“The idea is that you have to enter only a small amount of data and everything else is calculated automatically.” | learn more
The problem with ‘5 whys’
Do you remember learning about the strategy for root cause analysis that involves asking why five times? Don’t get carried away with this tool. Click the link for great reasoning and examples. | learn more
How to prep for a better board meeting
This is a wonderful post from entrepreneur-turned-VC Mark Suster about making board meeting more impactful. If you participate on boards at any level, this is valuable info. | learn more
“I was wrong”
From Seth Godin: “It’s difficult to get someone (a client, a boss, a voter, a partner) to say those three words. Difficult to say on our own behalf, too. Which is why we so easily get stuck.” | learn more
A Harvard linguist’s 13 tips for becoming a great writer
“Writing well is hard, but Steven Pinker managed to boil the essentials down to just 13 tweet-length tips.” | learn more
How (not) to change someone’s mind
“Psychologists have found two persuasion tactics that work. But put them together and the magic is lost.” | learn more
How to deliver constructive feedback in difficult situations
The author of this post shares an interesting, and probably useful, protocol for delivering sticky feedback with tact. After discussing this with a friend, we both notice a challenge with using any sort of protocol in a real conversation. After the initial exchange of words, you must fall back to “real-time” responses or pause before each turn speaking. The prior is dangerous because of the potential for poorly chosen phrasing, and the latter because it may be construed as overly political or insincere. | learn more
Are you solving the right problems?
Harvard Business Review educates readers on the benefits of reframing problems before jumping into solutions. They offer a great example of why to do this in the ‘slow elevator problem’. And they also give strategies for ‘how’ to reframe. |learn more
Motherhood as a career strengthener.
I love this post by Allison Whalen, and I think what she learned due to motherhood applies universally. By compressing the time allotted for work, she has been forced to increase focus and delegation. Both have made her more effective. | learn more
Why your brain needs idle time.
A great reminder to step back and let off the gas regularly. “Research suggests that idle time, where the brain is wandering, is critical for complex mental processing.” | learn more