What you can’t see can still hurt you. Sheryl Sandberg learned this principle early in her career at Google, where her personal experience directly informed institutional policy. In 2004, she became pregnant with her first child. With this experience came a revelation: there should be special parking privileges for pregnant women. Since Sandberg was a […]
Passion Is Overrated
Have you ever been given the advice to follow your passion? According to Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, that piece of conventional wisdom is nonsense. People who allow passions to direct their decisions tend to make unwise choices. They take risks and make other bad business decisions. According to Adams, it’s a much safer […]
Expand Your Brand
There’s more to life than LinkedIn. If you’re thinking about transitioning into a new career or even entrepreneurship, employment-focused websites can be great. But don’t overlook social media platforms as a resource to build contacts and expand your audience. Your followers on social media can help you generate influence, find business opportunities that line up […]
Do Customers Need Your Products to Survive?
Now more than ever, shoppers gravitate toward items designed to appeal to their survival instinct. This has always been the case, according to marketing and branding expert Donald Miller. Human beings have evolved to prioritize their own longevity and success. Even people who have financial security are subconsciously drawn to products and tools that can […]
Take the Big Leap
It may seem like circumstances are holding you back right now. But psychologist Gay Hendricks thinks that most of us are self-sabotaging in ways we don’t even realize. One of the most common barriers to success, according to Hendricks, is something called the Upper Limit Problem (ULP). It’s a self-imposed, subconscious limit for how much […]
How to Make Things Happen
The world is full of people who have ideas. But the light-bulb moments that lead to meteoric success are more likely to emerge when your goal-setting practices are systematic. Ideas have to be implemented. Enter Objectives and Key Results (OKR)—a management philosophy that pairs concrete objectives with actionable steps. This system has worked for some of the most successful companies […]
Don’t Be a Doormat
How can you be a more generous professional without letting other people step all over you? By doing one favor at a time. So-called sharks have a reputation for succeeding in business. But kind, good-natured people can also be tremendously successful as professionals. The key to be conscientious about generosity, giving in a way that […]
How to Fake It
The best way to acquire confidence is to act as though you already have it. Just fake it till you make it. Public speaking is akin to putting on an act for an audience, much as a theater performer will do in a play. Like an actor, a speaker can project confidence with body language […]
The Next New Thing
You don’t need to hire a consultant or stage a fancy brainstorming session. The best source of new business ideas is right in front of your eyes: your ordinary everyday routines. Take entrepreneur Kristina Guerrero. She wasn’t planning to start a business, much less get involved in the pet food industry. Her product idea, a […]
Why It’s Hard to Get Started
Is it possible to become too invested in your work? Obviously, entrepreneurs need to be passionate. But it’s equally important to avoid fixating on perfection, which can delay the start date of a new product or service. The goal should always be to make the first sale as quickly as possible. First-time entrepreneurs sometimes suffer from inertia, letting their fear […]
