Watch My Excel Videos in High Definition Full Screen Mode on YouTube

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YouTube Logo

At the request of several viewers, I have begun to produce my Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook and Access Video Lessons in High Definition, Full Screen Viewing Mode. You can watch them, download them, share them and comment on them on YouTube. My YouTube Channel is DannyRocksExcels.

Here is the link to the YouTube”Playlist” that I have created for the HD Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9D34C8C834E21A51

Please “bookmark” this link. As I add more HD Videos on YouTube, the Playlist will be updated.

My iTunes Podcast

Danny on iTunes

I will continue to post my videos on www.thecompanyrocks.com in M4V video format so that they can be sent automatically to the iTunes store. I invite you to subscribe to my video podcast – Danny Rocks Tips and Timesavers – on iTunes. It is free! Here is the link to my iTunes podcast:

http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/danny-rocks-excel-tips/id374923275

I welcome your feedback on my videos. Let me know what you like, what you don’t like or would like to see improved. Send me your questions and I will do my best to answer them promptly. Just drop a note to say hello!

Learn how to “Master Excel in Minutes – Not Months!”

Words of recognition pay big dividends

“Good words are worth much, and cost little.” – George Herbert

Recognize the behavior that you want to see more of – and you will get it! Behavior reinforced is behavior repeated!

Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? It also seems like it should be easy to implement.

It is.

But most of us don’t do it – enough.

Why not? 

Words come easy. Effective use of our words requires thought and effort. And… a plan.

Words of recognition, appreciation and encouragement pay big dividends. People want to do their best work. However, many managers don’t help their team members to do the best that they are capable of delivering.

It is easy to criticize. It takes time, effort and a plan to offer effective, constructive feedback. Here are the three key elements of that plan:

  1. To be effective, recognition must be timely. Offer your words of encouragement and appreciation as soon as your witness the action  or become aware of it.
  2. To be effective, praise must be specific. Saying, “Good job, Joe!” is not enough. Those are empty words. What job did Joe do? What, specifically, made it a good job? What specific level of “good” did Joe deliver? Try this: “Joe, thank you for delivering your monthly report ahead of schedule. I appreciate the effort that you put into clarifying your department’s action plan for the month.” It took more thought to say it this way. It required you to put more effort into it. But… I guarantee you that “Joe” will put even more effort into his work. He will appreciate your effort to recognize his efforts!
  3. It must be tied into your organization’s overal goals and objectives. Tell “Joe” why his good work matters. Connect the dots for “Joe” and the rest of your team.

Remember these words:

“Everyone wants to be appreciated.So if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret.” – Mary Kay Ash

I, too, like to receive feedback on the articles that I post. Please take a few minutes to give me feedback. Tell me what you like – and why. What you don’t like – and why not? And help me to produce more of what you want to read about.

Follow the simple plan that I outlined here. It works! I guarantee it.

 

How to acheve success by failing

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.

– Thomas Watson, Jr. President of IBM (1952 – 1971)

Business Week Magazine has an interesting article titled, “Why Failures Can Be Such Success Stories.”  Along with an accompanying slide show, the writer details the multiple failures of many famous people and explains how and why they were able to rebound from a potentially debilitating experience:

  • Basketball superstar Michael Jordan was cut from his High School team.
  • Walt Disney was fired from his newspaper job because “he lacked creativity.”
  • Jack Welsh, former CEO of GE, literally “blew the roof” off a building because of a failed experiment early in his career.

What drives these people – and thousands of others just like them – to succeed? Why didn’t they just sink into the floor and seek cover from their mistakes?

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

That’s one explanation. And quite acceptable – in a clinical sort of way. Theoretically, I can accept the need to learn from my mistakes. And I have – made many mistakes – and learned from many of them.

What is more complex is the “blow to the ego” that usually accompanies a colossal failure. It is not the mistake, per se, that matters. It is how we personally react to the mistake. What we learn about what went wrong is important. But… what we learn about ourselves – and our reaction to the failure – is what determines our success – or our potential failure.

“We need to teach the highly educated person that it is not a disgrace to fail and that he must analyze every failure to find its cause. He must learn how to fail intelligently, for failing is one of the greatest arts in the world.” – Charles Kettering

What we can teach – others and ourselves – is the concept of “self-efficacy.”  Resiliance. The ability to bounce back after a failure. Learning how to look ahead and learning from your mistakes. Learning not to view mistakes as a personal failure.  To quote from Douglas MacMillan’s Business Week article:

“While self-efficacy is akin to other aspects of positive thinking such as self-confidence and self-esteem, it relates in particular to self-assurance about being able to excel at a particular task rather than to a person’s overall self-image. When failure strikes, people with high self-efficacy learn from their errors and strengthen their resolve to succeed.”

“Self-efficacy” is a trait that can be learned. It is a trait that leaders learn. It is a trait that leaders teach to others. A trait that they help to nurture in others – personally and organizationally.

How? How do you teach “self-efficacy?” By coaching and mentoring your staff. By offering constructive feedback on a continuing basis. By teaching people to “fail intelligently.” By teaching people how to succeed – by failing.

“Most people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying that they made them.” – John Hays