A few months ago I bought Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” for my wife, Sarah Jane, thinking she might enjoy this exhortation to women to pursue work, success, and the perpetually elusive work-life balance. Her reaction was a bit surprising, but I expect, not unique. “Lean In, that’s the title?” said Sarah Jane. “Yes,” I …
Author: John Stevenson
Back up for better understanding
Remember what it felt like in school when the teacher asked a question and you knew the answer? Your eyes would get big. Your pulse would quicken. And your hand would shoot up – you might even wave it back and forth to show the teacher how confident you were. There was no better feeling …
Why skeptics succeed
It’s easy to believe what we are told. It’s the path of least resistance. We hear. We see. We read. We believe. And why is that? Because questioning, investigating, and processing all this information requires more effort. It’s harder to do than simply taking answers at face value. This is why top performers, in any …
How to ask for help
Asking for help is uncomfortable. Especially at work, we want to look smart, sound confident, and demonstrate expertise. But good teamwork and progress require helpful collaboration. We need help from others to get big things done. And the better we are at asking for help, the more likely we are to succeed. Here’s how to …
Why pithy principles are easier to practice
Even the character Polonius, as written by Shakespeare in “Hamlet” over four hundred years ago, knew the value of being concise to be memorable: “Since brevity is the soul of wit/ And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief.” Applied to modern business, the same sentiment still holds: If guiding principles or management philosophies are going to …
Don’t be a know-it-all
We’ve all seen the LinkedIn profiles and professional bios of self-proclaimed experts, geniuses and visionaries. How grand for them. It must be nice to be at the absolute pinnacle of your career, having reached your fullest potential. Believing your own press (especially when you write it) is not only dangerous and counterproductive, it’s also self-limiting. …
How to be good and lucky
Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Mich., is considered one of the most innovative and successful food companies in the country. What started as a deli in 1982 has now become a sizable collection of small businesses including a bakery, candy shop, coffee roasterie, full-service restaurant, creamery, and caterer. Ari Weinzweig is one of the founders of Zingerman’s and …
Countering fear
We all have things we fear. Failing at work. Going broke. Growing old. Fear is normal, natural, and to be expected. In fact, it’s the most fundamental emotion of our survival instinct. Without fear, we would constantly wander into danger. We’re wired for fear for good reason. But it can overwhelm us if we’re not …
Deconstructing happiness
levitra after effect handypetes.com We all seem to know happiness when we see it and experience it. But what are the core elements that really create happiness in each of us? Martin Seligman has often been called the father of positive psychology and is the current director of the positive psychology center at the University of …
What business are you in?
There is simply too much noise in the marketplace to try and trade on being a “full-service” and “global” anything that “loves your customers.” That doesn’t cut it today. It makes you sound like everyone else. Precisely communicating what you do well, who you do it for, and most importantly – what they get from …