"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...]
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...]
How to Build a Strong Company Culture
Want to build something great for the world? First, you have to build something great inside your company. This is the argument Fast Company co-founder Bill Taylor makes. He believes that companies that do great things operate from within a great company culture, and that culture is always built on unique rules. For instance, there’s … [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...]