http://hermanjnajoli.com Exciting Insights for Empowered Living Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:52:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I once read a quote that I’ve enjoyed requoting over the years. I don’t know who gave us the quote (might have been some wise wag like Socrates, or something) but here it is: “A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/04/13/nurturing-your-seeds-of-potential-and-promise/ After many years of research being done and business books being written, the jury is out on the idea of organizational vision: companies must have a vision. Over the past two or three decades many companies have done a lot in terms of developing their vision/mission statements along with core ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/04/04/the-power-of-mental-vision/ Listening is perhaps one of the most basic social skills but few people take the time to master the process of listening. One wag once joked that ‘we are given two ears and one mouth so that we can listen more and talk less’. Today, I’d like to look at the ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/04/03/regaining-the-lost-art-of-listening/ Great wit have they who succeed at pranking others, They not only plan it with hindsight, foresight and insight; But also with great vision and a sense of mission. They jealously guard the prank and keep it a secret, Knowing that the prank’s end is to liven up a life, And the means to the end ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/04/01/an-april-fools-day-poem/ We have been told many times in the past that “If you build it, they will come”. This line was popularized by a movie, Field of Dreams, I believe. While this was a great line for many years, it proves to be insufficient for today’s world. Today’s world demands that ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/28/choose-to-increase-value/ When I was a kid my dad bought me a couple of magnifying glasses of varied colors. I enjoyed playing with the glasses and feeling like a serious detective as I roamed in and out of the house looking for clues to mysteries that I created in my overactive imagination. Perhaps the greatest power ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/27/the-power-of-focus/ One of the most crucial competencies for management is conflict resolution. There are five approaches that can be utilized in the management of conflict: 1. Accomodating - This is where one group places emphasis on the needs of the other group while minimizing it’s own concerns. In essence, one group allows ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/24/managing-conflict-2/ Many years ago, a mentor told me that “motion causes friction.” Over the past couple of days, we have all been held spell-bound by the friction taking place between the Obama camp and the Clinton camp in the race for President of the United States. The truth is that friction ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/23/two-kinds-of-conflict/ Life is all about growth. Every day we are faced with situations and circumstances that provide us with two choices - grow or go! Having a menatlity of growth is the first step towards being able to maximize your life and live above the level of mediocrity that plagues most ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/21/lifes-two-constant-choices-grow-or-go/ This post is a continuation of ysterday’s post on interdependence. We have been looking at this by way of an acronym I developed on a trip to Jamaica in 2002. Here is the acronym once again:    Identify every aspect of the operation that requires a team effort Notify every member of the ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/19/teamwork-and-interdependence-pt-2/ Over the next two days I want to look at the concept of interdependence, specifically, how teamwork elevates productivity. This post is simply a reproduction of ideas that I developed a few years ago when I went to Jamaica as a team leader for a group of about 35 teenagers. This was a ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/18/teamwork-and-interdependence-pt-1/ No man demonstrated greater leadership in the 20th Century than Nelson Mandela - that icon of a man who was jailed for more than twenty years yet stayed focused and came out to break apartheid’s back, becoming his country’s first black president. In his book, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/17/optimistic-leadership/ Richard Carlson contributed immensely to de-stressing the human race in his masterpiece, Don’t sweat the small stuff. I personally have benefited immensely from his work. There have been many situations when I would get close to allowing small stuff to ruin my attitude. In those moments I’ve thought of his ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/13/little-things-do-matter/ There are many different traits that are essential for a better life but when it comes to truly winning in life, there are three crucial traits that one must embody. These are knowledge, passion and humor. Let’s take a quick look at each of these:  Knowledge Knowledge is the key quality that ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/10/the-traits-of-a-winner/ A few years ago I heard someone talk about the need for Action TNT, meaning action Today, Not Tomorrow. I think the tape was on procrastination and how to avoid it. Today I would like to talk about three strategies for taking action TNT: Take initiative Initiative is the first step towards ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/04/take-action-today-not-tomorrow/ Life is full of transitions. We all experience moments in life when we have to make transitional changes. Right from birth to our final resting, it’s all about transition. It’s the transition from the womb to the world, from the bassinet to the crib, from home to school, from high school ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/03/02/make-your-transitions-successful/ We have a saying in Kenya that “A granary cannot be pushed into a hut”. This saying has been upper-most in my thoughts this week as I looked at the idea of personal potential in the light of current capacity and the limitations that surround it. We all face moments when our ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/02/29/your-potential-and-capacity-is-unlimited/ We all experience moments in life when obstacles seem to crowd our goals and aspirations. Whether you are a leader of an organization, an employee in a department, a small-business owner, a student, the President or even just a regular guy, we have all experienced many barriers to our goals. ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/02/26/breaking-through-barriers-that-may-limit-your-potential/ Personal growth has always been a key topic when it comes to realizing personal potential. The truth is that if you don’t grow, you will go. Personal growth is a necessity in today’s world.  The secret to any person’s future is hidden in their level of commitment to personal growth ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/02/24/personal-growth-starts-within/ One of the most prestigious events of the Olympic Games is the Marathon - 26 miles - 385 yards of one of the most severe tests of human endurance. In the 1968 Summer Olympic Games, held in Mexico City, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania started with the other runners but ... http://hermanjnajoli.com/2008/02/21/cross-that-finish-line/