It was 1988 and like many people, Warren Buffet read about the collapse of the Soviet Union in the newspapers. And he saw something most people missed. He saw opportunity. More specifically, he saw a new market for American products. He [...]
Found in the chemistry of great achievements is confidence. Believing you can do it bolsters your ability to get it done. Is it possible to accomplish something remarkable with little or no confidence? Yes. Luck sometimes accounts for success, and [...]
In a study conducted by a Harvard University research group, 26 project teams from seven companies comprising 238 individuals participated. The four-month long projects all involved solving actual business problems and required creativity. A daily survey inquired about participants’ emotions [...]
If you bumped into Mike Wien, you just might knock him over. Standing at 5 foot 6 and weighing in at 139 pounds he does not command an imposing presence, and you are not likely to guess he is a [...]
Mentors can have a sizeable, powerful, and long-term impact on our lives. Their influence is often the difference between a career of failure and frustration or one of success and satisfaction. To pay tribute to the significance of mentors in developing [...]
Without guidance, navigating a career can be a perilous journey. Uninformed actions, futile efforts, disastrous decisions, and as many errors as trials can all derail a once promising career. With careful guidance, informed advice, and genuine concern, a mentor not [...]
Research finds that having a mentor increases your career opportunities, salary, promotion schedule, and job satisfaction (Allen, et al., 2004). Organizations are also discovering that mentoring is the most effective organizational strategy for developing new members in a profession. With [...]
Firefighters, airline pilots, and combat soldiers are traditionally recognized as stress-filled roles. But people who provide leadership, plan events, or bear a heavy responsibility for important organizational outcomes also fall prey to excessive stress. According to the America Institute of [...]
Henry Ford believed, "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." In strategizing for ‘success’, leaders often wonder just how to get everyone “moving forward together.” The results of a research study of elite level teams [...]
“If you want something done, ask a busy person,” is an often heard cliché. But a recent series of research studies tested the efficacy of this belief. The researchers wondered if busy people do indeed get more done and in [...]
Later today Michael Phelps, the most successful Olympic athlete in history, will lead the American team into Maracana Stadium to begin the 2016 Olympic Games. In the days that will follow, Phelps will step onto the starting blocks and attempt [...]
To support efforts in identifying, stimulating, and promoting creativity, the question has long been asked: “Where does creativity come from?” Recently published research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology has provided some much-needed clarity on the subject. First, [...]
Understanding why some people are so much more successful than others remains one of psychology's oldest debates. The debate picked up considerable steam over 20 years ago when Ericsson, Krampe, and Tesch-Römer (1993) concluded that individual differences in performance were dependent [...]
Ronald Regan believed "The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." A recent study revealed just how charismatic leaders do that—get their [...]
Napoleon noted, “The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies.” Leaders often find the scenes they witness bear remarkable resemblance to battlefield chaos. The [...]