Each of us, if followed by a camera crew, would have a great television show.  We would be able to learn from each other’s successes and most importantly from each mistake.  If we placed our value into getting to know each other, we would strike oil with each new relationship.

I recently heard a podcast about a study showing that we all have only a third of the friends that previous generations have had.  We are not as close to our neighbors anymore as our parents were, etc.  We are ignoring our best resource, and that is the uniqueness of one another.

Our moms all told us that we are like precious little snowflakes and all unique in our own way.  They may have even used the neighbor kids as a yardstick for measuring your behavior.  “That little Bobby, next door, is so good.  He just washed the car for his grandma.”  Also, we were privy to learn about others’ mistakes.  Don’t buy the vacuum from the door to door salesman, it is a rip-off.

Instead, our yardsticks are those on TV.  We listen to what works in Nevada when we live in Ohio.  By sharing with my friends, I have been able to side-step numerous calamities in my financial life and in other areas.

When we share a new bank offering great interest rates or even a stock that is crumbling, we help each other out.  My experiences can be a great resource to another.  I can’t tell you how many times parents and family friends have called me for military advice because their child was about to join the service.  I have helped many people get passed the shrewd recruiters and get great jobs.

We all have a gift, learn what others have and share with them.

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Great leaders have demonstrated specific qualities of leadership that we can emulate to lead successfully. Whatever you may think about their politics or religion or anything else, there is a lot that can be learned from men and women who lead successfully.
One of my favorite leadership examples came from US President Ronald Reagan. Reagan had a paperweight on his desk with the slogan “It’s amazing how much we can get done when we don’t care who gets the credit.” That simple phrase has had a big impact on the way I view leadership. I’ve found that credit finds its own way to the right source, with or without my help. Taking that pressure off myself has allowed me to see my goals more clearly and focus my efforts on attaining the goal without wasting my resources on attribution.

For example, a recent system upgrade at my office required inter-departmental collaboration from a number of directors, supervisors, and IT staff. Although I was not in a hierarchical position to be the leader of the assemblage, I saw that there were significant shortcomings in the project plan that needed to be addressed. Because of the makeup of that specific grouping, I knew that a ‘soft touch’ would be required. I was able to guide the group to the requirements documents and lead them to the logical conclusion that some changes were necessary before continuing to the implementation phase.

It wasn’t my project. I didn’t get any accolades because the project was a success. Even so, we accomplished great things because that was the focus.

Come back for part 2 of The Leadership Secrets of… in three weeks.

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His model uses the unfreeze, change and refreeze methods.  These methods help make organizational change go more smoothly.  We all know that everyone hates change and that the only thing constant in a company is change.

The unfreeze phase is when the need for change is recognized.  Change agents begin to trumpet the need for the change and begin to gain buy-in from the group.  Everyone knows that resistance is going to happen.  People hate change and will resist it for many reasons.  We fear the unknown and worry about how the change will affect us.

It is up to the change agent to persuade the masses the change is required and educate them.  The better prepared the group is for the change, the more likely they are to accept it.  A technique I love to use is to get those whom others really look up to and fight for their support.

When the next phase of implementing the change unfolds, these champions will set the example for others to follow.  Instead of fighting for your own buy-in alone, you have help.  As a change agent you need to monitor and make sure the change is going as you planned.  If something seems to not be successful, you can correct it.  Not all change is going to work as planned or even work at all.  You need to realize this and pull the plug when it is a failure.

Finally, the refreeze phase takes into account the change that works.  When you implement change, it can’t be fire and forget.  You have to stay on top of it until the culture accepts it.  For example, you go through all the trouble of training the next generation of workers with a new method and then they get to the workcenter and the old method takes over again.  Refreeze is the phase to stop that from happening.

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Although it is not as well known as other markets, such as the New York Stock Exchange, the Forex market is huge, trading well over one trillion dollars every day. That’s trillion, with a “TR”. The Forex is handily the largest trade market in the world today.
Unlike the NYSE, the Forex has no physical locale. Forex trades can take place anywhere there are willing buyers and sellers at any time during the trading week, which runs from the beginning of the trading day Monday morning in Australia and doesn’t stop until the end of the trading day Friday in the United States of America.

Forex Trading involves using a margin account to obtain the right to trade batches of currency calls ‘lots’. Traders pair up two currencies from those traded on the market, betting on a change in the relative value of the two currencies. While there are quite a few currencies eligible for trading on the Forex Market, there are 7 main currencies traded: the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, and Switzerland and the Euro.

The main players in the Forex Market are not individuals leaning over their computers watching for a blip in the exchange rate. Big banks dominate the marketplace, but it is open to anyone with a computer, phone, and a margin account.

If you are interested in playing the Forex Market, the first thing that you’ll need to do is find a reputable broker to help you establish your margin account. With a margin account, you do not need to have a full equity position in your currency lot. Most brokers allow trading with a 1% leverage position. This means that for every $100 of currency traded, you need to have only $1 in your margin account.

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As an author, I have learned that starting out is tough.  When no one knows who you are, you don’t sell books.  On top of that, I can tell everyone how great of a writer I am, but why should they believe me?  In fact if I am so great, why aren’t other people telling you how great I am?  Self promoters are a dime a dozen these days and through avenues likes Twitter and Facebook, they are well…annoying.

As I was working a deal for my new site, I noticed this writer was going on a blog tour.  That sounded awesome, and I wanted more details.  I was floored with what she said.

A blog tour is the Internet version of a book tour.  Instead of paying thousands to run around the country and promote your book, bloggers do it for you.  People are spending more and more time on the Internet these days and usually frequent a few blogs for entertainment, news or even inspiration.  Blog tours take advantage of this.

The host or a writer for that site does a book review, interview and some even host videos about the book or its content.  These writers know the language of the daily traffic that comes through there and relate the book to them.  More importantly, these are the writers that readers know and trust.  They are giving their endorsement, not you giving yourself an endorsement.  Then naturally, there is information on where to buy the book.  Some bloggers just want the content and free book; others ask for a commission.

Writers have tour dates where the post will go to each site.  Writers can tour the world in their pajamas with the only cost being the books for the sites to review.

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What do I mean by a game of bowling?  We start our new business by trying to reach as many customers as we can and trying to please everyone.  It is like we are trying to knock down all of the pins.  The problem with this is that this takes an intense amount of focus.  In reality, you are trying to target ten different markets at one time, and none really know exactly what you are really about.

When I started my writing career, I launched a website www.inspiretomorrow.com to help my readers grow spiritually, mentally and physically.  I wrote on every single topic that I could and learned a lot.  However, it took me a couple of years to build enough content to drive any real traffic.  If I had been depending on making a profit, I would have went under in the first six months.

I decided this was not the path I originally set out on and wanted to revamp the site.  It was not an easy decision to give up on the 7,000-9,000 hits I received each month.  What did make the decision easier is that I did not have a dedicated following just a bunch of Google hits.

Instead, I got out the old dart board and pinpointed my target.  I aimed, and we will see if the dart hit the right number with my new design and branding.  I decided to focus on one audience, Christians.  The site was totally revamped to hit this one market and my one true passion.

So far, I’m optimistic.  With zero advertising, I already have hits from three continents and 13 dedicated viewers in just one week.  Once I officially launch, I am expecting to grow very quickly not because of me, rather the focus.

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Having said that, this is a business blog, not a humanitarian aid blog or a general current events blog. So, it is appropriate that we take a look at the long term impact that this disaster may have on business, divorced from the tragedy itself.

In the short term, there are a few companies and industries that will benefit from the devastation of a small island nation within spitting distance of US airspace.  The same old, big players who rush to the rescue, to the benefit of both the victims and the company’s bottom line.  They know who they are.

A less obvious, longer term impact on the US economy will be the certain influx of many thousands of Haitians to the United States.  There will be a sudden and pronounced increase in the pool of unskilled and unemployed workers, which already is pushing maximum capacity.  Southern states, Florida in particular, are likely to be hit the hardest by the influx of Haitian immigrants.

While that’s good news for citrus farmers and housekeeping services, it’s not so great for those currently looking for a job or those workers in unskilled jobs fighting to cling to their current position.  There is a very real possibility of a flood of immigrants so extreme that it overwhelms the capacity of some municipalities to deliver services to those in need.

The writing is on the wall.  The influx is coming.  The question remains: how can you position yourself or your business to profit, or at least not suffer, from the coming events?  By proactively considering the impact that this disaster will have in your area, you can put yourself in the best possible place to reap the rewards of looking ahead and being prepared.

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We started this very small investment company in January of 2007.  H&L Ventures, Ltd. has been blessed with a 20% profit margin in the first two years.  We believe the credit can be awarded to our strategy, “free money”.  The majority of stock we purchase is high dividend yielding stocks or giant corporations.  We chase after companies with dividends because not only do we have shares in their company, they are giving us free money.

Dividend investing is when you re-distribute the funds for more stock.  So, instead of collecting a check for dividend payouts, we buy more shares, which means more dividends on the next payout.  We aim for companies with 3% yield or higher.

One such stock was (HTE) Harvest Energy Trust.  This was an energy investing company who paid monthly dividends over 3%.  Most dividend paying companies only do so quarterly.  Not only did we get dividends and more stocks, but this stock more than doubled at a rate of 230%!  Recently, they were bought out for $10 (Canadian) per share and we got $9.46 a share.  All those who listened to me last year enjoyed the profits.

This time around we decided to go after a high dividend stock.  This is Frontier Communications (FTR) with a 13% yield paid quarterly.  For those having trouble grasping this, the Law of 72 has you divide 72 by the yield.  The result is how many years it would take to double your initial investment as long as dividends are redistributed.  Every 5.5 years this investment will double.  Not too bad considering most companies have yields below 3%, which would take at least 24 years to double.

Naturally, we jumped on this stock.  I suspect the yield is high because they just started paying dividends in 2008, and they will not remain this high.  However, we couldn’t pass this one up and sleep at night.  Can you?

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If you’ve got a job, hold onto it.  For nearly every skill set and every industry, this is not a good time to be looking for a new job.  There’s virtually no one doing any hiring, and those few that are looking are being swamped with qualified, unemployed, and desperate prospects.  It’s hard to compete when you’ve got a position in your back pocket.

If you’ve got a reasonable gig right now, you may do well to stay put and put your job hunting energies to another direction.  You may, dare I suggest, put that effort into doing your current job really well.  You may be shocked to find that by the time the economy crawls back up out of the toilet, you will have moved up with your current employer.

Another possible use for that time and energy that you previously spent looking for a better job is advancing your education.  Whether it’s an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate – whatever the next step is in your educational path - if you are in position to go on to get a higher degree, now is the time.  There are a lot of options, including night, weekend, and online classes that make it easier and more convenient (although not cheaper) to get a degree than ever before.

The bottom line is that those of us who don’t NEED a new job right now (even if you WANT one) probably won’t be getting one any time soon.  So, why not take a long range view and spend the next year or so positioning yourself to be ready when the job market picks back up?

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Mike wrote about how doing business wrong has no long term sustainability.  Those doing business wrong eventually get discovered and have to pay the cost.  They are going to prison and paying major fines.  Careers are being squashed, and company reputations are smeared.

The Bible teaches wisdom on how to associate with others, such as the popular Golden Rule.  There are many other verses and parables about relationships with others.  Teachings are not only about love but also about dealing with other business people.  For example, Proverbs 27:12 states the wise sees the evil in others and avoids them and those who don’t pay the penalty.  Had that warning from King Solomon been listened to there would be much less economic turmoil.

There are values of hard work highlighted, like Proverbs 6:6-8.  This verse talks about modeling our work ethics after the ant.  The ant labors during the good times to prepare for the bad.  We have seasons of prosperity and then blow it, thinking they will never end.  When the tide rolls out, we are stuck with nothing.

Proverbs 27:23 gives us some advice on our workforce.  We are told to know the face of our flocks and to tend to our herds.  We need to get to know our employees and learn their needs.  If their needs are not being met, they will seek to have them met elsewhere.  They might steal or gossip to others running your name into the ground.

Obviously, the book of Proverbs is my favorite when discussing the business world.  That is because the author, King Solomon, was considered the richest and wisest man ever.  He built massive fortune for the nation of Israel because of his wise ways.  Even those who are not believers would benefit from reading this book of the Bible.  You will be amazed at how implementing some age old wisdom could transform your company.

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