Help Your Kids Find a Career They’ll Love

Help Your Kids Find a Career They’ll Love

 

It’s hard to advise your kids on how careers work today, let alone how to get a great job.

 We all want to set our kids up for self-sufficiency and meaning, so what’s the best way to help them with their careers?

 Begin by telling them that early on they’ll be valued more for their potential than their experience.

 They should try out as many kinds of jobs as possible to see what they’re good at.

 Later, in their middle to late twenties, they should figure out how they enjoy working:

 In a small company? In a competitive environment? For long hours, but more pay? 

Help them think through the trade-offs they’ll have to make.

 And let them know that their career will likely follow a winding path.

 There’s no right answer for what careers should look like, and they don’t have to worry about following in your footsteps. 

Know Whether You’re a Conflict Avoider or a Conflict Seeke

Know Whether You’re a Conflict Avoider or a Conflict Seeker

 

Most of us either shy away from conflict or seek it out. It’s important to know what you tend to dobefore getting into a heated debate, so that you’ll be able to adjust your approach depending on the situation at hand. Ask yourself some of these questions about your current and previous relationship with conflict to develop stronger self-awareness:

• Thinking about the past, were you always more of a fighter? Or did you tend to accommodate others?
• Look back over particular moments of conflict early in your life or career – were you rewarded or punished for your approach?
• When you think about conflict now, do you get a pit in your stomach and feel like fleeing? Or does your heart race and you feel the urge to jump in?
• The last time tensions got high with someone at work or at home, how did you react?

Focus on Persuading Employees, Not Directing Them

Focus on Persuading Employees, Not Directing Them

 

We often believe that the most effective way to manage is to directly tell people what to do.

 But this doesn’t inspire much enthusiasm because no one wants another task they have to do

. People want to be called to do something greater.

 So instead of directing your team, aspire to inspire them.

 This shifts their response from “I have to” to “I want to.”

 There are opportunities to do this every day: when you want to empower someone to own a project, when you want feedback to stick, when you’re communicating change, etc.

 To direct less and persuade more, focus on appealing to someone’s emotions.

 If you’re trying to motivate an employee to improve his performance, for example, speak to his future using an emotionally compelling story:

 “Someone in engineering once spearheaded a similarly wild idea – and the risk paid off. This is something I see you doing too.” 

Discuss Raises and Performance Reviews Separately

Discuss Raises and Performance Reviews Separately   Many employees ask for a raise during their performance review meetings.  If possible, you want to keep this discussion separate.  Performance and compensation are significant enough on their own, so it’s usually not ideal to mix the two.  So if your direct report raises the question, thank him for bringing it up and promise to get back to him by a specific date.  Take time to fairly assess whether an increase in pay is appropriate.  . When you do talk about it, explain that a person’s salary is determined by 2  things: (a) the value of the job to the organization and  (b) the quality of the individual’s performance.  Ask him  / her  to consider both factors, examining both (a) how the job can be made more valuable to the company and (b) how his performance can be improved.  What additional duties could he/she  take on?  How much extra responsibility could he assume?

To Get People’s Attention, Cut to the Chase

August 17, 2015   To Get People’s Attention, Cut to the Chase   With people being constantly bombarded with requests, it can be tough to get your colleagues’ attention. That’s why it’s important to cut to the chase about what you need someone to do, when, and why. Whether you’re sending an email, making a presentation, or talking to your boss: Start with what you want. Provide the most important information up front and ask for what you need. “John, I need your advice about the product launch.“ Set the scene. Provide just enough context so the audience can follow along. “To refresh your memory, the event we have planned is...” Explain the reason. What prompted you to deliver the message? “We need to figure out how to motivate the vendor to meet marketing’s deadline.” Connect to the big picture. Why should your audience care? “This is a critical step toward meeting our unit’s goal of 65% customer retention.”

Showing Compassion Can Help Employees Learn from Mistakes

Showing Compassion Can Help Employees Learn from Mistakes

 

It can be frustrating when an employee is not performing well or makes a mistake. But instead of expressing your stress and anger and reprimanding the person, a better approach is to show compassion and curiosity. Suspending judgment, taking time to understand what happened, and coaching the employee for the future will build loyalty and trust, which can then turn around performance. An angry response, on the other hand, erodes loyalty and trust and inhibits creativity by jacking up the employee's stress levels. So first, get a handle on your emotions. Take time to reflect on how you're feeling so you can give a more thoughtful, reasonable, and discerned response. You want to see the situation with more detachment. Then put yourself in your employee's shoes. Try to empathize with him or her. Empathy, of course, helps you forgive. And forgiveness strengthens your relationship with your employee by promoting loyalty.

Help Your Employees Learn From One Another

Help Your Employees Learn From Each Other

Analysts estimate that Fortune 500 companies lose a combined $31.5 billion per year from employees failing to share knowledge. Here’s how to keep people from recreating the wheel, repeating others’ mistakes, or wasting time searching for specialized information:

• Create a designated space for vicarious learning. Having a common space that individuals recognize as the gathering place for ideas and experiences lays the foundation for sharing knowledge.
• License and endorse vicarious learning. Leaders should be encouraging employees to seek and share experiences often. This gives individuals license to seek out what they need to learn, without fear that they’re being intrusive or that it will make them look bad.
• Plant starter seeds for vicarious learning. Set aside time at the beginning of meetings for people to discuss challenges and problem solve together. Or schedule a team breakfast or happy hour where employees can chat freely.

( social research ) Can You Name a CEO? A Lot of People Can’t, 50% of them !

Social Research 
Can You Name a CEO? A Lot of People Can’t, 50% of them ! 

Research Fact 

A new survey of the general public in 10 large countries found that almost 50% of people polled said they couldn’t name a single CEO!! 
 This was just one finding from a survey conducted by public relations firm Edelman and published on the eve of the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos last week.

Why  ?
 The survey highlights a widening gap in trust in institutions between approving elites and a skeptical general public, according to Edelman.

Combile ur maths skills & social skills

Workplace research

Research Fact

Between 1980 and 2012, the number of workplace tasks requiring social skills jumped 24%, those requiring math skills rose just 11%, and tasks requiring routine skills have steadily declined.
What does it mean ?
 While this may seem to indicate that you should focus a little less on math, that’s not necessarily the case.
 As Nicole Torres writes on HBR.org in her roundup of the research, people with BOTH social and math skills tend to be winners in today's job market.
 But ultimately, having social skills allows a person to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances at work, which is a huge advantage – until computers get good at that, too !

Courtesy :  Harvard Graduate School of Education associate professor David Deming.

"Successful Bosses Act Quickly to Reward Good Work ! "

"Successful Bosses Act Quickly to Reward Good Work ! "

One simple action can dramatically increase any manager’s success in gaining the support and engagement of employees: recognizing great work.

That means calling out excellent accomplishments by your employees right away—and doing so in consistent and regular increments.

A handwritten note trumps an email.

Public recognition in a meeting or peer group makes people feel even more appreciated.

And an award presented in a public setting is most effective in conveying a sense of a good job properly acknowledged.

Not only does recognition have a powerful effect on those being called out, it also has a motivating impact on peers who see great work being rewarded.

Courtesy : HBR

"Stop Second-Guessing Your Decisions

Decision Making 

"Stop Second-Guessing Your Decisions " 

Do you find yourself revisiting every decision you make, agonizing over whether it really was the right one? 
While everyone has doubts, second-guessing yourself too often can affect your leadership— and the perception of your leadership among other people.

 If you aren’t initially feeling confident about a chosen path, don’t discount where your intuition has led you. Try keeping a journal of recent decisions. 
Hopefully, you’ll find that your intuition has led you in the right direction over time and that even when you made mistakes, they were easily corrected. 
Another powerful way to stop questioning a decision in the moment is to make a plan to formally review it at a later date.
 It could be in a few weeks, or a few months — whatever feels appropriate. Add a reminder to your calendar and follow through.

" If You Disagree with Someone, Try Listening, Not Arguing !

Conflicts

" If You Disagree with Someone, Try Listening, Not Arguing ! "

We often try to persuade others through argument.
But arguing does not change minds – if anything, it makes people more intransigent.

It turns out that listening is far more persuasive than speaking.
 When you’re silent you can better pick up on what’s NOT being said – cues that signal how someone is feeling (is the person upset about something and that’s why he’s not willing to hear you out right now?) and help you figure out how to respond.

Because words can so often get in the way, silence can help you make these connections

 Next time you disagree with others, put your opinions away and try just listening.
 Let them speak into the silence and listen for the truth behind their words.
 Then acknowledge what you’ve heard (which is, most likely, more than has been said) and, once the others feel seen and heard, offer your view.

How to make most of your business travel

How to make most of your business travel

Many professionals spend a lot of time traveling. But work doesn’t stop just because you’re in transit. Here’s how to accomplish more from the road:

    Engage in professional development by listening to podcasts.
    Use airport lounges to make short phone calls. Keep a “to-call” list, so you can cluster calls and bang them out in a row.
    Download necessary files to your computer ahead of time, in case you have spotty Wi-Fi. A lack of internet access might actually help you focus on the work you need to get done.
    Set aside some travel time for “strategic renewal” – do some pleasure reading or take a nap. Taking some downtime from work will enable you to be sharper when you get back down to business.

Help Your Team Stop Fearing Data

Help Your Team Stop Fearing Data

 

Data is permeating the nooks and crannies of every industry, which understandably makes many people nervous about their jobs, teams, and companies.

 Fear can paralyze both teams and individuals, so good managers don’t allow it to fester. To help your team stop fearing data, start by reading and studying. 

Find books and news articles that are relevant to your industry. 

 

Next, practice using data. Pick something that interests you, then gather some data on it. 

Create simple plots, compute some statistics, and ask yourself what the data means. 

As your knowledge grows, push forward. 

 

Dig into other data sets, learn the difference between causation and correlation, and share what you find with your team. 

Finally, bring data into your daily work. Challenge your team to gather all relevant facts when making decisions. Using data in your everyday routines will help everyone feel more comfortable with it.

Buying Lower-Quality Goods in a Recession Contributes to Unemployment

Economy
Research Fact :
Buying Lower-Quality Goods in a Recession Contributes to Unemployment


During a recession, consumers trade down in the quality of the goods and services they buy — and because lower-quality products are generally LESS labor-intensive, this trading down reduces the demand for labor and increases unemployment.

 Researchers' calculations suggest -  that 22 to 36% (depending on the measure of quality used and the data set) of the decline in employment during the 2007–2012 period ( The U.S.& world over ) is accounted for by consumers trading down in the quality of the goods and services they bought.

Courtesy :   a study by Nir Jaimovich at the University of Southern California and Sergio Rebelo and Arlene Wong at Northwestern University.

" Know How to Hire the Right Salespeople "

HR / Hiring


" Know How to Hire the Right Salespeople "

Most companies spend more on hiring in sales than they do in any other part of the organization.

 With an average annual turnover rate of 25 to 30%, and direct replacement costs ranging from $75,000 to $300,000, there’s a big opportunity for improvement.

Here are a few places to start:

(1)    Focus on behaviors.

 A primary cause of turnover is poor job fit.
 Consider ramping up assessment tools, simulations, and interviewing techniques to help identify the right people.
 Or, try temporary positions to assess people on the job before offering a full-time position.

(2)    Be clear about the relevant “experience” needed.
 Make sure that a candidate’s previous experience really aligns with your own market, geography, culture, customer groups, and technologies.

(3)    Conduct on-going talent assessments.
Salespeople need to constantly adapt their own skills to changing markets and buyer motivations, and managers need to vigilantly track those skills.

Racial Discrimination in house rentals

Racial Discrimination in house rentals

( Same here, in Hyderabad, India, Dude ! Muslims don't let out houses to Hindus, and Hindus won't , to Muslims and Christians )


Airbnb Hosts Discriminate Based on Name

Research Fact
Airbnbguests with distinctively African American names are roughly 16% less likely to have their rental requests accepted than guests with distinctively white names .

 The difference persists whether the host is African American, white, male, or female; whether they share the property with the guest or not; and whether the property is cheap or expensive.

 This discrimination is costly for those who do it: hosts who reject African American guests are able to find a replacement guest only 35% of the time.
 While having more information about users is intended to facilitate Airbnb transactions and build trust among users, it can also facilitate discrimination, the researchers caution !

Courtesy :  a field expriment by Benjamin Edelman, Michael Luca, and Dan Svirsky at Harvard Business School.

" In Publishing, the Shift to Mobile Brings Lower Revenue "

Digital Marketing

" In Publishing, the Shift to Mobile Brings Lower Revenue "

Research Fact

Although publishers are seeing dramatic growth in phone and tablet audiences, ad income from those devices has been elusive, according to the Wall Street Journal.

 For example, more than half of visits to the New York Times Company’s web sites now come from mobile users, but the associated revenue constituted only 15% of the company’s digital ad revenue in the second quarter of 2015.

Advertisers balk at buying ads on mobile devices, in part because mechanisms for targeting customers work more poorly on smartphones and tablets than on desktops, the Journal says.

Build Your Capacity for Empathizing With Others

Build Your Capacity for Empathizing With Others

 

Understanding people’s wants and needs is essential to winning them over. Whether you’re persuading someone to buy your product, getting your team on board with a new way of working, or asking investors to fund you, your success depends on having empathy for what matters to other people. How can you build your capacity for empathy? Try visualizing stakeholders’ perspectives. Think about the important moments in their decision-making process – especially the emotionally charged ones – and consider how you can address their concerns. Listen carefully to the stakeholders and make sure you understand what’s being said. When people feel listened to, they become more receptive to your message. Best of all, empathizing with other people can help them empathize with you in return, laying the groundwork for a lasting relationship. 

" Think of Your Next Presentation as a Performance "

Presentation Skills 

" Think of Your Next Presentation as a Performance " 

Whether you’re giving a presentation in a conference room or telling jokes in a comedy club, storytelling is the best way to keep your audience hooked.
 Keep these tips in mind to make your next presentation more engaging:

(1) Take a bar exam. 
Imagine you’re in a noisy bar with only napkin drawings to tell your story. If you can make it work there, you can make it work anywhere.

(2) Be immediately interesting. 
Your first line or two sets the tone for the whole presentation.

(3)Simplify and exaggerate. Your audience can only remember a few details, so streamline your delivery and exaggerate the main points.

(4)Close strong. 
People instinctively crave strong, simple resolutions. Refer back to your opening lines to bring the story full circle.

Want to advance in your career ? Take a MOOC !

Career Management 

Want to advance in your career ? Take a MOOC ! 

People who take Massive Online Open Courses specifically to gain tangible career benefits,namely   –
 (a) getting a raise, (b) finding a new job, or (c) starting a new business – aren’t just advantaged populations from developed countries. 

Analysis of Coursera survey data on HBR.org reveals that -while about 35% of people at the top of the socioeconomic ladder in OECD and non-OECD countries report tangible benefits, 39% and 32% of people from such countries, respectively, at the BOTTOM ( of the economic ladder) ALSO  report similar benefits !! 

 And people with lower levels of education from developing countries are MORE LIKELY to report tangible career benefits than others.

Conclusion & Recommendation 

 So while it may be true that very few people complete MOOCs, those who do can get ahead at work across levels of education and income. 

" Coworkers’ Absences Make Employees More Likely to Call in Sick"

HR / Psychology

" Coworkers’ Absences Make Employees More Likely to Call in Sick"

It’s unclear whether the motivation is imitation or revenge, but an individual employee’s absence rate rises if coworkers are absent, says a team led by Harald Dale-Olsen of the Institute for Social Research in Norway. On average, for every 1 sick day taken by colleagues, a worker will be absent 0.4 days longer than otherwise expected. In their study of Norwegian data, the researchers ruled out such possible causes as contagious diseases and the stress of increased effort on the part of nonabsent workers; instead, workers’ behavior may reflect conformity with colleagues or perhaps even retribution for absences.

The Right Prep Makes Conferences More Productive

The Right Prep Makes Conferences More Productive

Conferences are an overwhelming rush of presentations, conversations, and potential meet-ups, and it can be tough to know where to focus your time. One thing that can help is to pre-introduce yourself. A week or two before the conference, think about who you really want to get to know and then carve out time to achieve that goal. Create a “priority wish list” of people you’d like to connect with. Send them an email introducing yourself (if possible, get an intro from a mutual friend or colleague). If the person is presenting, tell her you’ll be at her session. There’s a lot of fear when presenting that no one will attend your session, so the fact that you’re making the effort will be appreciated. If the person is not presenting, invite him for coffee or see what sessions he’s excited about. Then ask, “Can we sit together?” 

" 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Taking Over a Team "

Leadership , Team Management 

" 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Taking Over a Team " 

Taking over as the leader of a team is daunting.
 Your team members are used to how their previous leader liked to do things, and adjusting their habits can be a challenge. 
But it’s important to avoid 3 common mistakes that new leaders make when trying to ease the transition:

Mistake 1 : Being a friend rather than a leader.
 Investing too much energy in befriending the team can confuse the power relationship. Most teams want clear, confident leadership.

Mistake 2 : Expressing frustration with the quality of the team.
 What team members are good at is a reflection of what the previous leader expected of them. If your expectations are different, you need to help the team make that shift.

Mistake 3 : Attempting to force trust too quickly. 
Until team members have had time to see how you handle uncomfortable topics too much candor will do more harm than good. Let trust build over time.

" Attitude of Gratitude & Accountability, do exist in the world. "

Group Psychology 
" Attitude of Gratitude & Accountability, do exist in the world. "

Research in Australia, on ' phone a friend ' option in GK Quiz on TV 

Research Fact 

" Research participants who relied on an adviser for help on a general-knowledge quiz about Brazil- perceived the adviser to be more responsible for the outcome if the quiz score ended up being HIGH and less responsible if it turned out to be LOW. 

Scales & Scores

60.07 % credit to phoned friend and they do well , and  33.83 % blame when they ended with low scores,  on a 100-point scale of perceived responsibility for the outcome !! 

Conventional notion 

It’s often assumed that people will always blame others for bad outcomes and credit themselves for success, but this and other experiments show that advisers are more likely to be held responsible for success than for failure. 

Moreover, past studies have shown that people tend to credit teammates for success while blaming themselves for failure, and that teachers tend to credit students for success while taking personal responsibility for student shortcomings.

Corollary : More goodness exists in the world than we are willing to believe ! 

Courtesy :  Research by a team led by Mauricio Palmeira of Monash University in Australia. 

To Make Your Team More Creative, Make Them (a Little) Uncomfortable

Team work / Project Management

To Make Your Team More Creative, Make Them (a Little) Uncomfortable

Fostering creativity is a priority for many companies, but there’s an often-overlooked strategy for doing it: creative discomfort.
 Whether it’s by setting big goals or discarding your standard teams for flexible collaboration, putting your employees a little on edge can break them out of their normal thought patterns and encourage original thinking.

But it’s important not to cross the line into making them too uncomfortable – or afraid.

How do you find that balance?

Start with communication.
 Make sure your employees know what’s expected of them, and get everyone’s input on new projects. Increasing employee involvement also builds trust, which will empower them to take risks.
 And make sure to review your plan for creative discomfort after your team has tried it.
 Ask what worked, what didn’t, and what can be improved and tried again.

Finally, be creative yourself: Try a variety of plans to find what works for your team.

" Get the Feedback You Need :"

Inter personal skills / career management 

" Get the Feedback You Need :" 

We all need feedback to learn and grow, but if you’re waiting for your annual review to find out how you’re performing, you’re not getting enough of it. 

How do you make sure you get the input you need, especially if your boss is stingy with advice? 

First, make sure your boss knows which kinds of feedback you want. 
Do you need appreciation or acknowledgement? 
Evaluation or general coaching? 


Next, ask for feedback in real time. If you want insight into your performance on a project, ask for it sooner rather than later. Use specific questions that won’t result in yes or no answers, such as 

“What’s one thing I could improve?” And press your manager for examples. 

A label like “You need to be more assertive” is not very helpful. 
Unpack the label by asking, “What kinds of things should I do to be more assertive going forward?” 

satisfy all 4 types of people in your next project !

Project Management 

satisfy all 4 types of people in your next project ! 

Make Sure Your Team’s Work Styles Are Balanced

As a leader, it’s important to understand your work style and the styles of your employees: (a) Prioritizers focus on goals, deadlines, and facts. 
(b) Planners ask how the project will be delivered and completed. 
(c) Arrangers want to know who the stakeholders are and who else should be involved. 
(d)Visualizers consider why the project matters and what the end of the project will look like. 

All four types of people bring a valuable perspective to the table, and companies need all four types to remain competitive. 

Realistically, your team probably won’t have a balance of all four styles, but you can bring on new members or call in outside experts to bridge the gaps. 

And if your team is heavily weighted toward one or two styles, recognize the value in balancing it. 
Work style diversity ensures you’ll have people focusing on both the big picture and the details. 

Know How to Work with Prickly Personalities

Know How to Work with Prickly Personalities

 

People with low emotional intelligence, also known as EQ, are generally harder to work with — they can be grumpier, more negative, and more erratic than average. But a few tactics can help you collaborate with a low-EQ person:

• Be gentle. Just because someone is unpleasant doesn’t mean you have to be too. In fact, you can become a calming agent for low-EQ people if you make an effort to act politely and kindly.
• Be explicit. Avoid social subtleties, or you will be misinterpreted. Low-EQ individuals are generally less capable of reading between the lines, and their ability to decode others’ intentions can be limited.
• Do not get offended. People with low EQ are blunt. They have low interpersonal sensitivity and find it hard to empathize with others, so they may come across as politically incorrect or overly direct. The key is not to take things personally.

Don’t Do Your Team’s Work for Them

Don’t Do Your Team’s Work for Them

One of the most common stumbling blocks for new managers is failing to set the right boundaries in their new job, especially around who is responsible for what. When you become a manager, your job changes from being an individual contributor to leading a team. Where once you were tasked with producing high-quality work yourself, now you have to support your team while they produce it. Making that transition isn’t easy. But even if doing everything yourself seems faster, you have to resist the urge. Managers have big-picture responsibilities, from attending staff meetings to setting budgets to assessing your team’s performance. When you do your team members’ work for them, they don’t learn anything, you don’t have time for your own work, and you set a dangerous precedent. So have a frank talk with your team about your expectations. Make sure they know you’ll support them — but their work is their own.

Giving Employees Greater Job Control May Save Their Backs

Giving Employees Greater Job Control May Save Their Backs

A 1-point decrease on a 5-point scale of perceived job control (the degree to which an employee feels free to set his or her pace or change the sequence of tasks) is associated with an additional 1 millimeter of daily spine shrinkage, a phenomenon linked to lower-back pain . A worker’s level of job control may affect his or her ability to take breaks when and as long as needed. On average, normal spinal shrinkage causes people to lose about 14 millimeters, or 1%, of stature over the course of a day; they recover their height during sleep.

Courtesy :  a study of Swiss office workers by Ivana Igic and two colleagues from the University of Bern. 

Two Ways to Grow at Work Without a Promotion

Two Ways to Grow at Work Without a Promotion

If you’re feeling stalled in your career but a promotion isn’t on the table, you can find other ways to grow.

 Lateral moves within your organization, for example, can be a great way to build new skills and relationships and get exposure to different products or services. 

You can explore new internal opportunities by conducting internal informational interviews with leaders of other divisions, taking on assignments involving other business units, or volunteering to move to a staff function that transcends units, such as finance, HR, or operations. 

You can also reshape your role as a way to grow without a formal promotion. 

Consider what’s on your supervisor’s plate (Does she have responsibilities you’re willing to take on?) and what’s been said in employee and customer surveys (Are there needs the organization isn’t meeting that you have the skills to respond to?) to find opportunities. 

Become a Better Learner at Work

Become a Better Learner at Work

 

Research has found that learning agility – the ability to grow and to use new strategies – is a good indicator of whether someone can be a high performer. Learning-agile employees are able to jettison skills and ideas that are no longer relevant and learn new ones that are. To cultivate learning agility in yourself, try:

(1)Innovating. Seek out new solutions. Repeatedly ask yourself “What else?” and “What are more ways I could approach this?”

(2)Performing. When faced with complex situations, look for similarities to your past projects. Practice calming techniques, and listen instead of simply reacting.

(3) Reflecting. Seek out input from others. Ask colleagues what you could have done better.

(4)Risking. Look for “stretch assignments” where success isn’t a given.

(5) Avoid defending. Acknowledge your failures and capture the lessons you’ve learned.

Overeducation of U.S. Immigrants Is a Huge Brain Waste, Researchers Say

Overeducation of U.S. Immigrants Is a Huge Brain Waste, Researchers Say

Prevalence rates of over-education exceed 40% for U.S. immigrants with bachelor’s degrees, 50% for those with doctoral or professional degrees, and 75% for those with master’s degrees  . For comparable natives, the overeducation prevalence is 10 to 20 percentage points lower.

Definition of ' Over Eduction ' 

 The mismatch between immigrants’ education levels and their job requirements is called ' Over Education ' and it  constitutes a “huge brain waste” that may ultimately drive immigrants to go elsewhere in search of jobs that match their knowledge levels, the researchers say.

Courtesy :  Research  a team led by Julia Beckhusen of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Is the U.S. Obsession with Home Ownership Justified?

Ithe U.S. Obsession with Home Ownership Justified? Low mortgage rates and other factors currently make home ownership economically preferable to renting in the U.S., but it isn’t always so !  From 1978-2009, renting was preferable to buying, as long as people conscientiously reinvested their savings, according to an analysis of 28 American regions.  This finding casts doubt on what the researchers call “an almost national obsession with homeownership. ” Their rule of thumb: If you believe that real estate appreciation is likely to be less than 3.25% annually over the next 8 years, then renting is preferable to buying (but this is an average figure for the entire country). Courtesy : Research by Eli Beracha of East Carolina University and Ken H. Johnson of Florida International University: HBR

Know When Your Boss Can Help Resolve a Conflict

Know When Your Boss Can Help Resolve a Conflict

Sometimes it’s better to address a conflict indirectly.

 For example, if you’re working in a culture where group harmony is important, you may not be able to directly confront someone about an issue. And sometimes people are more willing to take feedback from others – either someone more powerful or a close confidant.

 In these cases, it’s best to get a third party involved. 

Go to your boss and explain the problem. If a colleague is preventing you from running a successful meeting, your boss can step in and move the conversation along.

 Or if you and another team member don’t agree on how to spend your shared budget, you might ask your boss to make the decision. 

That way, neither of you loses and you’re just carrying out your manager’s orders. In Western culture this indirect approach might be frowned upon, but in other places it’s more effective for handling disagreement. 

"Direct Flights Between VCs and Their Companies Leads to Greater Innovation "

OD / finance 

"Direct Flights Between VCs and Their Companies Leads to Greater Innovation " 

The creation of new airline routes that reduce the travel time between VC firms and their portfolio companies leads to a 3.1% increase in the number of patents the portfolio company produces and a 5.8% increase in the number of citations the company’s patents receive, finds a study led by Shai Bernstein at Stanford. It also increases the probability of going public by 1.0% and the probability of having a successful exit (via IPO or acquisition) by 1.4%.

 From a survey, the researchers confirmed that venture capitalists are likely to spend more time at their portfolio companies -  if it becomes easier to get there. These results suggest that VCs don’t simply identify and invest in companies already poised to succeed; rather, when VCs spend more time with their portfolio companies, they contribute to their innovation and success.

" In a Common Work Space, Mess Begets Mess "

Broken window theory

" In a Common Work Space, Mess Begets Mess "

Research Finding :

When people notice that others have violated the social norm - of keeping a common work area neat, they become much more likely to litter that space .

 In their study of professors, postgraduate students, and a departmental common room at a university, the researchers found that 59% of people littered when the room was ALREADY disordered, as compared with only  18% when it was NEAT .

So, what should we do?

The findings suggest that eliminating signs of disorder, IMMEDIATELY may be an effective method of maintaining workplace compliance. If something goes wrong, and if we don't take immediate action, the damage may further aggravate & the effort & expense will be high, to bring normalcy.

Courtesy : Research by João Ramos of PwC Australia and Benno Torgler of Queensland University of Technology.

" Overcome the Midday Slump "

Self Management

" Overcome the Midday Slump "

Doing your best work requires focus and energy, but it’s hard to stay focused for eight hours straight.
 How can you feel more energized throughout the workday?

(1)    Tailor your tasks to your energy.
Most people are at their best in mid-morning and late afternoon. Organize your to-do list around these peaks and valleys.

(2)    Get up and move.
Any kind of physical movement will boost your alertness and energy levels. Take a brisk walk around the block, walk up some stairs, or stretch at your desk.

(3)    Meditate.
Mindfulness exercises are a great way to engage in restoration during the day—even Steve Jobs swore by it.

(4)    Don’t rely on caffeine.
 Rather than giving you more energy, coffee masks the effects of low energy levels. Use it strategically, like ahead of a big meeting.

(5)    Get more sleep.
 It’s the number one predictor of success.

Persuasive skills " Stop Underestimating Your Own Influence "

Persuasive skills

" Stop Underestimating Your Own Influence "

We persistently underestimate our influence.
We don’t suggest ideas to our boss or ask coworkers for help because we fear rejection.
 So we wind up missing opportunities because we doubt our own powers of persuasion.
Yet our bosses and peers are probably more receptive to requests than we realize.

We don’t realize that it’s usually harder for people, even bosses, to say “no” than “yes.” So the next time you have a request, remember that you’re more persuasive than you think:

 (1)   Just ask. Don’t psyche yourself out.

(2)    Be direct. Don’t drop hints. People respond more positively to direct requests.

(3)    Go back and ask again.
Don't assume you shouldn’t approach someone because they’ve previously said “no.”

Reason ? : People might be more likely to say “yes” later – especially if they feel guilty about having said no in the past !

Culture

"A Contrast Between U.S. and German Teams’ Ways of Functioning "


In an experiment in which German and American teams attempted to reach consensus on a complex task, the German groups generated 30% FEWER  statements focused on possible solutions than the American teams and more than TWICE as many statements focusing on various problems, such as inadequate information.

Sample Size & possible reason

 The findings, drawn from research on 30 teams of university students, support past research suggesting that culturally, Germans tend to desire a substantial amount of background information before making decisions and prefer clarity over uncertainty, whereas Americans tend to quickly come up with solutions, often without having a complete and thorough analysis of the problem.

 Insights like these can be valuable to managers running intercultural teams, the researchers say.

Courtesy : Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock of VU University Amsterdam and colleagues.

" Lead Your B-Level Players to A-Level Success"

    
Leadership
" Lead Your B-Level Players to A-Level Success"

Can a team of B players achieve A+ success?
Research says yes – but only with an A-level leader.

 Effective leaders can have a variety of styles, but they share certain characteristics: (a) Superior judgment, which helps them make good decisions and learn from mistakes.
(b)High emotional intelligence, which helps them stay calm under pressure and build relationships with their teams.
(c) High ambition, which pushes them to high performance.

In addition, there are 4 tactics any leader can use to make their teams more effective:

(1) Have a strong vision that motivates your team with tactics, a plan of attack, and milestones.

(2)Use analytics to help your team make smarter, better decisions with data.

(3)  Give feedback to be honest about team members’ limits and help them improve.

(4) And foster morale by encouraging team bonding.

 When people care about each other, they raise their performance for each other too.

"Looking at Nature Can Help Your Productivity "

"Looking at Nature Can Help Your Productivity "
We all want to be productive, but figuring out how to do it can be challenging.
 One simple way is to spend time looking at nature on your next break at work.

Research has found that gazing at something green – through a window, on a walk outside, or even on a screen saver – can help improve attention and performance in the workplace.
 Attention restoration theory suggests that natural environments have restorative benefits for us.
Because nature captures our attention without requiring us to focus on it, looking at natural environments lets us replenish our stores of attention control.
And because our attention is a limited resource that we’re constantly tapping, letting it recharge is essential.
 So the next time you take a break at work (you are taking breaks, right?), spend it looking at nature.
 Doing so for even one minute can show benefits.

"Help Your Team Feel Open to Receiving Feedback "

Inter personal skills

"Help Your Team Feel Open to Receiving Feedback "

Feedback is only useful if the receiver actually uses it.
But for the message to be received, the person getting feedback has to feel safe. Feeling psychologically safe helps us hear, absorb, and reflect on feedback; feeling unsafe can make feedback sound like a personal attack.
To help your employees feel ready to receive feedback:

(1)    Get your intention right first.
 Make sure your goal is to help the other person grow. If he's let you down or performed poorly, deal with any feelings of anger or resentment before delivering feedback.

(2)    Ask permission.
Control is central to safety, so don't give feedback unless it's invited. Ask permission by saying something like, "Can I offer you feedback on your presentation?"

(3)    Share your intent
. People become defensive less because of what you're saying than why they think you're saying it. Before giving feedback, make sure the person understands your positive intentions.

" Know How to Tell a Good Failure from a Bad One ! "

OD
" Know How to Tell a Good Failure from a Bad One ! "

Not all failures are bad – some of them are actually good because of the valuable learning opportunities they present.
Dividing your organization’s failures into 3 categories will help you distinguish the good, useful failures from the bad, useless ones:

 (1)   Preventable failures in predictable operations.
These are caused by inadequate training, inattention, or lack of ability. They’re easy to diagnose and fix – by using a checklist, for example – but they’re not very useful.

(2)    Unavoidable failures in complex systems.
 Small process setbacks are inevitable, so considering them failures is counterproductive. They can usually be averted by following best practices for safety and risk.

(3)    Intelligent failures at the frontier.
 These good failures happen as a result of forward-thinking innovation.
 They provide valuable knowledge that can help you get ahead of the competition.
But they can become bad failures if your organization starts working at a larger scale THAN IS NECESSARY !

" Win Attention for Your New Idea or Project "

Persuasive skills ,selling

" Win Attention for Your New Idea or Project "

It’s hard to start a new initiative – to convince people to listen to your idea, understand it, and take action.
But being able to get new initiatives off the ground is critical to your career.

You want to stand out and get noticed as a leader.

One way to jumpstart your idea is to propose a trial run.
 This reduces the risk of implementing something big and new.
 Try saying, “Let’s not worry about making this change wholesale – let’s try a pilot.” Pilots give people a chance to test out the idea, and they can create data that changes minds. Basically, they’re a cost-effective way to sell your idea.

If you don’t have the power to allocate budget to a pilot, you need to sell harder to those who do. Your proposal should explain how you’ll measure the pilot’s success and the impact it will have on the company.

" Know When to Speak Up About an Ethical Issue "

Business ethics

" Know When to Speak Up About an Ethical Issue "

Sometimes you sense that something isn’t right at work.
 Maybe you suspect that a finance colleague is fudging numbers or that a coworker often sneaks out early.
 How do you know if it’s worth speaking up?
 Here are some tips for these tricky situations:

(1)    Consider what’s really at risk.
 If a coworker leaves early, ask yourself why that bothers you. Is the issue important to the company or only to you?

(2)    Understand people’s motivations.
Before assuming the worst, try to learn why it’s happening.
Your colleague might be fudging the numbers because he’s afraid of losing his job.

(3)    Talk to the perpetrator first.
 Before taking the problem to your boss, give the person a chance to explain. Ask questions rather than accusing.

(4)    Escalate when necessary.
If needed, share what you’ve learned with your boss. And be open to new information that might change your perspective on the situation.

Biz Research

"Are You Paid at Market Rate? Employees have wrong notions

Research fact and sample size

A survey of 71,000 workers by PayScale found that 64% of people -  who are paid AT the market rate for their positions believe they’re underpaid !!
 For those who are paid ABOVE market, 45% think they’re paid AT the  market !

Repercussions
Writing on HBR.org, PayScale’s Dave Smith argues that people’s often false perceptions about their wages play a huge role in whether they are engaged in their work or intend to leave.

One way for managers to address this issue is to have honest conversations with employees about how their pay compares with others’.

 Even if your company pays below the market rate, Smith notes, clear communication about why that’s the case can keep people satisfied with their work regardless.