“Each of us is two selves. The great burden of life is always to try to keep that higher self in command. And every time that old lower self acts up and tells us to do wrong, let us allow that higher self to tell us that we were made for the stars, created for the everlasting, born for eternity.”

Dr. Martin Luther King
1929-1968

“The Natalie Question”

Is success about talent, hard work or luck? These factors certainly matter; but are they decisive?  One consultant turned researcher took five years to explore the question and surveyed 5,000 managers. He was particularly motivated by a fellow employee early in his consulting career named Natalie who seemed to get more done on her engagements with much less time and effort than he expended. His research identified a choice we can all make that he feels matters much more than talent, effort or luck. Find out what he learned in this short article from the Wall Street Journal when he decided to explore “The Natalie Question.”

15 Places to Get Better

It’s been shown that companies that invest in their employees’ development do better than those who do not. If your company doesn’t, or if you want more than you’re getting, check out this list of 15 websites that will help you be better in 2018.  Some of these may be familiar; others may offer some new choices.   It’s up to you.

The New LinkedIn

Microsoft paid $26 Billion for LinkedIn. This will help you understand why. Many CEOs and direct reports have a personal or company page on this site but know little about the power that LinkedIn offers them, so they don’t challenge their teams to use it to its fullest. This short article from Intero Advisor, a LinkedIn consulting firm, “LinkedIn, The Numbers and Opportunities Don’t Lie”  help C-Level execs gain a better sense of this remarkable resource in other areas of their businesses.

As the founder of Intero writes: “It’s become a place for CEOs, thought leaders, ….It’s become a platform filled with insight that informs people, businesses, and decisions. If you have tip-toed or played from the sidelines,….It’s hard to calculate the misses since you may not realize the opportunity.” This article points to other articles and resources you may wish to forward to your teams for follow up.

If you want the shorter version, this informative graphic, “Rise of the New LinkedIn” shares the 50,000 foot aspects of LinkedIn of which you may be unaware. A competency on LinkedIn is becoming as necessary in business as having an accounting system. If you’re a C-Level exec, you don’t have to be a LinkedIn expert; you just have to realize that someone on your team had better be.

Who in YOUR company owns the LinkedIn competency?

Up the Down De-Escalator

If you’re looking for a short effective primer on helping your customer service reps (to say nothing of yourself) cope with conflict, master marketer guru Seth Godin has something worth your time. In a short blog entry he shares three simple steps involved in handling irate customers. Find out why he says “ First, De-escalate!”

Econ Recon:  The Export Myth …..From Vistage:  The Economy in 2018 and Beyond

The Export Myth: The economy is doing well but the wave of globalization has many, including C-Level execs, still thinking that the US is lagging behind in exports. Not so, says Dr. Alan Beaulieu at ITR Economics. There are three factors supporting the growth of US Exports.  Do you know what they are?

From Vistage:  The Economy in 2018 and Beyond: This is the second of four offerings from Vistage regarding what to expect from 2018. Last week I shared the political predictions of some of the best world watchers. This week, check out the predictions of the economy for 2018 and beyond.