ChangeThis

ChangeThis is our weekly series of essays, extended book excerpts, and original articles from authors, experts, and leaders.



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"Having fun and feeling satisfied with relationships at work are important! For many of us, the hours we spend at work far exceed the time we spend with our families or in social settings. So why not actually enjoy this massive part of our lives? Working respectfully is not a win/lose power struggle. Nor is it 'soft' to have a conversation about how you work together. When you cultivate winning relationships, everyone involved can benefit—especially you."
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"The inability to effectively navigate strategy challenges can have devastating long-term effects on an organization. ... While it's convenient to blame an organization's failings on external factors such as the economy, decisions about strategy account for failure a whopping 70 percent of the time. Yes, strategy does matter. When poor decisions about strategy are made and an organization goes through a revenue stall, it's been shown that, on average, low performance continues for more than 10 years. Unfortunately, this prolonged period of poor performance can lead to bankruptcy. Research on 750 bankruptcies during a 25-year period showed that the number-one factor behind these bankruptcies was bad strategy. Contrary to popular opinion, the researchers attributed the failures to flaws in the strategies themselves, not to poor execution of the strategies. Therefore, it's important to be skilled at crafting strategy."
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We best empathize with people—be they colleagues or customers—that we have some shared experience with. So if a company is homogenous in form, it will only be able to connect with a homogenous swathe of humans outside the organization.
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"You have been invited to heed your call, and now it is up to you to decide where you go from here. You are the result of the choices you make every single day, and what you choose, you become. To choose wisely, be a witness to your thoughts and actions, both positive and negative. Observe each and every one with neutral emotion. Avoid judging or being critical. Just examine your thoughts as they pass through your psyche. Consider the source, then act or don't act on them. How you choose to respond to this call is what will define and shape your future."
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"Every day, according to best estimates, your customers and the people you would like to be your customers, are bombarded with more than 5,000 messages. There are advertisements—commercials, billboards, pop ups; calls from telemarketers; emails from deposed princes who need your help banking their fortunes; companies promising to enhance this or that; signs on buses and cabs; branding on clothing and in stores... you get the idea. No wonder it is becoming harder and harder to break through the clutter. In an environment where literally thousands of messages are competing for attention, how do you get people to pay attention to your business, message, or offering? Simply put: by being relevant."
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