An easy method to boost motivation
In the early 1990s, an inexperienced young man named Trent Dyrsmid began a career as a stockbroker in Abbotsford, Canada. His daily work routine consisted of numerous calls to potential customers. He must have been either bored to death or scared of his job at the beginning because he shirked these obligatory calls.
One day, he happened to glance at a box of paper clips on his desk. And then, he came up with an idea that would lead to a turning point in his life.
He put two jars on the table, one jar was filled with 120 paper…
Let's wipe them out and make successful deals.
Life is one big bargaining table. We’re all constantly in negotiating situations — all of us. As long as we maintain social connections and don’t live secluded in a cave, we’re forced to assert our interests.
At work, we negotiate prices with customers and suppliers, we ask our boss for a raise or the implementation of groundbreaking ideas. Other than that, we continuously have to use our negotiating skills in our private lives. We discuss the price of a sofa set with the salesperson at a furniture store. We argue with our partners about food and movie choices at home…
Yes, you have the potential to be a positive force in others’ lives too.
Mr. Miyagi: First wash all car. Then wax. Wax on…
Daniel: Hey, why do I have to…?
Mr. Miyagi: Ah ah! Remember deal! No questions!
Daniel: Yeah, but…
Mr. Miyagi: Hai! Wax on right hand, wax off left hand…
You certainly remember this dialog from the movie The Karate Kid (1984). A lonely older man called Mr. Miyagi takes a bullied teenager, Daniel, under his wing to teach him karate for self-defense. He becomes a dedicated coach and a father figure in Daniel’s life. The movie portrays an excellent mentor whose actions have deeply touched viewers from different generations.
A…
And what you can do to be more valued by others.
Knowing your own value and building an honorable reputation at work is not easy. It’s not a skill you are born with, and you definitely don’t learn it from your math teacher at school.
Schools and universities teach knowledge, but do they also teach how best to deal with difficult colleagues? How to speak up for yourself and be taken seriously by superiors? How to make the boss understand that you need an assistant because otherwise you will be swamped with work?
They don’t. Not at all.
Especially, young professionals have a tough time in the beginning. Fresh out of…
They make us question our mental patterns
I’ve met them. You’ve them. Everybody has met them. Maybe you and I are even one of them.
I’m referring to people we tend to label weird or bizarre. We usually don’t tell them to their face that they are kind of different, especially when we’ve just got to know them. But the word “weird” definitely crossed our minds when engaging with them.
We sense that these people are everything but mediocre. It’s how they talk, their attitudes, habits, interests, or the whole appearance. Something about them is strange, and we immediately notice it. They stand out from the crowd.
…
Instead, put two existing things together in a new way.
Developing innovative products and business models is no walk in the park for entrepreneurs. Finding the right source of a breakthrough innovation appears to be somewhat unpredictable. When companies want to consciously initiate innovations, many use conventional and not always effective creativity techniques.
Who doesn’t know the classic tools that are supposed to ignite creative ideas in people? Brainstorming is probably the best-known intuitive method to find solutions to a problem or create innovative products.
Smart people sitting in a meeting room in front of a blank sheet of paper are asked to write down their spontaneous ideas on a…
Conflicts can be resolved without throwing tantrums.
Diplomatic people — these two words may remind many of us of ambassadors who live in exotic countries. They always have a friendly smile on their faces and shake hands with foreign politicians.
The term diplomacy is not confined to the relations between nations. It is also a character trait, a skill that plays an essential role in many other areas of life — at work, in the relationships with our partners, friends, neighbors, and customers.
When is someone considered diplomatic?
A diplomatic person knows how to approach an idea or cause without unnecessarily inflaming passions or unleashing a catastrophe…
Level up the impact of your verbal statements
You’ve probably heard of the statistic that only seven percent of a message is conveyed through words. The other 93 percent are related to nonverbal communication, according to Mehrabian’s Communication Model.
93 percent! That’s huge.
So, why are we well aware of what we say but hardly aware of how we say something — with our voice, face, and body?
Even though we may be aware of some of our shortcomings in nonverbal communication, surprisingly, we barely address those. For example, in the workplace, people put so much time and effort into preparing fancy PowerPoint slides and well-researched topics when…
Be the patient listener you expect someone else to be
“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”
said once one of the wisest people in the world, the Dalai Lama.
As an ambassador of peace, he has made it his life’s mission to create harmony and has proven many times that conflicts can be solved without weapons. He solved them because he is a good conversationalist — an excellent listener. Each of us has a great need to be heard and properly understood. Unfortunately, only a few can convey this feeling to others. …
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Communication | Professional World | Mindsets | Personal Development — Part-time but wholehearted writer — Click follow ↑
