The book’s structure is lovely simple. Fifteen chapters which focus on specific management issues:

Chapter 1 – Adopt a serving attitude: Be humble, serve and love your team (but don’t let your team members to walk all over you either… balance is the key).
Chapter 2 – Teach: Management is a teaching experience. Improving your staff skills, sharing your knowledge, will yield better results. I liked the book’s suggestion about hiring people with potential, rather than focusing solely on experience.
Chapter 3 – Provide Honest and Timely Feedback: This is related to the previous chapter. You have to provide feedback to your people, both positive and negative. However, feedback is a subtle issue (you don’t want to hurt people’s feelings, or to praise them excessively)… regarding this issue, the book provides a few guidelines about how to do it right.
Chapter 4 – Share Information: What’s the point of hoarding information? You have to share information with your team in order to complete projects! This chapter points out the way.
Chapter 5 – Listen: Dedicate your attention to your people. And be an educated listener. They will trust you more easily.
Chapter 6 – Treat People Like Human Beings: They’re not machines (they’re better than machines). Put yourself in other shoes, and you’ll have a better perspective about each of the members of your team.
Chapter 7 – Set Goals, Plan and Execute: You must set the example for your group. Be logical, realistic and organized, and they will follow your approach.
Chapter 8 – Learn: Life is about learning! Don’t ever let any learning opportunity to pass you by. Take your time to read books, articles, to learn from your uppers and from your team.
Chapter 9 – Do the Right Thing: Be good. Be human. You’re not an automaton. You’re a human being. Awareness of your human condition is a key requirement for being a successful manager.
Chapter 10 – Embrace the Uncomfortable: A good manager knows how to approach those boring, complex, uncomfortable tasks. This chapter provides rationale and motivation for doing that.
Chapter 11 – Clean Up your Own House First: You set the example, and teams tend to reflect their manager’s nature. Be positive. Again, be good.
Chapter 12 – Persist: Don’t ever give up! I love a phrase from this chapter: “Don’t succumb to the pressure of those who worship the status quo. You can do better -and so can your organization“.
Chapter 13 – Do What You Say You’ll Do: Good managers complete their task. Good managers set and achieve “realistic” goals (which sometimes means saying “no” to unrealistic requests).
Chapter 14 – Always Follow Up: This chapter discusses the (oftenly overlooked) issue of following up with clients, team members, bosses, etc. Learn here how to do it right.
Chapter 15 – Plan Your Week: Planning is at the core of management. Plan for your work, and plan for yourself.

Further, the book includes 7 appendices, which summarize some ideas of the book, provide some tools for assessing your progress, and offer a few expansions to the knowledge discussed in the book. Overall, the book promotes “balance”. The language is direct. After reading this book, one acquires a lot of rich notions about “practical” (and thereby useful) aspects of management. Reading this book is a first step toward becoming a better manager.

All in all, if you wish to improve your management skills, I totally recommend this book!

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Of course it makes sense to identify our personal hardships and fight them. But we are what we are, and plenty of our characteristics display both a positive and a negative side. If we are bold by nature, we must learn to control and harness such boldness, not to supress it. If we are obsessed with control, we must learn to take things easy and to relax, but not give up our liking for control. The main traits of our personality almost always are a double-edged sword. The secret lies into harnessing our traits for our benefit, not against us.

Knowing ourselves involves to be conscious about both our strenghts and weaknesses. When we accept that the pros and cons often stem from the same nature, we stop thinking so persistently of ourselves and we start to work with the virtues we really have.

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Networking means building a list of contacts. Contacts are people you’ve met during your business or social activities. More often than not, such friends and acquaintances will provide you information about job openings, companies and industry leads. Moreover, they’ll introduce you to other so that you can grow your network. Therefore, it is important not only to inform them about your job search, but also give them some résumés.

This list will provide some hints about the people and organizations we should include in our network:

• Relatives
• Friends
• Recruiters
• Former Employers
• Neighbors
• Professional Organizations
• Other Job Seekers
• Academic Contacts (School, University)
• Business Associations
• Merchants

Organizing your Network of Contacts

Please, organize your network. Save information about your contacts in a spreadsheet or a database. Include their names, titles, company, address, phone and fax numbers, and email. It’s also important to register a few notes about the way in which any of your contacts is valuable, for instance, what do they know?, who can they refer you to?, and so on. Further, organize their business cards.

Besides, you should register the dates of communication with your contacts. Don’t be afraid to communicate with your contacts and ask for their help. This way, you’ll be connected to your network of contacts. Occasionally, check the progress. A phone call, SMS or email should suffice.

A few notes about Networking and Job-seeking

• Looking for a job is a job in itself. Develop a strategy, set goals. Look for a job by following a typical work schedule.
• When finishing a relation with an employer, please try to leave the best possible image. Remember that people in your company can be very good contacts. And also, it might happen that your future employer will call your previous company to ask for professional references about you.
• Create an attractive business card. Take your time to produce it, avoid spelling errors and, if required, look for professional advice. The idea is to have a genuine business card presentation.
• Finally, remember to keep your network informed of your progress. After you’ve got a job, remind to thank them for their help. Keep your network alive, as you don’t know when they will prove helpful again. Oh, and remember: you’re also a member of the network of each of your contacts. Share the love.

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Thus, since the VIII century, individualism constituted a topic of controversy. Several centuries later, St. Thomas Aquinas says that the principle of individualization is, in sensible things, “matter”, while for Duns Scotus it’s only a philosophical form that he calls haecceitas, i.e., this, here, and that reduce to the ultimate essential reality of each individual, i.e., particularly distinguishable from one class, collection or series, indivisible, impossible to separate in parts without altering its character, without stopping being a mere being. Therefore, at least, the individual contains two principles: its nature and its individual entity, elements that exist only by a formal distinction, not by factual reality.

The individual is a real being, unlike its species, which is ideal. The problem that creates this concept derives from the relationship essence-existence, an understanding of the nature of the singular, and so further. With this value, the problem of individualism comprises the fields of sociology, psychology, and politics, invading existentialism.

Self-centered people creates a harmful environment, which typically leads to irreversible damage. Because society has been imbued with these people’s actions, it has been steadily adapting to such individualistic behavior, which in turn leads to societies being directed by monopolies and messianic pseudo-leaders. Often, development of such societies depends on unilateral theories, normally based on confrontation, created by the diversity of characters and conceptualizations.

Hence, divisions in society emanate:

1. Those who bid to maintain the positions they have achieved at the expense of imposing his theories regardless of whether such theories harm others.
2. Those living opposed to the previous individuals, which creates a constant anxiety within societies, causing them to take different directions and preventing, in most cases, the desired outcome: development. Moreover, false structures and platforms are created because of this tension.
3. Further, we have those who do not agree with the previous cases, and which are only waiting for a clear winner in order to go over to the winner’s group.
4. Finally, individuals living their daily lives without realizing all the wrappers that define society. From the moral standpoint, we may argue that people in this group are somewhat confused.

Particularly, I think that one way to help self-centered people is to indicate them all the possibilities for sharing that life offers. Sharing is necessary for their subsistence and growth. Don’t give them the bread or the fish, but teach them how to plough and how to fish. Teachers are the best for doing this. They will understand that we are all individuals and, although with different characters, we all have always a single and wonderful purpose: life.

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Goals and Expectations

We should not confuse goals and expectations. Goals are the concrete and positive result of a fulfilled wish, and they provide satisfaction and success. On its side, expectations are focused on the behavior that we expect from other people. Setting a goal also means directing all our efforts towards achieving the goal, combining several tasks in order to attain it. However, to have an expectation reduces to delegating our wishes to the lucky concurrence of external factors.

Therefore, setting goals helps us to empower strategies, to create effectivity and to dominate the process of achieving whatever thing we wish. Besides, our goals create new opportunities, and improve our capacity for overcoming obstacles and conquering unexpected hurdles. As we move forward and reach the little goals that we had set, we also have the feeling of walking our paths faster, with a boosted self-confidence and a diminishing desire to return to the past. By the way, when we feel little or no desire to return to the past, we can be sure that we have improved as human beings.

Goals and Dreams

As aforesaid, a difference between goals and dreams lies in the time required for reaching them. Goals are closer. Besides, motivation also establishes a notorious difference between goals and dreams. We have more immediate and realistic motivations for reaching goals. On the contrary, dreams’ motivation is typically diffuse, sometimes very unclear.

However, dreams are the ultimate fuel of life, no matter how fuzzy they may be. As life moves on, we will feel the dream, approach the dream, dream the dream… we will be continuously reshaping the dream. Dreams are, after all, made of a very malleable matter. In life, we walk towards the sun, and our sun is composed of just dreams. Every step toward such sun kills a doubt. And each of such steps is a goal.

Organizing our Goals

We have to prepare a few lists for visualizing our goals and, in general, our action and thinking paths. When we write down our goals in a list, we are defining and outlining a plan to reach the goals. We are committing ourselves to fulfilling them based on practical aspects. On the contrary, the list of dreams contains relatively remote possibilities, excepting perhaps the first or second dream. In order to reach the first dream of the list, we have to conquer a chain of goals. In short, goals are the intermediate steps required for achieving the ultimate objective of your life.

Indeed, dreams and goals are different things. Nevertheless, both are descriptions of things that we want to get. Thereby, the lists of dreams and goals are complementary, and they are intertwined for the same objectives. Remember that in order to satisfy a dream, we first have to satisfy the goals linked to such dream. These are the documents we should elaborate for visualization:

1. List of Dreams: It’s obvious. Here we include all our dreams… It doesn’t matter how absurdly improbable they seem. Include everything you want: from being immortal to buying a skyscraper.
2. List of Goals: In this list we will include, in order of preference, the different intermediate goals required to reach our desired dreams. Once we have written down our goals, we have to imagine ourselves fulfilling such goals. Use your imagination.
3. Plan of Actions: It’s the ordered and detailed description of the steps we have to follow in order to achieve the goals. We will write down the best ways for achieving them and all the guidelines that we have to follow in a progressive and adequate approach. You should think of alternative paths for the same goal… look for options… we should always have something up our sleeve.
4. Success: Do yourself a favor and define here, with simple and clear words, what success means for you. It is the ultimate achievement of desire. What do you want? Money? Family? Health? Education? Fame? Just a nice job? Tell me.

In my seminars, I often know people who think that elaborating all these documents is very easy. Indeed, they look deceptively simple. But this is the truth: they are complicated documents. Further, it’s very improbable that you can say at some point: “this document is finally done and no more modifications will be needed”. Wrong. These are very mutable documents (you may easily require years to arriving to a completely satisfactory definition of success… you will be reshaping your dreams…) Other people think that they don’t have to write anything… that all the required data is in their head. I already wrote in Choosing a Topic for your Thesis:

Don’t be like those students of Algebra who think that only reading proofs, without writing proofs, suffices to approve the final exam.

So, don’t be like the bad students. But, why these documents are not easy? It’s just because creating such documents requires a lot of introspection. They require that we know ourselves very well. If we do not know ourselves very well, the documents are a good tool for learning… but such learning is not straightforward. For the List of Dreams, you first have to sincerely recognize what your true dreams are. For the List of Goals you have to analyze your dreams, and identify the activities required for achieving them. You have to think about actors, resources and deadlines. The Plan of Actions is really hard. You have to think like a fine strategist, considering probable and improbable possibilities. You have to anticipate defeats. You have to harness victories. Regarding Success… well, you have to discover the kind of human being you are right now. However, we have to create the documents, and simply recognize that they may be imperfect… don’t worry about that. Just write.

Visualizing Goals

Here is the key: visualizing is linking ideas and facts. Once the documents are completed, we can proceed to visualization. We can also think of visualization as the process of creating a mental image of what we want to happen, as if it had already happened. How good we are on this activity depends on the level of training of our minds. Other little secret for you: as every expert in motivation knows, the previous presented documents are really so imperfect that they cannot be used as guidelines for visualization… their true purpose is untangling the mind… the questions raised by such documents are what really matter.

During visualization, we use resources stored in the brain. Our unconscious mind accumulates the experiences. Thereafter, all our systems use the unconscious data as a reference basis for conscious and unconscious behavior. There is no doubt that the speed in achieving the goals is related to the clarity and frequency of our visualizations. A clear mental image allows for our minds to detect the new opportunities and avoid dangers. This way, the unconscious’ data provide more resources and reflexes for acting.

Viewing a goal is like sending an order to the unconscious. We demmand it to release its full capacity to achieve our objectives. Unfortunately, it is not the only thing that our mind will receive. When we knock on  unconscious mind’s door, we stir it up, and it’s very probable that latent fears suddenly awake. Such negative information can seriously block the action. Although there are no scientific instruments for measuring the power of visualization, I have no doubt about the importance of mental images of success for a happy life. If our goal, for instance, is getting a promotion, and we continually think about this goal, our mind and body will act toward such wish, and we will be promoted!

We must not forget that the practice of visualization is of great help to achieve our objectives. Once you grasp the habit of constantly visualizing the goals you want to fulfill, you’ll notice that your enthusiasm and self-confidence improve. Thus, the mind remains alert and awake, to detect all possible options, and fully complete the goal. The practice of visualization is recommended for those who intend to achieve success and personal satisfaction.

Goals, as Life, are a Cycle

Finally, please notice a simple yet vital fact: a goal implies a change of state. A goal never dies, it just transforms into another goal. As life itself, a goal is not an end point… it’s a cycle, in which we are continually revisiting the extreme points and the intermediate steps.

Thanks for reading. Please, let me know your thoughts on this. Take care!

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you have to research your potential employer beforehand

…that will give you a very important lead. Get as much information as you can about the business, and also about the potential interviewers (you should research their style and attitude… that’s very important). If you know someone who has previously taken an interview in that company, talk with them about their experiences in the interview. Try to extract pure information, i.e., don’t let them to influence you (specially about the job being impossible or, on the contrary, being too easy).

1. First Approach

Remember that you have to dress with a professional look, according to the nature of the job. You are a professional… thereby each and every aspect of you must communicate that fact. Now, during the interview, take into account that Interviewers will ask questions related to their company, for example, why would you like to work for us? They may ask you about your opinion on the company’s products or history. Typically, this information is available on the company’s website, and by knowing it you demonstrate a genuine interest for the job.

2. Virtues and Limitations

Talk about your virtues, but not excessively. In this regards apply balance and good sense. Answer this question presenting your virtues in the context of the requirements of the job you’re applying to, with a clear and concise language. However, other almost granted question they will do is about your defects, thereby you must also be prepared to answer that. Furthermore, the interviewer may ask about your abilities and limitations: prepare an answer beforehand in order to allow you to present your defects as a new opportunity for keep improving.

3. Expect the Unexpected

You have to be ready for anything… a group interview, a forum about some specific problem of the company, a written exam, and so on. Carry any material you think you may need: think of the interview as your first day of work.

When entering to the interview, greet to your interviewer with a smile. Visual contact must also be direct and firm (but not exceedingly). Remember that, no matter the circumstances, you have to act formally instead of dared or zany (refer to your interviewer using his title… Dr., Mr., Engineer, etc.), unless they demand you to treat them informally (but that’s relatively rare; read point 6. Be on the alert). Listen to your interviewer very carefully. Sometimes the applicants are so focused in the things they want to say that forget what they are really being asked about. No answer is good if it does not truly answer the matter asked about.

4. Language

Be careful about the expressions and style you use to communicate your ideas. Don’t use inadequate, informal or excessively colloquial phrases.

5. Gestures

Be careful with your corporal language too. A firm handshake transmit self-confidence. A good posture also reflects confidence. Don’t act disturbed or nervous. Lean sligthly towards your interviewer in order to show interest in his words.

6. Be on the alert

Expert interviewers know human nature very well. An expert interviewer will quickly create a relaxed and trusting atmosphere for you, in order to expose your real behavior and ideas. However, never forget that he is there evaluating you, so no matter the confidence and comradeship he shows, you must always act as a professional. Novice interviewers, on the contrary, often act very arrogantly… fight off their arrogance by showing yourself relaxed and breezy (never answer the interviewer’s arrogance with more arrogance!).

7. Keep your moral high

Regarding this point, I recommend reading the posts The Winner’s Mind and The 7 Attributes of Leadership.

8. Secrets of a Critical Thinking Interviewer

Finally, good interviewers know how to distinguish good prospects from bad ones. They know that two people with the same job title may differ in at least one of the following ways:

• ability to perform the work
• interest in the work
• experience with similar applications
• experience with similar tools
• experience with similar techniques
• experience with similar working environment
• training
• ability to communicate with others
• ability to share responsibility with others
• management skills

Each of these characteristics can affect an individual’s ability to perform productively. These variations help to explain why one employee can complete a particular chore in a day, whereas another requires a week. The differences can be critical, not only to schedule estimation, but also to the entire success of the company’s projects. An expert interviewer knows that.

I wish you good luck on your interview and hope that you get the job!

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This new evidence has raised, albeit relative recent research has just suggested the contrary. Concretely, a major six-year research study in the UK said last year that there were no short-term adverse effects to brain and cell function from mobile phone use. Research reported in 2006 by the British arm of an international project called Interphone concluded that mobile phone use did not lead to a greater risk of brain tumor. Additionally, an analysis by the University of Utah this year of thousands of brain tumor patients found no increased risk as a result of mobile use. However, most of these studies also point out that the effects from long-term use awaits confirmation by future studies.

Mobile phones emit radiofrequency energy, a type of radiation that is a form of electromagnetic radiation, according to the National Cancer Institute. Though studies are being done to see if there is a link between it and tumors of the brain and central nervous system, there is no definitive link between the two, the institute says on its website.

For the time being, we can restrict our phone usage to the minimum necessary, and switch sides regularly while talking on mobiles.

Now, what will the industry do? It’s obvious that the market will not wait for a long-term study. So they probably will just ignore Dr. Herberman’s warnings.

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Let’s see how recruiters or prospective employers will not put down our résumé.

The Structure of the Résumé

The résumé must have the following organization:

1. Personal information: Name, residential address, contact phone number, e-mail address and date of birth. Sometimes, there is no need to indicate your marital status.
2. Education: It must be structured data about your studies and the titles you hold, in chronological order from top to bottom. Please indicate the study center (school, university, etc.), the town and dates.
3. Training: You must specify the other studies and practices that complement your academic training. It may help if you indicate the number of hours taken in each course. However, include only those courses which are relevant to the job.
4. Professional experience: List your previous jobs, the company’s name, date of start and finish, job title, and your duties and responsibilities. Again, follow a chronological order.
5. Languages: Simply point out the languages you command, and your level. Include proficiency tests’ results, if any.
6. Technical abilities: This section should comprise a brief description or listing of the skills, techniques and tools (e.g., software) that you command and are pertinent to the job.
7. Further details of interest: Driver’s license, availability for traveling, hobbies, and so further. The content of this section really depends on the job’s characteristics.

Often a résumé must be accompanied by a cover letter or covering letter, which simply is a letter of introduction. Cover letters are generally one page at most in length, divided into a header, introduction, body, and closing. The header should include your address and other information, the recipient’s contact information, and the date sent after either yours or the recipient’s address. On its side, the introduction briefly states the specific position desired, and is designed to catch the employer’s immediate interest. The body amplifies on material in the résumé or job application, and explains why you are interested in the job and would be of value to the employer. Finally, the closing summarizes the letter and indicates the next step the applicant expects to take… you can say that you will look forward to hearing from or speaking with the employer.

The Style of the Résumé

Here are a few recommendations for preparing our résumé:

1. The writing style must be direct and positive. Your writing should be in the third person.
2. Use a simple and concise vocabulary. Don’t recur to contrived or rarely used words. Be as clear as possible.
3. Beware of orthographic and grammatical errors… They decrease dramatically the professional feeling of our résumé.
4. Learn to organize your information in sections. Title such sections effectively.
5. Leave out any information unrelated to the job you’re applying to.
6. Don’t use colors. Don’t use “funny” typefaces, or unprofessional mixtures of fonts.
7. Nowadays, if a résumé is not redacted via a word processor then it is considered unprofessional and unacceptable.

Résumé Caveats

• The résumé should not be longer than two full sides of A4 paper.
• Do not write anything pejorative about other persons, businesses or your previous employer.
• Keep in mind that the résumé is a marketing document, not a bibliography, and certainly not a biography.
• If we are applying for a specific position, we must not forget to accompany the résumé by a cover letter explaining one’s suitability.
• Never comment on your economic expectations.
• Do not write about the reasons for this change of job or why you’re not working … reserve such information for the personal interview.
• Include a photo only if they ask to do so.

As always, your opinions on this topic are entirely welcome. Best of lucks with yor résumé.

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This way, The Seven Pillars of Health collects several sound habits focused on achieving a longer and healthier life. Esentially, the key points are:

1.- Drink plenty of water (ionized alkaline filtered.) Considering that the human body is composed by about 65% of water, we have to renew it continually, drinking between 2 and 3 liters a day. I’d take this recommendation with a bit of salt, because not everyone reacts positively to an increase in fluid intaking… some people have reported swelling, edema and increases in blood pressure after starting to drink more water than necessary.

2.- Rest about 9 hours a day. Sleep your 9 hours, or sleep 8 hours and complete the remaining one with a nap. During sleep, our body regulates the production of several hormones, the aging process is refrained a bit, the immune system is fortified, cerebral functions improve, and cortisol levels (a stress agent) are decreased.

3.- A good dietary regimen, which prefers “alive” food over “dead” one. That is to say, prefer rice, green vegetables, tomatoes, avocado, pulses, chickpeas, nuts, potatoes, vegetables, peas, and whole grain bread and pasta. Eventually, eat fish, eggs, cheese and chicken. You may eat red meat sporadically, but preferably, lamb.

4.- Exercise regularly. In the worts case, walk actively and daily for at least 35 minutes, to remove water and body’s fat.

5.- Detox by means of eventual fasting, and living in a zone with a clean environment.

6.- Take some vitamin and mineral supplements, phytonutrients and antioxidants.

7.- The last pillar we have to consider comprises controlling stress, keeping a young mind, learning to forgive, living a calmed life and learning to live with the power of smile, optimism and joy.

Overall, this is a good book. And we have previously presented topics related to Dr. Colbert’s “pillars” in this blog. Additionally, Dr. Colbert accompanies the pages of his book with passages from the Bible and exercises to bring you closer to God and your faith. Therefore, some people of nonchristian religions may find this book totally unappealling. But it’s definitely an interesting reading.

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