SUCCESSMAPPING® Helps Readers Realize Their True Potential

By:

Arlene Johnson
Sinequanon Group Inc.

Date: August 26 2009

By: Arlene Johnson

Arlene Johnson has spent more than two decades helping companies and leaders
achieve extraordinary results. Now, for the first time, she is sharing her
expertise, so that people everywhere can develop their own step-by-step
Success Map and begin reaching their career and personal goals. In her new
book, SUCCESSMAPPING: Achieve What You Want Right Now! (Emerald Book
Company/August 2009), she presents an innovative eight step process, that
helps readers overcome the stumbling blocks that get in the way of success.

"While companies have tools and systems to help them improve their
performance, individuals don't," Johnson explains. What they need, she says,
is a map for success a map that gets them started, keeps them focused, and
keeps them "in the game" until they win. In her book, Johnson describes
precisely how people can develop a game plan no matter what their goals are,
whether they are CEOs or employees, students or homemakers.

The Eight "Success Blockers" That Can Get In The Way

The perils of trying to reach one¹s goals without a map like embarking on
a road trip without knowing the best route are many. "Unwittingly, we
often think, say, and do the very things that keep us from succeeding,"
Johnson writes. In fact, she has identified eight major "Success Blockers"
that tend to trip people up on the way to achieving their goals. Each step
of her SuccessMapping program addresses one of these potential stumbling
blocks and enables readers to identify and overcome these obstacles without
being stalled or derailed.

The Eight Progressive Steps of SuccessMapping

Every person's Success Map will be unique, but is built using the same
step-by-step method to achievement.

What Do You Really Want?
The first step of the SuccessMapping process addresses what is perhaps the
most fundamental Success Blocker neglecting the possibilities and not
believing in yourself. Johnson explains how to harness more of your innate
potential by reframing negative thoughts from indecisive to committed,
from insecure to confident. She also offers a "goal check" worksheet that
helps readers assess how achievable their goals are and identify where
adjustments may be needed.

The Power of You with Intention
Having decided, in step one, on a specific goal, step two is about
overcoming the next Success Blocker lack of focus. The crux of this step
lies in developing an "Intention Statement" that declares what you want to
accomplish. "This keeps you energized, engaged, and focused on making the
best decisions and taking the best actions," writes Johnson.

The Power of Choice
Achieving any goal demands change and when faced with change, you can
choose to engage, do nothing, or resist. In this section, Johnson explains
how, by preparing in advance, you can learn to make choices that help you
engage in change and seize opportunities. As Johnson writes, "The choices
you make, how you think and behave, and the actions you take are reliable
predictors of your success. . .if you choose to wait and see, you have
chosen not to succeed."

Using Your Strengths
All too often, people fail to leverage their strengths. This step helps you
identify the strengths sitting in your mental closet, and enables you to
select and use the ones most relevant to your goals. As Johnson says,
"Using a personal strength you have now to more easily achieve what you next
want to accomplish is an exercise of personal power."

Transforming Stumbling Blocks Into Stepping-Stones
Ignoring potential obstacles is another major success blocker. Johnson
details her problem-solving process for flushing out and resolving any
potential Stumbling Blocks whether external (other people or situations
that affect what you want to be or do) or internal (your own fears,
self-doubts, and concerns).

Ask For and Get What You Need
It¹s not always easy to ask for or get help from others. SUCCESSMAPPING
lays out an approach that will help you know how to ask for what you need. .
.and get it. Effective communication is key and Johnson's Collaborative
Conversation Plan is the answer. Johnson points out, "As mortal humans,
we¹re just not good at guessing what¹s going on in people's minds well, at
least not accurately."

Making Decisions With No Regrets
Making decisions without foresight is Success Blocker 7. Johnson has
developed a Decision Matrix that makes it possible to evaluate all actions
you can take in any given scenario, and then enables you to select the
action that will be most effective for achieving your desired results. As
Johnson says, "Using the Decision Matrix tool results in informed decisions,
yes or no, that are easy to commit to, with no regrets."

Yes, I'm Really Ready to Achieve My Intention Statement
Ultimately, not being change-ready can sabotage any goal. Johnson explains
how to recognize and manage the normal negative reactions to change in order
to become comfortable with new norms as quickly as possible. Johnson
reminds us that, "Even when we feel change ready, we can be quite surprised
with how we actually respond when the change occurs. The moment you're asked
to actually do something different is when your real transition begins and
the predictable change dynamics kick in."

Reaching career or personal goals whether it's winning a promotion,
surviving a reorganization, shining in a presentation, or going back to
school requires much more than hope and wishful thinking. Full of
motivational exercises and checklists to mark progress, as well as dozens of
anecdotes and real-life examples, SUCCESSMAPPING provides all the tools
necessary to maximize potential and turn dreams into attainable goals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ARLENE JOHNSON, Founder and President of Sinequanon Group, Inc. (SGI), is an
internationally known speaker, author, and consultant with more than two
decades of experience in executive leadership, change management, and sales
performance coaching. Through her efforts, major corporations as well as
small and mid-sized companies create a results-oriented and competitive
difference in demanding, radically-changing business environments.

As President of SGI, Johnson has used her extensive business background and
affiliate partnerships to help organizations optimize sales and change
leadership performance. As a performance consultant, she has worked with a
broad range of companies in the oil and gas, aerospace, utilities,
telecommunications, financial, and health industries. Her wide-ranging
expertise and unique approach have led client companies as well as executive
leadership in accomplishing extraordinary results.

She has advised Fortune 500 clients such as American Express (Mexico),
Hewlett-Packard (Hong Kong), Texas Instruments, Fidelity Investments, Blue
Cross and Blue Shield, Alcatel-Lucent, Lockheed Martin, as well as numerous
fast-growing, entrepreneurial companies.

Johnson has served on the Executive Committees of the Dallas Chapter of the
United Nations Association and the Sales and Marketing Executives
Association and as a member of the Conflict Resolution Network of Australia.
She is also involved in various non-profit organizations. Johnson lives in
Dallas, Texas.

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