Set Yourself Up For Success

Secret #1: They focus on minutes, not hours.

Secret #2: They focus only on one thing.

Secret #3: They don’t use to-do lists.

Secret #4: They beat procrastination with time travel.

Secret #5: They make it home for dinner.

Secret #6: They use a notebook.

Secret #7: They process email only a few times a day.

Secret #8: They avoid meetings at all costs.

Secret #9: They say “no” to almost everything.

Secret #10: They follow the 80/20 rule.

Secret #11: They delegate almost everything.

Secret #12: They theme days of the week.

Secret #13: They touch things only once.

Secret #14: They practice a consistent morning routine.

Secret #15: Energy is everything.

How many of these do you do? Start working your way to ultra productive today!

Read additional descriptions on these ways of life in the full article here: The 15 Surprising Things Ultra Productive People Do Differently

Published by Kevin Kruse in Forbes.com on January 20, 2016.

Successful leaders use their innate personality traits and improve upon those with practiced skills.

According to Jack and Suzy Welch, leadership is comprised of five essential traits. These traits are in additional to integrity, intelligence, and emotional maturity, which are a given in any leader.

5 Leadership Traits:

1. Positive energy

2. The ability to energize others

3. Edge

4. The Talent to execute

5. Passion

Edge and the talent to execute are learned traits, so get out there and put those ideas into practice. Leadership is both born and created!

Originally published by Jack and Suzy Welch on LinkedIn.com on May 1, 2016.

See the full post here: Are Leaders Born or Made?

Introspection calms and focuses your mind. Give these questions some thought in order to start each day off on the right foot. I am especially fond of the notion expressed below that the best way to get what you want is to ask for it. Can’t hurt, right? Even if the answer doesn’t come out of that ask, other paths and resources to make it happen will. Godspeed!

The following insights are from Mareo McCracken, a global growth consultant and revenue leader at Axis Medical Technologies. Mareo

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Every Morning

1. “Do I show enough gratitude?”

2. “What does my ‘gut’ tell me?”

3. “Why do I do what I do?”

4. “Is this the best I can do?”

5. “Am I using my mentor or coach effectively?”

6. “Do I love myself?”

7. “Am I helping enough people?”

The bottom line: Questions help us think more deeply. They help us understand where we are, find the gaps, fill the gaps, and increase our performance. As we question ourselves we can get stronger because we better understand our motivations… and by taking positive action, we can get a tiny bit stronger everyday.

Originally published by Jeff Haden in Inc.com on May 23, 2016.

Read the full article here: How to Have an Awesome Day: 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Every Morning

Here’s How Generation Xers Are Driving Millennials Crazy in the Workplace (and Vice Versa)

Personally, I don’t like the generalizations made about generations, but I do respect the awareness that it brings to workplace dynamics. Everyone is different and communicates in a unique way and the more you know about yourself and understand the internal workings of others, the more harmonious the work environment is. In that vein, let’s talk broad age cohort characteristics.

Who is in each generation:

• Baby Boomer: born 1943 to 1960 (aged 55-72 today)
• Gen-Xer: born 1961 to 1981 (aged 34 to 54 today)
• Millennial: born 1982-2002 (aged 13 to 33 today)

A few tips for working together:

• Xers tend to be more independent. So, when working with a Xer, don’t be surprised or offended if they choose to work alone.
• An Xer manager is not going to act like a helicopter parent. Xers tend to be entrepreneurial thinkers and results-oriented, so they may not tell you how to do every step of the job.
• Xers tend to be hands-off, low face-time managers. So when working for an Xer, ask them to clearly define their expectations.
• Millennials are often cheekily called the “Everybody Gets A Trophy” generation. Few Xers were regularly praised growing up. So, when working with an Xer manager, don’t expect a lot of praise.
• When you do receive a compliment from an Xer, you’ve done an great job.
• Don’t take Xers’ skepticism personally. Xers grew up questioning everything. Expect them to give the pros and the cons to even the best of ideas.

Published on Inc.com as an answer by Mira Zaslove, Fortune 500 manager, on Quora. The question was “As a Millennial, how do I understand and work with a Gen Xer?”

See the full answer here: Here’s How Generation Xers Are Driving Millennials Crazy in the Workplace (and Vice Versa)

“When you’re happy, then you’ll find the success you’re looking for.” – Peter Economy.

Happiness is such a nebulous idea and something that I definitely struggled to get comfortable with. Starting Building Careers didn’t happen in a night and the process of turning this life-calling into a business only happened after nearly a year of personal and professional soul searching. While I can’t say I am always 100% happy, I have first-hand experience in understanding that established personal contentment and happiness have a tremendous positive impact on your success both in life and in business.

I heard a saying that keeps working its way into my life through the plethora of wonderful, motivated, successful and happy people that I meet on a daily basis, including Building Careers’ wonderful consultant, Julia. The saying is “Don’t just do what you love. Do what you love that loves you back.” This is truly the secret to success and happiness because if you love something and you are meant to be doing it in that it comes naturally to you, you will exemplify that passion and skill in every aspect of your business.

Read Peter’s full article about the 7 things science says to do if you want to be happy and successful.

Originally published by Peter Economy on Inc.com on January 27, 2016.

1. The Earlier the Break, the Better

2. Short Breaks Can Be Just As Powerful As Long Ones

3. What You Do Is Less Important Than What You Want To Do

4. Walks Can Boost Creativity

5. And Nature Walks Can Boost Attention

6. Don’t Get Pressured Into Lunch Plans

7. The Perfect Nap Is 10 To 20 Minutes

Stepping away from work for a break is something we can all learn to do. Recharge, regroup and bring your best self back to whatever you are working on.

Originally published in Fast Company on October 14, 2015 by Eric Jaffe

How to Take the Most Refreshing Work Break

As you advance in your career, your network and your relationships pull more weight than your performance. Everyone has their own way of creating and maintaining their network, but the article below offers a few simple suggestions on how to cultivate meaningful connections.

The bottom line is that people want to be in your network when they feel appreciated and cared about, One kind word or a question about their family opens authentic communication and amazing things result. It is easy to get caught up in the tasks of daily life, but remember to nurture your relationships to create lasting support. The lucky people in your network will be there for you every step of the way. They will listen to you when you’re down and bolster and support you to be the best, most successful version of yourself.

Treat your network with TLC and watch what happens!

See the short article here: https://lnkd.in/bcewPRu

Originally published on Linkedin by Nancy Brout on October 11, 2015.

How often have you talked yourself out of something before even trying it? Adopting the right attitude when taking on a job/project/life change can put you leaps and bounds above where you thought you could be.

The only person who can tell you that you cannot do something is yourself. Create your own reality and put the effort into every new endeavor you undertake. With the right attitude and work ethic, you will soar past others who may have a higher IQ. Adopting a go-getter attitude and making sure your colleagues, coworkers and superiors know the work you are putting in and the results that you are producing is invaluable.

Dr. Bradberry’s article focuses on the below reasons why attitude is more important than IQ:

Don’t stay helpless.

Be passionate.

Take action.

Then go the extra mile (or two).

Expect results.

Be flexible.

Don’t complain when things don’t go your way.

Originally published by Dr. Travis Bradberry on September 13, 2015.

Read the article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-attitude-more-important-than-iq-dr-travis-bradberry

Your personal brand follows you from your professional life into your personal life.

A great way to dig in to what your personal brand is already made of is to interview people close to you in your communities about how they see you, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and what your communities can count on you for. You will be surprised how many people are willing to chime in, and you will also be surprised about how much of an impact you as a person already have on those around you. Be your authentic self!

Louise also provides additional ways to ascertain your personal brand in her article. Her suggestions include:

Education and work experience

Values

Passions

Strengths

Limitations

Attributes

Uniqueness

Mission

Vision

Read the full article here: How to get Clear on Your Personal Brand

Originally published on LinkedIn by Louise Wilson on September 9, 2015