Leadership & Mindset
Creative Thinking Tip #2 - Make a friend
If you havent't read tip #1 (take a Day Off), go and read it now. TIP #2 Make a friend. Some problems are seem much more challenging to solve and sometimes may even seem impossible. If tip #1 hasn't solved your mental block then its time to move to tip #2, make a friend. This is a simple exercise where you pair up with someone you know and trust. You explain to them the exact situation (being as brief and concise as possible) and then you ask them to explain the situation back to you.
Creative thinking tip #1 - take the day off
As a business leader, you are paid for your creative thinking and not your ability to follow process. But there are times when you are stuck. You find yourself unable to make a breakthrough. I will write a series of very short snippets to help get you out of your rut and encourage the creative juices to flow. Tip #1 STOP THINKING ABOUT THE PROBLEM There comes a time when you have to take a step back and stop thinking about the problem at hand.
Describe yourself in one word
Interviews can be fun or scary depending on how prepared you are. A new question many candidates are being asked is to described themselves in one word. Interviewers know that unless you prepared for this question, you will likely delay and stumble. Before you go into that interview, take the time to conduct some honest introspection and ask yourself : “Who am I?” “What makes me unique? What sets me apart?” “What value do I bring to the company?” When you feel you finally understand your service offer, start trying to find a word that best describes you.
Let Rezscore analyse and grade your CV
It is a common New Year resolution to find a better job (sure we're October but the New Year is just around the corner). Regardless of how you define “a better job” [more pay, flexible work hours or a more interesting field of work] the first step towards that shiny new job is preparing your resume. I’m sure your uncle can give you good advice but….. Take a look at a website called RezScore. They offer a free automated resume analysis which could help snag that new job you want.
How to behave during an exit interview
Read my previous blog post entitles The "You" Brand here. If you are under the age of 35, you will likely switch jobs 8-12 times in your career. If any of those jobs are with medium to large companies then expect an exit interview to be part of your departure process. Too often, employees mistakenly believe this is their first real chance to be honest about all the issues they have had to live with. Let’s be clear, it isn’t that golden opportunity.
The 3 most powerful questions to ask yourself
Having worked with thousands of people throughout my career, it is clear that people have the hardest time being honest with themselves, about themselves. But this is one case where honesty is the best policy. As an employee of a company, your future depends on the quality, depth and breadth of skills you bring to the table. You can lie to yourself all you want, ultimately your true colors will come through and you will be judged. Every 6 months, I take some time to myself and think about where I am, where I thought I would be and decide where I want to go (short, medium and long term).
How to deal with stress - tips and tricks
Stress is one of the most prevalent and damaging factors in our modern lives. Eventually we will all reach our “breaking point” and how we handle that situation determines the quality of our lives. Each person’s situation is unique but there are enough common traits for me to provide some guidance on how to manage stress better. Exercise I try to exercise (in the gym) at least 3 times a wekk. I find that exercise has a natural calming effect and research shows that a good workout releases a bunch of beneficial hormones.
Try something new to re-energize yourself
We are creatures of habit and sometimes nothing can be more energizing that trying something pleasurable and new. Find something you have wanted to do for a while and just commit to getting it done ASAP (start it as soon as possible). You will get a rush of the happiness hormone (dopamine). For some people, this becomes the catalyst that launches them in a new and better direction. It is a simple yet very powerful idea.
The power of NO!
Most people are in the business of pleasing others and find it difficult to set boundaries and say no. Remember that always saying yes means you are always putting others before you. It is important to ensure that you give yourself permission to be a little selfish and let people know you have limits. This is one of the most rewarding things you can learn and it will also greatly increase your productivity. Saying No everywhere The above tip is useful for all aspects of your life and shouldn’t be restricted to business only settings.
Lenovo CEO distributes his $3M bonus to employees
Most tech company CEOs are accustomed to receiving large multimillion dollar salaries just for showing up to work. In extreme cases, some CEOs have received huge paydays while their company tittered on the brink of bankruptcy and employees faced huge layoffs. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Yang Yanqing, CEO of the very successful Lenovo, decided to breakup his $3M supplemental performance bonus into 10,000 small chunks and award it to his lower level employees (line workers, assistants, etc).