It s a shame I've been sitting on this book for about two years now. A friend of mine gave me Never Eat Alone , by Keith Ferrazzi a couple years ago (thanks Rey), and it s been on my bookcase ever since. It was resting there not because I didn't want to read it, but because I already had so many others in the pipeline. I finally got around to reading it last month and I definitely recommend it. In very simple terms, Ferrazzi explains why networking is important and how to do it. From how to make call lists to planning dinners to personal branding to goal setting, it s all here. He also maintains a valuable blog .
Inevitably there will be times when you have setbacks or things don t go your way. Maybe you didn't get a job you thought you were sure to get. Maybe you lost a job unexpectedly, didn't win a contract, or lost a major client. Your car always seems to break down right after you've had some other unexpected expense. These kinds of situations immediately place us in crisis. They don t feel good, but sometimes they re what we need in order to grow. The beautiful thing about crises is that they force us to take a step back and reevaluate what s going on in our lives and rediscover what we truly want and need. When we get over that initial shock and feeling of disappointment, we might realize that maybe that job wasn't really the best for us anyway. Maybe, just maybe, that wasn't what you really wanted to spend your life doing. Maybe that friend was holding you back instead of pushing you forward. The way I deal with crises of these sorts is simple: If something doesn't go my way professionally, I try to create a situation that would be more rewarding than the situation originally planned. A while ago, I was offered a job that looked very promising. After I accepted the offer, they pushed the start date back three times, later informing me (via e-mail) that they wanted to bring me on in the near future but I should feel free to explore other options. I was extremely disappointed. I felt disrespected and angry, but decided to make the best of the situation and follow my dream of working internationally. I then flew to Santiago, Chile and had great professional and personal experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. Later, reflecting back on the original opportunity, I realized that working for a company that avoids a start date three times and then can t pick up the phone to explain the situation is probably not where I need to spend my time. Use setbacks as an opportunity to put your goals in order and act on them. In the moment, it s difficult to look at a setback as temporary, but they are. They happen to everybody. It s how you respond to them that will determine how they affect you.
Handwritten by Michael B. Maine - "Difficult Conversations"
A few months ago, while visiting one of my new favorite cities—Portland, Oregon, I happened upon a lovely stationary shop. It’s name is ecru (yes, all lowercase). Derived from the French écru, which itself is derived from the Latin escru, ecru means “literally, unbleached, raw.” We often use the term now to refer to pale, yellow or light grayish-yellowish brown, unbleached linen. I like this term because there is something about a blank canvas or clean slate that is both beautiful and pure, and intimidating and overwhelming at the same time. The store was an eclectic mix of local and rare stationary, paper, and collectables—very well laid out while feeling organic. While perusing the store, I came across a few little notebooks with scenes from around the world on the covers. One was of London, another was of Spain, and yet another was of Italy. I flipped through Italy and found that each page presented a new image with enough room for just a few thoughts or notes. The more I flipped, the more I realized that my mind was immediately trying to make sense of the image. I felt creative. I felt reflective. I don’t take enough time to stop and reflect, so I decided to pick one up and make a new practice for myself. Each day, I wake up and take a moment to look at the next image and write the first thing that comes to mind. The image above is an example. I now invite you do do the same. Below is an image. What’s the first thing that comes to mind as you reflect over it? Let me know in the comments below.
Courtesy of The Guardian Eyewitness
“92% of millennials say in a survey that a company’s success should be measured by more than profit, and over 50% say they think businesses will have a greater impact than any other societal segment—including government—on solving the world’s biggest challenges.”
92% of millennials say in a survey that a company’s success should be measured by more than profit, and over 50% say they think businesses will have a greater impact than any other societal segment—including government—on solving the world’s biggest challenges. In a survey of more than 1,000 of its employees born after 1981, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu found that when respondents were asked to name three terms that encapsulate the purpose of business, 51% cited societal development and only 39% cited profit.