The World's Best Book Summaries
What behaviors should you adopt to become more competent? How does demonstrating competence help others trust you? Author and former CEO Stephen Covey believes building competence relates to demonstrating trustworthy behaviors. In his book, The Speed of Trust, Covey explains that your most valuable interpersonal currency is having trust in your relationships. Read on to learn Covey’s advice on how to be more competent by building trust with others.
What is a hiring plan? Why do you need to have one for your business? A hiring plan helps you determine what roles you need to fill in your company. Once you’ve done that, you need to begin interviewing candidates. Read below to learn how to create a hiring plan by interviewing potential job candidates.
How hard should you work? What does it mean to work hard but smart? Is work-life balance achievable? In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, peak performance expert Eric Barker discusses the importance of hard work and persistence. He does, however, believe that there’s such a thing as working too hard. He argues that a truly successful life involves pursuing joy, reaching your goals, connecting with others, and making an impact, and he offers tips on how to build a schedule so that you can achieve this healthy balance. Keep reading for Barker’s ideas on finding balance between work and life.
How you can keep your work team’s performance high? What is the most effective way to coach your team? In The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo emphasizes the importance of building trust with your team by coaching them. To do this in the best way possible, you need to demonstrate that you care and give or request feedback. Let’s look at Zhuo’s advice for coaching your team to victory.
Are your business meetings productive? How can you get the most out of your meetings? According to Julie Zhuo in The Making of a Manager, a core function great managers perform to facilitate great outcomes is running productive meetings. Meetings take up a large portion of company time, so it’s essential to extract maximum value when people come together. Continue reading to learn how to run an effective meeting.
Why is trust important in a team? What are the symptoms of low trust in a team? How can you build team trust? Stephen Covey wrote The Speed of Trust to explain the far-reaching and sometimes subtle impacts of trust in your life. Covey believes society has learned to undervalue trust even though it affects your success in all your relationships, including your career. Fostering team trust in the workplace is one of Covey’s key points. Read on to find out why trust is important in a team, including how to build team trust, according to Covey.
Have you already decided what career path you want to pursue? Perhaps you’re considering a career change? Maybe you’re entertaining the idea of starting a second career? When it comes to career development, the struggle is real. There are so many paths to choose from, especially in the age of knowledge work. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of resources available to help you navigate this journey. Here are Shortfrom’s picks of the best career resources, including blogs, books, and podcasts.
Do your employees lack ambition? How can you light a fire under them and get them motivated and engaged? Some employees just don’t care. They show up and do the bare minimum. As a result, the workplace mood and your bottom line suffer. This is what Stage 2 culture is like. The book Tribal Leadership helps you understand this stage and shows you how to cultivate individual ambition in your team so that it can progress to Stage 3 culture. Keep reading for Tribal Leadership advice on how to deal with disengaged employees.
Is confidence the key to success, or is it overrated? How should you treat yourself when you fail? In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Eric Barker contends that confidence can cause you to attempt things beyond your ability, ultimately leading to failure. He believes you should trade confidence for self-compassion. Be realistic about your abilities, and be kind to yourself when achievements are beyond your grasp. Barker says that self-compassion is a superior way to get what confidence offers: a better mood and increased performance. Continue reading to learn how to be compassionate to yourself, especially in the workplace.
What is a good manager? What is Julie Zhuo’s definition of management? In The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo says great managers focus on achieving the ultimate goal of all managers. This goal is to facilitate desirable outcomes by inspiring and coordinating the efforts of others. Read more to learn what makes a manager great.