No, you won’t do better work by procrastinating. And you will not have more time next week. In fact, leaving things unfinished makes you stupid. Here’s what works:
- Make specific plans. Just setting a date and a time when you’re going to do something makes you more likely to follow through. Or write down the steps necessary to do the work.
- Use short, painless dashes of effort. Just have at it for five minutes and feel free to watch the clock. Chances are you’ll realize it’s not so bad.
- Rewarding yourself for doing things you don’t want to do can be a powerful motivator.
- Use “precommitment devices” to make sure you follow through. Stickk is a good one.
- Asking yourself whether you intend on doing something is a more powerful motivator than telling yourself you will do it.
- Understand the secrets to willpower, breaking bad habits, productivity, and achieving goals.
Here are nine daily tasks you probably can eliminate from your workday to help you stay focused and be more productive.
1. Stop overloading your to-do list. You might feel the need to write down everything you need to accomplish each day, but resist making an impossible list of daily tasks, says Peter Turla, a time-management consultant in Dallas. Compiling a lengthy list of things you need to accomplish might seem productive, but you could be doing more harm than good. “It results in too many items at the end of the day that are not completed,” says Turla. “That will make you feel stressed out, inadequate and unfocused.” Instead, create a manageable list of essential tasks that should be finished on a given day–and save the rest for later.
Related: 4 Ways to Weed Out Rotten Clients and Grow Your Business
2. Stop having open-ended meetings. Figure out your priorities before you call a meeting and make them clear to all the attendees, says Doug Sundheim, a New York consultant and executive coach. Too many small-business owners waste half the meeting just getting to what they really want to talk about. Sundheim suggests putting three priority topics at the top of your agenda to avoid getting sidetracked by other issues.
3. Stop answering repetitive questions. If you find yourself answering the same question from clients or employees frequently, you’re wasting time, says Peggy Duncan, a personal productivity trainer in Atlanta. Instead, put together an FAQ on your website or create instructional videos that people can access via links at the bottom of your emails. “Figure out better ways to answer [questions] without your having to be involved,” she says.
Related: How to Give Employees Independence Without Losing Control
4. Stop taking the same follow-up approach if people ignore you. If you’ve sent someone an email and the recipient hasn’t responded, don’t keep firing off more emails. Try communicating in another way–calling, sending a text or visiting in person if it’s appropriate, says Jan Yager, author of Work Less, Do More (Sterling, 2008). Too many business owners get bogged down communicating with people inefficiently, she says.
The value of this Business Plan process is the thinking that it forces you to do about your business, your products and services, your goals and the actions you’ll take to achieve your goals. Even if no one but you ever sees the plan, you will have given purposeful and logical thought to the purpose and direction of your business. This process helps ensure that the many activities you squeeze into your limited hours are time well spent – focused on moving your business forward in an aggressive yet realistic way.
Part 1: Analysis
Core Services
- List the core services (or products) you offer
- Be as specific as possible, but put similar items in a group (e.g., “Editorial Services” includes writing, editing, etc.)
Target Markets
- List the market segments you serve
- Be realistic; if you realistically cannot serve large corporations, for example, then don’t include them
- Be as specific as possible, but put similar items in a group unless there is a compelling reason to list them separately (e.g., “School Groups” could include secondary schools and colleges, but these segments might have different needs)
Competition Analysis
- List your competitors and a brief description of them
- Unless a specific competitor presents unique challenges to your business, it is OK to list them in groups (e.g., “Independent Practitioners” or “Small Agencies”)
- The purpose is to provide yourself a picture of what your business is up against as you market your core service
Vision and Mission Statements
- It is useful to have Vision and Mission statements that keep you focused on what is important to you
- Vision Statement should describe the “ideal state” of your business; it should be achievable, but also something to strive for
- Mission Statement succinctly states what your business is about, its purpose, the role it plays in the market
Part 2: Assumptions
Business Principles
- It is useful to develop a set of Business Principles that guide how you will conduct your business
- These principles have a direct bearing on your relationships with customers and clients
- The reason to include it under “Assumptions” is because your Business Principles are conditions under which your business operates; as you will see further in this section, you will list other conditions under which your business operates as well
Economic Assumptions
- List things you know about the economy (local, state, regional, national, international – whatever you believe affects your business)
- Include relevant historical facts (e.g., “the U.S. economy fell into recession in 2001”) and how they affect your ability to do business
- Note the impact of past, current, or anticipated economic conditions on your business and the products/services you provide
Financial Assumptions
- List things you know about your personal and/or business financial situation that affect your ability to do business and to grow your business
- Include things like cash flow issues, savings programs, the financial picture as a result of actions or conditions (a recession, recent investments, loan approvals, etc.)
- Reflect financial “realities” about your business (e.g., the need to control expenses, taxes owed, upcoming capital expenditures, expanding payroll, etc.)
Technological Assumptions
- Since so many businesses – large and small – depend on technology (web, e-mail, phone, etc.) today, it is useful to think about how these issues affect your business’s ability to succeed
- Think about upgrades of hardware and software, the impact of growth and expansion on your technological needs, training that will be necessary, etc.
Part 3: Strategic Summary
SWOT Analysis
- List all the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats about your business
- Be honest with yourself; don’t hold anything back or ignore realities
Key Success Factors
- Out of your SWOT Analysis, what are the key factors that will affect the ability of your business to succeed?
- Examples: strong reputation, broad client base, repeat business, unique provider, etc.
Competitive Advantages / Disadvantages
- Create lists of your competitive advantages and disadvantages based on your analysis of everything else up to this point
- What unique advantages does your business have in the marketplace?
- What distinct disadvantages does your business have?
- Be honest and don’t hold back because you will develop strategies based largely on this informatio
Strategic Goals
- Develop two or three broad Strategic Goals for your business in the next year or the next 3-5 years, depending on the scope of your plan
- Strategic Goals should be “big picture” goals, but they should also be specific enough that you can measure them
- Under each goal, list one to three specific, measurable components
- Example of a Strategic Goal: “Grow Client Base”
- Example of specific, measurable component: “Add at least X new clients by X date”
- Make your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-driven
Tactical Actions
- Out of your Strategic Goals, list specific actions you will take that will help you achieve them
- Examples: Meet with two new prospective clients per month; Join a professional association to expand my network
- Create a calendar that plots when each tactical activity will occur so you don’t forget to do them
Being a candidate is not an easy job. You send your resume in response to an Internet posting – or even a recruiter call – and don’t hear a word for weeks. Even when an organization is sincerely interested and invested in your candidacy, you can wait what seems like eons for feedback between steps of the hiring process. It’s only natural to think at some point, “Do I really want to work someplace where it takes so long to make decisions?”
When a recruiter is involved in the process, there is a live person to tell you about the inevitable delays. This doesn’t always make it less painful but at least there is contact and information (even if it is sometimes non-information). When there isn’t, how do interpret the signals? Who should you call or e-mail? And what’s going on here anyway?
There are many reasons for lapses in the hiring process, some justifiable, some not. Let’s look at a few common scenarios and what might be going on behind the scenes.
Scenario #1: You respond to an Internet posting on a broad job board such as Monster or a more targeted board for a communications association. Although you think the job has your name on it, it’s been three weeks, and you haven’t heard a word or even received acknowledging e-mail.
What may be going on: Organizations that post a job on one of the general boards are deliberately casting a very wide net. They may receive several hundred resumes in response to a single posting, many of them wildly inappropriate. It’s time-consuming for an internal HR person (who is probably working on 79 other positions at the same time) to sift through and make an initial cut for the hiring manager to review. If the company plans only to contact the candidates it intends to pursue, it should say so. Back in the day, print want ads often contained language to this effect. This isn’t all that unreasonable or out of proportion to the search method.
For a more vertical communications forum, you should expect a slightly higher rate – and pace – of response, since presumably the audience is savvier and the search campaign more targeted. However, again, resumes can get bogged down for weeks before they go to the hiring manager.
If you see a job on the Internet that you really believe you are qualified for, consider taking the plunge and tracking down the direct hiring manager (through networking or research) to make a personal pitch. After all, the worst that can happen is it ends up back in HR! And best case, you’ll attract more attention because your credentials are coming across multiple channels.
Another strategy: if you know –or can find—someone who works inside the organization, find out if that person can also forward your resume. Most large organizations provide incentives for employees to refer candidates. Once your resume comes across as an employee referral, it usually moves up a notch (assuming your credentials fit the role).
Don’t do all this extra work for every posting; consider it a numbers game and save your energy for the roles you really want to pursue.
Scenario #2: You apply for or are recruited for a position. You agree to the first step, a phone screen with a recruiter (either internal or external). You are told that the organization is talking with several candidates and that you’ll hear back within a week or so about next steps. After two weeks, nothing. You e-mail the person who screened you and get no response.
What may be going on: The organization may be approaching this as a “slate process,” i.e. evaluating a group of candidates comparatively and then making recommendations on next steps versus passing candidates through the process one at a time. Often, organizations are well-intentioned but notoriously over-optimistic about time frames. One week quickly becomes three.
As a hedge against this, try asking the screener what steps to take – or what to infer – if you don’t hear from him or her after the estimated time frame. Is better to call? To e-mail? By taking responsibility for the milestone on your end, you demonstrate how you would behave on the job.
Another possibility: the search has been de-prioritized or is on hold and this hasn’t yet been communicated to candidates in the process. Is this fair? No, but organizations are made up of human beings and some are better project managers than others. Is it fair game to conclude from a frustrating process that this is how everything works at the organization? Probably not. If this is a role you really want, it may be worth hanging in and reserving judgment until you collect more “evidence.” If it’s not a job you are all that interested in, again, conserve your energy and move on.
Scenario #3: You have now been through at least one round of in-person interviews and are told you are a finalist. You’re expecting a call about another round of meetings and nothing happens. Is this how an organization that is now courting you behaves?
What may be going on: While it’s counter-intuitive, interview processes often slow down as they move forward. Think about it. Earlier in the process, you may meet with the hiring manager and an HR person. But as the game continues and a larger cast of interviewers joins in, schedules can be nightmarish to coordinate. The higher you go, the worse it is. Your best strategy is to keep the hiring contacts current on your schedule, for example, notifying them right away if one of the days you have been holding open is now off limits. There’s nothing worse than putting together an itinerary with 7 people only to have to start from scratch.
Focus on what you can control – continue to research the organization, learn more about the new geographic area if the move will require relocating. And if you have other opportunities on the horizon that are moving more quickly, let everyone know. Hiring organizations can often be flexible in converting some in-person meetings to phone or video interviews, drop off less critical interviewers, etc. Just be sure to use this leverage when you really have other viable irons in the fire.
While no one can take all the “pain” out of being a candidate at times, you can learn to shift your perspective and to correlate your expectations with both the scope and stage of the hiring process.
By Janet Long, founder and president of Integrity Search, Inc
It’s back-to-school September, an ideal time to brush up on your interview skills.
No, not as a job candidate — as the interviewer. Think back to the worst interviews you’ve ever gone on as a candidate. Probably a big part of what made them so bad was the manner in which the hiring manager, HR person or other associates posed questions to you as well as the content of the questions themselves.
What’s more, as a communication professional, you have higher standards than most job candidates and are more attuned to interviewer gaffes. From a recruiter’s perspective, here are some of the most common mistakes I see well-meaning interviewers make every day:
1) Not focusing. Candidates notice right away when interviewers appear hurried, distracted and even disengaged. It’s a real turn-off. Think about the candidate who has taken a chunk of valuable time off from work — or personal time – only to find that “no one is home” at his potential next employer. As the hiring manager, it’s your ultimate responsibility to make sure that everyone on the interview agenda is prepared to invest in the process of talking with candidates. Eliminate the weakest links.
2) Asking repetitive questions. Not only does this frustrate candidates, but it also does your fact-finding process a disservice. Instead of leaving the interview process wide open, consider asking each member of the interviewing team (including your boss) to focus on a specific area with each candidate. Perhaps one veteran colleague excels at sussing out cultural fit, while another has an exceptional ear for evaluating communication planning. Play to the strengths of your interview team members and you’ll instantly find them more engaged and therefore valuable to you in the process.
3) Sounding like an interrogator. An interview, by definition, is an exchange. While you want to manage risk by ruling out undesirable candidates, making the candidate feel like he is on the witness stand is both daunting and counterproductive. The best information comes out when everyone is as relaxed as possible in what is already a high-stakes and often uncomfortable process.
4) Not giving the candidate a turn. While there is no need to cede control of the interview to the candidate, it is important to strike the right balance between asking and answering questions. A good rule of thumb is that the candidate should do 80 percent of the talking and the interviewer 20 percent. Be sure to make the most of your 20 percent – this is where you can demonstrate to the candidate your own grasp of your organization’s challenges, your managerial approach, and perhaps most important, who you are as a human being.
5) Giving fuzzy answers. Just as candidates who dodge your questions or speak in fluent jargonese frustrate you endlessly, your responses to candidate questions can be confusing or off-putting. Common candidate complaints include glaring inconsistencies in how interviewers describe the role and its priorities; a seeming inability to describe with any specificity the nuts and bolts of what the role requires on a day-to-day basis and interviewers who defer questions for follow-up and then do not make themselves available.
In truth, for all the self-help books out there about how to interview better as a candidate, the interviewer has the harder job. The interviewer must serve as part ambassador, part journalist and even part psychologist in an effort to make the most informed assessment and decision possible. The best way to get better at it? Seek out candidate feedback, whether through your internal recruiting representative or an outside recruiter helping with the process. Think of your candidate base as a key constituency; the more you listen, the more you win.
By Janet Long, founder and president of Integrity Search, Inc
By Marie Raperto
Before you visit any employer, you should have your references ready. Choosing the right people is very important in your job search process.
Employers want work references and, usually, supervisors. You should have at least three supervisor references, one peer and one subordinate. So let’s break it down to some tips to help you deliver references that will land you the job:
1. Have a list of references and all their current contact information.
2. Ask the employer what type of references they want. Then pull together a list that meets their requirements and that you feel serves you best.
3. Identify each reference separately with title and how you worked together (e.g., “supervisor,” “department head,” “associate,” “my assistant,” etc., “at XYZ Company”). Also include dates.
4. Do not include personal friends or family. Personal references would include anyone that might work in the field who can vouch for you work, e.g. the head of a non-profit where you volunteer, etc.
5. Remember to keep current with your references and be aware of their travel plans. If someone is not reachable, you should have a back up available. When a company asks you for references, have them ready and call each person to:
·Let them know they might be receiving a call. If you know who will be calling, let them know the person’s name.
·Give them an overview of the job description and how this position relates to what you did for them.
·Make sure references can answer: Why you left your last position or why you want to leave your current one. How you performed under pressure/deadlines. Why you were promoted or, if you are leaving because you weren’t, why you didn’t get that promotion. You’re greatest strength/where you need to improve.
6. Don’t hand out your references to everyone. Wait until they are requested and you are seriously considering an opportunity. Your references are doing you a very big favor … so respect their time.
Marie Raperto: Since resumes take up the better part of my day, I don’t have one and don’t want to post my boring bio either. So here’s the skinny: Worked in public relations/corporate communications in both the agency and corporate worlds. Moved over to the dark side and joined the head hunting world. I’ve been doing this since 1990 and loving it.
How many consultants or independent practitioners out there? How many of you work for the man, but view the man as your client? This is for all of you.
If you weren’t flexible before, you certainly have become more flexible in the past 13 months, right? Clients want to cherry pick what they can afford, sometimes opting to do more themselves. Some want to stagger project stages to fit a challenging budget. Some want to pre-bill, others want to delay billing.
The more flexible you can be, the better able you’ll be to survive in this tough environment. Here are some suggestions.
- Offer options for how your time is used and how it gets billed
- Work with subcontractors and vendors to flex their involvement and billing
- Be ready to work as part of the client team, with you doing some pieces and the other team members doing other pieces
- Be ready to teach others how to do stuff, rather than doing it for them
- Think in terms of smaller chunks of work that can be done incrementally
- Understand the dependencies between those smaller chunks of work
- Create a calendar of your work that shows all the time overlaps (Gannt Chart) so you can see how you might move things around to accommodate client’s changes
- Be ready to tackle those outlying projects during the down time, and be ready to spin up fast when too much work comes in at once
- Delegate where you can (budget allowing, of course)
For those working outside their client operations, I want to suggest a great book: Bag the Elephant, by Steve Kaplan. Its focus is on how you can operate in a way that makes it easier for large companies to hire you. The ideas work well for a client of any size, and some work well for those serving internal clients. It’s a short, easy read you’ll remember for a long time.
Stacy Wilson, ABC, is president of Eloquor Consulting, Inc., in Lakewood, Colorado
Negotiating for a corporate VP level salary and total compensation package can be undermined at the “get go” if you fall into the trap of answering the question, “What is the number?” So, what is the way to take the high road (not appear greedy) and still negotiate for the increase you want?
I have often said common sense is a lost art. Somehow when a “C” level executive starts the job hunting process, he stops thinking like an executive who has hired over a dozen professionals. If he makes this basic mistake at the “get go” and answers the question, it can haunt him right up until the end of the search when the offer is made.
Think about what it is like to hire a Director or Assistant VP. When your HR people establish a salary range and determine what bonus level and/or signing bonuses are possible, you are relying on them to be current with the market. You have been busy doing your job and have not made a science out of developing competitive compensation packages for your group.
When you create a package, to keep things simple, you end up with a “number” that is what you can offer the new hire, without doing battle with your compensation team. For example, if the range is up to $150,000 and the midpoint is $130,000, you don’t expect the offer to be above $130,000. You intend to be able to “play” with the additional pieces of the compensation program to make the offer attractive.
As you identify candidates, you ask for current base salary and that becomes their “number.” You do a quick mental check to be sure the salary is in the range you think you can afford so you are not wasting your time. That then becomes the number on file and the number your HR team will work with if an offer is made. Changing the number is incredibly difficult once it ripples through the hiring team. Unfortunately, that number is often too low and inaccurate.
What’s wrong with this picture? If you are now in the reverse role as the candidate, how can you sidestep having that number (your current base salary) haunt you when the offer is made?
Here’s what I recommend. Under NO circumstances do you want to put a stake in the ground with a current compensation figure at the start of this process. Once that number is circulated in an email, it travels with your record. Frequently, a senior executive who is not looking and is being contacted by a search executive will share a base compensation figure early in the process to determine if the new opportunity is attractive. I repeat, DO NOT PROVIDE A FIGURE.
Compensation is not one figure, it is a moving target. It is not a “number,” it is a complex group of numbers that can be on the verge of changing. It is your job to present the “story” of your compensation and not take the question literally.
That means if you have not thought about compensation when you receive a call from a “headhunter” and you are possibly interested in the search s/he is conducting, it is time to look at your current and near term estimated earnings. Also, what are you leaving behind? Timing is critical for raises and bonuses and must be considered. This is not as simple a formula as you think.
Once you have those numbers, get back to the search person with a comprehensive set of figures and it should be in writing. If any figure is an approximation, indicate that along with a timeframe to provide more precise data.
Here’s how to do your homework before you provide total compensation information (not base salary). Let’s look at computing compensation using real numbers with the example below.
Current Base Salary: $250,000.00 with raise shortly
Bonus potential: $40,000. This is a conservative estimate based on prior history: It is 15% of base (at the higher level you will be at within a matter of weeks). Of course, you must be currently employed at the company to collect this amount and it is normally awarded in February. (Other components may be added such as stock based upon overall company performance.) This suggests that either the offer makes you whole via a signing bonus if you leave before you can collect the $40,000, or you sit tight until you collect it.
Annual Performance and Salary review: $12,500 increase. The increase is due (let’s assume) in late October in conjunction with your performance review. Stock awards may also be granted for outstanding performance. Prior raises have been in the order of 5% along with restricted shares of stock and options. Your company has a history of counter offers so you can estimate that your normal raise of $12,500 will be accelerated and increased most likely on the order of another 5%.
Stock: what you will leave behind? Like many companies, your stock is vesting on a formula where no matter when you resign; you will lose a portion of the value. Depending upon how well the company is doing, particularly in these times, the value of what you leave behind can be from $25,000-$75,000 or more. (Conversely, the stock could be underwater now with better prospects later if you stay.)
Vacation: four weeks. As a senior officer you have a four week vacation benefit that you will not normally receive in your new position. Generally, you can negotiate for three weeks but you will need to ask for it.
Special Benefits: how to value them? At many companies, there are benefits that are unique to the organization. They may be in the form of health programs, special events, company trips for spouse, etc. Attach a dollar value to them since they will not translate into what the new organization offers.
401K contributions and other company funded benefits: will you lose them? If you leave in the middle of a year, do you lose the company’s contribution? When will your new employer begin contributing to your 401K? Will there be a gap and a loss of benefits? (Hopefully not, but it is worth asking.)
Having done your research, when a potential employer asks about compensation, here is what I would suggest. First, do not presume to ask for a particular figure; you are simply presenting factual information that will help the hiring organization understand what your numbers are. This is a non-threatening, reasonable approach. Second, put the information in writing and simplify the figures.
Base Salary: estimate your new salary and do not give a current figure. Say, “As of late October, I receive a normal raise bringing my salary (that I estimate) to: $262,000.” Promise to provide the precise number as soon as you know what it is. Do not state your base salary of today if you are within weeks of a raise.
Bonus: “My bonus award is conservatively estimated at 15% of base which I will receive in February. I will be notified of the precise amount in December.” (If that is the case or whenever the precise figure is known.) “I estimate the award at approximately $40,000.”
Stock: “I will receive stock awards in conjunction with my bonus and raise. While it is hard to put a precise value on the stock, I will leave behind approximately $xxxxx should I leave the company in February of ’09” (for example).
For you and the hiring organization, these are compensation figures that give a more complete picture and allow for accurate comparisons. Also, right at the beginning of the process, you have set realistic expectations about what the compensation numbers would need to total for it to make any sense to proceed.
Once you know you are a finalist, there is another point to consider depending upon what you require for a base. Some organizations offer a comprehensive compensation package with excellent long-term incentives that over time will be very lucrative. However, they do not offer salaries that are particularly attractive. Their point is if you are loyal and look at the long term, you will make a great deal of money.
It is important during the course of negotiations to indicate what, at a minimum, you would need for a salary that would cover family living expenses while you are earning these longer term benefits. In some instances, once this figure is on the table, the hiring organization provides a signing bonus to close a gap.
This approach should avoid the pitfall of answering the wrong question that has no good answer, which is: “What is THE number?”
By Judith Cushman, The Cushman Report October 2008 To subscribe: Email info@jc-a.com with “SUBSCRIBE” in the Subject line
- Don’t assume that everyone has time to meet over coffee. Networking contacts are doing you a favor. Please take into account their free time and schedules. Ask them what is best for their schedule.
- Once you have an appointment, don’t break it! If you must, explain to your contact why you must cancel the meeting. Leaving a message saying you are busy or something just came up, doesn’t cut it. These people are just as busy and don’t have a lot of time.
- Once you have the appointment, be on time. If someone is putting you into their schedule be respectful of their time.
- If you asked for 15 minutes to ‘pick their brain,’ don’t take an hour, don’t take more than the time you asked for or were given.
- Call the contact on the phone. Many companies, particularly those in the financial services area, have their emails monitored and are asked not to work on personal emails in the office.
- Be prepared. Have a list of questions about the industry or firm. You’ve made the appointment to gather information so know what you want to ask.
- Your networking connection can help you with specific information. They can’t help you decide what you want to do or solve the problems of the world.
- If you want to make a career change, ask you contact if they can help you in advance. Don’t make an appointment and ask for something the contact can’t or doesn’t feel comfortable giving.
- If a contact gives you additional names, let the person know that you have contacted them, met with them etc. It’s common courtesy and will also keep you in touch with your contact.
- Keep in touch with your contacts. A short note advising someone of good news, interviews within the industry or current freelance work that might be of interest will keep you in your contact’s thoughts.
By Marie Raperto, Cantor Executive Search Solutions
Stop and LISTEN. To be a successful communications professional means you are an exceptional listener. The more you listen, the more you learn. The less you listen, the less you learn.
When you consider the role of a communications professional, we better be doing a lot of real listening. We need to be aware of and understand the needs and goals of our internal clients and each employee audience subgroup — different generations, different functions, management vs. non-management, c-level and more.
From one-on-one meetings to interviews, focus groups to department meetings or townhall to board meetings, listening is key. So how much listening are you doing? Media guru Roger Ailes, author of You Are The Message, says people should strive to listen 60 to 70 percent of the time and talk 30 to 40 percent.
Here’s Roger Ailes’ tips for becoming a better listener:
- Relax and clear your mind so that you’re receptive to what’s being said.
- Never assume that you’ve heard correctly just because the first few words have taken you in a certain direction.
- Don’t overreact emotionally to speakers’ words or ideas, especially those that are contrary to your views.
- Before forming a conclusion, let the speaker complete his or her thoughts.
- Listen for intent as well as content.
- Try to listen without overanalyzing.
- Remember that human communication goes through three phases: reception (listening), processing (analyzing), and transmission (speaking).
- Being a good communicator is a natural skill for only a few people. Most of us have to work at being good communicators and learn to observe not only how we speak and listen, but also what kinds of unspoken messages we send to our colleagues.
My tip. The next time you meet with someone, make a mental note of how many times you’re silent. Remember, silence is golden.
What I have below is clearly not exhaustive, but they are the ideas that really resonated with me as a recruiter. Also, as we all know, many vital corporate communications skills are clearly timeless and I’ve tried not to put too much overlap of them here.
Increased Importance Of Ethics And Corporate Social Responsibility Considerations.
The concept of transparency as it pertains to the modern enterprise is relatively new and hugely transformational. Because of current and future technology, our organizations are going to be transparent whether we like it or not. We’re all living, or will shortly be living, in glass houses. As a result, it’s going to be largely up to the top communications leaders within the company to make sure this fact represents an opportunity and not a restriction. The silver lining of the existence of the challenge posed by transparency from the communications person’s point of view is that, if it’s within her purview, it gives her a lot more leverage for influence internally — and should mean even greater access to and cooperation from C-level executives.
Greater Flexibility In Writing And Speaking Style.
My PR friends tell me that in many cases the press isn’t the primary audience for their press releases anymore. More often they’re writing them for the end users, or they’re presenting the information in a short, web friendly video. As a result the savvy communications pro is very careful about balancing the use of conversational-style writing and speaking with the more formal, “professional” style. Use of the proper voice and tone in the company’s various channels of communication is key, and while it’s a task that in and of itself may not be that hard on a case by case basis, we have to remember that it all has to be integrated seamlessly with the overall messaging and marketing activities.
More Metrics And Quantitatively Oriented.
There is clearly debate about the extent to which lead generation and lead nurturing could and should play a role in what PR people are going to be asked to do in the near future, at least as it pertains to their role driving social media initiatives for their companies. What’s really not debatable is that the need to analyze what people do on the web (and how much they do it) will continue to grow. That means looking at numbers, data, statistics — web analytics. There’s no escaping it. Communications experts are going to need to know their stuff here, especially if they want to gain respect and get more influence with top management.
A young communicator interested in consulting asked me recently “how do you know what to charge?” It occurred to me that this is an important skill for all communicators, not just those in consulting or freelancing. If you don’t know how long it takes to do things, setting the expectations of internal clients may be impossible.
Paying attention to how long it takes to get things done is your first step. Even before I became a consultant, my team and I would track how much time we spent on certain activities. How many hours does it take to get the mid-year series of six focus groups done? How many hours does it take to draft content for the newsletter? The more you track, the more you learn.
Some go so far as to document the hours so they can look them up from an old project next time they get a similar request. Planning and scoping projects for your internal clients becomes much easier.
There are two important reasons to do such documentation of hours. Knowing how long it takes to do communication tasks
- Helps you plan a schedule and calendar for projects, making it easier to set timing expectations with clients
- Provides insight into the value of your team’s time and effort as compared to external resources
You know you and your team offer tremendous value to the organization, but can you prove that ROI to company leaders? Can you point to what it would cost if they went outside for help? Track the time, document it, and you’ll find yourself better able to plan, communicate, anticipate and prove your value.
Stacy Wilson, ABC, is president of Eloquor Consulting, Inc., in Lakewood, Colorado
Since stress is all about the future, the real cure for stress is to live in the present. Here are some suggestions for doing this:
1. Meditate or pray every day.
When done correctly, meditation and prayer place your thoughts in the present. When you’re focused on your breathing, the energy flowing through your body, or the presence of God in your life, there’s no opening for stress to get inside you. These activities not only create a respite from stress, they help train your mind to remain “mindful.”
2. Set aside a daily time to plan.
Achieving goals is impossible without planning–and planning, by its very nature, involves imagining the future, including possible setbacks and problems. Limit your “future thinking” to a set time every day–and then spend the rest of your time executing the steps in your daily plan.
3. Detach yourself from results.
Though it’s true the business world is all about getting good results, such results are usually achieved through the execution of a well-thought-out plan. Therefore, once you’ve made a plan, put your attention on the steps, not on the outcome. Until events prove otherwise, trust that you’ve created (and are now executing) the best plan possible.
4. Observe what’s working (and what’s not).
As you take action, note which actions seem to be leading toward your goals and which seem to be leading you further away. Rather than getting stressed about your “failures” while they’re happening, use these notes to adjust your plan during your next planning session.
Do these steps take some practice and discipline? Absolutely. But the benefit–a largely stress-free working life–are well worth the effort.
Finding your passion is an essential ingredient of winning armies, companies, and individuals. It is not a soft nice-to-have, but a strategic requisite.
How can you rapidly connect to your passion and purpose?
Want It
Carl von Clausewitz talked about the strategic power of passion and Sun Tzu underscored its importance as well. Soldiers who care about their cause fight harder. Their passion invites support. They turn the world on their side.Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the psychologist who coined the term “flow,” describes it as “the feeling of total engagement in the activity so that you don’t notice anything outside of what you’re doing.” Finding flow reduces stress, increases happiness, and improves mental health.
Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator, argues that entrepreneurs out of touch with their passion do things for “prestige.”
“Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy,” said Graham. “It causes you to work not on what you like, but what you’d like to like.” If you pursue what others are passionate about, rather than what you love, you will always be second to market.
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, puts it best: “If you’re into kite-surfing and you want to become an entrepreneur, do it with kite-surfing. Look, if you can indulge in your passion, life will be far more interesting than if you’re just working. You’ll work harder at it, and you’ll know more about it. But first you must go out and educate yourself on whatever it is that you’ve decided to do–know more about kite-surfing than anyone else. That’s where the work comes in. But if you’re doing things you’re passionate about, that will come naturally.”
Find It
So, hopefully you want it now (I do!). How do you find it?I found 14 short, practical exercises you can use to connect to your passion. I also created a workbook to walk you through the exercises. Click here to download a copy, or email outthink@kaihan.net.
1. Build your portfolio
Randy Komisar, technology legend and now a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, thinks looking for your one-and-only passion will paralyze you. Instead, think of a portfolio of passions and use those passions to guide you. You don’t have to choose just one!2. Write three lists
Sit down and write out three lists: everything you are good at, everything you enjoy doing, everything that gives you a sense of purpose. Then look for the common themes in these lists. (Source)3. Recall flow states
Sit me down in a library with a stack of old books and mission to produce a blog or paper, and time stops. I blink and three hours have passed. Flow states occur when you mind is so engaged in your activity that it lacks the mental capacity to notice other things. It means you are loving what you are doing. Sit down and think back from childhood to today and put together a catalogue of activities that put you into a state of flow.4. Explore the “four aims of life”
A Buddhist framework suggest there are four aims to life: (1) physical health and pleasure, (2) wealth and things and family, (3) becoming a perfect person, and (4) finding your greater purpose. Think of and write down three potential passions for each of these aims.5. Ask yourself
Deepak Chopra suggests you meditate for a few minutes to reach a state of deep relaxation, then, “Ask what your heart deeply desires and yearns to express and listen quietly for an honest response … don’t fixate on one response.”6. Create space
President Obama dedicates 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. each night, while Michelle and his girls sleep, to work, read, and write. I find my think time while cooking a midnight meal in a quiet kitchen, when everyone else is in bed, or on long flights. When is your think time?7. Write until you cry
Steve Pavlina suggests you write down the answer to “What is my true purpose in life?” Then, write another answer. Keep writing until you cry. “This is your purpose.”
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As I prepare to head west for this year’s IABC World Conference and then east for the Communitelligence conference, I am thinking a lot about networking and follow up. At this stage of my career, networking is the main reason I attend conferences.
Networking also continues to be a primary reason people join associations and other groups and attend conferences. Yes, the programming is important and recognition of excellence is good. But, finding colleagues who know stuff – well, that’s the real prize.
Where I sometimes, like others, fall short is in the follow through. So, here are some tips for those of us heading off to conferences in the next few weeks.
- Get their business card – don’t rely on the other person to follow up with you to acquire their contact information
- Ask if they are using Twitter or LinkedIn or another networking tool where you can connect
- If you decide to add them to your contact list, add a note about where you met and what you discussed in that first meeting
- If you send them an invitation to connect from something like LinkedIn, customize the message – you won’t appear to have tried very hard if you use the default message alone
- If they are on Twitter, follow them for a while – maybe they’ll follow you back
- Send a personal note (handwritten is very nice but uncommon, making e-mail the preferred choice these days) about how much you enjoyed meeting them
- Include a link to an interesting article in your note
- If you committed when you met to call (“I’ll give you a call…”) then call – don’t commit and then bail out
- If you committed to follow up at some time in the future, put a tickler in your calendar so you don’t forget
Networking is important for communicators at every career stage. Obviously, right now it is really important if you’ve lost, or are at risk of losing, your job. But we should always be looking out for those new great connections. Always building our catalog of talent we can turn to in a pinch.
If you’re a consultant or independent, you know these chance meetings can turn into new clients. If you hire sub-contractors, that new acquaintance may be the next perfect person to add to your team. If you work in an organization, you might have just met your future boss, or a future co-worker, or a consultant who can help make your next project shine.
Last tip: never go anywhere without a couple of business cards in your pocket. I even hike with them.
Stacy Wilson, ABC, is president of Eloquor Consulting, Inc., in Lakewood, Colorado
| Comments |
| RE: Great networking is all about diligence |
| Great comments! Agree that you should always have business cards on you. For example, in a casual conversation with one of the humans at the dog park, I learned that her best friend worked for Great Places to Work. At the time, I was wanting to connect with someone there. The dog bond, aided by a card, made it very easy! |
Posted on Sunday, Jun 07, 2009 – 05:58:00 AM CST  lizguthridge |
| RE: Great networking is all about diligence |
| Stacy … this is a good list of to-dos as you get ready to trek off to a conference, where we will both be in a few weeks. I am always struck by the serendipitous meetings and idea exchanges that occur in physical meetings, vs. those that take place online. The other interesting thing to me is that one small meeting in person is enough to keep a virtual relationship going for years. I’ve got to get better about getting cards and organizing them after I get back home. (Summer resolution). |
| Posted on Thursday, Jun 04, 2009 – 09:26:00 PM CST |
| Another thought |
| One thing I should have added to this is that new contacts often turn into great resources of information. This just happened to me last week. A new contact turns out to have just the information I need for a client project. If it hadn’t been for all the networking last month at the Council of Communication Management conference, I wouldn’t have all the information I really wanted. Stacy |
Gordon MacKenzie was interviewed by John Gerstner for the August, 1991 issue of IABC Communication World. MacKenzie, now deceased, was then “Creative Paradox” of Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, Missouri. For more insight into the mind of Gordon MacKenzie, get his cult classic Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace published in 1998.
What other employee in the corporate US has a den instead of an office, a room that is a melange of art, antiques, sculpture, cartoons and bric-a-brac, including a roll-top desk, drawing table and a wonderfully painted chair with wings hanging from the ceiling? Who else could seriously describe their job as, “inviting fellow employees to come out on the thin ice with me.” Who else has the job title creative paradox?”
Gordon MacKenzie certainly is one. As the only official creative paradox at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Mo., he is also perhaps the only creativity consultant in the US who is working to subvert corporate stultification from the inside. His title may be an inside joke, but it is a serious one.
“Large organizations are like giant hairballs,” he says, with a characteristic twinkle. Every decision adds another hair. There is existence but no life in a hairball. You have to expend creative energy to avoid getting all tangled up.”
When MacKenzie isn’t stirring up corporate creativity at Hallmark, he’s out on the lecture circuit, using overything from mirth to meditation to put audiences as large as several hundred people into a kind of surreal, creative trance.
After which he asks the audience to write a poem based on a randomly chosen noun and adjective. The brave ones volunteer to read their creations aloud. Many of the Poems are amazingly heartfelt and moving.
“Everyone has a masterpiece within him from birth,” says MacKenzie afterward. “When we are young, society draws pale blue lines, as if your life were a paint-by-numbers kit. The message is: If you stay in the lines your life will be a masterpiece. That’s a lie. You have to constantly battle to be nobody but yourself. If you go to your grave without painting your masterpiece, it will not get painted.”
MacKenzie is a small man prone to big, hearty laughs, especially after similarly deep and insightful digressions. (“I’m really babbling now,” he chides himself.) He also has the somewhat disconcerting habit of occasionally blowing air as he speaks. “I do it to stay in touch and keep from shutting down,” he says.
Interviewed at Hallmark, in what he insists on calling “My Room,” MacKenzie dances around the subject of corporate creativity like a dervish … reading a poem from “The Awakened Eye” by Frederik Frank … talking freely about his recovery from alcoholism … confiding that it took him 20 years to find the courage to do a pirouette in the hallowed halls of Hallmark,
MacKenzie believes in letting go, having fun, enjoying the “ecstasy of living.” As if to prove the point, he happily and without hesitation agreed to pose for the camera while wading in the company reflecting pool.
“I wish I had your job,” a fellow employee teased as MacKenzie was testing the corporate waters. MacKenzie just flashed a huge grin.
JOHN GERSTNER: Why are most corporate environments so sterile, so corporate?
GORDON MACKENZIE: My guess is it’s control. Large organizations feel a deep need to control, and that extends to the physical environment.
JOHN GERSTNER: Do you think this desire to control is sinister?
GORDON MACKENZIE: No, I think it’s just a responsibility to the customer and to shareholders to try and deliver the best possible product. To do that entails a certain need for predictability, and to get that one is often drawn into a need for over, controlling the situation. I understand creativity to be a manifestation of the unconscious. We can’t know ahead of time what’s going to come up. It seems to me the way around this is to let creativity flow and pick through it to find the things that can be exploited for positive gain. We tend not to do that.
JOHN GERSTNER: Why?
GORDON MACKENZIE: Our society is threatened by people having too much access to that limitless creativity within our unconscious, because it might raise uncomfortable questions and there is stuff in there that looks insane. Therefore, society discourages creativity in an incredible variety of ways.
JOHN GERSTNER: This must be a very unusual corporation.
GORDON MACKENZIE: Remarkable.
JOHN GERSTNER: How do you mesh with the accountants at Hallmark?
GM: I don’t think we understand each other. I think a lot of us are reluctant to understand each other. So we mesh with a lack of mutual understanding to a certain degree.
JOHN GERSTNER: Healthy misunderstanding?
GORDON MACKENZIE: Tolerance. Knowing at some level that we need each other, but wishing that we didn’t. (Laugh.)
JOHN GERSTNER: Tell me about your job at Hallmark. Creative paradox?
GORDON MACKENZIE: I don’t have a job description. I’m doing it right now. My job is to put myself out in front of you or whoever and risk to grow. Really to risk and stretch and walk out on some thin ice and say, “I wonder if I can stand here.”
I try to do this with workshops and brainstorming sessions where I try to offer some non-ordinary ways for people to get at the limitless resources that they have inside of them. Creativity, more than anything else, is gaining access to what we already have.
JOHN GERSTNER: Do you think there is a penalty for exhibiting creativity as you do inside a corporation?
GORDON MACKENZIE: Could we say “price” instead of “penalty?” Yes, there’s a price, but there’s a price for everything. It comes down to what each of us as individuals will honor. How much courage will we find to honor the things that we cherish? If I cherish personal freedom, but I don’t have the courage to pay the price of having that freedom … because there will be a price for it … then I will live in a kind of frustration, a wimpy world that longs for the freedom but isn’t willing to suffer the pain to get it. We can end up wishing our life away. If we can find the courage to confront an issue that is causing chronic dull pain, we can get through and beyond it.
JOHN GERSTNER: So if out of fear, you wore the business suit to work instead of the T-shirt, you would suffer that dull chronic pain.
GORDON MACKENZIE: Yes, a sense of loss, a little death.
JOHN GERSTNER: That you weren’t being true to yourself?
GM: Yes, not being true to the creative, childlike spirit that is inside me and everyone. Unable, as Frederik Frank, an artist and author, puts it in one of his poems, “to discover one’s own little song and dare to sing it in all variations, unsuited as it may be for mass communication.” Every time we choose not to sing our own little song, it’s a little death.
JOHN GERSTNER: Do you think the people you meet in corporations are stifled, or unhappy, or do you have any sense of that?
GORDON MACKENZIE: One of the things I have learned from my therapist is not to make judgments about other people’s life situation. There’s no such thing as “immaculate perception,” he says. But I know many working people are shut down, frustrated, and locked in a desperate situation they don’t know how to get out of.
JOHN GERSTNER: In a box?
GORDON MACKENZIE: Building one and having it built. It is a communal effort in which the resident of the box is an active participant.
JOHN GERSTNER: How do you get in touch with the muse when you’re in a hectic business environment where creativity may be viewed as more of a luxury than a priority?
GORDON MACKENZIE: Creativity is an essential, not a luxury. As soon as it’s seen as a luxury, it goes to the bottom of the corporation’s list of priorities. Ecstasy of living is an essential. I was late for this interview this morning. The reason I was late was because I was with some people and it was working. We were having some authenticity. And there was an energy there that deserved not to be interrupted. I miss airplanes a lot for this reason. So I pay a price.
JOHN GERSTNER: Discipline … where does that fit in when tapping into your creativity? There’s such a rush today to do what you have to do.
GORDON MACKENZIE: Can I share with you something else I learned in therapy? When you use you talk, you’re telling me what I have to do. And we do that too much in our society. When we say you, you, you all the time, somebody else owns it. When are we going to look after ourselves and say I need to do such-and-such, instead of saying you need to do such-and-such? If I can say “I” more, then maybe I will take more responsibility for where I am, for my frustrations, and for the things that are limiting who I can be. But as long as I say you, it’s someone else’s problem, and I can continue to be a victim, which is not very demanding.
JOHN GERSTNER: What advice can you offer on helping people become more creative and true to themselves inside an organization?
GORDON MACKENZIE: Learn to let go. Search for every way possible to let go, and find the courage to be yourself. This may mean maintaining a support network … a group of people you work with with whom you can truly share your deepest fears. People you can be intimate with spiritually and emotionally. People you can trust.
JOHN GERSTNER: In other words, take off the mask, whether it’s physical or mental.
GORDON MACKENZIE: Yes, the change in physical appearance will simply happen on its own when it’s ready. I think the dress for success syndrome is superficial manipulation and plays to dishonesty. If I have a need to change the way I express who I am, that change will surface, and I won’t need any instruction or hints from any publication or workshop or person.
JOHN GERSTNER: But appearance is very important, isn’t it? If you look at the board of directors of any large company, every one will be wearing a white shirt and dark suit … even the females.
GORDON MACKENZIE: Sure, but now we’re talking about conforming, adapting, and being appropriate … we’re not talking about creativity. If the goal is to reach the board of directors, there will be manipulation, cleverness, skillful politics, right moves, but creativity will not be a primary ingredient. If I set my mind on a reward and focus on that reward, the path to it will not be an authentic path. If I focus on the path, there will be rewards that I would never have dreamed of.
JOHN GERSTNER: Does this mean one shouldn’t have goals?
GORDON MACKENZIE: I hope I haven’t said should or shouldn’t. I have goals. I’ve started to write a book on what we’re talking about. I want to travel to Morocco. I want to reduce my compulsion to control other people and situations. My goal is to be not attached to outcome.
JOHN GERSTNER: In other words, just be free form?
GORDON MACKENZIE: Yeah. This has been a delightful interview, thanks in part to your willingness to let go of your questions. I was just reading this book called “Free Play.” It’s about improvisation. The author talks about somebody going to make a speech. If that person goes to a podium and delivers a written speech, everyone will have the low-energy experience of being read to. But if the speaker will write the speech, go before the group and throw his notes away, everybody knows he is coming from a place that is risky and improvising, but is not unprepared-and the energy will be high. My sense is you’ve decided to conduct this interview in the latter style. You have come prepared but you have not been shackled by your preparation. I celebrate that.
JOHN GERSTNER: So if you want to be creative inside a bureaucratic organization, you should .. let go … you said?
GORDON MACKENZIE: Do I sense you are trying to distill this down to a recipe? I would caution against that. My sense is that this article will not have answers, but will have hints of places to look within oneself. Most of us look for steps one and two. The pitfall in this is that it leads us away from the essence of creativity which is not a how-to process. It’s a letting go, a hanging loose.
I will share with you that it took me 20 years before I dared to skip down the halls of Hallmark. “Anticipatory grief ” kept me from skipping. I am mindful that I kept myself from it, but I try not to be judgmental of myself.
There’s a real difference between mindfulness and judging. judging keeps you from letting go. Instead of judging, how about being mindful of where the employee is, what the employee’s magic is, and what the employee’s blocks are that are keeping that magic from manifesting itself?
JOHN GERSTNER: That sounds wonderful if it could happen.
GORDON MACKENZIE: It is happening. Can you imagine a conversation like this, and a writer seriously thinking about writing an article-if in fact you are still seriously thinking about it-10 years ago? Where would you get it published? Maybe the Whole Earth Catalog. But not for a mainstream “legitimate” publication.
No way.
JOHN GERSTNER: Is this a typical business day?
GORDON MACKENZIE: What is a normal business day? I have … I wonder what abnormal means .. I want to look it up. I love to look up words in the dictionary. Even though I think I know the language, I don’t. Abnormal: “Deviating from the normal, the standard or a type, markedly irregular or unusual.” All my days are abnormal.
Isn’t it funny that my connotation of abnormal is that it is not OK? So there could be people in this corporation who think I behave in an abnormal way, and they might have a negative connotation of that, as I do.
My job title is creative paradox. Here’s a definition of paradox: “A statement contrary to common belief. A statement that seems contradictory, unbelievable, or absurd, but that may actually be true in fact. A statement that is self-contradictory in fact and hence false. Something inconsistent with common experience or having contradictory qualities. A person who is inconsistent or contradictory in character or behavior. The synonyms are: contradiction, enigma, mystery, absurdity, ambiguity.”
All of these things are connected to creativity. And this is connected to abnormal, unusual. Wouldn’t it be wonderful … I think it would anyway … if paradox was recognized as normal?
Want to have the best workday ever? Day after day? It’s not as difficult as you think.
These 10 tweaks to your everyday behavior will virtually guarantee you a day that’s not just enjoyable but allows you to get more done than you ever thought possible.
1. Start with 15 minutes of positive input.
It’s easier to achieve and maintain a positive attitude if you have a “library” of positive thoughts in your head, so you can draw upon them if the day doesn’t go exactly as you’d prefer. Start each day by reading (or listening to) an inspirational book to ensure that you have just such a resource at hand.
2. Tie your work to your life’s goals.
Always remember that there’s a deeper reason why you go to work and why you chose your current role. Maybe it’s to support your family, to change the world in some way, to help your customers, to make a difference: Whatever the deeper motivation, remind yourself that this workday–today–is the opportunity to accomplish part of that deeper and more important goal.
3. Use your commute wisely.
Most people waste their commute time listening to the news or (worse, especially if they’re driving) making calls, texting, or answering emails. In fact, your commute time is the perfect time to get yourself pumped up for the day, and there’s no better way to do this than to listen to music that truly inspires you and gets you in the right mood. Don’t depend on a DJ: Make your own mixes!
4. Stick a smile on your face.
It’s likely, if you followed the first three steps, that you’ll already be smiling. If not, stick a smile on your face anyway.
It doesn’t matter if it feels fake: Research has shown that even the most forced of smiles genuinely reduces stress and makes you happier. Does this mean you should be grinning like the Joker in the Batman comics? Well, yes, if that’s the best you can do. But something a bit more relaxed might be less alarming to co-workers.
5. Express a positive mood.
When most people are asked social greetings–questions such as “How are you?” or “What’s up?”–they typically say something neutral (“I’m OK”) or negative, like “Hangin’ in there.” That kind of talk programs your brain for failure.
Instead, if anyone inquires, say something positive and enthusiastic, like: “Fantastic!” or “I’m having a wonderful day!” It’s true that there are some people whom this annoys–but these are people you should be avoiding anyway.
Our society places a premium on intelligence. While we’re in school, we have it drummed into our heads that book learning and a high IQ are the necessary tools for success. Honors and attention are bestowed on the academic achievers while the majority of the people are relegated to the ever inflating ‘average’ tag. When we finally get out into the real world, it doesn’t take long to notice that being an academic high flyer doesn’t necessarily guarantee a successful or happy life.
So fine, grades and diplomas don’t guarantee success and we all know other people who weren’t the best students in school but who have found great success in their chosen career and have a wide circle of valued friends and acquaintances. We’ve all met highly intelligent people who have limited social skills. Why is this? Is something else at play?
Researchers have studied this paradox and in the past decade have begun to question the correlation between IQ, success, and happiness. They’ve found another type of intelligence, one that has to do with emotions, may be a more important determiner of overall success in life.
IQ vs. EQ
The term “emotional intelligence” first received widespread attention in a 1995 best-selling book by psychologist Daniel Goldman titled Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, understand and manage your emotions and the emotions of others.
