Attain Better Leadership Opportunities

“Most of us have far more courage than we ever dreamed we possessed.”
- Dale Carnegie

Leaders are expected to own higher levels of confidence than those who are not in positions of leadership. Here are some tips on how to build self-confidence so as to attain better leadership opportunities:

• Surround yourself with a supportive environment
• Be resolved to succeed
• Be receptive to constructive criticism
• Set attainable goals

Courage is not the absence of fear...

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
-Ambrose Redmoon

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.
-Dale Carnegie

One can never...

I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!
-Alice in Wonderland

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
-Helen Keller

One can never...

I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!
-Alice in Wonderland

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
-Helen Keller

Don't be afraid...

Life is too short to be little. Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly, and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor.
- Benjamin Disraeli

It is impossible to win the race unless you venture to run, impossible to win the victory unless you dare to battle.
- Richard M. DeVos

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.
- Dale Carnegie

Motivation is everything...

Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people.
- Lee Iacocca

Be more committed to your dreams than to your fears.
- Abdul Mansoor

Commitment first, then action.
- Kevin Crone, CEO, Dale Carnegie Business Group

Being a More Invested Friend

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

In order to make friends, you have to treat others the way you would want to be treated. Here are a few tips on being a more invested friend:

• Don't criticize, condemn, or complain
• Become genuinely interested in other people
• Be generous with your smiles
• Be a good listener
• Make the other person feel important

It is good to dream...

It is good to dream, but it is better to dream and work. Faith is mighty, but action with faith is mightier.
- Thomas Robert Gaines

No one can go back and make a brand new start, my friend, but anyone can start from here and make a brand new end.
- Dan Zadra

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
- Carl Sandburg

Embrace change...

Passion is involved in your approach to everything that is truly worthwhile.
- Jack Lemmon

Embrace change. It's going to happen whether you like it or not.
- Odette Pollar

If you want to keep your memories, you first have to live them.
- Bob Dylan

Few of us take the time...

Few of us take the time to consider the feelings of other people. We like to get our own way, finding fault and issuing threats or even criticizing in front of others, all without considering the hurt to the other person's pride.

A few minutes thought, a considerate word, or a genuine understanding of the other person's attitude goes so far toward alleviating the sting. Even if we are right and the other person is definitely wrong, we only destroy ego by causing someone to lose face. For the most part, a person already knows if he/she made a grave error or are being unproductive, etc. Is he/she really going to want to correct the situation after being yelled at, criticized, or threatened?

Take the time to consider the other person's feelings, let them save face.

-Dale Carnegie's writings

Do or do not...

Do or do not. There is no try.
-Yoda

Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
- Ruth Schabacker

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
- Henry Adams, Historian

You may forget...

None will improve your lot if you yourself do not.
- Bertolt Brecht, 1933

I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through, then follow through.
- Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker

You may forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient will cherish them for a lifetime.
- Dale Carnegie

Minimize fear and anxiety

“One may walk over the highest mountain-one step at a time.”
- John Wanamaker

Steps to minimize fear and anxiety:

1. Know the audience - do your homework
2. Don't memorize your presentation - know it so well, you own it
3. Practice with visuals and equipment
4. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
5. Remember to have fun

Man has never...

No matter what is going on, you still have a choice - either what you do, or how you react. You may not like what happens, but there is still a choice. There is always a choice.
- Mick Wilcox

Man has never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.
- Bern Williams

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.
- Napoleon Hill

Do a little more each day...

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.
- William James

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.
- Lowell Thomas

If you have worries, there is no better way to eliminate them than by walking them off. Just take them out for a walk. They may take wings and fly away!
- Dale Carnegie

Life is like music...

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
- Helen Keller

Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for they sometimes guide in doubtful cases, though not often.
- Samuel Butler, Writer

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.
- Joseph Campbell

When we are dealing with people...

To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.
- Abraham Lincoln

A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be.
- Abraham Lincoln

When we are dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bustling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.
- Dale Carnegie

Using Visuals

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
- Anonymous

Using visuals can enhance a presentation, but they introduce one more hurdle that must be crossed to deliver an excellent presentation. For that reason the heart of the presentation must always remain the presenter, not the media.

If you are devastated by sorrow...

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.
- Lowell Thomas

Our intention creates our reality.
- Wayne Dyer

If you are devastated by sorrow, by disaster or calamity, get busy doing something. Keep your mind and your hands occupied. To do this will help you as nothing else will. I know. I have tried it.
- Dale Carnegie

Decide what your priorities are...

The moment you commit and quit holding back, all sorts of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance will rise up to help you. The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help.
- Napoleon Hill

Decide what your priorities are and how much time you'll spend on them. If you don't, someone else will.
- Harvey MacKay

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.
- Emily Post, Manners Expert

If you're waiting for someone...

If you're waiting for someone to believe in you, you'll be waiting forever. You must believe in yourself.
- Cher, Singer

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Plant the seed of desire in your mind and it forms a nucleus with power to attract to itself everything needed for its fulfillment.
- Robert Collier, advertising copywriter

Laughter is...

I get by with a little help from my friends.
- John Lennon

Laughter is the music of life.
- William Osler

Love is the beauty of the soul.
- Saint Augustine

Once you make a decision...

Great things are only possible with outrageous requests.
- Thea Alexander

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment.
- Georgia O'Keefe, Artist

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.
- Ralph Emerson

Basic Presentation Structure

“If your own mind is muddled, much more will the minds of your hearers be confused.”
- Dale Carnegie

The effective speaker should have a clearly organized and purposeful presentation.

Here is the basic structure of a successful presentation:

Opening - Favorably attract immediate interest from the audience
Message - Clearly state your message or theme
Evidence - Establish credibility and inspire respect and confidence by using convincing evidence
Closing - Leave the audience with a favorable, memorable impression

Start where you are...

Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.
- H. Jackson Brown Jr.

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Start where you are. Distant fields always look greener, but opportunity lies right where you are. Take advantage of every opportunity of service.
- Robert Collier