That’s Why I Love My Job

That’s Why a Cabin Crew Loves this Job! 

Let's listen to her. 

This all started when I was working as a Flight Attendant in 2002. Just for a year, I thought at that time. 14 years on, I have to admit that this way of life is slightly addictive. This is my personal top 10 this job is loved.

1. Every working day is different

There are times when I’ll get up at 04.30 for a return flight to Paris, and other times when I’ll board a flight at 21.30 for a trip to the other side of the world.

Even after 14 years with KLM, I still work with people I’ve never met before. Sometimes we enjoy each other’s company so much, we  start requesting flights together. The work schedules on board can be rather routine and regimented, but the job itself is never boring, because the crews keep changing, as do the destinations and passengers, and the atmosphere on day and night-time flights is also very different.

2. Setting your own schedule

I do have a say in the destinations I fly to, and how long I’ll be away from home. The requests system for cabin crew is great, allowing me to give my preferences by simply selecting a flight number and date. The system immediately tells you your chances of being assigned to that flight and how many open slots there are for your rank.

It goes without saying that I also have to work during public holidays, like Christmas or Easter. But if I really want to have a specific day off, I can use one my two “superjokers” to make sure I get the flight I want. It makes it easy to plan work schedules around birthdays, holidays and the festive season.

3. Never having to worry about what to wear

I never have to worry about what I’ll be wearing to work. Got to love uniforms! But there are choices to be made. Should I wear the skirt or trousers? Waistcoat or no waistcoat? My uniform options include: 2 blazers, 1 waistcoat, 1 jersey (it can get chilly during the nightshift), 1 pair of trousers, 2 different skirts (1 straight, 1 flared), 2 scarves, and a nice long winter coat. My favourite garment is the waistcoat, which I wear quite often, usually in combination with the flared skirt.

4. Visiting family and friends abroad

If we’re assigned to intercontinental flights, we get at least 24 hours off at the destination, sometimes more. We also sometimes have layovers on European flights, giving us an afternoon and an evening off. That means I can regularly sit down for dinner with my cousin in Stockholm. My best friend lives in New York, and I’ve visited friends and relatives in Tokyo, Cape Town, Shanghai, London and Abu Dhabi. Flying allows me to maintain and strengthen these ties.

5. Sharing the wealth

Whenever I fly to Johannesburg or Nairobi, I take along lots of clothes and toys, which I give to various charities and orphanages there. I’m glad that I can contribute to these worthy causes, and it’s a privilege to make my donations personally.

I also really enjoyed taking part in the Bushcamp organised by Wings of Support, during which we spent four days camping at Lake Naivasha in Kenya with underprivileged kids. Such a great experience and lots of fun too.

6. Seeing the world from above

While I’m serving passengers on board, I sometimes glance out of the window and see the rolling cloud cover, majestic mountain tops, and (almost always) the sun. The views are spectacular! More than once, I’ve had the pleasure of flying over the heart of London as the sun was setting. I’ve seen the Great Wall of China from the air, the Mississippi River, the Strip in Las Vegas, Mount Fuji, and the Alps.

7. Freedom

One of the things I still find amazing is that, within a day, I can close my door in Amsterdam and open a hotel door in a completely different part of the world. It’s like magic. Once we’ve checked in, we’re free to go our own way, as long as there aren’t any safety restrictions on site. After 12 years of flying, I already have my favourite coffee bars and beauty salons in many different cities. Last year I rented a car with a colleague and we drove out to Las Vegas from Los Angeles. To me it was the best ”work” trip of 2015.

8. Time for a special hobby

To me, the tango is the most beautiful dance. I’m really fortunate that I can take lessons in Buenos Aires, where tango was born. Every time I go there, I take along my tango shoes, which I bought in San Telmo, and take a couple of private lessons at the Tango Piola in Palermo.

9. Getting to know lovable, loving and lovely people

If I’m on a 12-hour flight, I enjoy getting to know passengers in my work area. I’m still in touch with 85-year-old Vida and with people like Rachael, who I actually met via my KLM blog. She suffered from fear of flying and told me that my blog helped set her mind at ease, knowing that cabin attendants have to complete safety training every year. When she and her husband came Amsterdam for a weekend, we got together for coffee and cake in the Vondelpark. Rachael gave me a guardian angel, which I always take along on my travels.

10. Seeing the most beautiful places on earth

I sometimes have to pinch myself when I’m lying on a beach bed, drinking from a fresh coconut, watching the sun set slowly into the sea. At such times, I will share our running gag: “Just another day at the office.”

I hope you do fall in love with this lifestyle: Being a cabin crew!

What does an Air Traffic Controller Do?

What Exactly Does an Air Traffic Controller Do?

Air traffic controllers play an essential role in ensuring safe air traffic. Where pilots ensure that their aircraft stays safely airborne, air traffic controllers ensure that they have safe routes to follow. I’ve been an air traffic controller for over 10 years, and I’d like to explain how things work and what we do.

A lot of people think that air traffic controllers work for KLM or Schiphol, but that isn’t the case. We work for an organisation called Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL), which is responsible for coordinating civilian air traffic over the Netherlands. LVNL employs around 950 people, 250 of whom are air traffic controllers, who work at Schiphol, Rotterdam, Beek and Eelde airports.

Military air traffic controllers

Some readers will note that Eindhoven is missing from the above list. That’s because Eindhoven is a military airfield, which falls under military airspace. This means the armed forces are in charge of air traffic control in Eindhoven. We do, however, direct any traffic on its way to and from Eindhoven passing through our airspace. We are always in direct contact with the military air traffic controllers.

At Schiphol, air traffic control is subdivided into three departments: Tower (TWR), Approach (APP) and the Area Control Centre (ACC).

Tower – visible air traffic

The name says it all. The air traffic controllers who work in the Tower are responsible for traffic at and around the airport, within a radius of approximately 15 km. This includes aircraft on the taxiways and runways, as well as airborne traffic and any vehicles driving around the airport.

In short, Tower is in charge of all visible traffic. Aircraft that are further from the airport and therefore not visible to air traffic controllers are the responsibility of radar controllers.

Approach – separating approaching and departing traffic

The Approach department handles traffic within a radius of approximately 50 km from Schiphol, to an altitude of around 4 km. The Approach controllers are in charge of separating traffic arriving at and departing from the airport.

The Approach controllers coordinate traffic that is waiting over the North Sea and Flevoland and Zeeland provinces, directing them towards the airport and “zipping” them into line for their approach to the runway.

At the same time, the Approach controllers ensure that aircraft departing from Schiphol are guided onto the right flight paths. Aircraft regularly cross each other’s paths while executing these incoming and outgoing movements at Schiphol. The Approach controllers are there to ensure that this happens safely.

Area Control Centre – high-altitude traffic

The people at the Area Control Centre (ACC) are responsible for air traffic in the higher reaches of Dutch airspace. The work area of the ACC extends from the southern border of the Netherlands to far beyond of the Waddeneilanden along the northern coast, and from the English border in the west to the German border in the east. The ACC controllers handle traffic flying at altitudes between 4 and 8 km, mainly heading to and from Schiphol, but also bound for airports such as Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Brussels, Düsseldorf and London.

‘Circling’ in holding areas

Traffic on its way to Schiphol is guided from the Dutch borders to waiting areas, where aircraft fly around in holding patterns until they are allowed to land. This usually happens when there are delays, mainly due to bad weather, and it ensures that aircraft don’t have to crisscross the country while waiting.

Aircraft departing from Schiphol follow this route in reverse. As soon as they have been guided to their correct flight path, they want to climb to their cruising altitude as soon as possible. As soon as the boundary of one work area has been reached, responsibility for the aircraft is transferred to the next air traffic control unit.

What you can learn about Marketing from your competitors!

“The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” —Thomas Edison, General Electric Co-founder

If you do your best to ignore your competitors in your space, you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity to improve your own marketing. By paying attention to what others are doing in your industry, you can glean  and get great ideas as well as seeing what’s missing in what others are offering.

Start by Knowing Your Competitors

It’s surprising how many businesses don’t even know who their direct (or indirect) competition is. The direct competition is easier to identify. They’re the other companies offering similar services to what you offer.

But indirect competitors might be harder to spot. Indirect competitors would be those that services different than my own to achieve the same objectives, such as advertising firms or outbound call centers. It’s important to be aware of all the solutions that are available to your target market so you understand the pros and cons of both solutions, and can best articulate the benefits of choosing YOUR solution over the other options.

Be aware: if you’re in an industry where there are a lot of competitors, for example, professional services, law, or marketing, not every one of those other companies are necessarily your competition.So, how do you know who is and who isn't?

Begin by choosing a few players of various sizes. If you’re a small to mid-sized business, you may not be directly competing with major corporations, but they’re worth studying. Also, pick a few that are similarly sized. If your customers have mentioned other brands they considered before choosing you, these are likely good candidates for your competitor list.

Here’s a useful exercise: pick your top 3 to 5 competitors (those that are growing and succeeding), and then pick 3 to 5 at the bottom, who are barely surviving. You can often learn as much from those who are doing things badly as you can those who are thriving.

The best way to stay on top of what your competition is doing is by becoming marketing-wise and subscribe to their emails. Follow them on social media. Sign up to get new blog posts. Google them and the keywords that your prospect is using to search for products or solutions. Those that pop up on the first page should be considered strong competition as well as they would be found first in a search (and if you’re first, good for you, you’re rocking S.E.O!).  These types of activities will help clue you in to how proactive your competition is being in connecting regularly with their audience and with their marketing efforts. And be open! You might learn a thing or two about connecting with your customers along the way and that’s the whole point.

Pay Attention to the Right Things

Once you have identified who you’re up against, see what they’re doing to attract more customers, including:

• Social media strategy
• Blogging content strategy
• Email marketing
• Other content marketing
• Advertising
• PR
• SEO

Here your objective is twofold. One, you want to get ideas. There’s nothing wrong with seeing that your competitor has a popular blog post offering 10 Ideas to Start a Business, then writing your own take on the topic, be proactive and use some of ideas if they are good.

The second goal is to see what they’re missing in terms of marketing and content. Are they overlooking the obvious how-to posts? Great. You can own that area. Are their emails horrible at targeting their audience or low quality? That’s where you can shine. Knowing your competitors’ weaknesses helps to enhance your own strengths and helps you tailor your value to customers to offer a branding service. 

Don’t Want to Beat THEM? Join THEM

Sometimes competitors don’t turn out to be competitors at all, so sometimes it takes looking at a so-called “competitor” in a different light to see that working together benefits everyone. In the end, you can become a synergetic force  with your competitor without realizing that. 

The Business Plan and Its components

“As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.” —Donald Trump, The Trump Organization president 

If you want to start-up a business, it seems like the ideal way to get started would be to have a business angel, sponsoring it, solely on the basis of your ingenious idea. Money is essential and  having it, is the most important thing for a business. Nonetheless, getting it is the hard part. Persuading your business angel to invest in your idea is the challenge. 

For your own sake, before showing your ingenious idea to a potential sponsor, you have to translate your dream into a business plan. Let's see what is this famous and necessary element to get the golden eggs for your idea. 

What is a business plan? 

According to Forbes magazine (www.forbes.com), business plans are critical to the success of a new venture. Business Plans serve as the framework for your company and provide benchmarks to see if you are reaching your goals, in short, they help you keep on track. 

When you start writing your business plan, make sure, you don't do it alone. Take some time wot work with mentors, business partners, stakeholders, and colleagues on you plan. Look for areas of opportunities to be improved, seek input to get an objective view of the whole plan. 

As with most things when talking about business, the size and scope of your business plan depend on your specific goals. If you are drafting it for investors, you should make the plan more detailed. Bear in mind that potential investor might not  be familiar with your industry so you must clearly explain your concept  and where it fits, and how you will recover the investment for them and yourself, the on the one hand. On the other hand, if you are just developing the plan for you or your business partner, it doesn't have to be as detailed, however, you should still outline your goals and how you want to reach them.

What are the essential components of a Business plan?

Even though there is no exact structure of a business plan because it has to be adapted in accordance with the industry and the business project you are dealing with, there are components that become a must in each business plan, no matter the size or the industry your business fits into. 

The 10 most common components are:

• Mission statement and/or vision statement so you articulate what you’re trying to create;
• Description of your company and product or service;
• Description of how your product or service is different;
• Market analysis that discusses the market you’re trying to enter, competitors, where you fit, and what type of market share you believe you can secure;
• Description of your management team, including the experience of key team members and previous successes;
• How you plan to market the product or service;
• Analysis of your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat, which will show that you’re realistic and have considered opportunities and challenges;
• Develop a cash flow statement so you understand what your needs are now and will be in the future (a cash flow statement also can help you consider how cash flow could impact growth);
• Revenue projections; and
• Summary/conclusion that wraps everything together (this also could be an executive summary at the beginning of the plan)

In a nut nutshell, forget not the fact that these are just minimum components when writing your business plan, yet they should be a guidance or route towards how you plan on achieving your business goals and remember that the clearer your business plan is the more likely you will persuade your business angels or investors to bring the money to sponsor your business idea. 

                                                                                         

Hablemos de Coaching!

Lo que conduce, arrastra y transforma al mundo no son las maquinas, ni la tecnologia, son los seres humanos, sus ideas y sus acciones. Ese poder y autoridad de liderar, guiar y conquistar metas y objetivos no han sido mas que el producto de la decision de seres humanos. 

Toda esta reflexion se debe entre otras cosas al boom que esta teniendo el Coaching en nuestros dias, no solo a nivel personal sino tambien empresarial. Comencemos por indagar que es el famoso Coaching y porque causa tanto revuelo en las empresas. 

1. Que es COACHING? 

Segun el portal http://portaldelcoaching.com/coaching/ el coaching es "un proceso de entrenamiento personalizado que hace de puente entre lo que somos ahora y lo que deseamos ser."  Para llegar a ser lo que deseamos ser, necesitamos una 'serie de técnicas combinadas que nos hacen crearnos un autoconocimiento que nos trae al aquí y al ahora y desde esa posición, clarificar objetivos y marcar el desarrollo de estos, buscando las respuestas dentro de nosotros.' 

Ademas de esto ellos mencionan que existen varios tipos de coaching, pero las tres lineas basicas son:
-El coaching personal (Life coaching)
-El coaching ejecutivo (Executive coaching)
-El coaching empresarial (Corporate coaching)

Sobre estas tres lineas elementales, puedes encontrar coaches especialistas en DEPORTE, ARTE, etc. 

2. Por que las empresas lo estan utilizando?

Esta respuesta es un tanto interesante porque el coaching esta basado en las conversaciones y un cambio desde los cimientos de las empresas, pero este cambio solo es posible cuando tu principal activo, es decir, el CAPITAL HUMANO, puede transformarse y hacer algo que mas que una simple reingenieria de actitud y aptitud. Las empresas estan reconociendo que son organismos vivos e influyentes por tanto estan llamados a desencadenar el potencial de su Capital Humano, para optimizar, elevar su motivacion y satisfaccion y lograr que los equipos trabajen sinergicamente. Esto en el corto y mediano plazo tiene un gran impacto en la rentabilidad y competitividad de las organizaciones, asi como directamente en el logro de sus objetivos corporativos. 

Para lograr cambios efectivos y a largo plazo en los individuos y en las organizaciones debemos aplicar el principio de hacer cosas diferentes para lograr resultados diferentes como bien lo afirmara Einstein. Asi como reconocer que 'el coaching es el arte de trabajar con personas para que estos obtengan resultados extraordinarios.' (http://portaldelcoaching.com/coaching/).

How to be a great salesman!

 Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.- Og Mandino

Based on the premise that failure will never stop  you, let's talk about the ingredients of a great salesman o saleswoman. Sales is an art and to be a great salesman you need determination, enthusiasm, assertiveness, trustworthiness, and a wide  an optimistic outlook of your sales.

One key strategy to being a killer salesman is to be reliable. that is, you need to work hard on being trustworthy. You can't sell anything to anyone if they don't trust you. Convincing someone that they need someone requires that you balance sincerity with your desire to make the sale, being assertive, firm, and honest. If they don't trust you, they're less willing to make an intelligent buying decision. Therefore, to open the channel for a great sale, you need to put the CUSTOMER FIRST, EMPATHIZE and BECOME AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD. 

In addition, if you want to be a great salesman, go the extra mile. Carry out some strategical work by writing down the names and contact info of your customers, and follow up with a brief call or note to make sure they are 100% happy with their purchase. This is how you turn customers into raving fans who will return to you in the future. Never forget to dress-up approachable enough with a touch of elegance. 

Furthermore, be ready to anticipate objections, this is part of being emotionally intelligent and assertive. Pay close attention to your customers reactions. Facial expressions and body language can be a big "tell" in the customer's attitude. As you pitch the product to them, remember that you are there to sell whatever is going to make the customer feel really good about their purchase. Guessing what part of the product or price the customer is objecting to will help you respond tactfully and persuasively.

An extra tip here is to be logical and savvy, i.e., balance your desire to make a sale with what product makes sense for the customer. Nonetheless, don't be afraid to push a little bit the sale If the customer is having a difficult time making the decision. Trust that you have suggested the best item and ask something like "Would you like me to bring this up to the check out stand for you while you continue your shopping?"

Worth mentioning that once you close a sale, don't forget to make a discrete offer to the customer of a product that might go along with the product or service your just did and might increase the satisfaction and the loyalty of the customer. Last but not least, ALWAYS STAY OPTIMISTIC and forget bad sales, take each bad sales as a learning experience of what your are not supposed to do, so next time, you will do it better and different. In short, stay focus, keep busy, the more practice you get on sales, the more successful person you will become and always look at the bright side of life, SMILE and Be eager to learn more and faster. 

Estrategias claves de exito para TU negocio!

Estrategias de Exito para los Negocios!

Dicen que una de las mejores escuelas del éxito es la de imitar a personas que han estado en el area de negocios por mucho tiempo y con gran relevancia.  Tal como dice el "guru" de negocios en Internet, Armand Morin, "El éxito deja huellas." El problema es que no siempre tenemos el privilegio de conocer a una persona de éxito personalmente. Por eso la segunda mejor opción es la de leer libros escritos por ellos y tomar las ideas que mejor se adapten a nuestras necesidades y negocios. 

Hay un sinnúmero de opciones disponibles cuando se trata del tema sobre cómo alcanzar el éxito en un negocio. Uno de los que se destaca. "The Power of Focus" de Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen y Les Hewitt. (Canfield, J.; Hansen, M.V.; Hewitt, L.: "The Power of Focus". Health Communications, Inc., USA, 2000.)

En éste libro, los autores en conjunto recopilaron 10 puntos importantes que toda persona en el mundo de los negocios debe considerar. 

1. Crear buenos hábitos y desechar hábitos malos

Uno de los mayores enemigos que todo negocio tiene es usted mismo. Para tener éxito, debe procurar crecer como persona no solo en lo financiero, sino integralmente.

Todos tenemos hábitos buenos y hábitos malos. La clave está en adquirir el hábito de cambiar los hábitos malos. La vida de éxito es un continuo crecer. Solo podrá salir de adonde está si comienza a hacer las cosas en forma diferente. El cambio inica hoy en el aqui y en el ahora. 

2. Enfóquese en sus fortalezas, no en sus debilidades

Una de las trampas más grandes para todo emprendedor es la de querer hacerlo todo por su propia cuenta. El resultado es inevitable: Si el emprendedor no delega, se va a ver envuelto en actividades de la rutina diaria que impedirán el desarrollo de su negocio.

El problema es que la mayoría de los emprendedores son controladores. Creen que nadie podrá hacer el trabajo mejor que ellos y les cuesta delegar. La solución no está en trabajar más, sino en delegar las áreas en las cuales uno es débil y enfocarse en las cosas que uno hace bien.

3. Crear un equilibrio en su vida

Muchas personas dejan todas las demás áreas de su vida de lado a la hora de emprender en un negocio. Es importante que se siga tomando tiempo para hacer ejercicios, relajarse, pensar y educarse. Está demostrado que las mejores ideas no nacen en una oficina, sino durante el tiempo libre. Al alejarse físicamente de su negocio se abstraerá de las preocupaciones diarias que lo mantienen enfocado en asuntos puntuales.

4. Cuide sus relaciones humanas

Un negocio exitoso sin amigos ni familia no le va a servir de mucho. No permita que su negocio incipiente lo absorba tanto que no pueda tomarse el tiempo para nutrir las relaciones con su familia y sus amigos.

Además, sus relaciones humanas personales no son las únicas que debe cuidar. También debe nutrir su relación con sus colegas de trabajo y con sus clientes.

5. Confianza en sí mismo

Su confianza en si mismo es fundamental. Lo protegerá de los dardos negativos como el temor y la preocupación.

Siempre habrá un abismo entre el lugar adonde está y el lugar adonde usted desea llegar. La única manera de cerrar esa brecha es con un paso de fe.

¿Cómo obtener fe? Según la Biblia, la fe no es un regalo divino que cae sobre algunas personas afortunadas. Romanos 10:17 dice que la fe viene por oír la Palabra de Dios. Una persona que se nutre consistentemente con la Palabra de Dios aprenderá a verse como Dios le ve y tendrá la osadía de conquistar nuevos territorios en su vida.

6. Pida ayuda

A pesar de que suena tan obvio, nos cuesta pedir ayuda. ¿Por qué?

Muchas personas creen que no es correcto pedir ayuda. Algunos tienen miedo al rechazo o simplemente les falta la confianza para pedirles ayuda a otros.

Ninguna de estas razones nos debería afectar. En la realidad, las cosas se ven muy diferentes. Hay muchas personas dispuestas a ayudar con su tiempo, sapiencia y experiencia. Además existen programas de apoyo a los emprendedores que son gubernamentales o privadas. La ayuda existe, solo hay que buscarla.

7. Busque buenos mentores

Es importante rodearse con las personas correctas y evadir personas negativas. A pesar de que la mayoría de los mentores cobran por sus servicios de coaching, es dinero bien invertido. La única manera de llegar adonde usted quiere llegar es aprendiendo de alguien quien ya está allí.

8. Persistencia consistente

Según George Allen, personas con habilidades mediocres alcanzan un éxito rotundo porque no abandonan su emprendimiento. La mayoría de las personas son exitosas porque determinan tener éxito.

Más que una excelente educación o una gran cantidad de experiencia, es la persistencia la que últimamente va a definir el desenlace de su gestión.

9. Tome Acción

¿Usted tiene el hábito de dejar cosas para mañana? No basta con saber lo que hay que hacer para salir adelante. La persona exitosa implementa constantemente lo que aprende.

10. Viva con propósito

La única manera de alcanzar el éxito pleno es la de tomar conciencia de un propósito, más allá de simplemente ganar dinero para tener un buen pasar, pagar las cuentas a fin de mes, invertir y viajar un poco. Es importante saber que todos podemos marcar una diferencia. Sus aportes no tienen que ser a gran escala, pero le darán un nuevo sentido a su vida.

En conclusion podemos decir que para generar un cambio verdadero se debe empezar por uno mismo, el poder hacer la diferencia en su vida y en su negocio esta en el aqui y en el ahora, es hora de tomar acciones y persistir, conocer a tus clientes y arriesgarte.