#Leadership : 15 Social Media Podcasts to Take Your Marketing Skills to the Next Level…Take it From the Pros — these Podcasts will Help Boost your Social Media Presence.

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What should you do if you want to become the best at what you do?  There’s probably a long list, with lots of options. One thing we’re particularly fond of at Buffer when it comes to improving ourselves is listening to podcasts relevant to our niche and industry.

Free- Coffee with Laptop

In our case, that means social media podcasts!

What we love about podcasts is that they make it easy to hear from industry leaders and talented folks about their experiences and advice (which we might not be able to read about anywhere else). There are so many of these voices in the marketing space that have been influential for me and the team!

Related: How to Promote Your Podcast

So the big question is: Where to start? Which podcasts should I try? What episodes should I listen to?

I have the same questions in mind whenever I find the time to listen to podcasts. Rather than spending your podcast time finding a podcast episode to listen to, I’d love to help you skip that step and go straight to listening. Here’s a list of 15 top marketing podcasts, covering three areas of social media marketing, with some top episodes from each podcast to check out!

To make it easier to find the parts of this post that are most helpful, here’s a look at all we’ll cover:

Psst! Our new podcast, The Science of Social Media, is live in iTunes.

This is our newly-launched social media podcast for marketers and brands interested in learning about new and exciting ways to implement social media marketing across a variety of platforms and industries. Every week, Hailley Griffis, Brian Peters and Kevan Leeinterview some of the best marketers around in quick, 30-minute episodes.

Here are some recent episodes you might like:

9 Top social media marketing podcasts

1. Social Pros by Jay Baer and Adam Brown

Real people doing real work in social media. Social Pros, recently named the best marketing podcast at the Content Marketing Awards, dives into the inside stories and behind-the-scenes strategies of how huge companies and brands like Ford, Dell, IBM, ESPN and more manage and measure their social media programs.

Hosts: Jay Baer (President of Convince & Convert) and Adam Brown(Executive Strategist at Salesforce)

Format: Interviews (with its ‘The Big Two’ questions at the end: 1. What’s your one tip for becoming a social pro? and 2. If you could do a Skype call with any living person, who would it be?)

Duration: Ranges from 30 to 60 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

2. Social Media Marketing with Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner

In his weekly podcast, Michael Stelzner interviews social media experts to find out how successful businesses run their social media and uncover strategies and actionable tips to improve one’s social media marketing.

For each episode, there’s a very detailed blog post about the content of the interview so that you don’t have to take notes while listening.

Hosts: Michael Stelzner (Founder of Social Media Examiner and the Social Media Marketing World conference)

Format: Interviews (with a quick social media discovery of the week at the start)

Duration: 45 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

3. The #AskGaryVee Show by Gary Vaynerchuk

For each episode of #AskGaryVee, Gary Vaynerchuk answers a question from his audience about marketing, social media, entrepreneurship and startups based on his lifetime experience of building successful, multi-million dollar companies. If you tweet him your question with #AskGaryVee, you might get on the show!

The show originally started as YouTube videos only, and Gary turned them into podcasts too so that his audience can listen to them on the go. If you usually listen to podcasts on your computer or prefer to watch the video, you might find the #AskGaryVee Search Engineuseful!

Hosts: Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO of Vayner Media and co-founder of Vayner Sports)

Format: 1-2 questions from his audience and answers from Gary

Duration: Ranges from 15 to 45 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

4. Social Media Social Hour by Tyler Anderson

This is a podcast for marketers and entrepreneurs looking to get on the social media fast track. Each week, Tyler Anderson interviews people behind top brands and influencers to discuss social media, tech and online marketing. Tyler also shares tools and processes he personally uses (like Focus Booster) to help him with social media management, marketing, productivity and more.

Hosts: Tyler Anderson (Founder and CEO at Casual Fridays)

Format: Interviews

Duration: Ranges from 20 to 50 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

5. Online Marketing Made Easy by Amy Porterfield

In her podcast, Amy Porterfield shares how to monetize your online marketing and blogging efforts using her own tested, actionable lead-generation strategies. Amy creates educational content on social media marketing, freelancing and several other areas of online marketing and even shares free cheatsheets and guides so that you can follow along while listening to the podcast. Sometimes, she’s joined by a Facebook ad expert, Rick Mulready, to discuss all about Facebook ads.

Hosts: Amy Porterfield (Social media strategist and co-author ofFacebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies)

Format: Mix between interviews and solo podcasting on Facebook ads, online marketing and blogging

Duration: Ranges from 30 to 50 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

6. Social Zoom Factor with Pam Moore

With 100,000 downloads per month, Social Zoom Factor is one of the most popular marketing podcasts. The show is hosted by Pam Moore of Marketing Nutz, a company with clients like IBM and Adobe. Pam covers topics such as social media, experiential branding, digital marketing and more.

Related: How to Curate Content and Grow Your Online Following

If you are an auditory learner and prefer listening versus reading blog posts, this might be the podcast for you!

Hosts: Pam Moore (CEO and Founder, Marketing Nutz)

Format: Solo podcasting on social media strategies

Duration: About 30 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

7. #TwitterSmarter by Madalyn Sklar

In this podcast dedicated to Twitter, Madalyn Sklar interviews amazing movers and shakers in the world of social media and online marketing to discover the best Twitter insights, information and resources.

If you are into Twitter chats, Madalyn also hosts a weekly #TwitterSmarter chat — a Twitter chat to connect, learn and share Twitter tips — every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT.

Hosts: Madalyn Sklar (Twitter marketing strategist)

Format: Interviews

Duration: Ranges from 10 to 30 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

8. Hashtagged by Jordan Powers

Hashtagged is a podcast all about Instagram. In each episode, Jordan Powers interviews a member of the Instagram community to uncover insights to growing a following, building a community and making an impact.

Hosts: Jordan Powers (Photographer and co-founder of Made in Mankato, a video production company)

Format: Interviews

Duration: Ranges from 30 to 60 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

9. Manly Pinterest Tips with Jeff Sieh

In this podcast mainly for everything about Pinterest, Jeff Sieh explores best practices, strategies and demonstrations with several Power Pinners. Once in a while, Jeff will cover other social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram too.

Hosts: Jeff Sieh (Social media consultant and speaker)

Format: Interviews and answering questions from the community during the interviews

Duration: Ranges from 40 to 60 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

Paid social marketing

1. The Art of Paid Traffic by Rick Mulready

In The Art of Paid Traffic, Rick Mulready reveals the best paid traffic tips, tactics and strategies for generating leads and sales on autopilot for your business. Together with expert guests such as Massimo Chieruzzi, founder & CEO of AdEspresso, Rick dives into Facebook ads, YouTube ads, Twitter ads, Google Adwords, retargeting and more.

Hosts: Rick Mulready (Expert in Facebook ads and marketing strategies for small businesses)

Format: Mix of interviews, case studies and solo podcasting

Duration: Ranges from 20 to 50 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

2. Perpetual Traffic by Keith Krance, Molly Pittman and Ralph Burns

Perpetual Traffic podcast covers actionable strategies mainly for advertising on Facebook, with occasional mentions of YouTube, Twitter, Google AdWords, LinkedIn and more. Keith, Molly and Ralph interview business owners on how they overcame struggles with digital marketing and online advertising.

Hosts: Keith Krance (Founder and president of Dominate Web Media),Molly Pittman (Vice President and Traffic Manager, Digital Marketer) and Ralph Burns (Managing Partner at Dominate Web Media)

Format: Interviews and discussions on digital marketing and online advertising

Duration: Ranges from 20 to 40 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

3. Social Media Pubcast with Jon Loomer

In each episode of Social Media Pubcast, Jon Loomer invites an industry expert to his virtual pub to discuss Facebook marketing and advertising over a beer. Jon also records audio versions of his blog posts for people who want to listen on the go.

Jon manages an exclusive community for advanced Facebook marketers, Power Hitters Club, which I thought is pretty awesome (says the Community Champion in me)!

Hosts: Jon Loomer (Founder of Jon Loomer, For Advanced Facebook Marketers)

Format: Mix of pubcasts with guests and audio version of blog posts

Duration: About 40 minutes for pubcasts and 10 minutes for audio recordings of blog posts

Recent episodes you might like:

Community building and customer support

At Buffer, the distinction between marketing and community is very blurry. In fact, we believe they belong together! An example is how our awesome social media manager, Brian Peters, has built an engaging community on Instagram.

Related: A Complete Guide to Instagram Marketing

Here are two podcasts with a strong community focus, plus a bonus third podcast with ties into customer support (a really great skill for social media marketers to have).

1. The FeverBee Podcast by FeverBee

While this show has stopped for a while now, the archive is a treasure trove of information! The podcast covers the latest in community management, social science and FeverBee news. In each episode, a community manager or social media manager of a well-known brand joins the show to share their knowledge.

Hosts: Caty Kobe (previously Head of Training, FeverBee)

Format: Interviews

Duration: About 30 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

2. Community Signal by Patrick O’Keefe

Community Signal is a weekly podcast for community professionals, which is very community-focused. Patrick O’Keefe believes that social media is a set of tools for building a community and while “marketing brings new customers, community helps you keep them.”

Hosts: Patrick O’Keefe (Managed communities for more than 16 years)

Format: Interviews

Duration: About 30 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

3. Support Ops by Chase Clemons

I believe it’s quite common for social media managers to receive support requests on their social channel. If that’s the case for you and if you are wondering how to get better at that, Support Ops might be just for you! This weekly podcast aims to help you deliver a better support experience to your customers.

Hosts and team: Chase Clemons (Support, Basecamp), Carolyn Kopprasch (Chief Happiness Officer, Buffer), Chase Livingston(Happiness Engineer, Automattic) and Jeff Vincent (Product, Wista)

Format: Discussions on customer support among the team, sometimes with guests

Duration: About 30 minutes

Recent episodes you might like:

 

Entrepreneur.com | October 20, 2016 |  Alfred Lua – Community and Marketing at Buffer

#Leadership : 3 Steps to a Well-Structured Presentation…Many People Struggle with Writing Business Presentations. What’s Needed is a Structured Way to Think about the Presentation.

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PowerPoint presentations are an ingrained part of the business experience: A 2015 survey by OutsidetheSlide.com found that more than 25 percent of workers surveyed said they see at least one presentation every workday.

Close-up of businesswoman holding touchpad with document

Related: Avoid the PowerPoint Trap by Having Less Wordy Slides

And that may be a problem, considering the less-than-optimal way in which today’s organizations communicate through these presentations. In short, from our observations, many of these presentations fail to deliver.

One of the major reasons for this is poor structure. As Mind Tools reminds us, without a logical, clear and well-structured presentation, your audience is unlikely to follow and remember your message.

We ourselves have written thousands of presentations and business documents in our careers. And, in our experience, the most important step is what we call “hanging the document.” In simple terms, you need an outline. However, this can’t be just a list of random points. The document has to have a structure. It has to hang together in a way that makes your point as clearly as possible.

Doug learned to structure presentations when he worked with McKinsey & Company. McKinsey used a method called the Pyramid Principal. Barbara Minto, McKinsey’s first female consultant, developed this methodology for structuring business documents, which we believe is the best in the business.

Below is a simple illustration of this powerful method. Imagine you are making a business presentation during which you hope to persuade the decision-maker to take specific action. In such situations, use what we call the “situation-complication-resolution” approach. Each of its three steps is discussed below.

1. Situation

This is a statement of the current state of affairs. It should be fact based (e.g., “Since its founding 15 years ago, the company has grown from a startup with no revenue and one employee to a robust enterprise with $15 million

 

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in revenue and 60 employees”). Because it is fact based, this “Situation” step should be something with which no one can reasonably disagree. We often use this section to highlight positives. If possible, give the person to whom you are presenting credit for his or her accomplishments.

2. Complication

This is a statement of the problem — the issue you are addressing (e.g., “Over the past three years, revenue growth has stalled”). It lays out why the company should take action. Without the “Complication,” the company wouldn’t need to do anything; There would be no reason for change.

People who are resisting the change you are suggesting may well try to take issue with the complication. After all, if it isn’t valid, there is no need to change. Therefore, if possible, you as presenter should base this section on objective facts that are irrefutable (“Sales three years ago were $15.1 million, while sales last year were $14.9 million”). People may not like hearing this, but they can’t argue that it isn’t true.

3. Resolution

This is your recommendation; it resolves the complication. It should be a single point. For example, “We should launch a sales growth program.” Each document should have only one main point. If you can’t boil your recommendation down to a single point, you should have more than one document.

Once you have identified you primary recommendation, you should support it with a series of what we call MECE (mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive) sub points. Mutually exclusive means that the points do not overlap; there is no duplication among them. “Collectively exhaustive” means that there is nothing left out. Taken together, the sub points cover all possible ways to achieve the point above it in the structure.

Related: 10 Questions to Ask When Creating a Killer PowerPoint Presentation

For example, consider that the main point is, “We should launch a program to grow sales significantly.” The supporting points then might be:

  1. We should cultivate new customers, and
  2. We should sell more to existing customers.

These are clearly mutually exclusive points; there is no overlap between new customers and existing customers. They are also collectively exhaustive; every sale will be to a new customer or an existing customer. There are no other possibilities.

You will then support each of the sub points with another set of MECE points. For example, you might support cultivating new customers with: 1) Cultivate new customers in existing sales territories; and 2) Cultivate new customers in new sales territories. Again, the sub points at this level are MECE.

If you diagram the structure of your document keeping all points at the same level in the document on the same line of your paper, you will begin to see a triangle or a pyramid emerge. The pyramid continues to grow until your recommendations are at a sufficiently granular level to make it crystal clear how you propose to accomplish your main objective.

Related: 10 Tips for Creating a Winning Business Plan in PowerPoint

Many people struggle with writing business presentations. What’s needed is a structured way to think about the presentation. Once you have the structure, hanging meat on the bones is straightforward. The pyramid principle provides that structure that’s needed.

Entrepreneur.com | October 18, 2016 | Doug & Polly White

#Leadership : Managing Conflict Is Essential to Success…A Functional Workplace of Diverse People and Ideas is Fertile Ground for Creativity — and for Conflict. Here’s How to Be a Good Referee.

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You gotta give a little. De-escalation relies on both parties being able to see another person’s point of view. They must be willing to give a little bit. By becoming able to compromise, they free themselves and each other to work toward the win/win.

red-button

 

Those of you who have read my articles before can probably envision me embroiled in numerous conflicts. To keep from being killed or killing someone, I have acquired fairly effective survival skills. I’m not a pacifist; in fact, people who say “fighting never solves anything” make me think they have been on the losing end of every fight they’ve been in. Or, it makes me think they have probably spent their lives running from fights.

In my experience, fighting solves a lot, but let me be clear here, when I say “fighting,” I am not talking about slapping around Kenny in accounting because he shorted you $2.36! When I say fighting, I am talking about conflict. Conflict is neither good nor bad; it can be handled functionally or dysfunctionally.

You can’t say that!

We’re not on the playground anymore, and in a post-Columbine, post-going postal world, even joking about workplace violence can be a serious offense. I have worked at several companies that had incidents of workplace violence that ended in death; so I don’t want anyone thinking that I am making light of the very real threat of workplace violence. But there is a right way and a wrong way of addressing it, and in my opinion, the best way to avoid workplace violence, even mere workplace unpleasantness, is by de-escalating dysfunctional conflict before it becomes a problem.

De-escalation of conflict isn’t the same as conflict avoidance. De-escalation of conflict is the act of removing heightened emotion the antagonists are feeling about their disagreement. Disagreement is healthy in an organization; moreover, squelching it leads to dysfunction, from simmering frustration to malicious obedience. Malicious obedience is one of those terms I learned when I was working for a man I still affectionately refer to as “the Devil.”

 

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You told me to!

Tired of having him second guess my every decision and then ordering me to do something that I knew would be a disaster, I would do exactly what he told me to, knowing full well that it would create chaos. Doing so made him incredibly angry and frustrated because I had in fact done exactly what he told me to do. I fully admit to doing in those days what I expect now of a benighted employee, escalating our dysfunctional dynamic.

Related: 3 Signs It’s Time to Fire the Boss

I would sit smugly in his office watching the veins in his temples bulge and throb, in hopes of seeing one burst, while he frothed at the mouth and sputtered his disappointment with my performance. I can see now I could have (should have?) handled things better. Mea culpa. But when dealing with a dysfunctional environment, it is hard to behave like an adult. Or, maybe I’m making excuses, but I know better now.

You talking to me?

It may seem silly, but de-escalation of conflict begins with the language we use. I used to work for an organization where so much as joking about violence was an offense for which one could be fired. For my money, the organization took extreme and ridiculous efforts to avoid any implication of aggression. There was an Alice Down the Rabbit Hole absurdity to its efforts.

We couldn’t use the term bullet point because bullet, it was believed, denotes violence. No, actually. In this case, the term bullet is derived from the word bulletin (a bulletin being a series of bullets), a usage that predates the invention of the gun. We had to call them dot lists. Predictably, this devolved into a bizarre workplace lexicon that would have made Aldous Huxley proud. We could say positive, butnegatives became deltas. Ironically, we could say head shot; something I never understood because it seemed not only violent but graphically violent.

You can’t say that, either!

The thing is, mincing words and weaseling around the point is not really helpful when trying to de-escalate conflict. Quite the opposite, I find it tends to infuriate an already aggravated and aggressive dynamic between the parties. Clarity, understanding and resolution become impossible. And business people want clarity, and seek it intuitively. They coin graphic terms like “one throat to choke” (look it up) to express a common business concept, even as it may create the subtle impression that workplace violence is acceptable — or perhaps only upon outside vendors.

Related: 7 Ways to Have a Difficult Conversation Without Losing Your Client

So these things don’t work, what does? I found a simple formula work of the de-escalation:

1. Begin by a acknowledging each other’s frustration.

Conflict tends to build-up and as it builds so does frustration. The primate inside us wants to either fight or flee; neither are options that de-escalate the conflict. Vocalizing the knowledge that both parties are frustrated and potentially angry allows them to stop focusing on communicating how they feel and to start focusing on what they can do to move forward.

2. Assume goodness of intention.

When we assume that the other party is perfidious, escalation results. When I think they have the best intentions we can discuss our positions dispassionately and assertively. I admit it can be very difficult to give someone the benefit of the doubt, especially if they have screwed us over the past, but you really have to get beyond that if you’re going to achieve any mastery of conflict de-escalation.

3. Make sure all parties have expressed how they feel.

This may sound soft-headed, but it’s really important. Unless we talk about the emotions we’re feeling, they will always get in the way of trying to solve a problem. Maybe you have experienced, as I have, an exchange where the other person keeps deflecting or trying to change the subject, to rationalize their own dysfunctional behavior. As goofy as it may sound, too many people get so wrapped up in winning that they cannot see a compromise is anything but a defeat.

4. Apologize.

An apology can go a long way in mending a relationship, even when you’re too pig-headed to admit you’re wrong. You may actually feel as if you have done nothing wrong, and maybe you haven’t, but the fact remains that your actions created the perception of an attack or insult, and I think we can all agree that we want to prevent kind of this perception.

5. Fess up when you mess up.

Sometimes our egos prevent us from doing what’s right — in this case, admitting when we screwed up. Something this simple can greatly reduce the heightened emotional state.

You gotta give a little. De-escalation relies on both parties being able to see another person’s point of view. They must be willing to give a little bit. By becoming able to compromise, they free themselves and each other to work toward the win/win.

 

Entrepreneur.com | October 18, 2016 | Phil La Duke 

 

 

#Leadership : Doing Good While Doing Well: 3 Ways to Bring Purpose to Your Business…Donating Money Helps, but, Nothing Compares to Hands-On, Thoughtful Philanthropy.

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Writing a check might take only a minute, but it could never accomplish the results that hands-on, thoughtful philanthropy achieves.

donation

Corporate philanthropy is a great way to grow your network, build your brand and influence a cause dear to your company. In 2015, corporate philanthropic giving saw a 3.9 percent increase from 2014, reaching $18.46 billion. This figure indicates that, for busy entrepreneurs, it’s easier to write a donation check than it is to bring philanthropy deeper into your company.

Balancing work and goodwill takes effort, but a purpose larger than a donation can deepen your company’s mission and impact — while connecting your brand to your community.

Related: 4 Reasons You Should Host a Philanthropic Event

Nick Gross, entrepreneur and musician, is one example of someone who is successfully bringing a deeper purpose to his business initiatives. While working on his creative-branding company, Milky Agency, Gross founded the Find Your Grind Foundation, which works with underserved youth to develop their skills and goals.

These young people have talent in music, the arts or technology, but they often don’t have the resources available to reach their potential. Find Your Grind connects them with materials, space and even financial assistance to take their talents further.

“With a goal of teaching young people how to network, learn from each other’s experiences and define success for themselves, we ask, ‘How do you find your grind each day, and how can you share that with others?’” Gross says.

Although he acknowledges that an auxiliary benefit of philanthropy is the networking and inbound branding Find Your Grind’s efforts garner, philanthropy is about more than the potential boost to your brand or the tax write-offs.

For entrepreneurs looking to make a difference, here’s how to get started:

1. Actively partner.

Business might be competitive, but philanthropy is collaborative. If you notice another company taking on a similar cause, don’t try to outdo it — make it your ally. You’ll be able to achieve more together, while making connections.

Related: 5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Enhance Local Communities

Gross’s first philanthropic priority is Find Your Grind, but he participates in similar organizations’ efforts to empower youth. This summer, Gross’s band, Half the Animal, played at Clayton Kershaw’s annual ping-pong tournament to raise funds for at-risk youth. Kershaw’s organization’s mission aligns with Find Your Grind’s, but partnering — not competing — puts more power behind each organization’s goals.

Keep an eye out for opportunities such as this and take advantage of them when they arise. Who knows — you might have complementary skills that take each other’s missions even further!

 

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2. Make better decisions with data.

One of the leaders at the intersection of philanthropy and technology is Fluxx, which has built innovative solutions to create a more accessible and transparent ecosystem for foundations and nonprofits.

“When funders and nonprofits have more access to data and an easier ability to share stories, greater impact is realized,” says Jason Ricci, founder and CEO at Fluxx. “Leveraging technology and the insights it produces empowers organizations of all types and sizes to better assess their strategic priorities, track dollars to measurable results and produce fresh perspectives.”

3. Generate interest.

Bringing purpose to your business means your employees need to play a role. Doing service takes passion. The amount of enthusiasm your employees have for your cause can make or break your influence — especially today, as one of the top three factors that motivatesmillennials to get involved in a philanthropic cause is passion.

They may work for you in the office, but treat them like partners in your philanthropic efforts. Learn what they’re passionate about. Would they rather partner with local communities or global ones? Do they want to work with youth? Environmental causes? Find common areas of interest that will excite everyone, and you’ll have a team ready to serve with passion.

Related: The Mindset and Skills That Millennial Entrepreneurs Need for Success

Taking time to connect with a cause and bring purpose into your business is what makes a true impact. With a driven team, likeminded partnerships and work that doubles as goodwill, making those connections should come easily.

Writing a check might take only a minute, but it could never accomplish the results that hands-on, thoughtful philanthropy achieves.

 

Entrepreneur.com |  October 17, 2016 | Deep Patel

#Leadership : 3 Crucial Things I’ve Learned In My First 30 Days As A Manager…Here’s How this Buffer Engineer Quickly Faced her Fears about Managing People she Felt were Better Developers Than she Was.

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It feels ridiculous for me to write about being an engineering manager. It’s a job I’ve done for not even 30 days yet. But that’s what I want to know from others—how did you start? How did you make it through your first month?
Leader3

No two first rodeos are ever alike. But they’re all rodeos, and falling off is falling off. There’s some kind of pattern. So here I am, writing the post that I want to read. And in my first month in a new management role, I’ve found these to be the three things I’ve had to sort out above all else.

1. WHAT IS THIS JOB, ANYWAY?

I had a rough idea what I was getting into from the internal job description, but there’s a chasm between “Help build deep fulfillment and ensure the personal growth of team members” and, well, doing that.

So I went on something of a crusade to understand what exactly I should do. I asked engineers at Buffer, “What do youthink makes a great engineering manager (EM)? Where do you think I fall short?” I am so grateful for the honest answers of my peers—it allowed me to develop a clear sense of how I need to grow. I stalked people on Twitter and LinkedIn, cold emailed them, and asked them how they survived the switch. “What was your rookie error?” became my pickup line.

I’m continually astonished at how helpful the world generally is. I’ve met up with incredible people whom I’d thought wouldn’t give me the time of day. I’ve found this awesome Slack community where I can see, in real time, a smorgasbord of management scenarios unfolding and people of experience, the very kind of people I want to become, give their advice. There is such treasure, if you care to dig.

From my own experience, I certainly remember times when I knew what I wanted from a manager, but didn’t feel I could speak up and ask for it. So I’ve decided to ask a very simple question: “What is something that I can do for you over the next week to make your work life better?”

I quickly learned that this is a solved problem—the help is there. I just had to ask.

 

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2. WHAT HAPPENS TO MY OLD WORK?

This is tough. When an engineer switches to management, the team loses an engineer. That puts a damper on team velocity and morale, but doing two jobs at once is infeasible. Having a handover and transition plan was my first task. It’s a real challenge to figure out who can take over the work you do in a team that’s already lean. And let’s face it, there’s never an “extra engineer” twiddling her thumbs.

I got really lucky here: Half my team (non-engineers) took a vacation as I made the switch, so there was a natural lull while I Googled “how to be an engineering manager.” Then I got another break: A product team happened to be disbanding, and there was someone ready and excited to take over. I dodged a very difficult quarter.

Think about your old responsibilities—don’t just walk out. If there’s really no one to step up, then schedules will slip. Realize this, and make sure others realize it, too.

3. HOW DO I MANAGE SOMEONE WHO’S BETTER THAN I’LL EVER BE?

This was the scariest thing I had to do. Before jumping into a first meeting with an engineer whom I admire greatly, I was decidedly fretful, and definitely anxious throughout. What did he think of me? Was this a huge waste of time? I shudder at the opportunity cost.

After that first video call, it hit me that although I thought he was awesome, I’d given zero recognition. Realizing why I held back calling out good work was a key moment for me: I didn’t feel qualified to praise this engineer. I felt that my opinion didn’t matter; that he’d think I was an idiot for praising something he’d done that was no big deal. It would be like praising Dan Abramov for writing a todo app in React.

Once I understood and named that fear, it went away. If I was better at coding than the engineers I managed, then I’d be writing that code. But I’m not. That’s exactly why I’m managing!

I’m better at encouraging and unblocking. I think that’s when the idea of “servant leader” started to click.

I am there to sort out all the stuff that stops engineers from focusing. Make the processes smooth. Make sure they find their work interesting and challenging. Make sure they are having the biggest impact that they can. Understand who they are and what drives them, and line that up with what the team needs. Tell them when I think they did something great. Ask them why they did something that falls short of our quality bar—maybe there was a good reason. Maybe I can help. I don’t have to be able to do their jobs better than them. They’re the experts, and they should be.

I still don’t know what my biggest rookie error is, though. I guess that’ll be a subject for another post.

An earlier version of this article originally appeared on Buffer. It is reprinted with permission.

 

FastCompany.com |  KATIE WOMERSLEY 10.16.16 5:00 AM

 

Your #Career : These Are The College Degrees That Earn The Highest Salaries…Most STEM Degrees Pay Graduates the Highest Wages, But there Are other College Majors that Offer Good Return on the Education Investment.

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 With student loans reaching an all-time high, it’s no surprise that many are now questioning whether their education is worth the expense.

College Graduate

The average 2015 college graduate completed their education with $35,051 in student loan debt, according to a study by Edvisor, and a survey by Salary.com found that 35% of 15,000 respondents believe a degree isn’t worth the price tag, with another 43% claiming it isn’t necessary to succeed in life.

While not all degrees are created equal, and you can always find a career in a field you didn’t major in, certain degrees are a better bet for students looking for the highest return on their education investment. In fact, a 2015 report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce estimated that the difference in lifetime wages between the highest- and lowest-paying college majors is about $3.4 million.

According to a new study by Glassdoor, an online employer review and careers resource, the top 10 college majors that help graduates earn the most during the first five years of employment are:

  1. Computer Science

    Median base salary: $70,000
    Popular entry-level jobs: Software engineer, Systems engineer, Web developer

  2. Electrical Engineering

    Median base salary: $68,438
    Popular entry-level jobs: Electrical engineer, Systems engineer, Software developer

  3. Mechanical Engineering

    Median base salary: $68,000
    Popular entry-level jobs: Mechanical engineer, Design engineer, Project engineer

     

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  4. Chemical Engineering

    Median base salary: $65,000
    Popular entry-level jobs: Chemical engineer, Process engineer, Project engineer

  5. Industrial Engineering

    Median base salary: $64,381
    Popular entry-level jobs: Industrial engineer, Quality engineer, Production planner

  6. Information Technology

    Median base salary: $64,008
    Popular entry-level jobs: Programmer analyst, Technical support, Systems engineer

  7. Civil Engineering

    Median base salary: $61,500
    Popular entry-level jobs: Civil engineer, Structural engineer, Field engineer

  8. Statistics

    Median base salary: $60,000
    Popular entry-level jobs: Data analyst, Statistician, Data scientist

  9. Nursing

    Median base salary: $58,928
    Popular entry-level jobs: Registered nurse, Licensed vocational nurse, Case manager

  10. Management Information Systems

    Median base salary: $58,000
    Popular entry-level jobs: Network administrator, Help desk analyst, Business analyst

While some of the highest-paying tech employers have expressed an interestin hiring non-STEM graduates, science, technology, engineering, and math degrees still dominate the top 10 and much of the remaining top 50.

But earning a STEM degree, which accounts for 20% of all college degrees,doesn’t necessarily guarantee a high salary. According to a report by the Economic Policy Institute, petroleum engineers earn as much as $243,000 by mid-career, while environmental engineers earn just over $100,000, and those in mechanical-related technologies and architecture don’t crack six figures. “The top 25% of education majors earn more than the bottom 25% of engineering majors,” suggests the report, titled “The Economic Value of College Majors.”

Furthermore, chasing a degree for the sake of its future earning potential might have an adverse affect on one’s career, according to Vince Broady, the CEO of content marketing platform Thismoment and religion studies major at Brown University. “If you don’t personally care about what you are doing, you are not going to be competitive at it,” he told Fast Company. “You have to have some faith that your education will not be wasted on you. This is about you and your specific situation; you need to make sure that what you learn serves you.”

At the bottom of the list of 50 were these degree tracks that led to the lowest-paying jobs:

  • Health Care Administration

    Median base salary: $42,000
    Popular entry-level jobs: Medical assistant, File clerk, Office manager

  • Social Work

    Median base salary: $41,656
    Popular entry-level jobs: Social worker, Mental health counselor, Camp counselor

  • Biology

    Median base salary: $41,250
    Popular entry-level jobs: Lab assistant, Paramedic, Tutor

For those who want to improve the likelihood of getting those student loans paid off sooner, however, Glassdoor’s data would suggest that STEM is the safest bet.

 

 
FastCompany.com |  JARED LINDZON 10.17.16 7:00 AM

Your #Career : 10 Ways You’re Blowing A Job Interview, and How to Fix…After Interviewing Hundreds of Applicants, Here are a Few Common Mistakes that Damage your Chances of Success.

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As you know, it’s not always easy to get an interview for a job, but when you do get that call-back for a live interview, it feels great and a little nerve-wracking. When I used to get that all-important call giving me the time to come in for an interview, I know it would start to do a number on my head. I wanted the job so much more once I knew I had a real shot at it. The problem is that mistakes tend to occur the moment you become fixated on how great it would be to have that job rather than focusing on preparation and the best way to approach the interview.

PeopleAwaitingInterview

 

Entrepreneur and investor

#Leadership : 13 Habits of the Most Persuasive People…Whether you’re Convincing your Boss to Fund your Project or your Preschooler to Put his Shoes On, Persuasion is a Skill that’s Instrumental to your Success in Life.

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Persuasive people have an uncanny ability to get you leaning toward their way of thinking. Their secret weapon is likeability. They get you to like more than their ideas; they get you to like them.

networking

Too many people succumb to the mistaken belief that being likeable comes from natural, unteachable traits that belong only to a lucky few — the good looking, the fiercely social and the incredibly talented. It’s easy to fall prey to this misconception. In reality, being likeable is under your control, and it’s a matter of emotional intelligence (EQ).

Related: 10 Unmistakable Habits of Utterly Authentic People

In a study conducted at UCLA, subjects rated over 500 adjectives based on their perceived significance to likeability. The top-rated adjectives had nothing to do with being gregarious, intelligent or attractive (innate characteristics). Instead, the top adjectives were sincerity, transparency and capacity for understanding (another person).

These adjectives, and others like them, describe people who are skilled in the social side of emotional intelligence. TalentSmart research data from more than a million people shows that people who possess these skills aren’t just highly likeable, they outperform those who don’t by a large margin.

We did some digging to uncover the key behaviors that emotionally intelligent people engage in that make them so persuasive. Here are the tricks of the trade that exceptionally persuasive people use to their advantage:

1. They’re pleasers

Persuasive people never win the battle only to lose the war. They know how and when to stand their ground, and yet they are constantly making sacrifices that help their cause. They are always giving in, giving ground and doing things for other people that make them happy. Persuasive people do this because they know in the long run this wins people over. They know it’s better to be successful than it is to be “right.”

 

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2. They aren’t pushy

Persuasive people establish their ideas assertively and confidently, without being aggressive or pushy. Pushy people are a huge turn off. The in-your-face approach starts the recipient backpedaling, and before long, they’re running for the hills. Persuasive people don’t ask for much, and they don’t argue vehemently for their position because they know that subtlety is what wins people over in the long run.

If you tend to come across as too aggressive, focus on being confident but calm. Don’t be impatient and overly persistent. Know that if your idea is really a good one, people will catch on if you give them time. If you don’t, they won’t catch on at all.

3. They aren’t mousy, either

On the other hand, presenting your ideas as questions or as though they need approval makes them seem flawed and unconvincing. If you tend to be shy, focus on presenting your ideas as statements and interesting facts for the other party to mull over. Also, remove qualifiers from your speech. When you are trying to be persuasive, there is no room for “I think” or “It is possible that.”

4. They know their audience

Persuasive people know their audience inside and out, and they use this knowledge to speak their audience’s language. Whether it’s toning down your assertiveness when talking to someone who is shy or cranking it up for the aggressive, high-energy type, everyone is different and catching on to these subtleties goes a long way toward getting them to hear your point of view.

Related: 7 Things Deeply Intuitive People Do Differently

5. They paint a picture

Research shows that people are far more likely to be persuaded by something that has visuals that bring it to life. Persuasive people capitalize on this by using powerful visual imagery. When actual images aren’t available or appropriate, these people tell vivid stories that breathe life into their ideas. Good stories create images in the mind of the recipients that are easy to relate to and hard to forget.

6. They use positive body language

Becoming cognizant of your gestures, expressions and tone of voice (and making certain they’re positive) will engage people and open them up to your arguments. Using an enthusiastic tone, uncrossing your arms, maintaining eye contact and leaning towards the person who’s speaking are all forms of positive body language that persuasive people use to draw others in.

Positive body language will engage your audience and convince them that what you’re saying is valid. When it comes to persuasion,  how  you say something can be more important than what  you say.

7. They smile

People naturally (and unconsciously) mirror the body language of the person they’re talking to. If you want people to like you and believe in you, smile at them during a conversation, and they will unconsciously return the favor and feel good as a result. Persuasive people smile a lot because they have genuine enthusiasm for their ideas. This has a contagious effect on everyone they encounter.

8. They acknowledge your point of view

An extremely powerful tactic of persuasion is to concede the point. Admit that your argument is not perfect. This shows that you are open minded and willing to make adjustments, instead of stubbornly sticking to your cause. You want your audience to know that you have their best interests at heart. Try using statements such as, “I see where you are coming from” and “That makes a lot of sense.”

This shows that you are actively listening to what they are saying, and you won’t just force your ideas upon them. Persuasive people allow others to be entitled to their opinions and they treat these opinions as valid. They do this because it shows respect, which makes the other person more likely to consider their point of view.

9. They ask good questions

The biggest mistake people make when it comes to listening is failing to hear what’s being said because they are focusing on what they’re going to say next or how what the other person is saying is going to affect them. The words come through loud and clear, but the meaning is lost.

A simple way to avoid this is to ask a lot of questions. People like to know you’re listening, and something as simple as a clarification question shows not only that you are listening but also that you care about what they’re saying. You’ll be surprised how much respect and appreciation you gain just by asking questions.

10. They use your name

Your name is an essential part of your identity, and it feels terrific when people use it. Persuasive people make certain they use others’ names every time they see them. You shouldn’t just use someone’s name only when you greet him or her. Research shows that people feel validated when the person they’re speaking with refers to them by name over the course of a conversation.

11. They form connections

People are much more likely to accept what you have to say once they have a sense of what kind of person you are. In a negotiation study, Stanford students were asked to reach agreement in class. Without instruction of any kind, 55% of the students successfully reached agreement.

However, when students were instructed to introduce themselves and share their background before attempting to reach agreement, 90% of the students did so successfully. The key here is to avoid getting too caught up in the back and forth of the negotiation. The person you are speaking with is a person, not an opponent or a target. No matter how compelling your argument, if you fail to connect on a personal level, he or she will doubt everything you say.

Related: 10 Habits That Will Make You Much Happier

12. They are genuine

Being genuine and honest is essential to being persuasive. No one likes a fake. People gravitate toward those who are genuine because they know they can trust them. It’s difficult to believe someone when you don’t know who they really are and how they really feel. Persuasive people know who they are. They are confident enough to be comfortable in their own skin. By concentrating on what drives you and makes you happy as an individual, you become a much more interesting and persuasive person than if you attempt to win people over by trying to be the person they want you to be.

13. They know when to pull back

Urgency is a direct threat to persuasion, so tread lightly. When you try to force people to agree instantly, studies show that they are actually more likely to stand by their original opinion. Your impatience causes them to counter your arguments in favor of their own. If your position is strong, you shouldn’t be afraid to back off and give it time to sink in. Good ideas are often difficult to process instantly, and a bit of time can go a long way.

Bringing It All Together

Persuasive people are adept at reading and responding to other people. They rely heavily on emotional intelligence (EQ) to bring people to their way of thinking. With 90% of top performers high in emotional intelligence, it’s no wonder that persuasive people rely on this skill to get ahead. Add these skills to your repertoire, and you’re on your way to joining this exclusive group.

A version of this article appeared on TalentSmart.

Read the original article on Entrepreneur. Copyright 2016. Follow Entrepreneur on Twitter.

Entrepreneur.com | October 15, 2016 | Travis Bradberry, Entrepreneur

#Leadership : 10 Ways to Develop an Unshakable Belief in Yourself…What Does it Mean to have an Unshakable Belief in Yourself? It Means you Choose to have a Winning Attitude. You Force your Mind to See the Positive Opportunity in Every Experience, Negative or Positive.

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As you look at your core beliefs about yourself, you will see those beliefs reflected back to you in every area of life from finances, reputation, success and love. People with an unshakable belief in who they are focus their minds on opportunities, the bigger picture, patience, resilience, and achieving. They strive to feel deeply happy and satisfied in their lives. People with winning attitudes deeply believe everything they set their mind to is something they can achieve.

Free- Lock in Door

 

Below are their core beliefs:

1. Think positive.

Each of us has the power to choose and to direct our thoughts in any direction we want. Thinking optimistically keeps life flowing forward in the direction of our thoughts because our actions naturally follow our thoughts. For positive thinking to work we cannot passively think and expect miracles. We have to back our thinking with hard work, follow through and determination. We are all destined for success and can all get there if we believe we can. We have to put action behind our beliefs, and add a touch a patience to our perseverance. Many people become impatient when their positive thinking doesn’t immediately manifest success. That is because positive thinking, not backed by hard work, reduces positive thoughts to a wish.

2. Goal-digger.

To develop a winning attitude we must experience winning. For this reason we need to create agendas backed by achievable goals set with target dates for their achievement. My amazing business coach Dr. Dave White tells me we overestimate what we can achieve in a year, but largely underestimate what we can achieve in five years. In our sessions we goal set, explore, plan and achieve something each week. Small achievable goals motivate and inspire us towards our larger goals. Each goal achieved builds confidence and makes the journey towards success enjoyable.

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3. Be a ‘passionator’.

To be successful in all areas of life, we have to love what we do. Waking up to a career we feel no passion for will not provide well for us emotionally, even if it provides for us financially. The growth we can experience, personally and financially will be limited when we feel we are just going through the motions to make money. The greatest successes love what they do, and know that what they do spans larger than their own self-interest. It is when we see that what we do makes a positive, and significant difference in the lives of others that we most want to jump out of bed in the morning.

4. Gracious.

When we live with grace instead of entitlement we do not expect anyone to do the hard work for us. We do all we can to propel our success forward. We are not afraid of the hard work required of us to succeed. No one owes us anything. There is nothing more career crushing than an entitled person. They are poor relationship builders, self-centered, tend of bully and are some of the biggest complainers in the corporate world. We must have patience, be gracious, help others, and ask for help when we need it. We must commit to working hard, being thankful and accepting that things are often unfair. We accept if there are goals to be achieved, we must depend upon ourselves to get them done.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

5. Keep good company.

We are a direct reflection of the company we keep. Emotions and attitudes are contagious. For this reason we should make it a point to avoid, or largely decrease, the interactions we have with people who are jealous, overtly negative, defeatist or who gossip. We cannot get anywhere when we carry this type of an emotional infection. We must fill our lives with people who are confident, supportive, happy, optimistic, realistic, hardworking and motivated. This type of energy propels our movement forward.

Related: How a Healthy Lifestyle Can Give You an Advantage in Business

6. Grit.

Success is always about persistence, determination and the stubbornness to never give up. Setbacks and rejections are a part of any great endeavor, so we must stay driven and optimistic. Rejections and setbacks are what help us explore, grow, solve our problems and increase our knowledge to do better going forward. When we have a winning attitude we see that failures are opportunities, not insurmountable problems. They are springboards to further success and direct us to the places where we need growth and reinvention.

7. Believe in yourself.

We have to focus on developing and working on our unique strengths in order to develop a strong belief in ourselves. We have to step outside of what is familiar for the sole purpose of increasing our self-knowledge and personal development. There is not a perfect person out there, so we must remain humble and inspired to work on improving our shortcomings, while not punishing ourselves over them. We can learn ways to work with them, such as delegating out, rather than letting these aspects of ourselves bring us down down. We have to faith in who we are.

8. Be inspired.

Read. All the great successes read. It’s amazing the type of inspiration that can come from reading about other inspiring people. We must spend our time with people who inspire us, and model what they do in their lives in our own lives. Inspiration can be found from family members and loved ones. It is important to look for relationships which inspire us to be better; seek out coaches, therapists and teachers. We can also find a deep sense of inspiration through helping and serving others.

Related: 15 Wise Money Quotes From Millionaires and Billionaires

9. Good health.

Being in excellent physical condition generates a tremendous amount of positive energy. We are a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual being. If our physical body is not healthy it directly decreases our emotional, mental and spiritual health. When we are physically active our bodies produce the feel good chemicals which effectively medicate stress, anger or despair. For this reason we need to take care of our basic physical needs, not just because it is the source of true wealth, but because it generates us to carry a positive vibe about us.

10. Social support.

We live up or down to the expectations and/or beliefs others hold of us. Those people who express their belief and faith in us, our purpose and our agenda in this world serve to deeply motivate us to continue on our mission with a sense of purpose and passion. The faith and belief to come from others, whether that be our manager, our family, friends, our coach, or those we manage serve to keep us on our toes and move us deeply into our personal commitment to our careers.

The stronger we gear our thoughts and actions towards success, the more quickly we develop it. It isn’t about pretending bad times don’t exist. It is about focusing our minds on the opportunities which can come from our bad days. When we have an unshakable belief in ourselves we posses a deep knowing that we have what it takes to overcome and continue to achieve. Once we achieve consistent positive beliefs in ourselves, our potential exponentially increase. We learn that obstacles are the experiences we need to further train ourselves to grow, remain flexible and move forward with a deeper sense of knowledge. Winston Churchill said, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Entrepreneur.com | October 13, 2016 | Sherrie Campbell

 

#Leadership : Three Ways To Turn Around A Team In Turmoil…At times of Crisis, Leaders have a Tendency to Batten Down the Hatches, Bark Orders, and Assign Blame. Those are All Bad Moves.

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When your team is in trouble, it may seem like any way out is a good way out. It often isn’t. Taking a team in the right direction is crucial at any time, but when the pressure is high and things aren’t going well, getting everyone back on track is especially difficult.

top view, group of students together at school table working homework and have fun

Here are a few ways to do that, without falling prey to the common mistakes managers often make when trying to set things aright.

1. LOOK AT PROCESS, NOT JUST PEOPLE

When something goes wrong, too many leaders seek to blame others—it’s an understandable instinct. First reactions in crisis situations are often about sorting out what went wrong and assigning fault. And to be sure, sometimes it really is a person or group of people who screwed up. But often it’s the systems or processes they work within that’s enabled their missteps.

It helps to zoom out a bit before pointing fingers. Take these steps right away:

  1. Closely examine your current strategy. How well was your team executing it before things went awry? What changed? Consider those execution methods from the perspective of your current situation to determine whether changing circumstances have made them less effective.
  2. Next, analyze the impact of the work of your team, partners, and customers. Where did the results start slipping or sales begin to fall off?
  3. Finally, evaluate your present capabilities. Despite the bad turn, what’s your current capacity to execute? What assets and resources do you still have at your command to try something new?

This assessment of your processes should make it easier to take a fresh look at your team’s or company’s strategy, so you can make decisions about how to move forward that aren’t based on personalities or office politics. Usually if there’s turmoil, it means that there’s a part of your process that hasn’t worked as intended for longer than you’d realized. But you need to pin that down before making rash choices. When decisions are made in haste without understanding their full impact, even the most effective leaders fail to get their teams back on track.

In 2009, Ed Whitacre was appointed as the chairman of General Motors when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. He immediately combined GM’s sales and marketing organization under one leader—a hasty decision that turned out to be wrong. A few months later, GM had to split up sales and marketing again.

As Bloomberg reported, “Whitacre realized that all of the change had rattled the workforce, so he sent a companywide email: ‘A smart company changes and adapts to the needs of the business. So, while there will always be individual moves within GM, I want to reassure you that the major leadership changes are behind us.'” It took a lot more than his email to reassure Whitacre’s team, but ultimately, under his direction, the company went on to an enormous, $20-billion IPO under his direction.

 

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2. REVISIT YOUR SHARED PURPOSE—AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE IT

When we find some common reasons to be optimistic, we’re often able to channel that positive energy into finding a solution. Morale sinks when things go wrong, so it’s essential to reinvest in a shared purpose before moving ahead. Many leaders already know they need to emphasize their team’s shared vision in times of turmoil, but few do it the right way. You need to explain in concrete, practical terms how the changes underway tie into your company’s redefined objectives—what new steps need to be taken, and how those steps should be executed.

After all, sometimes your sense of purpose does need redefining. It may be that a pivot is exactly what the doctor ordered. It might actually be a bad idea to return to underscoring your core vision if that vision has steered you wrong. In the rush to blame “bad apples,” this is something struggling companies tend to miss.

Instead, effective leaders re-instill self-worth in their teams by making them feel good about the urgency that the task at hand requires of them. Get comfortable with the reality that in the face of crisis, the future is often hazy—then ask your team to embrace that uncertainty, too, showing how confident you are that they can pull it off. Leaders don’t necessarily need to singlehandedly push their organizations in a new direction, just keep a steady ship as the crew does the steering together.

3. START EXPERIMENTING AND DELEGATING RESPONSIBILITIES

Change may or may not be woven into the fabric of your company culture, but sometimes circumstances require it. Whatever the case, it can be a good thing. People often learn more about each other when they have to change together. And a crisis is arguably the best time to instill this team-building attitude. This way, when turmoil hits next time, your organization will be better equipped to carry itself through.

To do that, leaders may need to do theopposite of what they’re used to doing during tough times; instead of buckling down, handing out directives, and showing “strong” leadership, it may be better to start experimenting and giving others more responsibility, not less.

After all, the worst thing you can do is fall back on the old ways of working—the ones that got you into this pickle in the first place. It’s often at the edge of a crisis where the most innovative solutions are found. When things are going well, innovation tends to offer incremental benefits, but when we need to make wholesale changes fast, the ability to experiment can sometimes transform even the most dire situations.

But in those situations, leadership usually doesn’t come from just one person. Leaders and managers may not be in best positions to see the disruptive parts of the puzzle themselves. If every team member is encouraged to speak up and has the authority to take on their own portion of problem-solving themselves, the solution can be all the more robust.

When a team owns the route out of the quagmire, they’ll be better experienced at climbing out of the next one they stumble into.

Serial entrepreneur Faisal Hoque is the founder of Shadoka, which enables entrepreneurship, growth, and social impact. He is the author of Everything Connects: How to Transform and Lead in the Age of Creativity, Innovation, and Sustainability (McGraw-Hill) and other books. Use the Everything Connects leadership app for free.

Copyright (c) 2016 by Faisal Hoque. All rights reserved.

 

FastCompany.com |  FAISAL HOQUE  |  10.14.16 5:00 AM