#like you can see two people swaying on the school bus similarly and find out they’re listening to opposite sides of the music spectrum | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

btravelledblog-blog · 6 years

Text

8 Steps to Success: How to Plan Your Trip Abroad

So now that you have officially decided to travel abroad, for work, school, vacation, or otherwise, it is time to start planning your trip! For most people, the planning process is the most difficult and time consuming part of travelling, since everything feels like a make-or-break decision. Plus, looking at different prices, customer reviews, and pictures can all be very overwhelming. With the right planning process, however, your trip and preparation should go fairly smoothly! However, it is important to keep in mind that even with all the planning and preparation in the world, some things are going to go wrong, and that is okay. Just remember to stay positive, stay focused, remember the end-goal of enjoying the whole trip, and learn to have fun with the little set backs! With all of that being said, here my 8 Steps to Success to plan your perfect trip abroad!

Step One: Pick a Destination Sometimes picking the one place (or the series of places) you definitively want to go to will be such a tough decision it will make your head spin. Personally, making the decision of where exactly to go is always very difficult for me, because I want to everywhere and see everything, but here are some of my ideas on how to narrow down your choices.

1. Weather So right now you are stuck between a summer in Italy, Ireland, or Australia. Maybe one of the first things you should look at is the weather for each destination, and see which one fits the idea you had in mind for the trip. Obviously, Ireland is going to be a bit cooler and rainier than Italy and Australia, where you can expect dry heat, which may end up swaying your decision. If you want that heat, and to go see beaches and lakes, then narrow down your choices between Italy and Australia. However, if you think the cooler climate better suits your needs, go with Ireland!

2. Time of Year Similarly to weather, the time of year can play a key role in deciding where you want to go. If you want to go to the Dominican Republic to try and learn more about the culture while also enjoying the beach, maybe stay away from April travels to avoid spring breakers. Plus, different places have cheaper flights during different times of the year, which is super important if you are trying to save (some) money while planning your trip, which we will get more into in Step 2.

3. Recommendations So you looked into the weather, you checked to see when are the best times to visit your choices, you compared prices, and you still cannot seem to decide on one place. My biggest recommendation, would be to ask for a recommendation! Friends and family that have already travelled to a destination will probably have a lot of stories and insights on the different countries they have been to, and the experiences they had. Maybe they found out the hard way that the locals in one part of town are always looking to scam tourists, or the discovered a hidden gem of a coffee shop on the outskirts of downtown. No matter what they have to say, your friends and family are always a great resource while trying to figure out where to go.

Now, obviously these three tips are not anywhere near all-inclusive, and you are still going to struggle to pick your final destination, but maybe this gave you a better idea of how to start researching. With that being said, research, ask for recommendations, and good luck!

Step 2: Book a Flight Booking a flight for your travel experience can be very scary, trust me, I’ve been there. You’re probably scared the booking will not actually go through, that you will end up paying more than you should, that there will be additional hidden fees once you get to the airport, among other things. These are all valid fears, and the best way to combat them is to plan and be diligent about doing your research. Here some general tips to help you out:

1. Research cheap airlines There are a lot of cheap airlines out there, like eDreams and Spirit, but you have to be very careful when using them. Most of these cheaper options include minimal amenities: you will probably have to pay extra for any undercarriage luggage, for any food and/or drink during the flight, for overweight luggage, etc. While the airline is not technically trying to trick you (emphasis on technically) you still need to be very careful about reading the fine print of what is all included in your plane ticket, and plan accordingly.

2. Compare cheap airlines to typical airlines Although the above cheaper flights may originally seem like the better deal, add up all of their fees and compare the total price to bigger airlines like United Airways or Iberia. Sometimes, after everything is added together, the prices are almost the same. The bigger airline will always be a little more expensive, but for free unlimited drinks on your 18-hour flight, it might be worth it!

3. Compare One-Way versus Round-Trip Flights Sometimes it can be cheaper to buy two one-way tickets. Other times it can be cheaper to buy one round-trip ticket. Just research and compare prices to make sure you are getting the best deal!

4. Use a Search Engine or Travel Agent For some people, booking the flight with you own research is too daunting a task. And that’s okay! Websites like kayak.com or travelocity are great tools to help you compare different flights. And if you’re willing to shell out a little extra cash for a travel agent to save time and additional stress, there’s no shame in that either!

Booking a flight is scary, but hopefully, with these tips, the process goes a little easier. Just remember: research and compare costs!

Step 3: Find Lodging Once you have you flight booked, it’s time to start looking for your home for the trip! Depending on what kind of trip you plan on going on, you’ll want to stay in different lodgings. If you plan to go all-out for a dream vacation full of food, drinks, and pool time, an all-inclusive resort is the way to go. With an all-inclusive hotel, all of your food, drinks, and typical amenities are included in the fees for your stay. On the other hand, if you literally only need a place to sleep, and are planning on being out and about, exploring wherever you are, a hostel or airbnb may be the right option for you. Hostels and airbnbs can be very similar in price, drastically cheaper than hotels, and offer only the basics so you can save money to spend elsewhere. When I took my weekend trip to Paris, my friend and I stayed in a hostel, and it was perfect for us since we wanted to see all of the city in one weekend, and didn’t care about a fancy hotel. Of course, if you are in between being completely spoiled at an all-inclusive resort and living off of the basics like in a hostel or airbnb, a regular hotel is always an option. Mid-priced hotels are everywhere, and you should have no problem finding something in your price range, with whatever necessities you see fit to have provided for you. My biggest tip while looking at places to stay is to make sure you find yourself a good location. Sure, things will be cheaper the farther away they are from the downtown areas, or the beaches, or the beautiful destinations, but then you will need to figure out how to get to these places. Often times, having to walk an hour every morning, or take a taxi every day, can add to monetary and time expenses, making these cheap and further out locations less of a good deal. Obviously, the best places to stay are going to be more expensive as you move towards the center of the tourist areas, so just try your best to find a happy medium. Be close enough that getting where you want to go isn’t its own mini-trip, but also don’t break the bank for a central location. Finally, make sure you look up lots of reviews for wherever you decide to stay. The pictures may look great, but pictures can always be deceiving. Plus, the hostel may say “great location”, but that’s a very open description and could simply be puffery. Additionally, you want to make sure that wherever you decide to stay is safe. If there are no reviews, do not stay there. If the review says it’s very cheap, but in a bad neighborhood, try looking for something else. Never let saving a few dollars out your safety at risk, it’s really not worth it. Other than that, once again, just research everything, find a place that fits your specific needs, be safe, and start getting excited!

Step 4: Plan Your Excursions So you finally decided on where you want to go, you booked your flight, and are ready to start planning everything you want to do during your trip! In my opinion, this is the best and most fun part of the planning process. Again, the biggest thing you need to do is research. Utilize google, social media, friends and family, and anything else you can think of to look up where you should go, try, and see. Once you have a few places and things to do in mind, look them up specifically to see if there are any guided tours or direct transportation programs to get you there. Or, if you have a little known coffee shop on your docket, just look it up on a map so you can find it yourself! This part of planning your trip should be fun and fairly stress free, so try not to take it too seriously (except for those trips you need to book a reservation for), and remember to leave yourself time to explore. A lot of times you will find the coolest places and have the best experiences from being spontaneous, and just seeing where the journey takes you! So, my advice in a nutshell: research, make a game plan, book everything that needs to be done in advance, and try not to over-plan!

Step 5: Figure out Transportation Planning your preferred method of transportation throughout your trip is super important. There are plenty of different options: rent a car, bus tickets, train tickets, public transit, taxi, Uber, etc. In my opinion, you should probably stay away from renting a car and driving yourself, just because you likely aren’t familiar with the different rules and regulations of driving in a different country; but if you are, go for it! During my trips, I tend to opt for the public transportation option. A lot of times you can buy a pass for a lot cheaper than any of the other options, and then you have free reign of the city you chose to visit. Another important thing to remember is how you plan to get from the airport, to your hotel/hostel/airbnb/etc. Airports are usually pretty far out of the city, and I think that taking a taxi straight out of the terminal to your host location is the easiest route to take. Sure, it can be a little expensive, but you know that you will make it from Place A to Place B, without the stress of figuring out a bus or train station. A good thing to keep in mind about taking a taxi from the airport: there is usually one flat rate to ride in a taxi to your lodgings, so be sure to know if the airport you are in follows this typical European rule so you know you are paying a fair price. For example, in Athens, Greece it was 50 € to go from the airport to anywhere in Athens, and I saw similar situations everywhere I went in Europe. So, take a taxi to your home for the trip (if you’re like me) and then get some kind of public transportation pass (again, if you want to just do what I did). Once you have the pass, make sure you keep a map of all the routes with you, since you probably won’t have Wi-Fi to look up which stop and at what time you need to be there. From there, you should be fine to get to wherever you need to go! My last piece of transportation advice is to plan out bigger weekend trips you want to take as far in advance as possible. Spontaneous trips are incredible, I planned a weekend in Paris on Tuesday and left on Friday, but the planning and execution of the plan will probably go a lot smoother if you are little more prepared than I was. Just follow all of these same steps, and maybe take a bus or train instead of a flight if it’s cheaper, and you’ll be good to go!

Step 6: Pack For an all-inclusive packing list of everything you need to study abroad, or to take with you on a long trip, take a look at my first first blog post!

https://btravelledblog.tumblr.com/post/174197818437/all-inclusive-study-abroad-packing-list-from-the

Step 7: Make a Checklist Make a checklist of all of these things, any other little things you can think of, even stuff you need to buy for your trip, and once something’s done, you get to check it off! You can even make a list of everything you have to do to execute your plan, like I did, but sometimes my list making can be a little excessive, so it’s all up to you.

Step 8: Travel Finally, go on your trip, take lots of pictures, make lots of memories, and have lots of fun!

#MKT400UWL

13 notes · View notes

talabib · 3 years

Text

Do You Know What it takes to be a CEO?

CEOs are often portrayed as highly intelligent people who wear fancy suits and have a real knack for business. However, many of them neither hold a higher-education degree nor come from a wealthy background. In fact, corporate success often has little to do with book smarts or a massive bankroll.

Experts ran several extensive studies to pinpoint what is truly needed to become a leader of a successful company. These are skills that anyone can learn, and the steps to acquiring and implementing them are clearly outlined in this post. Supported by examples of eminent CEOs across an array of industries, you’ll see that there’s nothing stopping you from becoming the next Elon Musk or Indra Nooyi.

CEOs aren’t born, they’re made.

Many of us believe that CEOs are somehow special and entirely different from the average employee. Furthermore, we believe that wealthy parents or exceptional intelligence is necessary to run a large company. However, the ghSMART project surveyed over 2,600 CEOs and what they found contradicts these beliefs.

The majority of CEOs are just regular people who have developed leadership qualities over the course of their career.

More than 70 percent of the CEOs surveyed claimed that they had no intention of becoming a CEO when they first started working.

Let’s take Don Slager, for example. Slager is the CEO of Republic Services, a $9 billion company and one of the top-500 wealthiest companies in the United States as rated by Fortune magazine. He never went to college but was ranked the number one CEO in the United States by the website Glassdoor. In fact, he started out as a garbageman for the company. By working his way up the ranks, Slager eventually became the head of one of the most well-known companies in the American waste-services industry. It was his knowledge of and familiarity with the general public, as well as the insights he’d gained from working in all areas of the company, that made Slager the best candidate for CEO.

What’s more, the survey showed that you don’t need to be a genius to become a CEO.

Indeed, those who put forth complicated ideas or use long words are typically viewed as bad CEOs. Moreover, they’re less likely to be hired at all. To give you some stats – only seven percent of CEOs graduated from an Ivy League school. Though Fortune 500 companies usually have Ivy League graduates among their leaders, the smaller, less-known firms don’t. But Ivy League schools aside, consider this: like Don Slager, eight percent of CEOs have never attended any college, so, clearly, lacking a formal higher-level education is no hindrance.

You also don’t need to be an exceptionally outspoken person to be a CEO. Egoistic people make the worst CEOs since they’re too focused on their individual success. And, in fact, 30 percent of CEOs are introverts.

Make fewer and thus faster decisions.

Previously, we’ve shown that a college degree isn’t necessary to become the CEO of a lucrative company. But being highly intelligent is not a prerequisite either.

In fact, CEOs who have a high IQ typically experience information paralysis. They are required to make important choices every day. There are many different avenues by which to arrive at a decision, such as being thoughtful, impulsive, logical or decisive. Out of these options, high-performing CEOs often opt for decisiveness, meaning the ability to decide quickly and with conviction. Indeed, experts found in a study that decisiveness made CEOs 12 times more likely to be top performers.

In addition to being quick, an overarching decision is usually better than one that’s detailed.

To illustrate this argument, let’s take a look at Steve Gorman, who took over the bus company Greyhound Lines in 2003 when it was $140 million in debt. After being advised to either divide up the regions and sell off the company’s business in them, or to increase fare prices, Gorman had to decide quickly. Instead of consulting sales figures, he looked at a map of America. Gorman compared this map with the Greyhound route map and made the bold decision to stop all of the routes that serviced low-density populations. Thanks to this decisiveness, after four years, Greyhound Lines was making an annual profit of $30 million. So, like Gorman, find a winning formula for your specific business, and to stick to it.

This is what Doug Peterson, CEO of McGraw Hill Financial, did. He succeeded by following the policy of Jack Welch, legendary CEO of the gigantic conglomerate General Electric. According to Welch’s rule, the company had to have the potential to become a number one or number two player in every new sector it entered, or he would turn down the opportunity.

By following this formula, Peterson simplified decision-making throughout his entire organization and enabled his staff to make quicker decisions about market opportunities by themselves. The company sometimes turned down potentially lucrative takeover deals, but the simplicity and speed were worth more than any single buyout would have been.

To get favorable results, you need to understand your stakeholders.

As mentioned earlier, a surprisingly large number of CEOs are introverts rather than extroverts. This is because, in order to be an effective CEO, you’ve got to be able to consider other people’s perspectives. Company owners need to understand what motivates customers, board members and stakeholders, which means that CEOs need to listen and have empathy. Introverts tend to be particularly adept at this.

By truly listening to people, you avoid making assumptions, which is important. When it comes to other people’s perspectives and outlooks, you shouldn’t assume you know what they think. Instead, you should show genuine curiosity and pay attention when they’re talking about themselves.

One CEO who employs this tactic particularly effectively is Neil Fiske. Though he is mainly known as the man who rescued the surf company Billabong, his biggest achievement came when he worked for a lingerie brand. Fiske interviewed women about their opinions on clothing, and he was mindful not to make assumptions. By listening and gathering as much information as he could, Fiske managed to turn the previously small company into a billion-dollar business.

As the example illustrates, it’s important for CEOs to spend time getting to know their customers.

Jim Donald has had leadership roles in many well-known successful brands, including Starbucks and Safeway. He attributes his success to spending half of his time out of the office and in the shops themselves. Donald’s strategy stemmed from advice given to him from his former boss at Walmart, Sam Walton, who said that the real business occurs among the customers and employees on the shop floor.

Similarly, it’s vital to know the motivations behind the company’s board members.

The benefits of getting to know board members shouldn’t be underestimated, and you should be aware of their individual aspirations and hopes, as well as how your company fits into that vision. Some key questions to be addressed include: How did they become a board member? Are they obligated to an investor or founder? What’s driving them to stay on the board? Is it money, prestige, intellectual stimulation? Finding the answers to these questions could help you achieve your goals for the company, because you’ll know what kind of decisions board members will be likely to back.

People will rely on a consistent and committed CEO.

If two candidates are competing for a CEO position, the one who appears most reliable will get the job. In fact, CEOs who are known to be reliable are twice more likely to be offered a position than those who don’t have that reputation.

To present yourself as a reliable person, you must always follow through on your commitments.

The Genome Project studied the personality traits of thousands of CEOs and found that 94 percent of them scored very high in the category of following through on commitments. Furthermore, those who displayed discipline, thoroughness and conscientiousness were highly favored, unlike the “mad geniuses,” who were less favorable due to their erratic behavior. So if your main argument for getting the job is that you can come up with crazy ideas and schemes, you may wish to rethink your strategy.

Board members want leaders who they know will follow through on promises, even if the promises aren’t extravagant. They prefer a guaranteed modest outcome over an outlandish promise that has a low probability of being delivered. Thus, you can build your reputation for reliability by promising small things, but ensuring that you deliver on those small promises.

You can also appear reliable by behaving consistently. To do so, you should not let yourself be swayed by mood swings or emotions. The CEO of Timberland, Jeff Schwartz, argues that your staff rely on you to be consistent so that they can approach you professionally. Whether you are consistently serious or always friendly, you’ll seem more approachable to your colleagues and employees if your moods are predictable.

Additionally, preparing anecdotes about your prior experiences will help you sell yourself as a reliable CEO.

When in an interview for a leadership position you can prove the fact that you’re a reliable choice by sharing a few anecdotes from the past. Think of previous situations in which you’ve overcome a mutual problem, highlighting how you’ve learned from those hardships and redeemed yourself. This will help you come across as someone who can be relied on to work through common problems should they arise in the future.

Avoid mistakes by building repeatable, well-planned systems.

When you’re leading a big organization, it’s almost impossible to micromanage everything. Therefore, you need to implement self-sustaining systems that have easily repeatable steps to ensure employees work efficiently.

To do so, imagine yourself as a conductor of an orchestra. Rather than playing music, a conductor watches over everyone else from afar. To pull off a spectacular show, the conductor must work with the performers during rehearsal and ensure that everyone knows their role. Together, they work through the piece multiple times in order to reduce the likelihood of errors. On the big day, the conductor doesn’t need to do much, since the performers know what to do, having practiced the same pattern hundreds of times. This is what you should aim for as a CEO, too.

In addition to envisioning yourself as a conductor, it can also be helpful to think like a Navy SEAL. Imagine you’re in a fight. You might think that the best thing to do would be to rely on your instincts, fight back hard and hope for the best. But this is exactly what Navy SEALs don’t do. They are taught to build a strong foundation beforehand so that in the face of rising pressure, they can call upon their repetitive training and avoid making any mistakes.

Lastly, creating a well-planned system can also help prevent errors. In some cases, a reliable system can mean the difference between life and death. For example, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia sometimes encountered errors in their treatment system. Not only were doctors and nurses making mistakes with dosages and treatments; they also tried to cover them up.

Then it was revealed that it wasn’t the mistakes themselves that were causing most of the errors; it was the attempts to cover them up. So the hospital changed the system and decided to rename the errors, or near misses, as good catches. The staff member who disclosed the most near misses – either their own or somebody else’s – was given an award. As a result, medical errors fell by 80 percent.

Forget the past and focus on adapting to future trends.

What do Blockbuster Video and Kodak have in common? Both are businesses that failed because they didn’t adapt to the future.

One important aspect of planning for the future involves making room for new ideas by letting go of old ones.

Though Kodak invented the first-ever digital camera, they waited 18 years to pursue the opportunity further. This missed opportunity was fateful for the company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2012. Similarly, video-rental company Blockbuster passed on all three opportunities to purchase Netflix, because it didn’t see the potential of an online business model. We now know that this was a big mistake, and Blockbuster, too, filed for bankruptcy.

Both Kodak and Blockbuster failed because they weren’t able to let go of their old practices and adapt to the changing business landscape fast enough.

In contrast, when Intel saw that Japanese companies had begun to produce memory chips at a lower cost, it knew it needed to act quickly. This new competition led to a drop in Intel’s profits, from $198 billion in 1984 to $2 million just a year later. So Intel decided to focus wholly on producing microprocessors and drop its memory-chip-manufacturing business. The company’s willingness to adapt resulted in their market cap rising from $4 billion in the mid-1980s to $197 billion today.

Clearly, then, staying on top of upcoming trends is vital for a company’s sustained success, but how can you manage that in an increasingly information-loaded world?

The answer is to become a trendhunter. Jean Hoffman, CEO of pharmaceutical firm Putney, is a great example of a trendhunter. Hoffman was able to stay ahead of the game by studying the trends in human pharmacy and applying them to better forecast changes in veterinary medicine.

But looking into the trends that lie outside of your industry is helpful, too. For instance, Disney World didn’t look at other theme parks to find a trend that they could adapt. Instead, they compared themselves to any case that involved family entertainment, meaning games, films, sports and toys. From their research, they learned that it would be beneficial to incorporate trends such as the Harry Potter phenomenon and trampolining into their operations.

You need to get noticed to advance to the top.

If you think you’re more important than the company you work for, then the chances you’ll get hired as a CEO are pretty slim. Employers look for team players who will act according to the company’s best interests, rather than those who act out of self-interest.

So how do you show what you’ve got, if you’re not supposed to brag about your talents? To get there, try to be a big fish in a small pond.

Experts carried out a study of 2,600 CEOs and found that 60 percent of those who had climbed the corporate ladder quickly – also known as “sprinters” – did so after having taken a lower position at a smaller firm.

Smaller companies are more likely to accommodate change and ideas faster than big corporations, which usually have no time or room for your personal opinions.

Furthermore, in a smaller company, it’s easier to get noticed. If you become recognized as the one who saved or expanded your company or department, you’ll find yourself being thrust into the spotlight in no time.

For example, Damien McDonald declined a managerial position at Johnson and Johnson, a $50 billion firm, and chose to lead the $250 million spine division of Zimmer, a medical-device company. Under McDonald’s leadership, Zimmer saw growth of 12 percent, while the most he could have achieved at Johnson and Johnson would’ve probably been between one and two percent. Then, in 2016, LivaNova, another medical-device company, impressed by McDonald’s success, offered him the role of CEO.

You also need to make sure you get noticed for the right reasons and by the right people. The first way to get noticed is by asking people at your company for advice. Everyone enjoys giving guidance, and by doing so, they’ll become invested in and support your success.

Alternatively, you could offer skills that the company is lacking, which is typically computer and technology expertise. Everyone will notice when you become the go-to person for such areas.

A third way to get noticed is to become a staff member of an important figure in the company. As a personal assistant to a senior manager, you’ll be granted access to high-level meetings. This will provide you with key insights into company operations, as well as connections to the top brass, thereby creating a competitive edge for you.

Once people recognize your talent, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a CEO.

CEOs aren’t superhuman. In fact, they’re just regular people who’ve developed certain skills that allow them to climb ranks in the workplace. Being decisive, consistent, committed and reliable are all fundamental traits of a CEO. Having a well-planned system in place is also important, as is understanding stakeholders and being able to adapt to the future.

#Do You what it takes to be a CEO?

0 notes

talabib · 6 years

Text

Do You what it takes to be a CEO?

CEOs aren’t born, they’re made.

The majority of CEOs are just regular people who have developed leadership qualities over the course of their career.

More than 70 percent of the CEOs surveyed claimed that they had no intention of becoming a CEO when they first started working.

What’s more, the survey showed that you don’t need to be a genius to become a CEO.

Make fewer and thus faster decisions.

Previously, we’ve shown that a college degree isn’t necessary to become the CEO of a lucrative company. But being highly intelligent is not a prerequisite either.

In addition to being quick, an overarching decision is usually better than one that’s detailed.

To get favorable results, you need to understand your stakeholders.

As the example illustrates, it’s important for CEOs to spend time getting to know their customers.

Similarly, it’s vital to know the motivations behind the company’s board members.

People will rely on a consistent and committed CEO.

To present yourself as a reliable person, you must always follow through on your commitments.

Additionally, preparing anecdotes about your prior experiences will help you sell yourself as a reliable CEO.

Avoid mistakes by building repeatable, well-planned systems.

Forget the past and focus on adapting to future trends.

What do Blockbuster Video and Kodak have in common? Both are businesses that failed because they didn’t adapt to the future.

One important aspect of planning for the future involves making room for new ideas by letting go of old ones.

Both Kodak and Blockbuster failed because they weren’t able to let go of their old practices and adapt to the changing business landscape fast enough.

Clearly, then, staying on top of upcoming trends is vital for a company’s sustained success, but how can you manage that in an increasingly information-loaded world?

You need to get noticed to advance to the top.

So how do you show what you’ve got, if you’re not supposed to brag about your talents? To get there, try to be a big fish in a small pond.

Smaller companies are more likely to accommodate change and ideas faster than big corporations, which usually have no time or room for your personal opinions.

Alternatively, you could offer skills that the company is lacking, which is typically computer and technology expertise. Everyone will notice when you become the go-to person for such areas.

Once people recognize your talent, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a CEO.

#Do You what it takes to be a CEO?

0 notes