Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
When I was hiring team members, one of the most important interview questions came at the very end. “Do you have any questions for me?” was more than a courtesy; it was a way to see how a candidate’s mind worked. If a candidate didn’t ask any questions, it was a red flag for me. … Continue reading Curiosity is an Essential Trait for Success
My post “The Labor Illusion” talks about what AI can never do: show its work. It will always produce pretty good work instantly. I pride myself in producing excellent work pretty fast. I’m proud to be one of the first writers to be certified as Human by Authory, the site I use as my online … Continue reading Candace Moody, Human Writer
Blogger Phil Agnew wrote a great post about Steve Jobs’s ability to persuade. He writes of Jobs: “His ability to convince billions of people to buy his products at premium prices was no coincidence.” One of the techniques Jobs used so effectively was “The Labor Illusion.” The labor illusion suggests that when people witness the effort and … Continue reading The Labor Illusion
Data drives almost every business decision in almost every modern business. Even creative industries like art and music rely on data to figure out what sells to whom for how much and how often. We have access to more data than ever; in fact, if you’ve got a big enough server farm, you can access … Continue reading Quantitative Intuition
There are two things every human craves, according to science writer Will Storr, author of The Status Game. We want to get along and get ahead. In other words, we desire to be part of a group – a very basic human need – and we desire to be admired, to have status within the … Continue reading Winning the Status Game
Preply.com, an online tutoring company, was curious about how email customs have changed over the years and about how workers felt about it. I’ve written before about the pressure women in business feel to be overly cheerful and expressive in email – the excessive use of exclamation points is not optional for them. It turns … Continue reading I Can Tell You’re in a Bad Mood. Your Email Gives it Away.
Research from Wharton economist Judd Kessler shows that how we talk about our work matters to our success. It’s a subject that hasn’t been studied much; performance is, after all, also objective (and that is much easier to measure and discuss. Kessler says, “It’s one thing to answer a question like: how many units did … Continue reading Women Talk Differently about Their Work
In previous posts, I’ve been revisiting Stoic philosophy thanks to an excellent guide for those who might be new to Stoicism: The Beginner’s Guide to Stoicism: Tools for Emotional Resilience and Positivity, by Matthew Van Natta. If you’ve recently experienced a loss, the Stoic’s approach to life might be helpful. In fact, the Stoic approach … Continue reading Everything Must Go
They hired you for your experience and expertise, after all. You’re the one closest to the issue. You’ve been on this project for close to six months. You should be seen as the expert. Instead, you hear through the grapevine after the meeting that your director thinks you’re just negative. You’re “dragging down the team … Continue reading Why You’re Labeled as Negative (and What to Do about It)
Sports makes a great metaphor for business and for life. In fact, most of our business clichés come from sports, like “winning” or “it’s down to the wire” or “the ball’s in your court.” You may never experience the pressure to perform like a pro athlete on Monday Night Football or in the World Series … Continue reading Use these Athlete Tips to Work Through Stress
Your Work, Your Way 