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Rick Saldan is an excellent inspirational speaker who tailored the seminar to the needs of the individual students being instructed. This office thanks the Mayors Office of Information Services for having such a vendor.

 

Timothy K. Lynch

Office of Fleet Management

City of Philadelphia

 


 

Rick has a magical approach that provides a clear and concise message specifically designed to the needs of his audience. Rick will provide all the motivational magic you will ever need, propelling your organization to the next level of greater success.

 

Thomas Mulhern

Frontier Communications

 


 

Rick Saldan is a compelling and absorbing motivational speaker and magician.  I have been to five of his Motivational Magic presentations and it is amazing how he keeps our college audiences on the edge of their seats. A highly entertaining performer with great comedy flair. Rich content to increase students' productivity, peak performance and motivation. If you need an outstanding motivational speaker for colleges, Rick is definitely one of the world's greatest speakers and magicians!


Dr. Rob Gilbert, Sport Psychologist,

Montclair State University

 


 

Rick Saldan has the wit, wisdom and sorcery of a wizard. He has a dynamic personality, and all will enjoy his captivating stories, comedy and magic!

Dennis Slaughter
Credit Suisse First Boston

 


 

Rick Saldan delivers a first-class show! A pro in every sense of the word. Funny, unique, entertaining and polished.

Brian Letscher, Actor

Hawaii Five-O, NCIS, Cold Case, Law & Order and The Mentalist.

 


 

Rick Saldan is a wonderful combination of master magician, comic improviser and first class speaker. The audience loved his program, which was music to our ears. If you love celebrity motivational speakers such as Tom Hopkins, Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar, then you'll love Rick!

Dottie Burman, President
Burtley Productions, Inc.

 


Rick Saldan is an incredibly talented performer and motivational speaker with great insight. He shares many powerful motivational messages that will enhance your life for the better!

Jack Murray, President
Dream Illusions

 


Rick is one of the best inspirational speakers on the scene today. Funny, fun loving and highly energetic. If you want to make your next event into an extraordinary one, then invite professional speaker  Rick Saldan and his amazing  Motivational Magic.

 

Andres Lara, President

Inspiration Times Magazine

 

 

Are We Becoming a Nation of Boiled Frogs?
Author: Donna M. Genett, Ph.D.

They say if you put a frog in water and increase the temperature of that water slowly, the frog will gradually cook to death without ever producing a survival reaction to protect itself. Because the change of temperature is so gradual and insidious, the frog doesn’t realize death is encroaching.

I thought of that poor frog recently when I chanced upon a news release from the International Labor Organization stating U.S. workers, when compared to major European countries, put in as much as 500 more hours on the job each year.

That is the equivalent of twelve and a half extra 40-hour weeks. This is a pretty sobering thought. And our plight is worsening. According to the ILO, the average American’s annual work schedule has increased by nearly 40 hours since 1990.

With all this time carved out for work, the scale is tipping frightfully out of balance between our work and our personal lives. Taking work home to tackle in the evening or over the weekend is a common phenomenon for many employees. We also find work chewing into our free time through evening meetings, working lunches, and weekend retreats.

So what are we doing about it? Nothing it seems, we’re just like the frog. The water temperature is rising to a point that it is slowly cooking us.

So, what should we do about it? Well, the good news is we don’t have to jump out of the pot altogether. In other words, we don’t have to trade personal fulfillment for professional success. We can achieve success and still reclaim our personal lives. But it is critical for us to decrease and manage the water temperature.

That's just why I wrote the book If You Want It Done Right, You Don’t Have to Do It Yourself!: The Power of Effective Delegation. It shows you how to regain control of your workload allowing you more time to do the things that are important to you.

How do we keep from getting cooked?

If you manage other people, the first step is to closely look at the different responsibilities of your job and delegate all but the critical few. This allows you to focus on what is truly important versus getting bogged down in fighting the day-to-day fires. The second step is to increase productivity and efficiency by ensuring that every delegated task is done right the first time. This means communicating the critical features of the task and asking your delegatee to paraphrase back what he or she heard so you can check his or her understanding. Third, periodically check in to see that the task is being done right. Checking in gives you the opportunity to correct any problems, provide necessary guidance and ensure the result will be successful. The final step involves holding a debriefing session on how things went. This allows you to learn what worked and what needs fine-tuning in a way that creates even greater efficiency and productivity.
But what about those of us who are not managers?
If you are a victim of ineffective delegation, there’s hope for you too! You can apply the steps of effective delegation upward with your manager, making sure you have all the information you need to get the job done right the first time.

First, repeat back to your manager what you understood his or her expectations for the delegated task or project to be. Discuss it until you are absolutely clear; make the final result almost visible in your mind. Second, ask your manager to clarify the deadline and where this task falls in level of priority with other tasks you have to do. Third, ask what level of authority you have on the task or project. Can you own it completely or does he or she want to be kept informed? Finally, schedule checkpoints for discussing progress as you go along. These checkpoints help you make necessary adjustments as you are completing the task and ensure the end result is exactly what your manager is looking for.

Whether we are a manager, an employee who is managed, or both, we can create a thermostat to control the water temperature. Learning and practicing the power of effective delegation can not only keep us from getting cooked, it can help us achieve professional success and reclaim our personal lives.






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Donna M. Genett, Ph.D. is an organizational psychologist who has devoted the past 15 years to making a significant positive impact on organizations and the professional lives of the people in them. As president of GenCorp, a national consulting firm, she has coached hundreds of executives, teams, and organizations to achieve optimal success. She is a professional speaker and trainer and the author of the internationally acclaimed book, "If You Want It Done Right, You Don’t Have to Do It Yourself! The Power of Effective Delegation” (Quill Driver Books, 800-497-4909). Visit her website at www.WantItDoneRight.com or contact her by email at Donna@WantItDoneRight.com.

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