Darya Sinusoid, Author at Shortform Books

The Greatest Salesman in the World: The 10 Scrolls

What is the purpose of the 10 scrolls in The Greatest Salesman in the World? What were the writings inscribed inside? The 10 scrolls from The Greatest Salesman in the World are the fictional medium for delivering the ten principles of selling, or more accurately, of character-building. The story “sells” the premise that becoming a great salesperson means developing a better, stronger version of yourself through good habits, discipline, perseverance, and self-control. Below is a brief summary of Og Mandino’s ten character-building lessons contained in the scrolls.

2 Techniques for Motivating and Inspiring Employees

Do you feel like your employees have lost the drive to perform at their best? What can you, as a leader, do to motivate and inspire your team? Inspiring employees to go above and beyond requires a leader who is willing to show their emotional side. Everyone inherently has the ability to inspire, though everyone will do it differently depending on their purposes, communication style, and the challenges at hand. To inspire, use the following two techniques.

When Should You Start Drawing Social Security?

What is the earliest age you can collect social security? What factors should you take into account when deciding when to receive your social security payouts? Choosing when to start drawing social security is an important decision. You can claim Social Security starting at age 62, but the sooner you start, the smaller your checks will be. The longer you hold off up to age 70, the larger they’ll be, but you’ll have fewer years to collect them. Here is what financial blogger J. L. Collins has to say on drawing your social security.

Childhood & Self-Esteem: How to Raise a Confident Kid

How do children develop self-esteem? What can you do to help your child develop a healthy sense of self-esteem? There are many factors that shape self-esteem in childhood. Genetics plays a part, but upbringing and experience (risk, failure, and so on) are also critical. Failure, in particular, builds resilience—the more you experience it, especially when you’re young, the less you fear it. Below are some techniques for helping children develop self-esteem.

Intrinsic Motivation: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose

What are the three components of intrinsic motivation? How does each element contribute to intrinsically driven behavior? Intrinsic motivation is made up of three components: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Autonomy is having a choice in what you do, and being self-driven. Mastery is wanting to get more skilled and be recognized for competency. Purpose is understanding why you’re doing the work, it is often centered around helping other people. Below, we’ll look at each component entails in practice, and how it contributes to intrinsic motivation.

5 Qualities of an Adaptive Organization: Adapt or Die

How to Have an Effective Strategic Discussion

Is your organization well-equipped to adapt to changing circumstances outside of your control? What can you, as a leader, do to increase your organization’s adaptive capacity? Every time your organization successfully addresses an adaptive challenge, it increases its adaptive capacity and is more prepared and equipped to handle the next adaptive challenge. You can additionally increase your organization’s adaptive capacity by building an adaptable culture. In this article, we’ll take a look at the five qualities of an adaptive organization.

Does the Carrot and Stick Motivation Model Still Work?

What is the carrot and stick motivation? Is the reward-and-punishment approach to motivation still effective? Carrot and stick motivation is an old-school motivational approach that involves offering rewards for desirable behavior, and inflicting punishment for undesirable behavior. According to Daniel H. Pink, the author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the carrot and stick approach is still generally effective but carrots (extrinsic rewards) aren’t the main driver of performance. Rather, they act as a “baseline reward” or a “hygiene factor.” In this article, we’ll take a look at the psychology behind the carrot and stick motivation approach

Self-Care for Leaders: 5 Techniques for Thriving

How does stress affect leadership? Has stress ever affected your ability to lead effectively? The stress that leaders are put under can easily result in a lack of focus and impulsive decisions. Therefore, it’s very important to take care of yourself as a leader—if you burn out, you’ll no longer be able to lead, and this could derail all progress towards your purpose. The following self-care techniques are taken from The Practice of Adaptive Leadership written by leadership experts Alexander Grashow, Marty Linsky, and Ronald Heifetz.

Daniel Pink: How Purpose Drives Behavior

What is purpose in the context of motivation? How does having purpose motivate behavior? According to Daniel Pink, purpose is the third pillar of his Motivation 3.0 framework. In the context of motivation, purpose is a deep, underlying reason why you perform a behavior or engage in an activity. A particularly common and especially motivating purpose is helping other people. In this article, we’ll consider the role of purpose in motivating behavior.

The 5 Common Fears That Come With Leadership

What do leaders fear the most? What are their top insecurities? Leaders may seem invincible but they are also prone to fears and insecurities. In their book The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, leadership experts Alexander Grashow, Marty Linsky, and Ronald Heifetz point out five main fears that come with leadership: 1) disappointing people, 2) incompetence, 3) hard decisions, 4) failure, and 5) exhaustion. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the five toughest leadership fears.