Rick Saldan's Motivational Magic - Motivational Speaker & Master Magician

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

Soft Skills In the IT Environment – Part 1 of 2
Author: Carole Nicolaides

by Carole Nicolaides, Copyright © 2002, All Rights Reserved www.progressiveleadership.com

In today's competitive environment, it is not enough to be the best in your field intellectually. Competency is only half of what you need to climb the ladder of success. Retail giant Sears uses a very appropriate slogan: “Come see the softer side of Sears.” Just like Sears, you need to show the softer side of you in order to be successful.

What is the softer side exactly? It’s that part of you that will be liked, admired, trusted and remembered. As an IT executive, you may find this philosophy new because you have been required to be strong and flawless for so long. However, the new knowledge economy demands that leaders have both soft and tough personas.

Do not get fooled. Soft skills training is not for “softies.” Exactly the opposite is true. Soft skills are important no matter what business you are in. Most managers were initially trained to focus on the competencies of an individual when in a business role. We look at their education, their accomplishments, and their career growth. However, people are people. Regardless of what vocation they have, each one of us is a human being first and foremost. Soft skills equip us to deal with the person first, and the business venue second. The results are simply amazing!

I have had the opportunity to spend of lot of time working with IT people and it was a real learning experience for me. One of the things that I realized was that, due to their character and communication styles, many times IT folks would shoot themselves in the foot once they received a promotion to management and had people under them. They would get overwhelmed, be unable to communicate well, to bond, or to motivate their people. Setting visions for their team seemed to fall completely to the wayside.

Where was the shortcoming? The organizational skills were there, so their struggle wasn’t with keeping track of projects or responsibilities. The technical skills were there, so the dilemma wasn’t due to a lack of practical knowledge. However, the people skills were missing, and therefore, these IT manager’s teams (which are made up of people) fell apart. The solution? Acquire the missing skills!

The incorporation of soft skills into my IT associates’ business practices allowed them to relate better with people, to welcome the opportunity to converse with employees and peers about business and personal issues, and to discover the motivational factors for those on their teams. In short, it enabled these executives to be well rounded and capable when it came to people as a whole.

Business standards are moving. The landscape is changing. And, as an IT executive, you may need to take a second look at your collection of skills. To succeed, you must be able to impress with your strengths, connect with your compassion, and become unforgettable by understanding and relating to the people around you. Only then you will be able to foster a cohesive and extraordinary team.

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Carole Nicolaides is president and founder of Progressive Leadership, Inc., an executive coaching firm. She assists companies in creating high-performance teams and leaders that produce outstanding results. Discover her free ezine, teleclass training and consulting in Knowledge Management, Coaching and Leadership Development when you visit http://www.progressiveleadership.com.

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