ChangeThis: Issue 74
September 08, 2010
If you'd like to be an ethically upstanding, emotionally engaged, clutch performer who invests your money wisely, gives great presentations and empowers your employees, you will want to read the 74th issue of ChangeThis. If not, then might I suggest You're a Horrible Person, But I Like You: The Believer Book of Advice (actually, you should read that anyway. .
Bury My Heart at Conference Room B: Emotional Commitment at Work
by Stan Slap
"A manager's emotional commitment is the ultimate trigger for their discretionary effort, worth more than financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined. It's the kind of commitment that solves unsolvable problems, creates energy when all energy has been expended, and ignites emotional commitment in others, like employees, teams and customers. Emotional commitment means unchecked, unvarnished devotion to the company and its success; any legendary organizational performance is the result of emotionally committed managers."
Reinventing Ethics by Mary C. Gentile, Ph.D.
"What if thou shalt not became can do?
What if we developed moral competence rather than bemoaned a lack of moral courage?
What if we looked at ethics as a wellspring of passion and creativity rather than of required restraint?
What if our values became a source of satisfaction, rather than a threat of guilt?
What if we asked what if?"
Being Clutch, Or How Not To Choke Under Pressure by Paul Sullivan
"We crave the feel-good story of the kid from nowhere who uses his one shot to win gold. But often we start to think of him as more than a great athlete, and this is when problems start. Such deification muddies how the greatest athletes, businessmen, politicians, and military commanders learn to perform so well under pressure."
15 1/2 Ideas to Make Your Presentation Go From Boring to Bravo
by Kristin Arnold
"While it will always be easier to recite information (one-way) than it is to make an engaging speech (two-way) presentation that connects with your audience, today's audiences are demanding more engagement and interaction. Their lives are full of instant updates and streaming headline news sent straight to their cell phones. They are expecting you to bring specific knowledge they can't get anywhere else and deliver it in an entertaining way. Unfortunately, most people rely on a few tried (yet true) techniques to engage an audience and rarely stumble outside their comfort zone. If you truly want to connect with your audience, you can choose to make your presentations more engaging and interactive."
The HERO Compact: Empowering Your Employees to Compete in Todays Economy by Josh Bernoff & Ted Schadler
"Individuals have more power than ever.
Managers can see this as a threat, or as an opportunity.
Think about it. Any of your customers could trash your reputation at any moment. They could write a video about his bad experience that attracts 8 million views, which is what Dave Carroll did after United Airlines baggage handlers broke his guitar. They could tell a million people to never buy your product, which is what Heather Armstrong did when, surrounded by soiled diapers, her frustration at Maytag's inability to fix her new clothes washer boiled over.
For managers, the only defense is to empower your own employees to solve those customers' problems."
Let's Get Naked: Why Individual Investors Should Shed the Emperors Clothes of Wall Street Investment Experts by Robert Fischer
"Investors pay mutual fund companies billions of dollars per year for performance that is usually worse than market averages. Is there anything better that we can do? Yes, there is.
"In this manifesto, I'm going to introduce you to rules-based mechanical investing (also known as naked investing strategies) ... "