Entrepreneurship

Beware the Risks of Too Much Humility…

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Humility is a virtue in leadership—but being too humble can backfire. Here are three ways humility can undermine your leadership.
 
You may be perceived as indecisive. Democratizing every decision-making process can be misconstrued as a reluctance to take a stand, or a lack of conviction in your strategic vision. Don’t defer to consensus all the time. Instead, recognize that true humility isn’t about forfeiting your authority—it’s about confidently wielding it when you have to.
 
You may hinder your own career advancement. Deflecting praise or funneling all the credit down to your team can erase your own role in your team’s achievements. Dual-promotion, in which you compliment a colleague, peer, or team while also sharing your own personal accomplishments, can be a powerful way to walk the line between humility and confidence.
 
You may be limiting your team’s development. If you worry that delegating work to employees could be seen as oppressive or demotivating, you may actually be depriving them of opportunities to learn and grow. Understand that delegation isn’t strictly about offloading tasks, but rather about expanding your team’s capacity and resilience.

Nothing days…

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Nothing days are the days where you didn’t do anything productive. On this day you feel as if your mind got stuck in a mud pool and couldn’t work.

But these are critical days for the mind to recuperate, you should allow it to snuggle and comeback the next day stronger.

Just ensure you don’t have too many “nothing” days in a row or they shouldn’t be very frequent. If yes, maybe your job or your work area is not stimulating and exciting enough, consider changing it.

How to Provide Stability in Uncertain Times…

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Uncertainty is a part of life—and business. But how can you lead people when inflections, disruptions, dislocations, and other threat conditions feel like they’re constantly compounding? Try these strategies to help you engage your team under the most tumultuous circumstances.
 
Build trust. In a volatile environment, become a stabilizing force. This means being reliable, predictable, and consistent with your team.
 
Communicate a vision. Paint a picture of the future and inspire others toward it. In times of extreme uncertainty, a vision gives people lasting motivation beyond their survival instinct.
 
Increase honesty and transparency. There’s nothing worse than a leader attempting to create false certainty with rhetoric that doesn’t match reality. Level with your people and don’t make promises you can’t keep.
 
Frame uncertainty as opportunity. Decouple fear from uncertainty and replace it with confidence, curiosity, and anticipation. Turbulent times are a chance for your employees to help reinvent your business—and their place in it.

Spot a Toxic Workplace—Before Accepting the Job…

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When you work in a toxic workplace, the signs can be easy to recognize. Yelling and bullying, lots of gossip, and unsustainable workloads are a few common hallmarks. But identifying toxicity in an organization you don’t yet work for can prove to be tricky. Here are three red flags to watch out for when you’re applying and interviewing for a new job.

A bad interview process. Poor communication from recruiters, ghosting, and endless interviews are a few signals that there may be something broken in the company you’re applying to. Other signs include being inflexible on interview dates and times and pressuring candidates to accept offers the day of.

What current employees say (and don’t). Listen carefully to the responses current employees give when you ask questions about the role, the specific team you’d be joining, and the overall organization. Watch out for vague or coded answers—and, of course, dodged questions. Don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions to get more clarity.

High turnover. An abundance of job openings could be a sign of growth, but it could also suggest that the company struggles to retain its employees. Track which roles are being posted and how often. If you notice the same roles going up regularly, that can be another red flag that the company’s culture is toxic.

Combat Microstresses at Work…

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Microstresses are small stresses from routine interactions—they’re often so brief we barely even register them. Individually, they might seem manageable, but cumulatively they take an enormous toll. How can you combat them?
 
Start small. Commit to tackling one small, easy-to-address microstress a week for the first two weeks to build confidence, a different mindset, and a sense of agency. Don’t focus on the bigger (and more difficult and entrenched) stressors that can keep you from acting on ones you can control.
 
Shift your attention to positive interactions. Having people in your life who provide perspective, envision a path forward, offer help, create space to unplug, or make you laugh can have a dramatic impact on your resilience.
 
Pay attention to how your concern for others is affecting you. When people we care about are struggling, it can cause us anxiety, worry, and pain. Think about how you can reshape these interactions in a more positive way.  
 
Finally, focus on what gives you a sense of purpose. Researchers found that the happiest people put some of their microstress in perspective by making time for meaningful activities outside of their work and family lives.

When Your Manager Brings in Someone Above You…

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Finding out that your manager is bringing in someone else above you, a practice known as “layering,” can lead to feelings of self-doubt. But it’s typically due to changing business needs, not because of poor performance on your part.

To manage your complicated feelings—and move forward productively—you can first ask yourself how the situation could be beneficial for you. Could you receive more mentoring or guidance? Could your new manager bring a fresh perspective or teach you new skills? Approaching the situation with curiosity will help prevent catastrophic thinking and allow you to see the bigger picture.

If your new boss has yet to be selected, ask HR and/or your current manager if you can be part of the hiring process. This will demonstrate that you’re a team player and on board with the new direction. If this isn’t possible, request a meet-and-greet with the final candidate.

Be sure to invest early in the relationship with your new manager. Use your first meeting to welcome them and express your enthusiasm for working together. Give it at least six months before making a judgment on whether it’s working or not.

Finally, stay connected with your previous manager. You want them to remain a part of your professional life. Have a conversation early to determine a new cadence of your meetings (quarterly catch-ups, semi-annual reviews, or on an as-needed basis).

Intentionality: Your First Step Towards Success…

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In the bustling world of professional advancement, it’s remarkably easy to lose sight of our true objectives amid the whirlwind of daily distractions and challenges. The allure of societal recognition and the pursuit of titles often obscure our understanding of personal success. This journey towards meaningful accomplishment begins with a crucial step: intentionality.

Intentionality, or the practice of deliberate action and thought, is the bedrock of genuine progress. The path to professional fulfillment is paved with choices that reflect our deepest values and aspirations. Recognizing that success is a subjective concept, shaped by individual desires and life stages, is essential. An anecdote worth sharing involves a determined lawyer who aspired to become General Counsel. This role, marked by prestige and financial reward, seemed like the epitome of success. However, after several attempts and reflections, the realization dawned that true satisfaction lay not in the accolade but in work that sparked joy. This revelation underscores the fluid nature of success and the importance of aligning our professional endeavors with what genuinely makes us happy.

Research underscores the symbiotic relationship between happiness and productivity. A study by positive psychologists at Harvard reveals that contentment boosts our brain’s productivity by 31 percent. This statistic highlights the strategic advantage of prioritizing happiness as a precursor to long-term success.

Implementing an intentional mindset involves clear goal-setting. Envisioning your future self and mapping out the steps to get there is a transformative exercise. George Doran’s SMART criteria—Specific, Meaningful, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound—offer a timeless framework for setting and pursuing goals. Writing down your objectives and sharing them with a trusted ally can significantly enhance accountability and motivation.

Yet, the journey doesn’t end with intentionality. Staying agile and anticipatory in a dynamic professional landscape is crucial. The next segment will explore strategies for maintaining a competitive edge through foresight and adaptability.

In sum, the essence of achieving professional success lies in a mindful approach to our careers. By defining success on our own terms, setting strategic goals, and embracing happiness as a cornerstone of productivity, we embark on a fulfilling path marked by intentional choices.

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