Jennifer Aaker, General Atlantic professor of marketing at
the Stanford Graduate School of Business, discusses her research into what
makes us truly happy, and how our concept of happiness changes as we age.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Positive Leadership: Getting to Self Mastery
Here are some reasons why you may not be managing yourself well:
·
You are comfortable and we all tend to stay with
what is comfortable
·
You don’t know what else is possible
·
You don’t know that there are other ways to do
what you are doing
·
You may be getting energy (and possibly
identity!) from being stressed and overworked.
Now let’s put you on the path to better self-management.
1. Clarify your
personal goals. Many of us lose sight of these as we get immersed in rush of
day-to-day life. Do your personal goals complement your business goals? Asking
yourself this question will root out any dissonance between these two areas of
your life. And remember, you do have two areas; professional and personal. If
they are not in harmony, determine whether the business goals can be
re-oriented or modified to support what you would like to achieve personally.
2. What role do you
want to have? Imagine yourself three or four years from now. Think about
who you want to be. What role do you want to have in the business? Thinking
about what you want in the future can give you great insights into what
strategies you may need to put in place now.
3. Look at how you
are actually spending your time. This is where the rubber meets the road. If
you really are true to yourself when you do this exercise you will learn a lot
about where the potential lies for making changes. How are you really spending
your time?
Break your day down into at least half hour slots and write
down exactly what you do in each 30 minutes. Imagine that you are on a diet and
your doctor has asked you to keep an honest food journal, to reveal your major
calorie intake times of the day. This is what you want for your time journal.
This is your life. Be conscious of how you are living it.
There is never a better time than right now for planning to
do things differently. Take charge of yourself and your business by choosing a
direction that allows you to meet both your personal and business goals, and
still retain your sanity!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Positive Leadership: Overcoming Presentation Fears
Friday, January 18, 2013
Positive Leadership: A Fool With A Plan Can Beat A Genius With No Plan
Legendary US investor, oil entrepreneur and billionaire T. Boone Pickens recently gave a TED talk at his alma mater, Oklahoma State
University, and in about 16 minutes gave the audience his 10 Big Leadership Rules:
- Have a good work ethic
- Make a plan
- Look for big things
- Take advice from smart people
- Make your case in 3 minutes or less
- Don’t be afraid to make a decision
- Embrace change
- Don’t cheat
- Have patience
- Be generous
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Positive Leadership: Steve Jobs on Saying No!
Two segments in the video below are worth watching. The first is Steve Jobs explaining his
philosophy.
The second is him responding to a question about why they
cut OpenDoc. The interesting observation
is that OpenDoc was probably better than anything else at some things. That, by itself, wasn't enough. It had to be part of a larger vision or it
had to go.
He ends with a great observation about how you have to let
the vision dictate the technology and not the other way around.
An excellent example of predicting success!
An excellent example of predicting success!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Positive Leadership: Chase Your Dreams!
In his TED Talk, former investment banker turned amateur
speed skater, Kevin Jagger, shares his story and his passion for the pursuit of
competing.
The financial crisis of 2008 taught Kevin that results are
not all they are cracked up to be and one must enjoy the daily pursuits that
life presents. It’s not about floating through life with your eyes set on your
next vacation, salary or bonus. It’s about springing out of bed and facing the
day’s challenges head on–knowing that life’s little battles, if fought hard,
will lead to something great. Don’t
count the days, make the days count.
McGill University (Canada) alumnus, Kevin Jagger is a former
investment banker and media professional who, after watching the 2010 Olympic
Games in his hometown Vancouver, decided to take a break from the corporate
world and get into high performance sports. Kevin chose long track speed
skating as his pursuit–because it’s the only sport he could physically do and
wanted to pursue.
Having never tried the sport before, he quit his job and
moved to Calgary, Alberta to train full time at Canada’s National training
centre. Kevin has maintained a blog since day 1 called Long Track Long Shot,
which chronicles his journey from a slightly pudgy cubicle dweller to competing
on the Canada Cup circuit–and hopefully one day taking a shot at representing
Canada in the Olympics.
Kevin’s blog and highly engaged social media platforms have
attracted plenty of attention to his story well beyond the speed skating
community, which has resulted in a strong financial support base allowing him
to pursue his dream. Recently, Kevin launched a new online sponsorship
resource, www.PodiumPlatform.com ,
that aims to share his experiences successfully connecting with the corporate
world to help other amateur athletes do the same and improve their own
financial standing.
Take a look at his video and try to learn from Kevin’s
experiences.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Positive Leadership: A Broken Body isn’t a Broken Person
A champion cross country skier in training for the winter Olympics, Janine’s life changed forever when she was hit by a truck during a bicycle ride in the Blue Mountains of Australia. Doctors did not expect her to survive and, when she did, they warned her that she would never walk again.
Janine focused intently for years on healing both her broken body and crushed morale. A turning point came watching small planes flying overhead. She decided: “If I can’t walk, I’ll fly.” While still in a full body cast, Janine was lifted into an aircraft for her first flight. Within a year she had her private pilot’s license. Later, she earned her commercial pilot’s license and instructor’s rating. Janine recently served on the board of Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and became its youngest -- and only -- female director.
Janine is the patron of the Australasian Spinal Research Trust and is committed to helping find a cure for spinal cord injury in the near future. In the meantime, she seeks to inspire those coping with physical disability. She is the author of five books, including The Gift of Acceptance and Never Tell Me Never. And while doctors told her after her accident that she would never have children, she now is a mother of three.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Positive Leadership : Talent is Everywhere
You should watch this short clip — not because it’s a
remarkable story (which it is) or because it will make your eyes well up (which
it might), but because it’s a good reminder of two basic facts we tend to
overlook:
1) Respecting and caring for the tools of your skill — what
some educators call “the enchantment of everyday objects” — ignites powerful
motivation
2) Talent is everywhere.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Positive Leadership: Values in Business
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Positive Leadership: Corporate Culture and Connecting to Purpose and Mission
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Monday, January 07, 2013
Positive Leadership: Service - Invest in Your People
Friday, January 04, 2013
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Positive Leadership: The Antidote to Feeling Sorry for Yourself!
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Positive Leadership: How Values Can Make You A Great Leader
In the wake of many recent high-profile corporate and public
sector scandals in the UK and in the USA, many organisations are focused on
rebuilding damaged reputations and restoring trust. Leaders' values are
increasingly important as businesses seek to become more responsible,
accountable and transparent.
Values-based
leaders can help others (employees, customers and other stakeholders) find
meaning and purpose in what they do.
There are very real, commercial benefits to developing and
putting into practice values-based leadership in your organisation. As well as
increased motivation and engagement, if there had been more true values-based
leaders around before the financial crisis, many of those high-profile
corporate scandals would never have happened in the first place.
Know yourself
Develop your self-awareness. You may have role models you
can learn from, but don't try to copy them. Think about what you stand for and
what matters to you.
Identify your
business values
Your business values should resonate with your employees,
customers, and other stakeholders. When defining or refreshing your values, ask
different groups of people for input. Test your values out. Are they
meaningful? They should be easy to communicate, easy to understand, and easy to
buy into.
Be authentic
Say what you mean and mean what you say. Authentic leaders
are true to themselves and operate with integrity both in and out of work.
Be open minded
Consider other points of view. Explore each challenge from a
range of perspectives, such as thinking what customers or colleagues think.
This helps you and your team gain a broader understanding and make balanced
decisions.
Be confident
Self-confidence is not about being arrogant; it's about
recognising your strengths and the areas you can improve. You need confidence
to be true to your values.
Have some humility
Remember who you are and be true to your roots. Humility
helps you treat others with respect and keeps things in perspective. It's one
of the key factors missing from autocratic leadership and a critical element of
values-based leadership.
Be a role model
As a leader, you should aim to live your organisation's
values. You've got to walk the talk.
Be brave
Values-based leaders have the courage to speak up and to
stand up for what they believe is right. At times this can be difficult. Often it's a lot easier to keep your head
down and choose the easiest path. If you stick up for what's right it
encourages others to do the same.
Reward values-based
behaviour
Is your reward strategy in line with your values? Recently,
some big banks have announced plans to reward employees based on their ability
to develop mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with customers and
other stakeholders, rather than rewarding a short-term focus on profit. Does
your business reward values-based behaviour?
Stick to your values
People will really notice if you don't. If you say you
believe in a green agenda and conserving energy but fly everywhere in a private
jet, the people around you will become cynical and stop trusting you.
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Positive Leadership: How to Build a Great Company from Scratch
Friday, December 28, 2012
Positive Leadership: Dan Rather on Leadership
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Positive Leadership: The Benefits of Education in the Humanities
Stanford University political science professor and former
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice endorses the way education in the
fields of humanities and social sciences cultivates people’s writing abilities:
“Those of us who have been, for instance, in government—where a lot of my
students want to end up—know that the well argued, well written two-pager [put]
before the secretary of defense or the secretary of state can actually make a
difference, let alone one before the president of the United States. It can
make a difference in decision making.”
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Positive Leadership: Charisma
Venture capitalists have a rule of thumb - bet on the
leader, not the idea.
Some people seem naturally high in charisma, but there
are ingredients that can be cultivated: A genuine interest in people. Listening
to their needs and concerns, and showing that you will help them achieve their
goals. Treating people as though each is special and deserves attention.
Remembering details about them.
In today's troubled world, entrepreneurship is
sometimes treated as the new religion that will save the economy and build
world peace. The analogy to religion is appropriate, because there's always an
element of faith in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Charisma can be a decisive
factor.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Positive Leadership: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
“If you hire people
just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire
people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat
and tears.” (Simon Sinek)
Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for
inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question
"Why?"
His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers.
His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers.
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