I love this article by Jeff Hayden! See what you think:
9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People
The most successful people in business approach their work differently than most. See how they think–and why it works.
Archive for Positive Organizational Scholarship – Page 9
This controversial article came out inThe Atlantic last month, as well as very interesting NPR interview with the author on the same subject.
Have you seen it? What are your thoughts?
(Anne-Marie Slaughter is also the of the author of a newly published book by the same name.)
Magazine – Why Women Still Can’t Have It All – The Atlantic.
What if you could reconfigure the “building blocks” of your job to make it really fit you?
Here’s my previous interview on the Leadership Focus Radio Show with Jane E. Dutton, PhD, distinguished professor at the University of Michigan, and co-director of its Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at the Ross School of Business, joins us to talk about just that. She brings to our show an entire career of experience dedicated to transforming and energizing organizations through research on positive organizing and leadership. Her current research focuses on how high quality connections, positive meaning and emotions contribute to both individual’s and organizational flourishing. Energize your workplace and yourself! Listen as Jane helps us to find the secrets to redo and rethink work from the inside out through a new, intriguing and brilliantly successful tool and process called “job crafting.”
Here is a related and very good Harvard Business Review piece by Amy Gallo:
Yet another reason why having a sense of purpose in your life and life’s work is critical to your well-being. Here’s a new study that shows the preventive relationship this may have to the decline of cognitive function as we age. ( I don’t know about you but I’m for anything that can help with this!)
Se the full article below:
Having A Purpose In Life Could Protect Brain From Mental Decline, Study Suggests.
Also, if you are interested in knowing more about brain-science and sense of purpose in organizations, you may want to set a reminder to listen to my two upcoming radio interviews with:
- Kim Cameron, the co-founder of the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and
- Social scientist, Jonathan Jordan on new research the Neuroscience of Negotiation
Here’s a great Geoffrey James post from Inc. Magazine with some food for thought. I wish someone had told me this stuff when I was a lot younger, and I wish I could share it with all the gen Y and gen X ers who are trying to make their way in this tough economic climate.
Positive Thinking: Avoid 5 Toxic Beliefs That Ruin Careers | Inc.com.
What do you think of 
Geoffrey’s ideas? Is there anything that you would add?
Coaching Tip:
So many times as a coach I am helping clients deal with that “inner critic” that keeps them from believing in how powerful they really are, and holds them back from trying things that are really pretty good risks for them to take.
What’s holding you back? How can you “play a bigger game”, starting with a small step now?
Here’s a cautionary article about the importance of “face-time” at work, and the, (often unconscious), perceptions it may cause in others. Much as we love our tele-commuting and virtual offices, there can be a “down-side.”
Here are some smart tips to help mitigate that “down-side” while still gaining some flexibility with where you do some portion of your work.
Why Showing Your Face at Work Matters.
(Let me know your ideas, too.)
We’ve known for a long time that good social support is a powerful predictor of health and longevity, and that women, in general, seem to have the edge in this area. Here’s an interesting article from the New York Times Science Magazine about recent research on female friendships in primates and how they may relate to human “sisterhoods.”
How HBO’s ‘Girls’ Mirrors the Spirit of Sisterhood in Nature – NYTimes.com.
Coaching Questions:
Do you have a least three “real” friends? (People whom you can trust and confide in? People who would come through for you if you needed them?)
How strong is your social support system?
How happy are you with its current status? On a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being “It’s abysmal” to 10 being , “Couldn’t be better” what number would you give it?
If it is not a 10, what could you do now, this week, to start moving it in a positive direction? (Is there a phone call you need to make, a “catching up” date you need to get on the books?)
If so, you can make it happen. Just allow yourself to take a break and do it. Remember, it’s ultimately one of the best things you can do for your work performance, your health and your happiness.
Have a great day!
Some organizations will excite you. They’ll stimulate your success and growth. Others will be stressful. They may lead you to quit before you’ve accomplished much or learned what you hoped to. With the pressure (or excitement) of finding a new job, it’s all too easy to pursue a job opportunity or to accept an offer with only a hazy view of how the institution really operates. The path to an institution you’ll like is to investigate the culture you’re thinking of joining before you accept the position.
When Choosing a Job, Culture Matters – Bill Barnett – Harvard Business Review.
So many times when talking to clients, I find they get so excited about wanting to be chosen,( “Pick me. Pick me. Oh, please, pick me!”), that they forget that they are interviewing the organization as well. Here are some wonderful ideas to use now if you need them, or save for later when you are likely to,which will to help you choose more wisely.
Coaching tip: Culture is key to a good fit in a job. Do your research before you accept a position, ideally, before you interview, and vastly increase your odds of finding you have an enjoyable job and sucessful tenure at the company.
The High Cost of Treating Job Applicants Like Cattle
Here is an important post for all employers, and particularly the people who are involved in the hiring process. While in this economic times there tend to be far more applicants than positions. it is still no excuse to treat those applying as if they or their time are not valuable. This article is a “must read.”
How to Turn Job-Seekers into Happy Customers — Even When They Don’t Get the Job – At Work – WSJ.
How Well Do You Use the Power of Pause When Speaking?
I don’t know about you, but I”m always looking for ways to continue to “up my game” as a speaker. I like these tips. What do you think? What’s your 
best tip?
Whenever effective public speakers end a sentence or phrase, they usually pause. This gives listeners time to absorb their words. Nervous presenters often do the opposite: The stress of being in front of an audience causes them to speak faster and faster, rushing past the pauses. Here’s a great quick tip for people who are speaking, whether to a large group as an official presenter, or just around a conference table.
I find as a coach, this information is especially useful to women who are in roles that they need to be taken seriously. Hope you enjoy it!