Communication preferences
The effectiveness of a message depends on how well it’s received. It’s prudent then to take your receiver’s communication preferences into account if you want to be a better communicator. Some of us enjoy bullet points. Some of us need lots of detail. Some of us like a narrative. So when you are preparing work […]
Lamborghini
Ferruccio Lamborghini once said “We don’t do commercials because our target audience isn’t sitting around watching TV.” I couldn’t verify this quote, and Lamborghini has made commercials. But it keeps being shared around the interwebs because the message is on point. .
Don’t delay, act today
We find it easy putting something off until tomorrow because we feel this delay isn’t much. But it’s amazing how quickly a day can turn into a week. A week into a month. A month into a season. This is why having a sense of urgency can be one of your biggest drivers of success. […]
Getting to a deal
When in a negotiation, just because the other party walks away, doesn’t mean a deal is dead. If this happens, it’s important to keep the dialogue open by explaining that you’re still keen to reach an agreement. If the other party gave a reason for walking away, understand if they would make a deal if […]
Handwritten cards
My mum is a master of elevating any occasion with a thoughtful touch. I’ll let you in on her secret here so you can do the same. She can make something a little more special by simply writing a lovely message on a nice card. It doesn’t take much, particularly when you realise she’s just […]
It’s not binary
Salaried professionals can operate like business owners. Business owners can operate like salaried professionals. .
Increasing time value
The value of your time will increase as your career progresses, and this should influence your behaviour around spending time and money. When earning $25 per hour, financial costs are quite pronounced and we preference spending time over money. When earning $50 per hour, you’re earning twice as much as you did before, so time […]
Emails outside office hours
It’s good to set boundaries between your professional life and your personal life, but this can certainly be hard with our inboxes. Traditional office hours have blurred considerably, and people’s attitudes around what’s appropriate with email etiquette differ greatly. Personally, I like using Schedule Send outside of office hours so that the receiver doesn’t feel […]
In 2 years
When wanting to embark on a long-term pursuit that isn’t defined by a tangible milestone, it can be tricky visualising benchmarks of success along the journey. Try framing potential outcomes around a 2 year horizon. It’s a great middle ground – 1 year can feel too close for something significant to happen, and beyond 2 […]
Present an action
Whenever you present to an audience, give them a direct call-to-action. For many of our presentations, we just share some information but leave it up to the audience to consider what they should do with it. I suspect this tendency was developed during school where our presentations were motivated by marks and not a cause. […]