A few days ago a mom wrote to me and asked where and when I was speaking in Southern California. I informed her that I was speaking at Creekside H.S.  Leadership Academy in Irvine and also Cal State Fullerton over the next few weeks.

The mom also thought that her daughter might not watch the Success4Teens DVD if she gave it to her, but that she might be more inclined to watch it in a “group setting”.  I agreed with the mom that it was highly unlikely that her daughter would watch it for two specific reasons. 1.) it was provided by “the parental unit” therefore no good, and 2.) she ’s not motivated to succeed- only her mother is.

What’s more important was exploring the “group setting”. This is where I need to be real clear. My belief (as covered in my Success4Teens DVD) is that 95% of the people on the planet are not successful, and that’s because they are part of  “the herd” or the “group setting”. And as we always said on Wall Street, the herd gets slaughtered”…!!!

Success, in my opinion, is very INDIVIDUALISTIC”. The success principles I laid out in “Formula for Success” aka. Success4Teens are for individuals to execute – NOT groups. The rules for success are  proper time management, goal setting, knowing HOW to deal with setbacks and HOW to create a positive mental attitude…..these are done on an individual basis not a group basis. The DVD Success4Teens is meant to educate first, then inspire. Motivation comes when the individual employs the principles…!!!!

When you are on a plane and you hit turbulence, the oxygen masks drops…….what do they say..”Always put yours on first”…..it’s the same thing, take care of YOU first….then and only then can you help someone sitting next to you…!!

Many teens as well as parents approach me and ask; “Is the  Success4Teens, aka Formula for Success a self- help DVD”. Well first, one has to ask what is self- help..? When defining such a term, it’s assumed that there is something in one’s life that’s NOT working, at least not working the way they want things to work.

Troubled teens are faced with a multitude of issues, such as depression, lack of motivation, issues with their self-esteem and confidence, drugs, booze, even issues with their perception of their “body” and weight loss issues.

The DVD Success4teens covers the fundamentals of How to get it together, mentally, physically and spiritually. Each is a lesson in and of itself, and all together is like the “three legged stool”…if one leg is not working, the stool will not function.

It can be overwhelming as to exactly where to begin. The head needs to be on straight, so let’s start with the mental part. This section works with the issues of goal setting, time management, how to deal with setbacks and How to create that “all illusive” positive mental attitude.

Tomorrow we will begin at the beginning…….stay tuned….!!

I was asked recently what I thought was the most important part of my dvd “Formula for Success” and for me the answer was simple it all has to do with “attitude”.

Within the “Formula” there are two sections that deal with this topic specifically…….the first is PMA or Positive Mental Attitude and the second is Dealing with Setbacks.

The art of Happiness is born in the mind, cultured in experience and developed only by practice. William Shakespeare said: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. Your personal philosophy determines how you respond to events that come into your life. It is completely responsible for your state of happiness and well-being. Although you may find this a little hard to believe, your personal philosophy also determines what happens to you.

What happens to events in your life is governed by your mindset.

Think like a railroad switch. Each time an event occurs, you channel the activity onto the positive or negative track. Even though the event hurt you, you are still in charge of channeling it onto a positive or negative track…….only YOU can determine its future outcome.

Before I had this concept mastered (and I’m still working it) I would find that taking an event (say divorce) and channeling it to the negative track………would eventually have me “coming and going to the dark side. In fact, I would also get physically ill…..(see my previous blog on the importance of the body-mind connection).

So now you are saying ok Bill, “What are you suppose to do when you get divorce……party???  Well, yes in a way. To reach the goal of happiness, act as though the following statement is true: “Everything that happens to me is the best possible thing that can happen to me”. Like the equation of 1+1=2. That statement + new results = Happiness.

I know this seems like a lot to absorb, but trust me, working the brain is just like working any other muscle in the body. It’s choice and the decision is totally in your hands.

Always ask yourself….”Are you living or are you surviving”….!!!!

Just to recap, we have addressed what we are grateful for, we have addressed our fears, today we will address the part of the “game plan” that will address the things we have going for us, and HOW to capitalize on them.

In my DVD Success4Teens, I say that 95% of the people on the planet are NOT successful and 5% are successful. The attributes that the successful people have include but are not limited to: desire, determination, persistence, patience,  great habits and hard work. So when we put a pen to paper to list our strengths, they all have to be accompanied by the aforementioned attributes.

To begin with, we have to be able to identify a “need in the marketplace”. We are about to re-invent ourselves, and we have to be able to ask WHY ! The why — will be our ability to idenity a soft spot in the marketplace that needs to be filled. AND WE ARE THE ONES TO FILL IT !!

Next, we want to surround ourselves with a Board of Advisers that will endorse or deny our plan, a type of “sound check”. These folks will be people that have experience in business and are not “YES MEN” (or women).

The best way to begin our journey is to begin with developing a  Business Plan (I have an outline- if anyone needs one). This will clearly outline the strengths/weaknesses/threats/and opportunities of our new launch.

Tomorrow we will continue with the drive and determination aspects of what is needed to be successful.

A few days ago a mom wrote to me and asked where and when I was speaking in Southern California. I informed her that I was speaking at Creekside H.S.  Leadership Academy in Irvine and also Cal State Fullerton over the next few weeks.

The mom also thought that her daughter might not watch the Success4Teens DVD if she gave it to her, but that she might be more inclined to watch it in a “group setting”.  I agreed with the mom that it was highly unlikely that her daughter would watch it for two specific reasons. 1.) it was provided by “the parental unit” therefore no good, and 2.) she ’s not motivated to succeed- only her mother is.

What’s more important was exploring the “group setting”. This is where I need to be real clear. My belief (as covered in my Success4Teens DVD) is that 95% of the people on the planet are not successful, and that’s because they are part of  “the herd” or the “group setting”. And as we always said on Wall Street, the herd gets slaughtered”…!!!

Success, in my opinion, is very INDIVIDUALISTIC”. The success principles I laid out in “Formula for Success” aka. Success4Teens are for individuals to execute – NOT groups. The rules for success are  proper time management, goal setting, knowing HOW to deal with setbacks and HOW to create a positive mental attitude…..these are done on an individual basis not a group basis. The DVD Success4Teens is meant to educate first, then inspire. Motivation comes when the individual employs the principles…!!!!

This morning I was speaking with my friend Sandra about the concept of stress. To her credit, she said we should give the old word more meaning, so we decided that the new word  will be “worries”.

We seem to worry about everything, money, health, kids, relationships, and it goes on and on. I often say whatever the mind can conceive it can achieve. That also goes for worries. We not only worry about everything — but we also seem to prioritize our worries, they seem to get a number, like 1 through 100.  This is what I call singular stress. It goes to complex stress  when you take on yours– as well as someone else’s at the same time. What I call “data overload”.

Stress and or worries are all relative. We live in our own world and work within those boundries. Imagine you live in Haiti, I guarantee your priorities would be different, say food, water and shelter.

OK, so now you are saying, great, I agree, but what am I to do about my stress. In my DVD, Success4Teens, I talk about “control what you can control, and don’t worry about what you can’t control”. The mind is the most powerful muscle in the body. Creating a PMA or positive mental attitude is the “start key”. Everything starts with the mind………tomorrow I will give you some great tips…..and NO- drugs are NOT involved.

I was asked recently what I thought was the most important part of my dvd “Formula for Success” and for me the answer was simple it all has to do with “attitude”.

Within the “Formula” there are two sections that deal with this topic specifically…….the first is PMA or Positive Mental Attitude and the second is Dealing with Setbacks.

The art of Happiness is born in the mind, cultured in experience and developed only by practice. William Shakespeare said: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. Your personal philosophy determines how you respond to events that come into your life. It is completely responsible for your state of happiness and well-being. Although you may find this a little hard to believe, your personal philosophy also determines what happens to you.

What happens to events in your life is governed by your mindset.

Think like a railroad switch. Each time an event occurs, you channel the activity onto the positive or negative track. Even though the event hurt you, you are still in charge of channeling it onto a positive or negative track…….only YOU can determine its future outcome.

Before I had this concept mastered (and I’m still working it) I would find that taking an event (say divorce) and channeling it to the negative track………would eventually have me “coming and going to the dark side. In fact, I would also get physically ill…..(and we will address the importance of the body-mind connection later).

So now you are saying ok Bill, “What are you suppose to do when you get divorce……party???  Well, yes in a way. To reach the goal of happiness, act as though the following statement is true: “Everything that happens to me is the best possible thing that can happen to me”. Like the equation of 1+1=2. That statement + new results = Happiness.

I know this seems like a lot to absorb, but trust me, working the brain is just like working any other muscle in the body. It’s choice and the decision is totally in your hands.

Employing teens has always come with challenges, and that’s more true today than ever! Raised while multi-tasking on life’s super technology highway, they can confuse, complicate and, at times, consternate.
The truth is every generation thinks higher of their own performance of when they were teens. How soon we all forget. Still, the reality for many businesses is teens are the employees closest to the customer… the face of their company! To remain competitive and maximize profits, it’s essential that employers capture, leverage and contribute to the skills that teens can bring to the workplace. But that requires change on the employers’ part.
This is an age group, most born since 1990, whose entire lives have been enveloped in a world of technology, information and communication change, as well as major cultural and societal shifts. Less attention has been given to personal responsibility, and basic work ethics are not taught in school or at home. They simply have never heard about the importance of being on time and in uniform, giving respect to a supervisor, communicating clearly, making eye contact or job commitment significance.
So what’s an employer to do? Plenty! The following are guidelines to an effective strategy to working with teens. We call it catching “WAVES.”
Way of life: This is about improving the workplace environment. Appreciate the fact that young staff members are the way they are. It’s not wrong, it’s not right, it just is. Meet them where they are. Allow some failure. Don’t focus on what they’ve done wrong. Build your relationship by encouraging them on what they are doing right. They can become fiercely loyal if they are taken seriously and treated with respect.
First impressions mean everything. Be welcoming, provide social events and emphasize fun. Celebrate their successes, not those just from the workplace, but learn where they excel away from work. Make a connection with their parents, families and friends.
Attitude: They come with an attitude of independence and “what’s in it for me.” If you learn how to feed this you’ll find highly motivated teens. Provide flexible scheduling and provide incentives for performance … and don’t make them wait. Instant prize programs are best. Recognize positive behaviors and catch them doing something right. Promote strong performers quickly and give them more responsibility. Patience is not a virtue with teens, so provide variety in job duties. Establish goals and empower them to come up with the answers. You’ll be surprised.
Since we are talking about attitude, what about yours? A condescending and inconsistent attitude from leaders at work will send your teen employee out the door and working down the street.
Verbal, video and visual: This age group has watched 20,000 hours of TV by the time they are 18. Over six hours per day are spent in front of a video screen. You need to use this technology to your advantage. Include some examples here, such as create a training video for your staff to watch, use computer programs to train new hires, etc.
Names are important, so use their nickname. Applications should be online and your work schedules posted on your Web site. Don’t print mounds of paper and expect the information to be read and retained. Make handbooks and memos less complicated and smaller, while focusing on the most important items for your business success. Enhance communication by using e-mail and text messaging. Create a vibrant workplace through the use of photos and videos of your employees at work and away from work.
Education … not Just training: If training is the “how,” then education is the “why.” This age group requires to know the purpose, the why, behind tasks. Never assume anything, confirm their knowledge and explain the purpose behind every task.
Parents and teachers used to prepare teens for the workplace. That does not occur at the same level as it once did. Build education into your training process and you will find longer-term, and a more committed young work force. This is the new calling for today’s teen employers.
Style matters: Style is how employees look, the image of your company and how they are treated at work. Teens care about how they look and how they’re treated. Uniforms shouldn’t embarrass your staff, and your grooming policy should be relevant. Be prepared to justify both to your employees.
Be knowledgeable of current teen trends in fashion, music and entertainment, and pay attention to the techniques and strategies utilized by retailers to get teens to spend their hard-earned money. Today’s retailers are very good at motivating teens!
Teens don’t quit companies … they quit people. As a supervisor of teens, how you carry yourself has a huge impact on performance and retention. Every manager or supervisor needs to be on board with the commitment of getting the most from your teens.
These five principles can be used as overview that will help you determine what would work best for your operation. A fresh approach in working with your teens does not mean that you need to compromise the values and principles of your business. Instead, it should provide the opportunity for you to increase your focus.
Teens can be inspired, motivated and productive. Today’s teens are the most knowledgeable and adaptive group ever. Don’t judge them through the eyes of when you were a teen … look through theirs. You have nothing to lose, everything to gain, and you’ll have a positive impact on the lives of the teenagers you employ.
About the author:
Ken Whiting is an industry expert on providing solutions for entry-level workforce challenges. His WAVES for Success program teaches companies what inspires young adults and teens to participate, contribute and excel at work. His new book, “WAVES for Teenage Workforce Success,” provides insights on recruiting, motivating and retaining. For a free copy of the “WAVES 101 Best Ways to Recruit, Retain, Educate and Motivate Today’s Teens”, visit www.WAVESforsuccess.com. For speaking and consulting, call 831-423-1890 ext.2 or e-mail ken@wavesforsuccess.com.