By Mauro Libi Crestani. Some readers have asked me if all successful business leaders have always been icons of positive thinking. My opinion is that many of them have, but there are others who approached their career goals with an attitude of "I can do it." So is the power of positive thinking the key to success? I refer to research by Barbara Fredrickson, a professor of psychology who has written extensively about positivity. That research and have played in other entries in this blog. Fredrickson found that those with positive thoughts have a greater ability to take into account new information. Positive thinking perspective and improves the ability to "connect the dots", which allows optimistic people to cope with the problems and obstacles with a different attitude that usually allows them to win. The reality is that positive thinkers have more energy. If you see things in a positive or negative way, this personality trait called dispositional effect. Scientists have concluded that the dispositional positive effect on people creates more energy and enthusiasm than negative. Positivity build resilience Very few entrepreneurs reach success with your first idea or business project. Often there are many failures and errors behind a thriving business. The good news is that studies have shown that positivity can help you become stronger. Fredrickson states that "... positive emotions help speed recovery from negative emotions," even he says that positive thinking can be self-generating. Positive thinking improves decision-making It is logical that if you're in a negative mood, it is less likely to make decisions that can have a positive impact. This is highlighted in the book: Understanding the entrepreneurial mind, which states that "negative thinking entrepreneurs results in a negative mood that could lead them to make decisions affecting the production capacity of the company." Positivity is contagious ... Even in the workplace The same book also highlights that employers with a positive attitude who have direct contact with customers are more likely to persuade them to try a new product. This is because positivity is contagious. Some say it is because the act of being positive toward another person releases the chemical oxytocin in the blood of the recipient and others say that it is our 'mirror neurons' cause actions to replicate those who interact with us. In the case of the latter, it is worth remembering that if you are a leader or team manager this also means that words and actions can be negative as infectious as well. Positive thinking is nothing without positive action Research published in a book published in 2014 by Gabriele Oettingen, ensures that only think positively about the possible positive results is not enough to make the dream come true or desired, it is necessary for the realization of positive action, which produces a power conditioning. In other words, positive thinking (or dreaming) alone will be ineffective if conscious action does not occur.
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By Mauro Libi Crestani. Some years ago I met Manuel, an electrician one day I arranged a wiring problem at home. Talkative, I talked to him about his projects, and he told me he had started his own company, but abandoned the idea after a while, because things had not gone as he had imagined it. So, he said he made a mistake that shattered his dream of being an entrepreneur, and that is why he has since made his living working for others. Regretfully he told me that success was not made for him, and he had forgotten how to be financially independent. Manuel repeated to me several times that everything went wrong. It always was the same. Every time something good happened to him, for some reason he still felt that his whole life was becoming a disaster, because this too would go wrong and become a failure. I remember inviting Manuel for coffee after repairs and I would emphasize that the problem was not life nor bad luck but his pessimistic thinking. Manuel had learned to see things from a negative approach, which led him to develop an ineffective behavior, which he surrendered to so easily. I told Manuel that there were many people like him, who would distort reality. To them everything that happened becomes a problem or difficulty ending in catastrophe. I spoke of the importance of optimism to grow and increase the chances of success. Manuel replied telling me that for years had heard that optimists were beings who denied the reality, wrapped in a bubble that did not allow them to give importance to things not to worry. That day my friend understood the importance of developing a thought process that allows self-confidence and even though things did not go well, if you work hard you can get opportunities for improvement. Optimistic people create the ability to face adversity, learn about getting the obstacles, mistakes and do not give up, never give up. The Optimist facing the problem, minimizes the impact on his life and is dedicated to solving, to seek a solution. Optimists are persistent and keep their actions towards their goals, despite the difficulties they may face, considering them only as temporary setbacks or problems that may perhaps delay the achievement of its objective but not prevent it. Optimistic people increase their level of achievement and create benefits in their quality of life and in your endeavors. Optimism can be developed internally by changing the negativity positive thinking, raising the self-esteem and spiritual strength, learning to persist in achieving their goals and working hard to achieve them. After several years, with Manuel’s new understanding and with his reconsidered thinking, his life has changed. Today he owns his own company, has 25 employees working for him. When he comes to my home or office, it is not only to solve the electrical problems but to talk about his exciting new plans and projects. Manuel, today is an optimistic and successful man. By Mauro Libi Crestani Google+ Visit: http://maurolibiempresario.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibithinkingforbusinesses.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela2015.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicaracas.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestaniempresariodeexito.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestani15.blogspot.com/ Follow us Twitter @maurolibi15 By Mauro Libi Crestani. Every day we are seeing an increase in stress levels. Physical and mental health of employees is extremely important for companies. Actions are needed to reduce the anxiety of staff who feel affected by the pressures. Definitely stress has become one of the evils of the century and while not considered a disease, its consequences can affect the health of the person. Many studies have concluded that a stressed or depressed person has a better chance of getting a disease because their immune system is weakened. Depressed mood and stress down the body's defenses and the person who has it becomes weak. There are two types of stress experts say: The so-called acute stress is a response to an imminent danger, loading the system with powerful hormones that can damage the cardiovascular system immediately. Chronic stress caused by intense emotional pressure, the victim can not control, produces hormones that can depress the immune system and damage the bone. This increases the risk of muscle skeletal injuries, some loss of bone mass, damage to the cardiovascular system causing damage to the arteries, removal of reproductive system and memory problems. Physical symptoms can include headache, back pain, fatigue, sweating, gastritis, depression, anxiety, insomnia, indigestion, skin disorders, sexual dysfunction, increased heart rate, diarrhea or constipation, etc. Among the sociological symptoms can be observed when a person forgets everything, you feel tired, altered, relationships with other people begin to fail, it fights with everyone. When a person is faced with a stressful situation sleep it is the first thing that is lost (insomnia), has nightmares, increased appetite or else you are not hungry. A person exposed to constant stress situations have much chance of developing high blood pressure problems. People suffering from chronic stress should see a doctor for treatment, meanwhile you should start activities such as meditation, relaxation exercises and yoga to achieve symptom relief steadily. When employees suffer from stress, the company has problems and low productivity. It's time to address the problem. By Mauro Libi Crestani Mauro Libi: How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skills, Boosts Your Health, and Improves Your Work2/2/2016 I would like to share with you an article written by James Clear about How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skills, Boosts Your Health, and Improves Your Work. Positive thinking sounds useful on the surface. (Most of us would prefer to be positive rather than negative.) But, “positive thinking” is also a soft and fluffy term that is easy to dismiss. In the real world, it rarely carries the same weight as words like “work ethic” or “persistence.” But those views may be changing. Research is beginning to reveal that positive thinking is about much more than just being happy or displaying an upbeat attitude. Positive thoughts can actually create real value in your life and help you build skills that last much longer than a smile. The impact of positive thinking on your work, your health, and your life is being studied by people who are much smarter than me. One of these people is Barbara Fredrickson. Fredrickson is a positive psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina and she published a landmark paper that provides surprising insights about positive thinking and it’s impact on your skills. Her work is among the most referenced and cited in her field and it is surprisingly useful in everyday life. Let’s talk about Fredrickson’s discovery and what it means for you… What Negative Thoughts Do to Your Brain Play along with me for a moment. Let’s say that you’re walking through the forest and suddenly a tiger steps onto the path ahead of you. When this happens, your brain registers a negative emotion — in this case, fear. Researchers have long known that negative emotions program your brain to do a specific action. When that tiger crosses your path, for example, you run. The rest of the world doesn’t matter. You are focused entirely on the tiger, the fear it creates, and how you can get away from it. In other words, negative emotions narrow your mind and focus your thoughts. At that same moment, you might have the option to climb a tree, pick up a leaf, or grab a stick — but your brain ignores all of those options because they seem irrelevant when a tiger is standing in front of you. This is a useful instinct if you’re trying to save life and limb, but in our modern society we don’t have to worry about stumbling across tigers in the wilderness. The problem is that your brain is still programmed to respond to negative emotions in the same way — by shutting off the outside world and limiting the options you see around you. For example, when you’re in a fight with someone, your anger and emotion might consume you to the point where you can’t think about anything else. Or, when you are stressed out about everything you have to get done today, you may find it hard to actual start anything because you’re paralyzed by how long your to–do list has become. Or, if you feel bad about not exercising or not eating healthy, all you think about is how little willpower you have, how you’re lazy, and how you don’t have any motivation. In each case, your brain closes off from the outside world and focuses on the negative emotions of fear, anger, and stress — just like it did with the tiger. Negative emotions prevent your brain from seeing the other options and choices that surround you. It’s your survival instinct. Now, let’s compare this to what positive emotions do to your brain. This is where Barbara Fredrickson returns to the story. What Positive Thoughts Do to Your Brain Fredrickson tested the impact of positive emotions on the brain by setting up a little experiment. During this experiment, she divided her research subjects into 5 groups and showed each group different film clips. Google+ Visit: http://maurolibiempresario.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibithinkingforbusinesses.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela2015.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicaracas.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestaniempresariodeexito.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestani15.blogspot.com/ Follow us Twitter @maurolibi15 “I BELIEVE THAT POTENTIAL IS UNLIMITED – SUCCESS DEPENDS ON DARING TO ACT ON OUR DREAMS” – MRS. ESTÉE LAUDER Since 1946, The Estée Lauder Companies has built its reputation on the quality of its people and on their positive attitudes. By Mauro Libi Crestani. “If you push yourself beyond the furthest place you think that you can go, you will be able to achieve your hearts dream.” This is also a quote from Estee Lauder. She would tell her employees to stay positive and determines and that they will get there. If you check the website of this high quality company, you will find a company that invest a lot of time and money into promoting the positive attitudes of their people and workers. Leonard Lauder calls the company’s employees family and says that his workers do not have a job but a career and that they are the most important asset to the company. Every aspect, every step of their interactions was carefully planned out to create that positive good feeling. Everyone that works for their company was called family and told that they are worth investing time and money in. All their employees are seasoned professionals. An ad for a part time job with their company said the following: High Touch, No Limits-Careers at Estee Lauder Join the Estée Lauder team today and become part of the dream. Opportunities are available for all those with a passion for beauty and determination for success. When they sell their products to the public, they are determined to put out a high quality product that will enhance a woman’s beauty and make her feel more positive and confident about herself. "Once a woman has the knowledge about her possibilities of self-improvement through beauty, she can feel better about herself." - Estee Lauder Estée Lauder Created a Product That Promises 'A Positive Change in Attitude' – This was a woman’s magazine headline. When Lauder started off, she had no money to invest in marketing, so she decided that she would create positives attitudes as her marketing campaign. She decided that every woman that came to see her would leave feel more positive about herself. She would feel so much better about herself that she would brag to her friends about her new good feeling and her friend would tell another friend. She called it “ Tell a woman campaign.”. Later when she first started hiring employees she made sure that they would get lots of positive feelings and attitudes from her and her company and they in turn would pass that positive attitude on to their customers. She would only accept one out of twenty woman for a job with her, their attitude had to reflect that positive feeling. By Mauro Libi Crestani. Google+ Visit: http://maurolibiempresario.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibithinkingforbusinesses.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela2015.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicaracas.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestaniempresariodeexito.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestani15.blogspot.com/ Follow us Twitter @maurolibi15 By Mauro Libi Crestani. When the actor Jim Carrey was only 14 years old, his father lost his job, and his family hit rough times. They moved into a VW van on a relative’s lawn, and the young aspiring comedian—who was so dedicated to his craft that he mailed his resume to The Carroll Burnett Show just a few years earlier, at age 10—took an eight-hours-per-day factory job after school to help make ends meet. Carrey lives his life according to the law of attraction, a belief system that argues that “‘like attracts like,” and that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, one can bring about positive or negative results. When Jim Carrey did his movie –YesMan -. It was about a man who had negative attitudes and he meets a guru that teaches him the power of the word – Yes. Jim did not get paid for this movie but agreed to take a percentage. But this movie changed his life similar to the character that he played. Soon after this movie he wrote himself a ten million dollar check where he wrote for acting services rendered and he dated it for Thanksgiving 1995. He was so sure that if he write himself such a check the power of attraction would make it happen. Very soon before Thanksgiving 1995 He received a check in about that amount for his movie Dumb and Dumber. Till the day that he actually received a real big check , he kept his fake one in his wallet believing in the power. Soon after Yes man, Carrey did a movie called Popper. That was where he got as a inheritance some penguins. In the movie he thought they were a curse but when he changed his attitude, that his gift was a blessing, his movie life became a blessing. Jim was careful to pick his movies that all had some positive theme. As he really believed that any negativity in his life that he introduced would attract more negativity. So when he was offered to do a movie Kick Ass 2. He declined doing the movie because he said he had an anti gun stance. But it was more than that. His character remains trapped in a world of violence and sin. It was a perfectly sensible one for someone who believes in the law of attractions. That’s why Carrey had to distance himself from it—to keep that negativity away from him. “I believe in manifestation,” Carrey says at one point in that clip. “I believe in putting a rocket of desire out into the universe. And you get it when you believe it.” By Mauro Libi Crestani. Google+ Visit: http://maurolibiempresario.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibithinkingforbusinesses.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela2015.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicaracas.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestaniempresariodeexito.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestani15.blogspot.com/ Follow us Twitter @maurolibi15 Mauro Libi Crestani: The power of positive thought I am a natural born introvert. I am not comfortable being the life of the party and I am terrified of being before an audience. But my profession and my talents lead me to being a teacher of kids in college and my love for politics required that I speak before an audience. I also had a radio show and did many jobs as a television broadcaster. But the fear of being before an audience is innate in my being. It is something that I could not get rid of. I have always been a positive person. It’s a funny thing… but the mind is very powerful. If your mind believes that you can do something, then will accomplish that task. Just do not let the mind be won over by the feelings of negativity or fears. “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” “Don’t let your fears keep you from flying.” Both are quotes from Peter Pan. So how does someone like myself overcome a fear such as stage fright? How does someone who has stage fright go before a tough audience of college students and shine and give a fantastic seminar that more and more students want talk about and want to participate in? How do I perform in radio and television having this overwhelming fear? There is a little trick from an acting instructor called Leon Strossburg. He was from many years ago and was an acting teacher to many famous stars such as Marilyn Monroe. Strossburg believed in the power of positive thought. He taught an acting style known today as Method Acting. It is a belief that the mind can accomplish anything and if properly trained can accomplish anything. When an actor would have stage fright and many of them do. Like Peter Pan, they would fear into a real creature. If the fear made you sick in the pit of your stomach, you would talk to it and say…. Fear go away, go away from my stomach. Now the fear may crawl to your legs and make them shake, so you would say to the fear. Fear, you are getting on my nerves, get away from my legs and stop shaking my legs. If your fear then went to your voice and made your voice shake or to your head and made you forget your lines, you again would talk to your fear and make it move out of the way. The most important thing is to believe in yourself and never let your fears keep you from accomplishing your dreams. By Mauro Libi Crestani. These are words from President Obama.
We are not going to debate the politics of this statement, which has caused a lot of debate. What I would like to discuss is how to increase a company’s productivity. If management does not trust its employees to do their job and they micromanage by trying to control every aspect of what their workers do. In such a case their productivity numbers will suffer. It is not usual to speak of an employee as a partner, and yet what else is he? Henry Ford Henry Ford fought for better wages for his employees. There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible. Henry Ford So Henry Ford believed that by treating an employee like a partner and paying them a top wage was the best thing for a company’s productivity. The above is proven research. Yet despite this known fact, most employees are very unhappy with their present jobs and are just not engaged. According to Forbes magazine, an engaged employees means, Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals. This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don’t work just for a paycheck, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization’s goals. When employees care—when they are engaged—they use discretionary effort. This means the engaged computer programmer works overtime when needed, without being asked. This means the engaged retail clerk picks up the trash on the store floor, even if the boss isn’t watching. This means the TSA agent will pull a bag suspicious bag to be searched, even if it’s the last bag on their shift. Engaged employees lead to better business outcomes. In fact, according to Towers Perrin research companies with engaged workers have 6% higher net profit margins, and according to Kenexa research engaged companies have five times higher shareholder returns over five years. With such gains by having your employees engaged into the company, you would think that company’s put a major emphasis on such a goal and that . You would think that the majority of employees are engaged into their company and that every company needs to work to improve that number. But that is not the case at all. Only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work, according to Gallup's new 142-country study on the State of the Global Workplace. In other words, about one in eight workers -- roughly 180 million employees in the countries studied -- are psychologically committed to their jobs and likely to be making positive contributions to their organizations.( By Mauro Libi Crestani) In a Nutshell It's very difficult for managers to create a situation where their employees experience psychological empowerment, but the payoff is great for those who achieve it. If you want to increase your productivity, listen to Obama on this one bit of advice. Your employees are their building blocks of your company and if you can get them motivated and engaged into the company, your productivity results may soar like you never imagined. By Mauro Libi Crestani. Google+ Visit: http://maurolibiempresario.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibithinkingforbusinesses.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela2015.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicaracas.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestaniempresariodeexito.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestani15.blogspot.com/ Follow us Twitter @maurolibi15 Mauro Libi Crestani: What is this basic answer on how to increase your company's productivity ?1/7/2016 By Mauro Libi Crestani. That is the most basic question that every company has to answer if it wants to be productive. The answer is so basic. It’s like answering the question – How does one live to see another day? Answer is to keep breathing. When you stop breathing , then you will not live to see another day. So what is this basic answer on how to increase your company's productivity?
The answer is to have office meeting! Careers have been built on poking fun at meetings. From commercials to comic strips it’s no secret that most of us would rather be, you know, working. Meetings can be very productive. But for that to happen you have to follow certain rules. If it were up to 37 Signals, there would be no meetings at all and discussion would be limited to IM and email. In the company’s best-selling book Rework, they urge creatives to remember that “every minute you avoid spending in a meeting is a minute you can get real work done instead.” In fact, the firm even created National Boycott a Meeting Day in 2011. But they know that there are times when they absolutely must meet. 37 Signals and Google and Apple have similar rules to their meetings. Keep it short! 15 minutes max time. Use a timer. Meetings have a way of going on and on. Invite as few people as possible. In other words no spectators. Google has a rule that everyone at the meeting must contribute ideas. If you do not have ideas to contribute then you do not have to be at that meeting. At Google t is expected that your idea will be challenged – so be ready to defend your ideas. Be prepared to challenge and be challenged or don’t show up. Have an agenda. American Express vice president Christopher Frank used to ask at the start of each meeting…. “What exactly are we meeting about?” When your goals for the meeting are clear then you the meeting will have productive results. Google assigns someone to make the decisions at the meeting. We want to accomplish this and we have five ideas, there will be someone that will decide at the meeting which ideas to go with and then they will be assigned to people to accomplish those goals or ideas. Talking and not acting will not be productive. You want the meeting to have a purpose and be productive – assign those tasks by Mauro Libi Crestani. Google+ Visit: http://maurolibiempresario.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibithinkingforbusinesses.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela2015.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicaracas.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestaniempresariodeexito.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestani15.blogspot.com/ Follow us Twitter @maurolibi15 By Mauro Libi Crestani. There has always been debate about whether a positive attitude or a negative attitude has such a significant effect. When your attitude is expressed in your words to others,
Well……………Then just imagine this……… A customer asks a question and receives a response from the owner or employee. The employee has an all around negative attitude to life. His response shows it. Unfortunately, the response may not adequately answer the question. It is deflected with negative phrases that do little to motivate the customer into making a purchase or returning to repeat the buying experience. An employee has a question or offers an opinion to the owner and expects a reply. The employee has high energy, loves working and wants to excel at his job. His boss or supervisor however has a very negative attitude and tends to put anyone and everything down. So what effect will this negative manager have the positive employee. A negative response to an employee, or worse no response, is one of the best ways to demotivate a potentially excellent employee. One negative phrase can “turn off” a customer or employee, but with a slight change of words the phrase can become positive. When the right words are used, they encourage customers to purchase, become loyal, and act as goodwill ambassadors for the business. Likewise, when words are chosen wisely, employees become committed to being a part of a growing and successful business. Make your responses work for you! Work on removing all negative words from your vocabulary. If an employee or a customer asks you if something can be done. Do not dismiss it with. “That’s a silly idea.” “We can’t do that.” “It’s not that important.” “You sure ask a lot of question.” “Why doesn’t (he) (you) take (his) (your) business elsewhere?” Just imagine saying any of the above to a customer! Do you really think that you will keep that customer. You basically are insulting them and their business. Employees and customers should be encouraged to speak their mind. When Ed Koch was mayor, he became real popular because he wanted to know what everyone thought of him. He constantly asked his voters… “How am I doing.” He let them know that none of their ideas or opinions were silly but that they were all important. Obama won his first election with the slogan of … “Yes, we can.” Customers do not want to hear what you can not do for them, they want to know what you can do. To a customer or employee, their needs are very important! The most important customer or employee a business has is the one they are dealing with at the present time. What to say instead: “I certainly understand the importance of this.” I know customers can get annoying when they ask a lot of questions. But let’s face it, your customers pay your bills. So make them happy and they will make you happy. Try saying , “I certainly understand the importance of this.” Remember to always tell your customers that “We’re thankful for all business.” by Mauro Libi Crestani. Google+ Visit: http://maurolibiempresario.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibithinkingforbusinesses.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela2015.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicaracas.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibivenezuela.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestaniempresariodeexito.blogspot.com/ http://maurolibicrestani15.blogspot.com/ Follow us Twitter @maurolibi15 |
AutorMauro Libi Crestani is a Venezuelan businessman CEO of Grupo Libi; a group of various food companies in the country. Archives
Agosto 2016
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