Profit Building Ideas
Helping business leaders build value since 1986
April 2013
Greetings!

 

Welcome to the Silver Fox Advisors monthly newsletter, "Profit Building Ideas", which has been developed as informative reading material for business owners and managers.

 

We hope you will find this newsletter to be interesting and valuable to your business.  

 

Silver Fox Advisors

Are You A Resilient Leader?

 The pace that you set as a leader and the performance standards you demonstrate are keys to driving excellence within your organization, especially when you are leading a new company. An astounding 80 percent of all new businesses fail in the first five years, and after that only 20 percent of the remaining businesses will thrive. Being one of the few prosperous new businesses requires resilience among its leadership: the ability to quickly recover from adversity, whatever it may be. Of course, this doesn't imply that you are unaffected by challenges, but it may mean that those challenges have less impact on your tasks at hand.

Are people born with resilience? No. Resilience is something that is developed over time by practicing healthy responses to challenging circumstances.

You develop resilience by choosing to navigate toward resources that sustain your well-being, and when you can thrive and achieve a positive outcome for your team despite adverse conditions, you've developed resilience in your role as a leader.

How do you know if you've developed your skills as a resilient leader?

  • Are you persistent, pursuing goals despite obstacles?
  • Do you handle rejection well, listening to criticism from others with objectivity?
  • Do you take initiative to use resources that help you achieve your goals?
  • Do you employ problem-solving skills to affect change in your organization?
  • Are you flexible, choosing when to adapt when necessary?
  • Are you personally accountable for managing your attitudes and decisions?

If you manage a team of leaders, do you fully understand each leader's level of resilience when it comes to the demands of your company?

If you're not sure, or your answer to any of these questions is "no," working with a trained coach can help you develop your own skills in resiliency.t

Contact us today to help you build resilient leaders!

~ Written for us by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC Copyright protected worldwide. All rights reserved. �2013

Emotional Intelligence And Leadership    

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. It can be divided into ability EI and trait EI. Ability EI is usually measured using maximum performance tests and has stronger relationships with traditional intelligence, whereas trait EI is usually measured using self-report questionnaires and has stronger relationships with personality. (Wikipedia)

Emotional Quotient (EQ) measures our Emotional Intelligence and is independent of (IQ) Intelligence Quotient. IQ measures the level of our intelligence and is responsible for 10-25% of our performance success.

IQ does not change much, but EQ skills can be learned. 90% of the difference between average and superior performers is EQ.

Emotional Intelligence Leadership is the ability to recognize, understand, and use the power of emotions to facilitate high levels of collaboration and productivity. It is the foundational competency every leader needs to grow. Emotional intelligence, in essence, is the ability to effectively manage emotions.

EQ and Leadership: The single most important element in group intelligence is not the average, or even the highest IQ, but emotional intelligence.

Executive EQ argues that a single participant who is low in EQ can lower the collective IQ of the entire group. Further, the EQ and emotional tone of the group is most strongly affected by the leader's EQ. Emotional management is crucial in leadership. A good leader creates an emotionally safe workplace and successfully manages her own and others' emotions. The EQ of leaders affects individual, group, and organizational outcomes. Research shows that the EQ of a team leader has positive effects on not only team members' satisfaction, but also extra-role behavior aimed at the entire organization. These findings suggest a ripple effect of positive outcomes that can be tied to leaders with high levels of EQ. Indeed, at the top levels of leadership, EQ accounts for as much as 90% of success.

Intrapersonal Emotional Quotient

* Self-Awareness - The ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions and drives, as well as their effect on others.

* Self-Regulation - The ability to control or re-direct disruptive impulses and moods and the propensity to suspend judgment and think before acting.

* Motivation - A passion to work for reasons that go beyond money and status and a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence.

Interpersonal Emotional Quotient

* Social Skills - A proficiency in managing relationships and building networks.

* Empathy - The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people.

Give your superior performers the opportunity to learn & understand EQ and watch them take your company to the next level.t

Need help? Contact us today for more information.

~ Adapted with permission. Copyright Target Training International (TTI) Ltd

Did You Know...   

In 2010, China became the #1 English speaking country in the world. (Over 300 million)

1 out of every 4 workers today have been with their current employer for less than a year and approximately � have been with their current employer for under 5 years.

Google accounts for roughly 0.013% of the world's energy use. It uses enough energy to continuously power 200,000 homes.

In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. The average desktop computer idles at 80 watts, while the average laptop idles at 20 watts. Idle power consumes more electricity than all the solar panels in America combined.

The average Facebook users spend more than 55 minutes a day on the site. They use the Like button nine times a month and write 25 comments each month.

It took 46 years to wire 30 percent of the U.S. for electricity; it took only 7 years for the Internet to reach that level of connectivity to U.S. homes.t

Source: RandomHistory.com

"It is very important to understand that emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not the triumph of heart over head -- it is the unique intersection of both."

~ David Caruso - Excerpt from "Emotional What?"

In This Issue
Are You A Resilient Leader?
Emotional Intelligence And Leadership
Did You Know...
Group Legal Plans
Silver Fox Advisors

 

Silver Fox Advisors are current and former business owners, entrepreneurs and executives dedicated to assisting business owners to improve their enterprises through mentoring and consulting. Advisors have been sharing their knowledge, experience and skills for more than twenty-five years.

To work with a Silver Fox Advisor, please visit our website at  www.silverfox.org and select your advisor.

Group Legal Plans
  
       

Group legal plans, In the United States, have been around for about 30 years. The United Auto Workers negotiated one of the first plans in the late 1970s and the benefit moved into the mainstream of voluntary offerings in the 1990s. The plans have experienced rapid growth recently because of their usefulness to both employer and employee alike.

For the employee, a group legal plan is a cheap way to get legal coverage in much the same way as other traditional benefits. For as little as $20 per month deducted from payroll, an employee is put in touch with an attorney who can draft his will, buy or refinance a home, adopt a child and plan an estate. Unlimited legal advice is offered at no cost to the employee. As a bonus, providers sometimes include identity theft as part a package while others cover identity theft within the plan. Most plans offer access to a network of thousands of attorneys through a phone number or website.

The benefits for the employer include increased efficiency and productivity from their workforce, and reduced administration costs to handle personal matters. Another very attractive benefit is the low cost involved in researching and implementing a group legal plan. In fact, such plans cost employers very little in terms of time and investment. Group plans are structured on a voluntary basis and paid for through payroll deductions from the workforce. Additionally, the carrier handles all the claims, redundant paperwork and customer service related to the plan.

Consult your legal staff & HR Department to see if a Group Legal Plan is right for your organization.t

~ Written for us by our associate Gary Sorrell, Sorrell Associates, LLC Copyright protected worldwide. All rights reserved.

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