by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 19, 2009 | Empowerment, Leadership, Success, Vision
As you continue on your path of success, creating a plan of action focuses your efforts and yields immediate results.
Though you may be tempted to feel overwhelmed by the task, keep in mind that planning starts with a good outline.
Simply detail the steps you must take to achieve your goals. Following a plan allows you to keep track of your accomplishments which helps motivation levels remain high.
It also allows you to articulate what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. The saying is true: "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail."
This week I will share two principles each day that will help you create a success plan for your life. If you will dedicate one week to both principles, in 5-6 weeks you'll be a different & successful person.
1. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH
When creating a plan of action, clearly state your goals. First, have a brainstorming session. Let the ideas flow without interruption or judgment. Be sure to write down whatever comes to mind. Next, tighten up the looser ideas. For instance, a more specific version of "I want to start my own business" would be "I want to own my own Cyber Cafe within 5 years." Making goals specific helps you to zero in on what you want to accomplish. Finally, start thinking about how to achieve them.
2. WRITE A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
Crafting a plan for success involves generating an idea of who you are and what you intend to do with your life.
Writing a mission statement will help pinpoint where you should focus your efforts. Your mission statement should clearly state the things in life that are most important to you – things that motivate you to go from one step to the next. It should also reflect goals based on these values. Your mission statement should be motivational, easy to understand, and action-oriented. It should appeal to you personally and emotionally.
So, roll up your sleeves & let the work begin!
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 14, 2009 | Communication, Empowerment, Leadership, Networking, Relationships, Success
Build Bridges – Not Walls
When you leave a job, church, organization, for whatever reason, be sure to leave on good terms; you never know when you will need to contact or utilize former employers or co-workers for recommendations or networking purposes.
If you leave with an attitude of "good riddance," others will not be inclined to maintain a relationship with you. Wishing other well, providing your personal contact information, and making every effort to stay in touch are great ways to leave lines of communication open.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 13, 2009 | Communication, Current Affairs, Empowerment, Leadership, Networking, Relationships, Success
Anthropologists have found that for one person, a genuine social network – one in which you know the members and they know you is limited to about 150 people. In fact, Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point found there is a "'cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships."
So what does all of this mean to you: DON'T NETWORK JUST TO NETWORK! Whittle down your contacts to the most fruitful ones. Then rank them according to their importance until you've created 1st, 2nd, & 3rd tier networks.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 7, 2009 | Communication, Empowerment, Leadership, Networking, Relationships
While attending grad school @ The University of Missouri I joined
Toastmasters (great networking opportunity & our church has a
chapter). While there, I ran across fellow
Toastmaster Jim Nudelman’s 4-step process for writing an Elevator Pitch.
The Pitch is a 10-15 second focused introduction of your “value proposition” that
can be given in an elevator when someone asks, “tell me about yourself.”
Here’s his process:
Step 1 — Begin with an ACTION PHRASE that is NOT a noun. (”I am a
__________” but don’t use a “label” in the blank. You don’t want
people to put you in a box.)
Step 2 — Add a one sentence statement about what you DO. (”I do _____________” What do you help people or businesses do?)
Step 3 — Give a statement of the SPECIFIC IMPACT. (”People who utilize my
process find _________” list one or two things from the perspective of your
potential employer.)
Step 4 — End with a CALL TO ACTION. (”I am looking to be introduced to
_______________” be specific! If you ask for something non-specific you
are likely to get it. What good it that?)
Here’s my pitch:
“My name is Clarence Stowers. I am a master of empowering people &
growing leaders. I teach people how to how to trust God and believe in themselves to accomplish great things. People who attend our church live empowered
lives and pursue excellence in every area of their lives. Please introduce me to people who you believe
are living beneath their potential.”
Thanks!
Let me hear your pitch…
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 6, 2009 | Empowerment, Leadership, Networking, Relationships, Success
Think of your goal to become successful as a house you plan to build. You know that you cannot build an entire house by yourself, so you will need to enlist the help of others. This is where networking comes in. If you are the architect of your house, then the people with whom you network are the electricians, plumbers, decorators, and painters. In order to accomplish something as grand as being successful in all areas of life, going at it alone is not only difficult and unnecessary – IT'S FOOLISH!
1ST STEP:
TAP YOUR CURRENT NETWORK
Without even realizing it, it is likely that you already know many people who can help you reach your goals. Make a list of your contacts. First, list personal contacts and divide this list into family, friends, & neighbors.
Next, list other personal contacts – include your doctor, dentist, lawyer, accountant, fraternities, sororities, & other social clubs.
Then, list professional contacts such as people you have worked with, worked through, worked for, or given work to. List customers, clients, consultants, and even competitors. Tally up the names of the people in all the different categories. You will likely be surprised by the extent of your network.
For the record: I have 3256 contacts in my network…how many do you have?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Dec 18, 2008 | Current Affairs, Leadership, Politics, President-Elect Obama
Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Community Church was selected to give the invocation for President-Elect Obama's Inauguration. Personally, I know & like Rick Warren and our church grew using the Purpose Driven Church Model. I even taught African American pastors at their Purpose Driven Church Conference.
I know that whomever President-elect Obama chooses to give the invocation will come under scrutiny, but, there are a few pastors who are just as influential as Rick Warren who could masterfully handle giving the invocation. President-Elect Obama (David Axelrod), in case you're searching, here are a few to put on your short-list next time (no particular order).
Bishop Charles E. Blake
Bishop Blake serves as Presiding Bishop of the 6 million member Church of God in Christ, one of our nation's largest denominations. He also serves as the Jurisdictional Prelate of the First Jurisdiction of Southern California comprised of more than 250 churches.
He is the pastor of West Angeles Church of God in Christ with a membership of over 24,000. West Angeles is deeply involved in providing not only for the spiritual life of its people, but also it provides more than 80 programs for the psychological, social, and economic enhancement of the community.
Bishop TD Jakes
A beloved pastor, a successful entrepreneur, a global advocate and philanthropist, shepherd to millions around the globe, Bishop Thomas Dexter (T. D.) Jakes Sr., founded Greater Emmanuel Temple of Faith, his first pastorate, in 1979. It was a small beginning, in a small West Virginia church, pastoring a small congregation 10-members strong.
More than 25 years later, he pastors what Christianity Today calls "one of America's fastest growing mega-churches." The Potter's House, a multiracial, nondenominational church with 50-plus active outreach ministries, has dominated church growth records since its inception in 1996. In its almost 10-year existence, the church has grown from the 50 families that relocated with the Jakes family from West Virginia to Dallas to more than 30,000 members to-date. Rivaling many corporations, the ministry employs nearly 400 staff members, including full-time finance, human resources, information technology, materials distribution, public relations, publications and television production departments. The Potter's House is fiscally sound, retiring within four years the financial debt incurred by the 191,000 square foot, $45 million sanctuary construction.
Pastor Kirbyjohn Caldwell
In July 1982, Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell was appointed Senior Pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church. At the time, the congregation numbered 25.
Today, Windsor is the largest United Methodist Church in the nation. One of the principal factors contributing to Windsor Village’s evolution is Pastor Caldwell’s belief that the church must embrace theology, identify societal problems, and deliver solutions holistically. In other words, the church must take the “sanctuary” to the streets.
He is the best-selling author of ENTREPRENEURIAL FAITH AND THE GOSPEL OF GOOD SUCCESS . His book provides a road map to spiritual and emotional wholeness and he delivers a powerful message of wholistic salvation. He serves on several national and local boards.
Pastor A.R. Bernard
A. R. Bernard is the President of the Council of Churches of the City of New York representing 1.5 million Protestants, Anglicans and Orthodox Christians. He is also the Founding Pastor and CEO of the Christian Cultural Center (CCC), a 29,000 member Church that sits on an 11-acre campus in Brooklyn, New York.
Bernard sits on the New York City Economic Development Corporation Board; New York City School Chancellor’s Advisory Cabinet and serves as an advisor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, initially as a member of his 2001 Transition Team.
Bernard has been recognized as the most influential New York clergyman (NY Daily News, February 6, 2008), one of the most influential African American New Yorkers (NY Post, February 19, 2008), and voted one of New York’s most influential (NY Magazine, 2006). He was honored with a lifetime achievement award by the Consulate General of Israel in New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish National Fund.
Pastor Floyd H. Flake
Flake Former U.S. Congressman, the Reverend Dr. Floyd H. Flake is the senior pastor of the more than 20,000 member Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, Queens, and President of Wilberforce University in Ohio. During his 31-year pastorate, Allen has become one of the nation’s foremost Christian churches and development corporations. The church and its subsidiary corporations operate with an annual budget of over $34 million.
The church also owns expansive commercial and residential developments; a 750-student private school founded by Flake and his wife Elaine, and various commercial and social service enterprises, which has placed it among the nation’s most productive religious and urban development institutions. The corporations, church administrative offices, school, and ministries comprise one of the Borough of Queens’ largest private sector employers.
Dr. Flake earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree (D.Min.) from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH and holds a B.A. from Wilberforce University with additional studies at Payne Theological Seminary and Northeastern University School of Business. He also has numerous honorary degrees including: Boston University, Fisk University, Lincoln University (PA), and Cheney State (PA).
Before assuming the pastorate of Allen Church, Reverend Flake served in various capacities at Boston University; Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Interim Dean of the Chapel, and Dean of Students. This followed successful stints as Associate Dean of Students at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Marketing Analyst for the Xerox Corporation.
Flake serves as a member of the following boards: The President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education; The Fannie Mae Foundation; The Princeton Review; The New York City Investment Fund Civic Capital Corporation; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Advisory Committee on Banking Policy and the Bank of America National Advisory Board. Flake is also a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Social and Economic Policy, an Adjunct Fellow on the Advisory Board of The Brookings Institute Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, and a member of The NYC 2012 Olympic Committee. He is also a former columnist for the New York Post.
