Public Speaking Support Group - Playing Guitar

Public Speaking Support Group - this Saturday I'll talk about something I love - music. Below, I've inserted the mind map I've created to build my speech. I will support my performance by bringing on one of my guitars and let the participants practice some very simple chords and tunes I'll show them. I'm very anxious to see how it goes. Looking forward to Saturday! :)

(Thanks Wikipedia and Google for images and quotations :))

Here is a picture from the event (added later):

Difficult People

We, sometimes, have to deal with difficult people during meetings. They show aggressiveness and insolence - or, at least, we perceive their attitude as hostile. It's important to handle these situations up front in order to keep the team intact, decrease the opportunity for gossip and make everyone a little bit happier. It is important to remember that these people may actually have real issues that drive them to behave the way they do, that they believe their attitude is justified and that knowing their issues and trying to solve them could improve the atmosphere in the team. Other people may share the same feelings, although not expressed openly. Dealing with difficult people is also a great way to display leadership and drive by example.

I've sketched a small mind-map (work in progress) for this matter. It briefly scratches the subject and merely shows the attitude (ask for details) one leader might have when confronted with a difficult situation. Here it is:

In the end, it is important to remember that:

1. Troublemakers may be people who care about the project but feel frustration
2. They may have issues shared by others in the team
3. Trouble-making may be a wrong way to attract attention
4. Troublemakers may give you headaches in the future if not addressed properly early on
5. The best way to ease them is to give them what they want, while evading the conflict triangle (victim-aggressor-rescuer):
1. Be heard - some recognition
2. Change something
6. It is important to follow-up the conflict:
1. Results
2. Ask for feedback if the troublemaker was right
3. Show him what went wrong and that he may have not behaved properly, although he was right

What do you think? How do you proceed?

Empowering Entrepreneurs

I'd like to announce a very interesting project, targeted especially towards young entrepreneurs, called Empowering Entrepreneurs: http://www.entrepreneurs.empowering.ro (a project by JCI Bucharest)

The project consists of meetings, held at the "Bucharest Hubb", between participants and the coach Mihai Stanescu. The aim is to help young business starters share expertise, network and acquire new skills to develop their ideas.

Currently, there are 2 sessions planned:

• Innovative management methods – 19 June 2010
• Practical solutions to develop your business – 3 iulie 2010

but, probably, there will be more.

I have the chance to help on this project (spare-time activity, volunteer work), side by side with some very enthusiastic friends (Alex Gavriliu (http://www.alexgavriliu.ro), Bogdan Borza and Andreea Tanasescu) but we also got help from Giani Cojan and Mihnea Ilicevici.

Update:

Some noteworthy ideas discussed, through practical examples and live coaching:

• need for self discipline - exercised through daily routines and commitment to schedules
• need for planning (in life and in business)
• need for benchmarking against the initial plan
• equilibrium and how it can be attained through self discipline
• working and always learning and improving