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#Strategy : This Is What Happens To Your Brain When You Fail (And How To Fix It)…Failure is Inevitable. How we Move Forward from Failure Determines whether Failure becomes a Biologically Ingrained Habit or a Spotty Memory. What Will you Choose?

April 8, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Four months after graduating college among the top of my class, I failed. Imoved to Vancouver to be with my boyfriend and travel somewhere. I tried to be Lululemon’s Senior Director of Marketing, but somehow that didn’t work out. So I wound up a legal secretary—a job that was, for me, unfulfilling and unrelated to my passions.

It got worse. I scrambled to sidestep my situation and applied to several top tier PhD programs. I didn’t get in to any. I’d been so promising.

After nine months in Canada, I moved back home and flunked my seven-year relationship.

Nietzsche claimed—now a cliché—that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And that year did yield some good: if I hadn’t experienced it, I couldn’t empathize with my millennial readers; I might not have even begun writing for them. But overall it was a failure on all fronts. My soggy year in Vancouver was the embodiment of when it rains, it pours.

I’ve since learned I wasn’t alone. In fact, not only is this kind of failure spiral common, it’s biological.

When animals, be them tadpole or human, win at something, their brains release testosterone and dopamine. With time and repetition, this signal morphs the brain’s structure and chemical configuration to make successful animals smarter, better trained, more confident and more likely to succeed in the future. Biologists call it the Winner Effect.

The not-yet-named Loser Effect is equally cyclical: contrary to Nietzsche’s adage, what doesn’t kill you often makes you weaker. In one study, monkeys who made a mistake in a trial—even after mastering the task on par with other monkeys—later performed worse than monkeys who made no mistakes. “In other words,” explains Scientific American, they were “thrown off by mistakes instead of learning from them.” Some research similarly suggests that failure can impede concentration, thereby sabotaging future performance. Students arbitrarily told they failed compared to their peers later displayed worse reading comprehension.

Finally, when we fail once, we’re more likely to fail again at the same goal—and sometimes more catastrophically. In one study, dieters fed pizza and convinced they’d “ruined” their daily diet goal ate 50% more cookies immediately afterward than those not on diets at all. When we fall short of our goals once, our brains say “Abandon ship!”

This spiral explains why one failure can seem to set many others in motion. Unfortunately, we often do exactly the wrong things after failing, thereby perpetuating our failure . The next time you fall short of your expectations, refrain from these three instinctual reactions to preserve your progress:

Don’t dwell on it.

We’re told to learn from our failures, so we fixate on them. But multiple studies show that worry, anxiety and focusing on failure are primary sources of impaired performance. Internalizing failure makes us less effective problem solvers, according to neurologist Judy Willis:

As you internalize your thwarted efforts to achieve your goals and interpret them as personal failure, your self-doubt and stress activate and strengthen your brain’s involuntary, reactive neural networks. As these circuits become the automatic go-to networks, the brain is less successful in problem-solving and emotional control.

Long term, stress can literally “kill brain cells” and “erode higher-brain networks, inhibiting you from succeeding,” writes Don Goewey, author of The End of Stress, 4 Steps to Rewire Your Brain.

Instead, reframe and reimagine your failure: Research suggests you can “edit out” previous failures by visualizing them getting smaller and dimmer or infusing your memories of them with funny or improbable details. Each time we recall something, we change our memory of it. By associating your failure with something less weighty, you may dull its detriment on your brain and improve subsequent performance.

In short, resist dwelling on your failure once you’ve extracted the necessary lessons. Choose optimism: r esearch shows that when people work with positive mindsets, performance in nearly every aspect improves. Happiness researcher Shawn Achor explains, “I could focus on the one failure in front of me, or spend my brain’s resources processing the two new doors of opportunity that have opened. One reality leads to paralysis, the other to positive change.”

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Don’t wing it.

When we fail, sometimes we’re tempted–and even encouraged—to say, “Screw it!” We blindly pursue a new path, determined to succeed but directionless. This attitude echoes “Take the leap!”, a mantra to overcome fear of failure. But, in fact, the most successful people plan for failure. This doesn’t mean they planto fail; it means they carefully plot and predict the results of their goals. They have backups in the event of failure. Without a plan, our brains typicallychoose the path of least resistance and the easiest possible outcomes–which often oppose our long-term goals.

Instead, set highly specific, far-reaching goals: A comprehensivereview revealed that, in 90% of studies, specific and challenging goals resulted in higher performance than did easy, imprecise goals. One study found that even defining “where” and “when” parameters of a task increases one’s likelihood of completing it.

Research furthermore indicates that planning for failures (e.g. “in the case of an emergency…”) helps people stay on task when challenged. One way to build a backup plan into your goals is by anticipating your future self not wanting to fulfill them due to procrastination, laziness, lack of self-control or any combination of self-sabotaging behaviors. Author Kevin Kruse explains, “Our future self is the enemy of our best self.” For example, if I wanted to write for two hours every morning before getting sucked into emails, Twitter, etc., I could disconnect my computer from wifi the night before. Then, my tomorrow self won’t be distracted by a million notifications the moment I open my computer.

Don’t threaten yourself

After experiencing failure, we never want to fail again—particularly at the thing we failed at. As a result, we sometimes set subconscious goals like, “Do this right, or you’ll end up like last time.” This is what psychologists call “avoidance” or “prevention” motivation. But research shows that avoidance motivation tends to induce anxiety from fear of the potential negative outcome, which consequently impairs performance. This connection explains why athletes motivated by avoidance are more likely to choke under pressure.

nstead, set positive goals and celebrate small progress: More effective than avoidance is its opposite: “approach” or “promotion” motivation. When you’re determined to do something, remember that we’re more motivated by positive, specific goals than by vague threatening ones (e.g. “I want to write a bestselling book that gives millennials a new sense of urgency and personal power in their careers” not “I want to make a name for myself so I won’t die unacknowledged”).

Recognizing your progress, however small, does two things: first, it extends the enjoyment of our achievement and, secondly, it increases our motivation. Our brains accelerate as we perceive success to be closer; rats run faster at the end of the maze, and marathoners speed up after 26.1 miles in “the X-spot.” One study calls this the “goal looms larger” effect: as we move closer to our goals, both motivation and performance surge. Measuring and celebrating our progress can help us capitalize on this acceleration.

Failure is inevitable. How we move forward from failure determines whether failure becomes a biologically ingrained habit or a spotty memory. What will you choose?

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Businessinsider.com | April 7, 2016 | Caroline Beaton

Your #Career : LinkedIn Thinks it Can Tell you How Likely You are to Get a #Job ….A New Patent Awarded to #LinkedIn on Tuesday Describes a System that Could Score your Success Chances & How your Strengths & Weaknesses.

April 7, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Applying for a job can be anxiety-inducing, but LinkedIn has come up with a way to tell you what your chances of getting a job could be — and what you can do to improve them.

A new patent awarded to LinkedIn on Tuesday describes a system that could score your success chances and show your strengths and weaknesses.

The LinkedIn system seeks to fix a problem that the company sees in today’s job hunting process: Employers often automatically reject candidates whose experience or education don’t match up exactly to a job listing. But the candidate has no idea why they were rejected.

“The user may not be informed about the basis of the rejection. Further, in the case of other users who may be competing for the same requirement, the user may not be informed about the cause,” the patent states.

The LinkedIn system is designed to give you that feedback when you apply for a job. LinkedIn could even offer suggestions like taking a professional course or moving to Los Angeles to gain better odds.

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There’s also a “predicted date of achievement” for how long it would take to get the job offer, according to the patent filing.

Talent business boost

Because it’s only a patent there’s no knowing whether success scores will be coming to LinkedIn any time soon. LinkedIn confirmed that the company was awarded a patent, but a spokeswoman reiterated that “patent acquisitions do not necessarily foreshadow new product innovations.”

LinkedIn ratings LinkedInWhat the feedback for premium subscribers looks like today.

For now, premium account holders can already see where they rank when they view a job posting based on their experience and company. That percentage only identifies where a person falls compared to other applicants, but not the likelihood of success or the weaknesses in an application.

Offering recommendations, though, could boost part of LinkedIn’s talent business.

The company bought Lynda.com, a site filled with online tutorials, and has been trying to turn it into a money maker for the company. Some things, like a move to LA to improve odds, are out of LinkedIn’s hands, but pushing its job training programs could easily fall into LinkedIn’s priorities.

Businessinsider.com | April 6, 2016 | Biz Carson

Your #Career : You Only have One Chance to Make a First impression…….When you Unintentionally MisUse or MisSpell a Word, you Appear to be Uneducated, & your Entire Message Loses any Sense of Credibility.

April 6, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

A client recently shared an email he had received from a competitor in his industry. The author of the email was attempting to position himself as an expert in their trade and belittle my client for his unique style of doing business. The email carried a negative tone and read as a stream-of-consciousness rant written in the late hours of the night with a bottle of scotch and a splash of venom.

It was quite obvious that the author did not proofread his document. The absence of punctuation and the six misspelled words did not compare to the closing statement: “There is no room in our industry for people like you who insist on going rouge.”

Let’s see—Dictionary.com defines rouge as: rouge n…….. A red powder, used as a cosmetic for adding redness to the cheeks.

A spellchecker will recognize rouge as a correctly spelled word—just as it will accept the spelling of the appropriate word: r-o-g-u-e.

When you unintentionally misuse or misspell a word, you appear to be uneducated, and your entire message loses any sense of credibility. As our poison-penned emailer may put it: “You’re nothing but a scoundrel with rosy-red cheeks.”

It is up to the writer to pay close attention to the content of their emails and letters. Words have many meanings. Read your messages out loud (we catch more mistakes that way), or have another person proof your work before you send your lyrical literature into the atmosphere.

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When a client sends a letter for me to review and tells me it was mailed yesterday, I’m wondering why they are wasting my time. I’m there to proof their work and maybe save them from embarrassment. I usually find several mistakes and will highlight their errors and send the document back for their wall of shame. Proofreading a document after it has been mailed is like closing the barn door after the horse has run away.

When your cover letter and resume are reviewed by hiring managers and they see inconsistencies, grammatical mistakes or spelling errors – what kind of impression are you making? When you express that you are “Detail Oriented” in your Profile and your resume is full of errors, do you think they will take you seriously?

If I see mistakes in a letter or resume it tells me the writer simply does not care. If I were making the decision to select this person for an interview, I would disqualify them immediately. Check the documents that you currently have online with the Job Boards, LinkedIn and all of your social media sites. There is a strong likelihood that you will find a mistake – hopefully not too embarrassing.

You only have one chance to make a first impression.

Excerpt from the book “Resume DNA – Succeeding In Spite Of Yourself” by John Singer ……. Read more: www.johnmsinger.com

For every position that interests you there are dozens, possibly hundreds of applicants. You need to make yourself stand out — but how? Resume DNA: Succeeding in Spite of Yourself is a practical blueprint for navigating your way through a complicated, competitive job market. You’ll learn to identify the qualities that distinguish you from your competition, write cover letters and resumes that demonstrate why you’re a good fit, deliver an opening statement that enables you to control the interview, work your network and pilot a proactive search in the “unpublished” job market, and much more. With humor and warm encouragement, Resume DNA: Succeeding in Spite of Yourself reminds you of what you’ve already accomplished . . . and teaches you how to leverage those accomplishments as you make your way up the career ladder. Available on Amazon.com

About the Author: John Singer

As a certified professional resume writer (CPRW) and a dedicated career coach and advisor, John Singer has mentored and motivated professionals to identify their unique skills and talents and transition into meaningful and rewarding careers. As president and owner of Professional Development Strategies, John is committed to equipping clients with the necessary tools to communicate their strengths, build and establish professional networks, and secure positions that will allow them to soar professionally.

Earlier in his career, John was an episodic television writer and member of the Writers Guild of America. With a noted career in the broadcasting industry as a station owner/operator and radio personality, John combines his experience in business, marketing, and communication to inspire others to reach their highest levels of professional performance.

John Singer resides in Tucson, Arizona, providing outplacement services for companies internationally. He is a motivational speaker who educates and entertains his audience with practical advice on business, branding, career search, and life.

#Leadership : Why Everyone Must Get Ready For 4th Industrial Revolution… It’s Well on its Way & Will Change Most of our #Jobs. First came Steam & Water Power; then Electricity & Assembly Lines; then Computerization… So What Comes Next?

April 6, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Some call it the fourth industrial revolution, or industry 4.0, but whatever you call it, it represents the combination of cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, and the Internet of Systems.In short, it is the idea of smart factories in which machines are augmented with web connectivity and connected to a system that can visualize the entire production chain and make decisions on its own.

And it’s well on its way and will change most of our jobs.

Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, has published a book entitled The Fourth Industrial Revolution in which he describes how this fourth revolution is fundamentally different from the previous three, which were characterized mainly by advances in technology.

In this fourth revolution, we are facing a range of new technologies that combine the physical, digital and biological worlds. These new technologies will impact all disciplines, economies and industries, and even challenge our ideas about what it means to be human.

These technologies have great potential to continue to connect billions more people to the web, drastically improve the efficiency of business and organizations and help regenerate the natural environment through better asset management, potentially even undoing all the damage previous industrial revolutions have caused.

But there are also grave potential risks. Schwab outlines his concerns that organizations could be unable or unwilling to adapt to these new technologies and that governments could fail to employ or regulate these technologies properly. In the book he postulates that shifting power will create important new security concerns, and that inequalities could grow rather than shrink if things are not managed properly.

The 4 Industrial Revolutions (by Christoph Roser at AllAboutLean.com)

For example, as automation increases, computers and machines will replace workers across a vast spectrum of industries, from drivers to accountants and estate agents to insurance agents. By one estimate, as many as 47 percent of U.S. jobs are at risk from automation.

Many experts suggest that the fourth industrial revolution will benefit the rich much more than the poor, especially as low-skill, low-wage jobs disappear in favor of automation.

But this isn’t new. Historically, industrial revolutions have always begun with greater inequality followed by periods of political and institutional change. The industrial revolution that began at the beginning of the 19th century originally led to a huge polarization of wealth and power, before being followed by nearly 100 years of change including the spread of democracy, trade unions, progressive taxation and the development of social safety nets.

It seems a safe bet to say, then, that our current political, business, and social structures may not be ready or capable of absorbing all the changes a fourth industrial revolution would bring, and that major changes to the very structure of our society may be inevitable.

Schwab said, “The changes are so profound that, from the perspective of human history, there has never been a time of greater promise or potential peril. My concern, however, is that decision makers are too often caught in traditional, linear (and non-disruptive) thinking or too absorbed by immediate concerns to think strategically about the forces of disruption and innovation shaping our future.”

In order to thrive, business leaders will have to actively work to expand their thinking away from what has been traditionally done, and include ideas and systems that may never have been considered. Business leaders must begin questioning everything, from rethinking their strategies and business models, to discovering the right investments in training and potentially disruptive R&D investments.

The future is happening around us. And we must rise to the challenge to meet it and thrive in the new industrial revolution.

Bernard Marr is a best-selling author, keynote speaker and data expert. His new books is: ‘Key Business Analytics: The 60+ Business Analysis Tools Every Manager Needs To Know‘

Forbes.com | April 5, 2016 | Bernard Marr

#Leadership : What To Do When You Catch A Liar…It’s a Hard Fact to Accept, But your Friends & Coworkers Lie to you Regularly. The Real Challenge Lies in How you Respond Once you Catch Someone in the Act.

April 5, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Some people tell infrequent lies to make themselves look good or to protect themselves. Others are pros. They’ve been doing it their whole careers, they’re good at it, and they’ve learned how to avoid getting caught. That’s why there’s no single solution that works in every situation. The best thing to do is to carefully consider your options, thinking through the pros and cons of each course of action.

Even though most people lie a lot—roughly two to three times during a ten-minute conversation, studies show—you don’t catch them nearly as often as you might think. Researchers from the University of California analyzed the results of 253 studies and found that we only spot about half the lies we’re told (53% to be exact). In other words, we’re about as likely to identify a lie as we are to win a coin toss.

The scary thing is that people who are trained in detecting deception—judges, customs agents, law enforcement officers, and even CIA agents—don’t fare much better. They can only spot a lie about 60% of the time.

When you do catch someone lying to you, it’s usually a real whopper. These are the kinds of lies that are so insulting to be the recipient that it’s hard to think straight. In these moments, you want to keep the conversation constructive, without letting the liar off the hook, which is a difficult thing to pull off.

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

And what about the times when you have a nagging sense that you’re being lied to but aren’t certain and don’t want to come across as paranoid or accusatory? While too much skepticism is never healthy, a small dose can be a very good thing, especially since we’re so poor at recognizing lies.

The question always becomes, what do you do with a lie? If you think someone is lying to you, do you call them on it? Do you tell someone else? Or do you just go along to get along? There are actually several things you can do, and the right one, or the right combination, depends on the situation.

First, make certain you understand the rules. Before you decide what course of action to take, check the employee handbook and consider the recent history of similar situations. If you’re going to call someone out, you need to know what you’re getting yourself and the liar into. Know the severity of the consequences for lying, and make certain you follow proper protocol for addressing it, or the entire thing could backfire on you.

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Option #1: Do nothing. Nobody likes being lied to, and the natural reaction is to call the liar out, but that’s not always the smartest thing to do, especially at work. Before you do anything, ask yourself, ‘What’s at stake besides my ego?’ Carefully weigh the pros and cons before you take action. Consider who, if anyone, should know about the lie and the implications it has for the company. Sometimes, the animosity you avoid by staying silent is worth more than the satisfaction you receive from speaking out. Other times, the lie is serious enough that people have to know.

Option #2: Deflect with humor. Some lies are too big to ignore completely, yet too small to make a big deal out of. When this happens, you can always make a joke of it. Playful comments that acknowledge the lie will usually do the trick. Whether it’s “Hey, I think I just saw your nose grow a little bit” or “I need to get my prescription checked. When I looked at the scorecard, it said you shot 112,” this strategy gives the liar a chance to admit their slip—up without fear of reprisal. The key to making this tactic work is to give the impression that the other person was kidding around or intentionally exaggerating and never expected to be believed.

Option #3: Play dumb. Another way to let someone save face—and this is particularly appropriate for group settings—is to play dumb. Pretend you suddenly suffered a memory lapse or are confused about the facts. Ask lots of follow-up questions. The more details you request, the more likely it is that the truth will come out. Drawing it out gives the liar a chance to admit that they “misspoke” and correct themselves without being called a liar.

Option #4: Call them on it. In situations where doing nothing isn’t a good option, you can always call the liar out. You just need to think carefully about the best way to do this, and impulsively bashing them is never a smart move. You may choose to have a conversation with the liar in private or with others whom the lie affects. In either case, it’s important you have evidence that backs up your claim, or you very well may be called a liar yourself. Just make certain you are honest and direct with the person who lied. Don’t go to others with the lie when you know it’s better handled privately between you and the liar.

There are many times when reporting a lie is the right thing to do, both ethically and practically. Sometimes, not reporting a lie can cost you your job. However, there are a few things you need to think about before you take that step. First, question your motives. Are you thinking of telling someone about the lie out of concern that either another employee or the company could be harmed, or are you just mad? If it’s the latter, you run the risk of making yourself look petty; if it’s the former, stick to the facts. Don’t offer any hypotheses about why the person may be lying because that’s just supposition on your part. Stick to what the person said, what the truth is, and any proof you have collected.

Not optional: Protect yourself. Whether you decide to call a lie or to let it go, once you know you’re dealing with a liar, it’s critical to take steps to protect yourself. One way to do that is to have a witness attest to what the liar said. Failing this, interact with the liar via email or text, both of which create a written record. Though if you’re dealing with a particularly savvy liar, they’re not going to commit to anything in writing. In that case, document the conversation yourself: who, what, when, where, etc., and cap it off by sending your lying colleague an e-mail summarizing the conversation. That’s not as good as having proof in the other person’s words, but at least you’ll be able to make the argument that your colleague had the opportunity to correct you.

Bringing It All Together

Some people tell infrequent lies to make themselves look good or to protect themselves. Others are pros. They’ve been doing it their whole careers, they’re good at it, and they’ve learned how to avoid getting caught. That’s why there’s no single solution that works in every situation. The best thing to do is to carefully consider your options, thinking through the pros and cons of each course of action.

How do you handle liars? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Travis co-wrote the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founded TalentSmart.

Forbes.com | April 5, 2016 | Travis Bradberry

Your #Career : 5 New Jobs Skills Employers Are Looking For in 2016… So, What are Employers Looking For, and What Skills Do you Need to Make Yourself an Attractive Candidate? Read On to Find Out.

April 4, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

In a rapidly changing world economy, it’s a question that’s consistently at the top of everyone’s mind: what job skills do I need, and which will get me a job? Hunting for a job requires not only a specific set of strategies and techniques, but also a strong sense of confidence in your abilities. But it’s those abilities – which abilities, specifically – that hang up a lot of jobseekers.

We’ve dug into this very topic before, and provided some insight into which job skills will get you hired this year. As the economy is constantly shifting and evolving, and churning undercurrents of consumer behavior call for different types of workers creating and supplying different products and services, it can be really difficult to know what employers want. We’re here to be a compass of sorts, and outline a handful of skills that employers are really scouring the labor market for in 2016, which should give you a leg-up in your job search.

While there will always be a need (until the robot take-over, that is) for menial, low-wage work, if you’re truly looking to give your career a shot in the arm, you’re going to need to put in some time on the side. Investing in yourself by learning new skills can lead you to new, unanticipated opportunities, and ultimately put a lot more money in your pocket. If you want to get serious about improving your earnings potential, this is the place to start.

So, what are employers looking for, and what skills do you need to make yourself an attractive candidate? Read on to find out.

1. Social skills

As we covered a little while back, social skills are becoming increasingly important in more and more organizations. At one time, this set of skills was overlooked – even seen as a hindrance to productivity. But as time marches on, managers and team leaders are recognizing the importance of social skills, and how they can shape a workplace. The main reason? Human interaction is hard to automate, and almost impossible for a computer to mimic. As automation kicks in, and social connections become more scarce, they’ll naturally increase in value.

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2. Industry-related programs

If you know what specific job or industry you’re gunning for, then you’re going to want to have a tool chest full of skills tailored for it. And in a world in which knowledge and software skills are as important as ever, figuring out which programs and skills you’ll need is paramount to getting hired. We put together a recent list of which programs are on employers’ wish lists for this year, so take a look and see which are relevant to your career track. Knowing these programs intimately will give you a big leg-up during the hiring process.

3. Development

These days, the word “developer” means so much more than someone who builds condos. And developers of all stripes are in high demand. In our case, we’re referring specifically to software and web developers, both of which possess skill sets that are highly sought-after by many big, flourishing companies. If this is a career track you’re interested in pursuing, go back to the previous item on our list, and figure out which software programs you need to be well-versed in to start getting successful interviews behind you.

4. Design

In the same way that developers are a hot commodity, so are designers. Designers possibly come in more stripes than developers, as there are graphic designers, software designers, game designers – hell, even fashion companies and automotive manufacturers need designers. Needless to say, the world needs designers. If you want to get specific, the world needs web designers, and algorithm designers. These are skills that will not only land you a job, but likely a pretty high salary.

5. Information security

We don’t often go a week or so without hearing about some giant data breach, which typically puts the personal information for millions of people at risk. It’s happened to big corporations like Target, and it’s even happened to government agencies. Because data is so valuable – and because so many people are out there trying to steal it – information security is something that every organization is quickly trying to beef up. That means there’s a need for information security professionals, leaving an opportunity to learn the skills and get hired.

There are a lot of problems to solve, so don’t hesitate to learn and start applying right away.

Follow Sam on Facebook and Twitter @SliceOfGinger

CheatSheet.com | April 4, 2016 | Sam Elliott

#Leadership : Why Bullies Make Bad Leaders…So Why Do we Think that #Bullies Make for Good #Leaders ? Bullies Might be Good at Gaining Power, But they Make for Terrible Leaders.

April 3, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

There is a dangerous and destructive idea fomenting in American society today, and it permeates almost every aspect of modern life. From politics to business, our society is increasingly mistaking aggression for strength, and bullying for leadership. One need only look at the nature of Donald Trump’s bombastic, aggressive, and wildly popular Presidential campaign for proof of this disturbing trend. In times of difficulty, the allure of bully is seductive yet ultimately disappointing. Bullies might be good at gaining power, but they make for terrible leaders.

My experience in leadership is limited to the world of business. I’ve never led men into battle or won an election. However, I believe that the core principles of good leadership transcend boundaries and definition. It’s up to leaders and followers alike to recognize bullies when they rear their ugly heads and instead put their faith in those who lead by strength, sincerity, and example.

Never mistake aggression for strength

So why do we think that bullies make for good leaders? The blame lies in our evolutionary history. Throughout our time on this earth, the most aggressive, loudest member of the group became leader. As a result, our brains have evolved to associate aggression with high status. That’s why even normally rational people often sympathize with Trump, despite the fact that his proclamations are frequently nonsensical.

I think that the real problem here is that people mistake aggression for strength. In reality, strength of character has virtually nothing to do with aggression. We as a species simply fall victim to our evolutionary biases. Real strength comes from a quiet determination to do what is right, make the difficult decisions, and serve the interests of the team. In my personal experience, the individuals who make the best leaders aren’t aggressive. Instead, their quiet confidence speaks louder than any blustering.

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Recognize the strength in humility

If you think about the demagogues and bullies we see throughout society, you’ll quickly realize that they have one thing in common: Pride. Arrogance and pride are the hallmark of the bully, and they fundamentally undermine their ability to lead. Instead, I believe that effective leaders are humble in thought, word, and deeds.

I’ve found that it is really difficult to take a back seat, especially for young founders. Throughout my career and early on at BodeTree, I had an underlying fear that my position and authority was tenuous because of my age and relative lack of experience. This previously caused me to jockey for attention and praise in an attempt to find validation. However the more I did this, the less confident I felt.

I’ve since realized two things are necessary in order to have the confidence to always put others before yourself: trust and humility. The inescapable fact is that you are never as smart, talented or lucky as you think you are. Trying to prove otherwise is a recipe for disaster. Having the humility to recognize your own shortcomings is the path to success. This sense of humility, coupled with a team that you trust, respect and admire can make it possible to easily put others before yourself.

Servant leaders succeed where bullies fail

Our society needs more servant leaders, both in business, politics, and personal life. Servant leadership inverts the typical evolutionary concepts of power, where one individual at the top of the heap exerts control over those below them. In contrast, the servant leader shares power and focuses their attention on making those around them successful and happy. In doing so, servant leaders develop true loyalty and support from those they lead and find long-term success.

This is not a new concept, yet it is put into practice far less frequently than it deserves. It was Lao-Tzu who wrote, “The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware. Next comes one whom they love and praise.Next comes one whom they fear. Next comes one whom they despise and defy.”

It’s time that we as a people fought back against our primal urges and learned to better reject bullies. Instead, we must look to servant leaders who can be successful in the long-term. Whether it’s in business or politics, servant leaders succeed where bullies fail.

Forbes.com | April 1, 2016 | Chris Myers

Chris Myers is the Cofounder and CEO of BodeTree, a web application designed to help small businesses manage their finances.

Your #Career: Best Value Colleges 2016: The 300 Schools Worth The Investment (Entire List)…In the Coming Weeks, High School Seniors, Transfer Students & their Families will Make One of the Most Important Personal & Financial Decisions of their Lives: What College to Attend?

March 31, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

For this reason, FORBES has compiled this newly reimagined Best Value Colleges ranking based on tuition costs, school quality, graduation success rates and post-grad earnings.

Have you heard, American higher education as we know it is fast approaching the cliff’s edge. Costs are way up, not to mention individual and collective student debt levels (now at $1.2 trillion nationally). State funding remains well below pre-recession levels. While the admissions race for spots at elite universities is ever more insatiable and manic, other schools are facing collapsing enrollment. The classic liberal arts are threatened by a surge in STEM programs, and there is talk of disrupting or “unbundling” college degrees in favor of digital portfolios of marketable skill sets. We idolize millennial billionaire dropouts such as Mark Zuckerberg, Elizabeth Holmes and Palmer Luckey.

A Google search of “is college worth it?” yields nearly 500 million hits. While that’s a pretty good time stamp of the alarm, it’s more abstract than actual.Federal data reveals enrollment among 18-24-year-olds in four-year degree programs holds at 28% for 2013 and 2012 (most recent years available), up from 26% the year this fall’s freshmen were born in 1998 and from about 20% when their parents’ generation graduated in the 1980s. In the case of parents, 94% say they expect their children to attend college, according to the Pew Research Center.

With a college degree still a near universal aspiration in this country, FORBES looks at the U.S. colleges and universities that provide students with the most value for the dollar. In partnership with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, this is our newly reimagined Best Value Colleges ranking, an analysis of the brainiest research universities and leading liberal arts schools, both public and private, that are well worth the investment. (Our methodology appears below.)

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The Top 10

University of California, Berkeley is the No. 1 Best Value College, followed byBrigham Young University and University of Florida. The top 10 include three more U.C. schools — UCLA (No. 4), U.C. San Diego (No. 5) and U.C. Irvine(No. 10). MIT and Harvard University are the only East Coast private schools in the top (No. 6 and No. 9). The Midwest makes a showing at No. 7 withUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign while the South’s public Georgia Institute of Technology comes in at a No. 8.

We’ve tapped into something very interesting. The top Best Value Colleges are not bundled in the Northeast and founded prior to 1800. Rather they are mostly West Coast, public and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-oriented.

STEM and Liberal Arts

Research universities make a strong showing in the top 50 Best Value colleges, taking 38 of the spots. Caltech and Stanford University show at No. 11 and 12, respectively, followed by Carnegie Mellon University (No. 27), Virginia Tech(No. 29) and Colorado School of Mines (No.45). Many of the baccalaureate colleges in the top are also STEM-oriented: Harvey Mudd College (No. 13) andCooper Union (No. 38), to name two.

This is a practical issue. Forty percent of bachelor’s degrees earned by men and 29% earned by women (mind the gender gap) are now in science and engineering, driven largely by growth in the “hard sciences.” Thank the explosion of technology and drive for competitive innovation in all industries, along with federal and state incentives (such as performance-based funding), for this increase. STEM is where the jobs (and bigger salaries) are.

The 13 Most Important STEM Colleges For Women

In a testament to the attraction, resilience and value of the liberal arts, this ranking is full of schools that develop the “philosopher’s touch.” Claremont-McKenna College (No. 30), Williams College (No. 43), Carleton College (No. 62) and Davidson College (No. 75) all make the top 100. Even among research universities, not everyone is in the lab or coding: at Rutger’s University (No. 49), one-third of the most popular majors lie outside the hard sciences, while at the University of Chicago (No. 56) some 42% opt for social sciences or English language/literature. That’s far from idealistic or unhireable. As outlined in “That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket:”

Throughout the major U.S. tech hubs, whether Silicon Valley or Seattle, Boston or Austin, Tex., software companies are discovering that liberal arts thinking makes them stronger.

Methodology of Best Value Colleges

For this new Best Value Colleges ranking, our sights are set directly on one question: What schools are worth the investment? To answer this question, FORBES partnered exclusively with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. CCAP gathered data from a variety of sources. The formula, five general categories and weights are noted below:

Quality (35%) + drop-out risk (15%) + graduation time (15%) + alumni salaries (25%) + alumni skills (10%) / gross tuition and fees.

Quality (35%): This is based on the 2015 FORBES Top Colleges ranking. Full methodology is here.

Drop-out risk (15%): This is based not on retention rates but rather the percentage of students who do not graduate in six years. For example, if 80% of students earn their diploma within six years time, our factor is that 20% remaining. This is reported by the schools to the Department of Education database (IPEDS).

Graduation success (15%): Similarly, we look to IPEDS data for the average expected number of years it takes to graduate — of those who do graduate within six years. For example, a stellar school might have an average of 4 years while its not-so-successful counterpart may be looking at a 5.7 year average rate.

Post-graduate earnings (25%): We use our own blended model of mid-career earnings (meaning at least 10 years of working), based both on PayScaleand the new U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Each has its benefits and its drawbacks. PayScale is the market leader in global online compensation data but that data is wholly self-reported. The College Scorecard is based on federal income tax returns. Can you get any more accurate? Well, yes. Because the Scorecard pulls only from former students who received federal financial aid. We feel a blended approach is the most accurate snapshot currently available.

Value-added (10%): Last year our colleagues at Brookings came up with an exciting ranking system of their own, “A Value-Added Approach To Assessing Two- And Four-Year Schools.” Most simply put, this list is “an attempt to isolate the effect colleges themselves have on those outcomes [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][like salaries], above and beyond what students’ backgrounds would predict.”

Gross tuition and fees: Pulled from IPEDS, this is the sticker price without accounting for room and board. For public schools, we account for differences between in- and out-state tuition based on percentage of in- and out-state students. For example, if one state college has 5% out-state students while another has 27%, this would impact our tally of these schools’ tuition.

Think $100K Is Too Much For School? These 25 Colleges Are Worth Every Penny

How Much Do MIT, Stanford And Harvard Grads Earn?

In the last 10 years, students and their families paid out 37% and 25% percent more for a four-year public and private education, respectively. Tuition, fees, room/board is now some $20,000 annually for public students and $44,000 for their private school counterparts. This tab translates into a run on college loans, both in terms of the amount borrowed and the number of students turning to loans. The average borrower from the class of 2015 owes a little more than $35,000, according to an analysis of government data. Going back 10 years, that’s up from an average $20,000. And almost 71% of bachelor’s degree recipients will graduate with student debt, compared with about 64% in 2005.

That is concerning. The median U.S. household income was nearly $54,000 in 2014, the latest data available from the U.S. Census. The issue boils down to whether students and their families can afford to pay some $80,000 to $176,000 (at sticker price) for a four-year college education, more with multiple children in school.

Note: Absent from this ranking are the five U.S. service academies: theMilitary Academy in West Point, Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy,Merchant Marine Academy and Air Force Academy. These federal institutions charge little to no tuition or fees and instead require a minimum term of duty upon graduation. Similarly, we do not include schools, such as Babson Collegeand the Savannah College of Art and Design, that lie outside the main Carnegie Classifications.

Credits:

Editor: Caroline Howard

Reporters: Jennifer Eum, Natalie Sportelli with Chase Peterson-Withorn

Rankings exclusively compiled by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP). Director Richard Vedder and Justin Strehle with the assistance of Joshua Distel.

Below is Entire List:

1. University of California, Berkeley, CA

2. Brigham Young University, UT

3. University of Florida, FL

4. University of California, Los Angeles, CA

5. University of California, San Diego, CA

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA

7. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL

8. Georgia Institute of Technology, GA

9. Harvard University, MA

10. University of California, Irvine, CA

11. California Institute of Technology, CA

12. Stanford University, CA

13. Harvey Mudd College, CA

14. Princeton University, NJ

15. SUNY, Binghamton (Binghamton University), NY

16. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

17. University of Texas, Austin, TX

18. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

19. University of Virginia, VA

20. Rice University, TX

21. University of Pennsylvania, PA

22. College of William and Mary, VA

23. University of Washington, WA

24. University of Maryland, College Park, MD

25. University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

26. University of California, Davis, CA

27. Carnegie Mellon University, PA

28. Yale University, CT

29. Virginia Tech , VA

30. Claremont McKenna College, CA

31. Duke University, NC

32. Washington and Lee University, VA

33. Georgetown University, DC

34. Brown University, RI

35. Dartmouth College, NH

36. Cornell University, NY

37. Colgate University, NY

38. Cooper Union, NY

39. Tufts University, MA

40. Columbia University, NY

41. Haverford College, PA

42. University of Notre Dame, IN

43. Williams College, MA

44. Virginia Military Institute , VA

45. Colorado School of Mines, CO

46. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA

47. Swarthmore College, PA

48. Pomona College, CA

49. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

50. The Citadel, SC

51. Northwestern University, IL

52. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

53. Lafayette College, PA

54. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

55. Lehigh University, PA

56. University of Chicago, IL

57. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

58. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY

59. Amherst College, MA

60. University of Rochester, NY

61. Vanderbilt University, TN

62. Carleton College, MN

63. Santa Clara University, CA

64. Villanova University, PA

65. Johns Hopkins University, MD

66. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

67. California Maritime Academy, CA

68. Boston College, MA

69. University of Southern California, CA

70. Middlebury College, VT

71. Bucknell University, PA

72. University of Georgia, GA

73. Washington University in St. Louis, MO

74. Brandeis University, MA

75. Davidson College, NC

76. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN

77. Bowdoin College, ME

78. College of the Holy Cross, MA

79. Wesleyan University, CT

80. Bentley University, MA

81. Wellesley College, MA

82. SUNY, Stony Brook (Stony Brook University), NY

83. Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ

84. Colby College, ME

85. Union College, NY

86. Boston University, MA

87. Wake Forest University, NC

88. Case Western Reserve University, OH

89. Franklin and Marshall College, PA

90. Kenyon College, OH

91. Emory University, GA

92. New York University, NY

93. George Washington University, DC

94. Barnard College, NY

95. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

96. The College of New Jersey, NJ

97. Manhattan College, NY

98. Clarkson University, NY

99. James Madison University, VA

100. Vassar College, NY

101. Hamilton College, NY

102. Whitman College, WA

103. Macalester College, MN

104. Centre College, KY

105. Wheaton College, IL

106. Bates College, ME

107. Occidental College, CA

108. Drake University, IA

109. Grove City College, PA

110. Bryn Mawr College, PA

111. Grinnell College, IA

112. University of Connecticut, CT

113. Smith College, MA

114. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

115. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

116. Trinity University, TX

117. DePauw University, IN

118. Michigan State University, MI

119. University of Delaware, DE

120. New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ

121. Loyola University Maryland, MD

122. Miami University, Oxford, OH

123. Missouri University of Science and Technology, MO

124. Clemson University, SC

125. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, MD

126. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

127. University of Richmond, VA

128. Illinois Institute of Technology, IL

129. Oberlin College, OH

130. Providence College, RI

131. Southern Methodist University, TX

132. Scripps College, CA

133. Reed College, OR

134. Wofford College, SC

135. Trinity College, CT

136. Kalamazoo College, MI

137. Gettysburg College, PA

138. Dickinson College, PA

139. Skidmore College, NY

140. Colorado College, CO

141. Rhodes College, TN

142. Pepperdine University, CA

143. Fairfield University, CT

144. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

145. Denison University, OH

146. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

147. Syracuse University, NY

148. American University, DC

149. St. John’s University, MN

150. St. Olaf College, MN

151. Marquette University, WI

152. Bryant University, RI

153. Mount Holyoke College, MA

154. Creighton University, NE

155. Stonehill College, MA

156. University of San Francisco, CA

157. Loyola Marymount University, CA

158. University of Tulsa, OK

159. SUNY, Buffalo (University at Buffalo), NY

160. University of Pittsburgh, PA

161. Wabash College, IN

162. Muhlenberg College, PA

163. Furman University, SC

164. Gonzaga University, WA

165. University of Miami, FL

166. University of Scranton, PA

167. Fordham University, NY

168. Hobart and William Smith Colleges, NY

169. University of St. Thomas, MN

170. Westmont College, CA

171. St. Joseph’s University, PA

172. Pitzer College, CA

173. St. Mary’s College of California, CA

174. Sewanee—University of the South, TN

175. SUNY, Geneseo, NY

176. University of Dallas, TX

177. Connecticut College, CT

178. University of Denver, CO

179. John Carroll University, OH

180. George Mason University, VA

181. Tulane University, LA

182. Bradley University, IL

183. Clark University, MA

184. Willamette University, OR

185. University of Mary Washington, VA

186. Yeshiva University, NY

187. University of Dayton, OH

188. University of San Diego, CA

189. University of Portland, OR

190. University of Redlands, CA

191. University of California, Santa Cruz, CA

192. Gustavus Adolphus College, MN

193. Lawrence University, WI

194. St. Lawrence University, NY

195. University of New Hampshire, NH

196. Auburn University, AL

197. St. Anselm College, NH

198. Juniata College, PA

199. University of Puget Sound, WA

200. St. Michael’s College, VT

201. Hampden-Sydney College, VA

202. Florida State University, FL

203. Ursinus College, PA

204. Illinois Wesleyan University, IL

205. Knox College, IL

206. University of Iowa, IA

207. Catholic University of America, DC

208. Siena College, NY

209. St. Louis University, MO

210. University of Vermont, VT

211. College of Wooster, OH

212. Beloit College, WI

213. Lewis & Clark College, OR

214. Emerson College, MA

215. Michigan Technological University, MI

216. College of St. Benedict, MN

217. Hope College, MI

218. Southwestern University, TX

219. University of the Pacific, CA

220. Hanover College, IN

221. Washington & Jefferson College, PA

222. Wagner College, NY

223. Duquesne University, PA

224. CUNY, Baruch College, NY

225. Merrimack College, MA

226. Sarah Lawrence College, NY

227. Austin College, TX

228. Butler University, IN

229. Allegheny College, PA

230. Seattle University, WA

231. Elon University, NC

232. Rockhurst University, MO

233. Hendrix College, AR

234. Baylor University, TX

235. Lake Forest College, IL

236. Spelman College, GA

237. St. John’s College, MD

238. Texas Christian University, TX

239. Florida Institute of Technology, FL

240. Washington College, MD

241. Valparaiso University, IN

242. Albion College, MI

243. Iona College, NY

244. Ithaca College, NY

245. St. Norbert College, WI

246. Millsaps College, MS

247. California Lutheran University, CA

248. Seton Hall University, NJ

249. Louisiana State University, LA

250. Agnes Scott College, GA

251. DePaul University, IL

252. Earlham College, IN

253. La Salle University, PA

254. Ohio Wesleyan University, OH

255. Lebanon Valley College, PA

256. Loyola University Chicago, IL

257. Augustana College, IL

258. Hofstra University, NY

259. Northeastern University, MA

260. Ohio Northern University, OH

261. Elizabethtown College, PA

262. Calvin College, MI

263. Xavier University, OH

264. Taylor University, IN

265. Pacific Lutheran University, WA

266. Quinnipiac University, CT

267. Bard College, NY

268. St. Mary’s College, IN

269. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

270. Linfield College, OR

271. Le Moyne College, NY

272. Milwaukee School of Engineering, WI

273. Whitworth University, WA

274. Goucher College, MD

275. University of Texas, Dallas, TX

276. Marist College, NY

277. Presbyterian College, SC

278. Samford University, AL

279. Drexel University, PA

280. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL

281. Drew University, NJ

282. Chapman University, CA

283. Luther College, IA

284. Hampshire College, MA

285. Seattle Pacific University, WA

286. Cornell College, IA

287. University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC

288. Susquehanna University, PA

289. Marietta College, OH

290. University of California, Riverside, CA

291. St. Vincent College, PA

292. Rollins College, FL

293. Transylvania University, KY

294. Simmons College, MA

295. Coe College, IA

296. Whittier College, CA

297. Iowa State University, IA

298. Sweet Briar College, VA

299. Adelphi University, NY

300. Bennington College, VT

Forbes.com | March 29, 2016 | Chase Peterson-Withorn & Forbes STa

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#Leadership : How Being Busy Makes You Unproductive…”Beware the Barrenness of a Busy Life.” –Socrates

March 30, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Being busy has somehow become a badge of honor. The prevailing notion is that if you aren’t super busy, you aren’t important or hard working. The truth is, busyness makes you less productive.

When we think of a super busy person, we think of a ringing phone, a flood of emails, and a schedule that’s bursting at the seams with major projects and side-projects hitting simultaneously. Such a situation inevitably leads to multi-tasking and interruptions, which are both deadly to productivity.

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” –Socrates
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David Meyer from the University of Michigan published a study recently that showed that switching what you’re doing mid-task increases the time it takes you to finish both tasks by 25%.

“Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes,” Meyer said. “Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint of our ability to process information.”

Microsoft decided to study this phenomenon in their workers and found that it took people an average of 15 minutes to return to their important projects (such as writing reports or computer code) every time they were interrupted by emails, phone calls or other messages. They didn’t spend the 15 minutes on the interrupting messages, either; the interruptions led them to stray to other activities, such as surfing the Web for pleasure.

“I was surprised by how easily people were distracted and how long it took them to get back to the task,” said Eric Horvitz, the Microsoft research scientist behind the study. “If it’s this bad at Microsoft, it has to be bad at other companies, too.”

Beyond interruptions, busyness reduces productivity because there’s a bottleneck in the brain that prevents us from concentrating on two things at once. When you try to do two things at once, your brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully. In a breakthrough study, René Marois and his colleagues at Vanderbuilt University used MRIs to successfully pinpoint a physical source for this bottleneck.

“We are under the impression that we have this brain that can do more than it can,” Marois explained.

We’re so enamored with multitasking that we think we’re getting more done, even though our brains aren’t physically capable of this. Regardless of what we might think, we are most productive when we manage our schedules enough to ensure that we can focus effectively on the task at hand.

We are naturally drawn to being busy despite the fact that this hinders our productivity. As it turns out, you really do have to slow down to do your best. When you don’t, the consequences can be severe.

If you read my recent article on mindfulness, you’ll recall that practicing mindfulness increases your ability to focus and concentrate because it increases brain density in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). As it turns out, multitasking has the opposite effect on this critical brain area. Researchers from the University of Sussex compared the amount of time people spend on multiple devices (such as texting while watching TV) to MRI scans of their brains. They found that high multitaskers had less brain density in the ACC. It’s as if being busy all the time (via multitasking) trains your brain to be mindless and unproductive.

I doubt these findings completely surprise you as we’ve all felt the distracting pull of competing tasks when we’re busy. So why do we keep doing it?

Researchers from the University of Chicago have the answer. They found that the belief that busyness is a sign of success and hard work is so prevalent that we actually fear inactivity. A recent study there coined the term idleness aversion to describe how people are drawn to being busy regardless of how busyness harms their productivity.

The researchers also found that we use busyness to hide from our laziness and fear of failure. We burn valuable time doing things that aren’t necessary or important because this busyness makes us feel productive. For instance, responding to non-urgent emails when you know you have a big project that you need to finish. It’s tough, but you need to recognize when you’re using trivial activities to shield yourself from sloth or fear.

Bringing It All Together

We are naturally drawn to being busy despite the fact that this hinders our productivity. As it turns out, you really do have to slow down to do your best. When you don’t, the consequences can be severe.

How do you keep from getting too busy? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Travis co-wrote the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founded TalentSmart.

Forbes.com | March 29, 2016 | Travis Bradberry

#Leadership : How To Handle Good And Bad Mistakes…Mistakes Happen. Every Day, they Do. It is What Happens Next That Is the Critical & a Too Often Missed Leadership Piece of the Puzzle.

March 30, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Yes Virginia, there are good mistakes. They need to be handled differently than do bad mistakes. In general, encourage intentional mistakes with minor impact and consider, excuse or prevent the rest.

Mistakes happen. Every day, they do. It is what happens next that is the critical and a too often missed leadership piece of the puzzle. Do we overlook them, acknowledge them, take action to reset the course, and/or learn from them for maximum impact with clear accountability? Therein is the opportunity for the mistake to set the exceptional BRAVE leaders apart.

Intention and impact

While most mistakes are unintentional, evolution and survival depend on continual learning and adaptation – often from intentional mistakes. At the same time there’s a material difference between the impact different mistakes make. One of the Gore Company’s guiding principles is that everyone should consult with other associates “before taking actions that might be “below the waterline”–causing serious damage to the company.” Hence our general guidance above.

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Encourage intentional mistakes with minor impact

Even if you are sure plan A is right, push your team to test plans bracketing plan A. These might include things like increased and decreased investment plans at the same time as your “right” approach. Two of the three approaches will be mistakes. That’s how you get cheap learning and growth out of intentional mistakes.

Handle intentional mistakes with minor impact by encouraging others to make them.

Consider intentional mistakes with major impact

There are going to be times when you must bet the ranch. There are going to be times when that bet goes wrong. One of the hallmarks of BRAVE leadership is an ability to take and manage those risks.

Handle intentional mistakes with major impact by understanding the risks below the waterline, gathering objective data, consulting with others with diverse perspectives and considering your options carefully. Tapping into diverse perspectives is one of the best ways to get around groupthink. If all you’re going to do is talk to people that agree with you, don’t waste everyone’s time. Instead, listen carefully to those with different points of view.

Excuse or apologize for unintentional mistakes with minor impact

In a recap I circulated about my earlier article on Why You Should Eliminate Your Chief Innovation Officer, I mistakenly referred to eliminating ChiefInformation Officers. Several people pointed out the misplaced word. Many even defended Information Officers. While the mistake was completely unintentional and all my fault, it had the benefit of allowing me to reconnect with all sorts of people. I thanked them, apologized, and moved on.

You can get away with unintentional mistakes with minor impact – once. Own up to the mistake, fix the issue and make sure it never happens again. In these cases it’s never the mistake that gets you. It’s the cover up.

Prevent unintentional mistakes with major impact by deploying redundant systems

These are the mistakes that sink ships or companies or reputations. You read about these every day: the trading company that suffers a computer glitch; the otherwise well-run company that misunderstands the true financials of a big acquisition; VolksWagen completely failing to live up to its own values. These can be what Warren Bennis and Steven Sample refer to as “final failures”.

Handle unintentional mistakes with major impact by mitigating risk. Knowing there are going to be some unintentional mistakes, build in redundant systems to check or protect things. The builders of the Panama Canal had redundant systems all over the place so no ship could unintentionally knock open the door to a lock and wipe out everything down hill. Learn from them.

Here’s the advice:

Encourage intentional mistakes with minor impact.
Consider intentional mistakes with major impact.
Excuse or apologize for unintentional mistakes with minor impact.
Prevent unintentional mistakes with major impact by deploying redundant systems.

Minor Impact	Once	Cheap Learning
Major Impact	Redundant Systems	Considered Choice
	Unintentional	Intentional

East Tenth Group’s Michelle Tenzyk sums it up well:

Mistakes happen. Every day, they do. It is what happens next that is the critical and a too often missed leadership piece of the puzzle. Do we overlook them, acknowledge them, take action to reset the course, and/or learn from them for maximum impact with clear accountability? Therein is the opportunity for the mistake to set the exceptional BRAVE leaders apart.

Forbes.com | March 30, 2016 | George Bradt