SkillInside

Countless studies have confirmed that trust is the one human behavior you cannot afford not to have for your business to profit. Tell me if you agree with this statement: For any human relationship to thrive, it has to be founded on trust. If you agree, then know that it's really no different in the workplace, especially in the relationship between boss and employee. The best company cultures, where collaboration is humming and the needle is moving on performance, demonstrate a high degree of trust. And trust starts with the people you've placed in leadership positions. Great Place to Work -- the global research consultancy that partners with  Fortune  to conduct the annual study of those "best companies" -- has already confirmed that trust is the human behavior you cannot afford  not  to have. It found that 92 percent of employees believe that their managers are people they can trust. Not every person in charge o...

Do you ever feel like nobody takes you seriously at work? If so, you’re not alone. More than 50% of people don’t feel respected at work, according to a  global survey   of more than 20,000 employees by the   Harvard Business Review . Maybe colleagues ignore your input in meetings. Perhaps they interrupt you or don’t include you in important decisions. It’s easy to blame that on a bad boss or a toxic work environment. In some cases, that’s even true. But if you really want to be taken more seriously at work, you should start by looking in the mirror and doing what  you  can to increase your influence. There are eight things you can do right now to increase your credibility, get people to take you more seriously, and ensure you get treated with the respect you deserve. Don’t let your statements sound like questions.  One of the most common things people do to undermine their credibility is end their sentences on a higher inflection than where they ...

Over the last decade, I’ve conducted thousands of 360-degree feedback interviews with the colleagues of the leaders I coach. My goal with these sessions is to get a better sense of my clients’ strengths and weaknesses, but more often than not, the feedback isn’t particularly useful. How do you give feedback that helps someone learn and improve? This  strategic developmental feedback  requires careful thought and insightful construction. This kind of feedback is: Big-picture focused.   The most useful feedback answers this question:  “For this leader to be maximally effective, what should they do more of and less of?”  It takes a strategic view of what the leader is doing effectively and less effectively today, and what they might continue or change to achieve the organization’s objectives in the future. Organizationally aligned.   Often, the feedback that people give me is based on the giver’s  personal  leadership beliefs or...

You can learn these precepts the way most people do--by getting them wrong and setting yourself back. But it doesn't have to be that way. And the more quickly you pick them up, the more successful you can be. Much of the knowledge we gain in business and in life we learn the hard way. But if you can learn the lessons before you make the mistakes, you can gain the advantage that much earlier-- and  free yourself from the struggle of getting it wrong. Here are 18 useful business lessons you don't have to learn the hard way: 1. Stand for something. Stand for something, even if it means standing alone. Because often times the one who flys solo has the strongest wings. 2. The antidote to stagnation is innovation. Learn to view innovation as opportunities for creativity. 3. People do business with people who make them feel special. It's an old chestnut, but it's true: The only way to get people to care about you is to care about them first. 4. I...

You can become a leader people actually want to follow, not just a leader people follow because they think they have to. Being in a leadership position doesn’t automatically make you an effective and popular leader—someone people want to follow. There are qualities you need to have and skills you must develop to become the kind of leader people want to emulate. Here the ten ways you can become a leader that people want to follow. 1. Lead with humility .  A humble leader acknowledges that they can succeed only with the help of others. Humility draws people to you not because you have all the answers, but because you recognize how much you can learn from others. 2. Have a compelling vision .   Having a vision is good, and having a purposeful vision inspires others to work toward that purpose. When you have a vision worth following, you have a group of people that stays focused and do what it takes to be successful. 3. Take responsibility.    Le...

I’ve advised famous billionaires, top NBA stars, music royalty and some of the ‎most successful entrepreneurs on the planet at my annual flagship event,  The Titan Summit . If there’s a single trait they all have in common it’s the “developed ability” to remain inspired not only when conditions are easy but (especially) when everything’s falling apart. I call it a “developed ability” because keeping the passion in terrifying times is a muscle, a skill that grows greater with practice. You CAN rise to world-class in your inspiration. You just need to commit. And then put in the training time. Daily. In this volatile world, with wholesale negativity, and many focusing on the worst of humanity, it has never been so important to learn how to protect your inspiration. This hot new  Mastery Session , handcrafted with a lot of care and love for you, will help you do exactly that. Managing + maintaining your inspiration so you do iconic work, influence your field and l...

Inspire your customers and prospects to go from the problematic status quo to the opportunity-filled future by solving their biggest problem by purchasing your solution. To grow revenues faster than the market and competitors, you need to help them think through their issues, quantify their pain, evaluate their options and select your solution. Without proper positioning and compelling messaging, buyers will not act and you will not grow. Evaluate your brand by answering the specific questions in the How to Make Your Number in 2018  Workbook .   The questions the Brand Position and Messaging phase of the Marketing Strategy are designed to help you compare your brand to the emerging best practices for B2B brands.  Determining and developing a brand is one of the most difficult challenges facing marketers today.  What is your customer’s pain and how does your product address it? What promise are you making to the customer that they will be better off...