Potential investors and partners are often more interested in an entrepreneur as a person than in the business plan. That document is important, but be sure to also show these three characteristics:
Management & Leadership
Apology Not Accepted: The Right — and Wrong — Way to Say You’re Sorry
A great deal has been written about Harvard University professor Niall Ferguson’s controversial comments about the late economist John Maynard Keynes. (The short version: Keynesian economic theory, Ferguson suggested, is flawed because Keynes himself was gay and childless — and consequently blind to the dangerous long-term
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Give Feedback That Crosses Cultures
Giving critical feedback is an essential part of a manager’s job. But people in Shanghai don’t provide feedback in the same way as people in Strasbourg or Stockholm, so how can do your job when you’re working across cultures? Here are three tips:
- Learn the new rules. Read up on the values, beliefs, and assumptions people
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Stop Going to So Many Meetings
How can you get any work done when you’re in meetings all day? You can’t. But instead of griping, be more discerning about which meetings you got to. Before saying yes to invitation, ask yourself, “If I was sick on the day of this meeting, would it need to be rescheduled?” If you answer “no,” then decline the meeting and try
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Job Seekers: Focus on Achievements
The whole point of résumés and cover letters is to sell your skills. Rather than simply listing the responsibilities in the positions you’ve held (as many candidates do), call out specific ways you’ve made a difference in those roles. Suppose you’re in sales: Did you exceed your annual targets? By what percentage? Or, if you’re …
Use Your Crowd to Source Ideas
Skilled networkers use their contacts as a source of quick feedback and even solutions to challenges of all sorts. If your network is strong, you’re connected to well-placed colleagues, suppliers, customers, and fellow executives in your field — a host of experts who can help you at a moment’s notice. For example, if you’re …
Improve Your Ability to Anticipate Crises
Most leaders, even highly skilled ones, aren’t great at detecting ambiguous threats on the periphery of their business. But to be successful, you need to pick up weak signals from both inside and outside the organization. To get better at this critical skill, talk to your customers, suppliers, and other partners to understand their …
Set an Email Quota and Stick to It
If you’ve tried all of the basic ways to manage your email, but are still feeling overwhelmed, try setting quotas. The idea is that the more messages you send, the more you get. Assume that every email you send will generate 4–10 responses, so you’re creating work for yourself with each message. Limit the number of threads you …
Viewpoint: Ben Bernanke, Enabler of America’s Fiscal Dysfunction
By trying to compensate for poor fiscal policies, the Fed is making it easier for the President and Congress to evade their responsibilities.
Don’t Listen to Customers — Observe Them
Every business wants to know what influences their customers. So, they should just ask them, right? Not so fast. There’s a fundamental problem with asking people what will persuade them to change: Most of the time they won’t know the answer.
Set the Right Tone for Your Talk
When you present, your audience usually sizes you up before you even utter a word — so it’s critical to make a positive first impression. Start by communicating ahead of time. Send a thoughtfully written agenda with a concise but telling subject line — and be explicit about what the audience will get out of it. Once they’re in …
Know When It’s Time to Quit Your Job
Quitting a job can have negative consequences on both your career and your bank account. But staying in a bad situation can be worse. Here are three tips for deciding if it’s time to go:
