Taking those preparation courses your school never offered
"Don't worry, college will prepare you for the real world."
They lied. When you were in high school they said, "Take these courses and you'll be ready for college." They lied. When you were in college they said, "Take these courses and you'll be ready for the real world." They lied.
How many courses did you take in possessing a positive attitude, setting goals, taking responsibility, listening, having pride and understanding others? How important are those lessons in successfully executing your job?
The courses you really need, they never gave. Why? Bad question. Heaven forbid we should make academia accountable for an individual's preparation for the real world. Responsible for offering the educational programs we really need. NOTE: I'm not saying abandon what we've got, I'm recommending we supplement the stuff that makes us excellent Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy players (Geography, Literature, History), for the information and lessons we could really use.
If you're in sales or customer service, there's a set of beginner's skills to master in order to succeed. These elements are prerequisites to the actual selling or serving process. They give you the background to tackle the task. Asking you to sell or serve without these skills is like asking you to do algebra without being able to add and subtract.
Here's a list of courses that would prepare you for success in relationships, friendships and the working world. Imagine the fun you could have had in school if it was real-world oriented. How many of these following courses have you had?
"The Magic of Creating a Positive Attitude." We become what we think about. The magic of creating a positive attitude is one secret of success. Building quality performance starts with a positive attitude. Why not offer a course on how to establish and maintain one?
"Setting and exceeding goals." Everyone knows they should set goals but very few know how. Don't confuse activity with accomplishment. Goals are the road map to success. Selecting and exceeding goals increases chances for success and personal satisfaction. When was the last time you took a goal-setting course?
"Establishing pride on the job." Having pride in yourself, your company and what you do. Liking yourself and your career. Building a belief system. Being proud of yourself is critical, especially in sales.
"Understanding people." Sometimes people need our help and have a strange way of expressing it. A brisk walk in the other person's shoes will help you to better understand how to deal with them. This course is the gateway to sales and customer service.
"Taking responsibility." For your actions, what happens to you, and the success of your company. If you think everyone else is at fault except you ... think again. You must learn to accept and take responsibility. Take ownership of your job and your dealings with customers and co-workers.
"Effective listening." The best way to know how to serve a customer or help a co-worker is to listen. The vital importance of listening with the intent to understand, and then with the intent to respond. Listening is the weakest personal development skill we possess.
"Effective communication." You must learn to communicate in a way that allows you to be understood. Co-workers and customers want clear, concise information. Communication skills are the most important and least taught skills in the universe.
"Embracing change." Change occurs every day, and it's resisted, often fought, even though it's often better than what we now have. We need to teach the ability of how to capture the opportunity of change.
"Building friendships and long-term relationships." You must be able to establish, build and maintain relationships that last. You need to incorporate methods and techniques that help build respect, friendships, and relationships with co-workers and customers. It is the "value first" method of dealing with others.
"Making effective decisions." Gain the ability to make effective decisions (which means taking risks). Understand why and how decisions are made. The steps of effective decision making are combined with the message that it's O.K. to make mistakes. It is important to take responsibility without fear and guilt.
"Working as a team." You can't make it alone. The power of one plus one is 10 times greater than two. Understanding how teams work individually and collectively will lead to success.
That's the curriculum I recommend. Wish I ran the schools. Oops, better run my own life first. If you're ready to resign your position as general manager of the universe, and learn to get these lessons instead of blaming others, you'll have to seek out self-help or professionally developed programs.
Thank goodness you are responsible for your own success. Take control of your own personal development to achieve your goals and dreams - while the school systems continue to wallow in their own mediocrity, and persist in telling the big lie.
They lied. When you were in high school they said, "Take these courses and you'll be ready for college." They lied. When you were in college they said, "Take these courses and you'll be ready for the real world." They lied.
How many courses did you take in possessing a positive attitude, setting goals, taking responsibility, listening, having pride and understanding others? How important are those lessons in successfully executing your job?
The courses you really need, they never gave. Why? Bad question. Heaven forbid we should make academia accountable for an individual's preparation for the real world. Responsible for offering the educational programs we really need. NOTE: I'm not saying abandon what we've got, I'm recommending we supplement the stuff that makes us excellent Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy players (Geography, Literature, History), for the information and lessons we could really use.
If you're in sales or customer service, there's a set of beginner's skills to master in order to succeed. These elements are prerequisites to the actual selling or serving process. They give you the background to tackle the task. Asking you to sell or serve without these skills is like asking you to do algebra without being able to add and subtract.
Here's a list of courses that would prepare you for success in relationships, friendships and the working world. Imagine the fun you could have had in school if it was real-world oriented. How many of these following courses have you had?
"The Magic of Creating a Positive Attitude." We become what we think about. The magic of creating a positive attitude is one secret of success. Building quality performance starts with a positive attitude. Why not offer a course on how to establish and maintain one?
"Setting and exceeding goals." Everyone knows they should set goals but very few know how. Don't confuse activity with accomplishment. Goals are the road map to success. Selecting and exceeding goals increases chances for success and personal satisfaction. When was the last time you took a goal-setting course?
"Establishing pride on the job." Having pride in yourself, your company and what you do. Liking yourself and your career. Building a belief system. Being proud of yourself is critical, especially in sales.
"Understanding people." Sometimes people need our help and have a strange way of expressing it. A brisk walk in the other person's shoes will help you to better understand how to deal with them. This course is the gateway to sales and customer service.
"Taking responsibility." For your actions, what happens to you, and the success of your company. If you think everyone else is at fault except you ... think again. You must learn to accept and take responsibility. Take ownership of your job and your dealings with customers and co-workers.
"Effective listening." The best way to know how to serve a customer or help a co-worker is to listen. The vital importance of listening with the intent to understand, and then with the intent to respond. Listening is the weakest personal development skill we possess.
"Effective communication." You must learn to communicate in a way that allows you to be understood. Co-workers and customers want clear, concise information. Communication skills are the most important and least taught skills in the universe.
"Embracing change." Change occurs every day, and it's resisted, often fought, even though it's often better than what we now have. We need to teach the ability of how to capture the opportunity of change.
"Building friendships and long-term relationships." You must be able to establish, build and maintain relationships that last. You need to incorporate methods and techniques that help build respect, friendships, and relationships with co-workers and customers. It is the "value first" method of dealing with others.
"Making effective decisions." Gain the ability to make effective decisions (which means taking risks). Understand why and how decisions are made. The steps of effective decision making are combined with the message that it's O.K. to make mistakes. It is important to take responsibility without fear and guilt.
"Working as a team." You can't make it alone. The power of one plus one is 10 times greater than two. Understanding how teams work individually and collectively will lead to success.
That's the curriculum I recommend. Wish I ran the schools. Oops, better run my own life first. If you're ready to resign your position as general manager of the universe, and learn to get these lessons instead of blaming others, you'll have to seek out self-help or professionally developed programs.
Thank goodness you are responsible for your own success. Take control of your own personal development to achieve your goals and dreams - while the school systems continue to wallow in their own mediocrity, and persist in telling the big lie.
