Thursday, January 31, 2013

REPOST: Want to Be CEO? What's Your BMI?

This Wall Street Journal article sheds light on why corporate leaders have to be physically fit in order to accomplish their roles.

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Being fit matters.

New research suggests that a few extra pounds or a slightly larger waistline affects an executive's perceived leadership ability as well as stamina on the job. While marathon training and predawn workouts aren't explicitly part of a senior manager's job description, leadership experts and executive recruiters say that staying trim is now virtually required for anyone on track for the corner office.

"Because the demands of leadership can be quite strenuous, the physical aspects are just as important as everything else," says Sharon McDowell-Larsen, an exercise physiologist who runs an executive-fitness program for the nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership.

Executives with larger waistlines and higher body-mass-index readings tend to be perceived as less effective in the workplace, both in performance and interpersonal relationships, according to data compiled by CCL. BMI, a common measure of body fat, is based on height and weight.

While weight remains a taboo conversation topic in the workplace, it's hard to overlook. A heavy executive is judged to be less capable because of assumptions about how weight affects health and stamina, says Barry Posner, a leadership professor at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business. He says he can't name a single overweight Fortune 500 CEO. "We have stereotypes about fat," he adds, "so when we see a senior executive who's overweight, our initial reaction isn't positive."

CL staff detected the correlation after collecting hundreds of peer-performance reviews and health-screening results from the CEOs and other senior-level managers who participate in its weeklong leadership workshops in Colorado Springs. A pair of university researchers, using data from 757 executives measured between 2006 and 2010, found that weight may indeed influence perceptions of leaders among subordinates, peers and superiors.

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Tim McNair, a general manager at Nazareth, Pa.-based guitar maker C.F. Martin & Co., says he was inspired to make some changes after spotting his "gut" on camera during a recent public-speaking exercise while attending the CCL workshop.

He wondered whether his colleagues had the same reaction to his appearance, he says, adding: "Would they think, 'If he can't keep his hand out of the cookie jar, how can he do his job?'"

So the 44-year-old, who says his peers' evaluations were somewhat harsh, recently rejoined the local gym, where he heads after work at least three days a week to run on the treadmill, cycle or stretch. He has also given up double cheeseburgers, steak, ice cream, Coca-Cola and Tastykakes, opting for a healthier diet of grains and vegetables. In four months, he has shed about 25 pounds.

The fitness imperative for executives is relatively new, says Ana Dutra, the CEO of Korn/Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting. Time was, a company chief spent every waking minute at work, sacrificing exercise, vacation and kids' soccer games in the service of the firm. Employees were expected to admire and emulate this devotion. Now, executives are expected to take time off to "revitalize themselves," Ms. Dutra says.

She pegs the shift to the sudden deaths of high-profile CEOs, including McDonald's Corp. MCD +0.65% chief Jim Cantalupo, who died of a heart attack in 2004, 16 months after taking the post. His successor, Charlie Bell, died less than a year later of cancer at the age of 44. In 1997, Coca-Cola Co. Chairman Roberto Goizueta, a smoker, died weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

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The CEOs of today are also more visible than their forebears and must be camera-ready at a moment's notice, composed while courting investors and ready to respond in a company emergency. Excess weight can convey weakness or a "lack of control," says Amanda Sanders, a New York-based image consultant who has worked with senior executives at Fortune 500 firms.

"It's the leadership image you project," says Mark Donnison, 47, a senior executive director at Canadian Blood Services who has lost 25 pounds since starting an early-morning workout rotation of cardio, weights and yoga last summer. "Folks do see how you live."

Companies seek leaders with physical endurance, the better to manage global businesses and solve complex problems, says Mr. Posner, who advised Dow Chemical Co. DOW -6.96% on training high-potential global leaders in 2010 and 2011. Those leaders were instructed to build in regular time for exercise to help them withstand the constant travel and the demands of an overseas role. The training even incorporated such classes as Zumba, Pilates, tai chi and yoga, says Dawn Baker, Dow's global director of talent management.

Panera Bread Co. PNRA +1.02% founder and co-CEO Ron Shaich says he began working with a trainer about five years ago, in part to stay energized while running a growing company. Two to three times a week, he gets up for a 5:30 a.m. appointment with his trainer, and on Sundays he opts for a 90-minute run. The workouts have boosted his energy levels and helped him focus, he says.

In general, the executives in the Center for Creative Leadership study were healthier than the average American. They drank and smoked less and were more likely to exercise regularly. About half were considered overweight or obese, defined as having a BMI of more than 25. By contrast, more than 60% of Americans fit this description, according to a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index last year.

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The sample's leaner executives, defined as having a BMI under 25, were viewed more favorably by peers, averaging 3.92 for task performance on a five-point scale; heavier leaders averaged 3.85. Similarly, members of the leaner group rated higher on interpersonal skills.

The study controlled for factors such as age, race, gender, job level and personality traits. Results were similar across industries, says Eden King, one of the study's researchers and an associate professor of psychology at George Mason University.

To be sure, the perception of competence isn't the same as measurable leadership success. Executives who were part of the study say it's difficult to say how much of the perceived bias stems from their physical weight and how much from their own projected insecurity.

Weight Watchers International Inc. WTW -0.98% CEO David Kirchhoff, 46, recalls feeling painfully self-conscious when his weight was at its peak a decade ago, around the time he first took up the post. At six-foot-two and 245 pounds, he tried to hide his girth with oversize sweaters and pleated pants.

"I sucked in my gut a lot," says Mr. Kirchhoff, who has since lost 40 pounds. Now, he says, "I probably carry myself with more confidence and authority.

This Marc Accetta Facebook page contains articles about successful leadership and other business aspects.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Communicating like a boss



Learning to communicate effectively is vital for anyone who would like to rise through the ranks. While knowledge and skills are important in kicking off one’s path, it is the ability to communicate these to other people that will greatly benefit any individual in the long run.

This is why everyone should learn how to communicate like a boss early on. Mastering the art is a painfully long process that may take years of practice. For starters, the following should be kept in mind whenever given the chance to interact with other people:

1. Establishing one’s credibility. Nobody is going to believe someone who displays a cursory knowledge of the subject. Skilled speakers, like Rep. John Murta, Marc Accetta, and Mavis Leno, are able to command respect from their audience because they display in-depth understanding of their topics. Otherwise, people, probably even the most credulous of the bunch, will brush one off as a mere scam.


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2. Being aware of nonverbal cues in delivering the message. Sometimes, it is more of ‘how’ something is said than ‘what’ is said that counts. Voice tone, inflection, intonation, gesticulations, and facial expressions can greatly alter the content of the message. For instance, something seemingly innocuous on paper might turn out to be outrageous because of nonverbal cues.


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3. Accepting and leveraging feedback. Communication is never a one-way street. Rather, it is a dynamic interplay between the two participants—a process that grows as both parties learn to adapt to each other’s preferences and idiosyncrasies. Master communicators are able to take advantage of this dynamism by being able to take these, regardless of its implications, and turn them into lessons by which they can use to influence their audiences more.


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Marc Accetta, a success coach, believes that communication is vital in connecting with people, evading scams, and attaining success. Learn how you can be a master communicator by visiting www.marcaccetta.com

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Discovering the full self



"Be the best you can be!"

"Realize your full potential!"

"Try to bring out the best in you."

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These are but a few of the catchphrases that success coaches, like Marc Accetta, Bonnie Marcus, and Kathy Nelson, say to pep their audience toward attaining personal success. For many, these phrases have become their impetuses toward working out a better future for themselves. For a few others, these are just words that are heard but are never taken into full consideration, leading others to think that the business of coaching is nothing more than a grand scam.


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The reason why most people fail to discover their full potential is largely due to their lack of openness and inability to adapt to changes. It is important to note that the journey toward discovering the full self is not fully dependent on what the coaches say. Coaches are mere facilitators. They are able to guide someone in their respective introspections, but they can never traverse the road for the person.

Personal growth begins with the decision to pursue it. If coupled with the right amount of determination and a whole lot of conscious effort, the path toward unleashing the full self wouldn’t be a long way to go.


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Marc Accetta is a life coach who has inspired countless people toward success. Learn about his ways in avoiding the many scams of life by visiting www.marcaccetta.com.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Real-life hacks for the success chaser



Regardless of the circumstances in life one is brought up to, there is always that universal resolve to be successful. While the benchmarks of success by which people set themselves against vary greatly, real success is actually more than ostentatious physical manifestations, such as an expensive car or a huge house. Success is achievable, but it certainly does not come easy.



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There are many ways by which one can attain success, but what better way to reach it than to follow the footsteps of those who have already done so? The following quotes from some of history’s most influential people are indispensable tips—or life hacks, as some would call them—in wayfaring toward the top.

"The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people." — Theodore Roosevelt


"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." — Michaelangelo


"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time, more intelligently." — Henry Ford


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"I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money, would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know." — Colonel Sanders


"Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top." — James Cash Penney


"Your time is limited, don’t waste it by living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living as a result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drown your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." — Steve Jobs


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Through life coaching, Marc Accetta is able to help people veer away from the many scams of fate and instead lead them toward the attainment of personal success. Learn how he does it by visiting www.marcaccetta.com

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The art of avoiding cyber scams



Scams are everywhere, and even inasmuch as this fact is denied, many people still unsuspectingly fall for them. Being victimized by such scams is a great deterrent to success, and life coaches, such as Marc Accetta and Linda Deming Ratcliff, could not emphasize this further.


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Unfortunately, scams evolve with time, and with the current influence of the Internet phenomenon, these scams have reached a stage where it can become global in scale, with the number of targets reaching to millions.

Remarkably, avoiding these cyber scams is just easy. Just be sure to remember the following tips before surfing the information superhighway:

Don’t share your email address or any personal information for that matter. In most web 2.0 sites, it has become a trend to ask people to invite their friends by providing their email address and password. This must ALWAYS be avoided, as this is the surest way to enlist your contacts in an endless cycle of spamming. This is, of course, secondary to that fact that giving your personal account details to the wrong person may forever jeopardize your online safety. Some pieces of information, such as your social security number and credit card number, should NEVER be divulged to just anybody online.


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"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." This age-old maxim has taken on a newer meaning with the advent of online fraudulence, as countless scam artists have found a better way to leverage the Internet toward exploiting many a user’s credulity. Be wary of listings and advertisements claiming to provide bucket loads of cash for an effortless job, as most of them turn out to be shams.


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Take advantage of modern security features in browsers. It is important to make sure that the sites being visited are certified trustworthy, and modern web browsers, such as Chrome and Firefox, contain enhanced support to check on these certificates at the click of an icon. Moreover, these browsers also contain anti-phishing and anti-malware software for maximum security.


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For Marc Accetta, avoiding scams is an important aspect in the journey toward attaining success. Access more personal success tips by visiting www.marcaccetta.com