I’ve been thinking deeply over the last few weeks about team work. Why? I have my own reasons, but the biggest reason is that I have become very adept at recognizing a team-oriented person by the way he or she acts and speaks.

You might wonder why I bother with this. It’s because I’m a team-oriented person who believes that working with a great team is very crucial to any company’s success. Further, working in teams can help all the team members personally because they can learn from others and, at the same time, share their own knowledge.

I must admit that many years ago I thought that I was the smartest guy in the world. Thinking about it today causes me to laugh out loud at my former self.
A few years ago I was a young man with big dreams. Today I see the things differently; today I have the passion to learn from very smart and special people.
I can summarize and say that my experiences in the workplace have taught me that collaboration is required for success.
Everyday I meet many people who say to me things like, “you are a cleverer guy than I am,” or, “I don’t have the ability to [fill your ability] like you.” Hearing these statements causes me to feel bad–really bad. The knowledge that some people do not believe in themselves and do not know how to leverage their special abilities inspired me to write this article.
I try very hard in every meeting to find the special ability of each team member so I can connect those special abilities to one specific goal.
Today I go into every conversation fully aware that I am not the smartest person  in the room.
Usually, there is at least one person in the room who knows more than I do about some particular facet of the topic of conversation. I believe that every human is an expert in something and if this person is an expert on the current topic of conversation, he or she is the smartest person in the room at that particular time. Moreover, I try very hard to know my partners’ and friends’ abilities before meeting them so I can identify the smartest person in the room and listen to him or her from the first second to the last.
So here are my tips for listening and learning from every conversation:

• Know your partners – know their pros and cons. Learn from their pros and help them with their cons. It’s a win-win situation for you and for them.
• Listen – people love to talk, but, more than that, they love to be heard. Listen to your partners until they have finished speaking and then think deeply about your response. Remember that every word from your mouth is creating the next sentence.
• Learn – everyone has something to offer you. Learn to listen and remember that it’s all the small things that make the big difference.
• Write – write your thoughts from and reactions to this conversation. Call it a meeting summarization or whatever you want, but spend some time on this process.

photo by tomsaint

When I was a child (around the age of 12), my parents used to tell me how important it is to read books.  I hated to read books, and, to be honest,  I didn’t read them at all!  I researched all of my school essays on the internet and, after editing, I turned them in and got A’s on most of them.

Today, I have more than 60 books on my shelf and read at least one, and usually two books a month.  So what happened? I have no idea. I don’t really remember exactly when I decided to start reading books.   What I can say honestly is that I was a real idiot for wasting so many years when I could have been reading amazing books.

I’ve spent a substantial amount of time thinking about books, both before and after reading them.  At the moment, I’m in the middle of a “reading frenzy”, as I’m reading a lot about marketing, and particularly about on-line marketing.  At times, when I’m interested in a particular subject matter, I’ll read 4 – 5 books before considering whether to read more, or to move on to another subject.

Finding time for reading was not an easy task.  In the beginning, I tried to read for 30 minutes every morning before doing my chores.  Unfortunately, this didn’t work very well because I consider reading to be part of my “leisure pie.”   Nowadays, I read before going to sleep but I’m honestly thinking about   returning to my previous routine because these days, reading is not only part of my leisure pie – it’s intellectual input for me.   With the last few books I read, I started writing brief reviews in a notebook, and I’m thinking of writing a formal review of some of them on Amazon.   Up to this point, I’ve only stopped reading one book at the mid-way point.   I’ve found that sometimes a book is like a movie in that, if you lose faith (or interest) in the middle, there’s a chance that by skimming through the rest of it (or for a movie – if you keep watching), something “golden” will arise at the end.

So how do I manage my reading list?
Each book that is recommended to me is automatically added to my wish list on Amazon.   On this list I keep notes about who recommended each book so that I can thank him or her after reading it.  Every month or so, I buy  5 – 6 books about a specific topic and have them shipped to me.  I must admit that I am currently very inspired by personal recommendations by people whom I really respect.

photo by tbisaacs

Bill Gates

Speaking before an audience is not as easy as you might think. Most people will tell you that speaking in public is one of their greatest sources of anxiety. In the past few weeks I’ve thought a lot about speaking in public.  I’ve never really wanted to be a professional speaker, but I know the importance of being able to speak in public, and it’s something that I would like to do in my spare time. Here are some pointers for people like me who are looking to sharpen their public speaking skills.

1. Do it for fun – Most people want to speak for two reasons: money and\or reputation. If you are the person who is looking to be paid for speaking, be aware that you must be familiar with how the industry works before you start asking for money. As I see it, most of the people who speak for free do so for only one reason: to leverage their reputation.
2. Speaking is like having something to speak about – Most of the time speaking supports a product or a business. If you have a product for which you’re trying to gain exposure, you’ll need to speak in public to promote it; it’s a great idea. If you are a consultant or you offer some service to the public, speaking can help drive business to your customer base.
3. Speak a lot and speak for free – Unless you have professional experience, you must build a track record of provoking audiences successfully.  In the beginning, you will do it for free, but over time you will be able to ask for expense reimbursement, and, later on, to be paid for the actual speaking. You will have to subjugate your ego for the first few months and speak for fun. Volunteer at social events, promotional events, and coffee-chat events to gain experience and confidence.
4. Speaking is not profession – People who speak for a living, do so while maintaining a professional career.  The ability to share some of your own experiences in your speeches is very important.
5. Speaking is not only for fun but is also valuable too – Yes, there is an undeniable thrill of being on the stage before 100 people trying to deliver your message in 30 minutes. The skills you learn over time are very valuable, and, most of the time, you will enjoy the experience.

photo by loritingey