The high achievers of today are not so much a product of superior expertise as they are a product of superior networks
What really distinguishes high performers from the rest of the pack is their ability to maintain and leverage large, diversified networks that are rich in experience and span all organizational boundaries. Ironic, isn't it? Here we are, smack in the middle of the Information Age, discovering that our greatest advantages aren't coming from what we know…
The worst thing an organisation can do is to reward pathological behaviour
One of my bosses, Janet, was clever, hardworking and had an amazing eye for detail. She had high standards: if you e-mailed with a question at 10 p.m., she replied by 10.05. She worked hard, delivered on time, hated mistakes and expected the same from her team. She was driving us mad. We had been…
Research shows that your posture affects both how you feel and how others perceive you
My name is Carol and I’m a posture junkie. It all began with the reaction I saw when I was introduced as a speaker who writes and lectures about body language. I watched as people automatically changed their posture. They held their heads higher, pulled their shoulders back and tightened their abdominal muscles. In doing…
Making sure you understand the kind of signals your body is sending is important every time you are talking to someone
One time, during a radio interview entitled "What you're saying without speaking," I was asked to comment on the host's body language. He was a very good sport about being critiqued in public, and he quickly understood that, in order to change your body language, you must first be aware of what your body is…
Calling it ’knowledge philanthropy’ rather than ‘pro bono’ makes me feel like I am giving, rather than giving something away
As an entrepreneur I get a lot of requests to give away expertise ‘for a good cause’. Many times I have to say no. However, I have started to intentionally incorporated knowledge philanthropy into my lifestyle portfolio (not my business portfolio). Here are some of the lessons I learned around how I say ‘YES!’ to…
None of us are at our best when our boundaries are being pushed
We've all heard the nursery rhyme “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But we know better. In fact, we know all too well that words can hurt and so does the interpretation of our nonverbal behaviours (like not paying attention, interrupting or day dreaming when someone is speaking).…
Stay the course and hold on to your vision, no matter what anyone says about you
War is a powerful metaphor for work. So says Kay Hammer, author of Workplace Warrior, Insights and advice for winning on the corporate battlefield. The real enemies aren't only bad bosses and inefficient management, it's also yourself. The toughest battles we fight are often with ourselves. Hammer should know. She fought all the way to…
For some people there is a fine line between confidence and narcissism. But even with it being a balancing trick, everyone needs to have some confidence. There are a million things that feeling good about yourself can do from you, from personal life to business life. For some people, building confidence comes naturally; for others…
"Every day is a new day." At no time in recent memory has this phrase been more poignant. The situation has gone from one of sudden, unexpected crisis to that of chronic, daily stress. It is emotionally and psychologically exhausting. In the workplace, the pressure to make good decisions and produce good results has never…
Most workplace lies (and liars) are discovered after the fact – it's time to put an end to the cycle and end the lies before the harm is done
Most workplace lies (and liars) are discovered after the fact – after you’ve signed the faulty contract, hired the wrong person or agreed to work on that career-limiting project. Wouldn’t it be great (as well as a professional advantage) to spot liars in action, before the harm was done? To sharpen your lie-detection ability, follow…
If the interviewer stops in the middle of your conversation to practice golf swings, forget about a job offer
As the candidate in a job interview, you’re aware that you’re being assessed for competence, confidence and candor. But what about the interviewer? Is he or she being totally upfront with you? Here are 10 clues that will tell you what the interviewer really thinks: 1. If the interviewer says he "could go on talking…
People are two times more likely to remember you if you shake hands with them
Apparently there is some controversy over the question of whether businesswomen should hug or shake hands. My vote goes to the handshake. Here’s why: A study on handshakes (by the Income Center for Trade Shows) showed that people are two times more likely to remember you if you shake hands with them. The trade-show researchers…
Congruence, a deep honesty about who you are, is immensely attractive, draws people to you and reinforces your goals and ideals
Being successful has a great deal to do with having your ducks in a row – or being congruent. At a meeting recently, one of the organizers explained how networking helped him go from redundancy to a lucrative business that he loved in less than two years. I could see why: there was something about him that…
The good news is strategic thinking can be nurtured
I once started working with a leader who suddenly found herself on the executive team. A corporate restructuring resulted in skipping a level and now she is sitting around the table asking, ‘am I strategic enough to do this job?’ Her question is not unique. Twenty years of developing leaders has taught me there are…
Avoid these seven deadly sins and you’ll be sure to improve the quality of your hires while at the same time providing a return on your investment
We’ve all been there: you have to fill a position, and it needed to be done yesterday. Any warm body will do, right? Wrong. Poor hiring decisions mean decreased profits, lost sales, productivity and costumers, increased costs and a decrease in employee morale – costly mistakes for any employer. The average cost of a bad…
What really distinguishes high performers from the rest of the pack is their ability to maintain and leverage large, diversified networks that are rich in experience and span all organizational boundaries. Ironic, isn't it? Here we are, smack in the middle of the Information Age, discovering that our greatest advantages aren't coming from what we know…
