Workers are getting softer. Softer-skilled, that is. As automation becomes increasingly ingrained across lines of business, employees who excel at critical soft skills are balancing out the use of machines to achieve basic tasks and traditional manual labor. According to a McKinsey report, the three most in-demand buckets of soft skills … [Read more...]
Stop Chasing Happiness
There once was an old grumpy man no one liked. Gloomy, complaining, always in a bad mood. The people in the village mostly just stayed away from him. Then one day, a rumor started going around the village. “Did you hear? The old man is smiling today.” Overcome by curiosity, they all surrounded the old man. “What changed?” they asked. “It’s … [Read more...]
Does your team have an accountability problem?
Is “lack of accountability” really a thing? Melissa Raffoni, CEO of The Raffoni Group, cautions leaders to use this phrase sparingly. While saying “we need more accountability,” is often intended to light a fire under people, it can have other consequences — like making people feel threatened. Besides which, it’s rare that people are … [Read more...]
Steve Jobs theory about what makes a great leader
"My dog ate that report.” When a child makes excuses, it can be cute. When an adult does, it’s not. Likewise, as a company leader in any capacity, you’re probably used to not making excuses. The legend of Steve Jobs endures in a recent book by John Rossman, Think Like Amazon. According to the book, Jobs had a habit of telling employees a … [Read more...]
How to motivate your team through stressful times
With the current landscape changing rapidly, most if not all employees need to adjust to different work environments, handle concerns about loved ones, and juggle work along with responsibilities at home. As an employer, the more you can remove stress from your employees throughout this time, the more effective they will be in their … [Read more...]
A beginner’s guide to working from home without driving yourself and your family crazy
For some people, working from home is a dream. For others, it’s their worst nightmare. For a lot of us right now, it’s a reality, whether we like it or not. A lot of people really fear the lack of boundaries that working from home can imply. Let’s turn to an “expert” for advice — someone who has worked at home, by choice, for … [Read more...]
This Too Shall Pass
Depending on how long you’ve been around for, you may remember some absolutely crazy times in history. 9/11. The AIDS crisis. The Cold War. But the novel Coronavirus is certainly one of the most intense times we’ve endured. People are anxious and uncertain, and they’re scrambling to stay informed. But amidst all the information flying around … [Read more...]
The Lesson in the Shoes
Two shoe salesmen travel to a rural Indian village to investigate market potential. The first comes back dejected: “There’s no potential there. Nobody wears shoes.” The second comes back elated: “There’s so much potential there! No one has shoes!” Point is, a single business challenge can be looked at in more than one way. When you’re … [Read more...]
A Better Way to Develop and Retain Top Talent
Retaining talent: it matters. Especially in an industry like finance, where savvy executives are always in high demand, it’s more important than ever that companies have a concerted strategy for attracting (and keeping!) top-tier talent. The Harvard Business Review recently published an article on developing and retaining top talent. One … [Read more...]
The philosophy student and the chair
Do you overthink everything? In the early 2000s a parable circulated about a philosophy professor who gave his students a challenge. He lifted his chair onto his desk and assigned them to “prove that this chair does not exist.” Silence ensued as the students furiously wrote long explanations on paper — all except one student, who took just a … [Read more...]
