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LEVERAGED CAPITAL NEWSLETTER Leveraged Capital, is a free monthly newsletter that presents growth and strategy issues effecting entrepreneurs and owners of small to medium size enterprises (SME's). Leveraged Capital is published and delivered electronically to subscribers. Your privacy is strictly respected and we do not share or sell subscriber email addresses to anyone outside of Graham Financial Corporation. If you enjoy what we present, please forward a copy of Leveraged Capital to clients and associates. They can subscribe to Leveraged Capital, by clicking on this link: http://www.GrahamFinancial.com/newsLetter.htm and filling out the quick form.
I must admit, I have been caught at a loss for words this month - a rare point in my life in deed! I have struggled with an appropriate commentary given that this edition is September 2002. Anything written sounded trite, repetitive, and did not capture what I feel in my heart about the tremendous loss one year ago. Resigned to this, I spent much reflection and prayer this weekend pausing to recommit to be a better husband, better father, better leader in my company. Hence, this months edition focuses on three aspects - leadership, global trade, and people - all forward thinking articles as we move beyond September 11th, never forgetting, but with (hopefully) re-aligned priorities and focus for those areas in in our lives effecting our sphere of influence. Much (long-term)
success to you, DPG.
14 Years of Exceptional Service Contact Nikki Barnett (416) 367 - 1055
In This Months Issue: (Click on the Article Title To Go To The Full Story.)
Quote Of The Month: Investment Hindsight:
When do the people need a leader the most?
The answer is, in times of uncertainty.
When is it the most difficult to lead people?
The answer is, in times of uncertainty. I have found in times of crisis
and uncertainty, the tendency is for people to freeze - they stand still.
They basically say, "I don't know if I want to make a
decision." On the other hand,
leaders must constantly be leading, even in times of uncertainty. One of the best examples I can
use to illustrate how to lead in times of uncertainty is Rudy Giuliani because
of his incredible leadership in New York City during the 9/11 crisis. Here's a passage from "Time
Magazine," which named him the Person of the Year for 2001. The end was, in fact, just a few
blocks away. Having raced to the
scene at the first news of the attacks, Giuliani was nearly buried alive.
In the hours that followed, he had to lock parts of the city down and
break open others, create a makeshift command center and a temporary morgue,
find a million pair of gloves and dust masks and respirators, throw up
protections against another attack, tame the mobs that might be looking for
vengeance and somehow persuade the rest of the city that it had not been fatally
shot through the heart. It was an occasion to discover
what we already were. "Maybe
the purpose of all this," Rudy Giuliani said at a funeral for a friend,
"is to find out if America today is as strong as when we fought for our
independence or when we fought for ourselves as a Union to end slavery or as
strong as our fathers and grandfathers who fought to rid the world of Nazism and
communism." The terrorists, he
argues, were counting on our cowardice. They've
learned a lot about us since then, and so have we. But at the dawn of the new millennium, New York mayor Rudy Giuliani emerged from the ashes of the smoldering World Trade Center rubble to calm a frightened and anxious nation. And by leading the city through a crisis of unimaginable horror diabolically designed to cripple the most powerful country on earth, Giuliani staked his claim as this century's first great leader. What happens when people are uncertain? 1. They look for security. People
that are uncertain want to hold onto something that they believe will give them
security. But what do leaders do in times
of uncertainty? 1. They study other leaders who
have led successfully during similar times. 2. They give hope to others. 3. They provide compassion to
others. 4. They show courage to others. 5. They stay close to the people
to give them security. I've led in times of crisis many times — nothing compared to this — but I've found that every time that people are uncertain and every time people are emotionally distraught, what they need more than anything else is the security of the presence of a leader, walking slowly through the crowds, listening to them, reaching out, hugging them, caring for them. In other words, just saying, "I'm here. I'm here for you. I'm here to serve you, I'm here to minister to you; I'm here to help you." This article is used by
permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter 'Leadership
Wired' available at www.MaximumImpact.com. Dr. John Maxwell, founder of Georgia based Injoy
Group and has cultivated an
extensive following amount the most highly respected business leaders around the
globe. He reaches more than 350,000
people a year through speaking engagements, and over a million more through his
resources such as Maximum Impact. John
is committed to developing leaders of excellence and integrity through his
philosophy that “everything rises
and falls on leadership”. Author
of more than 30 books, Maxwell’s titles include these best sellers:
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Failing Forward, and The 17
Indisputable Laws of Teamwork.
For six straight years the United Nations ranked Canada the best country in the world in which to live. How did a country of 30 million people climb to the very top? One of our biggest boosters has been our ability to do business with the outside world. Trade enhances the quality of Canadian life. Success in the international marketplace helps gives Canadians the economic energy we need to create the nation we want. Is trade really that important to Canadians? Think about it. More than 45 percent of everything that Canadians produce is exported. In 2000, Canada shattered its own export record for the ninth straight year. We exported $474 billion in goods and services to countries throughout the world. That is more than $15,383 for every Canadian -- kids, youth and retirees included. Canada's increasingly complex economy -- bursting with potential -- can't keep growing unless we continue to develop markets outside our borders. Only one out of every 200 people in the world is Canadian. If we ignore what the other 199 have to buy and sell, Canada's cash registers will soon turn quiet and increasing numbers of Canadians will find themselves out of work. Every $1 billion increase in Canada's exports sustains 10 000 Canadian jobs. One out of three Canadian jobs depends on exports. Competing to Win. If asked why trade matters, a Grade 5 kid might say "Canadians sell a lot of stuff to other countries, and we get a lot of money. Canadians use that money to buy stuff they need." That may be too simple an explanation for economists and adults in general, but it does get to the heart of the matter. Trade means imports as well as exports. If some of
the billions of dollars that Canadians earn from exports is used to purchase
imported goods, so much the better. Other countries need to export to us if they
are going to buy from us. Trade
brings in technology and materials needed to create exports and offers Canadians
a wider range of personal choice in purchasing everything from oranges, to cars,
to medication. It encourages competitive pricing, creates jobs, stimulates
technological advances and promotes more educated societies. Trade can have its downside -- like any
opportunity, it involves risk. But there is no question that international trade
presents an endless range of win-win situations for those countries with the
resolve to compete. As long as the game is played by the rules. Does Canada Have What
It Takes? Canada used to be known as a commodity-based
economy. Grains. Minerals. Timber. Those commodities continue to matter very
much to Canada. But while commodities accounted for 60 percent of Canada's
exports in 1980, they account for just 30 percent now. Why? Because Canada has developed a much more
sophisticated economy in recent decades -- a knowledge-based economy. Canada has
some of the best educational systems anywhere. Canadian schools produce the kind
of know-how that fuels modern hi-tech industries such as our aerospace industry,
the fifth largest in the world. The Global Competitiveness Report ranked Canada
first among nations in technological potential. We
Canadians can't afford to waste all that potential. Canada's domestic market is
simply not large enough to absorb Canada's enormous productive capabilities. We
must convert those capabilities into global success -- through trade -- or we
will lose them. Canada sells more to the United States than any
other country does, by a wide margin. Free trade has helped. Canada's exports of
goods to the United States increased from $102 billion to $359 billion between
1989 and 2000. Imports of goods from the United States were $229 billion in
2000. If Canadians can compete so successfully with the hard-trading Americans,
we can compete with anyone, anywhere in the world. International Hermits
Don't Prosper
. There are those who will argue that Canada will lose its identity if it
becomes too dependent on the benefits of international commerce. Not so.
Canadians know who they are. Canada needs to grow economically to sustain the
kinds of unique social and cultural programs that have made our country special.
We can't stand still -- we need to win globally to grow domestically. Trade puts
money in the pockets of Canadians who work in our hospitals, teach in our
schools and run our social programs. The last thing Canadians need to do is to hide from
the rest of the world. Canadian workers, small business owners and entrepreneurs
have the ability to compete. They are counting on their government to work -- in
concert with other governments -- to create a level global playing field on
which they can compete. Investment follows trade and vice versa. Canada's Trade Agenda.
Some Canadians have expressed concerns about the impact of globalized trade on
Canadian commerce. Some of those concerns have been exaggerated, but many are
legitimate. Change always creates challenges, and those require the full
attention of governments to maximize the benefits of change and minimize its
side effects. In November, Canada will enter discussions with more than 140
member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) during the fourth WTO
ministerial conference in Doha, Qatar. The Doha Ministerial will provide the opportunity
for Members to take stock of evolving global trade trends and issues, as well as
to review and advance the ongoing work of the WTO, including: addressing
developing countries' concerns regarding implementation of Uruguay Round
commitments; considering ways to facilitate the accession process for least
developed countries; clarifying WTO rules and disciplines, where necessary;
determining ways to provide more and better coordinated assistance to help
improve the capacity of poorer countries to trade; making the WTO more open and
transparent; and strengthening the dispute settlement system.
Active
Canadian participation in these WTO sessions underscores the Government of
Canada's determination to see the right rules govern business transactions
around the world. For
more information on Canada's trade agenda, access the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade. To comment on
Canadian trade matters, go to: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/tna-nac/contact-e.asp
The
following checklists present some questions that may prove helpful for you to
think about when planning your development programs for human resources (your
people) in your organization. Use them to provoke thought and to stimulate
discussion. Consult with others in your organization. They will help you to
identify the critical human resource issues facing your organization. The
aim is to begin to explore how a considered and planned approach to people
management can improve business performance, to the benefit of all. Use
this checklist in conjunction with our team building diagnostic instrument. It
will, via your team members responses identify critical issues they perceive as
important. Warning
Indicators.
Culture, Organization, People,
Systems (COPS), checklist.
Organization. Does the structure of your organization encourage effective performance?
People. Does your staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their jobs in the most effective manner?
Systems. Do your organization's systems (e.g. employee selection and recruitment, promotion, planning, management, information and control) encourage effective performance among your staff?
You may now wish to consider and write down: Better still, have your people tell you the issues
confronting them in the workplace. After all, they are the real experts in their
jobs. Copyright © All rights reserved. 2000 Accel-Team.Com Visit www.accel.com
According to GartnerG2, e-mail marketing revenues will reach $1.26 billion in 2002, up from $948 million in 2001. By 2005, the researcher forecasts, e-mail marketing revenues will hit $1.5 billion. Direct mail has reached its peak and will account for less than 50% of mail received by U.S. households by 2005, down from 65% in 2001. E-mail marketing is also more efficient. Not only can e-mail campaigns be completed in seven to 10 business days, vis-à-vis four to six weeks for direct mail, but responses to e-mail accumulate in an average of three days, while direct mail requires an average response time of three to six weeks.
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