How Optimism Can Hurt Your Team

For managers, optimism may seem like a great trait to have: A boss with a can-do attitude motivates others and makes them feel good. But there’s a downside too. An excessively positive outlook on a tough project may give the impression that you think the work is easy and doesn’t require any struggle. And, when you aren’t concerned about or dismiss the problems your team faces, it leaves others to worry about those risks. You might also send the message that mistakes and failure are not an option because the work should be a breeze. Wise managers know that missteps are inevitable, and that failure is just the price of creativity. So next time you want to ask your team, “How hard can it be?” reconsider whether you’re being overly optimistic. 

Adapted from :

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/05/your_optimism_might_be_stifling_your_team.html

 

8 words you must avoid when you are selling

Over the two years, I've read hundreds of sales messages and heard dozens of sales presentations. 

Probably 90 percent of them are full of words that are both trite and ineffective. 

Here are the worst offenders:

1. "Exciting"

There is no word more boring than the word "exciting."  Claiming that something is "exciting" tells everybody that it's not. Instead, find something about your offering that actually excites the customer's interest.

2. "Innovative"

Same here.  I can't remember ever hearing Apple claim to be innovative; they just are.  That's true of every company that actually innovates.  For them, it's just normal everyday behavior. They don't have to point it out.

3. "Discount"

Let's leave this tired old term back in the world where "But, wait! There's more!" is state-of-the-art sales patter.  Look, your stuff has a price and maybe you've got some flexibility. But offering a "discount"?  How cheesy.

4. "Guarantee"

Everyone in the world who has an ounce of sense knows that a "guarantee" means absolutely nothing. "Guarantee" is just the word that people use when they're too chicken to use a word that has some real legal muscle, i.e. "warrantee."

5. "Honestly"

When this word comes out of your mouth, it makes everything else you've said so far seem like you were probably lying.  Same thing goes for starting a sentence with "To tell the truth,..." Say whut? You've been BSing up until now?

6. "Collaborate"

How did this dreadful word get into the business vocabulary, anyway? Yes, you've got to work together with people to get stuff done, but "collaborate"?  Hey, that's what the Vichy France did with the Nazis.

7. "Opportunity"

This is the classic case of a word that sounds positive but carries a huge load of "it's all about me."  Calling any sales situation an "opportunity" is telling the customer that you're all about closing the deal.  Just like any other opportunist.

8. "Quota"

On what planet does a customer care whether you make your numbers?  Selling is all about helping the customer make the best decision...for the customer.  When you're selling, your quota should be the farthest thing from your mind.

Courtesy:

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/8-words-to-avoid-when-selling.html

Common nonverbal mistakes made at a job interview

                     BANANA TOFFEE

 

       Ingredients:

•  Flour (all purpose)

• Corn flour

• Banana

• Oil

• Sugar 

• Sesame Seeds 

   

  Direction:

  

  Take half cup of flour,four tb spoons of corn flour and mix them with little water.You can also add half spoon of oil and salt(according to taste) in the batter.
  Take two ripe bananas,peel the bananas and slice each 1 into 4 pieces.Now you dip the pieces into the batter and leave them into the hot oil,fry them until the pieces turn golden.
  
  

  

  Now take one cup of sugar and start to caramelized.When it bocome brown put all the fried bananas into the caramelized sugar and spread sesame seeds.
  Remove the bananas from the pan and dip them quickly in a bowl iced water,now it becomes banana toffee from fried banana.Now its ready to serve.Enjoy this crunchy banana with ice cream.

5 Ways To Buff It Up Like Hrithik Roshan

With looks that could kill and an enviable body, Hrithik Roshan is the most desirable man of Bollywood. Want a smoking hot body like Hrithik? 

Follow these steps:

Exercise: Cardio! Cardio! Cardio! Cardio exercises thrice a week will do wonders! To build thighs and arms like Hrithik, wake up early in the morning and go for a jog to the nearest park or run on the treadmill. Want six pack abs like Hrithik? Here is your answer: 200 crunches every single day! Consult your trainer and change your work out regime every week. Plunging into the swimming pool twice a week will guarantee flexibility. If you have joint the gym recently, do not work out for more than an hour. The key is to burn the excess fat in your body and build healthy muscle through responsible weight training. ProTip: Do not OVEREXERCISE!

Eat healthy: Eat within forty five minutes of heavy weight training for quicker results. Ensure that your breakfast is heavy! The ideal breakfast consists of four egg whites, two slices of brown bread, protein shake, corn flakes with milk and an assorted fruit platter. Include green vegetables in your lunch along with one non vegetarian dish. Also, including a nutritious salad in the meal will balance your meal. Avoid eating anything but a fruit or a salad for an evening snack. For dinner, keep it light. Graze on some veggies and protein. Always remember, do not overindulge!

Zero deprivation: Who said you need to diet to achieve a smoking hot body like Hrithik’s? Avoid starving yourself please! Avoiding too much salt and sugar in your meals will eliminate excess calories and bloating. Also, do not visit the gym everyday, take a break on the weekends and explore the outdoors. Avoid use of food supplements or steroids. Smoking and alcohol is a strict no-no!

Sleep: Waking up early in the morning is a must! After an hour of heavy workout, a short nap can work wonders. Sleep allows the body to repair the damage it endures during strenuous exerise. 

Drink: Drink plenty of water throughout the day! A minimum of two litres per day need to be consumed in order to compensate loss of fluid through sweating. You need to keep your body adequately hydrated at all times. Dehydration is the last obstacle you want to face while working on your body.

Keep Innovation Jams Small and Focused

Bringing together people from different backgrounds to creatively brainstorm a problem — otherwise known as "jamming" – has become a popular way to unearth new ideas. Although the process is widely hyped, many companies struggle to make it work. Here are three rules of thumb to help:

• Let participants choose.
  It's a mistake to assign people to a challenge. You'll see much more creative energy if you let participants decide which problems to work on.
  
• Keep the team small.
  Don't let everyone get involved. Instead, create teams of no more than four. This size affords diversity but also allows the team to engage quickly.
  
• Clearly define the problem.
  Make sure everyone understands the business, technological, and other challenges involved so each team member isn't trying to solve a different problem.
  
  For more, please click the link below:
  
  http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/01/learning_how_to_jam.html?cm_mmc=email-_-newsletter-_-management_tip-_-tip042213&referral=00203&utm_source=newsletter_management_tip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tip042213

Weird Ways to Make Work Wonderful

Every leader in every company struggles with ways to make work more engaging. It's always hard to find great people and is vital to keep them, since internal hires tend to be more successful than external ones. So once you've handed out the employee of the week/month/year badges, what can you do to enliven the daily grind? Here are some ideas:

 

Encourage creativity. Creative people get ideas by watching what other creative people make. That means they are productive to the degree that they have the time and opportunity to have a life. SHIFT Communications reimburses each employee $100 per year when they attend Broadway shows, sporting adventures or go to the opera. It's a great way of making sure no one gets stale; creativity feeds on creativity. And companies don't have idea -- people do.

Meeting-free days. Incessant meetings are the one reason invariably given when people explain why they left their jobs to work for themselves. So reward employees with one day a week when there won't be any meetings. Mondays are popular choices because everyone can start the week by being productive; other companies prefer Fridays because people leave feeling their work has been finished and they're free for the weekend. Whichever you prefer - it costs nothing and gains a lot.

Productivity software maker Do.com (recently acquired by Salesforce.com) goes one step further: It has no meetings at all -- just a show-and-tell session on Mondays. That's it. The company also provides a catered lunch four days a week and a staff-built jukebox with everyone's favorite tunes. 

Get to know everyone. At financial tracking site Credit Karma, employees come from all over the U.S. but need to get to know one another. To foster a sense of camaraderie, the company hosts weekly game nights with computer and board games, and also hosts movie nights. That means people get to know each other well beyond the transactional relationships that work normally develops. These events aren't hugely expensive, but the head of talent at the company, Ragini Parma, says they make all the difference.

Vacation together. Tech firm ZeroTurnaround took its employees on vacation to Crete for a week last September. Employees from Boston, Prague and Estonia spent a week working in a villa overlooking the Mediterranean, and they now know each other pretty well. Tech recruitment firm Eliassen Group takes everyone in the company -- and their immediate families -- on a cruise if they meet their annual targets. The operative principle: The company's success depends on employees helping each other. 

Hold a "bring your pet to work" day.
I can't quite explain pet passion, but if my Facebook page is anything to go by people love their pets beyond reason. I'm not sure a lot of work gets done in companies that host such events, but I feel pretty sure employee engagement and communication improves -- as long as there aren't too many dog fights.

For more, please read this link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57587378/weird-ways-to-make-work-wonderful/?tag=nl.e857&s_cid=e857&ttag=e857

Give a Meaningful Apology

Did you snap at a colleague who didn't get her work done? Or did you miss an important deadline, messing up a coworker's project timeline? When your mistake affects someone else, here's how to make amends:

• Admit that you were wrong.
  Own up to what you did — or failed to do.
  
• Show you understand the repercussions.
  Don't assume you know what your coworker feels or thinks, but acknowledge that you know you've negatively affected him.
  
• Tell her what you will do differently.
  Reassure her that you won't behave the same way in the future. Be specific about what you will change.

Choose Connection Over Conflict

It feels good to win an argument. But in every fight there's a loser too, and your counterpart may leave the discussion feeling discouraged and disengaged. Instead of combating, try connecting:

• Set rules of engagement.
  If you're heading into a meeting that could get testy, outline rules to make it a productive, inclusive conversation. For example, make sure everyone has enough time to explain ideas without being interrupted.
  
• Listen with empathy.
  Make a conscious effort to speak less and listen more. The more you learn about other peoples' perspectives, the more empathy you'll feel.
  
• Plan who speaks.
  In situations when you know one person is likely to dominate (that may be you!), make sure everyone is able to speak. Identify who in the room has important information or perspectives to share. List them on a flip chart and use that as your agenda.

 

Men Are Most Attractive With 'Heavy Stubble'

A 10-day beard is the sexiest facial hair combination for men, according to a new study.
Personally, I agree. But, let's see what science says, from Science Magazine:

Researchers photographed 10 men at four stages of beard growth: clean shaven, 5-day "light" stubble, 10-day "heavy" stubble (shown), and fully bearded. Three hundred and fifty-one women and 177 heterosexual men viewed the photos and rated each face for attractiveness, masculinity, health, and parenting ability. 

Women ranked heavily stubbled faces as the most attractive. Participants said that the clean-shaven men looked about as healthy and attractive as those with a full beard, but rated the bearded men higher for perceived parenting skills. Light stubble got the short end of the stick, garnering low scores across the board from both men and women

The study was published in the May issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. Here is a sample picture of one of the participants. The researchers said that a light beard may be too patchy to really get the manly effect through, while a full beard gives the impression of macho aggressiveness:

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/men-attractive-with-heavy-stubble-2013-4#ixzz2RrQe3QZE

How to become influenced

Influence is a funny thing. Once it required leaping through certain hoops: Winning political office, say, or starting a large business. But technology democratizes anything it touches, and now, thanks to social media, you can have followers even if you haven't done the sorts of things (like starting a major religion) that won you "followers" in the past.

I was thinking about this while reading the recent Inc cover story on Tim Ferriss, whose 4-Hour Workweek empire has turned him into the ultimate Silicon Valley lifestyle guru. Then there's Suze Orman and a host of other personal finance gurus, whose advice is very similar, but whose personalities are all outsized enough to win them followers and fans.

How can you build up the sort of influence that opens career doors for you?

There's luck involved, of course, and a lot of hard work -- more, alas, than 4 hours per week. But here are a few ideas that seem to help.

1. Define your brand. Gurus need a topic. After all, few people become gurus in multiple unrelated areas. Anne Lamott writes fascinating fiction, but it's her writing on religion that gets her invited to churches -- which then become packed with adoring fans. What topic can you own? Ideally, it's one that's broad, but not too crowded with other gurus. Though even if it is, you can carve out your own niche (money for millennials; time management for entrepreneurs; fitness for the 50+ set).

2. Spin a good story. You don't need a degree in your guru area, but you do need some reason that people should listen to you. Often, this is a conversion story -- the sort of St. Paul on the road to Damascus narrative that humans intuitively like. I used to be awful with money, and here's what I learned! I used to work around the clock, then I figured out how to outsource everything!

• The secret to getting enough sleep
• How to plan (when you hate to plan)
• How to take back your time

3. Go direct. Traditional media is great (see below), but even major media hits have a limited influence if you don't have a good way to capture people's information and keep them part of your world. That means spending a lot of time on social media and blogging and building your database of names and email addresses.

4. Be easy to reach ... at first. If you are quoted in one major news outlet as an expert, chances are you'll soon be quoted in another soon. Why? Because journalists often Google their story topics, and find their expert sources by seeing who other people have quoted. If your email address comes up easily in a search, you'll get on the contact list fast. The more media mentions you get, the more credibility you have. After all, once you're quoted in, say, CBS MoneyWatch as a financial guru, it's not just you calling yourself a financial expert. It's a trusted source. Of course, after you get famous enough, you can be a little harder to reach, to build mystique. But in the beginning, it helps a lot.

5. Network like crazy. Influence is best shared. If influential people write or talk about you, some of that influence rubs off on you, which you can then share with others. Oprah has launched gurus in just about every major category (Nate Berkus in design, Peter Walsh in organizing, etc.) but usually it's a result of multiple influential people giving someone a nod. Do what you can to be interesting enough to get on the radar of the right people -- and the effect will start to multiply.