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Browse every published article connected to Billy Arcement, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
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Browse every published article connected to Billy Arcement, or search within this exact expert archive.
Workers who possess personal ambition are always seeking ways to improve their positioning with their boss. Here are ten time-tested techniques that will make your boss take notice of your personal performance. As you read through the list, think about your own performance. How many items on ...
For those of us who are Catholic, part of our faith includes a belief in and reliance on the Holy Spirit. However, this article is not intended as a lesson on Catholicism. But I thought, as I reflected on them in my daily readings, that there is a great fit for us to utilize as we grow our personal potential.
The Foundation for Building Your Workplace In the competitive and volatile workplace of the 21st Century, employers can ill afford to waste time, money or resources. A loss of any type affects the bottom line. Experiencing too many such loses can close the doors of a business. So what can a business do to maximize these resources? TIME: There are only 24 hours each day and no way to create more. However, there are many ways to become more efficient with time use. Without going into my time management seminar, let me share a key idea that, if applied, will make a difference.
I hope you’ve been watching the Olympics these last few days. If not, it’s worth the time to watch the best athletes in the world perform. Each event is packed with great lessons on personal leadership as well as a view of what people can accomplish who are at the top of their game. ...
“If a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience will gain some money and the man with money will gain some experience”
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” These words from Proverbs 29:18 are powerful and have important meaning to speakers who desire to build a successful speaking career. Some speakers talk on any topic and position themselves as all things to all audiences. The secret to real ...
There have been millions of words written about leadership. Here are 788 more to add to your collection. And, in this case, these are critical to your success in leading others. Why not rate your own performance against these ten characteristics. It’s a great way to start growing your leadership skills. Leaders Make Others Feel Important: The last thing a leader needs to be is self-centered. Leadership is about service to others, i.e. those we lead. If our actions as leaders work on development of employee strengths and contributions, we are taking the right path.
It’s was my observation during my tenure as a school board member that the vast majority of board members are serving for the right reasons. But regardless of why you chose to serve, here are ten key practices, if implemented will make you an outstanding board member.
As we move into the New Year, what is it about your life, career and/or personal accomplishments that you want to change in 2010? Don’t take this question lightly. It is filled with deep thinking requirements. Change, just for change sake, is not what this question is about. Rather, it’s designed to make you become very introspective and think about what worked for you in 2009 and what didn’t work. Below is a list of other questions to help you “dig deeper” as you ponder where you’d like to be at the end of 2010. 1. Is your life as happy as it can or should be?
“We need to be confronted by our actions, messages, and shortcomings if we expect to learn and grow. No more hiding behind excuses. No blaming others. No hiding behind phrases like—"This is just the way I am.” E. James Wilder As part of our career growth path, we must engage in constant evaluation of our actions to determine if they are the right activities to get the job done. We must be aware of the messages we deliver to our peers and to those we lead in our work environment. What we say becomes who we are.
With the start of a new year comes the feeling of the potential for positive changes. Most think of January as a renaissance period in their life—an opportunity to start anew and make up for past failures or items procrastinated. But the contradiction of these ideas is that most don’t take the time to write down the things they want to achieve. The act of writing is a commitment that can visibly be seen thus imprinting the idea more deeply into the subconscious. Writing also increases the odds of something getting your attention and raises the possibly of being completed.
We are equipped free of charge with a most magnificent gift from our Creator. We call it our brain. That’s right; your brain has all the fire power you need to achieve whatever you dream you can conceive. No, this will not be a lesson in biology but it will be a lesson regarding how to move yourself up the ladder of success to reach a bigger and better you.
The world is moving at a faster and faster pace. On a yearly basis, we see more new inventions, technology upgrades and societal changes than used to happen in a decade. What once was a generational change is now an ove ight change. With the fast pace of change in today’s world, there is an ...
I was reading a brief article written in the early 1900’s by Elisabeth Leseur as part of my daily meditative materials. In the article she provided the following list of qualities attributed to those special holy people who serve as examples for all of us to emulate. As I read the article, it immediately came to me that these are also incredibly significant qualities every leader should emulate. Before I share the list, I remind everyone that it is our personal attractiveness that allows us to assume a position of leadership and garner followers.
How do you feel about your life? Is it productive? Do you consistently reach the milestones you so vividly imagine in your mind’s eye? Do you have the commitment to continue working on your current goals or do you feel burned out and stagnated? We Can Choose The beauty of life is that no ...
I recently watched a football game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. The final score—Colts 35, Patriots 34. This game, like all sporting events, contained many elements of leadership. Let’s review some I observed. Leaders organize before undertaking a task. Each team spent hundreds of hours preparing for the contest, seeking to leave nothing to chance. It’s called making a plan. The more detailed your organization of a task, the greater the potential for success. Plan your day, week, month, year—your life.
The pinnacle of respect in life is when someone acknowledges that you are a wise person. The acquisition of wisdom should be your lifelong search. Wisdom is especially critical for those in leadership positions. There is no age limit when one can be wise but generally it is somewhat ...
St. Thomas Aquinas is considered by many to be the Catholic Church’s greatest theologian and philosopher. Among the many great works he created, Aquinas wrote about the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. As I was reminded of these gifts during a recent Sunday church service, I thought it would be ...
I recently received a call from the President of a firm with whom I worked as a consultant for a team building project. After many years in the upper levels of management and at an age where employment is most difficult, his position was eliminated. He was perplexed as to what he might now do. His desire is to continue being productive in the work place but opportunities appeared to be limited.
The link below is for an article from the National Council for Aging Care. The unfortunate fact is that many older citizens are abused and, are unable to defend themselves. Thought I'd share this article which the NCAC representative asked me to post. It's my pleasure to do so. Please cut and paste the link below and read the article. Share it with your social media sites as I have. Thanks. http://www.aginginplace.org/guide-to-recognizing-elder-abuse/
When I published my first book, Searching for Success, it marked the completion of a personal milestone. For too many years, I had created mental obstacles that stopped me from realizing my dream of authoring a book. This powerful experience was life-changing. Shortly after publication, I was ...
Each of us comes into the word with the charge to discover our purpose. This discovery is the apex of our life and the achievement we should strive to reach. But, as with all good things in life, identification and implementation of our purpose can be an awesome task. Most never identify their ...
In his book, Doing the Right Thing At Work, James L. Nolan says, “In a given situation, our doing the right thing might be the result of good habits cultivated over a lifetime or might come about only after periods of trial and error, painful soul-searching and courageous risk-taking.” Doing ...
Each fall, school buses begin to roll and school bells start ringing. The beginning of another school year is once again upon us. This should be an exciting time for students. Their love of learning, the joy of spending time with friends, and the many benefits of this intellectual environment ...
Now more than ever, it is important for those leading in the workplace to maximize the contributions of those they lead. Organizational leaders are asked to do more with less all the while being required to increase profits. It’s a challenging task—one that demands everyone gives ...
Few reading this article would disagree that life brings on challenges. And, when challenges hit us squarely in the face, we can fold-up and shrivel or we can shore-up and fight. Thus the life we ultimately live is the end result of how we react to those challenges. What we experience from our ...
Life is too short to work at a job that brings daily dissatisfaction. It doesn’t matter if you are a manager or an hourly employee, these ideas will work for you. It doesn’t matter what type of work you do, you owe it to yourself to find satisfaction with your work. If you are unhappy on ...
There are a myriad of characteristics attributed to great leaders in the literature on leadership. I’ve chosen five that are critical for everyone seeking to lead. Not fully appreciating or understanding the ramifications of not following these ideas can lead to misery for a leader. How do you rate and what is your current misery index? Everyone is a leader. If one examines their life’s routines, it becomes easy to segment when leadership was part of the activity. Raising children? You’re a leader. Do you sometimes offer a helping hand to others in your workplace?
There is nothing like “January” to make one feel refreshed and motivated to start a new direction. Unfortunately, for many, the January energy fizzles out before the month is over. The big obstacle to change is keeping the momentum going throughout the entire year. Here are some tips to help achieve that outcome and hopefully help you achieve your plan for 2015. 1. Start by only listing things you truly want, not faintly desire. Be passionate!
The Foundation for Building Your Workplace In the competitive and volatile workplace of the 21st Century, employers can ill afford to waste time, money or resources. A loss of any type affects the bottom line. Experiencing too many such loses can close the doors of a business. So what can a business do to maximize these resources? TIME: There are only 24 hours each day and no way to create more. However, there are many ways to become more efficient with time use. Without going into my time management seminar, let me share a key idea that, if applied, will make a difference.
St. Thomas Aquinas is considered by many to be the Catholic Church’s greatest theologian and philosopher. Among the many great works he created, Aquinas wrote about the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. As I was reminded of these gifts during a recent Sunday church service, I thought it would be relevant to take them out of the spiritual realm and bring them to the workplace. I’ve renamed the list the Seven Gifts of Great Leaders. 1.
Next month we celebrate the birthday of our nation. July 4 marks the anniversary of the formal beginning of Democracy in this country. Each year at this time, my thoughts return to a train ride across the mountains of mainland China. The year was 1983. I was participating in a technical ...
I’ve constantly reminded you in these newsletters that parents are the leaders of their home. And, today’s newsletter is no different. I’d like to share with you what I call the ABC’s of Parental Leadership. Take time to think about each of the 26 words of this home leadership course and seek ...
As I read about leadership and management topics and observe events in my consulting services that occur within organizations, I sometimes wonder where some of today’s managers and leaders get their rationale for making decisions regarding people. It’s almost like they have lost plain old ...
There is no panacea for all the ills facing society today. However, the successful implementation of one community effort would do much to ease the pains caused by today’s social ills. The answer—successfully educating every individual. What is education? One important element of being educated ...
Most people admire individuals who can successfully climb and conquer the almost insurmountable mountains of the world. Conquering Mt. Everest is not a hap-hazard undertaking. It requires meticulous planning and analysis of a variety of situation that one might face while climbing to the peak. ...
It’s an event employees don’t look forward to experiencing and many supervisors cringe having to do. What is this common feared experience? It’s a performance review. There really is no reason for either party to feel bad about doing a performance review. If certain guidelines are followed, ...
If you are in a leadership position today, here are ten ideas to help you successfully lead the newest generation of workers—Millennials or Gen X. They are different and here is why. 1. Provide a Structured Environment: Gen X workers may well be the most protected generation of children ever ...
With the continuously surfacing scandals in Corporate America, the idea that any form of ethics exists in business is suspect. We are also seeing similar situations within the ranks of government and religious leaders. And, the lack of ethics is not confined to America. It’s global! By ...
I believe questions are the gateway to learning. I often use them during my training sessions to challenge audience members to think a bit more deeply about a point I’ve made. In my first book, Searching For Success, I posed lots of questions for my readers to ponder. One such group of questions in the book was developed as a way to help readers probe internally for insights regarding their current position in life. Based upon the answers developed, one could then take the necessary steps to fill the “life gaps” that existed.
Business Ethics: Most of us have faced a crossroad in our working career where we might be tempted to choose reward over righteousness. Perhaps we’ve let blind ambition cloud our vision and we failed to see how one little step in the wrong direction can ultimately lead to us running on the wrong side of the tracks. Let me illustrate my point by citing a personal career issue when I worked in the private sector.
Smart managers look for ways to free time in order to get more done each day. Sometimes managers forget one of the best ways is to delegate. Letting others do what we feel only we have the ability to do is sometimes difficult. But to function at your greatest capacity, learn to let go.
Most business owners will admit that one of the more costly portions of managing a business is training new employees. Turnover causes disruptions in the workflow, increased workloads for those who stay on the job and uses huge blocks of time screening and hiring replacements. When people leave an organization, it is a costly enterprise to replace them.
What steps have you taken to assure yourself new hires make a successful transition into your organization? Failure to adequately address this issue could result in the loss of a potentially good employee, a waste of training dollars or the threat of legal action from dismissals. Let’s review important steps managers can follow to provide new employees with a strong opportunity to contribute and remain employed.