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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
5 Ways to Kill Your Dreams
How to kill your dreams: Count on overnight success. Think someone else has the answers you need.Decide to settle when growth is guaranteed.Assume failure is someone else’s fault.Believe that the only things that matter are the dreams themselves. This is a playbook by Brazilian entrepreneur and author Bel Pesce. Her advice for reaching your … [Read more...]
Stop complaining about the same problem
A wise man spends all day listening to a seeker complain about the same problem over and over. One day, he tells a joke to the seeker, who laughs wildly. A moment later, the wise man tells the seeker the same joke. And a few minutes later, again. Confused, and no longer laughing, the seeker just stares. “See,” says the wise man, “you … [Read more...]
Turn fear into Opportunity
We all have an ambiguous relationship to fear. To some extent, if you’re not nervous, you’re not paying attention. Fear about financial security, for instance, can be a big motivator. But not every type of fear is productive, and some can be downright destructive. The trick is to know the difference. There is a often a healthy … [Read more...]
Why you should define your fears instead of your goals
What are you afraid of? Here’s an exercise the best-selling motivational author Tim Ferriss believes in for overcoming personal and professional obstacles. It’s called fear-setting — kind of like goal-setting, and related. Say your goal is to go back to school. Your list of fears might look something like this: I’ll run out of money and … [Read more...]
The obstacle in our path
How we deal with adversity is key to our professional success. There’s an old parable about a King who tested his subjects by placing a giant boulder in the middle of the road. He then hid in the bushes and watched as merchants, courtiers and citizens walked around the boulder, not bothering to do anything to fix the problem. You can be sure … [Read more...]