Thursday, May 16

Business

20 great books that every leader must read.
Business, Thriving

20 great books that every leader must read.

Leadership is not about titles or positions but about cultivating a skill set that will help you lead others toward greatness. These must- read books will improve your thinking, increase your confidence and provide you with the tools you need to become a better leader. We have rounded up 20 great books that will give you a glimpse into the minds of other leaders, and how they've faced challenges in their past. 21 irrefutable laws of leadership by John Maxwell is gold! What would happen if a top expert with more than thirty years of leadership experience were willing to distill everything he had learned about leadership into a handful of life-changing principles just for you? It would change your life. John C. Maxwell has done exactly that in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leaders...
Visualising can help you in leading your life and others to success – Stella Olivia Kikoyo
Business, Mind & Body

Visualising can help you in leading your life and others to success – Stella Olivia Kikoyo

“Anything you can imagine you can create.” Oprah Winfrey. “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.” Mohamed Ali The mind is very powerful. Look at your life, everything you’re today has been created by your mind but you probably aren’t aware of it. It is important to understand the power you have as a co-creator of our life experiences. If we know about this power then we should all be intentional in the co-creation of the world we want to experience. As a leader, you can be the leader you want to be. How is this possible? We know that the brain cannot differentiate between what is true and what is fiction. Hence, we can program or create experiences with the mind so that we can experience them in the physical world. This article cov...
The Qualities of a Good Business Leader – Monica Bradley of MB Associates
Business

The Qualities of a Good Business Leader – Monica Bradley of MB Associates

When it comes to business, being a good leader is essential to success. Good leaders have many qualities that they display consistently. Monica Bradley, the award-winning founder and Managing Director of Cheam-based mortgage brokers, MB Associates, talks about her own personal leadership style and how she inspires her team. Whatever industry you’re in, if your business is going well, sooner or later you’re going to need to recruit more staff in order to grow. I’ve grown my business considerably over the last several years, and I’ve hired some hugely talented people. I think it’s crucial to bring talent into the business, but I also think it’s essential for my staff to feel valued, motivated, and respected. They have to be good at what they do, but without the right leadership, they may...
“Great Leaders are Great Listeners” – Rachel B. Lee
Business, Cover Story, Thriving

“Great Leaders are Great Listeners” – Rachel B. Lee

Rachel B. Lee is a fearless #ladyboss. She started her career with Walton Isaacson, a marketing agency with expertise in multicultural segments, and managed Unilever’s first social media driven consumer activations including AXE One Night Only. After receiving her MBA from the University of Texas, Austin, McCombs School of Business, she entered the technology industry at Microsoft.  She has led branding, social media strategy, content development, blogging, influencer communities, podcasts, experiential, paid media and more for the Microsoft Partner Network, a 300K partner ecosystem of small to enterprise size businesses digitally transforming the world. Rachel B. Lee As social lead for Microsoft Inspire, she achieved over a billion impressions in 2017 and in 2018 won the Speak...
Teresa Mafalda Gonçalves on Success, Leadership, and Why it’s Important to Work Closely With Your Team
Business, Thriving

Teresa Mafalda Gonçalves on Success, Leadership, and Why it’s Important to Work Closely With Your Team

Teresa Mafalda Gonçalves is the Chief Finance Officer at SATA Air Açores, a Portuguese airline based in São Sebastião, Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Portugal. She opens to Stellar Woman Magazine about leadership and success. Teresa Mafalda Gonçalves How do you define success? Well, for me success is feeling that we achieved our goals. It's feeling that we have done our best. Success can be achieved when you try to do your best in all aspects of everything you do. So, success for me is overcoming fear, learning something new each day, loving and being loved back, not giving up, celebrating all the victories, the ability to learn something and to be realized with our goals. This issue is about leadership. How do you define leadership?My definition of leadership can be differe...
10 Lessons on Leadership from American Professor Brené Brown
Business

10 Lessons on Leadership from American Professor Brené Brown

Brené Brown is an American professor, lecturer, researcher, six time #1 best selling author, public speaker and podcast host whose work over the past -decade has largely focused on things like  courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. In her book Dare to lead, Brown discusses the value of daring leadership in the workplace and how it benefits everyone,how  leaders can implement more daring leadership into their management has changed the conversation around leadership in an unexpected and lasting way. Brené Brown defines a leader as "anyone who takes responsibility for finding potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential." Brené Brown Introducing daring leadership To build courage in teams and organizations, daring leader...
‘Leadership is a Mindset’ by Ann Justi
Business

‘Leadership is a Mindset’ by Ann Justi

What if you could use your position of power to make yourself a better person? What if you don’t manage or think of yourself as a leader? This article's advice will help you learn and behave as a leader. Leadership is not a title, it’s a mindset. A leadership mindset involves having certain attitudes, beliefs, and expectations that create the foundation of who you are, how you lead others, and how you interact with and influence your colleagues. Mindsets are leaders’ mental lenses that dictate what information they take in and use to make sense of and navigate the situations they encounter. Simply, mindsets drive what leaders do and why. Self-improvement is the key to leadership. You don't have to be a leader to be an example of what it means to grow, change, and learn. You...
“Staff need to feel valued and appreciated” – Monica Bradley
Business, Cover Story

“Staff need to feel valued and appreciated” – Monica Bradley

What are the qualities of a good business leader? Monica Bradley, Managing Director of Cheam-based mortgage broker, MB Associates, talks about her values and beliefs in business. Running a successful business is not just about keeping clients happy, although of course that’s hugely important. An equally crucial aspect of being a business owner and ensuring things run smoothly is keeping staff motivated and making them feel valued. If your staff don’t feel appreciated, they may grow demoralised and eventually you could lose them entirely. This was demonstrated in a 2018 survey from online learning company Udemy. Its survey revealed that nearly half of all employees said they’d quit a job due to a bad manager. Some 60 per cent of staff said they thought their managers needed manageria...
Three Obstacles To Being A Hero – Divya Parekh
Business

Three Obstacles To Being A Hero – Divya Parekh

In the world of superheroes, every hero has their Achilles heel that can bring them down. Superman had his kryptonite. Iron Man had his vanity. If someone chained together Wonder Woman’s “Bracelets of Submission,” she would lose her Amazonian super strength. From a literary point of view, it makes sense. If there were no obstacles for superheroes, there would be no drama in what they had to do. Divya Parekh In the world of business and entrepreneurship, aim to be a hero. We want to be outstanding in our fields. Most people look at being a hero in the real sense of the word — namely, to positively affect and help more people. After all, isn’t that what true heroes do? The problem is that, like superheroes, we all have obstacles that get into our way. These can have the same n...
Why Strategy is Important – Stella Olivia Kikoyo
Business

Why Strategy is Important – Stella Olivia Kikoyo

Strategy!  What is this and does your organisation have one in place?   This is a term that is often used loosely.  Everyone seems to have their own understanding of it albeit most business leaders will agree that they need a strategy.  All businesses need a strategy not only to survive but also to thrive, and definitely this need is greater today than it has ever been before due to increased competition. Yet according to Michael Porter – a professor at Harvard Business School, many organisations or leaders do not strategise. Stella Olivia Kikoyo Whilst there are many definitions (or descriptions) of strategy, I will engage with only a few, which hopefully will provoke your assessment whether you have one. Definition of Strategy Strategy is a plan of a...
The Benefits of Having a Business Strategy – Monica Bradley
Business

The Benefits of Having a Business Strategy – Monica Bradley

Are you thinking of setting up your own business, or already running one? Monica Bradley, founder, and Managing Director of award-winning mortgage brokers MB Associates had a clear strategy for her company from day one. Here, she reveals why a firm strategy is key, and how to prepare one… What is a business strategy, and do you need one? The short answer is yes. Simply put, a business strategy is a vision and direction for your company. Having a strategy for your business is hugely important if you want to move forward with a clear purpose. It gives your business a set of values and helps you understand what success means for your company. If you don’t have a strategy, you won’t know when you’ve reached your goals. It’s a bit like going out for a drive without knowing you...
Strategies for Success in Your Goals for Personal Growth – Ann Justi
Business

Strategies for Success in Your Goals for Personal Growth – Ann Justi

Write down twenty-two things for 2022 that you want and you think are hard. I know we are past the first quarter of 2022.  Just do it.  Dream big. Now decide on one action towards one of the goals. Set yourself up for success. If you don’t know where to start, look at how someone else did it and follow their example.  Success leaves clues.  If looking does not work for you, then ask.  Yes, it’s scary and most of the time you get a “no” - but sometimes, you will get a “yes,” and you’ll never get the “yes” if you never ask. What if it all worked out?  I recently was talking with a millionaire; no one famous, but someone who tried to achieve his family's dream for several years.  He said that the first ninety days are the hardest when you think...
Why Should You Write a Brand Building Book – Divya Parekh
Business

Why Should You Write a Brand Building Book – Divya Parekh

Question: Why Should YOU Write A Brand-Building Book? There is nothing that can build your brand quite like a well-written book. I know that sounds all nice and sweet, but I wish I knew that back in the day! When I first started, I couldn’t seem to catch a break, no matter what I did, I kept getting knocked down over and over again and It seemed like every sales call would fall flat, I hardly had any conversions. Prospects would come into meetings and I could not point out where I fell short and I tell you what....getting nos from people impacts self-esteem and I felt like crap! The problem? No credibility. Potential clients liked me and my work but were looking for a body of work I had done, I had experience, but I could not share it in a way that builds authority. Des...
6 Key Strategies For Female Business Founders Building Their Personal brand – Gabrielle Shaw
Business, Cover Story, Thriving

6 Key Strategies For Female Business Founders Building Their Personal brand – Gabrielle Shaw

Why Cultivating Founder Reputation Matters Hello Stellar Women! Twenty-five years ago, I set out to launch a London communications agency. I had a back room, a dream, and a no-fear attitude. Still, it was daunting that my UK first campaign was none other than Starbucks, but I went for it. We introduced coffee culture to a UK nation of tea drinkers. The rest is history. Today, amongst other things, my agency helps business founders, especially women, grow their personal brand and profile as a means to growing their business. Today’s column features tips for female founders to build their personal reputation as the cornerstone to business success.  The moment has never been better for women to participate in driving the world’s economic and business growth. Global wealth c...
Why Setting Goals for Success is Important  – Monica Bradley
Business

Why Setting Goals for Success is Important – Monica Bradley

Monica Bradley, founder and owner of Surrey-based award-winning mortgage broker, MB Associates, explains why setting goals is important. I’m not one for sitting still in life. I’ve always been ambitious, and I believe it’s important to keep making progress. My business is well-established, but I have ambitions to keep growing.Setting clear goals is really important in my view. Goal setting helps to (more…)
The Importance of having a Compelling WHY for Your Personal and Business Goals
Business

The Importance of having a Compelling WHY for Your Personal and Business Goals

The beginning of the year is the time, for many people to set goals. Whilst most people may be aware of the need to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound) goals, arguably many also struggle to achieve them.  There are ways you can set yourself up for success and achieve your desired goals. Firstly, ensure that you (more…)
Relationship Marketing; why it might be all you need for your business – Stella Olivia Kikoyo
Business

Relationship Marketing; why it might be all you need for your business – Stella Olivia Kikoyo

This article will focus on what RM is and How it can be developed for all business especially during this time.  “I want long term partnerships. I want to identify the best suppliers in the marketplace and I want to work with them….….”  Daves Lewis, CEO, Tesco “How Tesco works with suppliers.” The Grocer, 2019 www.thegrocer.co.uk  Daves Lewis, Tesco CEO made the decision to strengthen relationships with the suppliers after realising that focusing on financial challenges as a business strategy had gone too far and wasn’t bringing the results Tesco wanted. He vowed to focus on relationship marketing and partnership as Tesco’s business strategy going forward.   What is relationship marketing (RM) and why is it important? The terms relationship marketing (...
Divya Parekh on How to Write a Book to Build Authority Positioning
Business

Divya Parekh on How to Write a Book to Build Authority Positioning

Build credibility in a market saturated with competitors with no purpose. How does a person go from being a monk to celebrity status in under two years? That’s right. We’re talking about podcaster, YouTuber, motivational speaker, and former monk Jay Shetty and his meteoric rise to fame.  So how did he do it? Shetty became a pundit of sorts after mastering the art of tapping into a mental and emotional need and turning that into a business. Once he established himself as a trusted source of feel-good advice in a relatable format, he wrote a book titled, Think Like a Monk, and the world fell in love with it. Today, his podcasts feature stars like Khloe Kardashian and Alicia Keys. What was Shetty’s secret to success? Authority positioning!  If you’re wondering how authorin...
Monica Bradley on How to Change Your Money Mindset
Business

Monica Bradley on How to Change Your Money Mindset

Struggling to manage your finances? It’s all about having the right mindset and a clear strategy. Monica Bradley, Founder of award-winning mortgage broker MB Associates, explains how to get on top of your finances… Some say money is the root of all evil, while others say it has changed their lives for the better. Money can cause turmoil if you don’t have enough of it, and happiness if you do have enough to splash out. It can’t necessarily make you happy in life, but it can certainly help you sleep at night. Sadly, for many, money is a common source of stress. Research conducted in 2019 showed that 9.5 million people in the UK had mental health issues due to money worries. A survey by Salary Finance before the pandemic showed that 18 million adults worried about money every day.  ...
Don’t Wait Until Your Team Grows to Start  Using The McKinsey 7-S Framework: Start Now
Business, Restricted

Don’t Wait Until Your Team Grows to Start Using The McKinsey 7-S Framework: Start Now

By Stella Olivia Kikoyo IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS OR YOUR TEAM PERFROMANCE THROUGH COORDINATION AND ALIGNMENT OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE MCKINSEY 7-S FRAMEWORK. This model/framework can be used by individuals, teams, small and medium enterprises, departments, institutions and corporations. This is one of the key timeless tools you can use to analyse and develop key internal elements across different spectrums of life, businesses and institutions. It can be used in all institutions like schools, businesses, industries and government parastatals. I use this tool in guiding my clients and mentees both in leadership roles in their own businesses or as managers in their organisations. I also integrate the framework in many business trainings. This tool can also be used by a start up, non...