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WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cydcor, the dominant provider of outsourced face-to-face sales, celebrates its Neighborhood Leaders volunteer, a program designed to model and support the giving of time and talent to non-profit, community, or charitable organizations.
In its second year, over 300 volunteer hours, 100 people and a dozen charities and organizations were supported. The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lupus Alliance of America, Feed the Children, Operation Smile, YMCA, Race for the Cure, Strides Against Cancer, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Live Strong, and the Epilepsy Foundation are some of the organizations that have been supported through this program.
"Exemplifying excellence and going the extra mile is part of our culture here at Cydcor," said Gary Polson, Chief Executive Officer of Cydcor. "It is important that we not only demonstrate that mentality in the office, but in our communities."
Through this volunteer program, the network of privately owned Cydcor-affiliated sales offices across the U.S. and Canada, are encouraged to donate time, money, and goods to organizations they are passionate about. As part of the program, Cydcor matches the sales office donations and subsidizes event costs.
"Cydcor is committed to supporting the community and those in need," said Jim Majeski, Cydcor president. "We have demonstrated this through our adoption of Operation Smile as our corporate cause of the year. We will continue to offer the Neighborhood Leader Program to our network of sales offices so that they keep making an impact on their communities."
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc. is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail, energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices providing clients with access to more than 2,700 sales professionals and nearly 200 offices in North America. The privately held company is based inWestlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, log on to www.cydcor.com
SOURCE Cydcor, Inc.
The term “synergy” is often the fodder for jokes, ridiculed as corporate jargon that’s overused and abused in offices everywhere. But I hope you’ll suspend cynicism for a moment and consider the word’s intended meaning, as described in Covey’s sixth habit, “Synergize”:
“Synergy works; it's a correct principle. It is the crowning achievement of all the previous habits. It is effectiveness in an interdependent reality—it is teamwork, team building, the development of unity and creativity with other human beings.”
Jargon aside, there’s nothing more thrilling than the feeling that comes with belonging to a team that’s totally in sync, whether in sports, at work or at home. Together, we’re stronger, better, more creative and more productive. We understand and value our individual differences, strengths and perspectives and use them to create something greater and richer. We solve problems cooperatively by focusing on common goals. At our best, we find a third “win-win” alternative—a better solution than we could have ever obtained on our own. And when we just can’t agree, we compromise out of mutual respect, rather than become angry, defensive, manipulative or vindictive—the surest way to lose. Finally, we can weather the ups and downs in our relationship, having built enough trust and good in our emotional bank accounts with one another.
If you think this all sounds naïve or too good to be true, I assure you it’s not. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. It’s magical when it all clicks, and everything just flows—communication, ideas, insights and opportunities. You feel powerful and empowered—as if you could accomplish anything with the people to whom you’re emotionally and intellectually connected.
All the other habits have prepared us for the sixth habit of “synergy.” Habit 6 also teaches us that just as true effectiveness lies in our relationships—where creativity is the most potent—the power of the habits lies in their “synergistic” relationships to each other. We should use them together not only to expand our effectiveness, but also to open new possibilities in every aspect of our lives.
– Vera
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cydcor, the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, announced the promotion of Bobby Park to senior vice president of campaign development.
In this new role, Park will be further using his expertise in creating successful office supply and shipping verticals for Cydcor, focusing his efforts on the immense opportunities in the wireless industry. Park will fully leverage his client and sales expertise to help Cydcor expand into the emerging and growing wireless market for business-to-business and residential sales campaigns.
"Over the past decade, Bobby has demonstrated his expertise and commitment to Cydcor and our clients. His new promotion is a direct result of his hard work, dedication, and results," said Cydcor President Jim Majeski. "We're excited about Bobby's role driving relationships with clients in the wireless industry."
For the past ten years, Park has helped create Cydcor's significant success in the office supply vertical. In addition, Park spearheaded the company's relationship with one of the nation's largest time-definite shipping companies. Prior to his tenure at Cydcor, Park had more than 20 years of experience in developing sales strategies, building sales organizations, and working with start-ups to increase revenue. In his previous role as vice president of business development at Cydcor, Park was responsible for the development and execution of successful and productive sales campaigns for some of Cydcor's leading clients.
"Bobby has a proven track record of producing impressive results for Cydcor and our clients," said Gary Polson, CEO of Cydcor. "He's managed some of our largest direct sales initiatives and has demonstrated Cydcor's core values in his work. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can deliver in 2011."
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc. is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail, energy, and financial services. Cydcor works with a network of independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices providing clients with access to more than 2,700 sales professionals and nearly 200 offices in North America. The privately held company is based in Westlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, log on to www.cydcor.com.
SOURCE Cydcor
At the beginning of every year, all Cydcor team members in North America get together to have our annual kickoff meeting. One of the highlights is what we do together make a difference in our community… and this time the world.
This year, Cydcor held a charity bowling event at the AMF Bowling Center in Woodland Hills to benefit Operation Smile. As an extra incentive, Cydcor team members earned raffle tickets based on the amount they collected. The tickets went into drawings for experiences with key executives, such as wine-tasting or attending a Los Angeles Lakers game.
We had a blast and raised more than $3,440 for Operation Smile, a children's medical charity that provides cleft lip and palate repair surgeries to children worldwide.
By adding the bowl-a-thon donations to our fundraising efforts, we will help Operation Smile fulfill their goals, which include providing safe, effective reconstructive surgeries and helping dedicated medical volunteers provide these procedures to the children who need them.
We are just steps away, or shall we say strikes away, from hitting our $150,000 goal!
To see the full release, click here . Visit our smile page here.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cydcor, the industry leader in outsourced face-to-face sales, received the highest accolade in AT&T Inc.'s 2010 Solution Provider Champions program, which recognizes excellence in service to one of the nation's largest telecommunications companies and its customers.
In awarding Cydcor with the "gold'' designation, AT&T recognized the long-time partner's consistent ability to maintain training competencies and demonstrate a high level of expertise in providing customers with premium solutions and service.
"I'm proud that Cydcor's team members seek creative, impactful solutions for our clients, especially long-standing clients who benefit mightily by the work we do in driving results," said Cydcor President Jim Majeski . "Their continued commitment to first-class customer service keeps us in the top echelon of our industry, and we look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with AT&T as we grow our services in the future."
AT&T annually recognizes companies that merge their expertise and services with the strength of AT&T's network and products. The recognition stems from Cydcor's over 15-year relationship with AT&T and the dedication of the Cydcor sales network active in offices located across the United States and Canada.
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc. is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail, energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of independently-owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices providing clients with access to more than 2,700 sales professionals and nearly 200 offices in North America. The privately held company is based inWestlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, log on to www.cydcor.com.
SOURCE Cydcor
Aaron Rodgers, the Super Bowl MVP, is an example of the tortoise beating the hare. Rodgers was not recruited by any Division I universities. He had to start his college career at an obscure junior college. Cal was recruiting a tight end at that junior college when they happened to notice Rodgers. They gave a scholarship to both players. But Rodgers was not the reason why they made the recruiting visit.
After a stellar career at Cal, experts predicted that Rodgers would be the first or second pick in the NFL draft. Excruciatingly and humiliatingly, he was snubbed and dropped all the way down to the 24th pick. For many of us who watched this on television, it was painful to see.
Rodgers was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and had to sit on the bench behind legend, Brett Favre. Other young quarterbacks were getting more playing time and accolades. Rodgers was patient, diligent and hard working. He finally got his chance when Favre was traded and a few years later, he is a Super Bowl champion.
He was not recruited out of high school, he was snubbed in the NFL draft, he had to wait patiently on the bench, but he finally got his chance and succeeded. It is not how fast you start, but where you end up. As Aesop fabled, “slow and steady wins the race.”
- Gary
How many of us have had days where we can’t quite see eye to eye with anyone? A fight with our spouse or kids. A confrontation with the boss or a coworker. A business deal gone sour.
In my experience, it often boils down to communication or rather, poor communication. We talk at or over each other. Or if we can’t get a word in edgewise, we bide our time to interject our opinions and tit-for-tat responses. Or in anger and frustration, we say or do things we later regret and can’t take back.
But who really wins here? No one. As Habit 4 points out, adversarial conflict without a mutually beneficial resolution can quickly become a “lose-lose” proposition and a sure way to fail.
To reach “win-win” solutions in our interpersonal relations, we should look to Covey’s fifth habit: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Habit 5 teaches us how to listen with the intent to understand, not to listen with the intent to reply. Effective listening is not simply echoing what the other person has said through the lens of our own experiences. Rather, it’s listening sincerely with our ears, eyes and heart. It’s listening with empathy to understand the other person emotionally and intellectually. Only then can we seek to be understood.
Covey uses the Greek philosophy of ethos, pathos and logos to describe the sequence for effective communication at the heart of Habit 5:
Following this sequence allows us to present our ideas clearly, specifically, visually and in the context of the other person’s perspective and concerns. And in doing so, we significantly increase not only the credibility of our ideas, but also their positive influence and impact.
– Jim
In business and in life, we talk a lot about winning in the context of competition or contests—of beating others to show we’re better at something. Winning means that someone else loses. It’s a “zero sum game.”
While a “win-lose” proposition has its time and place, I’ve found that most situations require a different approach. I recall something Coach John Wooden, a great man and influence in my life, once said: “Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.”
Sure, winning can prove that we’re good or even the best at what we do. But to win in a meaningful and lasting way, we need to have character. For me, this means finding “win-win” opportunities that rely on cooperation and collaboration, rather than on competition and contests.
Covey’s fourth habit tells us just this—to “think win-win” by seeking mutual benefit from our interactions. While the first three habits are about mastering the “private victory” of independence, Habit 4 moves us into the realm of “public victories” or interdependence. It’s about developing effective interpersonal leadership, which is fundamental to all successful relationships.
Covey, like Coach Wooden, says that character is the foundation of winning. People and organizations with a “win-win” attitude have three key traits:
By practicing Habit 4, we can be true winners who work cooperatively with others to achieve mutual solutions, satisfaction and success. In situations where we can’t achieve a “win-win,” we must have the integrity, maturity and conviction—the character—to walk away agreeably without burning bridges. “Win-win” or no deals, rather than “win-lose” or “lose-lose” deals, are the best ways to be effective in our lives, work and most valued relationships.
– Gary
New Year‘s is a time to reflect on things we want (or need) to change, from getting fit or quitting smoking to getting a better job or spending more time with family. It’s a time to replace bad habits with good ones and to follow through on them.
How many of us, however, have made our resolutions with the best of intentions, only to break them weeks or months later? Perhaps more urgent matters crop up that consume our energies, leaving us too exhausted for anything else. Or perhaps we get discouraged with our progress and lose our desire and resolve to carry on. Whenever I face just such a dilemma, I look to Covey’s third habit, “Put First Things First,” for perspective and guidance.
While Habit 2 is about self-leadership, Habit 3 is about self-management. Leadership defines the "first things,” and management is the discipline to carry them out in accordance with our core principles. “Putting first things first” means we have the will to do something when we don't want to; to say “no” to some things (even seemingly urgent things); and to act on our values, rather than on impulse. Simply, it means focusing our time on what’s truly important.
According to Covey, we can spend our time in four ways:
Habit 3 tells us to spend most of our time in Quadrant 2, to minimize our time spent in Quadrant 1 and to stay out of Quadrants 3 and 4 altogether. In doing so, we pursue our highest priorities—the relationships and results that matter. Our crises would then become more manageable because we’re proactively doing the things that prevent them from happening in the first place.
For me, “putting first things first” is not only a habit of effectiveness, but also an act of integrity to our commitments and purpose. By honoring both, we position ourselves to seize the right opportunities at the right time—ones that can enrich our lives and livelihoods in the New Year and beyond.
- Vera Quinn
“To Begin with the End in Mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.”
The second habit of effectiveness, “Begin with the End in Mind,” is a favorite of mine. Covey points out how easy it is to get caught up in climbing the ladder of success only to discover that it’s leaning against the wrong wall. Effectiveness doesn’t depend solely on how much effort we expend, but on whether we expend the effort on the right things—something I’ve tried to remember in my personal and professional life.
To be effective, we must first be self-aware and critically examine how we view others and ourselves. Then, we must imagine or visualize our life’s purpose, which must be centered on a core of unchanging, “correct” principles. Finally, we must bring it into physical being, guided by our conscience and values. Doing so successfully allows us to demonstrate personal leadership, which means we take control and responsibility for our own lives.
My involvement with charities is one example of how I’ve applied Habit 2. The core principles of family, community and philanthropy underpin a personal mission to help those who are less fortunate, to give back to the community and to inspire compassion in others.
According to Covey, developing just such a mission is one way to begin with the end in mind. It focuses us on what we want to be (character) and do (contributions and achievements) and on the principles that guide our being and doing. When we ensure every decision and action is congruent with that mission, we practice Habit 2 successfully and become more effective people—and leaders.
Jim Majeski
There are a lot of aspects to Habit 1, Be Proactive. The most important aspect to me is that “if there is a will, there is a way;” whatever I need to improve about myself, I can with discipline and humbleness.
Constant self-improvement has been vital for me to be successful in my business and personal life. I had to improve on a lot of things. Many of them were quite hard.
Initially, my biggest obstacle was my speech. I had a speech issue as a child and went to speech therapy until I was about thirteen years old. When I quit, the doctor was concerned that by quitting it would jeopardize my ability to get a job which required speaking.
If I let myself believe that limit on myself, I would have been too afraid to go for my business dreams. My mentality was that no one can put limits on me, but me. I was dedicated to improving my speech and building my confidence in conversing with people.
Everyone has things to improve about ourselves. Proactive mentality and action will do it.
Gary