Stop Moving the Goalposts: Do You Recognize Your Own Success?
Here’s what you can learn from author Og Mandino’s self-help books.
I am a firm believer in personal development. Regardless of the cards that life deals you, it’s really how you play them that determines your level of success. In my journey, I have found many personal development books to be really helpful, but none more so than those written by author and speaker Og Mandino.
As someone who pulled himself back from the brink of suicide and alcoholism, Mandino is not your average self-help guru, and the lessons I have taken from his work are sometimes surprising.
Learning through stories
One of the things that draws me to Mandino’s work is that he doesn’t write like other self-help authors. For the most part, he writes stories, and within those tales lie the lessons. His work comes from a standpoint of sharing what he has learned and not necessarily teaching theory.
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5 Ways to Ensure You Have True Diversity Within Your Business
Diversity is complex and not as simple as some people may think, but having true diversity will improve every aspect of your business.
The government defines diversity as “the range of similarities and differences each individual brings to the workplace, including but not limited to national origin, language, race, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, and family structures.” Too often, I’ve seen this diluted to the introduction of one woman and one minority to the company board of directors. Is this really the pinnacle of a diverse company foundation? What about the rest of the workforce? Is diversity really just a matter of fulfilling quotas?
In my experience, true diversity enriches a company, but it must be the real deal. It has to be embraced from the boardroom to the mailroom if it’s going to thrive. After all, how diverse is your company, really, if all the diversity is sitting at the bottom of the pay scale while the boardroom remains unwaveringly similar to 19th-century men’s clubs, minus the Victorian suits? Here, I want to explore how companies can nurture diversity for a more rewarding and successful operation.
Opening doors requires open minds
I’ve always lamented how the government definition of diversity, which is really quite nice, often becomes distilled to employing a few representative “types” to achieve the “diversity-approved” rubber stamp. That’s just not the level of diversity that I’m hoping to foster. But, to create a truly diverse team that goes beyond employing a certain number of minorities and a certain number of women, you have to have an open mind and be willing to look at diversity from more complex angles.
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Hiring the Right Personality Matters, and AI Can Help
It’s important to find the right employees in order for your business to succeed. Here’s how AI can help you find the perfect match.
Between companies and departments, businesses typically have many different people running interviews. While not everyone is good at reading personalities, an interviewer should be — if he or she hopes to find the best candidate. Interviewing for the right personality in a potential employee gives you greater security in his or her fit for the role and within the company and in that person’s ability to build a long-term relationship. Combining human interviewers with AI systems allows you to find the best fit faster.
First, here are some ways you can start to identify ideal candidates.
Understand what drives people
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Purpose Beyond Profit: The Enduring Worth of Professional Values
Leading with consistency in both your personal and professional values is essential for both you, personally, and your team as a whole. Here’s why:
Elvis Presley once famously said, “Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave ’em all over everything you do.” Often, when there’s talk of values in the modern work context, many people’s eyes glaze over. Others even dismiss values as an antiquated buzzword or hyped-up “HR-speak.” So, the question is: Do values still matter – and why?
I’d say an unequivocal “yes.” If you’re working as a consultant and are invited to take on a project for a company, the notion of values may seem to not come into play. You’re there to do a job, complete it on time and as expected, get paid, and move on. But your values will influence your actions all the way through.
Similarly, what if you’re considering accepting a position on an enterprise’s Board of Directors? Here, I’d argue, the relevance of values even becomes amplified. These are longer-term relationships and, often, there’s an added pressure of investments and equity at stake. In this scenario, if there’s misalignment between the values you hold dear as a person and those of the business you’re representing at the senior echelons, things can quickly fall apart.
It’s unlikely to end well for you, the rest of the board, or the company.
When Things Fall Apart…
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