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Growth Mindset Definition – What Does it Mean for Your Work?

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What is a Growth Mindset?

Stanford Professor Carol Dweck developed this concept in her 2006 book – Mindset – The New Psychology for Success.  In there, she provides the following Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset definitions:

“In a fixed mindset, students believe that their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that’s that, and then their goal becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb. In a growth mindset, students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don’t necessarily think that everyone’s the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they that believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it.” ...  read more

Leadership Dilemma: Accept Mediocrity or Micromanage to Achieve Quality Output?

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leadership dilemma

A month ago, every morning at 5 AM, I found myself consumed by worry. As the head of a newly created digital experience strategy team, I inherited two team members to help build our capabilities. Three weeks in, I realized they both had significant gaps in skill, experience, and motivation necessary to produce the high-quality output I envision. ...  read more

A Necessary Skill For Every Senior Executive

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senior executive

What skill does every senior executive has in common?

  • Is it an MBA?  No.  You do not need an MBA to succeed!
  • Is it an ability to achieve financial results?  maybe.  Achieving measurable results can always help, but this article is not about that
  • Is it ability to present well? Not always.  Not all executive are good at presentations, surprisingly

So what is the one skill that every successful senior executive has?  Listen to this 9 minute candidate conversation with Helena Light to find out.  I was even surprised at what she said and how executives practiced this skill every day.  You can also read the Audio Transcription of Our Conversation below ...  read more

Changing Careers – How to Interview Effectively

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changing careers

 Changing careers is not easy for some. However, once you master effective interviewing when changing careers, the path to success becomes a lot clearer.

I had a chance to interview one of our Executive Authors, Helena Light, who is a master at changing careers. In eight years at one bank, she had four different careers: ...  read more

How to Keep Your Job During Massive Layoffs

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how to keep your job

Are you worried about keeping your job? Is your company announcing layoffs?  If so, you need to listen to the recording below.

It is my distinct pleasure to introduce a new Executive Author, Helena Light, to our site.  Helena has been a friend and neighbor of mine for the last 10+ years.  She is also the Partner and COO of a small start up company in the financial industry.  She has over 30 years of experience, and is one of the most humble, personable executives I have ever met.  I am truly blessed to have Helena in my life. ...  read more

Four Leadership Qualities Demonstrated by Ed Gilligan

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leadership qualities

Two weeks ago, I heard Ed Gilligan, the President of American Express (AMEX), speak at a Leadership Conference in Arizona.  After listening to him for an hour, I said to myself – “I want to work for him!”  His speech was the highlight of the conference.  Even though I didn’t know Ed, I had a glimpse of the type of leader he is through the stories he shared. ...  read more

3 Presenting Tips to Keep Your Audience’s Attention

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presenting tips

Every presenters have one common goal – keep the audience’s attention.  That’s why it’s important to use effective presenting tips to engage your audience.  The last thing you want from your audience during a presentation is a yawn. Or nodding off. Or fiddling with their mobile phones. You don’t want a scene that puts your hours and hours of preparation down the drain. You want people to absorb your main points and have a remarkable experience during your talk. ...  read more