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#BestofFSCBlog : #YourCareer -Management is a Minefield-10 Things the Boss Wishes You Knew. Over 42K Reads!

September 30, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you’re a part of the rank-and-file, it can be hard to get inside the head of management or your company’s leadership team. They seemingly make decisions merely to anger or stir up the lower-level employees, and the boss can be amazingly inept or unable to respond to employees’ concerns. They can devise and deploy stupid rules with little logic or reasoning, and some even seem like they’re out to get you if you rub them the right way.

It can be hard to figure out what’s going on in the C-suite. But you have to realize that the boss is only human, and has a job to do. As difficult as it is to try and rationalize or figure out the logic behind some decisions, empathizing with the decision makers can be just as hard. Giving it a shot, though, may go a long way to explaining some of their flabbergasting decisions.

What kinds of things do managers wish employees better understood? Here are 10 things bosses wish employees could empathize with, to realize that being in charge doesn’t necessarily mean that every day is a picnic.

1. “I have a boss, too.”

You have a boss, and your boss has a boss. That means that the same issues or negative feelings you’re harboring toward your boss? Your boss is harboring many similar feelings toward their boss. Everyone’s a part of the chain, when it comes down to it. Even the CEO — they answer to shareholders.

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2. Honesty goes a long way

If you can get something done, great. If not, don’t pretend that you can — just tell your boss so they can figure out an alternative. If your manager or team leader is counting on you to take care of something, especially after you’ve assured them that you can do it, they’re banking on the fact that you will. Don’t blindside them at the last minute by coming up short. Just be up front about your ability to handle a given task.

3. Scheduling is very difficult

In certain businesses and workplaces, scheduling employees is a nightmare. If you’ve worked in a restaurant, for example, you have an idea of the juggling act that building a schedule can be. Many employees have school, families, or other jobs they need to attend to, and asking for a day off at the last minute isn’t as easy as slotting in another name.

4. 9:00 does not mean 9:10

Some jobs allow for some leeway in when you come and go to work. Others do not. If your boss needs you at work on time, that means you need to be there on time — not 10 or 15 minutes late. You may send the message that you’re not coming in at all, and send the rest of the staff scrambling to cover your station. Everybody’s late from time to time, but if you make it a chronic habit? You’re only giving your boss ulcers.

5. If you’re quitting, let them know

People quit jobs all the time. But there’s a reason the “two week” rule exists — it allows both parties, the quitter and and the employer, to have some time to cover their bases. Yes, companies lay people off with little or no warning all the time, but if you have a good relationship with your employer, or don’t want to burn any bridges on the way out, give a heads up so they can replace you.

6. They don’t want to be there on Saturday or Thanksgiving either

Yes, working nights, weekends, and holidays sucks. Nobody wants to be there, not even management. But the world doesn’t stop just because it’s your favorite holiday, or because it’s Sunday. Somebody has to work, and somebody has to take the reins. If you’re complaining about having to work Black Friday, your complaints are probably falling upon deaf ears; your boss is probably just as stoked to be there as you are.

7. The boss isn’t out to get you

Management doesn’t want you to fail. They’re not typically setting traps or land mines for you to walk into, to give them a reason to dock your pay or write you up. They want you to do your job and be good at it. If you’re doing well, it makes your manager look better. Sure, some employee-employer relationships can fray, but it’s rare that someone in charge is gunning for you. Paranoia isn’t going to help.

8. They’re your boss, not your friend

Ever hear about awful parents who try too hard to be “cool,” and let their kids run amok? It’s similar in the workplace. Your boss is there to manage you, not be your bud. While you may have a good relationship with your manager — which is great — you don’t need to tell them how trashed you got last night or invite them to smoke a joint with you during a break. Respect the relationship, and professional boundaries.

9. Management knows you’re screwing around all day

Do you really think nobody realizes that you spend half of your day surfing Facebook, Snapchat, and Reddit? They know — so you don’t have to scramble to cover your tracks every time you’re on your phone and somebody walks up behind you. Of course, if you’re on the sales floor or in a customer service position, then this can be a real problem. But managers know that you’re not always being productive.

10. Saying “I don’t know” is OK

Sometimes, you’re not going to know the answers. Not sure how to work a machine or piece of equipment? Ask for a run-through. Does a customer have a complicated issue or question? Don’t B.S. them, and give them bad information. Even if it’s a little uncomfortable, ask for help from a higher-up, and treat it as a learning experience.

Follow Sam on Facebook and Twitter @SliceOfGinger

CheatSheet.com | September 30, 2016 | Sam Becker

#Leadership : 8 Powerful Ways To Conquer Stress… As Simple as These Strategies May Seem, They are Difficult to Implement When your Mind is Clouded with Stress. Force Yourself to Attempt Them the Next Time your Head is Spinning, and You’ll Reap the Benefits that Come with Disciplined Stress Management.

September 29, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and we’ve found that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.

Stress has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it, but how you respond is only half the battle. The secret to winning the war against stress lies in what you do when you aren’t working (and presumably aren’t as stressed). Otherwise, you fall into bad habits that can magnify your stress, rather than alleviate it.

You need to shift gears to these relaxing and rejuvenating activities during your time off:

#1: Exercise

No time to exercise during the week? You have 48 hours every weekend to make it happen. Getting your body moving for as little as 10 minutes releases GABA, a soothing neurotransmitter that reduces stress. Exercise is also a great way to come up with new ideas. Innovators and other successful people know that being outdoors often sparks creativity.

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#2: Minimize Chores

Chores have the tendency to monopolize your free time. When this happens, you lose the opportunity to relax and reflect. What’s worse is that a lot of chores feel like work, and if you spend all weekend doing them, you just put in a seven-day workweek. To keep this from happening, you need to schedule your chores like you would anything else during the week, and if you don’t complete them during the allotted time, you move on and finish them the following weekend.

#3: Disconnect

Disconnecting is the most important strategy on this list, because if you can’t find a way to remove yourself electronically from your work, then you’ve never really left work. Making yourself available to your work 24/7 exposes you to a constant barrage of stressors that prevent you from refocusing and recharging. If taking the entire weekend off handling work e-mails and calls isn’t realistic, try designating specific times on Saturday and Sunday for checking e-mails and responding to voicemails. For example, check your messages on Saturday afternoon while your kids are getting a haircut and on Sunday evenings after dinner. Scheduling short blocks of time will alleviate stress without sacrificing availability.

Bringing It All Together

As simple as these strategies may seem, they are difficult to implement when your mind is clouded with stress. Force yourself to attempt them the next time your head is spinning, and you’ll reap the benefits that come with disciplined stress management.

Travis Bradberry, CONTRIBUTOR

I cover emotional intelligence and leadership performance.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

How do you manage stress? Please share your thoughts in the comments section as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Travis co-wrote the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founded TalentSmart.

Forbes.com | September 29, 2016

Your #Career : How To Know Which Skills To Develop At Each Stage Of Your Career..By Mid-Career, the Hard Skills that Got You the Job Won’t Be the Ones That Get you Promoted.

September 28, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

At the start of your career, chances are good that you’ll be hired primarily for your “hard skills”—the stuff you know that’s relevant for the job. When you’re fresh out of college or even a few years into your career, things like what software you’ve mastered, the knowledge you’ve picked up during internships and in school, and your other technical credentials really matter.

But what no one quite tells you is that while you might’ve been initially hiredfor those hard skills, they gradually matter less. The further you get in your career, the less you’ll be evaluated on those same skills—and this is especially important once you reach your mid-career point. Why? Because the hard skills that got you the job won’t be the ones that get you promoted.

Now that’s not to say that improving your technical skills isn’t important. You should get better and faster at whatever your craft is over the course of your career, whether that’s coding, designing, researching, or something else. But if that’s the only area you improve in, you may find advancement more elusive than you’d expected. Improving your technical skills may be enough to get you promoted from level one to two, or coordinator to associate, but to advance higher, you’ll have to show improvement in other areas as well.

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SHIFT TOWARD SOFT SKILLS . . .

So how do you do that? It starts with knowing what really counts when it comes to advancement at each stage of your career. While every role is different, the secret is to progressively invest more in your “soft skills”—your ability to get things done, your leadership abilities, and your likability at work (like it or not).

To get started—and no matter where you are in your present career—take a minute to assess where you stand in each of these categories:

The further you climb, the more decisive these traits will become. Maybe you have a few of them under your belt but could brush up on others. Now that you know what you’re up against, it’s time to take action. Here’s a game plan for growing your soft skills:

1. Self assess. Taking stock of your recent work and workplace habits, which areas do you feel strongest in? Weakest in? Which do you believe is most crucial to prioritize now, and why? Knowing the answers to these questions will be important for framing your conversation with your manager in the next step.

2. Discuss with your manager. Now it’s time to get on the same page. Work with your boss to determine what’s most important for you to learn now versus in the future: How much weight does your manager give to growing in these areas? And do you agree? What can you expect to happen when you show growth in these areas? Try to get specific about what you’re being evaluated on at each level. Your responsibilities may look different at various career stages, so make sure you understand any internal “career ladders” available to you, and how these map to your strengths and areas of development.

3. Explore ways of growing these softer skills in your current job. And that growth may be closer at hand than you think. What opportunities for collaboration and leadership might already exist? What are some avenues for taking on more responsibility in these areas? Brainstorm opportunities and check in with your manager on them. You’ll want her support to take on new things, and to keep an eye on the progress you’re making.

. . . WITHOUT LOSING SIGHT OF THE HARD ONES

What if your manager says you still need to improve your technical skills?

If you find that your manager is focusing on the technical skills even while you’re trying to bulk up on soft ones, this could mean two things: Either you’re still at junior level and need to grow in the basics (which is normal at the beginning of your career), or, if you’re mid-career and still getting this feedback, you may be at a company that values technical skills over people skills when it comes to promotions.

If that’s the case, you might find that the higher you go in a company like that, the less you enjoy the people who surround you. Consider whether that view (and company!) is a good match for you. Perhaps you’d be better off finding a different company that values your soft skills as much as you do.

FastCompany.com | XIMENA VENGOECHEA 04.29.16 5:00 AM

#Leadership : 3 Ways Walking Away From Your Desk Makes You Smarter…When the Body Moves the Brain Functions Better.

September 28, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Exercise can improve concentration, learning, creativity and memory. Basically, moving more makes you smarter, mentally faster and more creative. And all of that helps you to grow your business.

When you’re running a business, you need to think clearly, learn fast and find creative solutions to pressing problems. While you’re probably pretty good at these things, it’s likely you could be better. You can improve just about every mental power in your entrepreneurial arsenal by doing one thing – moving more.

Most people believe that sitting at a desk for hours on end gets loads of work done. We certainly live in a culture that valorizes putting in long days at the office. Which often means, putting in long days in our chairs. Unfortunately, we’re learning that our productivity declines as our sitting increases. Those long hours at the desk have diminishing returns. The brain functions better when the body moves.

Here are three huge mental benefits to moving more.

1. Think clearer.

A recent study showed that by working at standing desks, students could improve test scores by 20 percent. Think about how that could translate to your daily performance.

The more you can move around during the day, the more focused, alert and mentally capable you become. Why? Because you’re increasing blood flow – nutrients and oxygen — to the brain. No wonder those test scores went up.

Another study revealed that children who did aerobic exercise for 20 minutes before writing math tests improved their scores. It also showed that children, who regularly exercised, had larger regions of their brains related to attention, controlling their thoughts and restraining impulses. These mental strengths help us maintain focus, and follow through on our intentions. These results were confirmed in young adults too, so it’s not just children, who benefit from exercise before mental tasks.

Take a walk or climb some stairs before you meet with a new client or make an important presentation. You will be more focused, attentive and mentally clear.

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2. Learn faster.

Another study of children in the UK found that 15 minutes of exercise improved learning in math by about a quarter of a grade and that the increments in performance continued right up to 60 minutes – meaning that 60 minutes of activity made it possible to boost learning and academic performance by a full grade.

And a recent study, focused on adults, showed that as little as 20 minutes of yoga can improve brain function.

According to Neha Gothe, it appears that following yoga practice, the participants were better able to focus their mental resources, process information quickly, more accurately and also learn, hold and update pieces of information more effectively.

Our brains are more receptive to learning; learn more quickly; and maintain our learning over time when we move our bodies more.

3. Be more creative.

Bob Marley did some very interesting things to supercharge his creativity and performance. Before concerts, Marley and his band would play soccer in the stadium, where they were going to perform. And before recording sessions, they would go down to the beach for soccer and a swim before heading into the studio. They found that if they played outside before playing music, they were better.

Exercise boosts creativity because it reduces stress, fear and anxiety, all of which interfere with our ability to imagine new possibilities. It’s hard to tackle an emerging problem, rethink a presentation or invent a new solution when distracted by stress or anxiety. Moving more opens your mind to creative possibilities and allows you to see things in a new way. Walking appears to be particularly effective at boosting creativity.

Exercise can improve concentration, learning, creativity and memory. Basically, moving more makes you smarter, mentally faster and more creative. And all of that helps you to grow your business.

Entrepreneur.com | September 28, 2016 | Greg Wells

#Leadership : 10 Signs That You Suck As a Leader…Your Staff Won’t Tell you That you’re Terrible. You’ll Just Have to Figure it Out Yourself.

September 28, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you ask one of your key employees how you’re doing as a leader, chances are that you aren’t going to get a 100 percent honest answer. The employee probably isn’t going to tell you your faults, when you have the power to destroy his or her employment.

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So, what’s it going to be?

You may be asking why you should even ask such a question of your employees. After all, you’re the boss. But it’s simple, really. Research shows that more than 70 percent of the workforce is disengaged. Much of the cause of that disengagement oftem stems from the active dislike the employee has for his or her leader, often described as “the manager from hell.”

But none of these employees are going to risk their jobs to tell you that. And because of their reluctance, you may need to take a long, hard look at your behavior and be brave enough to recognize the signs that you aren’t doing as good of a job as a leader as you would like.

Here are 10 signs that you may, well, suck as a leader:

1. Your attitude is “This is how we do things around here, and you can like it or leave.”

Great leaders are in a constant state of growth and adaptability. They would never approach employees with this attitude.

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2. You are busy being nice.

Great leaders know what truly matters. Leaders know their purpose — their why. Running a business is not a popularity contest that leaders need to try to win. If you spend all your time trying to be nice to people, you aren’t leading.

3. You micro-manage.

Great leaders are collaborative, not micro-managers. Leaders don’t feel that they have to do everything themselves. They trust their team members to do it and know they will do it right.

4. You are all about the numbers.

Great leaders are, first and foremost, CROs. You know — chief relationship officers. Leaders cannot always focus on the bottom line. Remember that the number one character trait of great leaders is that they highly value the people they lead.

5. You secretly, or not so secretly, dislike people.

Great leaders are genuinely into their work relationships. They like people and love seeing them grow. You have no business being a leader if you don’t like people.

6. You steal the light.

Great leaders give the spotlight to others. Bad leaders take credit for what’s not theirs, and justify their behavior based on some “rational-lies” that they tell themselves. But it is not, despite anything you have ever been told, all about you.

7. You lack empathy and compassion.

Great leaders have a highly developed level of emotional intelligence. Don’t try to lead if you can’t grasp this concept.

8. You lack self-knowledge.

Great leaders are continually developing deeper self-knowledge, because they understand that self-knowledge lies at the root of genuine empathy and compassion. In order to lead effectively, you have to know who you are below the surface.

9. Your people don’t trust you.

Great leaders are highly integral. They don’t say one thing and do another. If this is you, you’ll lose ground every quickly with your staff.

10. You keep your personal life a secret.

Great leaders are bonded to their people, and their people are bonded to them. Great leaders know and care about who their people are. Great leaders let their people see who they authentically are beyond their role as leader. Let people in, proving that you have learned the power of vulnerability.

If you read this, and you find yourself saying, “Yeah, but you don’t understand,” what you are actually saying is that you are committed to sucking at your role as you are at leading. If that’s the case, no one can help you until you decide it’s too painful to stay the same.

Entrepreneur.com | September 27, 2016 | Dov Baron

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#Leadership : 5 Steps To Harness Your Brain’s Unconscious Decision-Making Powers…Yes, “Sleeping On It” Actually Works. Here’s How to Make it Work even better.

September 27, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Probably, you have. If “sleeping on it” works, it’s partly because when you sleep, your prefrontal cortex—the center of what makes you, you—powers down. That means your personality, your decisions, your social controls go to sleep with you. The night is when your unconscious really does have free rein. It can do its work without interference. Here’s how that process works and what you can do to leverage it when you’ve got tough decisions waiting on you in the morning.

HOW YOUR BRAIN SOLVES PROBLEMS WITHOUT YOU

While our conscious mind rests, our unconscious is busy making sense of the day’s events and filing them away in long-term memory. And if there are any problems on your mind, your unconscious will work on those, too. And it’s true, as Graham Bell pointed out, that a problem can seem insurmountable when you go to bed, but then when you wake up, it doesn’t seem so daunting. Here’s the part of his quote that precedes the one above:

I am a believer in unconscious cerebration. The brain is working all the time, though we do not know it. At night, it follows up what we think in the daytime. When I have worked a long time on one thing, I make it a point to bring all the facts regarding it together before I retire; and I have often been surprised at the results.

If your unconscious is aware that your conscious mind has been working hard on a problem, come nighttime, it will put its full processing power behind it. But the outcome of that process depends on a couple of things: first, your conscious mind needs to have been working hard on the problem, and second, you need to passionately require an answer in order to get your unconscious to work on it. It’s like the classic children’s fairytale “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” where the penniless shoemaker lays out his last piece of cloth, and the elves come in the night and turn it into a beautiful pair of shoes.

If your unconscious is aware that your conscious mind has been working hard on a problem, come nighttime, it will put its full processing power behind it.

Sometimes the solution to a problem, or at least the direction you need to take, will be revealed to you in the morning; sometimes even in your dreams. (Either way, make a note of any thoughts you have as soon as you wake up, otherwise they may fade away.) If you can remember your dreams, then you can see the unconscious at work already. And our dreams, even though we have no control over them, are very good at solving our problems.

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This is because when we’re dreaming, our minds are in the REM state, which has been found to be highly conducive to fluid reasoning and flexible thought. In a 2002 study, researchers tested participants’ ability to solve anagram puzzles when they were awoken from a deep REM (dream) sleep, compared with when they were roused from a normal, lighter doze. Those woken up from REM sleep proved 32% better at solving anagrams.

SETTING GOALS FOR YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND

There is a way to help your unconscious work for you: Set it a challenge. Say, for instance, you’re unhappy in your job and don’t know whether to leave or not. When you think about it in the daytime, your conscious mind is beset with different opinions and emotions on the subject. It’s like sitting around a table with 20 friends debating the subject. They all genuinely want to help, but their different opinions just make it all a bit overwhelming.

If you set the problem for your unconscious to work on, though, it has access to all the facts and relevant information and can work through it more calmly. Try these five steps:

1. Before you go to bed, spend 30 minutes thinking in a relaxed way about the problem or issue.

2. Then, when you get into bed, actually write down the problem and ask the question out loud to yourself. Also give it a deadline. Too much pressure creates stress; you don’t want to be lying awake thinking about the problem—that will just send it round and round in your conscious mind and won’t be helpful at all. But a little bit of gentle pressure can help, so set a time that you want to nail down the answer. You might say out loud and write down, “I am unhappy in my job and want to know what I should do. I would like an answer by 7:00 in the morning when I wake up.”

3. When you wake up, write down any immediate thoughts or insightful dreams you can remember. But don’t worry if the answer doesn’t seem obvious. It isn’t like ordering room service and expecting exactly what you requested to arrive, exactly when you asked it to—be patient. Take a shower, which can be a very productive place for unconscious ideas to bubble up.

4. Next, make yourself a tea or coffee and sit down in a comfortable chair with a pen and a pad of paper. For half an hour, just write. Don’t think too much about what you’re writing or if it makes any sense. Just get your thoughts down on paper.

5. After you’ve read back what you’ve written, let the council of your conscious mind debate it.

You may not have a tidy solution staring you in the face, but you may be surprised how much clearer things are after a good night’s sleep. At the very least, chances are you’ll be a lot closer to a decision you’re comfortable with than you were when you went to bed.

This is an edited excerpt published with permission of the publisher, Capstone, a Wiley brand, from Brainhack: Tips and Tricks to Unleash Your Brain’s Full Potential by Neil Pavitt. Copyright (c) 2016 by Neil Pavitt. All rights reserved. This book is available at all booksellers.

FastCompany.com | NEIL PAVITT 09.26.16 5:00 AM

#Leadership : 5 Ways Smart Leaders Ruin Companies…The Bad News is that These Mistakes are as Common as They are Damaging. The Good News is that They’re Really Easy to Fix, Once you’re Aware of Them.

September 27, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Most businesses are run by highly intelligent people. Yet, when things fall apart it’s usually due to these highly intelligent leaders’ stupid mistakes. Tragedies happen when smart leaders, who are otherwise great, sabotage themselves, day after day, with mistakes that they can’t see but are obvious to everyone else.

How can smart, experienced people with impressive track records make such stupid mistakes?

Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, spent six years searching for an answer. He and his colleagues studied 51 of the business world’s most notorious failures, interviewing CEOs and people from all levels. He and his team found that the poor decisions these smart leaders made were sometimes intentional and sometimes accidental, but they always followed a clear pattern of hubris that ensured even the most successful enterprise could be run into the ground.

Here’s what the leaders in Finkelstein’s study had in common:

1. They thought they were the smartest person in the room.

Many intelligent leaders know quite well how smart they are. Their identities become so wrapped up in their intelligence that they believe input from others is unnecessary. They make decisions quickly and refuse to answer questions when there’s a misunderstanding. Although this may fit the TV image of a strong leader, making split-second decisions with imprudence often leads to major mistakes. Your chance of failure is heightened when you don’t care to know what other people think.

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2. They surrounded themselves with yes-men and women.

Some leaders become so obsessed with loyalty that they expect mindless support for every decision they make. This alienates valuable employees and silences voices that could otherwise help the business succeed. When a leader begins to equate disagreement with disloyalty, or worse—the undermining of their authority—there’s no one left to raise the warning flags.

3. They viewed themselves, and their companies, as untouchable.

There’s nothing wrong with having lofty goals or a healthy sense of pride, but these leaders took their success for granted. They became so enamored with their ideas that they believed their competitors would never catch up, their circumstances would never change, and no disruptors would ever surface. These unrealistic expectations made failure inevitable. Leaders must continually question their positions, especially when they’re on top.

4. They couldn’t tell where they stopped and the company began.

The leaders in Finkelstein’s study had high profiles and were obsessed with company image. As a result, they were too busy being the face of the company to effectively lead it. Not only did this lead to stagnation but it also engendered dishonesty and corruption. A leader who sees a company as his own is more likely to hide anything that could tarnish that image, whether it be low numbers or faulty products.

5. They drove past red flags and warning signs.

Some leaders are so enamored with their personal visions that they’re willing to drive the company off of a cliff in pursuit of them. Many of these leaders solicit input and suggestions, but they just can’t take their feet off the gas. Persistence is a great quality in a leader but not if it means ignoring the facts.

Bringing It All Together

The bad news is that these mistakes are as common as they are damaging. The good news is that they’re really easy to fix, once you’re aware of them.

Have you seen smart leaders make similar mistakes? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Travis co-wrote the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-foundedTalentSmart.

Forbes.com | September 27, 2016 | Travis Bradberry

#Leadership : Dos and Don’ts: How To Use Your Girl Power In Corporate Culture…The Corporate World Changes so Fast that Your Employee or Colleague of Today can Become your Leader of Tomorrow, so it is Important that You Build Relations at Work.

September 27, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

There’s no shortage of women entering the travel industry — but men dominate when it comes to senior management, especially in the hotel industry. According to a 2015 white paper produced by the Hospitality Industry Pipeline Coalition, women hold less than 40 percent of all managerial positions in hospitality, less than 20 percent of general management roles and just 5 to 8 percent of board positions.

Laura Salles, a millennial employee on the rise at the Hotel Arts Barcelona, shares her tips for getting ahead. (Courtesy of Laura Salles)

Ritz-Carlton aims to change that: the hotel company is putting an emphasis on equal opportunities for women, in alignment with the UN’s goal for equality in the workplace by 2030. Through Community Footprints — its corporate social responsibility arm — Ritz-Carlton has announced a mission to promote the rise of female employees into management positions by encouraging mentorship and other positive reinforcement.

The goal: “keeping women inspired to not only enter the workforce but to remain in the workforce and to then progress into opportunities for leadership,” says Nicki Allen, manager of Community Footprints.

One Ritz-Carlton employee whose career is being fostered as a result is Laura Salles — the perfect example of girl power in action. The 24-year-old was recently named manager of international and domestic communications at the Hotel Arts Barcelona, a Ritz-Carlton property in Spain. After starting in 2013 as a trainee at the front desk, Salles has had a meteoric rise through the ranks — from pool supervisor to club lounge manager to her current role as public relations manager, which involves overseeing the property’s image and traveling around the globe to promote the property.

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Originally from Brazil, Salles says she has consistently been encouraged and mentored within her various roles. She wants to encourage other young women to pursue and follow their dreams, too. And yet, she recognizes there are unique challenges to navigating corporate culture, especially as a woman.

This go-getter reveals the top Dos and Don’ts that have helped her achieve her career goals — and that other young women can follow, too.

Dos:

1. Build genuine relationships (as opposed to kissing up to those you may assume could one day benefit you personally).

The corporate world changes so fast that your employee or colleague of today can become your leader of tomorrow, so build relations at work. Besides making your work environment more fun, this will cultivate good future connections.

2. Ask for responsibility, and believe in yourself.

During your career, not everyone will believe you should be promoted and might have thoughts like: “She is too young, she doesn’t have enough experience.” No matter how young you are, you need to demonstrate your capabilities by projecting confidence, and give your leader confidence to entrust you with new opportunities. Most importantly, believe in yourself and others will believe in you, as well.

3. Focus on balance: Cultivate a personal life, in addition to prioritizing work responsibilities.

Your personal life is as important as your professional life. You don’t want to look back with regret in a few years, saying: “I did not live in my 20’s.” You can work hard, but you can also play hard. Having friends and social life after work is vital. With breaks and fun time off, you’ll come back to work with even more creativity.

4. Maintain a positive attitude.

Young people are naturally positive, so play this up. Energy is contagious, as is empathy; you can impact your work environment and connect with your colleagues by behaving as you’d want others to behave.

5. Smile — always.

This simple act will help you in every interaction with others. Be approachable. Remember that this is an exciting journey, and there are endless opportunities to learn and grow.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t compare yourself with others.

Everyone has a different career and life. You are not better or worse than anyone — you are YOU. And that should be your point.

2. Don’t forget to breathe.

Allowing insecurity, anxiety or emotions to hold you back from accomplishment is you hampering your own potential.

3. Don’t talk too much; listen more.

Understand that many people have experienced more than you have. So give a chance to listen before you impose what you think. This is particularly important when you are young and starting out.

4. Don’t mix your private and professional life.

Everyone has personal problems but you need to try to control them when you are at work. Don’t let your emotions dominate you. You don’t want to transmit an immature or uncontrolled image.

5. Don’t take no as a stop sign.

Don’t get tired, don’t give up. “No” should be gasoline for you to continue and work hard to finally get to “yes” (opportunity). You will achieve your objectives when you strategically plan them. Running without a clear destination will not drive you anywhere.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and check out more of my work atlaurabegleybloom.com.

Forbes.com | September 27, 2016 | Laura Begley Bloom

#Leadership : What Elite Athletes Can Teach You About Being A Better Business Leader…Playing Sports at an Elite Level requires Commitment, Humility, and Perseverance—All Necessary Traits of Great Leaders.

September 26, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

“The obvious similarity is that they’re both competitive arenas,” Beecham says. In his coaching practice, which includes both executives and elite athletes, the training and mental toughness required is similar for both types of clients, he says. Business leaders can draw a number of lessons from those who play sports at an elite level.

THRIVE IN CHAOS

When linebacker Bradie James retired from the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, he devoted himself full-time to his franchise businesses. James had some success with MOOYAH Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, but was looking for new challenges in the business world. After discussions with management, he joined the company’s corporate team as director of brand engagement, working in marketing, operations, and sales.

For both executives and elite athletes, training and mental toughness is required.

James credits his time on the Cowboys with making this transition. “As an athlete, we thrive in chaotic situations. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][On the field], there are so many different things that are going on—the crowd, the opponent—you have to do your job. What you have to do is just hone that ability,” he says. He used the ability to quickly assess needs and actions that he developed on the football field to do the same for his new employer.

TAP THE RIGHT TRAINING

One of the first things elite athletes learn is that they can’t work in a vacuum, says elite performance coach Michelle Cleere, author of From Here to There: A Simple Blueprint for Women to Achieve Success in Sport and Business. You need the right training and coaches to help you succeed.

Developing relationships with the people who can help you get better is second nature to athletes, but perhaps less so to business leaders, who may try to achieve more on their own, she says. Look at yourself as an athlete, she suggests.

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If you need to get better in a particular area, think about where you can get the extra coaching or training you need to develop that skill set.

DON’T SKIP PRACTICE

Where elite athletes practice far more than they actually compete, business leaders are often expected to compete relentlessly, often with little practice, Beecham says. That can leave them ill-prepared when the stakes are high. While there is an enormous focus on numbers and successes, less attention is paid on building a solid process that prepares people to achieve those goals.

The options aren’t “win or lose.” They’re “win or learn.”

That process includes training, mentoring, stretch assignments, and assessment of strengths and weaknesses before “game time,” he says, whether that’s a big sales presentation or taking on a big project. Beecham points to John Wooden, the famous UCLA basketball coach, who was well-known for not talking about winning or losing, but rather how he wanted the game played.

“What I’m saying is what a lot of business leaders fail to do and I would say that in the sport, they do better than this,” Beecham explains. “Good coaches in sport really do talk about the process, the things that we need to do to focus on to do well. In business, they don’t do that as well,” he adds.

GET IT DONE

When Ryan Kwiatkowski was a professional volleyball player in Belgium, he learned quickly how to manage his time. Three or four practices per day, traveling to matches, and other demands made it important for him to be organized about what needed to get done and overcome procrastination, he says. Now, he is director of marketing for his family’s financial services firm,Retirement Solutions, Inc. in Naperville, Illinois, which manages more than $100 million in assets.

“I take a look at the work day in chunks and focus on very specific targeted activities throughout the day,” says Kwiatkowski, “similar to how it would be during practices.”

WIN OR LEARN

Recently, Kwiatkowski’s team didn’t land a big business pitch. While the news was disappointing, the former volleyball pro drew on his athletic experience to rally his team. The options aren’t “win or lose,” he says. They’re “win or learn.” Review what happened and where improvements can be made to be a better competitor next time, he says.

SUCK IT UP AND SHAKE IT OFF

When you’re a linebacker in the National Football League taking a beating from the other team, overcoming adversity is part of your job. James says that one of the key lessons he learned playing pro ball was that you have to bounce back. You’re going to get hit. You’re going to have bad days, he says. But you’ve got to figure out a way to get yourself back in the game, renewing your resolve, determination, and enthusiasm to make another run, even when you might not feel like it.

“You don’t fail by falling, you fail by staying on the ground. It’s about getting yourself back up,” he says. That kind of mental toughness is an essential part of long-term success.

GET EVERYONE TO PLAY TOGETHER

As captain of the Cowboys, James says there were times when he had to be the liaison between players and coaches, resolving concerns. Today, he uses that same skill as he helps build the MOOYAH brand. His experience as a franchise owner allows him to bring a different perspective to the corporate team, and he speaks out regularly to make sure their voice is heard.

“Sometimes you say, ‘You know what, the team is banking on this, so let’s look at it from a different perspective. Let’s try a different way. I’m all in no matter what we do, but let’s make this one adjustment. What do you think?’” James believes that ability to get people to work together toward a common goal is a skill that will serve you in business and in life.

FastCompany.com | GWEN MORAN 09.23.16 5:07 AM

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#Leadership : 35 Killer Quotes From the Stars of Shark Tank…Need Some Inspiration? These Lessons From the Sharks Will Motivate You.

September 23, 2016/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Over the past seven years, the savvy moguls at the helm of ABC’s Shark Tank — Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary — have heard countless pitches and offered more than $66 million to help aspiring entrepreneurs around the country turn their visions into reality.

The eighth season of the hit series will premiere on Sept. 23, so we’ve gathered some of the sharks’ most motivational insights about building a business, making mistakes, managing money, finding your passion and being a great boss.

1. Don’t let failures get you down.
“It’s only when you put yourself in charge that you have a shot at becoming rich. … if you’re competitive and pigheaded enough to get over the failures without wasting time feeling sorry for yourself, and if you can inspire enough good people to join you, you can pretty much become as rich as you want.” — Barbara Corcoran

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2. Success is nothing without passion.

“I get this all the time, which is crazy: ‘I want to be rich. What kind of company should I start?’ You can’t do that. It doesn’t work like that. You’ve got to be good at something and not only be good at it, but you’ve got to love it, and then you’re willing to work and do whatever it takes.” — Mark Cuban

3. You’re in charge of your destiny.
“If you can afford to take a risk and you’re young enough, either start your own company or be involved with one where you’re racking up equity. There’s no other path to becoming a millionaire. No employer is going to let you make a million dollars off of their business. They don’t have to. Realize that if you want that path, that journey to becoming a millionaire, you have to sacrifice a lot and work like a dog. I did. There was no balance in my life. I wasn’t even around when my kids were young. But today, I can afford to gather them with me every weekend anywhere on Earth I want to.” — Kevin O’Leary

4. Save as much money as you can.
“If you learn to live pretty simply and well, well under your means, you feel incredibly, incredibly rich and that frees you up and gives you the option to start something new, to leave the job you’re not excited about, where there might be a glass ceiling on you.” — Chris Sacca
Read more: All 7 Shark Tank Stars Share Tips on How to Become a Millionaire

5. Meet your customers where they are.
“With Facebook and other social platforms, you can have highly targeted marketing campaigns to attract customers who are interested in the product or service that you have. Find the user groups they meet up in on social and win them over there.” — Robert Herjavec

6. Learn to delegate.
“I always say, if you’re not a marketing person, you didn’t start the businesses to do marketing, so don’t do it.” — Robert Herjavec
Read more: ‘Shark Tank’ Star Robert Herjavec’s Top 5 Small-Business Marketing Tips

7. Listen to your customer — up to a point.
“Your customers can tell you the things that are broken and how they want to be made happy. Listen to them. Make them happy. But don’t rely on them to create the future road map for your product or service. That’s your job.” — Mark Cuban
Read more: Mark Cuban on Why You Should Never Listen to Your Customers

8. Perceived weaknesses can be valuable strengths.
“You have to put it in your own mind that this is not an affliction that will negatively impact your future. It shouldn’t in any way diminish your self-esteem or be considered something that is going to hurt your chances to be successful at work or in life.” — Kevin O’Leary
Read more: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary: Having Dyslexia Is a ‘Superpower’ in Business

9. There is always a solution.
“There are no ‘nos,’ just ‘how can I?’” — Lori Greiner

10. Brands need to tell a story.
“It’s very important that it catches your eye, it tells you exactly what it is instantaneously and it makes you want to pick it up.” — Lori Greiner

11. Protect your intellectual property.
“If you put it online, it can go around the world in a second, and someone will knock it off.” — Lori Greiner
Read more: Shark Tank Star Lori Greiner’s 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs

12. Nothing is a sure thing.
“I can’t tell you how many times people have tried to scam me, and, unfortunately, they have pulled it off a few times. But I have learned that usually the easier someone says something will be, the more likely my scam alert goes off. Nothing is ever guaranteed. The people who are full of shit tend to try and make you think they have a sure thing. When you hear that, run away.” — Mark Cuban
Read more: Mark Cuban on Giving Back, Boredom and Sniffing Out Bullshit

13. Don’t overthink.
“Building a business is little more than a series of quick opportunities followed by a big a series of big obstacles. The opportunities arrive and leave so quickly that they’re way too easy to miss. If I hadn’t quit my job on a stranger’s suggestion the moment I heard it, I would have probably thought about it and not done it. Every great decision I’ve made in business since was made exactly that way — quickly without any thought. I’ve learned that thought gets in the way.” — Barbara Corcoran
Read more: Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran: ‘All the Best Things Happened to Me on the Heels of Rejection’

14. Sacrifice in service of success.
“Be honest with yourself. What price are you willing to pay to make the business work and be successful? Would you sacrifice your time, your family, your friends, your golf game, your entire social life? I am not advocating that you should, but you have to ask yourself if you are prepared to.” — Robert Herjavec
Read more: Shark Tank Star Robert Herjavec’s Top 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs

15. Keep meetings to a minimum.
“I don’t like to do a lot of meetings and phone calls because of the productivity hit. Only if you’re writing me a check, I’ll do a meeting. If there’s a problem and we need to solve it, I’ll do a call. Other than that, I keep communication limited to email. It’s more efficient.” — Mark Cuban
Read more: How Mark Cuban ‘Gets Shit Done’ and Stays Productive

16. Tell yourself you deserve a seat at the table.
“I have just as much right to be here as you, I’m just as smart as you are. You might not think I’m smart, but I know I’m smart. Guess what, I’ve done a lot. Don’t you dare look down on me.” — Barbara Corcoran
Read more: What This ‘Shark Tank’ Star Tells Herself When She Needs a Jolt of Confidence

17. Learn from your mistakes.
“If you can’t come clean and tell investors how and why you failed, that raises a red flag. They need to see that you learned from it and came back stronger.” — Daymond John
Read more: Shark Tank Star Daymond John Says Never Make This Common Mistake When Pitching Investors

18. Money won’t solve your problems.
“To me, success isn’t defined by your wallet. It’s defined by waking up with a smile on your face, knowing it’s going to be a great day. But, sure, money can make your life a whole lot easier.” — Mark Cuban
Read more: Shark Tank Star Mark Cuban: ‘Money Can’t Buy Happiness’

19. Be resilient
“The difference between the real winners is how long they take to feel sorry for themselves. My winners feel it … but they come back up and say ‘hit me again.’” — Barbara Corcoran
Read more: Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran: Real Winners Say ‘Hit Me Again’

20. Trust your gut.
“You have to have a senseless belief in your idea and yourself — almost to the point of being delusional. Remember that everyone has advice but no one knows what you have to go through to start, grow and scale a business until they live it! Talk is cheap, but action speaks volumes.” — Robert Herjavec
Read more: Shark Tank Star Robert Herjavec’s Top 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs

21. Embrace self-reliance.
“You have to be willing to do as much as possible by yourself up until you simply have no choice but to hire someone; and even then, you will have to stay intimately involved in the day-to-day operations, because even the best employee will never be as vigilant as you will.” — Lori Greiner
Read more: Shark Tank Star Lori Greiner’s 4 Money Rules for New Entrepreneurs

22. Be optimistic.
“You have to see everything as half-full even though everyone is saying you have nothing in your glass.” — Barbara Corcoran

23. Don’t wait for the right moment to begin.
“You can’t study to be an entrepreneur. Sometimes, you just have to jump.” — Barbara Corcoran
Read more: Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran: 4 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Do

24. Monitor your money.
“What I find so remarkable, and this includes very wealthy people I know, is nobody knows what they’re monthly nut is. Whether you’re single, married, a single parent or otherwise, most people don’t know what it costs them to live every 30 days, and that’s living on the edge.”– Kevin O’Leary
Read more: The 4 Dumbest Money Mistakes People Make and How to Stop Making Them, According to Shark Tank’s ‘Mr. Wonderful’

25. Don’t just ride the wave. Chart your own path.
“I think it’s harder if you’re a ‘me too’ business or you’re one of many. I think if you really have an innovative idea and you’re first to market, there’s no shortage in money.” — Robert Herjavec
Read more: What ‘Shark Tank’s’ Robert Herjavec Looks for in a Startup

26. Be thorough.
“To get people who will truly love your product and spread the word, make them proud of it and make sure you don’t embarrass them by putting something out there that isn’t 100 percent.” — Daymond John
Read more: Daymond John’s Top 7 Tips on How to Launch Your Product Like a Shark

27. Lead by example.
“Whatever you do, don’t stay up in a stuffy office away from your people. Get right in there, side by side with your employees. Get hands-on and show them there’s no task beneath you.” — Lori Greiner

28. Set your standards.
“I’m a great guy to work for 98 percent of the time, but the other 2 percent of the time, you’re going to do it my way and that’s it. A great boss is kind, but you have to strong, too. You can’t be a pushover.” — Robert Herjavec
Read more: Shark Tank’s Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec on What Makes a Great Boss

29. Don’t underestimate the power of your network.
“We’re talking tapping into other people’s marketing, mind power and momentum, even other people’s manpower. Cross-promote with others’ in the industry you operate in. It goes both ways. You promote them and they promote you. It’s mutually beneficial and it doesn’t cost a thing.” — Daymond John
Read more: 3 Free Things Shark Tank’s Daymond John Says You Must Do to Help Your Startup Survive

30. Don’t let anxiety hold you back.
“I think when you get old like me, you realize the sun really does rise the next day. I think the other thing is fear. If you let your fear dictate how you feel about others or things that are going on, it can paralyze you.” — Robert Herjavec
Read more: Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec: In Business, Don’t Forget That ‘The Sun Always Rises Tomorrow’

31. Have all the information before making a decision.
“I always think it’s a smart move to have your eyes on everything in your business, everywhere. Go see your factory with your own eyes when you’re in a position to. No one knows your business better than you do and you have to see every aspect of it for yourself.” — Lori Greiner
Read more: Shark Tank’s Lori Greiner on the No. 1 Mistake to Avoid When Manufacturing Your Product Overseas

32. Mistakes help forge who you are.
“I would say almost two-thirds of all of my best entrepreneurs had some injury coming out of their earlier life that they’re getting over, and I love it. Because if they have something to prove, I feel like I’ve got an insurance policy on my investment in my back pocket.” — Barbara Corcoran
Read more: How Persistence Paid Off for This ‘Shark Tank’ Star

33. You will never be completely balanced.
“Work-life balance is one of the biggest misconceptions people have. It’s not reality. I’m laser-like focused and driven and you just gotta keep going. You have to figure out what’s important to you, realize that everything has a price and make sacrifices.” — Robert Herjavec
Read more: Shark Tank Star Robert Herjavec: Don’t Ever Expect a ‘Balanced Life’

34. You can find a wonderful mentor where you least expect it.
“Mentors don’t have to be the Daymond Johns or the Mark Cubans. A person running a successful bodega or a tax firm in your community for the last 20 years, that person is working just as much as the individual who’s running General Mills.” — Daymond John
Read more: Daymond John of ‘Shark Tank’ on the No. 1 Thing Entrepreneurs Need

35. Discover what motivates you.
“Find something you are good at and do what it takes to be great at it. We all have something special about us. The hard and exciting part is figuring out what it is.” — Mark Cuban
Read more: Mark Cuban on Giving Back, Boredom and Sniffing Out Bullshit

Entrepreneur.com | September 23, 2016 | Nina Zipkin