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Cydcor’s National Conference for 2015 is taking place in Nashville, TN! There will be tons of fun happening at the conference (which will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center), the city of Nashville is also an excellent destination for tourists and travelers around the world. Here are a few standout aspects of Nashville that speak to why it was considered a great choice to hold this year’s national conference.
Nicknamed “Music City,” Nashville is the capital of Tennessee and is a favorite destination for all types of country music lovers—from classic country at the Grand Ole Opry to emerging artists in downtown clubs.
Over the last few years, creative people and companies from around the country have made Nashville home. Google took notice of this innovative atmosphere and included Nashville in its Entrepreneur Tech Hub Network.
There are a number of places that make this town famous.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Discover the traditions of country music in exhibits that explore its roots in the nineteenth century to others, featuring the work of modern legends like Johnny Cash and contemporary star Trisha Yearwood. Locals say it’s best to plan an early visit before the crowds show up later in the day.
Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman Auditorium was home to the Grand Ole Opry radio shows for 31 years. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994 and, after an $8.5 million renovation, it remains an outstanding performance hall.
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating 90 years of making great country music this year. Early performances featured country legends like Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, and Tammy Wynette. Contemporary performers such as Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood keep the country tradition alive today.
Robert’s Western World
Traditional country music has a home at this popular honky tonk. Artists from the television show “Hee Haw” once performed regularly at this venue. New talent performs every night and famous country stars like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw appear here.
Art and Culture in the Park
Nashville became known as the “Athens of the South” by the 1850s because of its large number of schools. The Nashville Parthenon was created for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition in a neo-classical Greek style—a natural choice for such a cultured city. Located in Centennial Park, the building currently serves as the city’s art museum and houses a 42-foot statue of Athena, the goddess of reason.
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Cydcor Reviews is a website dedicated to recommending business-related books to professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs. Learn more about Cydcor by checking out our page on Flickr.
About Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff
Delivering an excellent pitch to potential sales clients doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Enter Pitch Anything author Oren Klaff, who knows a thing or two about making a sale. Over the past decade and more, Klaff has utilized his pitching method to raise more than $400 million. In Pitch Anything, Klaff describes his formula to help any business professional with any sale pitch.
According to Klaff, crafting and executing the perfect pitch isn’t art; it’s more centered on science. By applying the latest scientific findings and discussing real-life examples, Klaff describes how the brain makes decisions and responds to sales pitches. By learning how the method works and what you’ve been doing wrong, it’s much easier to understand how a successful pitch is done. Whether you're presenting to new investors, locking down some new business, or even negotiating for a higher salary, Pitch Anything has you covered when it comes to perfecting the pitch.
Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders:
Learning the method of a successful pitch isn’t too difficult, but many people fail the first step: getting the attention of potential buyers or clients. Attention requires the combination of two things working together: desire and tension. Not only do you need the person to be interested in what you’re selling, but you also need them thinking that they would be lucky to have the product or service. Be sure to let the client know that you have the best service or product and that they would be missing out by not buying. You have to be passionate about what you are selling and get other people to be passionate about buying.
Pitch Anything has great insights on how the brain processes simple information and how to take advantage of this with clients. Klaff has done the required research to prove his points, while still bringing something new to the table.
Our favorite part:
The sales method that Klaff discuses in Pitch Anything is simple to understand and apply. The “STRONG” method of pitching can be put to use immediately by any business professional. The steps include setting the frame, telling the story, revealing the intrigue, offering the prize, nailing the hookpoint, and finally, getting a decision. Applying these tactics and strategies will help to engage and persuade the person you’re pitching to, and you'll find more agreement and support than you ever thought possible.
Integrity means that you have high moral principles and follow professional standards. Simply put—to practice integrity in the workplace you can’t just talk the talk—you have to walk the walk. A lack of integrity can lead to poor decision-making and have a negative influence on your work and your employer.
Integrity Begins With You
Be well groomed at all times. Keep your work area and your car neat and clean. This habit shows that you care about the impressions you make as a representative of your company. Clients and colleagues will see that you respect your employer’s values and are a responsible person. If you make a promise you must keep it. It proves that you’re a dependable person. Only agree to provide services that you can actually deliver. Don’t over promise. If you do something wrong, fix it as soon as possible.
How Do I Show Integrity at Work?
You have to be honest and ethical in all of your actions if you want to practice integrity in the workplace. Understand that you’re a role model for your colleagues, clients, and vendors. Be consistent about how you apply your ethical standards. Rely on facts at all times in your interactions at work. Never make excuses or avoid sharing bad news. Integrity requires that you speak up when you notice a practice or behavior that diverges from the company’s ethical standards.
Practice Company-wide Integrity
Practicing integrity at work provides positive outcomes for your company. However, you need to understand how your company practices integrity. Become familiar with your company’s core values and use them as a guide for developing your workplace integrity. Allow your team members to share their concerns about anything they see as going against your company’s values. Encourage an atmosphere that supports honesty and fairness.
Integrity Welcomes Risk
Every decision you make will involve some elements of risk. You must be willing to take a risk in order to achieve excellence and be competitive. If there are objections to your suggestions, remain positive. Gaining support from team members and stakeholders requires effort. Do the work. Ask for input from all participants and encourage them to share their concerns.
Practice What You Preach
Your behavior at work must offer a good example for your team members, colleagues, customers, and your community. Recognize your own skills and appreciate the contributions of others. Share your experience with your team and help them to develop their own integrity in the workplace.
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Cydcor is the market leader in outsourced sales. Learn more about Cydcor by visiting our profile on Flickr.
About Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
What most people typically do to be productive does not work as well as it used to. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the best ways for people to figure out a system that works for them. His advice has helped thousands of people across the country since the book was first published in 2002. Allen's method isn’t difficult to understand: productivity is strongly tied to how well we can relax. The key to freeing up more time for leisure and bettering ourselves is to have a clear mind, unleashing our creative potential. Allen has created an excellent guide on taking the right steps to getting back on track.
Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders:
Although it will take some discipline and determination to make real changes to productivity, Getting Things Done is a great starting point. From core principles to proven tricks, this book can transform the way a person does their job from day-to-day. It shows the best ways to pick up the pace without exhausting yourself. The more meaningful points of the book deal with reassessing goals, staying focused in new environments, planning projects the correct way, overcoming anxiety when overwhelmed, and positively accepting what is currently going on. This is an excellent read for business professionals looking for more control of their daily life, and it lays the groundwork for being an excellent leader.
Our favorite part:
If there’s anything to take away from Getting Things Done, it’s that every task, promise, or assignment has a place and a time. With everything organized in its own space, you feel more in control and can replace the time spent on anxiety with effective and timely effort. This in turn can lead to more accomplishments and growth as pressure starts to fall. Allen gives down-to-earth advice for anyone who wants to truly be more constructive. This book may not be for everyone, but many leaders can walk away with learning a few new things. Applying these rules can lead to a much more stress-free day.
The leading provider of outsourced sales teams, Cydcor is dedicated to helping business professionals worldwide reach success.
Choosing the right words is key to creating a successful resume in 2015. But even before a hiring manager sees your resume, an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) could reject it. It’s estimated that nearly 75% of applicant resumes don’t make it through this automated scanning process. At Cydcor, we value all resumes that have been written well, and showcase the experience we're looking for.
Hiring managers may not understand your “passion” or you skill as a “problem-solver” if you do not explain how you demonstrated this in a work setting. You need to make sure your resume shows how you increased company profits. Use your resume to tell how your record-breaking effort contributed to your team’s success.
Start With a Summary
Your resume needs to let the hiring manager know that you’re the right person for the job and are worth being contacted for an interview. Get the hiring manager’s attention by identifying your relevant experience in a well-crafted summary at the beginning of your resume.
Numbers Tell the Story
Use numbers to define your professional accomplishments. Numbers add focus and scope to your work history. Answer questions like these with facts and figures:
Use Keywords
Highlight keywords in the job description and compare them to related keywords in your resume. If there is a 70-80% match, then you should apply for this position. Only about 20% of applicants applying for a specific job are actually qualified for the position. Online tools like Jobscan analyze how well your resume matches the job description.
Keep It Relevant
Employers want to hire people with relevant experience. Keep your resume to 1 or 2 pages by cutting any experience that is over ten years old.
Get Creative—Within Reason
Colored fonts will make your resume stand out from others—but don’t get carried away. Consider at two-color system—black and one other color, like blue. Test these colors on various screens and printers if possible. You want to make sure it’s easy to read. But before investing too much in design, study the company’s website and get a feeling for their culture to determine if a creative resume will work in your favor.
Here's the latest book review from Cydcor, The Magic of Thinking Big.
About The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
Over four million readers have religiously taken notes on The Magic of Thinking Big. This book is a great starting point on how to achieve things most people want: financial security, power, influence, a dream job, a happy life. Dr. David J. Schwartz, an excellent expert on motivation, crafted this book to help anyone sell and manage better, earn more money, and—most important of all—find happiness.
First published in 1959, many of the suggestions to think big that Schwartz suggest are still great ideas 56 years later. Schwartz presents a carefully designed program for getting the most out of a professional career, romance, and family life, as well as the local community. You don’t need to be a genius to find great success and satisfaction—but you do need to learn and understand the habit of thinking and behaving in ways that can get you there.
Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders:
The Magic of Thinking Big is arguably one of the best books ever written about the road to success. This is one of those books that you come back to again and again to find new inspiration. Success is most definitely determined by how we think and how we react to situations that occur in our lives. This is an excellent book for leaders due to its many chapters of encouragement, inspiration, and real life stories of people who made the decision to see things positively and had their lives change for the better. This book can teach leaders that in order to overcome fear or obstacles in life, a person must have an optimistic and confident attitude.
Our favorite part:
Throughout The Magic of Thinking Big, Schwartz lays out the steps that are required to acquire the secrets of success. He also describes three “diseases” that people can suffer from that lead to failure: excuse-itis, detail-itis and procrastination. This book can help build anyone’s confidence and mentality, while still inspiring them to think differently. In short, making smarter decisions and avoiding negativity are key to discovering the importance of thinking big in all facets of our lives.
Cydcor has previously written about Toxic Employee Traits That Can Slow Progress, but it's also important to mention how to continue career progress. You will never advance simply by sitting at your desk, answering emails, and filing reports. A promotion is earned. Achieving a promotion isn’t an impossible goal. But to get there you need a good plan. The following suggestions are your starting points for success.
Evaluate Your Skills
You wouldn’t have been hired if you weren’t good at your job. But are you producing enough positive results to earn a promotion? Before you request a promotion, evaluate your job performance. Ask yourself the hard questions—face your fear.
It’s Not All About You
You will never achieve success by yourself. Your colleagues are an important part of your advancement. Study what they do. Understand their pain points. Improving their productivity is a leadership skill and contributes to your chance for promotion.
Write Your Future
Write the story of your career. Imagine where it will lead. This exercise provides a private place to draft new possibilities for your work life. It’s a safe place to practice taking risks. Don’t waste time creating a fantasy about wealth and power. Your career is serious work.
Become the Resident Optimist
Don’t get distracted by the inevitable complaints you hear during the day. Is it hard to do? Yes, sometimes it is. Everyone has bad days. But remember this: negative is easy, positive is hard. Don’t complain—explain. Don’t spread rumors—educate. Build a reputation for being constructive, informed, and open-minded.
Your Evaluation Happens Every Day
Do you ever feel invisible when your workload is building up? During these times remember that your supervisors are taking note of how you manage stress while you reach your goals. If you feel stuck in a negative take time for a mental stretch. Many corporate leaders find insight and get reenergized when they meditate.
Ask For Help
Sometimes you’ll come across a problem you can’t figure out. You need to be brave enough to ask for help. Find a mentor. Build a resource team from various departments. Share the problem. You will be remembered solving problems with creative strategy. Never ignore the wealth of institutional experience at work.
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Welcome to Cydcor Reviews, a website dedicated to recommending interesting and insightful books to business professionals wolrdwide.
About First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt W. Coffman
Managers come in all shapes and sizes, and everyone has their own style of doing things to reach their goals. No manager is the same as any other, but many managers share the same traits: the ability to break any past rules and try new ways of thinking to reach the results they want. Marcus Buckingham and Curt W. Coffman have put together a book based on a study by the Gallup Organization made up of 80,00 managers in 400 different companies. Their findings present an enormous, in-depth study of great management, including those who did well at turning employee talent into real performance.
The main point found in First, Break all the Rules is that the key to attracting and retaining the best employees is excellent management. This book explains how the best managers use the talent of employees to set the bar for skills and experience, create clear expectations, and motivate and develop people to their full potential.
Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders:
Management is difficult to narrow down to a set of guidelines and best practices. Often, what works at one company doesn’t work everywhere else. This book presents a firm belief in an excellent principle of management that works: focus on the strengths of people to achieve the wanted results. Building a perfect team from scratch usually doesn't work because it’s difficult to find the right people for the right role. First-line managers are the key to an organization’s success. They are the vital link between company shareholders and employees. What separates a great manager from a mediocre manager is the ability to recognize and develop talented individuals right from the initial point of employment. Buckingham and Coffman do an excellent job of conveying their study’s findings in a way that is easy to understand but still insightful.
Our favorite part:
The essence of the data found in this book forms the four keys of great managers. These key points state that managers must find the correct match between talent and roles, turn talent into performance, concentrate on strengths and not on weaknesses, and assign roles to employees that give them the greatest chance of success. First, Break All the Rules also dives into the 12 questions that give organizations the information they need to attract, focus, and keep the most talented employees. The authors group these questions into various categories and explain why they are important to keep in mind.
Finding new ways to manage a business is something that’s always on the mind of a leader. There will always be new things to try, but meditation, a practice that’s been around for thousands of years, can bring a new kind of thinking to leadership. Meditation can provide a better way to manage ourselves. A few minutes in the morning or evenings is all that is necessary to help bring the right thoughts to center and to help a person focus. Apple CEO Steve Jobs was famous for it, and LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner does it, too. Meditation is something to be taken seriously if you are looking to improve your mind.
A bad day, or news we don’t want to hear, can put a damper on our state of mind. To prevent this from happening, leaders should take ten minutes during the day to meditate. Regardless of your approach meditation, it is just important that you make time for it. It helps get your day back on track, and is a good start to clear your mind.
As a leader, you may find times that its necessary to be brave. Whether it’s going into an important meeting or giving a motivational speech to the team, it’s important to have a confident mindset. Meditation can help get rid of negative thoughts during high intensity situations. By learning to ignore any negative thinking, worries about what could go wrong go away.
Letting go is difficult when there are so many plates spinning at once. So many times, leaders get stuck in a certain way of thinking that prevents them from seeing the whole picture. Meditation can change this way of thinking. It allows a person to attack problems with a different perspective. By getting rid of past thoughts and clearing the mind, answers to questions will appear naturally.
Like most things, it will take effort and dedication to reap the benefits of meditation, including an increase in calmness. You can also have better control over emotions. The key is to learn to focus on finding your own way instead of adopting someone else’s way of thinking.
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About The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business:
Who would have thought that the most unexploited opportunity in modern business was organizational health? Patrick Lencioni’s The Advantage is a daring proposal on why an organizational health focus can have a positive affect on your business. Lencioni’s writing style aids in making the case that businesses need to attack mixed messages within the organization while also cutting down on any dysfunctional politics. There are too many leaders today who still focus on looking for advantages in marketing, strategy, and technology. However, Lencioni is quick to point out that there is a potential gold mine that is in plain sight. Instead of trying to become smarter than the competition, Lencioni believes that leaders and organizations need to focus on becoming healthier. It’s important that they tap into the more-than-sufficient intelligence and expertise they already carry.
Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders:
Lencioni argues that the key to success in any organization is to make sure it’s healthy. To express his point of view, he walks his readers through a process in which we can assess the health of our own organizations and take steps to improve it. When putting Lencioni's tips and exercises to use, any organization can see noteworthy progress in each of the key areas of health that he names. The majority of organizations today have more intelligence, experience, and knowledge than they need to be successful. The health of an organization is neither attention grabbing nor quantifiable, and that's probably the reason why more people aren’t taking advantage of it. However, improved health will not only create a competitive advantage and better bottom line, but it also can boost morale within the organization.
Our favorite part:
Lencioni introduces four basic steps to organizational health: building a unified leadership team, creating clarity, over-communicating the clarity, and reinforcing the clarity. Through examples of experiences he and others have faced, Lencioni addresses the behaviors that he looks for in a healthy organization. These include a cohesive team, solid peer-to-peer accountability, handling office politics and bureaucracy, and how organizations need to strive to improve people’s lives. With the right modifications, this model for organization business can have great value for leaders in any company, whatever its size.
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About Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek
The world today contains many people who do not feel fulfilled or valued in their job. Fortunately, there are many great leaders who are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things. While traveling the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams have built a great deal of trust, so much that they would put their lives on the line for each other. He also noticed that great leaders sacrifice their own comfort—even their own survival, such as in the military—for the good of those in their care. Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories, from the military to manufacturing, from government to investment banking. When it matters most, leaders who are willing to eat last are rewarded with deeply loyal colleagues. These are the people leaders should be looking for because they stop at nothing to look out for their leader’s, and company’s, vision.
Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders:
Sinek explores the unique ability for leaders to work with others and make things happen. This book has the potential to reframe the way people look at business as a whole. The leader plays a service role in their group by protecting it from external threats while still nurturing it. Sinek also explores the emotions that are essential for leaders to connect with. To do this, the book serves as a scientific study on the chemistry that is necessary for good management. It’s a worthy guidebook to navigating the road to becoming a better leader.
Our favorite part:
Although it’s difficult to pick the most outstanding part, there are a few chapters that will stick with most people. In Chapter 8 (“The Ceramic Cup”) Sinek deeply explores the meaning of a speech that the Under Secretary of Defense gave regarding the perks of a rank you receive and that they are meant for the position and not the person. The final chapter, titled “Becoming a Leader,” gives a final bit of advice on getting the ball rolling to become an effective leader.
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