What do great workplaces, making friends, networking, dealing with kidnappers and being happy all have in common?
l are done well by focusing on other people: Get out of your head and into theirs. Great Work Environments Bob Sutton reviewed Bill and Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World’s Greatest Company and called out “Dave Packard’s 11 Simple Rules” as guidelines for building an excellent work environment. What was #1? 1. Think first of the other fellow. This is THE foundation — the first requisite — for getting along with others. And it is the one truly difficult accomplishment you must…
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Checklist: Are you doing these five things to get ahead at the office?
Know How To Give Feedback Why is it so hard to give feedback without people getting angry? It’s a status game. Via Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long: The source of the difficulty here lies in who comes up with the solution. Paul’s suggestion makes him look smarter, and Eric less smart. This impacts their relative status, which Eric is likely to fight against. The better Paul’s answer is, the…
5 minutes
Silicon Valley’s Best Networker Teaches You His Secrets
might be surprising that I know Adam Rifkin. What's not surprising is that Adam Rifkin knows me -- because Adam knows everybody. In 2011 Fortune Magazine declared him the best networker in Silicon Valley. Adam is also one of the nicest, most sincere people I've ever met. He's currently CEO of his latest startup, Pandawhale. I talked to Adam about his thoughts on networking and how to get better at it. For brevity’s sake I’m only going to post…
4 minutes
Checklist: Are you doing these 5 things to be more charismatic?
arisma makes a difference. It doesn't just make us like people more, charismatic leaders bring out our best and make us do better work. Via The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism: Research shows that those following charismatic leaders perform better, experience their work as more meaningful, and have more trust in their leaders than those following effective but noncharismatic leaders. As Wharton School business professor Robert House notes, charismatic leaders “cause followers to…
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How can you make better decisions?
bsp; More videos I found inspiring are here and here. Join 25K+ readers. Get a free weekly update via email here. Related posts: What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life? What do people regret the most before they die? What five things can make sure you never stop growing and learning?
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Interview – 5 lessons from a Ranger/Special Ops soldier about leadership and persistence
bsp; Ranger School has been called the "toughest combat course in the world." My friend Joe (2nd from the left above) graduated class 495 in Ranger School and was Special Operations for seven years. I interviewed him about leadership, attitude and what it takes to make it through such a punishing ordeal. He also reminded me what "Ranger Candy" is. The full interview was almost 90 minutes long, so for brevity’s sake I’m only going to post highlights here. Subscribers to my free weekly…
7 minutes
5 Secrets To Using Your Time Wisely
Schedule things that make you happy You often schedule things that are "important", but what about the things that make you happy? Activities on your calendar are more likely to be the things you do. So be as good about scheduling the personal as the professional. From my interview with Stanford happiness researcher Jennifer Aaker: ...people who spend more time on projects that energize them and with people who energize them tend to be happier. However, what is interesting…
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These 5 Things Will Make You Smarter
bsp; 1) Get rid of the distractions You can't multitask. Via Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School: To put it bluntly, research shows that we can’t multitask. We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs simultaneously. All those buzzing text messages and email chimes can reduce mental ability by an average of 10 IQ points. For men, it’s about three times the effect of smoking marijuana. Via Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining…
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