of the past 75 years.

According to Senge, learning organisations are “organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. ”
Senge posits that the dimension that distinguishes learning from more traditional organisations is the mastery of certain basic disciplines, which he regards as a series of principles and practices that we study, master and integrate into our lives. The five disciplines that he identifies are said to be common to all learning organisations.

They are:

1. PERSONAL MASTERY. This is the discipline of ‘continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively.

People with a high level of personal mastery live in a continual learning mode, continually clarifying and deepening their personal vision. This takes place by assessing the gap between their current knowledge and the desired knowledge, and by practising and refining skills. This develops self-esteem and creates the confidence to tackle new challenges.

2. MENTAL MODELS. These are ‘deeply ingrained assumptions, generalisations, or even pictures and images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action. ‘

The discipline of mental models starts with turning the mirror inward; learning to unearth our internal pictures of the world, to bring them to the surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny. Every individual has his own perception of the things around him. This happens consciously and unconsciously and therefore, if team members can, through positive, constructive criticism, challenge each others’ ideas and assumptions, they can begin to perceive their mental models, and to change these to create a shared mental model for the team. This is important as the individual’s mental model will control what can or cannot be done.

3. BUILDING SHARED VISION. Senge sees this as ‘the capacity to hold a shared picture of the future we seek to create. ‘When there is a genuine vision (as opposed to the all-to-familiar ‘vision statement’), people excel and learn. To create a shared vision, large numbers of people within the organisation must draft it, empowering them to create a single image of the future. With a shared vision, people will do things because they want to, not because they have to.

4. TEAM LEARNING. Such learning is viewed as ‘the process of aligning and developing the capacities of a team to create the results its members truly desire. ‘

It builds on personal mastery and shared vision, but these are not enough. People need to be able to act together, as virtually all important decisions occur in groups. Adults learn best from each other and with team learning, the learning ability of the group becomes greater than the learning ability of any individual in the group.

5. SYSTEMS THINKING. The cornerstone of any learning organisation is this fifth discipline. This is the ability to see the bigger picture, to look at the interrelationships of a system as opposed to simple cause-effect chains.

Systems thinking shows us that the essential properties of a system are not determined by the sum of its parts but by the process of interactions between those parts. This is the discipline used to implement the other disciplines. Without it each of the disciplines would be isolated and would fail to achieve its objective.

How to build a learning organisation
The challenges facing managers in applying these five disciplines at the workplace are the following:
. Building a sound base
. Apply the Golden Rules

BUILDING A SOUND BASE
Before a Learning Organisation can be achieved, a solid foundation has to be in place. This can be implemented by taking into account the following points.

~ Awareness. Awareness of the benefits of a learning organisation must permeate to all levels not just the management level. A learning culture must be fostered among the employees that survival of the fittest depends on having a knowledgeable workforce. Change should start and be supported from top management and this ‘new’ culture should be manifested in the commitment to learning, personal development of the individual as well as valuing people and their divergent views.

~ The Environment. The right environment must be in place so that learning can take place. Centralised, mechanistic structures do not create a good environment. Organisations having organic structures are well positioned to develop into a learning organisation. An organic structure places less emphasis on giving and taking orders and more on encouraging managers and subordinates to work together in teams and to communicate openly with each other. Authority, responsibility and accountability flow to employees with the expertise required to solve problems. In a nutshell, a flat organisation, whereby communication can flow in all directions and foster innovation amongst its employees.

~ Leadership. Managers must adopt open communication management styles so that employees will be able to question and come forward with ideas. Understand that mistakes and errors are part of this process and therefore employees should not be in fear of reprimands. Managers must also provide commitment for long-term learning in the form of resources (money, personnel and time). The amount of these resources determines the quantity and quality of learning.

~ Empowerment. Employees should be empowered to take decisions and actions. Let them own the process whilst monitoring all that is happening. Only through motivation and innovation will the employees grow and learn, equal participation should be encouraged so that employees can learn from each other simultaneously. The benefits are for themselves and the organisation.

~ Learning. Company-wide training is to be made available. This may take the form of simulation case studies where brainstorming sessions will be beneficial to all participants.
APPLY THE GOLDEN RULES
The following practices and approaches can be used while managing the learning process.

1. Thrive on change. Management must not be afraid of change. There should be commitment to and focus on the things that matter most. Change is necessary and therefore clear objectives and plans must be in place. Change will translate itself into a learning opportunity.

2. Encourage experimentation. Change will bring along uncertainty and risks. Experimentation is a necessary risk. Accept mistakes as a normal process and encourage employees to come forward with ideas. Learning from mistakes is often more powerful than learning from success. The most important thing is to ‘fail intelligently’ to learn something from mistakes. Apply reviews of the whole change process and reward individual effort.

3. Communicate success and failure. Let there be a communication system of disseminating information and knowledge that reaches everyone efficiently, for example, through company journals, website, job rotation programs etc.

4. Facilitate learning from the surrounding environment. Learn from internal factors such as processes and procedures at work and find ways of how to improve learning from competitors. Avoid their mistakes and copy their well-achieved results. Can also form alliances to have a cross fertilisation of ideas. Build a relationship with customers. Apply an outside-in policy to strategies. Customers provide free advice through their complaints, suggestions and surveys. After all, the organisation survives through satisfying customers. Theirs might be the best advice.

5. Facilitate learning from employees. Offer continuous learning and multi-skilling opportunities. Remove hierarchies and empower people to experiment and take decisions. The people at the lower ranks in an organisation are the ones who know most of the problems within the business. This means that more often than not, the employees themselves know what needs to be done to improve the business.

6. Reward learning. Have a proper performance appraisal system to reward those employees who are embracing the learning culture to boost morale. Remember that everybody wants their work to be appreciated. Make sure therefore that individual performance is linked with organisational performance.

7. Intentionally retrieve and retain company memory. It is important to keep a record of processes and achievements so that learning will not be lost; it can be passed on to those coming later on into the company and also the company can refer back to information held. The learning process must be planned and objectives for it set. It must be monitored and reviewed all the time.

Through the learning organisation process people will develop, the brains of all employees are switched on, not just those of the few, and a feel good factor is created through greater motivation. A more flexible workforce evolves by building organisations fit for human beings. People will become more creative and social interaction will improve. Teams and groups will work better through knowledge sharing, becoming more interdependent, increasing responsibility at all levels and developing an entrepreneurial spirit. The company will benefit from better customer relations, the breaking down of traditional communication barriers, and from the increased creativity and innovation of its people that should give it a competitive edge.

Strategic Marketing Or Marketing in Aviation

Strategic Marketing or Marketing in Aviation
Effective marketing depends upon effective marketing system employed by an industry or separate companies. Marketing as an activity is carried out in a variety of contexts. The most obvious context is of course the sale of goods and services to end-users. Marketing can be described as one of the functional areas of a business, distinct from finance and operations (McDonald, Christopher, 2003). Marketing can also be thought of as one of the activities that, along with product design, manufacturing, and transportation logistics.
In general, aviation industry is one of the profitable industries today which is characterized by of rapid technological and marketing changes. Nevertheless, the present situation requires cooperation between airlines and airports which should help them to market their services effectively to their clients.
Marketing strategies include a wide variety of techniques aimed to deliver customer satisfaction and safety. New product and services development, technological changes mark the main strategic activities in this market segment. Technology, being a universal factor that crosses national and cultural boundaries, plays the crucial role in aviation and aerospace industry. It should be mentioned that technology is truly “stateless”; there are no cultural boundaries limiting its applica¬tion. Once aviation technology is developed, it soon becomes available virtually every¬where in the world.
In regional markets such as Europe, the increasing overlap of advertising across national boundaries and the mobility of consumers have created opportunities for aviation and airlines marketers to pursue pan-European product positioning. For instance, in 1970s the jet airplane revolutionized communication by making it pos¬sible for people to travel around the world in less than 48 hours. Tourism enables people from many countries to see and experience the newest products being sold abroad. One essential characteristic of the effective global aviation business is face-to-face communication among employees and between the company and its customers. Without modern jet travel, such communication would be difficult to accomplish (Bellis, 2001).
New transportation technology significantly reduces the level of prices. The costs associ¬ated with physical distributionboth in terms of money and timehave been greatly reduced as well. The per-unit cost of shipping automobiles from Japan and Korea to the United States by specially designed auto-transport ships is less than the cost of overland shipping from Detroit to either U.S. coast. Another key innovation has been increased utilization of 20- and 40-foot metal containers that can be trans¬ferred from trucks to railroad cars to ships.
Another technological innovation, which helps to improve marketing activities is the Internet and World Wide Web. Airlines and aviation can be called boundaryless or global industries, and for this reason Internet and Intranet services has become a driven force for them.
Today’s information technology allows airline alliance partners to sell seats on each other’s flights, thereby helping travelers get from point to point more easily while boosting revenues for companies such as United Airlines and Lufthansa. Meanwhile, the cost of international telephone calls has fallen dra¬matically over the past several decades. That fact, plus the advent of new communi¬cation technologies such as e-mail, fax, and video teleconferencing, means that man¬agers, executives, and customers can link up electronically from virtually any part of the world without traveling at all.
When a company establishes a site on the Internet, it automatically becomes global, at least in terms of its potential to reach global customers with information. At present, Internet usage is heaviest in the United States. Even as that situation changes, however, many constraints must still be overcome before Internet merchandise purchase transactions can become borderless (Joines, Scherer, Scheufele, 2003).
Marketing departments in aviation and airline industry work closely with R&D departments to ensure that the products which are developed are those which cater for the changing needs of target customers and different needs of varying customer segments. In recent years, high failure rates in the introduction of new products have led departments to be very risk averse, with most ‘new’ products emerging being merely extensions of exist¬ing product lines and not truly new and innovative offerings.
The marketer’s role in aviation and airline new product development is therefore about providing a link between the market and the design department, with customers and R&D technicians both being involved in the process. It also requires involving senior management, as changes in customer demand and purchasing patterns may have serious implications for future busi¬ness objectives and directions.
The main marketing strategy in aerospace and aviation industries is to design a product that consumers did not explicitly request. The challenge of course is to get out in front of consumers; to extrapolate and infer future customer needs. Yet traditional forms of marketing research seldom seem to provide the insight necessary to engage in creative marketing. The basic aerospace initiative include:
“Re-invigorate basic and applied research in aeronautics and aviation.
Develop aviation/aerospace technologies that will significantly lower noise, emissions and fuel consumption.
Address the cost, frequency and reliability of entering space, and increase its economic viability.
Fund revolutionary, not just evolutionary, changes to the air transportation system to obtain greater capacity, safety, traffic flow and automation” (U.S. Aviation and Aerospace Industries, 2003).
It is easy to see the rationale for presenting the marketing department as the linchpin in the new product devel¬opment process. They are the conduit of information between the market, and the firm and the various departments involved in the new product development process. Taking on a pivotal role means broader involvement of various stakeholders which can be further facilitated by project teams which bring members of all groups together at the same time to discuss and attempt to solve mutual problems. “Infrastructure and air traffic management issues will be a new topic to address both on behalf of aerospace manufacturers and service providers and the SBAC airports segment” (UK aircraft and aerospace industry, 2005).
The above apparently suggests that new product development is purely finding out what customers want and then delivering it. It is possible to suggest, however, that cus¬tomers do not always know what they want, or at least cannot articulate it in concrete terms.
David Kiley expresses an interesting idea supposing that Airlines “are not marketing even if they think they are”. He explains that “consumers are, for the most part, choosing based on where their frequent flyer miles are (that they collect through their jobs) and price. The typical leisure traveler these days is checking online via Orbitz, Expedia or one of the other services for prices and schedules. When the selection of options comes up from United, Northwest, Delta, American, Air France, Virgin Atlantic–how many people are choosing based on how they feel about the airline?” (Kiley, n.d.). On the other hand, it is difficult to deny the role of advertising in airline marketing which has a great influence on consumers preferences and choice.
Today, customer service in airlines relies on reputation and trustworthiness and this no less true in the new forms of system-service. In fields such as package delivery and money management, consumers are seeking indications that their risks will be minimised or eliminated. For these kinds of consumer acts, customer service plays an essential role in assuaging the fears of consumers by projecting an image of trustworthiness and expertise (Johnson, Scholes, 1998).
The Choice of Press issues is based on readership. It refers to the total number of people who probably will read the publication. For example trade and technical publications are often read by people other than the purchaser at the purchaser’s place of work. Sunday newspapers and colour supplements are invariably passed around the family for reading. Therefore, readership figures may be several times larger than circulation figures and help to tell us how many people may read the publication. The readership profiles usually indicate the demographic characteristics of the readership, such as age, sex, income and, in particular, socio-economic grading of readers, quintessential to the effective targeting of a company’s advertising. For instance, “Delta has recently kicked off a new campaign, themed “Good Goes Around.” American has been running sentimental TV ads with the slogan, “We Know Why You Fly.” (Kiley).
For maximum penetration it may help to select primary (first choice) media that interlock or cross support each other. If deeper penetration into the same target market, for example, is required, then vertical advertising in the media that reach the same target market will be sought. For example, advertising on commercial television may be linked with advertising in the magazine that provides the program schedules for viewers, or local radio advertising in a particular area may be accompanied by direct mail or press advertising. “The airline industry has literally fought for deregulation that has made each company nothing more than a commodity” (Kiley).
Without new qualitative service airlines companies will not be capable to achieve the overall objectives, that is why the main objective of a company is to maintain the level of service quality and develop strategies to improve its services. Service concepts are based on understanding the unique environment in which a particular firm operates. Usually, airline companies find specific marketing strategies and then translate them into a detailed plan of action which foresee an efficient marketing effort. Implementing a customer oriented strategy is more important than any other techniques. It also means impressing upon the entire staff the importance of customer service because a satisfied customer is the best marketing tool available.
All customers have some expectation of the quality of services which have to be provided. Present day situation is marked by two factors specification, which is to do with the ‘design quality’ of service, and conformity, which is to do with the ‘process’ quality which is achieved are of particular importance to customers. Ultimately they are the two factors which deter¬mine the quality levels provided by a companies to their customers. These two factors however are themselves determined by other factors.
Specification in the airline industry is determined as a result of an organization’s pol¬icy, which in turn resulted from decisions on its market policy, and consideration of the market or customer needs and requirements, and the activ¬ities of competitors. This is the process of designing quality into the service (Ennew, Reed, Binks, 1993). For instance, “Airlines are scrambling to fill seats and make their customers happy, that’s clear. British Airways just this week signed a deal with the Worldwide Travel Exchange (WWTE) hotel-booking arm of Expedia inc company Travelscape, enabling the airline’s passengers to book rooms at more than 40,000 hotel properties” (Cox, 2002).
Proof of customer contact improvement includes measuring customer satisfaction, establishing new performance standards, and thereby gaining greater control over, and routinisation of, professional service work. At the same time, quality improvement through self-directed project teams has evolved into a practice whereby task forces adopt goals and use methods that are centrally determined. In this manner, ’success’ is evaluated by others through institutionally defined performance improvement measures (Mascarenhas, Kesavan, Bernacchi, 2004).
Today, a wide range of Web services are adopted by airlines and aviation to contact with the customers and to ensure customer satisfaction. It is not a unique and a new form of service but still it is one of the most beneficial areas for attracting a new customers and providing new services for target customers. For instance, “Travelocity provides Internet and wireless reservations information for more than 700 airlines, but it doesn’t have special marketing relationships with all of them. It did sign a similar deal with Continental in January and has deals with British Airways, JetBlue and America West, among other airlines” (Cox, 2002).
For airlines companies, Internet rationalizes the expensive and cumber¬some proposition of large-scale customer service. Second, the system serves to reduce at least the appearance of risk associated with time-space distanciation and the opacity of the expert system.
In only a short time, online finance has become immensely popular around the world. This might have something to do with the fact that in climates of risk, especially those involving investments, many customers prefer a ‘hands-on’ approach. Indeed, online services and trading has several advantages for customers. The main, it is available around the clock. There are, of course, risks for customers associated with online trading (Mascarenhas, et al, 2004).
In aviation this approach includes maintenance of high standards which is a key factor in effective customer contact. The purpose of maintenance is to attempt to maximize the performance of service by ensuring that it performs regularly and efficiently. Service, however complex or simple, however cheap or expensive, is liable to breakdown. The effective operation of any system is dependent on the maintenance of all parts of the system, e.g. buildings, services. Indeed, company welfare or personnel practice is designed partly as a maintenance activity, e.g. training and retraining to maintain the availability of appropriate skills, facilities to maintain human capacity, counselling to maintain interest and motivation (Joines et al, 2003).
The audiences may be geographically dispersed in time, but they share common interests that are perhaps difficult to serve profitably though other international media. The online airlines sites (www.bluejet.net.tc or www.britishairways.com) thrive because they offer their participants the following: a forum for exchange of common interests; a sense of place with codes of behaviour; a meeting place for specialists; the development of stimulating dialogues leading to relationships based on trust; encouragement for active participation by more than an exclusive few.
“Customers can book on-line at www.CanJet.com through CanJet’s Reservations Sales Centre” (Cox, 2002). Service, however complex or simple, however cheap or expensive, is liable to breakdown. Another alternative is to deliver ads via third-party ad-server companies which can serve ad messages simultaneously to multiple Web sites, measure results, produce consolidated reports, report on the success of the entire campaign, and analyze these results immediately, enabling advertisers to quickly assess the ongoing effectiveness of the campaign.
In traditional markets, dual distribution systems are not uncommon; there are numerous examples of companies using more than one channel of distribution to sell to different groups of customers. However, the process of managing multiple distribution systems can be both tricky and risky. While electronic commerce is creating new opportunities for differential pricing, it can also make such pricing strategies more difficult when it is used to provide customers with better information about their choices. Indeed, customer ignorance -about prices, features and relative product performance - has traditionally been a source of profit for companies. The relationship marketing process involves an iterative cycle of knowledge acquisition, customer differentiation and customization of the entire marketing mix. This process is sometimes referred to as a learning relationship (Johnson, Scholes, 1998). A learning relationship between a customer and an airline comapny gets smarter and smarter with each individual interaction, defining in ever more detail the customer’s own individual needs and tastes.
“The leadership position of the U.S. aviation and aerospace industries is being eroded by foreign competitors who benefit from extensive government subsidies” (U.S. Aviation and Aerospace Industries, 2003). In aerospace services is creating new flexibility for consumers and for business, government markets. And innovation is also occurring through experimentation with new approaches to market development in emerging markets There appears to be a mismatch between the technology incorporation cycle and the technology introduction cycle. Just when the customer feels comfortable with a given technology that they have acquired, a new version comes along making the earlier one obsolete.
A problem with aerospace industry is that although there are only a few major companies, these companies have a majority of the control over the market, requiring an extremely unique spin off of this already established product to have a chance at success. There are many innovative products that enter the sector every year. A talented company management could definitely add these product to the list if they are willing to work hard, think outside of the box, and put their heart into their company (UK aircraft and aerospace industry, 2005)
Competitive pressures have prompted many airlines and aerospace companies to involve marketers in design, manufacturing, and other value-related decisions from the start. This approach is known in some circles as boundaryless marketing. Rather than linking marketing sequentially with other activities, the goal is to eliminate the communication barriers between marketing and other functional area’s. Properly implemented, boundaryless marketing ensures that a marketing orientation perme¬ates all value-creating activities in a company (McDonald, Christopher, 2003).
A partnership marketing strategy is the quickest and cheap¬est ways to develop a global strategy in aviation. It allow share control over assigned tasks, a situation that cre¬ates management challenges. Partnership in aviation is attractive because high product development costs in the face of resource constraints may force a company to seek partners and the technology requirements of many contemporary products mean that an individual company may lack the skills, capital, or know-how to go it alone (UK aircraft and aerospace industry, 2005).
It is possible to conclude that aerospace and airline industries mature, fragmentation is overcome and the industry tends to become a consolidated industry dominated by a small number of large companies. Although industries begin by being fragmented, battles for market share and cre¬ative attempts to overcome local or niche market boundaries often result in a few com¬panies’ obtaining increasingly larger market shares. When product standards become established for minimum quality and features, competition shifts to a greater emphasis on cost and service. Slower growth combined with overcapacity and knowledgeable buyers put a premium on a firm’s ability to achieve cost leadership or differentiation along the dimensions most desired by the market.
The increasing opportunities of the Internet offer another area of strength for airlines marketing stretagy. Customers want more help with the Internet, airlines in a better position to give it to them. In the traditional brand relationships, communication flows between the marketer and the consumer. The key to airlines successful relationship marketing program is information. The better information that a company can propose to a particular customer, the more value that firm will potentially be able to provide that customer.
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Employee Motivation - The VERY Easy Way!

We all like to be acknowledged, but for thousands, even millions of employees, such recognision never happens.

From one day to the next, there are no positive messages for their contribution - yet as their boss, you can do this - and it will pay untold benefit for your business, organisation and, of course, you and your people.

Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work that day, full of self-belief and wonder that she had made the leap at last.

In her last job, she had always felt that she was unsuitable, in fact below par, for the place. On her very first day at this new job, it was different. On the very first day, her supervisor had recognised her in a way that no-one had done before.

At 17, she had gone into the workplace ready to conquer the world. A positive girl, she had never understood that her hard work, unstoppable enthusiasm and keen willingness might not be enough.

At the last place, where she had worked for nearly two years, they had, subtly, yet consistently, knocked that out of her, through criticising, embarrassing and slighting her.

So much so, that she had changed to be cynical, sceptical and sarcastic. In the end they had to part, badly, and it had taken a few weeks for Sarah to build the courage to go for another job.

Yet on the very first day in the new place, someone had made her day, just by saying two little words - ‘Well done’.

In life, especially in our busy workplaces, there sometimes seems to be no time to say, ‘Well done’.

Yet we all know how it feels when we are on the receiving end, just as Sarah did. It costs nothing, except a few moments and a bit of focus - but it makes the world of difference.

For Sarah Lewsiton, tomorrow would be another good day, because the culture was naturally supportive, encouraging and enlightened. And her place of work would come to benefit over the years she would stay.

She would contribute more, become a great team player, work well when delegated to and have simple, yet constructive ideas about how to take the business forward.

Two little words, ‘Well Done’ - that’s all it takes.

A Simple Gym Motivation Tip

You used to go to the gym. Now, you’re busy. I mean, after all, you do work all day. The last thing you want to do is hit the gym after a long day at the office (yawn).

Once you get home, you want to plop down on the couch, put your feet up, unwind and watch the tube.

So how do you motivate yourself to go to
the gym?

Don’t think about exercising just get yourself to the gym. Once you’re at the gym, your body will adapt to the environment and it will be easier to exercise.

Fitness Trainer Mike Chesbro of New York says:

“Your body is an adaptable mechanical machine that you have control of. It adapts to the environment you put it in. If you put your body in a better environment (physically, emotionally or mentally) your body will respond to it. Put yourself into the environment of where you want to be already exists.”

Showing up is half the battle. Take control of your adaptable mechanical machine. Put it in gear and stomp on that Stairmaster, or try twisting in a fitness class.

You can do it. Just get your body there and everything else will take care of itself.

Motivation and Dieting- What’s the missing link?

If you are like everyone else who has hit rock bottom with their
weight struggles, and have declared that this day will be the
first day of your diet, then this article is for you. To often
it seems that most dieters jump on the weight loss boat, yet
fail to bring along a months pass. Instead, they are usually on
the boat for a couple of days, or maybe a week at best.

We all have the motivation to lose weight and look good. Some of
us even diet for medical reasons. Whatever reasons motivate you
to lose weight, hold onto them. To many of us fall victim to
that one cheat day, or that one hour where we fall off the boat
and can’t get back on. My experiences with people just like that
have shed some light on that missing element that makes people
fall prey to losing their diet focus.

Consistency. Motivation is directly tied to dieting through
consistency. If we feel that we are not seeing results based on
our diet after a few days, or if we hit a plateau soon into the
program, then we start succumbing to inconsistent eat habits. We
eat whenever, usually whatever, and feel like crap afterwards.
Sure, it absolutely feels good giving in and munching up what we
have been starving our bodies throughout the diet, but usually
what happens later is that we feel bad emotionally about what we
just did and how hard we worked to avoid this behavior in the
first place.

By getting it into our heads at the outset of the diet, that
this process is a marathon and not a sprint, then we can
reinforce our consistent dieting patterns and thus stay
motivated to stay on the diet. We even get more motivated when
we start seeing results. How do we see results?

Yep. By being consistent in our diet methods.

Whether it is drinking a gallon of water religiously throughout
the day (which reminds me, I need to get up from this computer
and do just that!) or eating 5 small meals through out the day
at certain times, these events lend themselves to helping you
stay consistent.

What you will notice after several months of doing this, is that
your mental resolve to stay on the diet is incredible. Much
stronger than what you started with. Another result you will see
is that by altering your body’s eating habits and forcing your
metabolism to process certain foods at certain times, the pounds
come off at a faster rate. This, my friends, is the desired goal
in ANY diet. Stay healthy and stay consistent. I’m rooting right
along with you!

Your Motivation for Success

If you are someone who follows my article posts, you may have noticed that I haven’t written so many lately…Why? Okay, excuse time! It’s summertime, I love the sun, being outdoors, and being active, and this has been one of our very few heat-wave type summers! No, that doesn’t mean I have lost my motivation to be successful at my online business, but let’s face it, we all go through ups and downs, productive times and unproductive times – and this maybe isn’t my most productive time of year. Maybe it’s a good thing I live in Canada where there are four seasons and not just one hot, sun-sizzling summer year round! Yes, I am truly blessed to be where I am. As much as I love the outdoors and enjoying the beauty and solitude of the Rocky Mountains, I also have a pretty strong work ethic that makes me want to be the best I can be at the online business that I have started. At times like these it is tough to stay motivated, but that’s precisely when you have to take charge of your self and the direction you are headed.

A lot of motivation has to do with your attitude about yourself, your life, and your direction. You know what I’m going to say…If it’s the pits, then so is your level of motivation. Attitude is not only about the state of mind you are in – it’s also about taking action. You not only have to think what it takes, you have to do what it takes to get your desired results. What some people don’t realize is that a lot of what it takes to have a positive attitude is all about self-maintenance. Taking care of your physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, and intellectual self is the key to maintaining a healthy attitude that leads to success. Simply having an awareness of what motivates, challenges, and inspires you can give you the energy and passion you need to do what it takes.

I know it’s not easy to always stay positive. Truth be known, I have always been very strong, but never the perfect model of positive thinking. I am working on it though, and the more I learn about success, internet marketing, and personal development, the more I feel changes taking place within me that feel good and that I know are steps in the right direction. It’s important to engage yourself in continuous, life-long learning in any area that interests you. But when you make an investment in yourself and your success, then you are doing yourself a huge favor.

You never really become a true master of yourself as things change, people change, and circumstances change. That’s why learning is a life-long process. Once it stops, you stop growing, and when you stop growing, you are stuck with negativity, which always finds a way of sneaking in and taking hold of you. So keep your learning in check, and keep yourself in check. When you have mastered this concept, then you can take things a step further by realizing the importance of giving something to others, or making a contribution. When you do things for other people, you have found a cause greater than yourself, and this can only make you better.

Be sure to know why you are doing what you are doing. It may be tedious to write down what you want out of life, but when you have it in writing, you can read it over and over again when times get tough, as a reminder of what you’re shooting for. Our minds can be nasty sometimes – flooding us with negative thoughts that can completely take over. We need constant reminders, just like a refresher course they offer in schools. Even though we already know the concepts and know what it takes, how we have to think, and what to do, there are just too many outside influences that affect our thinking, and our attitudes. Writing what we want down on paper, and keeping it in front of us where we can read it often will help us stay focused, motivated and successful. This article is my partial written word of inspiration to keep me learning and motivated. I hope it helps you too!

Exercise & Motivation, Part 3: Keeping it Going

THE NEXT STAGE: ACTION

The next stage of Prochaska’s Transtheoretical model - ‘Action’ - kicks in once you’ve started taking (you guessed it) action.

If you’re in this stage, you’re ready to make changes - and now. In the Action stage, you know where you want to be, how you’ll get there, and you’ve started (or are about to start) doing something get you moving.  You’ve made it past the first major sticking point -overcoming inertia, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy ride from here. No matter how good your intentions, starting a routine isn’t the same as maintaining it. Obstacles - whether small (like an invitation to do something at a time you’d planned on working out) or large (like falling ill or injuring yourself) - are going to come up.

DEALING WITH OBSTACLES

When you encounter an obstacle, take a little time out to reconnect with your main goal and your reasons for wanting to achieve it.  Remember why you’re exercising in the first place. How could you still achieve your goal, and find ways around this new obstacle? Your journal can be your friend here - use it to reflect back over why something may have ended up being more difficult than expected, and to brainstorm ideas for different ways to move forward. You can also use it to proactively motivate yourself before obstacles appear - to track your progress in whatever area you’d like to see yourself improving.

GET OTHERS INVOLVED

If you haven’t already, create an exercise routine that gets friends or family involved. Studies have shown that people whose friends or family support their goals are far more likely to achieve them, and it’s hard not to feel supported when people you care about are working out alongside you. Not only that, but if you’ve agreed to meet your ‘workout buddy’ for an exercise session, you make it that much harder to let them down by deciding at the last minute you just can’t be bothered today.
 
MAKE DEALS WITH YOURSELF

If you’re having trouble summoning the motivation to get out the door, promise yourself you don’t have to finish your workout if you don’t want to. Decide that you only have to complete the first ten minutes, and then, if you really don’t feel like keeping at it, give yourself permission to pack up and go home again. Most of the time, just getting out the door and starting will be enough. For a short term motivational quick-fix, don’t underestimate the power of bribery!  Identify three or four different little things that bring you pleasure, and promise yourself you’ll take time out and indulge in at least one of them if you complete your workout as scheduled.

GET HELP!

Finally, if you’re noticing increasing difficulty motivating yourself despite trying all of the above suggestions, consider talking to a personal trainer near you. A big part of qualifying as a trainer involves not just learning specific exercises, but learning how to keep clients motivated. If cost is an issue for you, think seriously about hiring an online trainer. Generally, online training is far more reasonably priced than face-to-face training - and if all you’re wanting is someone to keep you enthusiastic and accountable, it means you’re not paying for services you don’t need. 

In next issue’s conclusion to our Exercise & Motivation series, we look at the final stage of Prochaska’s model - and what to do if you find yourself in the dreaded ‘Relapse’ stage.  Until then, may every day bring you closer to your optimum life!

Note: This is Part 3 of a 4-part article series.  You can find Parts 1 and 2 at http://optimumlife.co.nz/Fitness_Articles.htm.

Career Motivation

In order to motivate yourself towards a successful and rewarding career, you need a combination of several factors to work together in your favor. These factors may include your own ambition and efforts to prosper, backed by the love and inspiration of your loved ones. However, it is important to remember that the ultimate responsibility of excelling in the career of your choice is yours and only you can work towards it to make your dreams a reality. While planning for your career development, you will also need to understand and analyze your talents, qualifications and skills that might help you in getting inspired towards the path of development.

Motivation Through Relationships

The people who love and care for you can make a great difference in your life in motivating and inspiring you towards a better career. Some of your closest relationships may work as a base of all your career improvements. These relationships might be the best and only reason for which you want to move ahead in your career and do well to provide absolute security and happiness to your family. It is the care and concern that you share in these relationships that might encourage you to achieve your career goals, which in turn helps you to provide the best of everything to your loved ones.

Motivation Through Leisure

You leisure time activities and associations can also help you in motivating yourself towards your career. It is important to interact with different kinds of people coming from different walks of life and professions. You also need to participate in the hobbies and activities that you enjoy so that your recreational requirements are also fulfilled. These activities help you unwind from a long day or a weekly routine and will keep you motivated when you are planning your career. Your entire personality needs to be taken care of in order to motivate yourself. Lack of relaxation and recreation may lead you towards boredom and depression, which in turn can diminish your enthusiasm and energy levels.

Motivation From Peers

One of the best ways to motivate yourself towards a great career may come from your present workplace itself. Attending seminars, conferences and meetings can help you in acquiring many professional contacts such as career counselors, academic professionals, supervisors and people with similar interests and career objectives. In the process, you may gain invaluable resources and advice from masterminds that might motivate you to a great extent. Seeing other people with the same or similar educational backgrounds and qualifications in higher positions can further motivate you to improve your own career prospects through sharing knowledge and ideas with them about how you can go about it. Just knowing that you have a great network of resource pool can be sufficient to motivate you.

Motivation From Your Mentor

Your personal mentor can be the most important person who can motivate you so that you achieve your career objectives. A good mentor can be your friend, philosopher and guide to direct you towards the road of success. A mentor will not only coach you and provide critical advice to support you in your endeavors, but will also introduce you with useful contacts and the right people to further expedite your career development process. The mentor can also measure your success and failure aspects and alter your action plan accordingly.

What are the Three Keys to Self-Improvement and Motivation?

Effectively succeed in the most important factors for self improvement and motivation for small business owners. You will accomplish more in less time when you focus on three of the most important factors.

1) INSPIRATION
You need inspiration to keep you motivated and intent on improving yourself. If you are not as interested in your business as you should be, your motivation level will be lower than it can be and you will not be able to sustain interest for long periods.

Take an honest look at your inspiration level. Are you excited about going to work or is it an obligation? Many people choose to go into a business because on paper, it looks profitable, but when they actually go into it, they find it does not interest them.

If you are one of these people, you will grow weary and uninterested quickly because you have no inspiration or passion to sustain you during the difficult times you will encounter as a small business owner.

If you do not like your work, not to worry. There are probably ways that you can re-focus your business to match your interests and thus develop a passion in it, which will help you stay inspired. Think of ways to do this, and if you truly can not, consider making a clean break and starting something new. You might be able to sell it if it is reasonably well established and could turn a profit for someone who is interested in it, so you might be able to recoup some of your investment this way. But do not try to stay with it if you just have no interest and cant turn it into something you can be passionate about, because without inspiration, you will not be motivated to even try self- improvement.

2) SET GOALS
Short and long-term goal setting is vital for any business owner. If you do not set goals, you have no definite purpose and no clear path to take. It is impossible to be motivated if you are not sure about the direction your company is taking.

Take the time to put your goals in writing. A business plan may sound daunting, but it is really nothing more than putting goals, strategies, implementation plans, and a budget in writing. Write your own business plan and update it at least annually.

Include mini-goals that can be accomplished in a matter of hours, days, or weeks. Include more ambitious grand-goals that may take years to complete. Refer to this plan throughout the year.

Can a business plan really help motivate you? Of course! Written goals will make you feel more professional and certainly more connected to your business. It will also free you from having to reinvent your business goals every single day.

3) NETWORKING
Another key factor in getting and staying motivated is to network with other small business owners and collaborate with those who have expertise you dont. You can not possibly know all the information you need to understand every facet of your business, at least not at first. Use expertise of others to build on your own. You will conquer challenges you could not have alone, and you will likely help others do the same.

Networking also helps offset the solitary working conditions many entrepreneurs face as well. In fact, working alone can be one of most difficult parts of being an entrepreneur. You can never truly succeed without the help of others, and you will need to return the favor and offer your own assistance, too. Mutual support is motivating.

Make life easier by connecting with others either within your community or online. Even when businesses are not related, you will often find common ground and ways to work together.

Many successful entrepreneurs report that finding the right networking group was a turning point in the growth of their business. When a networking group works together, it can help its members generate more qualified sales leads, for instance, and solve problems faster and more efficiently.

Sharing ideas, expertise, and experience is also an invaluable aspect of motivation and self-improvement. Your own personal team of business owners will help re-energize you when the burdens of running your own business seem too much.

And with your networking team to rely on, you can accomplish more in less time and probably have more fun in the process!

Focus on Others to Feel Better Yourself - 5 Kindness Motivation Tips

Many times we can be guilty of focusing mostly on our troubles
and worries. It can become an effort to do the everyday things
like washing dishes, mowing the lawn, feeding the kids a decent
meal. Is there a way to overcome these feelings that keep us
down and unwilling to do the things we need to do? Is there a
way to get back on track emotionally and make a difference at
the same time?

One surefire way to get your mind off your troubles and to make a
difference is to stop focusing on yourself and focus instead
on someone else and their needs. There are countless people who
very seldom receive any kindness or thoughtful treatment; many
who need to know they matter to someone; many who need to know
someone cares. You can make a difference and lift your spirits
all at one time!

Once you’ve decided to take this step, what do you do? Below are
five kindness motivation tips from the free e-book, “101 Ways
to Change the World.”

1. Everyone needs friendship (even you).

â?¢ Spend an afternoon with someone you know is lonely and don’t
make it just a one-time visit.

â?¢ Send them notes.

â?¢ Become a lifeline for just that one person.

2. Find a kid who needs to know they matter - unfortunately,
there are way too many of them.

â?¢ Determine to make that kid know someone believes they are
special.

â?¢ Send a card or note every week (at least).

â?¢ If you know what they are interested in, send them articles
about it.

â?¢ Send stories that will build self-confidence and inspire them
to be all they can be.

â?¢ Most of all let them know you care. Imagine how much it means
to feel special - especially to a child who seldom receives any
kindness, small gifts or hugs.

3. Share flowers or vegetables from your garden

â?¢ Take some to an elderly neighbor who can no longer garden.

â?¢ Take some to a friend going through a hard time.

â?¢ Drop them off at a neighbor’s house â??just because

4. Become an email Pen Pal with someone - it is so easy to send
daily e-mails in order to make a difference in someone’s life.
You could email:

â?¢ A kid in a detention enter

â?¢ Someone in a Nursing Home

â?¢ Someone with special needs who can’t leave home

â?¢ A foster child

â?¢ Kids in an orphanage

5. Put gift certificates in a special card or note. Go to your
local:

â?¢ Bowling alley

â?¢ Skating rink

â?¢ Amusement park, etc.

â?¢ Ask them to give you free coupons you can share with kids who
need to know that someone cares and who need a little
kindness.

Many of the bad things happening in our world are done by
people who never believed they mattered. No one took the time to
show kindness or let them know they are special. Just one act -
changing a person’s anger and sadness with your love - can have
a far-reaching impact!

Use these five kindness motivation tips to start your own ideas
flowing. For more motivation tips, download the e-book, “101 Ways
to Change the World” and choose one or more motivation tips
to get started. You’ll find the e-book at
http://www.101WaysSeries.com You’ll certainly make a difference
to someone each time you use these motivation tips - because
showing kindness is contagious!