Change This Manifesto Issues

The First 20 Hours: Secrets of Rapid Skill Acquisition

Josh Kaufman — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“I’m willing to wager there’s something in the back of your mind you’ve always wanted to learn how to do. [...] I’m also willing to wager you feel you don’t have enough time to learn this particular skill. You’re overworked already, and time is tight. You have work to do, family to take care of, friends to hang out with, and too many responsibilities as it is. By the time your work and family obligations are satisfied, you’re tired: after you eat dinner and watch a little TV, it’s time to call it a day.

So much to do, and so little time.

[...] I have good news for you: picking up new skills is way easier than you think. Believe it or not, you can pick up the fundamentals of any new skill in about 20 hours.”

Alternative Answers: The Class Divide in Investing, and How You Can Close It

Bob Rice — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“Harvard’s biggest single financial bet is on timber, not stocks. Yale has just 6% of its endowment in US equities; instead, it’s long “absolute return,” “private equity,” and real assets. Each is up more than100% over the past decade.

In the meantime, typical investors have, at best, treaded water. And that’s no anomaly. In 7 of the 11 decades since 1900, the classic 60/40, stock/bond portfolio has returned an average real return of a whopping… 1%. Yes, those other four decades were big winners; but then those gains were walloped by the kinds of big crashes that are only becoming more frequent.

Fact is, a class system has developed among investors over the past few decades. Elite money managers have used a proprietary set of tools to ride economic cycles up, but also to avoid big losses during downturns. Meanwhile, the rest of us all thought that “investing” was synonymous with simply buying stocks and bonds, with maybe a bit of real estate tossed in. […]

Fortunately, times have changed—even if most people still don’t know it. Institutional-strength, non-traditional options are now available to almost all investors, and the mass affluent have an especially rich menu from which to choose. […] Let’s take a look at a quick look at how some of these “alternative” strategies both make money, and avoid losing it.”

Your Time is Your Life—Invest it Well

Elizabeth Grace Saunders — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“Now is a time of revolution—or perhaps more precisely evolution—in the world of personal productivity. Time management no longer offers sufficient support for people overwhelmed with the onslaught of responsibility and opportunity in today’s 24/7 world. The next step: Time Investment.

Ironically, the people with the most time and autonomy can end up the most miserable because their relative freedom makes them hold onto the false notion that they can do everything. But the truth is that even if you have copious amounts of time and resources, you still need to make choices. Failing to do so will lead to an unsatisfying lack of depth and closure in your life.”

Jazz-Leadership

Penelope Tobin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“Traditional leadership has long looked like the orchestral conductor. But we’re living within a whirlwind of change, and the authoritarian individual, working to a fixed, detailed plan from a detached position of control, isn’t equipped to deal with it. To survive these new circumstances, we must all learn how to improvise (from the Latin “improvises”, meaning “not seen ahead of time”). […]

We need leadership in a new groove—jazz-leadership.”

Right or Kind? Navigating the Soft Skills Revolution

Maxine Kamin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“Do we care about talking to each other anymore, or are we settling for mostly texts, emails, tweets, and electronic quickies? Is this like quickie sex, compared to romantic adventures with all the accoutrements of a love making session? Are we too busy to really connect? What is the draw of fast talk?

We often think that quick communication saves time. This is true in some cases. Relying only on cursory communication though runs the risk of misunderstanding, and a lot of hoopla about 'what did she mean by that e-mail?' Once those questions get started, they take on a life of their own and end up as huge time wasters, not time savers, and the intent of the communication may be lost, and so badly misinterpreted that trust goes astray in the translation. Let’s regroup and think about the advantages of face-to-face communication, what might get in the way, and types of skills that promote cooperation, even in difficult instances.”

How to Get Employees to Manage Themselves

Cali Ressler & Jody Thompson — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“Employees don’t leave companies. They leave managers.

70% of employees don’t feel valued by their employers. 64% of Americans leave their jobs due to lack of recognition. This impacts the bottom line because customers feel the effects of employee success and either respond with loyalty, or get turned off by bad service or inferior products. There has to be a better way to improve employee and manager relationships in order to maximize business success. The answer is simple.

Manage the work, not the people.”

An Action Plan for Making Good Customer Service a Reality

Kirk Kazanjian — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“Any company can market and promote that they are experts at cuddling customers, but very few ever get the formula for execution right.

A big reason is that most organizations never bother to put all of the essential building blocks in place to create a customer-centric culture. They like to talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk.

They also forget that before your employees will ever take good care of your customers, you have to first take great care of them.”

The Art of Adherence

Lee J. Colan, PhD & Julie Davis-Colan — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“In business and in life, the game is usually won by those who can consistently execute a well-thought-out strategy. In other words, winners stick with it—they practice adherence. Adherence is the ability to consistently execute. Not coincidentally, the word ‘adherence’ appears to have originated in the 1500s from the French word ‘adherer,’ which means ‘to stick to.’ Adherence is the critical link between strategy (knowing) and results (doing). Therefore, it is the solution to the knowing-doing gap. Winning requires adherence because successful execution of your plan is not a one-time event but rather steady progress over an extended period of time. […]

Achieving adherence is simple but not necessarily easy. It takes skill and creativity to continually nurture focus, competence, and passion with your team. This is why we call it the art of adherence.”

Recharge: 7 Ways to Improve Innovative Thinking

Debra Kaye — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“If companies want to innovate the way successful bold newcomers have, they have to unplug from the constraints of 'That’s the way we’ve always done it' and recharge, starting with the mantra, 'Let’s just not do that anymore.' They need to be willing to take market risks that more traditional companies are often unwilling or unable to take. Consider that Apple doesn’t have a formal innovation 'funnel' process with established procedures, nor do Amazon or Facebook.

In this volatile world the old model of process innovation needs a new framework. It isn’t in sync with the way our minds work, which brain research tells us is more serendipitous than linear. Innovation just doesn’t lend itself to being predictable and risk free. Innovation demands looking at the world differently, and finding connections between seemingly disconnected things. Corporate protocol, management hierarchies, and rigid assumptions about customer needs often create anxiety and stifle freedom of thought and exploration.”

Monster Loyalty: How to Build Customer Loyalty like Lady Gaga

Jackie Huba — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

“Where other businesses don’t seem to have their priorities straight, pop star Lady Gaga understands that focusing on current customers is the key to building long-term, sustainable audience loyalty. With 23 million albums sold, five Grammy awards and Forbes’ distinction as one of the world’s most powerful celebrities, Gaga is one of the most well-known pop artists in the world. While known as much for her voice as for her over-the-top wardrobe, few recognize Gaga for her stunning business acumen, which has earned her legions of loyal fans worldwide.

Lady Gaga didn’t become the success she is today based solely on her talent. She did so by engendering immense loyalty from her fans—not just through her music—but also through her message and the community she has built around that message. Gaga’s overarching philosophy focuses on her core advocates: the superfans called Little Monsters. These advocates become evangelists who bring in new customers on their own.”