The Journal of PLoS Computational Biology finds that obesity is contagious among friends. In short, says the study, the more obese people you have contact with, the more obese you are likely to become.
Researchers admit they’re not sure why that is.
Wouldn’t it make sense that we are partly a function of our environment, and that what our friends do influences what we do?
If that is true, consider what else might be contagious:
Success. Napoleon Hill famously recommended being part of a mastermind alliance of like-minded people committed to success.
Character. As the old saw goes, when you lie down with dogs you get fleas. Maybe if you hang out with angels you’ll get a halo.
Energy. What is the energy in your workplace like? I’ve found I can catch energy from my colleagues and, when I speak, my audiences (and vice versa).
Are you contagious? What are others catching from you…and you from them?
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Team Leadership: Problem or Solution
Being a team leader is tough. You must balance the needs of the organization with the needs of the team members. You coach, counsel and develop. You mediate conflicts of personality and performance.
In short, you’re either the solution or the problem.
Whether you inherited your team (most likely) or chose the members yourself, you as team leader are responsible for making the team work.
While it is tempting to blame the team (“they didn’t work together” or “she is the real problem”) you need to realize that YOU are responsible for getting them work together and for dealing with whoever is problematic.
Do as much correctly as you can and you’ll avoid many problems. Practice the basics of good team building. But when you see a problem, seek a solution and make sure the problem is addressed rather than ignored.
Team leadership is about taking responsibility. Once you get past blames and excuses, you can do the difficult but important work of a team leader.
Take responsibility for being the solution
In short, you’re either the solution or the problem.
Whether you inherited your team (most likely) or chose the members yourself, you as team leader are responsible for making the team work.
While it is tempting to blame the team (“they didn’t work together” or “she is the real problem”) you need to realize that YOU are responsible for getting them work together and for dealing with whoever is problematic.
Do as much correctly as you can and you’ll avoid many problems. Practice the basics of good team building. But when you see a problem, seek a solution and make sure the problem is addressed rather than ignored.
Team leadership is about taking responsibility. Once you get past blames and excuses, you can do the difficult but important work of a team leader.
Take responsibility for being the solution
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Value of Your IPO
LinkedIn, the popular social-networking site, went public May 19 with shares for its initial public offering priced at $45 each. That put the company’s value at around $4.3 billion. Before noon on the day of the IPO, the stock price had climbed as high as $92.99 a share.
So what’s a share of LinkedIn really worth?
Whatever someone’s willing to pay for it.
LinkedIn spent about eight years building its value as a company, then tested that value when it went public.
Like all companies, how well it holds its value over time remains to be seen. But as individuals trying to define and achieve success, the best place to start is like a company working toward a successful IPO — by building our value.
If your core values are rock solid, if you produce outcomes that other people value, and if you value other people, then you’ll find yourself positioned to prosper regardless of the circumstances around you.
For instance, if you are always involved in important projects within your organization, you’re providing value that can’t be ignored. When times are good, you’ll see the rewards (probably in higher pay and/or fast-track promotions). When times are bad and your organization or your customers are cutting back, you’ll find yourself on the “can’t cut” list. The opposite? You’ll be like those “nonessential government workers” you read about when Congress can’t settle on a budget — the first to get laid off.
Have you checked with your employer lately to see what he or she values in your work? Have you asked that person how you might increase your value to the organization? You ask the same question of clients and customers. None of us are irreplaceable, but all of us can produce value that sets us up for success.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or for ordering information. Visit my website for more resources.
So what’s a share of LinkedIn really worth?
Whatever someone’s willing to pay for it.
LinkedIn spent about eight years building its value as a company, then tested that value when it went public.
Like all companies, how well it holds its value over time remains to be seen. But as individuals trying to define and achieve success, the best place to start is like a company working toward a successful IPO — by building our value.
If your core values are rock solid, if you produce outcomes that other people value, and if you value other people, then you’ll find yourself positioned to prosper regardless of the circumstances around you.
For instance, if you are always involved in important projects within your organization, you’re providing value that can’t be ignored. When times are good, you’ll see the rewards (probably in higher pay and/or fast-track promotions). When times are bad and your organization or your customers are cutting back, you’ll find yourself on the “can’t cut” list. The opposite? You’ll be like those “nonessential government workers” you read about when Congress can’t settle on a budget — the first to get laid off.
Have you checked with your employer lately to see what he or she values in your work? Have you asked that person how you might increase your value to the organization? You ask the same question of clients and customers. None of us are irreplaceable, but all of us can produce value that sets us up for success.
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book or for ordering information. Visit my website for more resources.
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Dance of Connections
Ever dance the tango?
For novices, it can intimidate with its seemingly complicated precision and timing that moves a couple in a graceful but formal and crisp flow around a dance floor. It only takes one lesson, however, to learn the basic steps. It takes lots of practice to become great at the tango, but only 30 or so minutes to learn enough to survive it.
Two things I know about how to make the tango look good: One, the male lead must provide a strong upper-body frame, especially with his right arm. Two, the couple takes the basic steps belly-to-belly.
If we want to succeed regardless of the external circumstances around us, we can learn a few things from the tango, because the tango is all about a creating a relationship — a connection — that achieves its objective (grace, style, pizzazz, all within a prescribed structure).
It starts with support: a strong frame. In other words, how are you supporting the people who are important to you (friends, family, co-workers, customers, etc.)? Do you give them something they can hold tightly and with confidence? Do you lead with authority and confidence? Do you move them without aggressive force or pressure?
Next, it requires closeness. You might not want to be belly-to-belly with everyone in your life, but you want to create trust and appropriate levels of transparency. You want to be approachable, even in more formal relationships. You want to connect in non-physical ways.
Creating and caring for the connections in your life prepares you for success regardless of the circumstances that come your way. I cover more of the basics for doing that in Up, Down, or Sideways, because I’ve learned that the basic steps become the foundation for a truly remarkable dance.
Do you know anybody who could benefit from “dance lessons” when it comes to making and keeping connections? How well do the people on your team interact with customers and vendors? With each other? And do you have any room for improvement?
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book.
For novices, it can intimidate with its seemingly complicated precision and timing that moves a couple in a graceful but formal and crisp flow around a dance floor. It only takes one lesson, however, to learn the basic steps. It takes lots of practice to become great at the tango, but only 30 or so minutes to learn enough to survive it.
Two things I know about how to make the tango look good: One, the male lead must provide a strong upper-body frame, especially with his right arm. Two, the couple takes the basic steps belly-to-belly.
If we want to succeed regardless of the external circumstances around us, we can learn a few things from the tango, because the tango is all about a creating a relationship — a connection — that achieves its objective (grace, style, pizzazz, all within a prescribed structure).
It starts with support: a strong frame. In other words, how are you supporting the people who are important to you (friends, family, co-workers, customers, etc.)? Do you give them something they can hold tightly and with confidence? Do you lead with authority and confidence? Do you move them without aggressive force or pressure?
Next, it requires closeness. You might not want to be belly-to-belly with everyone in your life, but you want to create trust and appropriate levels of transparency. You want to be approachable, even in more formal relationships. You want to connect in non-physical ways.
Creating and caring for the connections in your life prepares you for success regardless of the circumstances that come your way. I cover more of the basics for doing that in Up, Down, or Sideways, because I’ve learned that the basic steps become the foundation for a truly remarkable dance.
Do you know anybody who could benefit from “dance lessons” when it comes to making and keeping connections? How well do the people on your team interact with customers and vendors? With each other? And do you have any room for improvement?
This blog is based on content in my latest book, Up, Down, Or Sideways. It is available wherever you buy great books. Click here to learn more about the book.
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