One of the questions we are frequently asked is who do we look to – to give us new ideas, and to inspire us. So as a result we’ll include some material in the blog that gives you some of the top people and their work that we have come across.

There will be a book review on the first of each month for the next few months. These are easy to access – just dip your hand in your pocket and for less than £15 generally you can pick up a wealth of information.

Today’s guru tip is the Birmingham based sales trainer and motivational speaker Peter Thomson. http://www.peterthomson.com/ is a link that will take you directly to his site. You can even sign up for his little weekly tips TGI Mondays at www.tgimondays.com.

I have seen him ‘perform’ at a number of different events, and particularly if you’re a business owner or senior manager, you will find his material inspiring ! Our advice check it out !

We are interested in how and when people use their time to learn. Time management is a key challenge facing us all on a daily basis. Ever wondered why some people in business seem to get more out of a day than others ? Take Sir Richard Branson for example or Stelios of Easyjet. They have the same amount of hours in every day as anybody else. However they achieve more because they spend more time on the big things, than on the little things. Our audio CD “So you wanna go places” covers this in detail http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_detail.asp?ProdID=23. Our customers for our range of audio CDs typically tell us they listen to the CDs in the car (often driving to or from work or to meetings.) Alternatively some transfer them from their PC onto MP3 player.

Whatever works best for you, it is important to try and take on board any new information when your mind is most receptive. Early morning before the day is underway is good, as can be the middle of the evening (depending on what else is going on in your life of course !)

I often think targets have a negative image. It is easy to think of them as things other people set you to do, things that they impose on you to control your actions.

But they are much more powerful than that. There are many studies that show people who have targets and goals are more successful at achieving the things in life that are important to them. There is a saying “those people who are going nowhere, usually get there !” This is about the goals that YOU SET FOR YOURSELF. In other words, set your own path, don’t wait for others to do it for you.

There are many great sources of information on personal goal setting. We currently have 2 different titles covering goal setting by 2 different authors.  You can find them by clicking the following link http://www.associatedlearningsystems.co.uk/product_list.asp?Section=SELF%20DEVELOPMENT One is the excellent title “little steps lead to big dreams” which is a radio interview with Alastair Campbell of the Ideal Marketing Company. It gives some great tips and a good format to setting out your goals.

The second product is training material used in training courses by the training company To Market. It also has some top tips and talks about overcoming personal barriers – all those things that get in the way of achieving your goals.

So give them a listen and see what you think.