Confidence shows

"Iraq’s expelling Khomeini in 1978, at the Shah’s insistence, gave him an even more effective pulpit in France where he remained until 1979, returning to Iran only after the Shah had fled, " Rodney explained the history of the Iran revolution to me over a kebab dinner. "The Shah’s crumbling self-confidence, the Carter administration’s refusal to provide him with non-lethal military aid and Khomeini’s resolve led to collapse of the care-taker Bakhtiyar government in 1980."

Confidence is contagious and so is the lack of confidence and a customer will recognise both.
Confidence means trusting in someone and relying upon them. Interestingly enough, it also means relying on oneself - self-reliance.
There's a saying: "A team that thinks it's going to lose is going to lose."

Share the dredge work

"Women everywhere are the same," Reza pointed out while we shared a shisha and some Iranian chai post kebab and doogh lunch. "They want love and to some, love is getting presents and some others it's having us to help in the house"

Sharing work at home is vitally linked to marital harmony.

But though my dad didn't help out around the house as much (during my childhood; he's doing plenty now), I'm doing a whole lot better.

In this hustle and bustle world, everybody, in short, is tired. This makes the hours that we spend at home with our families that much more precious, and figuring out a way to share the dredge work that much more important.

Empower through trust

"When it comes to refined service and exquisite hospitality, one name stands high above the rest: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company," Joseph Michelli told the us at the Amcham luncheon. "One of their key principles is that they empower employees by treating them with the utmost respect"

Empowerment is simply giving the people closest to the problem the authority and responsibility to resolve the problem.

If people are constantly saying "You'll have to talk to the manager, "It's not my job" or "I can't make the decision" then they are basically telling the customer that the leader has not empowered his people.

From left: Rae, Grace, TiTin

All about handshakes

"Very nice to meet you," Trung said, with a 2-handed politician handshake

Like most people, I dislike dead-fish handshakes. I attribute them to lack of self-confidence, lack of interest or bad manners. When someone offers only 3 inches of fingers, I sense immediately that this is not a take-charge person. And if you have clammy hands, always dry them off before shaking.

I always am the 1st to extend my hand, grip firmly and shake twice.

Eleen

Mufri

Let

Lead, not rule

Melvin Purvis, acted by Christian Bale in the movie Public Enemies said, "I'm afraid our "type" can't get the job done. Without qualified help, I'd have to resign this appointment. I am leading my men to slaughter."


The way I see it, leadership is about maintaining a delicate balance between pushing and guiding. We leaders mentor. We guide. We set examples. We make decisions. But whatever else we do, we do not merely command.

See you at the top

"The higher we climb, the less positions there are available," Yim lamented. "In fact, the higher we climb, the further we (touch wood) fall"

Think with me here...everybody wants to be on the mountaintop. Check up on National Geographic Channel, mountaintops are rocky and cold. There is no growth on the mountaintop.

The view is great, though. A view simply gives us a glimpse of our next destination, that's what it's for, our next target.

But to get to that target/destination, chances are we must come off the mountain, go through the valley, and begin to climb the next slope. It is in the valley that we slog through, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life's next peak.

The sales occupation - not for the faint-hearted

"I love your job," exclaimed Jasmine. "It's a great job."

The sales line provides many opportunities for social recognition and status rewards, ie salesperson of the month, salesperson of the year, the president's club, an eagle plaque. It goes with the territory, so enjoy the sunlight, its warmth goes right to the soul and will make you feel good about who you are.

Consider this: without the efforts of sales people, the lifeblood revenues of the organizations they are part of would dry up. These are the heroes who allow the rest to play the game.

On the other hand, if you're not cut out to sell and fail to achieve a level of performance consistent with the needs of the organization or the peer group, be prepared to be left out in the cold. It is not for the faint of heart.

When sales people get together...