5 Ways To Find Your Strengths To Be An Exceptional Leader

http://www.businessinsider.com/5-ways-to-find-your-strengths-to-be-an-exceptional-leader-2012-9

Samantha Cortez

In order to become better leaders, people typically focus on improving their weaknesses. But now, research is showing that developing your strengths is actually more effective.

John Zenger, Joseph R. Folkman, Robert Sherwin, Jr., and Barbara Steel—authors of the book How To Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success By Magnifying Your Strengths—believe that working on strengths dramatically improves one’s leadership skills and leads to more successful business interactions.

"If you concur that leadership is a set of skills and not a body of knowledge or a personality type, then learning leadership skills probably has much in common with learning any other set of skills," they say.

Here are some tips they provided on improving leadership strengths:

1. Have humility. The authors believe that humility, or humbleness, is a difficult strength to improve on, but will make a good leader in the long term if mastered.

“It is difficult to come up with a plan for improving humility, and often leaders would write something like ‘just be more humble’ or ‘don’t be arrogant.’” Try exercises in and outside of the workplace where whenever someone describes a scenario or situation they’re in, you put yourself in their position. Do this over and over, and being able to relate to others will come more naturally.

2. Identify the behaviors that should be developed. “We propose a model with three important filters for identifying a behavior that could be expanded for strength. We label this the CPO model, where C stands for ‘competence (how effective you already are with this skill),’ P for ‘passion,’ and O for ‘organization need.’”

3. Ask for feedback. This will allow you to let your guard down and embrace open-mindedness. Good leaders should always welcome suggestions.

“A key competency of any successful leader is the ability to continually gather, accept and respond to feedback. Data collected from thousands of respondents on the coaching behavior of their boss confirm that asking for feedback is the behavior on which these leaders received the lowest single scores. Yet, when we look at the willingness of a leader to ask others for feedback, we find that there is an excellent overall leadership effectiveness.”

4. Take a behavior modeling class. An extremely powerful formal development process for teaching many leadership skills is behavior modeling. This technology utilizes video clips that show managers handling difficult situations well. The course content explains the key action steps that were being followed. The bulk of the learning process involves participants practicing and rehearsing these skills with one another.

5. Try cross-training. Once you've developed a particular skill to a high degree of competency, it's time to look at sharpening other skills which are complementary to the primary strength, such as communication or technical abilities.

"When athletes aspire to become more than just casual participants in a sport, they often turn to cross-training. Aspiring runners take up cycling, swimming, and weightlifting. Our favorite example is a football coach who scheduled several of the lumbering lineman to take ballet lessons in an attempt to make them more conscious of their footwork and acquire more agility."

212 Inc. Travels To Miami For A Combination of Business, Fun and Giving Back

Executives of 212 Inc. will be traveling to Miami Beach for an annual national conference and a bit of fun on the beach.

The weekend will be hosted at the Miami Eden Roc hotel and will include some brief meetings, a chance to relax on the beach, networking opportunities with several business professionals from all across the country, and two charity tournaments.


This year's charity events will include a beach volleyball tournament and a beach cornhole tournament.   These tournaments mark the 5th year the company will be attending a charity event at the client hosted national conference. 

This years charity will be a Beach Volleyball Tournament followed by a Beach Cornhole
Tournament.  Teams of six for volleyball pay an entry fee of $100 and each team of 2 for cornhole pay a $20 entry fee.  One hundred percent of the entry fees collected will be
donated to Operation Smile and the winning team will have the honor of presenting the donation check to Operation.

Congratulations to those hard working individuals who have earned the opportunity to attend this fun filled weekend.

10 Leadership Lessons From Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2012/09/10/10-leadership-lessons-from-jeff-weiner-ceo-of-linkedin/2/

Jeanne Meister, Contributor

I had the pleasure of attending the first video pilot interview of LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner by Adam Bryant, New York Times Senior Editor for Features.

As a user of LinkedIn and loyal reader of Adam’s Corner Office columns I had high expectations for the live interview. I walked away feeling like a high school girl who experienced her first crush. And now I am writing a tell all!

Jeff’s open and compassionate leadership style keeps the company focused on growing at the rate of two new members every second (that translates into 175 million registered users in more than 200 countries) while reducing the business mantra to just two words: “Next Play.” Weiner borrowed the phrase from Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who shouts Next Play, every time the ball changes hands. Krzyzewski uses the phrase to make sure the Duke University Blue Devils don’t spend too much time celebrating a success or feeling down about a miss. Instead, they are coached to focus on one thing: the next challenge. During the interview with Bryant, Weiner described how powerful Next Play has been for the company. On the day LinkedIn became a public company, employees received a black T shirt with the company’s name and stock ticker written across the front and Next Play emblazoned on the back of the shirt. Even today 16 months after the LinkedIn IPO, employees continue to talk about their Next Play and stay focused on delivering results.

During the video interview, Weiner shared 10 lessons in leadership I think every businessperson should be aware of. They include:

1)    Define leadership in your company: At LinkedIn, Leadership is the ability to inspire others and achieve shared results. It starts with defining a clear vision. In the case of LinkedIn it is to create economic opportunity for the 3.3 billion people in the global workplace by matching skills with job opportunities.

2)    Understand how to evolve from a start-up to a public company: A CEO and the leadership team must understand the importance of growing their skills from solving problems to coaching others to achieve business results.

3)   Prioritize your business goals: Start with asking yourself and your team if we could only do one thing, what would it be? This is a lesson Weiner learned from Steve Jobs and practices every day. Weiner’s advice is to focus on doing fewer things, and do those things well.

4)   Practice time management: Weiner carves out 2-3 hours each day to reflect, think and see the big picture. Weiner’s advice if you do not carve out at least an hour you are fitting way too much into your schedule.

5)   Encourage all employees to think like an owner: Employees in a start-up must understand the business decisions they make are ones that have P&L implications. In the case of LinkedIn, this means understanding how the decisions they are making impact the company mission of connecting the world’s 640 Million professionals and making them more successful.

6)   Keep putting your customers first:  At LinkedIn, one of the values is simply stated as: Members First. So anytime the LinkedIn product team considers new enhancements the first question revolves around: Is this putting our members first, or is this putting the company first? “If it benefits members, it will ultimately benefit the company.

7)   Remember To laugh: Executing on a bold vision like creating economic opportunity for 3.3 billion people around the world is tough work. So humor needs to be a part of every executive’s day.  Make time to laugh with your team members. Weiner says he values his team members’ sense of humor and sometimes, on a tough day, that can trump their talent and expertise!

8)  Find time to reflect on what’s important to you: Working professionals should take time to ask themselves: “If you had to look back at your career 20-30 years from now, what do you want to say you have accomplished?” Weiner says he is amazed how many people he interviews cannot answer this question and worse yet have never thought about it. Instead, far too many focus on the next job role, next title, or next compensation package, without knowing what it is you want to leave the world. And Weiner believes once you take time to articulate this to yourself, you begin to manifest this to others and before too long, you start on a path to realize your vision.

9) Understand what makes you happy: Weiner lives by five keys to happiness: (articulated by Ray Chambers, an entrepreneur who helped create the leveraged buyout industry, as well as a number of non profits such as National Mentoring Partnership and Americas Promise) These include:

    Stay in the moment.
    Step back and become a spectator to your own thoughts.
    It’s more important to be loving than to be right.
    Go out of your way to serve others.
    Take time each morning, to write down what you are grateful for and read it throughout the day.

10) Communicate the importance of next play to your team: The faster a company grows, the more opportunity there is to experience both successes and failures. While it’s important to celebrate the successes, and reflect on a failure, you ultimately have to move on and focus on the “Next Play.”

So did Weiner share LinkedIn’s Next Play? No, for that, we will all have to log onto the site and see for ourselves. 

Happy Birthday To An Amazing Human Resource Director!

212, Inc. wishes a happy birthday to our Director of Human Resources, Renee!
Happy Birthday!

5 Things Business Leaders Can Learn from Tiger - Forbes.com - Jason Selk, Contributor

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonselk/2012/08/24/5-things-business-leaders-can-learn-from-tiger/

After falling off the performance roadmap for a few years, Tiger Woods has recently re-established himself as one of the top players in the world.  Not only is Tiger positioned to make history and become known as the greatest golfer of all time, but it also appears he is leading others to improve their game, as well. Here are 5 things business leaders can learn from Tiger:

1. Face Pressure Head On

When recently asked about how much pressure he was under for an upcoming Major, Tiger responded by saying, “The same. The same pressure as any other tournament, and the same pressure every other player faces.” Pressure is self-imposed and can serve as quite a distraction if not dealt with properly. The most effective method for working through pressure is to acknowledge that the stakes are high and then move on. Force yourself to focus on what you can control, rather than allowing your mind to fixate on what could go wrong or on what the competition is doing. Jim Weddle, Managing Partner of Edward Jones, knows all too well about dealing with pressure. In 2011, in the face of a tough economic climate in which most brokerage firms struggled to survive, Weddle lead the company to one of its most successful years in the firm’s history. Weddle exemplified an unwavering focus on working with long-term individual investors and emphasizing quality rather than allowing his mind to waver on the uncertainty of the market. If you find yourself focusing on the potential obstacles to your success, commit to replacing those thoughts within 60 seconds with an idea for one thing you can do to put yourself in the best possible position to move forward.

2. Learn to Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Self-confidence is the number one variable for positively impacting performance in the entire field of sport psychology. This principle extends to the business world, as well. Tiger is often heard giving himself credit for his “strong iron play” or having his “focus on-target.” Learning to give oneself credit is an extremely effective method of increasing self-confidence and, hence, improving the likelihood for strong future performances. Get in the habit of writing down at least three successes at the end of each day. Doing so will have a compounding effect on self-confidence, thus allowing you to bounce back from tough times more quickly.

3. Emphasize Preparation

Prior to his dreadful Thanksgiving disaster, Tiger was definitely the hardest working and the most prepared player on the tour. I was lucky enough to have access to his training plan, as well as that of 4 other tour players with whom I was working. Tiger was out-preparing 3 of the 4 players by more than 30%, and the forth he was outdoing by a whopping 50%. After working through some personal distraction, Tiger is back on track with his mental and physical preparation. George Paz, CEO of the “mega-pharm” company, Express Scripts, lead his team to unprecedented market cap growth by emphasizing industriousness. In an interview discussing the changes within the company, Paz referred to his task of ensuring that the quality of the level of service provided to clients remains strong as “my 8-to-5 job.” He went on to say, “My 5-to-8 job is what’s the next move?”  Work ethic and preparation will go a long way at determining the final score on the scoreboard. It is a fairly straightforward equation: if the work ethic is consistently there, the results are sure to follow. Are you outworking your competition?

4. Believe

When Tiger was recently asked if he was surprised at his reemerging dominance, he simply answered, “No. Next question.” An old saying in sport states: “Positive thinking doesn’t always work…negative thinking does.” When you believe in yourself, you significantly increase your ability to achieve greatness. Easier said than done, yet replacing negative and self-doubting thoughts with affirmative thoughts will have a significant impact on your success. Consider adopting a mental training program to train your brain toward positive thinking.

5. Be Accountable without Deprecation

Tiger has learned to be accountable for mistakes without internalizing failures. Take for example his comment about losing a late lead in the US Open: “I had the lead, and I lost it. I’m not happy about it, but it happens.” Great athletes and leaders alike have a tendency to beat themselves up when they fall short of expectations. Individuals who spend too much time punishing themselves for shortcomings become poised for lowered self-confidence and emotional unrest. Jack Welch, the former CEO of G.E., has been famously quoted stating: “I’ve learned that mistakes can often be as a good a teacher as success.” Welch has used the solutions generated from his mistakes to put himself in a better position than when he started. Learn to own failures without making excuses, and then quickly begin focusing on solutions to increase the probability for improvement. There is no need or benefit in stewing about your shortcomings, so stop doing it.

Tiger Woods is an inspiring example of leadership and dominance in sport, and some of the principles of mental toughness he displays are also found in the most successful business leaders in the world. He has not always been on top, yet his relentless drive serves as a mold for success. Realistically, business leaders are not always going to experience success, and high times are going to be tempered with seemingly brick walls to climb. How these difficulties are handled separates the leaders from the ones who fall behind. Developing a plan to deal with pressure and keep confidence high, while consistently working hard will go a long way at putting you on the leader board in golf, business and life.

Learn the skills of a horse whisperer for leadership success - by Selina Denman

http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/well-being/learn-the-skills-of-a-horse-whisperer-for-leadership-success


Tauseef Qadri first started exploring the idea of "equitelligence", or equine-inspired emotional intelligence, while studying management sciences at Loughborough University in the UK. Admittedly, Qadri was not your average management student. A keen horseman who began riding as a toddler and went on to study natural horsemanship under Ingella Larsson, one of the world's leading "horse whisperers", he was as familiar with the workings of horses as he was with the workings of human beings.

"I had to do a course on emotional intelligence and how we applied it in our own context. The world I knew was horses, so I thought about how I could apply those concepts to horses. I got a fantastic grade in that thesis, which encouraged me to think about developing those ideas further," he says.

Natural horsemanship involves communicating with a horse using barely perceptible signals and subtle shifts in body language. It demands that a level of trust be built between the two parties and that they develop a common, non-vocal language. "Horsemanship is about developing an innate understanding of the horse's perspective of the world. You have these two different worlds and in horsemanship you try to find a symbiosis."

But many of the key principles in horsemanship can just as easily be applied to human behaviour, particularly when it comes to the workplace, Qadri discovered. After completing his degree, he went to work for Xerox and then did a stint in the financial services industry, which brought him to Dubai in 2006. All the while, he was incubating his ideas on "equitelligence".

He subsequently developed a two-day intensive leadership programme based on developing emotional intelligence through interaction with horses, which has already proven popular with a number of high-profile corporations. "Usually the most experiential part of emotional intelligence workshops is when you interact face-to-face on a role play basis. But in that kind of context, both you and I know it's not real. Try telling that to a 1,200-pound animal. With a horse, you have to be absolutely authentic."

Qadri shared five key leadership skills that he believes can be developed through interactions with horses.

Empathy

Part of the course involves grooming the horse and learning more about them. "This generates that elusive skill of empathy, which is so important in the workplace," says Qadri.

Physiologically, and often unconsciously, at this point people will start smiling, their pupils will dilate, they will start salivating and they will get a tingling feeling in their back. "Those are the biological signs of empathy – it means that you are really making a connection. And people seem to have that with horses; that species divide is transcended."

Body language

Horses communicate almost exclusively through body language, but more than 87 per cent of human communication is also purely physical. Participants learn the rudiments of horsemanship, which covers how they direct their energy, how they direct their focus, how they highlight to the horse that they are relaxed and how they increase their energy and transfer that energy to the horse.

Push versus release

Participants are invited to stand in front of their horse and make them walk backwards. "There is a rope connected to the halter and you just wiggle it increasingly vigorously; at a certain stage the horse will understand that he needs to move back. If people struggle with assertiveness, they will never go beyond a light wiggle. The horse will look at them and do nothing. Other people will swing the rope so hard that the horse will feel that jerk and literally run backwards. That's not what you want either. That's a reaction, not a response," says Qadri.

"Similarly, in a board meeting, you should know when to press the accelerator because you are trying to drive a point home, but you should also know when not to because you are going to elicit a reaction and not a response," says Qadri.

Consistency

Because they are herd animals that are eager to please, horses will relinquish leadership if they understand what is required of them and think you know what you are doing. If you are inconsistent, they won't.

The role of recognition

There's a saying in horsemanship that is all-important: "The pressure will motivate but the release teaches." Participants must encourage the horse to take some kind of action, but if that action is completed, they must immediately take away the pressure. "You must be able to say to the horse at that point in time, 'Thank you, you've done a great job'. The more you can create that recognition culture, the more a horse will try harder for you," says Qadri.

Leadership lessons from Olympics by Dinesh Weerakkody

http://www.dailymirror.lk/business/features/21327-leadership-lessons-from-olympics.html

By Dinesh Weerakkody

With a little British pomp and a lot of British pop, London brought the curtain down on a glorious Olympic Games to a close. However, it was some of the great athletes at those games more than the pomp and the pop that really made a lasting impression on everyone by doing things out of the ordinary.

Many of us were inspired by each story that was covered, and impressed by athletes who overcame incredible odds to make it to the games. No matter what industry you are in, there are valuable lessons from the Olympics that we can apply to our businesses.

For example, when Usain Bolt crossed the finish line during his 200-meter final, he made one simple gesture. He didn’t point to the sky. He didn’t raise his hands in the air. Bolt merely held up his finger to his lips, making a gesture of silence to his opposition. He’d reached a new pinnacle in his career and his first reaction was to silence those who thought he’d never make it.

Although Usain Bolt could be seen as arrogant and full of himself, his actual performance matched his level of self- confidence. As a result, he is now become a legend.

Just as Bolt excels in sprinting, there are champions in every profession and business. It’s the difference between one who simply gets the job done vs. someone who gets the job done incredibly well, makes a lasting impression and also a big difference to the final outcome. 

While there are dozens of things leaders can learn from the Olympics, the following lessons can help to strengthen our organisations.

Lessons

Leadership research says that learning agility is the largest predictor of long-term success. Great athletes are great learners. Learning and improvement are often about the small and simple things, great sprinters are very analytical about all kinds of little things - their start, stride, footwear, clothing, etc. Learning ideas become shared over time. Learning can be defined as the ability to generate and generalize ideas.

Once a sprinter has innovated something new, then those ideas will likely to be transferred to others. Leaders learn by both doing new things and by learning from others. Then some ability to success is learnable, some are inherent.

The best sprinters in the world have great abilities to learn, but they also have natural ability. Therefore, it is important to position people in jobs where their talents are more applicable and relevant to the role.

Sense of pride

The spirit of the Olympics brings out the best in most of the athletes. Many of those great athletes are so committed to their craft that they invest more than 10,000s of hours in improving their skill, confidence and also to make the most of their own potential. Success therefore is talent plus preparation and it seems the bigger the role preparation plays over talent in the final outcome.

Also, many of the successful athletes while they feel a sense of pride in the sport, they also have a huge sense of pride in representing their country. 

Likewise, companies need to invest time and resources to create that sense of pride within their organisations, to ensure that their employees do their best work for the company and also to help their employees to realize their full potential.
 

Great Job 212 Team - Employee Recognition For The Month

Congratulations to Rachelle and Kyle for being awarded with a trip to San Francisco for a leadership conference this month. You have done a great job and we are excited to send you to the West Coast for additional career training. Can't wait to see what you bring back. Have fun and great job!


Congratulations Rachelle on your newest promotion. We are excited to see how quickly you have grown with the company, We are looking forward to what you do in with your new responsibilities! Keep up the great work.

Great job Derek and Keith for receiving national recognition for your outstanding performance last week with our Fortune 500 client.   Keep up the great work!

Open Positions At 212, Inc.

Check out the latest open positions at 212, Inc. here - http://www.careerbuilder.com/Jobs/Company/CHN6046YY41MHSCX1SF/212-Inc/?APath=2.21.0.0.0&sc_cmp1=13_JobRes_ComDet&IPath=QHKVGV

212, Inc. Celebrates Over Five Years Of Success

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-212-inc-celebrates-over-five-years-of-success-1344917677.html

 212, Inc., a New England based sales and marketing firm, is celebrating five years of successful business.  Over the years the company has expanded to over five times its founding size and expects to continue its growth in the months and years to come.

212, Inc. originally opened its doors in February 2007.  Now located in Wellesley, MA, the company has expanded to multiple locations from coast to coast from Rhode Island to California.  The company is a premier outsourced sales and marketing firm covering the greater Boston area.  As a privately owned and operated firm, 212 focuses on increasing market-share and retaining clients for Fortune 500 clients.

One of the main clients at 212 is the nation’s leading provider in the telecommunications industry.  The client provides bundled Internet access, telephone, and television services.  212’s focus is to acquire and retain account holders for the fiber-optic communications division of the company.

Over the past five years, 212 has experienced a growth increase of over 500%. In this time, the company has promoted five new members to its executive leadership team.  These additions have given 212 the ability to expand into 5 new market-shares and take on new clients from coast to coast.  Throughout this time, 212 has received several recognitions for outstanding national performance.

I am excited to see how the team here has evolved over the last five years.  Over the years, it is exciting to see the company continue to grow,” explains Andrea Atkinson, President of 212.   “I am most excited about seeing the individuals grow as the company grows.  We have seen several of our executives grow in their careers from the ground up and I am proud to see them get the promotions they have worked so hard to deserve.”

212, Inc. expects to continue this growth over the next few months and plans to expand to more locations by the end of the year.

How Introverts Can Be Exceptional Entrepreneurial Leaders

Expert Interviews By Lisa Petrilli

http://www.business2community.com/expert-interviews/how-introverts-can-be-exceptional-entrepreneurial-leaders-0242367

I had the honor and pleasure of sitting down with Josh Zywien of Open View Labs to talk about how introverts can be exceptional in entrepreneurial leadership roles, an area of importance to Open View as they aim to help entrepreneurs build great companies. This interview originally ran in the Open View Labs blog, and I wanted to share it here with all of you. Enjoy!

~

When it comes to introverts, there’s a common misconception that they lack the necessary qualities to be effective leaders. It’s a perception that leadership strategist and entrepreneur Lisa Petrilli disagrees with and, as a self-described introvert and a highly successful entrepreneur, it’s one she can legitimately disprove.

But being introverted isn’t about being shy or team averse, says Petrilli, who founded executive consulting firm C-Level Strategies in 2010 and authored The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership last year. Instead, it’s simply about drawing energy and creative juices from a different place.

While extroverts are at their best in more populated, bustling surroundings, introverts thrive in smaller group — and, yes, sometimes singular — settings and draw their energy from their inner world. Neither preference is wrong or better than the other, Petrilli explains, and both types of personalities can produce excellent leaders.

Petrilli recently sat down for a brief conversation with OpenView to discuss her experience as a successful introverted CEO, the roadblocks she faced along the way, and why she thinks possessing and communicating vision is the true foundation of great leaders.

As an introvert, did you find the leadership component of being an entrepreneur difficult early in your career?

Absolutely. In a business environment, you can’t escape the outer world that extroverts prefer. You have to exist and interact there if you want to be successful. For an extrovert, it’s an energizing experience to participate in larger groups and lead large teams. An introvert can be very successful in that world, but we don’t like to spend the preponderance of our time there.

Ultimately, leaders at companies of all sizes need to spend time every day getting out of their comfort zone if they want to be successful. I’m not suggesting that introverts have to become extroverts, but it’s important to get out of your office, motivate your team, and talk to the world about your company. If you’re the CEO of a growing company, those situations are unavoidable, and if you don’t embrace them at some point you’ll hit a career ceiling.

The good news, though, is that once you’ve done that, I absolutely think it’s important for introverts to return to their sanctums and explore their inner world of ideas. It’s really about striking a balance between your introverted preferences and the extroverted demands of corporate leadership.

What makes introverts particularly strong leaders in the startup and expansion stage phases?

I think introverts excel at creating and setting a vision for their company or product. Many people assume that the majority of CEOs — because they’re the figureheads of their companies — are extroverts. In my experience, that has not been the case.

Introverts — like a lot of entrepreneurs — tend to be creatively minded people who work well in innovative environments that allow them to dream up fantastic products and features. Early on, those people are great leaders because they’re comfortable communicating that vision to their small teams.

You talk a lot about the concept of “visionary leadership.” How exactly do you define it and how does it differ from other leadership styles?

I’m not sure that visionary leadership is a “style” as much as it is a foundation for great leadership. Ultimately, CEOs at the startup and enterprise levels need to know where they want to take their organizations. Executives may have a tendency to brush aside the idea of vision and turn it into a stock exercise that they execute with their team once a year.

That’s a big mistake. Your vision should be the framework of your business. It gets to the core of what you do, where you want the company to go, and what your market’s going to look like when you get there. Ultimately, a company’s leader needs to illuminate that path. If you look at Steve Jobs, he certainly did that with Apple. Steve Jobs was well known as a visionary and he created, communicated, and stuck with a very specific vision.

In the end, vision is about asking yourself how your business is going to make its customers more successful. When you think about your company as a medium for improving its customers’ lives, it can be hugely inspirational for you and your employees. Without that vision, your business will likely lack the internal fire that truly fuels long-term success.

What one piece of advice would you give early-stage CEOs — particularly introverted ones — about creating and communicating that vision to their teams?

I think the easiest way to summarize everything we’ve discussed is to say that what you bring to the table needs to be uniquely you. Whether we’re talking about leadership styles, personalities, or products, it’s critical to understand your strengths, embrace them, and deliver them in a way that is genuine and impactful.

Everyone assumes that innovation is about creating groundbreaking technology or that leadership is about being this boisterous personality, and neither is necessarily true. Ultimately, innovation and leadership are about being more of who you’re meant to be and less of who you’re not. If you can figure that out and clearly convey your passion, then you’ll empower your employees, investors, and customers to follow you.

How To Become A Better Leader: Awareness By Catherine Clifford

http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/224141

Are you more like Howard Schultz of Starbucks, the billionaire investor Warren Buffett, Richard Branson of Virgin, or Tony Hsieh of Zappos? Knowing the answer could help you become more successful in running your business.

Three business leaders -- Tony Tjan, Dick Harrington, and Tsun-yan Hsieh -- wrote a book together called Heart, Smarts, Guts and Luck (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012) after interviewing and researching business leaders from young, upstart entrepreneurs to experienced CEOs. They identified four character traits that define a business leaders’ decision-making process. If you know what your dominant characteristic is and you are aware of how you make decisions, you will be more likely to make smart ones, the authors contend.

“Self-awareness is not a soft organizational behavior concept to be dismissed. Rather it is the concrete foundation for improving your leadership and business-building capability,” writes Tjan in the introduction to the book. “It is about intellectual honesty.”

To learn what kind of leader you are, take the Entrepreneur Apptitude Test at www.HSGL.com (Link http://cueballadmin.webfactional.com/). Here is a rundown of the four categories of entrepreneurs and the leaders that exemplify them:

1. Heart. Howard Schultz of Starbucks. Hearts-dominated leaders are the passionate, big-picture, founding visionaries that may not necessarily have a rational, research-based business plan, but are fiercely committed to seeing their goal through.

2. Smarts. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The smarts-dominated leader is rational, makes decisions based on facts, sets goals, delegates responsibility, and knows how to hold people accountable.

3. Guts. Richard Branson of Virgin. Guts-dominated leaders actively seek out uncertain business ventures with the possibility for high reward (risk takers) or are capable at managing situations laden with heavy consequence (risk-tolerant).

4. Luck. Tony Hsieh of Zappos. While almost every successful business venture owes some portion of its success to a lucky break, the luck-dominant business leaders strategically put themselves in the right place to increase their opportunity to being exposed to lucky chances and they have the open outlook in life to be able to take advantage of a bit of luck whispering at the door.

Check Out Our New Blog

http://www.squidoo.com/212-inc

212, Inc. Travels To Atlanta And Is Recognized As One Of The Top Performing Companies Of 2012

212, Inc. traveled to Atlanta this weekend for a national client conference.  At the conference, 212, Inc. was recognized as one of the top performing offices of 2012.  212, Inc. was acknowledged for having had such successful growth over the past year.

Great job 212, Inc.  Keep you the great work!

We Have New Blogs

Come check out our newest blogs below

This time last year……

I have been extremely impressed and very proud of the teams performance lately...But if you want to know just how good the performance has been, let’s compare results from this time last year…

Week Ending September 19, 2009:
Number of agents on telecom campaign: 11
Total new accounts: 93
Total Revenue: $9,853.00

Week Ending September 18, 2010:
Number of agents on telecom campaign: 30
Total new accounts: 210
Total Revenue: $33,771.00

Congratulations Alex!

212, Inc., a leading Providence based direct marketing and sales agency, promotes Alex Navarette to Assistant Management.

“I am excited and proud of this promotion,” says Alex Navarrett, Assistant Manager, 212, Inc.. “I am thrilled to see what other milestones my team and I can reach together.

Alex Navarette began with 212, Inc., September of 2009 as an intern in sales and marketing. As a student at Johnson and Wales University, he began the position at 212 as part of his co-op curriculum. After four months of working part time as an intern, Navarette completed his co-op and received his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

In Februaury of 2010, Alex began working full-time at 212 as an Account Manager for the company’s largest client. Five months later Alex received his promotion and is now in charge of a team that produces over thirty percent of the company’s total revenue.

“Alex is a great example of work ethic and high goal setting,” says Andrea Atkinson, President 212, Inc. “He deserves this promotion and has set the record for the individual to receive this promotion in the shortest amount of time.”

The Perfect Handshake

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/16/scientists-reveal-secrets-perfect-handshake/?test=latestnews

212, Inc. Raises Money and Awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

212, Inc. Raises Money and Awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
A Providence-based sales and marketing company participates in the Great Strides Walk in support of Cystic Fibrosis

Riverside, RI (PRWEB) June 15, 2010 -- 212, Inc., a Providence-based sales and marketing company, announced that the company raised and donated money to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the leading organization in the United States devoted to cystic fibrosis.

President Andrea Atkinson and the 212 Inc. team got family, friends, and business partners to donate money in their effort to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The team concluded their fundraising efforts by participating in the 5K Great Strides Walk, an event where tens of thousands of co-workers, friends and family come together each year as one community for one cause - to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.


Our main goal was to raise awareness
“Our main goal was to raise awareness,” said President Andrea Atkinson. “Collecting donations and walking for the cause did just that!”

The 212, Inc. team had participated in a walk for multiple sclerosis in April. It went so well that they decided to donate their time and participate in another charitable organization event.

“I wanted to personally get involved with Great Strides since I have a loved one with Cystic Fibrosis,” Andrea Atkinson said. “I was so excited that the team was just as enthusiastic to help!”

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About 212, Inc.
212, Inc. is a direct marketing and sales agency focused on meeting the needs of the Fortune 500 community. For more information, contact (401) 272-2600

WALK FOR MS

212 Inc. “Gives Back” by Making Personal
Donations and Participating in Walk for the National MS Society

Leading direct marketing and sales agency raises moral and donations for MS Society


212 Inc., a leading outsourced sales and marketing company, announced participation in the National MS society walk in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Employees of 212 also gave personal donations to the charity.
By making these donations, 212, Inc. will help the National MS Society fulfill their various goals, which include furthering research to prevent, treat and cure MS, as well as reaching out to individuals, families and communities living with MS.

The choice was made to raise money and participate in the walk for MS when the team members of 212 realized that almost all of them know a friend or family member living with MS.

“Not only is MS a disease I personally want to help raise awareness of and do my part to help fund research, but it was also a great way for us to come together as a team,” said Andrea Atkinson, President, 212, Inc.

Andrea Atkinson has already set future gift-giving goals including participating in the Walk for CF this May and a possible charity softball game this summer.

About 212
212, Inc., is headed by Andrea Atkinson and headquartered in Providence, RI. The company specializes in direct marketing by bringing products and services directly to consumers.

Contact Information for Charities
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx

###

212, Inc. Reviews How to Change a Behavior

We have all been in a position at one time or another when we wanted to change a habit, routine or personal discipline. Whether it be going to the gym and eating better, studying our trade at work or school, or maintaining better relationships in our lives -- changing our current behavior in order to get a better result is inevitable. Here are a few pointers on how to change your behavior.


5 Ways to Change Behavior

1.Take ownership. If you don't think you can change, you can't. Believe in your ability to change and take ownership before getting started.

2.Be patient. Positive, lasting results take time, usually 50% to 100% longer than most people initially think.

3.Accept difficulties. Real change takes real work. When setting out, be prepared to face challenges you didn't anticipate.

4.Refuse to be distracted. Something more important will inevitably come up. You need to make your development a priority and refuse to let distractions divert your path.

5.Maintain. Once you've started to see traction, don't declare victory. Sustainable change requires maintenance over a lifetime.

Email is back up!!

Hello again!

hr@212inc.net is back up and running! If you tried to email this account in the last 24 hours and haven't received a response, please resend and we will do our best to get back to you within 24 hours!

Thanks!
212 Team

EMAIL TROUBLE!!

Hello All!

We are experiencing email difficulties! If you need to contact us please send an email to: 212marketing@gmail.com
or call: 401-272-2600

Thanks for understanding!
212, Inc.

How to Make a Great Professional First Impression - wikiHow

How to Make a Great Professional First Impression - wikiHow

How to Motivate Your Employees - wikiHow

How to Motivate Your Employees - wikiHow

Great Tips on How NOT to Interview!

Top 10 Interview Blunders


1. Don't Prepare
Not being able to answer the question "What do you know about this company?" might just end your quest for employment, at least with this employer. Background information including company history, locations, divisions, and a mission statement are available in an "About Us" section on most company web sites. Review it ahead of time, then print it out and read it over just before your interview to refresh your memory.

2. Dress Inappropriately
Dressing inappropriately can work both ways. You will certainly want to wear a suit if you are interviewing for professional position. When interviewing for a summer job at your local theme park or as a lifeguard, for example, dress accordingly in neat and casual attire. If you aren't sure what to wear, visit the organization and watch employees coming in and out of the office to see what they are wearing.

3. Poor Communication Skills
It's important to communicate well with everyone you meet in your search for employment. It is, however, most important to positively connect with the person who might hire you. Shake hands, make eye contact, exude confidence, engage the person you are speaking with, and you will let the interviewer know that you are an excellent candidate for this position - before you even answer an interview question.

4. Too Much Communication
Believe it or not, a recent candidate for employment, who, by the way, didn't get the job, didn't hesitate to answer his cell phone when it rang during an interview. Leave the phone behind or at least turn it off before you enter the building. Same goes for coffee, food and anything else other than you, your resume, your job application, and your list of references. They don't belong at an interview.

5. Talk Too Much
There is nothing much worse than interviewing someone who goes on and on and on... The interviewer really doesn't need to know your whole life story. Keep your answers succinct, to-the-point and focused and don't ramble - simply answer the question.

6. Don't Talk Enough
It's really hard to communicate with someone who answers a question with a word or two. I remember a couple of interviews where I felt like I was pulling teeth to get any answers from the candidate. It wasn't pleasant. So, even though you shouldn't talk too much, you do want to be responsive and fully answer the question as best you can.

7. Fuzzy Facts
Even if you have submitted a resume when you applied for the job, you may also be asked to fill out a job application. Make sure you know the information you will need to complete an application including dates of prior employment, graduation dates, and employer contact information.

8. Give the Wrong Answer
Make sure you listen to the question and take a moment to gather your thoughts before you respond. Like the following candidate, you'll knock yourself out of contention if you give the wrong answer.

The interviewer had completely described a sales and marketing position to the candidate. She emphasized that cold calling and prospecting were the most important skills and experiences needed for the position. The candidate responded to the question about what she did or didn't like to do in sales, with these words: "I hate to do cold calling and prospecting, and I'm not good at it." That response ensured that she wouldn't get the job!

9. Badmouthing Past Employers
Your last boss was an idiot? Everyone in the company was a jerk? You hated your job and couldn't wait to leave? Even if it's true don't say so. I cringed when I heard someone ranting and raving about the last company she worked for. That company happened to be our largest customer and, of course, I wasn't going to hire someone who felt that way about the company and everyone who worked there.

It's sometimes a smaller world than you think and you don't know who your interviewer might know, including that boss who is an idiot... You also don't want the interviewer to think that you might speak that way about his or her company if you leave on terms that aren't the best.

10. Forget to Follow Up
Afraid you didn't make the best impression? Are you sure that you aced the interviewed? Either way, be sure to follow up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position and the company.

Finally, even if you do flub the interview, don't take it to heart. I don't think there is anyone hasn't blown an interview or two. If it happens, look at it like it just wasn't meant to be, learn from your mistakes and move on to the next opportunity.

What do you think is the top interview mistake you can make? Take a look at more top interview mistakes and add yours to the list.

Leadership Conference

This weekend top team leaders will be invited to attend the 1st quarter Northeast's leadership meeting.

Team members will get a chance to learn and discuss leadership topics as well as network with new and experienced entrepreneurs.

MS WALK 2010

212 will be participating the MS walk in RI on April 18th. Be on the lookout for more info!

Aqua Cancun

After finishing out 2009 with a bang, the mangement team at 212 got a chance to celebrate during the all-inclusive vacation at the Acqua Cancun resort in Cancun Mexico.

Overall experience:
1. Service - A+ the staff wouldn't even let us pour our own coffee!
2. Comfort - A+ The rooms were gorgeous with great views and even at the pool you could relax on a bed equipped with a fresh set of sheets and pillows!
3. Night life - A+ The onsite lounges were great with great entertainment only a short taxi away!

One decision that changes everything. Take Action.

http://www.marcandangel.com/2010/01/11/one-decision-that-changes-everything/

Good Stuff!

14 of the stupidest things ever said in sales meetings
February 25, 2010 | Jim Nichols | 3 Comments |
Share | (Editor’s note: Jim Nichols is a Senior Partner at Catalyst:SF. He submitted this column to VentureBeat.)

Saying the wrong thing can totally screw up a pitch. And sometimes even the best salesman find something utterly moronic coming out of his or her mouth. Trust me, I’ve heard plenty.
I asked a wide number of buyers and sellers about the stupidest things they’ve heard in meetings. Here are the top 14 (I’ve deleted the names to protect the guilty). Heard something as stupid – or worse? Sound off in the comments below.

1. From a Seller: “We flew to a client, and the head of the department came to the lobby to tell us that our key contact died during the night. And my boss said, ‘Well, who’s her replacement? We flew up here and expect to present to someone.”

2. From a Seller: “I fell asleep. While the client was talking. They had to poke me to rouse me.”

3. From a Buyer: “I was working for Dr. Pepper. A vendor catered lunch at headquarters. With Coke products.”

4. From a Seller: “A seller said, ‘What’s your title? We usually present to someone higher up than you.”

5. From a Buyer: “I always make a point to say hello when vendors visited my team. One day, I did my drive by hello, and when I left the room the rep said, “Your boss is smokin’. Is she single?”

6. From a Buyer: “Spelling my name wrong on slide one. It’s Smith.”

7. From a Buyer: “We had a salesman that visited monthly and told me stories of his drunken escapades. After six months, I told him I’m Mormon and didn’t care for it. So he apologized, and then joked ‘So, how many wives you got?’”

8. From a Seller: “How many times do people have to see it in sitcoms before they stop saying ‘when is your baby due?’ to an obese woman.”

9. From a Buyer: “Our consumers are predominantly Latino – as am I and some of my team. A couple years ago an ingredient supplier came in and referred to all Hispanics as Mexicans, and called our language Mexican. Throughout the meeting, we looked at each other thinking, ‘Did he really say that? There! He did it again!’ We still joke about it. And we don’t work with them anymore.”

10. From a Seller: “Our rep resigned while presenting. Just stopped and said, ‘I don’t really think I want to be in this business.’ Picked up her bag, and left.”

11. From a Buyer: The salesperson hadn’t even handed me the proposal and said he’d give 25 percent less than the quote because they had a rough quarter. Like, ‘here are the fish in the barrel, and here is your shotgun.’”

12. From a Buyer: “The all male ad agency team telling my female marketing team that they understood tampons better than us.”

13. From a Buyer: “People have certain stereotypes of Southerners. Once a rep said, ‘When I hear your accent, I start deducting IQ points.’”

Hopefully you got a chuckle from those. But I’ve saved the best for last. Not because it’s funny, but rather because of how often it happens:

From Everyone: “The rep comes, does their pitch, and doesn’t have next steps. We all file out with no progress and no deal.”

Great job hunting tips!

Top 10 Reasons Why You’re Not Finding a Job
Related Articles
Text, Tweet, Blog and Surf Your Way To a New Job
Seven Cyber Job Hunting Tips
Is Your Name Holding You Back?
By Kate Lorenz
1 July 2008

You’ve got the flawless résumé, impeccable credentials and the perfect look — you are an employer’s dream candidate. So why is it you’ve been on the job hunt for almost a year and there are no prospects in sight?

You also need to have the right attitude, according to Tony Beshara.

What gives Beshara the right to tell you to get an attitude adjustment? He has worked with his fair share of job seekers. The president and owner of Dallas-based job placement firm Babich and Associates is a 30-year veteran of the placement and recruiting industry. He’s also an occasional contributor on a little television program called "The Dr. Phil Show."

Here are some reasons why you might be having trouble with your job search, according to Beshara’s book "The Job Search Solution: The Ultimate System for Finding a Great Job Now!" (Amacom):

1. You’re not making finding a job a job itself!
Many people don’t adopt a committed, passionate, failure-is-not-an-option attitude and don’t recognize that finding a job is a numbers game. When it comes to interviews, it’s all numbers: the more interviews you get, the better your chances of getting called back; the more times you’re called back, the better your chances of landing a good job.

2. You haven’t developed a system of finding a job.
The system should entail everything from goals and intentions that dictate planned activity to role-playing of interviews.

3. You have an unrealistic idea about the market for your skills.
There is a tendency for people to overinflate the ease of their ability to find a job, based on a distorted view of the marketability of their skills. This can lead to frustration and disappointment when the job search takes longer than expected.

4. You aren’t acknowledging the psychological and emotional stress that changing jobs entails.
By denying this reality, people operate out of fear of rejection. They confuse activity with productivity and focus on minor things that appear to be job-finding activities, but aren’t the most fruitful activities.

5. You ignore small businesses.
You’ve forgotten or don’t realize that 97 percent of the businesses in the United States employ fewer than 100 people. America is not run by big business. It is run by small groups of people who organized to provide goods and services.

6. You don’t recognize that face-to-face interviews are the only things that matter.
There are all kinds of things you can do to get face-to-face interviews, but you have to get them. Pulling out all the stops by doing anything you can to get in front of a hiring authority with pain (the need to hire someone) is key.

7. You don’t prepare well for interviews.
Most people are either not confident in themselves or act arrogant in the interviewing process simply because they are not as prepared as they should be. They don’t prepare and practice presentations on themselves with others.

8. You’re not selling yourself.
The vast majority of people going into an interviewing situation simply don’t sell themselves very well. People neglect to do everything from dress properly to focus on what they can do for a prospective employer. And worst of all, they don’t come right out and ask for the job.

9. You have the attitude, "What can you do for me?"
Most people consider interviews a two-way street. They believe that the employer is just as responsible for selling them on the company and the job as they are for selling themselves to the employer. They don’t realize that there is nothing to consider until you have an offer. If you give enough reasons to employers as to why they ought to hire you and what you can do for them, they will give you plenty of answers on what they can do for you.

10. You give poor reasons for leaving your job.
Whether it’s why you left your last employer or why you want a new job, most people present the reason from a selfish point of view. They badmouth and criticize their current or past employers and justify their own convictions, thinking that a prospective employer is going to identify with them. They’re wrong!

http://www.youngmoney.com/careers/career-advice/275_746/

In other news

Overall rating for Shutter Island: B

Overall rating for Wolfman: Z (thats beyond an F) we recommend you go see it, then come to the office and talk about how bad it was!

Asian Palace, N. Main St, Providence: A (Good eats!)

Week at a Glance

Week ending 2.20.10

Great job to Jamison! First week after completing training he takes the number one spot in the office rankings for most new accounts and highest profit!

Congratulations to Carolyn one of 212's newest trainers who has done a great job taking on a leadership role!

Kudos to Jay who closes his first sale and sings the best rendition of Billy Idol's Rebel Yell at karaoke night!!

Welcome to Dan and Shane who started training this week!

And of course thanks to the recruiters Renee and Ashly for finding this great talent!!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday to 212!

212, Inc. of Rhode Island Celebrates Three Years of Success

Leading outsourced direct sales company reviews three successful years of growth

212, Inc., a Providence area-based outsourced sales and direct marketing agency celebrates its third birthday this week.

Originally opened in Westchester, NY in February 2007, 212, Inc. has since relocated to the New England area and has enjoyed further growth with its clients -- including one of the nation’s leading telecommunications providers.

Most notably in the past three years, 212, Inc. has seen annually revenues steadily increase along with client satisfaction. Since relocating to New England, 212 has seen a 500% growth increase.

“I am thrilled at the success we have seen over the past three years,” said Andrea Atkinson, President, 212, Inc. “Watching something grow from the ground up has been an exciting experience. Although I am even more enticed to see what we can do in another three years.”

In the past six months, 212 has increased its management and sales support staff due to increased hiring. It has also received recognition in both the third quarter and fourth quarter of 2009 for outstanding sales performance, highest sales increase, and lowest customer concern rate.


212, Inc. is an outsourced sales and marketing firm focused on quality growth for clients and employees. For more information about services and opportunities please call (401) 272-2600

Dallas Trip!

Over the weekend the management and HR team headed to Dallas for the annual kick-off meeting!

The weekend events included sales and management training as well as annual vendor awards!

212's President - Andrea Atkinson - winner of 2009's high revenue increase contest!
Andrea received recognition at the conference and an all-inclusive trip to Mexico!

212's New Year's Resolutions

So after much discussion, here are our New Year's resolutions!

1. Bring Lunch. We as a group spend WAY too much money on eating out!
2. Save Money. Taking all the money we would have spent eating out and save it!
3. Have more fun. As an office we are committed to enjoying what we do more often!
4. Back to the gym! Even if we have to go together, getting in shape will happen in 2010!
5. Remember it takes 28 days to create a habit, so we commit to doing the above 4 for at least the next 28 days! :)

How to Keep your New Year's Resolution

How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions: Advice from the Experts
Buzz up!91 votes Send
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Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter Yahoo! Bookmarks .Print ..By MAIA SZALAVITZ Maia Szalavitz – Fri Jan 1, 2:40 pm ET
About half of all American adults (48%, according to a Marist poll taken in December) say they are at least somewhat likely to make a New Year's resolution this year. Their top vows: to lose weight (19%), quit smoking (12%) and exercise more (10%). Sound familiar?


The Marist poll also found that while 65% of people who made a resolution in 2008 kept their promise for at least part of the following year, 35% never even made it out of the gate. Indeed, when you wake bleary-eyed on the first day of a new year - or decade - resolutions to "cut back" and "moderate" seem both an excellent idea and an impossibly hazy dream. (See TIME's special report on health and happiness.)


But consider this: if hard-core addicts can break bad habits - some by moderating, not just quitting - there's still hope for you. Whether your goal for 2010 is to get fit or tame your drinking, experts say there's a lot you can learn from people who have successfully moderated their habits to help keep you off the resolution merry-go-round.


1. Don't Kid Yourself


"The most important thing is to be honest with yourself," says Howard Josepher, a former heroin addict and president of Exponents Inc., an organization that provides support and educational services to people with substance misuse issues. "You need to know the difference between enjoying yourself and self-medicating. It's not that self-medicating is necessarily bad - but you should give yourself parameters. If you are adhering to them, O.K. If not, you need to check yourself." (See the year in health 2009.)


Successful moderators decide in advance how much is "too much" - and stick to their limit, no matter what. Have a cookie a day, if that's what you've deemed acceptable. But if you "cheat" by having "just one more," know that you are only cheating yourself and exacerbating the problem, experts say. The point is to learn how to hold yourself accountable.


For those who are concerned about drinking in particular, a free, research-based online tool called Drinker's Checkup can help you determine whether you are drinking at unhealthy levels, and what to do if you are.


2. Quit Cold Turkey - Temporarily


"Theoretically, there are very good reasons to take a break from a behavior, totally," says Reid Hester, director of research at Behavior Therapy Associates, explaining that an initial period of complete abstinence can make it easier for people to moderate behavior, by eliminating the habitual, automatic aspect of the unwanted activity. (See America's health checkup.)


Take a cue from the self-help group Moderation Management (MM), which advises problem drinkers to abstain completely for a month before attempting moderate drinking. If you can't achieve a month of abstinence, the thinking goes, successful moderation is unlikely.


The best way to stay on course is frequent self-monitoring; use as many behavior-modification tools, support groups and programs as you can. In October, Hester and colleagues published a randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment comparing heavy drinkers who used MM's website to help them quit with those who used the MM site plus another online tool, which teaches behavior-control tactics and helps chart drinking. While both groups significantly reduced their drinking and alcohol-related problems, the group that used the additional tool had more days abstinent and drank less when they drank.


3. Do What the Dalai Lama Would Do


Alan Marlatt, director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, studies "mindfulness-based relapse prevention," which uses meditation and other ideas from Buddhist teachings to help people break bad habits. (Read "Battling Addiction: Are 12 Steps Too Many?")


"Between stimulus and response, there's a space, and in that space is our power to choose our response, and in our response lies our growth and freedom," says Marlatt, quoting author and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl. Marlatt says, "Mindfulness gets you into that space."


Being mindful may involve traditional meditation, in which you sit quietly and observe your thoughts and breathing without judgment. But here, it is also used to focus awareness on thoughts and feelings that lead to unwanted behavior. Simply recognizing the triggers to relapse can help you choose not to give into them. "When there's a fork in road, craving is pulling you one way. Well, what's the other way? You have to look down other road see where it takes you. Then, you have a choice, instead of being on autopilot," says Marlatt.


One tactic he recommends for resisting those cravings is called "urge surfing." It involves being mindful of the fact that craving is like a wave - it rises to a peak, then falls. This happens whether you yield to the urge or not, though most people erroneously think their craving will escalate endlessly, unless they give in. In fact, succumbing to cravings only reinforces them - resisting, in contrast, reinforces resistance. Marlatt advises watching your urge, noting its peak and "surfing" it, rather than allowing it to wipe you out.


Another trick to recognize is that willpower is like a muscle - it gets stronger with appropriate use, but ultimately weakens if overloaded. That's why Hester recommends setting short-term goals that are "moderately difficult, realistic, concrete and measurable." As with weight-lifting, starting at a level that is challenging but not overwhelming can provide a sense of achievement and success - which can give you the drive to take on bigger challenges.


4. Don't Try to Scare Yourself Straight

Research shows that in the long term, the pleasure of victory is a better incentive than the agony of defeat. "Punishment is a poor motivator," says Hester. "It sets people up for failure. If all you do is punish yourself for failure, you won't stay motivated to change for very long."

Instead, reward yourself for sticking to your limits and focus on the benefits of changing. For instance, if your goal is to drink less or lose weight, treat yourself to something you want - a new book or DVD, say - each time you successfully resist a tempting dessert or achieve a goal, like a month of abstinence. Success tends to beget greater success. If you do slip back into old patterns, avoid recriminations. "Don't say, 'I can't do it,'" says Marlatt. "People make mistakes. If you keep working at it, you will get better over time. That's what the research shows."

For some people, trying to moderate bad habits is not achievable or takes more effort than abstaining altogether - as the philosopher Saint Augustine put it, "Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation." Recognizing this by trying and failing can also be a critical step toward behavior change.

5. Get Better Friends

Consciously and unconsciously, people tend to imitate those around them. That's why the latest research shows that things like happiness, quitting smoking and obesity can spread like a contagion through social networks. So, surround yourself with friends who can also be role models. "Make sure that people you hang out with are people who look and act the way you would like to. Social imitation is the easiest form not only of flattery but of self-improvement," says Stanton Peele, author of Seven Tools to Beat Addiction. (Read "In Old Age, Friends Can Keep You Young. Really.")

Social support is critical to changing all kinds of behavior. Good friends can not only help you through slip-ups, but they can also help keep your New Year's resolution from taking over your life. Rather than obsessing about what you shouldn't be doing, think about things you should, experts say. The distraction will help you curb bad habits. "Focus on your higher goals and positive activities, things that both sustain you and fill your life," says Peele. If you regularly engage in meaningful activities that give you pleasure - whether it's visiting friends, picking up a hobby, taking a class or doing volunteer work (one of the most overlooked sources of personal joy and meaning is helping others) - you'll simply have less time to crave or engage in the behavior that you want to reduce.

Holiday Humor

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2009/12/guide-to-gaining-holiday-weight-and.html

212 Marketing Solutions Promotes Eric Recchia to Assistant Management

212 Marketing Solutions Promotes Eric Recchia to Assistant Management


212 Marketing Solutions, a leading Providence based direct marketing and sales agency, promotes Eric Recchia to Assistant Management today.

“I am honored to receive this promotion and excited for the challenge the new responsibility will bring,” says Eric Recchia, Assistant Manager, 212 Marketing.

Eric Recchia began with 212 Marketing Solutions Inc., in the New York office as an intern in sales and marketing during the summer of 2008. After attending SUNY – Cobleskill as a marketing major, Eric wanted to gain some real-world experience. After three months with the company he began work as the full-time Account Manager with responsibilities to oversee three additional employees.

In July 2009, Eric followed Andrea Atkinson, President of 212 Marketing Solutions, to Rhode Island to open the new location. Five months later Eric received his promotion and is now in charge of nearly half the staff who are responsible for producing over $10,000 in weekly revenue for the company.