A business’s success is driven by two main currencies: resources and employee goodwill. With economies reeling from the effects of COVID-19, reduced resources are a challenge for many companies right now. But the good news is that high-quality leadership and a clearly defined mission tend to boost goodwill—which motivational speaker Simon Sinek believes is the most […]
Forget Your Haters (and Your Fans)
Is the customer really always right? Businesses often operate under this assumption, but it can lead them to make costly mistakes. Placing too much emphasis on others’ feedback can mean chasing fads instead of pursuing change that would improve the business’s performance. Customers’ tastes change constantly, and sometimes the suggestions companies receive from them would perform terribly […]
Every Sale Is the Same
With economies around the world shaken by the effects of COVID-19, making a sale is more challenging than ever. What distinguishes stellar salesmanship from mere survival in any competitive field is the realization that every sale is fundamentally the same. Unsuccessful and middling salespeople tend to approach each sales situation differently, itemizing and weighing the […]
End on a Good Note
We’ve all been there. A lackluster Zoom meeting. A presentation that falls flat. A vacation that doesn’t go as planned. If you ever find yourself flopping, here’s a quick tip to salvage the situation: make sure to end on a positive note. The way in which an experience concludes helps to crystallize a good—or bad—memory. Often enough, […]
How to Hack Your Brain
Want to learn faster? First, forget about it. Challenging circumstances present some of our very best learning opportunities. As companies continue to adjust to changes in processes and policies in the face of COVID-19, many of us have been asked to hone new skills. On and off the job, people are taking on new roles: parents […]
Productivity Is a Tool, Not a Virtue
With many people still working from home, finding the right work-life balance is more difficult than ever. Here’s an important rule of thumb: Productivity is a means, not an end. Hard work should be viewed as a tool for reaching your goals rather than an inherently noble character trait. A professional who gives the impression of being […]
Learn from the Middle
There’s no such thing as having too many leaders in a workplace. Famed leadership consultant and author John C. Maxwell doesn’t just define leadership as a top-down phenomenon that is limited to people in managerial roles. Maxwell says that most leadership takes place in the middle of the organizational hierarchy—and that it’s important for these […]
Is Your Service Up to Snuff?
Disney has made headlines recently with its plans to reopen parts of its flagship theme park in Orlando, Florida in just a few weeks. (The Shanghai location opened on June 16, and the California location may follow suit later this summer.) A Disney vacation may look different for the foreseeable future, but the company has […]
Let a Stranger Fix Your Life
Professional networking norms have been different in 2020. (Obviously!) Around the world, in-person conferences have been cancelled or postponed, which has eliminated many of the pathways by which people find the mentors who guide them to the next phase in their personal and career development. Fortunately, you don’t have to be well-connected to find a first-class mentor. Self-help guru […]
Style Your Business Like a Startup
These days, everyone’s an entrepreneur. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, startups were still all the rage: eye-popping IPOs drew attention to the ways that startups used dense talent pools and perk-laden headquarters to attract top talent and generate big wins for venture capitalists and early employees. But now that the economic outlook has soured, VC […]
