Work Archives

Leadership and Self-Deception: Study Guide & Implementation

Do you and your teammates speak freely? Do people in your organization take the blame when it’s due, or do they point the finger elsewhere? Self-deception—our tendency to see the world around us in a distorted way—is a common personal and organizational problem. Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute explains how self-deception derails our relationships and keeps organizations from achieving the results they want. Continue reading for our Leadership and Self-Deception study guide.

How to Develop Ideas: Turning Insights Into Innovations

Do you have a million ideas in your head that seem to go nowhere? Are you looking for fresh ideas to solve specific problems? Steven Johnson takes us on an exciting exploration of good ideas and novel innovations. For an idea to be good, he says, it must be built upon accumulated knowledge and be put forward at a time when users can conceive of how to use the idea and when the needed resources for the idea are available. Keep reading to learn how to develop ideas and, ultimately, advance knowledge and society.

How to Keep Employees Engaged: 3 Tips for Team Happiness

Which should you prioritize—employee benefits or perks? What role should internal customers play in hiring? How should you handle breakpoints as your company grows? Tony Fadell shares lessons learned when it comes to creating successful product-based businesses. He provides effective strategies for hiring the right people and keeping them engaged throughout their time with your company. Keep reading to learn how to keep employees engaged.

Making the Most of Your Time: 5 Ways to Maximize Efficiency

When should you delegate tasks? How can you streamline your decision-making process? Who should go on your “adversaries list”? To reach your full potential and accomplish extraordinary things, Matthew Dicks says you must first learn how to make the most of your time. Stop wasting time on unnecessary tasks, accomplish necessary tasks as quickly as possible, and reap the most benefits from the tasks you spend time on. Keep reading to explore Dicks’s five main principles for maximizing efficiency.

Steven Johnson: 7 Innovation Goldmines Where Ideas Are Found

What drives innovation? Where do new, groundbreaking ideas come from? According to best-selling author and theorist Steven Johnson, innovation happens when we seek out new ideas and cultivate environments in which fresh ideas can emerge and grow. In Where Good Ideas Come From, he explains the various avenues you should explore to come up with the best ideas. Read more to learn about the seven goldmines of innovation that Johnson discusses.

How to Build Your Career: The Journey From New Hire to CEO

What are the secrets to being successful in your career? What’s the best way to start? How can you finish strong? Entrepreneur Tony Fadell answers these questions and more in Build. The book is part career encyclopedia and part memoir, detailing Fadell’s extraordinary journey inventing the iPhone and then starting his own wildly successful companies. He shares the career lessons he learned along the way. Read more to learn how to build your career, from the bottom to the top.

How to Avoid Distractions and Stay Focused: 5 Pro Tips

Want to know how to avoid distractions and stay focused? How does your environment affect your ability to focus? Your environment can have a big impact on your ability to concentrate, so it’s important to take control of it if you’re looking for a way to stay focused and avoid distractions. Experts claim you can try different strategies to optimize your physical space and daily routine to create a more productive life. Read on for five tips on how to avoid distractions and stay focused, plus a practical exercise at the end.

How to Concentrate Better: 6 Tips for Restoring Your Focus

Want to learn how to concentrate better? What do experts recommend when it comes to restoring concentration? If you find yourself easily distracted and unable to focus, then learning how to concentrate better is essential for achieving your goals, but this can often lead to frustration. Rather than trying to concentrate all the time, experts recommend that you learn ways to refocus yourself to avoid attention fatigue. Read on to learn how to concentrate better by restoring your focus, according to six expert tips.

Vocation vs. Career: A Difference in Purposes & Rewards

What’s the difference between a vocation and a career? Which do you have? David Brooks tackles the “vocation vs. career” question by asking it in the context of two different approaches to life: individualism and relationalism. He connects careers to individualism and vocations to relationalism. Continue reading to understand how vocations and careers reflect different purposes and, thus, garner different rewards.

Hustle Culture Is Toxic: What You Can Do to Fight It

Why is hustle culture toxic? What needs to be done to slow down your work pace? Many people work 40 hours a week or more to make ends meet. Even outside of work hours, workers are often expected to check emails and answer phone calls, cutting into their rest time. This is what’s known as hustle culture, which has become a toxic cycle. Let’s dive deeper into why hustle culture is toxic and what can be done to resist it.