While motivations change with age and experience and are heavily influenced by our upbringing, environment, character, personality and integrity, two of the areas that remain common for us all are respect and flexibility.
Personality, communication, negotiation and leadership
85% of your financial success depends on your personality, the way you communicate, negotiate and lead. Only 15% depends on your technical skills. Knowing this it is essential to focus on improving those essential skills while building your networks and friendships. While in some career technical skills will be of greater value and impact, as you grow and advance up …
Don’t trade your character for the corner office
As we grow, advance and ascend to positions of greater responsibilities, it is essential to remain grounded and stay true to yourself. No matter what happens and where you end up in your career make sure you remain who you are as a person, as a human being. While I do understand that certain positions may require adjustments to protocols …
Hire people for their personality, character and abilities, not prestige
As you are expanding your team or replacing an employee who has recently left the company make sure to focus on the personality and abilities of that new individual, not the prestige they may bring. While the education and previous employment are absolutely important, don’t become enamored with “glamorous” companies or universities such as MIT, Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Stanford, Cambridge…as …
Charisma is not leadership
People often confuse charisma for leadership and consider it one and the same. While charisma is a component embraced by many successful leaders, it is not what makes one a leader and as such it should be considered as one of their attributes, not an entire representation of that individual. Leaders put others ahead of themselves; they act with benefits …
When hiring, trust your instincts
Trust your instincts at all times. They are here to protects, alert and warns us of what is happening around us and how we could and should react to potential opportunities or threats. These instincts also come in very handy when building a team and hiring new staff. During this process focus a bit more on personal traits, character and …
Cover letters
Cover letters are of great importance as they complete your initial application packet along with your resume. They must be custom tailored for each particular position and organization, never a copy or a duplicate which you have used previously. Here are some important things to consider as you write that great cover letter which will serve as an invitation to …
Leaders: born vs. made
Are exceptional leaders born or are they made? We have heard this question asked and discussed at length and it is my belief that truly exceptional leaders are a combination of both. Yes, they learn, grown and advance through their careers, but one’s DNA (for lack of a better acronym) must be predisposed for leadership. While majority of methodologies, tips, …
Hire better than you
Whenever possible, hire people who are better than you. Hire those who are the best you have ever seen within the domain of services or products that your team is responsible for. You want quality over quantity and you’ll want it every single time. Additionally, you don’t want the rest of your team to be doing someone else’s job in …