SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

My new boss told me to never be afraid to give feedback. The next Monday morning in a meeting, I happily shared my viewpoint on a new policy.  Thereafter, I noticed my boss's disposition towards me changed. He stopped talking to me. I was shunned.  I even felt the effects of this in my monthly performance appraisal, where he noted, I was not supportive of the organization, and I needed to be a better team player. The picture was quite clear - truthful feedback was not appreciated. Heather, a co-worker approached me and said, "You are new, honest feedback is just lip service, don't fall for it." I quickly learned loyalists and sycophants were appreciated, while realists were punished.  They built a culture of "yes employees."  I knew I had so much to offer, yet I couldn't. Six months later, my boss was fired. He made a mistake on a proposal that cost the company its biggest client. This could have been easily avoided if he had just asked for honest input....

I've worked for many bosses but few leaders. Working under a bad boss can make a good job even in the best company, unbearable. As the saying goes, people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses. Here are the 4 types of bad bosses that make employees want to quit companies: 1) “Marionette”  - In an age of uncertainty, many managers are yielding to this trap of just playing it safe to preserve their position and privileges. They just follow orders. They are  mere puppets  and exude no loyalty to employees. It's demotivating working for a manager who does not stand up for their team. If you make a mistake they quickly turn into judge , jury and executioner. It's hard to feel passion for a job when you experience this. 2) “King Kong”  - Some bosses when they reach to the top immediately forget where they came from. These type of managers possess a  superiority complex  and like to draw the distinction between management and staff. It is dreadful to work un...

 it be nice if we could all raise kids with the confidence, spunk and compassion of Little Orphan Annie? Sure, most children won't have to befriend and care for fellow orphans, outsmart a cold-hearted orphanage matron, survive life on the streets or win the heart of billionaire "Daddy" Warbucks. But all children face some hard knocks, and it's important to equip them with enough confidence to not only survive, but thrive. Self-confidence comes from a sense of competence. A confident child needs a positive and realistic perception of his or her abilities. This arises out of achievements, great and small. Your encouraging words can help develop this confidence, especially when you refer to your child's specific efforts or abilities. Here are 10 tips to help build self-confidence in your child: 1. Love your child.  This seems obvious, but it's probably the most important thing you can give your child. Even if you do it imperfectly—and who doesn't?—always dole...

We all know that change is hard. Change is hard because you brain is wired to do the same thing over and over, regardless if that activity is good or bad for you. We also know how challenging it can be to go through change, but the positive consequence is really awesome. I fully believe change is good for you. Even when it seems tough, you are learning and growing as a person. Change happens slowly, but it happens. Here are five reasons why change is good for you: You are pushed out of your comfort zone. Life in the comfort zone is easy. You simply follow a routine and you can predict the consequences. Outside of the comfort zone, your assumptions are challenged. Your opinions, mindset, and belief system are tested. You must find new ways to articulate who you are and what you believe. The idea of doing the same thing over and over without question is discouraged.  Getting out into the world and doing something new and different is a fostered approach to life. You get to experience...

No. 1: Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.  YE S We all have rules we live by. Some of them are inherent, such as smiling when walking past a stranger or shaking someone’s hand when introducing yourself. But others we have to develop over time until they become habit. Good habits , practiced daily, can make all the difference in your life. We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council what rules and mantras they live by. Which would you add to your list? 1. Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it. The life advice I go back to most often is, “Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent  how I react to it .” This quote has guided me in both my personal and professional lives. And it works because it’s true for all people: We all face challenges, but we all have the choice to respond in a positive or negative manner. 2. Give more than you take. It’s really that simple.  Give more  in ...

Self-awareness has been cited as the most important capability for leaders to develop, according to the authors of  “How To Become a Better Leader,”  which was published in the  MIT Sloan Management Review . Successful leaders know where their natural inclinations lie and use this knowledge to boost those inclinations or compensate for them. A study also found that self-awareness impacts companies’ bottom line. In a study of the stock performance of 486 publicly traded companies,  Korn/Ferry International  found that companies with strong financial performance tend to have employees with higher levels of self-awareness than poorly performing companies.  Yet self-awareness seems to be in short supply among leaders. While women in executive-level management positions tend to exhibit more self-awareness than men in the same positions, the overall percentages suggest there is much opportunity for growth in this area. In a study of 17,000 individuals worldwide, ...

Generation Me. Generation We. The Net Generation. Echo Boomers. Global Generation. Generation Next. Millennials, who? Comprising of the largest workforces, millennials are the youngest generation at work who have brought in a spectrum of culture with their eccentric enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge and have managed challenge the concrete foundation of Boom Generation (born between 1946 and 1964) and Generation X (born between 1954 and 1980). Often questioning the ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘where’, and ‘what’ of everything, millennials often appear as a set of individuals who are lethargic, entitled, narcissistic, fallible, immature and carefree. It is often concluded that they are to be entrusted with less responsibility and be excluded from important discussions or perhaps given lesser training. Conversely, the above actions lead to lower motivation and job satisfaction which is the bait for millennials. As much as they influence the world around them, millennials are in turn influenced by m...