Workouts

Good Leadership vs Bad Leadership – Can You Tell the Difference?

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A senior leader once told me – A leader’s every action is an example! I looked at her puzzled. She clarified and said, “Every action a leader takes is an example of good leadership or bad leadership.”

Why is This Important

Being able to tell the difference is key for those who work for leaders as well of those who are leaders. For those who work for leaders today, being able to distinguish good leadership from bad leadership can determine your work happiness, your potential to learn from that leader, and your career trajectory in the current company. If you work for a bad leader and don’t know it, you can be unhappy at work and not realize that it may not be your fault but that of your leader who had set a toxic culture. You can develop bad habits early thinking your leader is a good example and perpetuate that example when you become a leader later.  ...  read more

5 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Look Back on This Year

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“Time flies,” a common phrase many of us say as we get older. “Where did this year go” is another common expression. As this year draws to a close, it’s time to a do a retrospective – a look back to appreciate and reflect on this year. Here are 5 questions you can ask yourself to better appreciate what you have done & learned this year.  ...  read more

Soft Skills Workout – Who is More Confident – Cindy or Jack?

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workout

Workout Objective:  A lesson in self-confidence.
Prerequisite: None.
Recommended Frequency: Just once.
Workout steps:  Read the scenario below and vote.

Who do you think is more confident in this scenario?  Let’s assume that Cindy and Jack are equally qualified and capable .

  • Well educated – Cindy graduated from Berkeley with a 3.4 GPA and majored in electrical engineering and Jack graduated from SF state with a 2.7  GPA and majored in marketing.
  • Extensive work experience – Both have worked for 15+ years.   Cindy worked in consulting and now for a fortune 100 company as a product management leader.   Jack worked mainly in started up and is in his 8th start up as director of marketing.
  • Had some setbacks – Cindy has been laid off once in her career.  Jack has experienced about 4 lay offs so far.

    •  ...  read more

    The Pain and Pleasure Challenge – Proven Way to Help You Take Action

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    pain and pleasure - change grow

    Are you stuck?   Do you want something badly at work (e.g., promotion, work life balance, better boss, challenging assignment) but somehow can’t seem to take any action toward making it happen?  You are not alone.  Inertia, the inability to do something different from our routine, happens to all of us.  How do you do overcome it? Take this pain and pleasure challenge!

    • Read this article and story below
    • At the bottom, do the challenge and share your learning in the comment below.

    First a story:  My alarm rang sharply.  It was 5:30am.   I have been trying for six months to shift my yoga schedule from evenings to early mornings so I can spend more time with my kids and still work out   So far, I have only made it to this class 4 times.   Every Tuesday morning, I ask myself the same question after the alarm goes off – “Should I go to class today?”   Today was no exception.  My inner dialogue began to battle.

  • “It’s pouring rain outside.  Maybe they won’t even have class today.”
  • “The bed feels so warm”
  • “Will it be dangerous to drive in the pouring rain?”
  • “I am up already, might as well call and go if they are open.”
  • “Maybe I am too tired to go.  I don’t want to be too tired at work afterwards.”

    •  ...  read more

    New Interpersonal Communication Style Quiz

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    interpersonal skills quiz

    Only 20% of professionals get 100% correct on this quiz.  Are you in the top 20%? Find out in just 2 minutes by taking the quiz below.

    Your interpersonal communication style can directly affect your work reputation and your overall work effectiveness.  Your communication style pertains to

  • How you speak to someone one-on-one or in a group setting.
  • How you discuss work-related topics or personal topics at work
  • How you carry yourself in a formal and casual communication with others.

    •  ...  read more

    Say Yes – When You Usually Say No

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    I know it’s well into the New Year, but I am still pondering what to do differently this year to take my life to the next level.  Here is one idea I am implementing – Say Yes, when I usually say no.

    I am realizing, if I want to grow in life and at work.

    • I need to go outside of my comfort zone
    • I need to do things differently than I usually do.
    • I need to take new chances and learn from new experiences

    Why?  Because the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”   Even with that understanding, many of us have a harder and harder time saying yes to new experiences.   We have so many bad concepts in our head like

    • “I am too set in my ways.”
    • “You cannot teach an old dog new trick.”

    Bullshxx!  All that really means is

  • “I am too scared to try.”
  • “What if I don’t like it, fail, and/or embarrass myself?”
  • “I don’t like to be uncomfortable.”

    •  ...  read more