Career Archives | Shortform Books

How to Create an Inspiring Leadership Vision Statement

What is a leadership vision statement? Why is making a vision statement an important step in leading change in your company? In John Kotter’s book Leading Change, he stresses the importance of creating a vision statement when leading change. This is important because it allows you to articulate the ultimate vision of the change and connects all your employees towards a singular purpose. Continue below to learn how to create a vision statement.

John Kotter: How to Communicate the Vision for Change

How can you effectively communicate your vision of change to your employees? What things should you avoid when you’re communicating the vision? According to Kotter, once you’ve developed a sense of urgency, assembled a credible and empowered coalition to lead the change effort, and articulated a clear vision that can anchor every decision and action taken within the organization, you’re ready to sell the change project to the broader organization. Continue below for tips on how to communicate your vision for change.

Understanding the Use-It-or-Lose-It Tendency

The 25 Cognitive Biases: Use-It-or-Lose-It Tendency

What is the use-it-or-lose-it tendency? How do you stop valuable skills from depreciating? The use-it-or-lose-it tendency is the inclination of skills to decline over time if unused. It is impossible to say the level of skill that would be lost within a set period of time, but skills that have been mastered will depreciate more slowly than skills that have not been fully developed. You can prevent skill depreciation by constantly practicing skills you can’t afford to lose. Read on to learn more about the use-it-or-lose-it tendency.

The Importance of Transferrable Skills for Your Career

Why is it better to experiment with different skills and hobbies rather than mastering one specialty? What is the importance of transferable skills? The traditional way of thinking says that it’s best to choose one specialty and focus your efforts on mastering it. However, according to David Epstein, the author of Range, it’s actually better to have a broad range of transferrable skills than one specialist skill. Here is why broad experience is better than specializing.

What Are the Disadvantages of Job Specialization?

What are some of the disadvantages of job specialization? How does being an expert in one area narrow your perspective? David Epstein, the author of Range, says that one of the big downfalls of being a specialist in anything is that it can narrow your perspective. He says that the more details you know about something, the more confident you’ll be in your opinion of that matter, even if your opinion is extreme. This overconfidence can lead to a number of issues. Here is what Epstein has to say about job specialization.

Charlie Munger’s Biography: His Path to Investing

What does Charlie Munger’s biography tell us about his relationship with Warren Buffet? Why did he join Berkshire Hathaway? Charlie Munger’s biography shows that he met Warren Buffett when they were working together in Buffett’s grandfather’s store as kids, and reunited when Charlie returned to Omaha after the death of his father. He joined Berkshire Hathaway when Buffett convinced him that investing is a better fit for his talents than law. Read on to discover the important details from Charlie Munger’s biography.

David Epstein: How Innovations Happen

What drives innovation? How does efficiency prevent people from generating innovative ideas? In his book Range, David Epstein explains that trying to work efficiently and seriously—as many scientists and innovators do—will actually make it more difficult to innovate. When you let go of expectations and the fear of failure and experiment for the joy of experimenting, that’s when many breakthroughs tend to happen. Here is how innovation happens, according to David Epstein.

The 3 Reasons to Prioritize Short-Term Objectives

Why is it better to focus on short-term objectives rather than planning for the long term? Should you always have an end goal in mind when pursuing something? David Epstein, the author of Range, explains that it’s better to chase your current opportunities and passions than trying to create a long-term plan. There are three major reasons for this: you will change, you can’t predict the future, and you can’t know if a certain job would even fit you well. Here’s why you should shift your focus to your short-term objectives.

How to Identify Your Circle of Competence

What is the meaning of a circle of competence? Why must you know what you are good at? Charlie Munger defines your circle of competence as an area of expertise that matches your skills and experience. It is the subject area you are good at. Knowing your area of expertise helps you recognize where your boundary is and avoid dabbling in ventures that will lead to failure. Read more about the importance of knowing your circle of competence.

How to Find Meaningful Work & Do What You Love

Do you find meaning in the work that you do? How can you develop a sense of purpose in your work? Many people aim to find meaningful work from the get-go, but according to Angela Duckworth, the author of Grit, finding meaning in your work can take time. In her book, she shares some tips on how to find meaningful work through the three-part progression to purpose. Here is what Duckworth has to say about finding meaning in your work.

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