#Strategy: 14 Lies we Tell Ourselves that Keep Us from Success…The Mind is a Wonderful Thing. It’s also a Complete Liar that Constantly Tries to Convince us Not to Take Actions we Know are Good for Us, & Stops Many Great Changes in our Lives

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The mind is a wonderful thing. It’s also a complete liar that constantly tries to convince us not to take actions we know are good for us, and stops many great changes in our lives. Scumbag mind.

Change

I’ve had to learn to watch these rationalizations and excuses very carefully, in order to make the changes I’ve made in my life: a healthier diet, regular exercise, meditation, minimalism, writing daily, getting out of debt, quitting smoking, and so on.  If I hadn’t learned these excuses, and how to counter them, I would never have stuck to these changes. In fact, I failed many times before 2005 (when I started changing my life), because these excuses had complete power over me.

Let’s expose the cowardly mind’s excuses and rationalizations once and for all.

First, the main principle: the mind wants comfort, and is afraid of discomfort and change. The mind is used to its comfort cocoon, and anytime we try to push beyond that comfort zone very far or for very long, the mind tries desperately to get back into the cocoon. At any cost, including our long-term health and happiness.

OK, with that in mind, let’s go into the excuses:

1. I can’t do it

It seems too hard, so we think we can’t stick to the change. We don’t believe in ourselves. This can be countered from the fact that many other people no more capable than us have done it.

For example, Oprah ran a marathon a little before I started training for my first marathon, and so I told myself, “If Oprah can do it, so can I!” I was right.

 

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2. He/she can do it, but that doesn’t apply to me

Just because someone else can do it, doesn’t mean we can, right? We look for reasons they can do it but we can’t — maybe he can be a minimalist because he has no kids, or is a freelancer rather than someone with a real job.

Maybe she’s way, way fitter than I am, so she can run a marathon. Maybe she doesn’t have all the obligations I have, or has a supportive spouse, or doesn’t have a crippling health condition. OK, fine, it’s easy to find excuses: but look at all the other people who have worse obstacles than you who’ve done it.

I have 6 kids and still managed to change a lot of things in my life. Stories abound of people with disabilities or illnesses who overcame their obstacles to achieve amazing things. Your obstacles can be overcome.

3. I need my ___

Fill in the blank: I need my coffee, my cheese, my soda, my TV shows, my car, my shoe collection … these are things we convince ourselves we can’t live without, so we can’t make a change like becoming vegan or eating healthier or unschooling our kids or simplifying our lives or going car-free.

And I’ve made these excuses myself, but they all turned out to be lies. I didn’t need any of that. The only things you really need are basic food, water, clothing, shelter, and other people for social needs. Everything else is not a real need.

4. Life is meant to be enjoyed

Sure, I agree with this statement (as many of us would) but the problem is this is used to justify all kinds of crappy behavior. Might as well scarf down those Doritos and Twinkies, because hey, life is meant to be enjoyed, right? No.

You can do without junk food and still enjoy life. You can exercise and enjoy it. You can give up pretty much anything and still enjoy life, if you learn to see almost any activity as enjoyable.smartphone sleepBGR

5. I need comfort

This might also be true, but we can push ourselves into more discomfort than we let ourselves believe. We can be a bit cold, instead of needing to be at the perfect comfortable temperature. We can do hard exercise, instead of needing to lay around on the couch.

We can write that thing we’ve been procrastinating on — it might be hard, but we can push through that. When our minds seek comfort, don’t let them run — push a little bit outside the comfort zone, and begin to be OK with a bit of discomfort.

6. I don’t know how

This is also true, but you can learn. Start with a little at a time, and learn how to deal with this new change. Do some research online. Watch some videos. Ask people online how they dealt with it. This is easily overcome with a little effort and practice. In fact, if you do it now, and learn a little at a time, then you’ll be able to do away with this pesky excuse.

7. I can do it later

Sure, you can always do it later … but your later self will also feel the same way. Why should the later self be more disciplined than your current self? In fact, because you’re allowing yourself to slide now, you’re building a habit of procrastination and actually making is less likely that your future self will be more disciplined.

Instead, do it now, unless there’s something more important that you need to do … don’t let yourself slide just because you don’t feel like it.

8. One time won’t hurt

This is so tempting, because it’s kind of true — one time won’t hurt. Assuming, that is, that it’s only one time. One bite of chocolate cake, one missed workout, one time procrastinating instead of writing. Unfortunately, it’s never actually just one time. One time means your brain now knows it can get away with this excuse, and the next “one time” leads to another, until you’re not actually sticking to something.

Make a rule: never ever believe the “one time” excuse. I did this with smoking (“Not One Puff Ever”) and it worked. If you’re going to allow yourself a bite or two of chocolate cake, decide beforehand and build it into your plan (“I will allow myself a fist-sized serving of sweets once every weekend”) and stick to that plan, rather than deciding on the fly, when your resistance is weak.lying down gymFlickr / istolethetv

9. I don’t feel like it

Well, true. You don’t feel like working hard. Who does? Letting the rule of “I’ll do it when feel like it” dictate your life means you’ll never write that book, never build that business, never create anything great, never have healthy habits. Create a plan that’s doable, and execute it.

When the rationalizations like this come up, don’t believe them. Everyone is capable of doing a hard workout even when they’re not in the mood. Everyone can overcome their internal resistance.

10. I’m tired

Yep, me too. I still did my heavy squat workout today. There is truth to needing rest, and resting when you need it (listen to your body), but this is usually the mind trying to weasel out of something uncomfortable. There’s a difference between being exhausted and needing some rest, and being the little tired we all feel every afternoon. Push through the latter.

11. I deserve a reward/break

We all deserve that tasty treat, or a day off. I’m not saying you shouldn’t give yourself a reward or break. But if you make this rationalization your rule, you’ll always be on a break. You’ll always be giving yourself rewards, and never sticking to the original plan.

Here’s what I do instead: I see sticking to my plan as the reward itself. Going on a run isn’t the thing I have to get through to get a reward — the run is the reward.

12. Wouldn’t it be nice to stop?

This again is our mind wanting to run from discomfort, and of course it’s true — it would be nice to stop if you’re pushing into a discomfort zone for too long. The thing is, the implication is that it would be better to stop, because it would be nice … but that’s a lie.

It would be easier to stop, but often it’s better to continue pushing. This excuse almost beat me when I tried to run my 50-mile ultramarathon last December, because honestly it would have been much nicer to stop and not finish the race, especially in the last 10 miles or so. I pushed through, and found out I was tougher than I thought.Marathon RuningReuters

13. The result you’re going for isn’t important

If you’re trying to run a marathon, this is phrased like, “It’s not that important that I finish this”. I’ve used this excuse for learning languages (it doesn’t matter if I learn this) or programming or any number of things I wanted to learn. I’ve used it for writing and exercise and eating healthy food. And while the result might not be that important, the truth is that the process is very important.

If you stick with a process that will be better for you in the long run, then you will be better off. But if you let yourself go just because you are uncomfortable and at this moment care more for your comfort than the goal you set out for, you’ll have lots of problems. The goal isn’t important, but learning to stick to things when you’re uncomfortable is extremely important.

14. I’m afraid

Now, this is the most honest excuse there is — most of us don’t want to admit we’re afraid to pursue something difficult. But it’s also a weaselly way out of discomfort — just because you’re afraid doesn’t mean you can’t do something. You can.

I’ve done tons of things I’m afraid of — mostly creating things that I was worried I’d fail at. And while the fear sometimes came true — I didn’t do too well sometimes — the act of pushing through the fear was incredibly important and I learned a lot each time.

I’ve used all of these excuses hundreds of times each, so don’t think I’ve overcome them all. And you can use them in the future too. There’s nothing wrong with giving in sometimes.

The key is to learn whether they’re true, and see your pattern. Here’s what I’ve done:

  1. Notice the excuse. It has way more power if it works on you in the background.
  2. Try to have an answer for the excuse beforehand — anticipate it.
  3. If you give in, that’s OK, but recognize that you’re giving in to a lame excuse. Be aware of what you’re doing.
  4. After giving in, see what the results are. Are you happier? Is your life better? Was it worth it giving in to discomfort?
  5. Learn from those results. If you pushed through and are happy about it, remember that. If you gave in to excuses, and didn’t like the result, remember that.

If you consciously practice this process, you’ll get better at recognizing and not believing these lies. And then, bam, you’ve got your mind working for you instead of against you.

This article originally appeared at Zen Habits. Copyright 2015. Follow Zen Habits on Twitter.

Businessinsider.com | May 2, 2015 | LEO BABAUTA, ZEN HABITS

http://zenhabits.net/bs/#ixzz3ZBi2Cv4w

#Leadership: How the Wrong People Get Promoted & How to Change It…Research Revels that Companies Consistently Choose the Wrong People for #Management Roles. Here’s what you Can Do to Avoid the Same Mistake

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Have you ever quit a job just to get away from a bad boss? If you have, it turns out you’re in sizable company. According to a April 2015 Gallup study, one in two U.S. workers have at some point in their career felt compelled to make that same difficult choice.

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Have you ever seen the movie Office Space? Don't be that guy.

Have you ever seen the movie Office Space? Don’t be that guy.

That the business world may be filled with managers who unwittingly drive their people away is at the heart of Gallup’s 50-plus page report “State Of The American Manager: Analytics And Advice For Leaders”. What the research reveals is that organizations consistently choose the wrong people for management roles, and pay dearly for it through poor engagement and costly turnover—and the inevitable decline in overall performance.

But Gallup also discovered what distinguishes the very best managers—new and truly groundbreaking insight into the talents, motivations, and practices of bosses who make workers want to stay.

Here are five of the most significant findings of the report:

1. THE MAJORITY OF MANAGERS ARE WRONG FOR THEIR ROLES

Perhaps the most important—and disruptive—conclusion from the study is that too many companies have a flawed methodology for selecting people into management.

How? They base hiring and promotion decisions on an employee’s past experience, and then reward them by giving them an entirely different role. According to the research, at least 80% of the time this methodology backfires.

“It is the rite of passage in most organizations that if you are very good at your job—whether it be in sales, or accounting, or any number of specialties—and stay around a long time, the next step in your progression is to be promoted to manager,” says Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist. “But the talents that make a person successful in a previous, non-management role are almost never the same ones that will make them excel as a manager.”

The Gallup study states pay structures at most companies reinforce this career progression, and must be redesigned to ensure employees are given more than one path to earning higher compensation and prestige. According to the report, organizations back themselves into a corner when they tie pay to managerial status creating an environment in which employees compete for roles to which they’re not a fit.

 

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2. GREAT MANAGERS POSSESS A RARE COMBINATION OF FIVE TALENTS

Gallup studied individual managers at numerous organizations, and discovered those managers who most consistently drove high engagement, loyalty, productivity, profit, and service levels all shared five uncommon talents:

  • They motivate their employees.
  • They assert themselves to overcome obstacles.
  • They create a culture of accountability.
  • They build trusting relationships.
  • They make informed, unbiased decisions for the good of their team and organization.

Gallup confirmed this combination of innate talent is so rare that it exists in about only one out of 10 people. They also believe another two out of 10 people have some of these five talents, and can become great managers with the right coaching and development.

Ironically, Harter is convinced that the most highly talented manager prospects are hiding in plain sight within organizations, and the use of some predictive analytics tool can help them make more informed hiring decisions. The rewards for doing so are impressive. Companies already employing these disciplines have realized a 48% increase in profitability, a 22% increase in productivity, and 30% jump in engagement scores, the Gallup report notes.

3. MANAGERS HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON ENGAGEMENT

Hiring the right people for manager roles represents the single greatest opportunity facing organizations today simply because of the upside it signifies. According to the study, managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores. When a company raises employee engagement levels consistently across every business unit, everything that matters to an organization’s long-term viability gets better.

Gallup has studied engagement since the 1990s, and has repeatedly found that companies with happy and committed employees outperform all others in terms of business outcomes including absenteeism, turnover, innovation, and productivity. Getting the decision right in who you name manager and how you develop them is the most important decision any organizational leader can make, the report stresses. The best strategies in the world will likely fail in execution without the highly talented managers in place.

4. FEMALE MANAGERS ARE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE AT DRIVING ENGAGEMENT

Another stunning finding is that employees of female managers on average are at least 6 percentage points more engaged than those who work for a male manager. In fact, out of the 12 different questions Gallup uses to diagnose a person’s engagement, employees of female managers outscore male managers on 11 of those items.

Only one out of three workers has a female boss today, yet women leaders eclipse their male counterparts in many of the ways known to inspire high levels of commitment, initiative, and loyalty in 21st-century workers. They more consistently cultivate the potential in their people by creating challenging assignments. They praise and value people for their efforts and contributions. They take steps to foster a positive and cooperative work environment.

In their 2013 book, The Athena Doctrine: How Women And The Men Who Think Like Them Will Rule The Future, authors Michael D’Antonio and John Gerzema note the skills required to thrive in today’s world—such as honesty, empathy, communication, appreciation, and collaboration—are widely regarded as being on the feminine side of human nature.

Gallup’s data suggests many of these same qualities have a significant and meaningful impact on driving engagement.

5. HIGH TALENT MANAGERS FOCUS ON STRENGTHS, NOT WEAKNESSES

Accentuating the positive behaviors and traits in people proves to be a wildly more successful approach to driving engagement than a well-intended focus on mitigating weakness, Gallup says.

In a study of more than 1,000 random U.S. workers, nearly two-thirds, or 61%, of employees who felt they had a manager who honored and intentionally amplified their positive characteristics were engaged –- twice the national average.

Overall, Gallup has discovered that the managers—male or female—who routinely motivate the greatest employee engagement have an instinct for investing emotionally in their people. Workers describe them as being more human and relatable—someone who cares about them personally and with whom they can discuss non-work related issues.

These same high-talent managers also make communication a priority. They hold regular meetings and interact with each employee in some way every single day. Simply put, they make their people feel valued and connected which has the direct effect of sending engagement soaring.

THE REWARDS OF A CARING MANAGER

With 70% of the working population admittedly disengaged in their jobs today, we’ve reached a crisis that’s not just harming organizational performance; it’s profoundly undermining human potential.

But we now realize there is a cure. If we accept the idea that every person working today deserves to have a supportive, caring, and effective manager—and we make that happen—the rewards will be simply inestimable.

 

Fastcompany.com | May 2015 | Mark C. Crowley 

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Your #Career: 7 Steps To Obtain A Promotion….Obtaining a Promotion Isn’t always Easy, But if you’re Willing to Do some Analysis, Conduct some Research & Create a Career Development Plan, Then you’ll make Getting that Much-Coveted Promotion a Lot Easier

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Reader’s Question: How can I position myself now, for a promotion in 18 to 24 months?  Lisa’s Answer: First of all, congratulations on thinking ahead and allowing yourself enough time to create a game plan to get you from where you are today, to where you’d like to be in the future!

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Obtaining a promotion isn’t always easy, but if you’re willing to do some analysis, conduct some research and create a career development plan – then you’ll make getting that much-coveted promotion a lot easier. Here are the seven steps you’ll need to go through:

Step 1: Analyze your current performance. Doing so-so work won’t get you promoted. You’ll need to do outstanding work that will get you noticed by management. First, take a look at the results you’re achieving in your current job and make sure you’re meeting or exceeding all of your manager’s performance expectations. Then, look for ways you can go above and beyond the daily requirements to demonstrate how you add value to the organization.

 

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Step 2: Seek to understand your manager’s goals. Find out what keeps your boss up at night. In other words, seek to understand your manager’s key objectives and priorities. Then, determine ways you can help him or her achieve these department goals.

Step 3: Conduct research. Find the job description of the job you want (your promotion). If the job isn’t currently posted, you can ask your HR representative for the existing job description or even look online to find job postings of that job or similar jobs at other companies.

Step 4: Evaluate the job requirements. Look through the job description and postings at the job requirements that are listed (for the promotion you want). Conduct a gap analysis by going through each requirement and comparing it to your own skills, knowledge, experience, education and certifications. Figure out all the gaps – the areas where you don’t meet the minimum requirements – and write them down.

Step 5: Create your career development plan. For every gap you identified, determine your plan of action on how you’ll overcome it. For example, if you don’t meet the minimum education requirement, could you go back to school in the evenings to finish your college degree? If you don’t have enough years of people management experience, could you volunteer to lead project teams to gain more experience and prove your leadership skills?

Step 6: Obtain feedback. Seek out others who are successful in the job you want and ask them to a coffee chat. Let the person know you’re interested in a similar job in the future and would like their feedback. Walk them through where you are today, the job you want, your gap analysis and your career development plan. Then obtain their advice. Does your plan include everything they think you’ll need to be successful in a job like theirs? Are there any other attributes they feel were necessary for them to be successful in their job?

Step 7: Meet with your boss. After you’ve completed the previous steps, schedule time to meet with your manager to discuss your career aspirations. Share your career development plan and ask for feedback on any other actions you can take to better position yourself for that future promotion. Ask for his or her support in your quest to continue learning and developing in your career.

As you work through these seven steps and then implement your career development plan, read my blog on the 20 Things That Could Be Ruining Your Promotion Opportunities – and be sure you aren’t exhibiting any of these behaviors.

Lisa Quast, author of the book, Secrets of a Hiring Manager Turned Career Coach: A Foolproof Guide to Getting the Job You Want. Every Time. Join me on Twitter @careerwomaninc

Forbes.com | May 4, 2015 | Lisa Quast

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#Leadership: How To Build A Mentally Strong Dream #Team…A Mentally Strong Team Starts with a Mentally Strong #Leader. Role Model, Healthy Habits, & Refuse to Participate in the Things that Could Sabotage the Team’s Best Efforts.

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Mentally strong team TISI +0.23% members cooperate, build on one another’s strengths, and openly learn from their mistakes. When you teach individuals how to be mentally strong – and how to work together to form a strong team – they can accomplish incredible feats.  Yet, most teams struggle to reach their greatest potential because issues of resentment, fear, and entitlement lurk beneath the pleasant conversation. When left unaddressed, these issues can lead to hidden agendas, communication breakdowns, and reduced productivity.

How to Build a Mentally Strong Team

Fotolia.com

A mentally strong leader who is knowledgeable about group dynamics can influence the way team members work. Here are three ways to build a mentally strong dream team:

1. Create a Culture of Strength

 Teams create their own subculture, which may be very different from the rest of the organization’s culture. Team members who remain silent about upcoming policy changes in large company meetings may express their fears during smaller team meetings. Or employees who outwardly congratulate another team’s success, may express resentment toward those team members when behind closed doors.

 A team’s subculture will either help or hinder their performance. Members will either engage in tasks that help the team become better, or they’ll get caught up in counterproductive habits that will prevent them from moving forward.
Mental strength is about learning to think realistically, manage emotions effectively, and behave productively despite the circumstances. Building a culture of strength means establishing social norms that will help people perform at their best, while also helping them avoid bad habits that could hold them back.
2. Facilitate Productive Behavior

Emotions and irrational thinking can be contagious. Whether you’ve got an employee who thinks the company is going bankrupt, or you’re dealing with a team member who insists on being a people-pleaser, these issues can create a toxic environment if left unaddressed.

Encourage team members to confront issues and provide feedback respectfully. Show employees that conflict can be healthy – as long as everyone is uses direct communication and works together to address issues as they arise. You won’t get maximum results from all your members unless everyone feels safe and respected when they share their opinions.

Turn negative thinking and distraught emotions into productive behavior. If employees want to turn a weekly meeting into a pity party, turn their concerns into active problem-solving. Or, if the team tries to blame their problems on the company’s new policy, help them focus on things that are within their control.

If you allow the team to engage in bad habits, it’ll undermine their strength. Be vigilant in facilitating productive behavior that will advance the team’s efforts.

 

3. Train Employees on Mental Strength

Skill will only take your team so far. A productive team also needs to be able to work together successfully. If certain individuals – or the team as a whole – lacks mental strength, they’ll struggle with certain tasks no matter how much talent they possess.

Teach employees how to become mentally strong on an individual and team level. Show them how seemingly minor bad habits – like spending just five minutes complaining during each meeting – adds up over time. Don’t be afraid to talk about issues like mental health, personal development and resilience in the workplace.

 

Assess team dynamics from time to time. Proactively address problems as they arise and be willing to confront members who are undermining the team’s strength.  A mentally strong team starts with a mentally strong leader. Role model healthy habits and refuse to participate in the things that could sabotage the team’s best efforts.

Amy Morin is a psychotherapist and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, a bestselling book that is being translated into more than 20 languages.

 

Forbes.com | May 3, 2015 | Amy Morin

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#Leadership: Do You Have A Zombie Boss?…What are the haracteristics of a Zombie boss? Let’s Put some Flesh on these Managerial Bones. Recent Survey Indicating that 51% of Managers have “Checked Out” & Care Little about their Jobs.

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I’ve been reading some pretty scary studies about managementlately.  Studies showing that nationally around 70% of employees are disengaged, with resulting lost annual productivity of more than $450 billion.  Studies showing a frightening amount of disinterest – even in the managerial ranks – with one recent survey indicating that 51% of managers have “checked out” and care little about their jobs.  Against this backdrop of widespread apathy, one begins to wonder about the overall vitality of management.  I just feel I have to ask the question: Might you have a Zombie boss?

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Some bosses inspire to be your best self, both professionally and in your everyday life. Others make every day seem tense, dreary and frustrating. Learning how to deal with a bad boss is an important step to career happiness. (image credit: William (Tactum Macula) Walsh on Flickr)

(image credit: William (Tactum Macula) Walsh on Flickr)

What are the characteristics of a Zombie boss?  Let’s put some flesh on these managerial bones.

No verbal communication – Speaking with employees, communicating, understanding what employees want and need… none of these are high on their list of priorities.  Their natural state is silence.  You often wonder what thoughts, if any, are coursing through their brains.

Robotic in their responses – To the extent there’s any actual two-way communication, it feels robotic, mechanical, almost lifeless.  New ideas are routinely snuffed out with a barely audible, “This is the way we’ve always done it here…”

Control by fear and menace – Minimal leadership is demonstrated, and equally little organizing or planning. To the extent they have interest in any of the classic managerial functions, it’s control – and control accomplished by a sense of fear and menace. Their employees aren’t motivated by enthusiasm for the job or company but by an acute sense of dread when projects go awry. It’s management by fear, a practice sometimes effective in the short term but not sustainable for the long term.

Impossible to do away with – And speaking of the long term… Zombie managers are distinguished by their longevity. Even if their age is hard to judge, they’ve been with the company seemingly forever. They’re impossible to do away with. Undeterred by previous disasters, they remain in the role. Employees hopeful for a change in management don’t know how they do it. You’d think they’d have been long gone long ago, but somehow they survive. Against all odds, they keep coming back.

How do Zombie bosses last so long?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

#Leadership: Biggest Doesn’t Mean Best: How Leading Companies Get To The Top…Recent Bain & Company Analysis of 320 Companies Across 45 Markets Worldwide Demonstrates that Scale Alone is often Not Enough to Confer Real Economic Leadership

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Bigger is not always better when it comes to succeeding in business. Who, for example, makes the most money producing tires? It’s not Bridgestone, the industry’s global scale leader. Germany’s Continental AG takes home three times more profit than Bridgestone and is far and away the tire industry’s economic leader. How? What the smaller company lacks in scale it makes up for with lower manufacturing costs and a more lucrative customer mix.

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"The Art of War" contains more than military strategy. It's also a guide for getting ahead at work.

“The Art of War” contains more than Military Strategy. Remember, Sun-Tzu. defeated Armies 5 times the Size of his.

A lot of corporate strategy revolves around building scale, and for good reason. The largest companies enjoy huge advantages: They can spread costs over the widest base, wield the most market influence and benefit from the most accumulated experience.

But a recent Bain & Company analysis of 320 companies across 45 markets worldwide demonstrates that scale alone is often not enough to confer real economic leadership. In fact, 36% of the scale leaders in our study didn’t even manage to generate a positive return on capital. And 40% of the economic leaders, like Continental, weren’t the largest companies in their industries.

Related: The Journey North

None of this argues that scale isn’t a powerful competitive advantage: the scale leader in our study was also the economic leader in its industry 60% of the time. But companies like Continental demonstrate that the classic strategic imperative for challengers—build scale or get out—is only one of several options. Our study also suggests that most scale leaders need to step up to the next level of performance if they want to keep challengers from eating into their profits.

The best performing companies in our study share four critical attributes: Valuable assets, superior capabilities, the most attractive customers and the benefits of scope. They achieve economic leadership by linking these elements together to develop an ambitious strategy that explicitly targets higher performance. That’s how Continental outperforms scale leader Bridgestone by such a wide margin. Its manufacturing plants in low-cost countries deliver operating margins that its competitors can’t match. It has developed a world-class set of capabilities for running those plants, standardized across all its facilities. Through strong relationships with the leading German auto manufacturers, it has adapted its product mix for the most lucrative customers. And by expanding its scope selectively to provide other automotive systems and components, Continental can bundle products and create distinctive partnerships with its manufacturing customers.
Among the patterns that emerged from our study, the most powerful challengers tend to take advantage of three broad strategies:

  • The hitchhike strategy — Although large incumbents have scale advantages, they are also married to the rules they set. Challengers can hitch onto an existing market and win by using differentiated capabilities. In smart phones, for instance, Samsung hitchhiked on Apple’s iPhone strategy and pricing. But it used strong network relationships and go-to-market capabilities to carve out a place as the industry’s scale leader and low-cost producer.
  • The hijack strategy — Hitchhiking may be the easiest strategy if the scale leader lets you get away with it. But aggressive challengers can also hijack the industry profit pool by winning over the best customers. BMW, for instance, pulled off this strategy in the global automotive market by developing a premium brand and gradually extending it into every corner of the car business, from city cars to SUVs and super cars.
  • Disruption — The ultimate judo move is to change the rules of the game entirely, as Amazon did when it wreaked havoc on big-box retailers with its ubiquitous Internet retailing engine. Southwest showed how to make money in air travel with its low-cost, no-frills service strategy. Digitalization continues to open opportunities for disruption in almost every industry. Witness Netflix: First it disrupted the Blockbuster brick-and-mortar model. Then it disrupted that disruption when it moved from mailing DVDs to streaming.

All of these strategies have one thing in common: They take direct aim at the weakness that so often accompanies scale. The paradox of leadership is that the largest companies often fail to take full advantage of leadership economics. The top performers in our research returned an average of nearly two times their weighed average cost of capital. But among the scale leaders in each market, only 26% hit or surpassed that target and, as we noted, a full 36% of the scale leaders didn’t even manage to generate a positive return on capital.2

 

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Very often, an industry leader has achieved its scale position by virtue of superior assets and capabilities. But then the company settles in to defend its position and becomes complacent. The strongest scale leaders in our study prevent that from happening. They are significantly more focused about what they do with their leadership, amplifying their scale advantage deliberately in other ways. Typically they follow at least one of three paths:

  • Play by the rules — Industry incumbent shave the unique opportunity to extend their economic leadership by sticking to the established rules of the game and executing better than anybody else. While this sounds simple, it is anything but. The company must continuously reduce costs and build quality, learning and investing more, while avoiding the complexity that can crush returns. Intel is a prime example. The semiconductor giant set the rules of the game early on in the chip industry and has not strayed from them. Others have threatened, but Intel has managed to stay ahead by moving rapidly down the learning curve to introduce a more powerful chip every 18 months.
  • Bend the rules – Playing by the rules is fine as far as it goes. But stretching toward full potentialmay require bending the rules a little bit — or a lot. That often means using core strengths to create new opportunities as Starbucks did when it created an international brand and standardized a carefully designed coffee drinking “experience,” allowing it to transform local coffee markets and extract greater pricing from customers.
  • Break the rules – This is clearly the most difficult strategy for a large, incumbent company, since most leaders are heavily invested in winning by the current rules. Sometimes, however, leading companies can use their size and clout to reshape the rules to their advantage. That’s what IBM did when it used its scale, deep customer relationships and technical expertise to move from being a hardware producer to a high-margin provider of software and services.

Scale is immensely valuable, without a doubt. But the companies that achieve the highest levels of leadership economics — two times their cost of capital and above — think and act beyond scale. They make important choices about where to focus their time and investments and work rigorously to develop the key assets and capabilities. That’s a path to sustainable, market-beating returns.

 

Forbes.com | April 30, 2015 | Bain Insight

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Your #Career: 6 Steps to be Viewed as more Powerful at Work… Striking a Confident Pose might be enough Significantly Impact how Powerful you’re Perceive at Work, but these Steps Can Get you There

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If there were any logic to our language, power could be a dirty word. Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer posits that the idea of power goes against most people’s idea that the world is a just and fair place. “It violates their basic belief that people can get ahead just on the basis of their hard work and good effort,” he says.  Even if the vast majority of people prefer not to acknowledge the presence of power in the workplace, Pfeffer says it’s as unavoidable as air or water in a recent segment he filmed for Insights by Stanford Business.

Photo: Flickr user Alfonso Jimenez]

Summoning power isn’t as simple as it used to be. The study that suggested striking a confident pose to signal a significant hormonal shift that had a positive effect on negotiation and closing a deal was recently cast in doubt. A study from the University of Zurich that tried to duplicate the previous results on a much bigger scale didn’t boost testosterone and reduce cortisol, which would enhance power.

Fear not. Pfeffer offers five other strategies for pumping up your power quotient at work, even if you’re slouching in your chair.

1. FIND THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PLAYER

This is a person you could easily overlook. According to Pfeffer, “Oftentimes, it’s an assistant or a secretary or people who aren’t necessarily that high up in the organization chart.” In order to make yourself more powerful, you need to know who these people are and what they do.

Gatekeepers and caretakers may be ordering gifts and booking travel for executives, but they’re also privy to high-level intelligence and scheduling meetings, the kind of influence that affects those at the top of the org chart. As one executive assistant atNBC Universal says, “People know I know everything.”

 

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2. MAKE A STRONG CONNECTION

 

 

With a power map in hand, it’s time to cozy up to the right players who can support your career goals. In addition to cultivating relationships with mentors and advocates, the person with their finger on the pulse of the organization is in a position to help you if you help them.

One way to do this is to build a relationship with them. Next to power, there’s nothing like uttering the wordnetworking to make a working stiff’s skin crawl. But Pfeffer maintains that strengthening a social connection with a power player is necessary to ramp up your own potential power.

3. BE A HELPER

Building relationships takes time. In the workplace, as at networking events, success doesn’t come from a one-and-done approach. The best way to negotiate is to make yourself available to help. Pfeffer recommends taking care of tasks that make those individuals’ lives easier.

Or, you could just do what the best networkers do and facilitate an introduction that could help your influencer. It also doesn’t hurt to get beyond the work environment and talk about personal interests.

4. FLATTERY WILL GET YOU EVERYWHERE

Most people have trouble networking because it feels self-promotional and inauthentic, even when they are employing the best tactics. So it’s likely that Pfeffer’s advice to flatter the person you’ve identified will seem counterintuitive, or downright wrong. But it can be quite effective, he says: “People like to think good about themselves, and we all love people who make us think well of ourselves.”

Just don’t confuse compliments with full-on brownnose behavior. “When someone is overly complimentary and positive, people find them to be disingenuous,” MIT professor Neal Hartman says. “It’s not flattering, and in some cases, it’s annoying.” And it could get you passed over for the promotion you are angling for.

5. PUT YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE

If you simply can’t bring yourself to sprinkle your conversations with compliments, Pfeffer says there is another way to put yourself in the power seat. Figure out if there are any unexploited resources or a budget to put on a speaker series, a dinner, or even a lunch that will allow you to meet more people. The goal, says Pfeffer, is “to put yourself at the center of a series of relationships.”

Pfeffer believes work and life are all about social relationships: “The better they are, the better your career is going to go.” He encourages those seeking power to ask themselves not only who they need to know, but how they might reallocate their time to spend more of it with people who will be useful to their advancement and less with those who make us feel comfortable.

The reason is simple, he says: “People who you don’t know very well can link you in to different ideas and different social relationships, jobs, and networks.” It’s difficult, he admits, but the initial pain is usually overcome quickly, and most people find they like it, says Pfeffer.

STAY CONFIDENT

Above all, power and leadership go hand in hand, so stay confident. Pfeffer says, “Your job as a leader is not to be genuine or authentic; it is to be true to what the situation requires of you. The last thing you want to do is to signal to others that you don’t have confidence in your own success.”

 

Fastcompany.com |  April 30, 2015 | 

Your Career: Temp-To-Perm: How To Convert A Project Or Internship Into A Full-Time Job…As a recruiter, I have seen Temp Hires so Focused on Lobbying for Full-Time Jobs that they Neglect the Temp Role they were Initially Hired For

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A newly graduated business student secured a six-month internship at a global bank. Historically, this bank has converted about half of their interns from this area to full-time. How can she maximize her chances of being part of the successful 50%? Should she also continue her full-time job search in the meantime? How can she continue to search while focusing on her internship?

20 yr old hired

Knowing how to convert from temp-to-perm is not limited to recent graduates. It is not uncommon for companies to start a position as temporary but then convert the employee to a more permanent role. Here are three strategies to pursue if you land a temporary position, project, or internship and want to convert it to a full-time job:

Focus on where you are

As a recruiter, I have seen temp hires so focused on lobbying for full-time jobs that they neglect the temp role they were initially hired for. First and foremost, you need to do an amazing job where you are. Even if you don’t get converted, you need the strong performance to get you a strong reference. Check in with your manager regularly to ensure that s/he is happy with your work. Some temp positions, particularly internships, have more formal feedback structures in place. Make sure you know what these are. Ask for a sample performance evaluation form – this way, you know the criteria against which you’ll be judged, and you can focus your energy here.

In addition to individual performance, you also want to stay on top of the company’s process for converting to a full-time job. Ask if it’s even a possibility. Some companies hire temps via an outsourcing company so these hires could stay under temp status forever. Conversion to full-time isn’t unheard of in these cases, but your chances aren’t as promising. On the other hand, if you know that temps are routinely converted to full-time, find out more about that process. Is there a performance review given midway into the project so you have a sense of your prospects? If not, I would schedule one on your own initiative. Is there a specific time, say 30 days before your temp status ends, that you should check in with HR? You don’t want to miss any key deadlines.

 

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Broaden your network within the company

While you’re doing a great job in the specific role you were hired for, keep an eye out for opportunities to network in other divisions of the company. If your role naturally interfaces with other departments, take time to find out what these departments do and to get to know personally the people outside your immediate group. Even if you do a great job in your role, if your group isn’t hiring, they may not be able to offer you anything full-time. By broadening your network outside your group you broaden your opportunities. More people know you. You know more about other possibilities.

If you’re having trouble meeting people outside your immediate area, ask your manager for introductions. Mention that you’re interested in learning more about functions A, B, and C, and ask if you might speak with people there – who would your manager suggest? Many large companies have different affinity groups – women, young employees, Asian/ Black/ Hispanic/ LGBT. Seek out these events which are open to all employees – it’s a great way to meet a cross-section of the company. Finally, the company might have extra-curricular activities, such as company sports or volunteer efforts. This is another way to meet people across the company

 

Continue your job search with targeted networking

As you start a new job with a new company, you will likely be overwhelmed. You won’t be working 9-5 because you’ll still be an inefficient newbie and you’ll be spending extra time getting to know the people and the processes. So you won’t have a lot of “free time” to send out resumes and research other job opportunities. However, your new role is great cover for increased networking. Circle back to your existing network – to let them know that you’ve landed in something new, to share with them what you’re learning, to thank the people who helped in your search. Reach out to new contacts in your field and expand your network—you are an industry peer now. Networking is much easier when you have a job, even a temporary one, so take advantage of this while you have your temp role. Don’t get so absorbed in your current placement that you lose sight of the longer-term goal of permanent placement.

It will be easy to get swept up in the excitement of landing your temp role and in the busyness of starting a new job. You may not remember to apply all these strategies, and then look up and you’re halfway or more through your assignment with nothing done. On your first day, set reminders on your calendar fpr the big deadlines (e.g., performance review, check in with HR) and block out time on your day-to-day schedule (e.g., networking lunches). Be proactive about tackling the action items specific to converting your temp role into a full-time job.

For more career advice (for temporary or full-time professionals), check out SixFigureStart® free toolkits on Negotiation, Networking, and Personal Branding, including a free download for entrepreneurs.

Forbes.com | April 29, 2015 | Caroline Ceniza-Levine

 

Your Career: 10 Ways to Make the Most of Your First Month at a New Job…Starting a New Job can be Daunting. Keep these 10 Tips in Mind to Make the Most of those Important First Few Weeks.

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You recently accepted a new job offer, and you can’t wait to start. After a necessary between-jobs vacation, you’re ready for your first day.  Setting yourself up for success at your new company doesn’t stop with your offer letter: Accepting an offer is just the beginning. Whether you are starting a new job at a new company or switching job functions internally, your first months will be pivotal to your success. You’ll need a plan to help you knock it out of the park.

job-seeker-3

So how do you set yourself up for success in your new gig from day one? Here’s my advice:

1. PRIORITIZE WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO LEARN

From understanding benefits and commuter options, to parsing through cultural norms like where people sit at lunch, and whether they sit together or work right through it, to what systems and software you’ll need to access and how to download it—you probably have a lot of questions and little idea where to start. Even if your company provides new-hire FAQ documents or training, getting started can still be daunting. You’ll likely find there’s a wealth of material you could be learning at any given time.

My advice? Be prepared to prioritize ruthlessly, or you’ll drown in information.

To help you define and prioritize your one-month learning objectives, start by weighing what it is you need to learn, and consider whether any are time-sensitive. Is it more important to learn about the company’s product offering? Its market objectives? The company culture? Internal politics? Should you skip the lingo learning and start talking to teammates and uncover best practices and your team’s internal processes instead?

If you can’t tell what’s important, ask! You may think it makes sense to get to know your immediate team first and stakeholders second, but your boss may disagree. You may think downloading essential software can be put off until later, but your peers can tell you if any are notoriously difficult to access, or whether there are licensing limitations you’ll need to start working around now. Check with your peers and your new manager about your priorities to see if your hypotheses about learning priorities make sense.

 

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2. FIND SOMEONE WHOM YOU CAN ASK ALL THE EMBARRASSING QUESTIONS

(Someone who isn’t your new manager.)

Some companies have a formal “buddy” process, whereby new hires are assigned to answer all questions—procedural, logistical, cultural. But if you don’t have an assigned buddy, find the friendliest person in the room and start there. Even if they’re not the right resource, they can likely point you in the right direction.

If you’re not sure how things are run, or why they are run that way, ask. Even though you’re the new kid, you’ll find that some of the vets on your team may have been wondering about that same question, too. Your newbie questions can also help existing teams review and reconsider current processes, and be a good heads-up that something that should be clear isn’t. Never be embarrassed to ask a question.

3. IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR QUICK WINS

As the new kid, your job is to learn as much as you can and then quickly provide value back to the company and your team.

How do you identify quick wins? Ask yourself: What are areas of opportunity in which you can quickly make an impact? How can you make that impact visible? Are these areas in line with the company’s priorities? Are you equipped to succeed in taking on these tasks?

Talk with your teammates to uncover gaps that you may have an advantage in filling. Consider what an appropriate timeline might look like for taking on those projects. Resist the urge to launch longer-term projects where your work and output is likely to be less immediately visible (and valuable), and opt for those that will be quick enough to execute and show immediate impact (think less than three months out). Make sure you align with your manager and are in a position to deliver on the quick wins you’re setting out to complete.

4. UNDERSTAND WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU

What will it take to succeed in your new role day-to-day, and in the long term? Besides the tactical quick wins you’ve outlined with your manager, what else is expected of you? What kind of bar are you expected to rise to? To fully grasp your manager’s expectations of your work, you’ll need to understand everything from how to make the best use of your 1:1s and how frequently to have them, to whether your manager is more interested in seeing process or results, to what their preferred email communication style is.

In your first month on the job, take time to talk to your manager about working styles and to understand their current priorities as a manager. When you know how to help your manager, your job becomes much easier. Clear expectations are far easier to meet than fuzzy ones.

5. QUICKLY IDENTIFY AND DITCH WHAT ISN’T WORKING

Flex your strengths, but let your strategy in this new job be informed by what you have learned about the company culture, your manager’s needs, and your team’s interests and priorities—not just what you are already good at. Your strengths should continue to be an asset, but never a crutch. Be flexible, adapt to your environment, learn new skills, and adjust as necessary.

6. GET TO KNOW THE COMPANY CULTURE AND YOUR COWORKERS

Whether you realized it at your last job or not, understanding people dynamics likely played a crucial part in your success on the job. No matter what size the company, people dynamics are a major factor in how people get hired, fired, and promoted, and they also have a great deal of impact on your day-to-day experience at work. For some people, understanding working styles and company culture comes easily. If it doesn’t, start small.

Note the differences between how things were done at your old job and how they seem to be operating at your new company. Inspect those differences carefully. Are these differences companywide or specific to one person or team? How will you adapt?

Focus on understanding the values behind common micro-interactions. Understand preferences and assumptions, such as:

  • In-person requests or email requests?
  • Formal scheduled meetings, or informal discussions?
  • Calendars sacred or merely a formality?
  • Meetings: assume they are optional or required?
  • Lunch at your desk or in good company?

What do the decisions made around how people communicate say about the company’s values and assumptions? Understanding your new company culture’s baseline will help you to know the system you are operating with, and help you gain traction internally.

7. DON’T FORGET TO CHECK IN WITH YOUR FORMER COWORKERS

The first month at a new job can be hard—really hard! You may feel like you’ll never learn it all. You may cringe at not having all the answers. You may make mistakes. You may have less confidence. This is perfectly normal!

Remember to check in and talk to trusted friends and former coworkers who know you and your many talents well. They can remind you of your talents and strengths when you’re feeling down, and be a support group for you when “imposter syndrome” inevitably strikes. Because they know you well, they can help cut through your perceived struggles and identify the real challenges you’re facing, or throw down some much-needed real talk about why you do deserve to be at your job, no matter how far off that feels to you in the beginning months. They are the support group that can give you the credit you may be robbing yourself of.

8. BRING YOUR FULL SELF TO WORK

You were hired for your very unique assets—skills and experiences that may not even have been in the job description! Don’t let being the new kid dampen your personality or passion for the job. Bring your full self to work. You’ll be happier and healthier for it.

9. REST

If you’re doing all of the above, you’re likely running at full speed. Remember to take a breather, to relax, to step away from it all, and to get some sleep! Resting and regrouping is as important as taking action.

10. REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE WAS ONCE NEW AT THEIR JOB

Ask questions, smile big, breathe deep, and shake off any initial missteps. You’re learning, just like everybody else—even those with several years of tenure under their belts. Your plan in place, you too will get there.

FastCompany.com | April 2015 | 

Strategy: What it Takes to Change your Brain’s Pattern After Age 25….Most of Our Brain Patterns are Solidified by Our Mid-20S, but it’s Possible to Change your Brain’s Pathway & Patterns with These Methods

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“In most of us, by the age of thirty, the character has set like plaster, and will never soften again.”

That quote was made famous by Harvard psychologist William James in his 1890 book The Principles of Psychology, and is believed to be the first time modern psychology introduced the idea that one’s personality becomes fixed after a certain age.

brain-mind-wires-2-1940x900_35021

More than a century since James’s influential text, we know that, unfortunately, our brains start to solidify by the age of 25, but that, fortunately, change is still possible after. The key is continuously creating new pathways and connections to break apart stuck neural patterns in the brain.

Simply put, when the brain is young and not yet fully formed, there’s a lot of flexibility and plasticity, which explains why kids learn so quickly, says Deborah Ancona, a professor of management and organizational studies at MIT.

“It turns out that we, as human beings, develop neural pathways, and the more we use those neural pathways over years and years and years, they become very stuck and deeply embedded, moving into deeper portions of the brain,” she tells Fast Company. By the time we get to the age of 25, we just have so many existing pathways that our brain relies on, it’s hard to break free of them.

One reason why is because our brain is “inherently lazy” and will always “choose the most energy efficient path” if we let it, writes Tara Swart, a senior lecturer at MIT, in her book Neuroscience for Leadership.

While you’ll never learn and change as quickly and easily as you once could, you’re also not stuck with your thought patterns from your childhood. In a recent classtaught to senior management and executives, Ancona and Swart discussed ways in which people can keep their brain agile—and become a better leader. Below are the steps required to create new connections between neurons.

FOCUSED ATTENTION

If you want to keep your brain agile, you’re going to have to home in on parts of the brain that you use less frequently, says Swart. And this new task has to be so challenging that you’ll feel mentally and physically exhausted after practicing the task because you’re forcing your brain to work in ways it’s unaccustomed to. This is the only way you’ll actually grow new neurons strong enough to connect with existing neurons, forming new pathways.

For those who want to stimulate their brain, Swart recommends learning a new language or musical instrument. Or any “energy intensive” challenge that requires “conscious processing of inputs, conscious decision making, complex problem solving, memorizing complex concepts, planning, strategizing, self-reflection, regulating our emotions and channeling energy from them, exercising self-control and willpower,” Swart says.

 

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DELIBERATE REPETITION AND PRACTICE

You can’t just learn a new language or musical instrument and never think about it again; you’ll forget what you learned. New connections and pathways are fragile, says Swart, and only through repetition and practice can those connections be established enough to become habitual or default behaviors.

She writes in Neuroscience: “Depending on the complexity of the activity, [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”][experiments have required] four and a half months, 144 days or even three months for a new brain map, equal in complexity to an old one, to be created in the motor cortex.”

During this time, motivation, willpower, and self-control are necessary to achieve your goal.

THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

Without the right environment to enable change, your brain won’t be able to focus on what’s needed to create new neurons. Instead, your brain will be stuck in survival mode, meaning it will choose to travel along pathways it’s already familiar with to mitigate risk.

“[The brain’s] need [to survive] focuses attention on the sources of danger and on trying to predict where the next threat will appear, on escape or full frontal battle rather than on an innovative or creative solution, on avoiding risk rather than managing it towards a new suite of products, market or way of doing business,” Swart writes. “And of course, the most important part of our environment is other people and our relationship with them.”

To have the energy to keep your brain flexible and “plastic,” Ancona and Swart say your physical health needs to be in good shape, especially since your brain sucks up such a massive amount of your body’s nutrients. The hydration, nutrients, and rest you need are even more important as your brain learns, unlearns, and relearns behavioral patterns.

“Your brain will send its resources through the blood supply to areas that it can tell that you’re focusing attention and concentration on,” Swart tells Fast Company, “or areas that you have a desire to put more energy into.”

FastCompany.com | April 2015 | Vivian Giang

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