Charisma. It’s good for business. Some people have it naturally, but anyone can develop charisma. The value of your charisma in terms of a business asset has to do with how well you influence others by connecting with them.

Charisma as defined by Webster’s Dictionary: “A personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm.” Makes sense, doesn’t it, that inspiring loyalty and enthusiasm in your clients and colleagues is good for business?

These components of charisma can be learned and improved:
1. Silent messages
2. Communication skills
3. Persuasiveness
4. Adaptability

1. Silent Messages: when someone meets you for the first time, most of their reception of you has to do with non-verbal aspects of you that include and go beyond mere body language.

There is also your energy level or your vibe, your body fitness, the tone of voice more than the actual words you say, etc. These transmit information about your level of caring. The person you’re meeting gets an impression of whether and how you value them.

To increase your charisma (magnetic personality), be aware of your silent messages and practice and attitude of service. Treat others as important, and you will attract and empower your clients and colleagues.

2. Communications skills: while this component includes speaking, an equally important part of communication is listening - a fact which many people forget when they are “communicating.”

To increase your charisma, practice the art of speaking succinctly and clearly. Since people would generally rather talk than listen, most of your business contacts will appreciate you for being direct and to the point.

Spend plenty of focused attention on developing your listening skills. Here are some behaviors to remember: make eye contact, smile, nod your head or make uh-huh sounds, lean toward rather than away. These seem like simple things, but if you look around you might notice that many people fail to do them.

Also, ask yourself, are you really listening, or just waiting for your turn to talk? When you really pay attention, you can learn valuable things about the person with whom you’re dealing. So, if you’re tempted to interrupt, take a deep breath. Always seek to understand the other person’s point of view.

3. Persuasiveness. Surprisingly, this is best accomplished by shifting the focus to the other person. Explore the problems you could help them solve or the opportunities you could help them seize. Ask questions that allow the other person to come up with the answers.

To increase your charisma, keep this in mind regarding persuasiveness: you get what you want by helping others get what they want.

4. Adaptability. Appreciate diversity rather than merely tolerating that others don’t always do or want things the same way you do. The more you can get into the flow of someone else’s agenda (while remaining authentic), the more appeal you have to them.

To increase your charisma, forget the golden rule, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.” Instead, figure out how to treat them the way *they* would like to be treated.

Lila Norden is a business and financial consultant. Lila offers valuable information to help you make decisions about your business growth and financial development. Visit Lila’s web site Fyne Business Additional articles by Lila are also at Yes Investing and F-Com Finances.

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In watching the Enron trial it appears to me that these gentlemen are going to get office Scott Free. Why is it that our government is spending $200 million of taxpayers money all of this trial? Why not just give that $200 million back to those who lost all their pension when Enron closed their doors?

It seems as if the government lawyers are more concerned with the public relations problem on their hands if they fail to convict rather than the shear amount of money they are spending that is taxpayers money. If the government doesn’t care about spending our money, they should pay be on trial them selves for fraudulently misrepresenting into misappropriating the taxpayers monies? On one hand the government promises to convict these gentlemen to serve justice, yet in doing so they are making a mockery of the judicial system, as well as the Justice Department.

We should not let government lawyers for the Justice Department off the hook is easy. They are wasting our money in this trial has gone on for five years almost six now and will not be over with appeals for another 2 1/2 years. If someone were to rob a bank or a common man was to fraudulently steal money they would have been convicted and already have done over half of their time in prison? So whereas I too demand justice, I also feel as though I have been lied to by the Justice Department, as it looks like they do not have a very good case.

It is amazing the amounts of interviews in the media and the number of press releases hitting the AP wire that the Justice Department has put out. Truth justice and the American way is part of a hallmark of this great nation into trash that by trying businessman in accord of public opinion at a time when Enron is so well-known that it is almost impossible for these gentlemen to get a fair trial is appalling. Shame on the prosecuting team and the Justice Department for lying to the American people and using public relations tactics to improve their case.

If the Justice Department has a good case then they have nothing to worry about. Are we so sure that the prosecuting team is not running for public office like Elliot Spitzer? If the United States of America does not stand for justice, then may I ask; just what does America stand for?

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So do you want to be successful, happy & rich? Or are you envious of what others have? Do you identify with failure and blame and living a life of mediocrity and poverty?

When we get up in the morning raring to go what’s the first thing on your mind?
Is it having a great day or the thought and terror of what lies ahead?

If you are in any form of sales, and most of the population seem to be in one way or another do you think about yourself or your customers? Are you more concerned with failing and what may go wrong, or being successful?

Are you telling yourself your products or services are not good enough, or your company cant deliver on time, or your not good enough or your product or service is to expensive?

What you are doing is mentally rehearsing failure. You are setting yourself up to fail before you’ve even started the day!

In time you actually condition your brain to negative thought practices which results in negative actions and underachievement.

Success requires planning, self responsibility and developing a high degree of self belief. But it’s more than that, its developing a right attitude, building relationships and having goals.

It’s been said that having Hope is a prerequisite, but I believe there are two sorts of hope. No hope & Bob hope & Bobs dead!

What you need is a can do attitude, not an I will try; there is no such word as try in the successful mindset only do.

Tryers fail before they start, doers make mountains move.

Your mind is your most valuable asset; you need to take responsibility for its running because your thoughts dictate your actions and life.

What you think and how you think it produces your success (or failure), your thoughts provide your ideas, motivation, behaviour, action and results.

You are where you are in life because at a sub conscious level you choose to be there!.

Nothing has ever been created by man in the world with out someone first having a thought; the thought was changed into an idea. That idea was transformed into a plan and that plan into a result.

Success is 80% of what you think and 20% of what you do. Your beliefs are the building blocks of your life, the foundations of your success.

We are conditioned since childhood to believe certain things, don’t do that, don’t make a fool of your self, don’t take risks. To the point that by the time we reach adulthood we have been successful programmed to think and act in a certain way!

What I say to you is this. Don’t limit your thinking, it’s a clich

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