Who owns “new” at your company? I’m not talking about new phones, cars or computers. I don’t mean new logowear, business cards or office furniture. I mean new: Ideas; Products; Services; Markets; Prospects; and Clients. These are the new things that really matter. Because they spark new growth, new profitability and new business value. One …
Salespeople
We’re all in sales. Even if you’re not expressly selling products or services or carrying a quota, you’re still representing yourself, your ideas, your causes and your projects. And contrary to popular belief, likeability is not a necessity to succeed in sales. In fact, if you care too much about being liked, you are destined …
Bosses
Being a great boss – not just a good boss – begins with who you are as a person. Your character and your beliefs drive your actions. Every word and deed reveals your intentions. It’s about managing yourself, and this is just one core element in the difference between good and great, according to Linda Hill and Kent Lineback. Because having productive …
What to do when you’re wrong
When we find out we were wrong it hurts because it’s a blow to our self-identity. We like to think we’re smart. We like to think of ourselves as good decision makers. We like to be known as go-to experts on certain things. While it’s bad enough being wrong in private, it’s even worse being wrong when others are involved. It’s embarrassing. And there …
How to create something important
Deep down, we all want to create something important with our lives. We want families, friendships, communities and businesses that grow and prosper. We want to do good work that matters. And of course we need to make money along the way. As a partner at the renowned Y Combinator seed-funding organization, Sam Alton has …
How to motivate yourself
Ever feel like you’re in the middle of a task, project or career that you can’t win, quit or fix? Of course you do. We all feel like that once in a while. But self-motivation is what truly separates high-performing professionals from everyone else. Ayelet Fishbach is a behavioral science professor at the University of …
Cultivating creativity on demand
Steve Jobs said “creativity is just connecting things.” That can mean connecting people, problems, solutions, facts, hunches, tastes, preferences, and of course – ideas. And the more things you have to connect, the better your chance of cultivating creativity. Once you know the formula, you can summon creativity anytime you need it. Here’s a model …
Getting good at tough conversations
Joseph Grenny has spent 30 years studying best practices for dealing with conversations fraught with emotional or political risk. It’s important to get these moments right, Grenny maintains, because how we deal with these kinds of crucial conversations predicts the magnitude of our influence, the health of our teams, and even the durability of marriages …
Leadership in turbulent times
Pulitzer-prize winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin knows something about leadership. In studying presidents Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson for her latest book “Leadership In Turbulent Times”, she has sought to make the concept of leadership less abstract and more practical. All four of Goodwin’s favorite presidents were guided by morality and purpose. In times of trouble they sought …
When things go wrong
Things go wrong every day. And none of us can escape them, no matter how good we are at risk management, strategic planning or self-discipline. People quit. Clients leave. Presentations bomb. Most are simple jabs that just hurt a little. While others are major body blows that can bring you to your knees. Here are …