Saturday, November 30, 2019

How to Get Over Your Fear of Taking a Career Risk

How to Get Over Your Fear of Taking a Career RiskHow to Get Over Your Fear of Taking a Career RiskWhen youre considering taking a big career leap, its easy to be dissuaded by fear. Whether youre thinking of starting your own business, making a major career change, or taking a leap of faith to pursue a passion, its normal to have doubts and hesitations about the uncertainty involved. Your mind immediately jumps to all the potential risks and, imagining the vulnerability youd feel after leaving familiarity behind, that fear gets the better of you. Challenging jobs, exciting new cities, and even unconventional hobbies get passed over because its hard to say, I really dont know how this will turn out, but Ill give it my all anyway.But when was the last time you really thought about how risky the risk youre taking is? While all of your concerns are legitimate, the magnitude of unterstellung hesitations is often blown out of proportion. Just for kicks, lets take a moment to reconsider how risky taking a year to try something bold, daring, and adventurous really is. Try this logicLets assume that the average person in the U.S. lives to be about 80 years old.Then, lets say it would take you about one year to figure out if this big bold idea of yours might have potential. Now put the two together One year out of 80 is 1/80, or 1.25% of your life. That seems surprisingly small, right? In fact, when you think of it like this, nothing seems that risky anymore, even if you might not succeed in the end. We can even take this a step further Lets say you did work night and day on your new startup idea or upped and moved to a foreign country. One of two things would happen either it would be wildly successful and transform your life completely, or it would fail but you would still be rewarded with a life lesson or two. When framed this way, any new venture, idea, or crazy thought youre considering seems much less daunting, and thats something powerful to think about. This isnt all to say that you shouldnt take some precautious when you take a leap. Before you jump into the deep end, consider buffering your risk by setting some boundaries for yourself. One way to do this is to have a timeline. Set aside a certain number of months, and in those months, be relentless. Give it 120%. But if, at the end, theres still no sign of promise, give yourself permission to move on. It also might be helpful to create a budget cutoff to stick to. Just because you have low opportunity cost in terms of time doesnt mean youll have freedom from financial risk. Knowing how much youre capable of spending from the beginning can help keep unforeseeable financial circumstances in check.It takes some serious guts to put yourself out there to embrace the road not yet taken, especially if you have safer options that are close at hand. But by giving yourself practical constraints and looking at the risk spread across a lifetime, you might just give yourself the motivation you need to go for it. Photo of risk courtesy of Shutterstock.

Monday, November 25, 2019

7 stupid things youre doing to make yourself less likeable

7 stupid things youre doing to make yurself less likeable7 stupid things youre doing to make yourself less likeableAs an FBI agent, I needed to be likable as well as credible. As a likable partie, I was able to exert a great deal of influence on others because I was able to connect with them in a meaningful way.Likable people do better in business as well. Clients listen to them, trust them, and are willing to give them the benefit of doubt.As a business owner or entrepreneur, your ability to be likable can be a big factor in your success. If you come across as likable, you will be better treated by investors, colleagues, and clients.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreBeing seen as likable often comes down to the smallest of behaviors. Unknowingly, you may be doing things that cause people to dislike you.If you arementally tough, you will be able to manage unterstellung behaviors i n ways that will set you up for success.Here are 7 stupid things you may be doing to make yourself less likable1. Pretend to smileWhen you pretend to smile, only the corners of your mouth will curl upward. This is called a smarmy social smile and is used by celebrities and politicans. A lot.Research byPaula Niedenthalsuggests that a true smile enlists notlage only the muscles around your mouth, but also those around the eye socket. Visually, a genuine smile will activate lines around the eye known as crows feet. In addition, our brain is wired to mimic the smile of others. If the smile is real, our brain will activate the same areas on our own face subconciously we recognize almost immediately whether the greeting was genuine or not.How To Make It Work For You Maintain eye contact with the other person and notice how they mirror your facial gestures they smile when you smile, they frown when you frown, they nod their head when you nod. Keep in mind how people will mirrow your behavi or and make sure you are sending the right message.2. Push to the frontYou want to impress the other person, right? You let them know that youre smart, sophisticated, and ambitious. Everything about you shouts, Im first Im the winnerBut here is the bad news- everyone sees right through it.Likable people do not try to compete with the people they are meeting or brag about their accomplishments. Instead, they spend time complimenting others and truly being impressed by high achievers and those from whom they can learn. They are confident enough to be vulnerable and willing to admit they can still learn much from others.How To Make It Work For You If you are the smartest person in the room, youre in the wrong room. Move on, immediately, and surround yourself with people who really are smarter and brighter than you. Youll be challenged in good ways that will expand your understanding of yourself and the world around you.3. Poorly developed communication skillsExperts agree that communic ation, both interpersonal and organizational, is a necessity for the success of your business.Arecent Forbes articlepublished research by the Carnegie Institute of Technology. This study indicated only 15% of financial success actually comes from knowledge or technical skills. The remaining 85% of success comes from the ability to effectively communicate and negotiate- both when speaking and listening.In addition, Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman has found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust than someone they dont. While this isnt surprising, the real clincher was this- it applied even if the likable person was offering a lower-quality product or service at a higher price.How To Make It Work For You Pay close attention to what your listeners are saying so you can learn what is important to them and their situation. Most importantly, remember that everyone is different. One size does not fit all.4. Forget to be politeI chose my FBI mentors based o n how successfully they handled 1) their investigations, and 2) their supervisors. One of the best agents I ever worked with taught me that sugar gets better results than vinegar, whether youre interviewing a terrorism suspect or explaining a late report to a supervisor.Tony always used these two words Please and Thank you. It didnt make any difference if you were a clerk behind the checkout register, the FBI Director, or a scumbag we were arresting for extortion. Tony always treated people with respect. He was unfailingly polite, no matter the situation.Likable leaders like Tony make people feel special, as though they are the only person in the room. They are able to communicate on a very personal, emotional level.How To Make It Work For You People may forget what you say to them, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Make the extra effort to make everyone feel valuable- even better, really believe that everyone truly is valuable.5. Too seriousIts is an inevitable tru th the more serious the FBI investigation, the more humor was needed to break through the stress.Researchhas shown that humor is a great tension breaker in the workplace. When we laugh in response to something that is said, something happens in our brain. Not only is there a cognitive shift in how you view your stressors, there are emotional and physical responses that enable you to relax when you laugh.People who are passionate and dedicated to their work often come across as too serious and uninterested in anything that isnt related to their situation. They may or may not be seriously stressed, but they do end up missing out on valuable social moments. Its possible to be serious, and friendly as well.How To Make It Work For You Usually, the most likable people in a room are those who can elicit a smile or laughter from others. You do not have to be a jokester all you need to be is someone who can laugh easily and smile often.6. Listen moreTo be likable, you must be an active liste ner. This means responding with questions that confirm you are actually listening to what the other person is saying. Our time is one of our most valuable resources when you actively listen, you are giving something very important.How To Make It Work For You People tend to feel good when they are the center of attention. Make empathetic statements that capture the persons messageNotice an emotion that was conveyed in their conversation and then repeat it by asking a question- such as So you are happy that you . . .Rephrase a verbal message they communicated. This accomplishes two things first, it confirms to them that you correctly heard them, and second, it allows them to talk further about it.Match their body language. If they speak in quiet tones, so should you. If they are intense, ratchet-up your style as well.When you make a person feel good about themselves, they will like you. Its a simple rule to follow.7. Share too muchDeveloping a tribe mentality in our work environment i s important because tribes help us get behind a shared objective. We can sense a bubble of excitement and community when were surrounded by people with similar values. We are eager to hear our leaders tell stories that renew that sense of purpose.While getting to know our tribes requires sharing, sharing too much about ourselves too early, or at inappropriate times, can sabotage our efforts. Instead of spewing out the nitty gritty details of your life at the first opportunity, learn about the other people in your tribe first.Oversharing can take many forms. Sometimes it sounds a lot like bullying if we run over others in our eagerness to push our recommendations out front other times it gives others the impression that were self-obsessed, in more need of a therapist or a sounding board.How To Make It Work For You Always be the first to give others a chance to talk. Give them the chance to be the most important person in the world. This requires a heart of humility and genuine belief in people.This article originally appeared on LaRae Quy.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Thursday, November 21, 2019

5 things every boss must do to make their employees happy

5 things every boss must do to make their employees happy5 things every boss must do to make their employees happyWhether itsreducing the hours in a work weekorbringing puppies into the office, companies all over the world are prioritizing employees happiness because its proven to increase productivity.For some workers, their moods are directly related to their managers attitudes. geschftsleben Insider spoke with Steve Bushnell, certified leadership coach and founder ofCharles River Careers. He said there are five simple steps every boss should take to ensure their employees happiness in the workplace.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and mora1. First, every boss must listen to their employeesBushnell said by far the most important quality a great boss can have is being a great listener. He even emphasized the importance of listening with intent.In leadership counseling, people are very e xcited about their ideas and want to move very quickly, Bushnell said. What they dont often do is listen to the wisdom of their reports.To listen with intent, he says, bosses must deliberately make time to listen and must be present when they are engaging with their staff.Dont go in with pre-existing biases, and instead go in with an open mindset, he said. If you walk in with a stack of your own biases, you really arent listening.2. Bosses must understand the importance of a work-life balanceWork should never completely consume an employees life. They have other hobbies, commitments, and events that are happening outside of the office, and managers must be open to employees exploring those other areas.Giving employees some flexibility to do the work in a way that suits their busy, complicated lives is important, Bushnell said. The more you can tip the dial towards improving that balance, then theyll be more present, engaged, and available in the end. And theyll be happier.3. Manager s must give their employees feedback on their workBushnell believes managers should be giving their employees regular and ongoing feedback. Whether its positive or negative, communication is important in creating an enjoyable work environment.When Im alone in my cube by myself all day long, its nice when someone checks on me and sees how Im doing, he said. I want to know that what Im doing is connected to the organization. I want to work with people who are interested in and care about what Im doing.Bushnell also points out that feedback is best when given face-to-face. Stop by their office, cube, or connect over Skype video and say, Thanks so much. I really appreciate what you did on our projects.4. Great managers connect their employees roles to the larger pictureFor an employee to be happy, they have to feel like the job theyre doing actually matters. If they feel like they are wasting their time, they will ultimately become uninterested in the job as a whole.You have to connect their role to the larger mission of the organization, Bushnell said. I want to build the cathedral. I dont want to make bricks.As a leader, Bushnell said, managers should make it clear what the goals are and what they are trying to accomplish as a company. They should then explain how each role fits into that larger picture.5. Bosses must offer fair and reasonable compensationThough it may seem obvious, employees are most happy when they are getting paid well. If a worker feels like they are not getting paid fairly, they could feel underappreciated and taken advantage of.This article originally appeared on Business Insider.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people