The James Dicks Blog

When I was in the Marine Corps, a lot of emphasis was placed on leadership skills and how these extraordinary qualities help to make the Corps a solid and dependable organization; focused on teamwork and the mission. Without the team the mission was never accomplished and so it is in today’s business community. I want to share with you a few of the leadership traits that the Marine Corps used to build its foundation upon, one that has served it well for more than 234 years.

I believe that one of the most important qualities that any of us can possess is integrity. Without an honest approach to life and to everyone we come into contact with, our lives are meaningless. Honesty and a sense of duty should be the number one issue in our daily lives and always remember to stand up for what you believe is the right thing, even if it’s not the popular thing to do.

You must always place other’s needs ahead of your own with a sense of unselfishness. Make certain that you, as the manager; never take advantage of any situation because you’re in charge. Never take credit for something that a subordinate has accomplished but always give credit where the credit is due. Those you are in charge of leading should never take a back seat based on your status as a manager/supervisor. As the Marine Corps states, be considerate of others.

Make sure that you get up every morning with a fair amount of enthusiasm and share it with the team. This can be translated as a positive attitude that creates a sincere interest in the performance of all your duties. If you show enthusiasm, others will soon do the same in accepting their own challenges within the organization. Smile, be understanding of others, enthusiastic about the job and willing to accept anything that is required of you and the team.

Also be as dependable as you possibly can to yourself and to others. If you are late to work, how can you expect others to make it there on time? Dependability also fosters a degree of trust among the staff members and develops an effort to try and attain the highest standards possible. Being dependable also means standing up for your actions and never making excuses. Get into the habit of successfully accomplishing a task whether you like it or agree with it. If required by the organization, do it to the best of your abilities.

The courage to do what isn’t popular or might be hazardous is something you’ll have to develop. It’s a very personal trait. Any bravery “under fire” (whether on the battlefield or in the boardroom) allows you to stay calm in situations that require you to remain under control. Your moral courage is also something that must never be neglected in order for you to develop the necessary strength to stand up for what is morally right. Your moral courage also forces you to accept fault when you are to blame. This is something that our drill instructor tried to instill in us right from the start by answering with the statement “No excuse, sir” when asked about our involvement in certain situations. Take the responsibility and the blame when required. It’s all about honor and making sure the team is never placed in jeopardy. Admit your mistake and move forward. It is that important.

Endurance is the final trait I want to share with you because it’s an extremely important quality to have, especially in today’s business world. When you feel like quitting, tell yourself to keep going. Understand internally that you have the ability to withstand the pain involved (whether physical, emotional, or financial), and can handle the stress, exhaustion and the hardships you’ll most likely endure.

If you simply decide to quit, then you will have achieved nothing. But if you hang in there and get the job done, even when you don’t think you can travel one step further, you will have succeeded.

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I think you just might agree with me when I say that there has never been a more important period in our life’s history that requires a distinct positive approach to everything we do. It just might be the key to success in our professional lives today. For those of you in management and leadership roles, you’ve studied the benefits of a positive disposition versus dwelling in the negative. If you display a positive approach to others when “bad things” happen, you are more likely to come to a successful conclusion in any problem you may face.

It’s not easy but it is necessary, even expected, of today’s business leader. Your confidence will be observed by those around you and will become quite contagious. If the team moves in a positive direction, the entire organization will have a better chance of succeeding. That’s important in today’s challenging business environment.

In corporate America today, there is a desperate need to do more with less. The stress of trying to create a positive cash flow when sales are down might force you to develop an approach that has never been tried before. Don’t say it can’t be done – try it. You may be surprised at how innovative thinking suddenly develops when a positive attitude is created.

Another personality trait attained when you’re in a positive mental zone is confidence. Without the will and desire to accomplish even the smallest task, there’s really no point in getting up in the morning. Your optimistic approach to the job at hand will take you to the next level of accomplishment. Part of building a respectable level of confidence is developing and attaining a set of goals that you set out for yourself and your organization. Accomplish each goal, step by step, and your confidence will flourish. You’ll start believing you can do whatever you set your mind and heart to do.

Oh, and one other thing – love what you do. That’s extremely important because once you find that your life’s work is actually something you enjoy doing, you’ll want to do it more often. You’ll want to make sure it’s done competently and those around you will also start feeling the same way. It’s often been said that if you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life.

But many of us are trapped in positions and in companies that we don’t enjoy because of the current shape of the economy. What can you do if you find yourself in that situation? Maybe it’s time to get out and start searching for that one thing that you are passionate about. Time to start enjoying the day from sunrise to sunset. Let your passion drive you forward and find what it is that will create a solid, confident, and positive attitude within you. It’s in you right now; you just need to do some soul searching to find it.

Your attitude and the way you think are entirely under your personal control. A positive attitude will help you lead your team to victory. So, when you think about it, your future success, even your very health is something that you can control if you literally put your mind to it. Think positively.

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I know it’s been tough the past couple of years and you’ve probably experienced some financial losses along the way, which could include a loss of equity in your home (or the loss of your home through foreclosure), your investments have probably taken a beating, and your 401(k) is no longer a viable option for your retirement future. If you were saving for your children’s education, that may have been put on hold, at least for the foreseeable future. Vacations? Forget about it….at least for now.

Remember, you may be down but you’re certainly not out by a long shot. Time to start the rebuilding process and the sooner the better. The faster you start, the more time you’ll have to put away the cash, the assets, the peace of mind before you really need it. But what to do first?
You might look back and try to remember where you started when you first left home or when you first got married. Chances are you began by putting away what you could in a bank savings account. That is probably a good place to start now.

Recently an economist said that average U.S. household wealth is down almost 20 percent from its pre-recessionary financial crest three years ago. There has been no reduction of U.S. household wealth in the last 50 years that has even come close to touching this loss. Many of those who supposedly know (government officials, economists and the like) are starting to believe that the “Great Recession” has probably seen its worse and investors are beginning to get restless about standing on the sidelines. But, many more are not yet interested in getting back in yet. There are fears that they might run into a second phase of this recession period and take another big hit. And others are getting nervous about the possibility of losing out on something big when things do begin to look clearer economically.

So what should we do? The answer to that question is very personal – it’s your money and that means its entirely your decision. But let me just throw out a few facts that may help you make some very important decisions.

Many people I talk to are ready to jump back into stocks. The negative or positive activity experienced by the stock market is normally guided by the strength or the weakness of the U.S. economy. When our economy begins to expand and the chances of inflation are relatively slim, the stock markets tend to thrive. Today, I don’t think we know the answer to either of those questions because growth and inflationary questions remain persistent today.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing lots of advertisements about investing in commodities these days, specifically gold. During periods of inflationary pressure, the commodity sector has been where many people go to find a financial refuge. Although gold has been showing some considerable strength, it has also shown itself to be rather stagnant over the last few months – not gain or losing much in the process. The Fed has stated this year that if inflation begins to show itself while our national economy continues to be on the mend, they will pull back some of the liquidity they’ve put out there in order to slow it down. This will indeed have a great impact on commodity pricing.

So where to go? Back to that savings account at the bank that hardly pays anything as far as interest is concerned. Or maybe its time to remain on the sidelines and get involved in CD’s or other interest rate vehicles. While these types of investments aren’t very lucrative, you can be sure of one thing…you’re probably not going to lose in the process either.

Are you in a mood to take a chance or are you in preservation mode right now? Remember the old adage – “You pay your money and you take your chances.” But the chances we are experiencing today are not like anything this generation has ever seen. Getting back in or staying on the sidelines is a decision that each one of us must make independently and not by the flipping of a coin. Get educated and make sure the decision you ultimately make is one you can personally live whether your investments go up or whether they go down.

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Today’s world is extremely challenging. We are fighting wars on multiple fronts and the need for more troops is becoming an ever-growing reality. National Guard and Reserve forces are being used more and more to not only fill in the gaps, but also, in many cases, to become the primary source of personnel in the field. This leaves American business with less manpower to get the job done in an extremely weak economy. Both sides have important issues to confront and many times its difficult to deal with them equitably.

There’s an organization that I’d like to introduce you to whose mission it is to support American business’ challenge of coping with the current mission of our National Guard and Reserve forces. It’s called the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and as their mission statement says, they are charged with developing and promoting “employer support for Guard and Reserve service by advocating relevant initiatives, recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of applicable laws, and resolving conflict between employers and service members.” In other words, ESGR helps American business to understand how to best support these gallant military members while on active duty while making sure they understand the laws protecting their jobs once they return.

ESGR is a Department of Defense organization and is a staff group within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, which is in itself a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In our current economic and wartime environment, the Department of Defense recognizes that civilian employers play a critical role in the defense of the nation by complying with existing employment laws protecting the rights of workers who serve in the Reserve component.

ESGR does this through the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), which is a federal law that is intended to ensure that persons who serve in the Guard or Reserve are not deprived in their civilian careers because of their service and are quickly reemployed in their civilian jobs upon their return from duty without discrimination. If there is a problem or dispute, ESGR is there to help at the business or service member’s request. ESGR has trained ombudsmen who can help negotiate a solution between the parties concerned.

Many business have voluntarily signed ESGR Statements of Support to help ESGR in promoting understanding of the Guard and Reserve members who work for these companies, to develop human resources policies that support employer participation in Guard and Reserve programs, and to voluntarily comply with USERRA which enforces the rights of those called to active duty in time of war or emergency.

It’s tough for everyone – the military service member, the family that is left behind when their loved ones are deployed but it’s also tough for a business that must keep producing with less manpower. ESGR is there to help.
ESGR was established in 1972 and today, operates through a network of thousands of volunteers throughout the United States and Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. If your business would like more information about ESGR, call 800-336-4590 or email USERRA@osd.mil.

JamesDicks General business, defense, economy, employ, ESGR, forex, government, guard, james dicks, military, national, reserves, unemployed

These are tough times – emotionally and financially – and in order your start your day on a positive note, you must take active control of your thoughts.

A while back I wrote an article that explained how I use a method to compartmentalize my own personal situations. In other words, I know that there are problems and situations that I must deal with at some point in my life, but that time might not come for another day or another month. I’ve taught myself to put those issues in the back of my mind – in a mental “compartment,” if you will – which allows me to deal with the most immediate situations first. Those issues that I have to concern myself with next week won’t be interfering with my current daily routine until the time comes to deal with them appropriately.

It’s not that I’m ignoring the problem; it’s more about postponing action until action is required. It takes time to master the knack of doing this but once you can control your thoughts a little better, you’ll notice that life won’t seem like an insurmountable task. Taking little chunks and handling each thing in a priority order certainly will help you develop a more positive attitude about your life.

Even before you get out of bed, stretch your body and your mind and prepare for the day ahead. Quote to yourself some positive affirmations knowing that if you think it, it will likely happen. If you get up in the morning with a negative mindset, your whole day will reflect that attitude. I guarantee it! Instead, get up with a positive thought, before a random life event takes hold of your daily routine. Things happen and most of how these events affect you is entirely the result of how you mentally handle and accept each situation that comes into your life.

It’s really very easy – if you think you CAN’T you will never accomplish anything. You remember as a child when you were first read the story of the “little engine that could.” The little train was chugging up the hill just saying to itself over and over – “I think I can, I think I can.” Well, it didn’t make any progress until it started telling itself– “I KNOW I CAN!” The moment you know you can you will help you begin to see how your mental state of being will always assist you in attaining the next goal, your next life objective.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had plenty of rough spots in my life and there were times when I felt the only thing to do was to give up. But someone gave me this same advice and I decided to try it. Once I could rearrange my thoughts from mostly negative to mostly positive, amazing things started happening to me. Those issues that I once thought were “mountains” that I could never climb suddenly flattened out and I could now run rather than limp through my life. I also found that there were quite a few people out there who were willing to help me overcome some of my challenges. In short, my life started changing for the best and I’ve never looked back.

Unexpected things in life will occur, anther great and logical reason to get your mind set on a more positive course now. If you have a stable mental process, when you hit one of life’s snags, you’ll be more likely to handle it more productively. Kind of like saving up financially for the proverbial “rainy day.” By preparing, whether mentally or financially, you’re ready for anything that might throw some problems your way.

So from this day forward, begin each new day by first taking positive control of your thought process. Don’t dwell on the bad stuff; instead think about the good things in your life a little more than you have been. Be thankful for your family and friends, your health, your experiences, and your dreams and you will soon find that your dreams will soon become the reality you’ve always hoped for. It happens – it’s happened to me.

JamesDicks General business, credit, crisis, economy, financial growth, financial responsibility, forex, goals, investing, james dicks, job, market crash