"Invest in Yourself" Youtube Channel

I created a YOUTUBE Channel where I share my Personal/Professional experiences/knowledge .. Channel links are mentioned below =>

My "Invest in Yourself" Youtube Channel:

"Invest in Yourself" Channel @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUreA1eYl7z0WExuluH8Jtw

"Invest in Yourself" Life Talks(TELUGU) Playlist @ 

    1. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFaszmaSvKHX5JV6uPaqbYP0fQnSkpfST (weekly)

 

    2. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFaszmaSvKHVeSWkFjx73oc7ksHPAt_H1 (popular)

"Invest in Yourself" Life Talks(ENGLISH) Playlist @ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFaszmaSvKHUxZRst09m6KfGSV8ed3jzI

Inspirational Youtube Videos .. 2018

Inspirational Speeches from Personality Development Trainers(Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Simon Sinek, Tony Robbins..)
@ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyAIqyc75xM&list=PLrJeDBeuYPQb21hLrFaNcu8yH8LEWcqxe

Inspirational Audio Books @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wBP7h2T1o4&list=PLrJeDBeuYPQZqb_Jq8VWiQ9xWGxakD__e

Business/Life @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20vHWuPVy_s&list=PLrJeDBeuYPQbLoXhlc0qTT6gFs40aBZQw

Financial Management @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEgu6p_frmE&list=PLrJeDBeuYPQZgcqEZg3QQw61DAhePLbzZ

Inspiring Interviews @ 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1aRl6ay-04&list=PLrJeDBeuYPQYFPZ5YEASmb1w1H2Yphi0Z
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvhW8cp15tk&list=PLrJeDBeuYPQbH2Xf0MShTGYuZsRUvxEty

Dream Achievers (కల ల  సాధకులు) @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQgwS5aPGBg&list=PLrJeDBeuYPQYc1Ywx1Qub0u-sm5XeyAeR

Personality Development videos(in Telugu language) @
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OKSlSdtB-I&list=PLrJeDBeuYPQacRdUwgQZU1u7qFBa24-JY

Napoleon Hill's 10 Principles of Personal Achievement ..

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve

Lesson 1: Definiteness of Purpose - Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. Without a purpose and a plan, people drift aimlessly through life.

Lesson 2: Mastermind Alliance - Success does not come without the cooperation of others.

Lesson 3: Going the Extra Mile - It's never crowded along the extra mile. Do more than is required. If you want to succeed at any job, make yourself invaluable. Go the extra mile; make them never be able to imagine what life without you there would be like.

Lesson 4: Personal Initiative - Personal initiative is the power that inspires the completion of that which one begins.

Lesson 5: Positive Mental Attitude - Success attracts more success while failure attracts more failure.

Lesson 6: Enthusiasm - Enthusiasm is faith in action. It is the intense emotion known as burning desire. It comes from within, although it radiates outwardly in the expression of one’s voice and countenance.

Lesson 7: Self-Discipline - If you do not control your thoughts, you cannot control your needs.

Lesson 8: Accurate Thinking - The power of thought is the most dangerous or the most beneficial power available to man, depending on how it is used.

Lesson 9: Teamwork - Unity is strength when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved. The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.

Lesson 10: Creative Vision - Vision is developed by the free and fearless use of one’s imagination. It is not a miraculous quality with which one is gifted or is not gifted at birth. Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. 

ref: http://www.success.com/article/napoleon-hills-17-principles-of-personal-achievement

Solutions Thinking ..

Solution Thinking involves evaluating a current problem or situation and determining a reasonable, practical plan to attack that problem or situation. The mindset is:

1.     There is a solution to this problem or situation
2.     I possess the skills, talents, and resources to discover the solution
3.     I will devise a workable plan and make it work.

There are three key principles to working in a solutions focused way:

1. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
2. Once you know what works, do more of it.
3. If it's not working, do something different.

Tools/Frameworks that help in Solutions Thinking journey:

• Cynefin Framework
• Three-Circle Model
• Kano Model
• Google HEART model

Cynefin Framework explores the relationship among "man, experience, and context" and proposes new approaches to communication, decision-making, policy-making, and knowledge management in complex social environments.It has five domains -

1. Obvious - Relationship between cause and effect is obvious to all, the approach is to Sense - Categorize - Respond and we can apply best practice.
2. Complicated - Relationship between cause and effect requires analysis or some other form of investigation and/or the application of expert knowledge, the approach is to Sense - Analyze - Respond and we can apply good practice.
3. Complex - Relationship between cause and effect can only be perceived in retrospect, but not in advance, the approach is to Probe - Sense - Respond and we can sense emergent practice.
4. Chaotic - Relationship between cause and effect at systems level, the approach is to Act - Sense - Respond and we can discover novel practice.
5. Disorder - State of not knowing what type of causality exists, in which state people will revert to their own comfort zone in making a decision.

The Kano Model of Customer satisfaction divides product attributes into three categories. A competitive product meets basic attributes, maximizes performances attributes, and includes as many delight attributes as possible at a cost the market can bear.

1. Basic
2. Performance
3. Delight

Google HEART framework User Experience metrics fall into five specific categories -

1. Happiness: Measures of user attitudes, often collected via survey.
2. Engagement: Level of user involvement, typically measured via behavioral proxies such as frequency, intensity, or depth of interaction over some time period. 
3. Adoption: New users of a product or feature. 
4. Retention: The rate at which existing users are returning. 
5. Task Success: Traditional behavioral metrics of user experience, such as efficiency (e.g. time to complete a task), effectiveness (e.g. percent of tasks completed), and error rate. This category is most applicable to areas of your product that are very task-focused, such as search or an upload flow.

ref:

A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making(Cynefin Framework) - https://hbr.org/2007/11/a-leaders-framework-for-decision-making

The new dynamics of strategy: Sense-making in a complex and complicated world - http://xenia.media.mit.edu/~brooks/storybiz/kurtz.pdf

Strategic Insight in Three Circles - https://hbr.org/2007/11/strategic-insight-in-three-circles

Start with Why: Creating a value proposition with the Golden Circle model - http://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/online-value-proposition/start-with-why-creating-a-value-proposition-with-the-golden-circle-model/

Complete Guide to Kano Model - http://foldingburritos.com/kano-model/

Understanding Kano Model - https://articles.uie.com/kano_model/

Measuring the User Experience on a Large Scale: User-Centered Metrics for Web Applications(Google HEART metrics) - http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//pubs/archive/36299.pdf

Diffusion of Innovations Book by Everett M. Rogers - http://www.amazon.com/Diffusion-Innovations-5th-Everett-Rogers/dp/0743222091

Managers vs Leaders

ref: http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what-is-the-difference-between-management-and-leadership/

Leadership and management must go hand in hand; They are not the same thing. But they are necessarily linked, and complementary. The manager’s job is to plan, organize and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate.

 

10 Rules of Success ...

"The ideas I stand for are not mine. I borrowed them from Socrates. I swiped them from Chesterfield. I stole them from Jesus. And I put them in a book. If you don’t like their rules, whose would you use?" - Dale Carnegie

Carnegie 10 Rules of Success ...

1. Never say, “You’re wrong.”

2. Never get yourself into an argument.

3. When wrong, admit it immediately.

4. Begin all conversations in a friendly way.

5. Get the other person to say “yes” as soon as possible.

6. Let the other person feel that your idea is his own.

7. Be sympathetic with the other person’s fears and desires.

8. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.

9. Give honest, sincere appreciation.

10. Smile.


More ...

1. Define your purpose.
Create a plan, break-down all tasks(actions) and start working toward it immediately.

2. Focus
Don't become distracted from the most important task you are currently facing.

3. Go the extra mile.
"Doing more than you have to do is the only thing that justifies raises or promotions, and puts people under an obligation to you," writes Hill.

4. Create a "master-mind alliance."
Networking is the key. Contact and work with people "who have what you haven't," Hill says.

5. Practice "applied faith."
Self-confidence is the key. Believe in your passion and your purpose so fully that you act with complete confidence.

6. Be proactive
Do what you have to without being told.

7. Indulge your imagination.
Dare to think and care to achieve.

8. Exert enthusiasm.
Focus on what excites you. A positive attitude sets you up for success and wins the respect of others.

9. Think accurately.
In Hill's words, accurate thinking is "the ability to separate facts from fiction and to use those pertinent to your own concerns or problems."

10. Profit from adversity.
Remember that "there is an equivalent benefit for every setback," Hill writes.













ref: 
http://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-carnegies-rules-of-success-2014-5
http://www.earlytorise.com/dale-carnegies-10-rules-for-getting-people-to-like-you/

Characteristics every Entrepreneur should have ..

ref: 

• http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240559
• http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232991

1. Adaptability

What you start out to do will not be exactly what you’re doing when you are ultimately successful. As you roll out your enterprise, you’ll discover that things you expected to work well don’t work at all. You’ll stumble into things that you didn’t expect to work that will. You’ll have to be able to adapt.

You got to be a entrepreneurial chameleon. What makes chameleons so unique is obviously their ability to blend into any background. If they need resemble tree bark, they can. If they need to resemble a brightly colored green leaf, they can do that too! As a successful entrepreneur, you will need to be as flexible as chameleon. This means that you need to be able to quickly adapt to various situations and work comfortably with numerous types of clients with different personalities. Never go for Win-Lose always go for Win-Win. You and your client must always win within the deal.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

2. Persistence & Passion

To succeed, you will have to be willing to persist through difficult times. You must be passionate about what they are trying to accomplish. Likewise, they must be willing to commit whatever is needed of them. 

3. Resourcefulness

A vital ability for an entrepreneur is knowing how to make the most of what you have. Your assets as an entrepreneur will be limited, so use them to the fullest. Tapping into a network is the key.

In the long history of humankind those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.

Success mantra = Learn, Unlearn and Relearn

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it

Success breeds success across all walks of life & the main ingredient of success is having success. Critical element of success is self-confidence; you don't need other people's approval. Success can make you smarter, and more able to think of new ideas. Anyone can experience success; It's all in the mind !

Failures are a part of life. They are an essential element to moving forward, and going after what you want. If you’re not failing, it means you’re not in action or being bold enough! So, expect failures. Welcome them in. It means you’re growing, stretching and trying new things. In order to create room for the things we want in life, we must be willing to release what hasn’t been working (ie. failures) so we have room to invite things that will work. If there’s no room for all that, it will always be waiting for you, off in the distance, until your past failures are released. You can't fly if your wings are holding the baggage of yesterday. Let go and Fly !

Have someone on your side that you can count on for honest feedback.  Find out what you could’ve done better, what needs a little sharpening, and what areas you may have missed.  We all have blind spots, and we need someone else to shine a light on them.  Once you know what to focus on, apply apply apply !

Never get too comfortable in your last success…that is the biggest failure. Always push for a new benchmark and a new “top.”  Pushing your comfort zone, stretching and challenging yourself is the key. 

ref:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231535

http://www.finerminds.com/personal-growth/7-tips-to-transform-any-failure-into-fuel/

I failed, and I'm still alive. What worse could happen? Let's take another risk and see ...

Leadership lessons..

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. Leadership is all about doing the right things.

1. Be a great communicator - someone who's both an inquisitive conversationalist and an engaged, active listener.  Everyone wants to be heard. connect to people by asking more open-ended questions, such as "Tell me, what did you enjoy the most in today's Tech-Talk?"

2. Trust people - Trust is everything. Delegate responsibility, trust people and make them accountable .. Miracles happen .. At the end of the day, it's all about people !

3. Continuous learning - Leaders who are continuously learning are challenging their own assumptions and bringing more knowledge to the table each time they converse. Self-learning is the key. The day you stop learning is the day you stop living.

4. Stay positive - High-performing leaders understand that staying positive not holding grudges, dwelling on problems, or spending time focusing on negative influences  is an integral part setting and accomplishing their goals.

5. Meticulous Time management - As a leader, you may be frequently interrupted or pulled in different directions. While you cannot eliminate interruptions, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them and how much time you will spend on the thoughts, conversations and actions that will lead you to success. 

6. Build momentum incrementally - Don’t be intimidated by the scope of your idea; create smaller checkpoints that build up to your bigger achievement. Resilient leaders push themselves to accomplish their goals, but allow some room to change or improvise as they go.  

  

7. Constructive failure handling - We have all experienced failure, but there are ways you can learn from these obstacles and channel them into something even more fulfilling. Disciplined leaders who aren’t afraid to fail, and who take time to recharge and help others are well on their way to long-term success.

8. Be a Entrepreneur - Hardworking, driven, competitive, collaborative, imaginative, a people person or a problem-solver .. An innovative leader is always on the lookout for new opportunities and prospects and points of view, wherever they go. A successful entrepreneur knows they can't go it alone and that there is always something new to learn. 

9. Consistent good habits - exercise, eat healthy, read voraciously and network, network, network ...

ref: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241160

Success Quotes ...

ref: http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/100-motivational-quotes-that-will-inspire-you-to-succeed.html

"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success." - Swami Vivekananda

"Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." - Maya Angelou

"Opportunities don't happen, you create them." - Chris Grosser

"If you don't value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents start charging for it." - Kim Garst

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission.

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.

Building strong teams ...

ref: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241216

A strong team is never satisfied. They know they can do it better than they did it yesterday, and they are excited to come to work every day saying, How do I do it better?

Company Work Culture:

Peter Drucker quote - “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. It's really the people that make any company the kind of company it is. It's the shared values and practices of the company's employees. It's all about laying the groundwork for a strong, unified, communication-driven, supportive and fun culture. Culture actually drives the value of the business. 

Know the team:

Know your team personally and professionally. Spending more time with people and socializing with them, you will learn more about your team. More you engage with them personally, they become engaged professionally. Facilitate to Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the team, then fill in the gaps.

Engage the team:

People are engaged with leaders who share, communicate and hold themselves accountable when they did not make the right decision. Set short term goals that employees can hit quickly and accomplish the joy of being successful. People who succeed have momentum; the more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed; Fail fast, learn fast and innovate.

Trust and Accountability:

The secrets to successful teamwork: Trust and accountability. Trust and respect are two essential elements for building relationships in the workplace and beyond. It’s all about the relationships you have with people which does not necessarily mean friendships. Relationships are built over time, when one person has respect for another. Gradually, trust begins to build, too. You don’t have to be a close personal friend with everyone at work, but you do always need to show each person respect and professionalism.

'The Start-Up of You' by Reid Hoffman: a brief

Differentiate or Die:

In a world where "a million people can do your job", chart a career path that sets you apart from other professionals. You  don't need to be better than all professionals. You just need to be better in a local, professional niche.

3 pieces(one that does not work without other) of comprise your position in the market:

1. Assets: What you have going for you now. Your soft assets (like knowledge, skills, connections) and hard assets(like cash in the bank)
2. Aspirations & Values: Where you might like to go in the future
3. Market Realities: What people will actually pay you for

One way to upgrade your competitive position is by upgrading your assets - i.e, investing in yourself.

Plan to Adapt:

Entrepreneurial career planning and adapting is about being flexibly persistent; always ready to adapt, but also persistent in driving towards set goals. You will never have complete certainty; identify areas of incomplete knowledge about yourself or your industry and make plans that will help you fill those gaps.

Prioritize learning over profitability, so should you prioritize learning(soft assets) over cash salary(hard assets) for the majority of your career. In the long run, you will likely lead a more meaningful life, as well as make more money.

Craft a experimental Plan A, an alternative Plan B, and an unchanging, certain Plan Z:

• Plan A: What you are doing now. Your current implementation of your competitive advantage.
• Plan B: You pivot to B when your plan is not working or when you discover a better way toward your goal.
• Plan Z: You shift to Z if something goes seriously wrong. It's the lifeboat you can jump in if your plan fails and you need a re-load before getting back in the game.

People you spend time with shape the person you are today and the person you aspire to be tomorrow. Finally, remember that relationships are like any living thing; if they are not getting stronger, they are getting weaker. Strengthen relationships by sending articles, making introductions, collaborating on projects, and staying in touch.

Conclusion:

Start tapping into your network. Start investing in skills. Start taking  intelligent risks. Start pursuing breakout opportunities. But most of all, start forging your own differentiated career plans; start adapting these rules to your own adaptive life.

ref:

The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_hC-3L4eq17dF9EX0MyQ1MtcjQ/view?usp=sharing_eid