23 February 2008

Positive Attitudes at Work (Part 2 of 2)

In my previous post, I argued that positive work attitude is what makes a workplace the best workplace there is, and that it is indispensable to career success. No doubt that as a professional, you were hired because of your education, skills, and experience. But another big reason, where many young professionals don’t know, why an employer chose you over other candidates is simply because of your positive attitudes. How, you may ask? Based on more than a thousand interviews I made in my career, attitudes (good or bad) easily surface during the interviews, and even prior to the interview itself, like waiting for the interviewer at the lounge. Okey, I will not delve on that. That topic deserves a post of its own.

How do you develop positive attitudes at work? Let me state, that it should be your objective or goal to identify the positive attitudes that you need to develop as you go about with your work everyday. But here, let me offer Six (6) KRA’s (Key Result Areas -pardon the HR jargon there) that you need to take actions on:

(1.) Develop Personal Branding. Learn and strive to do things that will make you stand out. While others are contented with half-hazard or mediocre jobs, do yours in pursuit of excellence. Like an artist, make each work or project accomplished a signature of your great workmanship.

(2.) Make a difference in all that you do
, including in the way you rationalize job issues. This KRA is actually an extension of the above preceding it. Do I need to add more? Here: always find a better way of doing things -never be contented with the status quo.

(3.) Develop your ‘People Skills.’
You will stand-out if you show genuine interest on people you work with. Sometimes in our drive to please our bosses or beat deadlines, we take no regards of others. This is a big NO-NO in the corporate world. Make your co-workers and subordinates feel comfortable working with you. This way, you can accomplish more as a team.

(4.) Develop a Sense of Humor.
“A merry heart doeth like a medicine.”

(5.) Be Positive Always.
There is no cure for an optimist. Negative attitudes or pessimism, on the other hand, could lead to poor work performance, inefficiency, bad work relationships, and worse, delay in your promotion. Be positive in spite of setbacks, failures, or errors. People around you will respect you more for that, and they will look up to you for guidance and encouragement when they are on the same predicament.

(6.) Cultivate Humility.
History considers Abraham Lincoln as one of the tallest yet humblest US President; hear his wisdom: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Success, accomplishments, and promotions tend to make a young professional proud –don’t! Always keep your head low.

What is your final take on all of these? Let me echo what Catherine Pulsifer said in “All Is Going Well?”
The true test in life does not occur when all is going well. The true test takes place when we are faced with challenges. Some people have a positive attitude towards life only when all is well. However, when the going gets tough, their attitude changes instantly, and they become very negative or are consumed with self pity.

Be conscious of your attitude. Work extra hard at keeping your attitude positive in all kinds of weather, through all the challenges of life.
Now, let me hear your thoughts please. Cheers!

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A Yuppie Advise: On Auto Insurance

I drive an average of 100 miles a day from home while calling on clients. I have witnessed the ugliness of vehicular road accidents; in fact I have been in two in my entire 15 years of driving. One almost killed me. My car was a total (almost) wreck. The insurance company disputed my claims for some technical reasons. However, in the end we arrived on a settlement that I will have the car repaired and they will just reimbursed me the entire expenses. Why the heck am I relaying this here? Simply put, auto insurance will save your ass when the need arises. Yeah. Besides the fact that you should not be driving your own car if you do not have one, for it is against federal laws. If you are comparing auto insurance quotes, here are the most basic things you need to ask:
  • Will it cover your car in cases of collision, regardless of who is at fault?
  • Will it cover cost on injuries in cases of accidents?
  • Will it cover cost of damages on properties?
  • Will it cover personal injury or compensate you in case you unable to work?
  • Will it cover hit-and-run cases or uninsured ones?
  • Will it cover anything outside of ‘collision’ cases?
So, if you do not have auto insurance –get one. If on the other hand your current auto insurance does not cover all of the above, replace it. You might want to try EZ Insurance Portal in this regard.

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Yuppie Advise: A Brief on Whiplash Claims

Vehicular accidents are sometimes unavoidable, hence the term accident. I know I am being redundant there. Well, just allow me to hammer the point. If you drive daily for work, you now that sometimes accidents may occur. The real question is, are you prepared for them. Are you sure that you can immediately get your car or motorcycle accident claim? Is the solicitor you asked to help you can really expedite the release of your whiplash compensation? These are but a few of the things worth your consideration.

Yuppie Advise: A Brief on Whiplash ClaimsWhiplash claims can be troublesome at times, especially when you are not under the care of an expert. In unavoidable cases, have you thought how much is the pain and discomfort of your whiplash injury worth? A whiplash injury is very painful and inconvenient; hence you deserved to be compensated fairly and accordingly. This is where you need the expert advice of a reliable compensation solicitor like 1stclaims.co.uk. It is managed by a Personal Injury Solicitor with over 14 years of personal injury claims; this outfit can manage your needs professionally with their expertise. Here are three reasons why you should choose 1stclaims.co.uk over the others:
(1) Hand selected best whiplash and road accident claim solicitors to help you so that you receive only the best possible service you deserve;
(2) Guarantee to keep 100% of your compensation;
(3) Pay nothing whether you win or lose your claim;
Choose them. For with them, you can go no wrong.

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A Yuppie Advise: 3 Steps Plus 1 to Financial Wellness

As a matter of personal rule, I shun money borrowing. I work hard, and I do not want any debt to put unnecessary emotional and financial burden on me. Yeah. You read it right. Debt is not only an annoying financial burden to bear, but an emotional one. You do not want to work harder just to pay-off your debts, don’t you? But I know a lot of young professionals who burn themselves, having two jobs at the same time, in order to pay for their debts. That is difficult. I do not want my pursuit of excellence in job to be motivated by that. You can avoid that predicament. How?

Simple. Here’s my practical approach or appropriately, 3-steps plus 1 to financial ‘wellness’ (allow me to use that term): First, live a simple lifestyle. I know that urban or city living can sometimes exert undue pressure to cope up with the Smiths’ and Joneses’ –don’t! Second, live within your income. Easy said, than done huh. Try harder. Third, save for future unforeseen expenses or emergencies. Lastly, if you cannot really avoid borrowing, then get ONLY a short-term payday loan that you deemed you could easily pay soonest with your next two paychecks. Low interest rates, fast, and convenient. But, this kind of borrowing should be done sparingly, ONLY WHEN YOU NEED IT it, NOT WANT it. Get the first three simple advises right, then you do not have to go through the last advise. Here’s to your financial ‘wellness’.

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Prevent Business Losses with Basic Warehouse Management

Have you work in a PPIC (Production Planning and Inventory Control) or Warehousing Department? Don’t you know that many companies are losing money due too poor warehouse or inventory management? Yes, there are. A warehouse that is disorganized, dirty, does not implement proper shelving, has poor inventory tagging, and does not implement FIPO (First-In, First-Out) system is a financial liability. Improper or unused spaces in the warehouse are actually representatives of money flowing into the drain.

Systematic and organized racking is good and basic warehouse management practice. This can easily be done when you carefully make a good lay-out of your spaces and make use of quality shelves. Here, BiGDUG is recognized as the UK’s best value online shelving, racking and storage company. They can provide your warehousing requirements with shelves and racks that are manufactured to the highest EU quality standards, are extremely reliable, able to withstand considerable weight and are easy to assemble or operate. They also offer the most competitive prices in the market, which means you get your investments worth, in addition to keeping your profits in the bag with an organized storage facility. Not only has that, your orders or purchases come with a reliable, expert, and personal service of their staffs.

Take a walk-through assessment of your warehouse today, and see where your profits are going and take action.

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A Yuppie Advise: Line of Credit

I have always believed that young urban professionals are better at personal finance management because of the unreasonable demands of urban living. Every twist and turn means expenses. Advertisements call out or beckon for them to spend their hard earned dollars in vanities. Where, after you are bought into buying a particular product, you regret it and condemn yourself for giving in. Here their business senses are tested.

However, there are still a few who simply do not know or simply ignore basic personal finance management.

Multiple lines of credit are always being offered to young professionals everyday. These are sometimes unavoidable especially in times of financial needs. But caution though when getting a loan on any of these offers. Here are a few considerations before availing a line of credit: Is it collateral free? Is it convenient to apply? Is it confidential? Is the interest rate lower than other offers?

These are the basics yet often ignored. Get a loan when there is no other possible recourse and take these things in serious consideration. Otherwise, you will end up in deep financial trouble in the end. Be professionally smart and financially stable as well.

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22 February 2008

Chargeback Protection for Online Business

We know live and do business in the virtual world. It is even wrong for me to say that it is till ‘virtual,’ for what we do in the internet is real, and is occurring in real time. One tangible proof of that is selling online seamlessly. You advertise or market and sell your products, any where in the world over the net, and you get to have customers buying them and paying you online through their credit or debit cards.

With that, you get business profits in returns. How about chargebacks, you may ask? These are no profits, these are losses. Is there a way to prevent this from recurring? Yes. You can safeguard your business profitability, as well as credibility, by employing a chargeback protection through preCharge. It offers the best service to date in this category and you can be assured that employing their system, you will never pay another chargeback again. They are a middleware solution that sits between a merchant and a gateway. Moreover, they are registered with Visa and Master Card one of the only industry chargeback specialist. Hence they are able to offer online businesses the only guarantee chargeback protection solution online today. While using their online solution, you can be assured that every transaction that they cover is guaranteed against fraud or chargebacks. This means you safeguard both your business and that of the interest of your customers.

As an online entrepreneur or professional, what is your take on this? This means that this eCommerce solution will help you protect your bottom line. It will help you increase revenue, process orders automatically, and most of all protect your online transactions against any fraud, thereby keeping you business’ credibility and integrity intact.

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21 February 2008

Uninterrupted Power Supply, Uninterrupted Business

Uninterrupted Power Supply Uninterrupted Business

I had taken once the challenge of managing PPIC (Production Planning and Inventory Control) of huge manufacturing company. It was a side stint actually. When the department Manager resigned and there was no immediate replacement, I was asked to take over for more than six months until we hired the right guy. It was an entirely different experience, plus the new responsibility really posed a tough challenge to beat.

One of the problems that I had to address then was the seeming regular power outage occurring within that industrial zone where our two plants were located. I was tasked to supervise the design, outsource, and installation of uninterruptible power supplies in the critical areas of the operations. Among those we considered were installing 2 units of 150Kva diesel generators and 10 units of 5Kva UPS on selected machines.

It was rather rough for me. It would have been easier had I knew about the refutable services offered by PowerContinuity. They have over 20 years of track records in the successful design, supply, and installation of UPS systems, and Diesel Generators, which are expertly, matched any facility’s power loading or requirements. PowerContinuity means true continuous power. Hence, you will not suffer major losses on your operations in cases of unexpected power outages. Here is an expert in the UPS field you can really rely on to keep your business uninterrupted.

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20 February 2008

New Ads Network in Town

Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! There is a new blog advertising network in town.BlgAds

BlgAds Blog Advertising Network offers one of the most cost-effective advertising schemes on the net. Unlike other methods, where you pay for every impression made, here you pay only for the valid clicks on your ads. BlogAdsMore so, ads are placed on bids. Meaning, for the advertisers, you pay less but gain more. Using their bidding-based ad serving system, you can choose the maximum price-per-click you are willing to pay or within your ad budget, then they automatically adjust your cost-per-click to just $0.01 above the next closest competitor. Therefore, you get the best price available for your traffic requirements.

There is more.

With BlgAds, you can actually place an ad campaign for as low as $10. Which proves to be an advantage not only to the featured (bigger / major players –see the pix there) advertisers but for professional bloggers as well, who are looking for a cost-effective alternative of traffic source.

Placing an ad campaign or joining as a publisher is fast and easy. Start here today!

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16 February 2008

Obama getting the endorsement of US Powerful Union

It is the biggest endorsement, so far, coming from organized employees and professionals for Obama. AP Labor Writer, Holland, reports today:
"Sen. Barack Obama is expected to be endorsed Friday by the Service Employees International Union, one of the nation's most powerful, union officials have told The Associated Press. The sought-after endorsement would be Obama's largest from organized labor, and give him a powerful boost against rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the March 4 presidential primaries in Ohio and Texas. The 1.8 million-member union is likely to endorse Obama on Friday, the union officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media."(read full story here)
Would this be the much sought block that will turn the tide in favor of the Hawaiian born Senator from Illinois?

IMO, in any presidential race in any democratic country, the endorsements of Prominent Unions, like SEI, are to be reckoned with. Usually, more than 90% of these are like to vote, and endorsement coming their leadership can assert influence on their choices.

So, will this endorsement push through? If it does, will Obama get the nomination? Hmmm, something to anticipate huh. Wait till we hear from the US womens’ unions, and what they have to say about Hilary’s nomination. The primary race is as stiffer as ever.

Have your say please.

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A Yuppie Advise: Recession Resource

Some would still argue that the recession is not yet here, while others argue otherwise. Recession or not, a working professional is supposed to manage his finances well. A job is not forever. A job is only temporary. A job may be taken away from you anytime for various reasons that may sometimes beyond your control or liking. While you are still earning a decent income from it, save while you can. Should recession hit you sprawling, then you are better prepared than the rest and you do not have to run to an online loan facility.

On the other hand, loan online facilities, like AmericaOneUnsecured could be a good recession resource should you have not saved. By using its service, you benefit from its extensive knowledge of today's most active lending sources. Its specialty product is a signature loan that can be used for any purpose, with no collateral required. Application is easy, no documents required, confidential, and approval is quick.

Short term loans can be relied on in recession time. A word of caution though, recessions can sometimes drive interest rates sky high, and this can ruin your financial standing or worse, you may not be able to repay what you borrowed. Therefore, it is always wiser and safer to compare offers before you apply for one.

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11 February 2008

Above Professional Career and Values

Young urban professionals are characterized as goal oriented and highly driven individuals. The drive to succeed, soonest, is a creed and a need. They will do (almost) anything to succeed. This is very evident in the corporate worlds where the aggressive and the go-getter get the accolades, promotions, and the comfy office with your own personal refrigerator. At the price of what? Family? Relationships? Health?

Some, in order to cope they resort to prohibited drugs. The added boost is needed. Then, too late to realize that they are already hooked. Then they begin putting this new found vice above their professional career, values, and even important relationships. Productivity and creativity begin to disappear, and sometimes unnoticed. What happened next? More likely, joblessness and a ruined career. These things can be avoided. Above all, if you are hooked, there is a cure –drug rehab.

These things can still be reversed. Placing professional career and values on top of your priorities can be retrieved if you are willing to go on a drug treatment process restore you. At Stone Hawk, they are good at that. They will not only treat you out of your addiction but they will also prepare you to reemerge in your own world a brand new person who is capable of facing the realities of a normal life free of drugs. They use and employ respect, compassion, and empathy to encourage you to really exert the effort to bring your life into normalcy. This approach is proven effective many times and in many ways compared to conventional drug rehabilitation program. Moreover, it is worthy to note that those who submit their programs come out with improve interpersonal and communication skills. Personal values and worth are restored alongside. In my opinion this approach, though this approach leans toward behavioral modification rather than physiological, is still the better alternative. In the first place, addiction is a behavioral problem before it can be identified as a medical malaise.

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08 February 2008

Four Reasons Why Buying a Business or Franchise is More Practical

A decade ago I learned my most bitter lesson in business. Although most of my corporate years were spent on HRM practice, I did spent three precious years of my young professional career in sales, and managing my own business. Surprise, surprise! I did. I started out my career life, fresh from college, as a Corporate Training Professional. In those years I have developed and taught modules on Business Management and Sales. I did well, modesty aside. However, I was training people out of theories, like an academician rather than a practitioner. So, I decided to test my theories in the field. I took a career sidesteps in sales.

I put into practice what I taught about sales, and before long, I was one of the top sales professionals of my firm. I was making a lot of money, and so I decided to put up my own trading business. The first three months were robust. I made more money. Then, I started hiring more people to help me. In less than a year, against my expectations, I had to throw in the towel and headed back to my corporate life. What went wrong?

There are many factors why I failed actually, but suffice it to say here that the number one culprit is I did not have the know-how of starting and sustaining my niche-business. If I can turn back the time, I would buy an established or existing business or franchise instead. Here are four reasons why:
  1. Buying an exiting business or franchise is more cost-effective both in the short and long terms. No need to rack my brains in preparing a business and marketing plan. It comes with business or franchise package. More so, I do not have to worry about additional financing too because lenders are more likely to finance a business with a proven track record.
  2. Buying an existing business or franchise includes the entire infrastructure of the business. You are given a turn-key business operations where literally all you have to do is continue managing the business. Everything is included in the package such as inventories, machines, structures, and even customers. This is less head aches unlike when you are starting form scratch.
  3. Buying an existing business or franchise would mean a more likelihood of success. The idea and process of running this business have already been proven. Therefore the learning curve in operating the business can be virtually eliminated. In addition, Risk of failure is much lower with a franchise than starting a brand new business.
  4. Finally, buying an exiting business or franchise with good foundation would mean focusing more of your efforts on its profitability rather than tweaking it to succeed. In this way, you become more familiar with your customers' needs and wants, you will have opportunities to add enhancements and improvements, therefore increasing your chances of higher profitability much sooner than you would in a startup business.
There are thousands of businesses for sale and franchises out there right now and they are very easy to find. At BusinessMart.com you can browse through many of these and also learn about the entire process of buy and sell a business. Don’t commit the same mistakes I did.

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04 February 2008

Help for Professional Graduate Students

Let me clarify the title. What I meant by professional there are those young professionals or not so young professionals who are pursuing graduate degree programs while working. To me, that is a tough feat. I was one. Managing a huge department and working with a very demanding CEO while completing my MBA is a hell of a work, mind you. Deadlines can sometimes come at the same time. Reports to submit to the boss , and industrial psychology term papers to submit to your professor are sometimes impossible.

Although I have not availed the services of a writing service firm, I would gladly recommend it to those who are pursuing graduate programs and at the same time are doing multiple tasks at work. This way, the academic pressure is off from their back, and they can concentrate more on the job. A literature thesis or any other topical thesis papers are time consuming. Professional help in these cases is needed. This is not cheating. It is imply smart work.

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03 February 2008

Where have all the second chances gone?

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Many years back, I simply love humming this song popularized by PPM (Peter, Paul, and Mary) whenever am alone in the dormitory and thinking about my parents back home. Gone are those days. This song has lost its popularity too. Nevertheless, its message reverberated through the years, especially, when it comes on the issues of drug addiction and alcoholism.

People can be freed form these vices. The answer is not only blowin’ in the wind, but it is pragmatic and effective –addiction treatment or rehabilitation. Some are ashamed to take this path –I can’t blame them, for some institutions failed to deliver them from the enslaving of these addictions, much more the stigma it left on them because of the wrong impressions created by undergoing the process. This should not be so. There are other choices. A facility like, Addiction Treatment Center, provides a new hope and a second chance for people who are seeking freedom from their addiction, and who are in dire need of a caring community support.

Second chances are always available for those who seek them earnestly. The answer that is blowin’ in the wind my friend is taking that second chance to freedom and wellness.

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