Changing Jobs Switching careers Do you dream about switching to a career that's drastically different from your current job? It's rare for people to make the leap. The costs of switching may seem too high, and the possibility of success may seem too distant. The answer isn't to
Strategy Disruption starts with unhappy customers Most companies think that 'Technology X' or 'Startup Y' is disrupting their business, but there's a flaw in this thinking. It is customers who are driving the disruption. Companies routinely miss that customers drive the most common and pervasive disruption. They are the ones
Team Build the coworker relationships you want People tend to think about work relationships in the wrong way, mainly because evolution wired us to appraise situations as either “good” or “bad,”. Instinctively, we assess our relationships with colleagues in similar either-or terms. The problem is, relationships often include a mix of both positive and negative aspects. Most
Curiosity Stop looking for better answers and start asking better questions At some point in our careers, we'll likely experience an inflection point, i.e., an event that changes the way we think and act. When these intensely challenging moments happen for whatever reason, the conditions we work in or the expectations placed on us are fundamentally altered that,
Self-awareness Become your best self Receiving affirmation is a powerful way for us to grow, particularly when it comes in the form of stories describing moments when we are at our best. Research shows that people benefit significantly from positive feedback about their strengths and contributions, and it helps to strengthen the quality of our
Strategy Strategy myths There are lies and there are myths; lies are generally easier to spot, and myths present a different, subtler trap. They are often based on a plausible half-truth and can lead you astray if you start to act on them. We encounter myths in most realms of human endeavor, and
Innovation Sustainable investing Companies should only partner with investors willing to reward them for creating long-term value for our society as a whole. And luckily, the way investors evaluate companies is changing as they look towards Sustainable Investing that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Large corporations will feel the change the
Team Improve retention by listening Faced with an unsatisfactory employment situation most people consider two options: quit, or voice their concerns and try to work through the problems. Creating an outlet for your team to express their frustrations materially improve retention. It also helps if you do something about the issues. Most of us, at
Grit Focus on learning skills vs talent As we face a future of considerable uncertainty, the people who can learn new skills, especially those with resilience and a growth mindset, will be the most valuable. So next time you’re filling a job, shift how you evaluate applicants. Don't just focus on 'does this
Resilience Your resilience will determine if you succeed or fail More than education, experience, and training, a person’s level of resilience will determine if he or she succeed or fail. Almost all resilience theories overlap in that resilient people possess three characteristics: 1) acceptance of reality; 2) belief that life is meaningful; 3) an uncanny ability to improvise. You
Strategy Fundamentals of strategy At a fundamental level, strategy boils down to two options: Do what everyone else is doing (and spend less money doing it), or do something no one else can do (or haven't thought of). Either approach can be successful. Competing by doing what everyone else is doing means
Leadership Leadership vs Management Leadership is about dealing with change, whereas Management, by contrast, is about coping with complexity. As an example; if you want to get people moving in the same direction, stop trying to organize them, and start to align them instead. Just because leadership is different from management, doesn't
Curiosity Visioning requires practice Creating a unifying vision is a fundamental skill for leaders because it brings people together to achieve a better future. You don't need to be a CEO to do this; as a manager (and aspiring leader) there are plenty of opportunities to get hands-on experience in shaping the
Team Avoid hiring jerks My philosophy is simple "if you're not nice, you can't work on our team; I don't care how smart you are!". The reason is, when new employees don’t work out, it's rarely due to lack of experience or incompetence;
Productivity Productivity hacks Some people are more productive than others, and the patterns that stand out are 'working smarter not longer' and 'age and experience' which are highly correlated with more productivity. Leaders with the highest productivity plan their work based on their top priorities, and then act with
Innovation Hire people who can think with you The job of a leader isn’t to know all the answers, but to create conditions by which an entire team gets to learn and innovate. To achieve this, leaders need to understand how to hire people for co-creative problem-solving. Leaders need to build teams that can both define the
Team Stellar resumes aren't enough Experience alone is not enough to thrive. Entrepreneurial passion and strategic vision shared by everyone on the team is required to build a successful business, never-mind a startup. When looking at business investments, investor's due diligence mainly focuses on the financial side, i.e., business model, addressable market,
Self-awareness Improve your thought patterns To see how your mind can lead you astray it’s not enough to look at what you’re thinking; you need to examine how you’re thinking, too. First, ask yourself, is most of your thoughts positive and optimistic, or negative and pessimistic? A significant amount of our well-being
Resilience Motivation traps 40% of a team's success factor lies in their motivation and willingness to get the job done. Here are the four motivation traps and targeted strategies to help your team escape them: 1) I don’t care enough to do this: When a task doesn’t connect with
Productivity Make a to-don’t list To-do lists are the human equivalent of a hamster wheel. As we cross items off, they repopulate with more to-dos. To fix this, take a moment to think of a few things you could cross off your list; forever. Shed the projects and tasks that use up your time in
Innovation Succeed in innovation If you want to succeed in innovation; aim high. Most effective innovators focus on solving BIG problems. They also see innovation as a means to an end, not the end goal. In contrast, less effective innovators focus their innovation investments on incremental improvements to existing products and services. Several practices
Leadership Dark side of visionary leadership Visionary leadership is considered critical to change because it sets the strategic direction, and it tells a story about why it's worth pursuing and inspires people to embrace the change. But, visionary leadership is a double-edged sword and breaks down when middle and top managers aren’t aligned
Purpose Purpose is the new currency Sharing as a lifestyle will provide purpose and make you happy. Having just 10 hours ago returned from a less wealthy nation, I can attest to the sense of fulfillment achieved by giving to people in need. Purpose achieved thru giving is also the new currency. Giving isn't
Resilience Would have should have could have Before you go deep into your next “would have, should have, could have” spiral; stop and realize that 'ruminating' isn’t just unpleasant; it leads to poor problem-solving, anxiety, and depression. The good news is that there are simple solutions: 1) Distance yourself psychologically. When you feel concern
Expectations Adjust your feedback approach We don't do well when someone whose intentions are unclear tells us where we stand, how good we “really” are, and what we must do to fix ourselves. We excel when people who know and care about us tell us when they see something within us that works.