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"From Penny Arcade to high academia, numerous theories have been posited as to why being relatively anonymous is a breeding ground for 'flame wars' and 'trolls.' To combat the
crap, tools like disemvowelers and community rating systems (as featured on Reddit and Digg)can help sift the 'good stuff' to the top.
'Good stuff' includes critiques which are worthwhile. And they are comparatively few and far between, as we'll see.
Nevertheless, if you're the target of vicious attacks, you're going to feel it. Contrary to a popular,
mistaken approach, I'm not going to tritely admonish you by saying 'don't take it personally.'
Instead, here's a fresh path I'd like to take you on, and by the end of our journey, you'll have a revitalized outlook on how to make the best of bad words."
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"Words belie the force of emotions. A dictionary defines 'passion' as 'any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling' and 'a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm,
or desire for anything.'
But anyone who has felt passion knows it is more. Much more."
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Walk into any company large or small and you will see employees who are suffering. These talented people hired for their breadth, imagination and initiative are not producing to their full potential. When they leave (and they do leave), their exit interviews most often cite an over controlling boss as the main reason for their departure. Task-oriented bosses under constant pressure to achieve increasing productivity goals rely too often on the "I think—You do" managerial style.
Most of us know leaders like this.
More of us than want to admit it (or even know it) ARE leaders like this.
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You would have to live on another planet not to notice the plethora of business books and articles discussing the importance of developing a positive organizational culture at work. The research is clear. Positive leaders, positive work environments, and positive engaged employees produce positive results.
However, if building a positive business is so important and beneficial, then we are left to wonder, "Why aren't more companies, more positive?" Why are there not more people skipping through the halls, smiling at their co-workers and loving their job? Why do more people die Monday morning at 9am than any other time? Why does negativity cost companies 300 billion dollars and sabotage teamwork, careers, morale and performance?
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Today's housing bubble and the tech stock bubble from the last decade reveal a widening gap between market speculation and how typical Americans value things.
If you thought those bubbles were bad, get ready for another, even bigger one on the horizon that represents over $4 trillion dollars in S&P market capitalization. That alone makes it twice the size of the sub-prime mortgage market. But, unlike other bubbles, the assets that are at risk cannot be traded away or hedged against uncertainty. Rather, they are the fundamental drivers of competitive advantage for most companies—their brands.
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