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"Organizations and leaders are facing today the convergence of three mega trends that are reshaping their value proposition, their customer relationships, and their talent engagement. Alone, each of these mega trends is a significant challenge to face. Together they present either an existential threat to the business or an evolutionary opportunity. And, by and large, most leaders are neither ready nor equipped to address these changes."
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"The penguins were in trouble and they knew it.
For many years they had ruled the Land of Penguins with unquestioned authority. They had built a great enterprise that grew and thrived in the Sea of Organizations. Penguins were seen as models of success, and for a long time their world was orderly, predictable, and safe.
But there came a time when things began to change In the Land of Penguins..."
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"We hear the stories. Cornered by a passionate friend, we are regaled with tales of binge-watching House of Cards on Netflix, or the virtues of the Paleo diet combined with Crossfit, or a new recipes and decorating tips found on Pinterst. Certain organizations are winning the hearts and voices of their customers, and building the kind of loyalty that traditionally was reserved for family, community, and church. The secret that these organizations know is that people are craving membership. Organizations that build their businesses around people's need to belong, to be connected, and to be admired, organizations that are focused on relationships over products, are winning in today's economy."
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"We've lost much of our humanity at work.
No one saw it coming. No one intended it.
It arrived in big changes to the economy, but also in small changes to the law, to technology, or to company policy, often with immediate benefits that masked their larger implications. The pension will be phased out in favor of a 401(k) match. The company will help pay for the latest digital device, so much the better to stay in touch with the office. One day a new electronic screening system helps HR take a first pass at incoming applications, and before long the software does most of the sifting. A modest change in workload leads to working through one weekend, which leads to another, which leads, before too long, to having a hard time remembering when one last took a weekend entirely uninterrupted by work.
Having allowed these slight modifications to accumulate over a decade or so, we now find ourselves treating people much more like cogs in the machine, like widgets. We've lost much of the human touch for what we now call our 'human resources.' Whether a company gets it back will largely determine its future."
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"Curiosity is an incredible tool. But what I realized, what really inspired my desire to write A Curious Mind with Charles Fishman, is that most people don't use their curiosity with a sense of purpose and understanding—with insight about curiosity itself.
Curiosity is the key to understanding people's personalities and motivations.
Curiosity is a vital storytelling tool—and storytelling is the best way to engage and persuade other people, in your work life and your personal life.
Curiosity is a fantastic source of courage.
Curiosity is the best, most under-used management tool—a great way to create engagement in your fellow works, but also a great way to transmit values and priorities.
Curiosity is the spark for creativity and innovation, the best long-term investment you can make.
Curiosity is the best way to stay connected to those who are most important to you.
Curiosity, in fact, turns out to be a quiet superpower that all of us have. You don't need an Ivy League education to use it, you don't need a high-speed Internet connection.
What's curiosity done for you lately? We're betting it hasn't done enough."
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