How To ‘Thrive In An Unpredictable Economy’

by Bright Osadiaye, posted in Health & Well-Being, Improve Academy, Leadership, Management, Personal Development, Workplace Learning
Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.com

Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow? No one knows what is going to happen in the future.

But we can get to work. Because tomorrow starts today, right now. If we want the future to be better, we have got to be better.

‘Attitude is key. If you assume everything, even a problem, is a gift, it invariably will be.’

‘Before beginning anything new, ask yourself this: ‘Is this something I really want to do?’

‘Failing is an important part of the act. Learn. Build. Repeat. model. Unfortunately.’

‘Mistakes are simply part of the learning process. The ‘secret’ is to make sure that they don’t cost you too much and that you do, in fact, learn from each one and build that learning into the next step you take.’

‘You need to put your thoughts into action to see if you are right about there being a potential audience/customer for your idea (and learn what you need to change if there is not). Thinking by itself doesn’t accomplish anything.‘

‘What if you can’t come up with an idea to get yourself started? The place most people begin is by asking, ‘What am I good at?’

‘The people who are best at dealing with uncertainty are serial entrepreneurs.’

‘If you aren’t spending at least six hours a week- about an hour a day- preparing for your next career, you run the risk of falling behind. Start today.’

‘Instead of searching for the perfect job, why not create it?

‘There is a proven path for dealing with uncertainty: proceeds as proven entrepreneurs do. After all, there is nothing more uncertain than starting a business, and these people have done it successfully. What has worked for them will work for you.’

Source:

Paul B. Brown (2014). Own Your Future: How to Think Like An Entrepreneur and Thrive in an Unpredictable Economy

Why Leading With Gratitude Is More Important Than Ever

by Bright Osadiaye, posted in Health & Well-Being, Improve Academy, Leadership, Management, Personal Development, Workplace Learning
Photo by alleksana on Pexels.com

Gratitude is not a strategy. It is a way of life. It is how you see the world around you. It is how you see yourself. It is how you do your work. It is how you treat people. It is how you face challenges. Above all, gratitude is a way of saying, ‘Life is great, no matter what!’

According to Adrian and Chester, ‘A lack of gratitude is a form of stupidity. It leaves on the table an enormously powerful tool not only to inspire people to reach their potential, but to actually better understand the true nature of their contributions.’

‘Developing genuine gratitude involves carefully observing what employees are doing, walking in their shoes, developing greater empathy, and sincerely trying to understand the challenges they face.’

‘Developing respect is about helping others grow and supporting people who make honest mistakes. It includes sharing the credit and absorbing blame when needed.’

‘When the right behaviors are in place, there is little time spent in fear.’

‘… gratitude provides clarity about whether the work they are doing is correct, valued by the boss or others, and making a significant contribution to the business.’

‘Expressing authentic gratitude is about much more than what a leader says, or even how she says it- it’s about why she says it.’

‘If employees are afraid of punitive actions, they are more likely to try to cover up problems.’

‘Leaders who develop empathy for others are great enablers of authentic gratitude.’

‘Creativity requires trust. Cultures of low trust, where managers react badly to failure, create too negative an environment for productivity and innovation to flow.’

‘Avoid the over-ask- especting too much from employees by asking for ideas that are out of their purview or asking too many questions at once.’

Source:

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton (2020). Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results