Insufficiently Exuberant Teams

Burkeman goes on to say that research shows that forced fun doesn’t work. “…researchers found that many experienced the party atmosphere as a burden, not a boon. Prêt a Manger, the British sandwich chain with branches in America, reportedly sends mystery shoppers to its cafes, withholding bonuses from insufficiently exuberant teams.”

You Are What You Drive

I have this theory that your car reflects your approach to taking care of business: your job, your attention to detail, how well organized you are in general. I knew a recruiter once who used to send someone out to observe applicants’ cars. If they were well cared for and well organized, she would tend to believe them when they talked about being organized on the job. But if the cars were a mess: dirty, filled with trash, in general disrepair, it threw up a red flag for her.

Know, Like and Trust

Bob Burg is a networking expert who is well known for his philosophy on relationships (from his book Endless Referrals): “All things being equal, people do business with, and refer business to people they know, like and trust.”

What are you doing every day to make sure more people know you, like you and trust you?

Ambition and the Modern Careerist

Somewhere along the way, ambition went out of style, or at least showing it did. Recently, articles about Olympic snowboarder Shaun White reported that he is wildly unpopular among his fellow snowboarders despite the fact that he almost singlehandedly brought the sport to the world stage. Other snowboarders found his ambition to win unseemly.

What’s in a Name?

But names do matter. Your name is linked to first impressions from a very early age. A survey of 30,000 teachers revealed that 49 percent make assumptions about kids based on their names, and that they perceived some names as trouble makers (hint: don’t name your rambunctious boy Jack.)