Income Security vs. A Bunch of Other Ideas

Income Security vs. A Bunch of Other Ideas Yesterday I talked about the idea of Income Security.   A few weeks ago I brainstormed where this came from on LinkedIn Answers, and asked for input.   I got over 57 responses, and it was awesome learning from others.   Here is what others had to say (read their entire responses here): Jeff Harris said: Income sounds more like an investment strategy. I like to call it career confidence or employment confidence. Having been in IT with all of its volatility, I gauge 3 factors in employment measurement; Keith Harrell-Steward said: It sounds good. But language is a tricky thing, Having income security is part of Job Security. But then it might not be if your focus was to maintain or improve income and your company was experiencing cut backs which resulted in no monetary increase. Paul Jones says: Income Security is close, but I dont think it hits all the right bases. It sounds like something from one of Robert Allen Multiple Streams of Income books. His point is that you need more than one pan in the fire. But JibberJobber and Jason Alba arent about either of thise ideas. JibberJobber is about job insurance. Susan Travers asks: What about Career Enthusiasm? Thomas E. Kenney says: The term I like to use is career insurance. Reason being is that insurance implies two things: 1 insurance requires an investment, 2 insurance provides dividends when necessary. Chip Hartman says: the best term I can think of is: career equity Bill Florence says: I dont think there is anything that is secure or guaranteed unless your the recipient of a mega annuity for life. I see two parts to how the word security is used here one is duration, the other is amount. Bob Schecter says: Try tenure.   It doesnt guaranty your job, but it at least requires some compelling or just cause for losing it. Bob Waldo says: Try marketability. The only way to stay ahead of the curve and maintain gainful employment is to maintain a marketable skill set. Aaron Huston says: employment viability, which directly relates to both job, career and income security Pete Johnson says: The example he gives is that if you took away Bill Gates money, property, and securities, if you stripped him of everything except the clothes on his back, hed get hired someplace in less than an hour. Why? Because he has knowledge in his head and relationships with people in industry that are in demand. His Human Capital keeps him employable. Charles Caro says: The best one might hope for these days is job stability or career stability, but even that may be overly optimistic. Perhaps something like sustainable career would be more fitting. Heather Gardner says: You can use the term Career Security to some extent. Maxine Hartley says: I think the new security is knowledge, being/staying current basically having a consulting mentality. Ken Schneider says: Id go with lifestyle security Thomas Clifford (Director Tom) says: Career confidence.   Feeling secure is really about feeling confident, right? Stephanie Hester says: I agree with the folks that said income security implies much more than a job/career. That being said, I like the suggestions of employment viability and career confidence. Curtis Koch says: Knowledge Security, coming from the Cobol back ground this may help in the future for securing a position with larger corporations. John Kemp says: Try Self-Employed; you can be sure that the boss you then work for at least listens to you! Carolyn Greco says: I think were stuck with job security, Income security starts sounding like stock, bonds, etc. This is like trying to change the word outplacement. The terms are too entrenched in existing lexicon. Greg Hyer says: Maybe we should consider using the existing phrase Quality of Life rather than job security? Mike Powers says: Remember when Disaster Recovery was re-framed as Business Continuity? Maybe we should call it Career Continuity! Arion Holliman says: Income Security My vote is cast in favor of Income security, while it may sound like an investment, it should. Danette Howell says: income security or even career security depending on which direction you might want to take. Susan Geary says: I use the term Career Assurance and recommend that everyone keep a detailed file with employee performance evaluations, award certificates, training certificates, nice emails, letters of recommendation, official job descriptions, and of course, old resumes. John Reinke says: I think the term you are looking for is Success Security? Gerald Lo says: I favor employability as it seems slightly more dignified than mercenariness. Bengt Wendel says: I prefer the word employable, a translation from a Swedish term (anställningsbar). You can do your best to be employable, build a network and keep knowledge up to date. Polly Pearson says: I like the notions of employability and career assurance in my view it all comes to down to Relevance. Lois Geller says: How about Job Ownership? Jason King says: I definitely think income security is a better word. Because truthfully, not many of us would be devastated if our job ended, as long as we could maintain or improve our income/financial standing. I think this is why people dont care much about their old job when they get a promotion to a new/better job. Even if there isnt a raise immediately, they see that their marketability has just improved. Carlos Hernandez says: Approaching the security aspect whether it be career, job or income is a process that appeals to many. Anthony Bowen says: Income security descibes what I believe most people are aiming for, not career security. I can get a job doing what I want in a stable organization for a substantially less amount of money than in a prior job. Your career would be secure, but not your income. Plus, income security can be return on investments toward retirement; a second activity that promises to provide more income, or even marrying a wealthy spouse! Makini Harvey says: I offer “career focus” as a choice. I encourage my clients to focus on their careers rather than a job because it allows them to think long term rather than something they need to do for the moment, even during difficult times. Billie Sucher says: I like career resilience careers, jobs, and work are constantly in a state of change and flux. Resilience, to me, sounds authentickeep moving forward, respond, bounce back in positive, meaningful, constructive ways to meet todays ever-changing workplace needs and demands. Daniel Harmon says: you might try something that focuses less on the money and more on the persons value. Like your perpetual marketability, perpetual market value, or personal value security. Karthik. B says: I will consider Career Enabler that is the motivator to take it to the next level in career achievement. Sheryl Spanier says: How about work continuity which involves staying professionally current, maintaining an abiding interest in your functional expertise, and engaging with others continuallyhelping, supporting, showing a real ongoing professional commitment. Susan Ireland says: I think income security is an excellent term. Alexander Kofman says: The new key phrase to replace job security is Entrepreneurship. Shazib Khan says: There is no such thing as Job security, income security, career security etc. in this world and it has never been there. never rely on one thing, always keep on striving, always help the needy and leave the rest to God. Dave Maskin says: and the answer is: employment security Krishnamurthy Hegde says: The question of job security stems from two basic aspects ie Financial Security and Confidence in Competence.   You need both to enjoy life. You need Financial Freedom and Confidence about the value that you can bring on the table. Bruno Roques says: Id suggest career continuity strategy Julie Walraven says: I think the most important thing is that people look at possibilities. Alexander Kofmans answer of entrepreneurship is a way of looking at possibilities. Christine B. Whittemore says: it becomes personal security which is a function of confidence, self-motivation, and extreme passion for an area of interest. Its more than income security because it affects your entirety, and it leads to a nimbleness that allows you to overcome the ups and downs of traditional careers and jobs. But it also requires that you be relentless in remaining relevant. Thomas York says: I will suggest two as a starting point of reflection: Income Risk Management and Income Assurance on the flip side, while Job Security may no longer apply, perhaps you might think of Career Risk Management as an alternative. Allan Wind says: Employment variability might be another way of saying no job security, and actively managed life style the solution. Kathleen Wood says: The only real job security we have is our ability to consistently provide value. Periodically the job changes, but as long as you provide value- rest assured the world will reward that and hence, some security exists. so reframe the phrase from security (to stay in one position) to Job opportunity or opportunity to provide value Michael Wolff says: self empowerment leads to relationship security, leads to income security and personal fulfillment Adrienne P. Wilson says says: So I would go for vocational security. Charlotte Weeks says: I actually like Career Security. I feel like Income Security applies strictly to finances. When I hear Career Security, what comes to mind is skills and experience that can be adapted to future positions. Matt Youngquist says: Despite all of the interesting interpretations and suggestions your question has sparked, I actually think you had the right term pegged properly from the outset. Brandon Wright says: I agree. Income is the bottom line, that is why we work (or dont if we have enough of it). We dont hunt for a job, we hunt for income. Anthony Leaton says: Maybe youre looking at risky yet financially viable employment Sharif Mansur says: I use the phrase career skill sets. Its difficulty to speak of security and insurance, as they imply a guarantee. Speaking in terms of skill sets lets the person focus on emplyable skills they can take to another company or industry. Kankesh P.S. says: Income can come from multiple resources and channels to a single person by way of the same type of profession. So it is very hard to replace job security with income security. I think Im going with Income Security not because I dont like the others, but Income Security is still the only phrase that just jumps out at me as the right phrase.   What do you think? Income Security vs. A Bunch of Other Ideas Yesterday I talked about the idea of Income Security.   A few weeks ago I brainstormed where this came from on LinkedIn Answers, and asked for input.   I got over 57 responses, and it was awesome learning from others.   Here is what others had to say (read their entire responses here): Jeff Harris said: Income sounds more like an investment strategy. I like to call it career confidence or employment confidence. Having been in IT with all of its volatility, I gauge 3 factors in employment measurement; Keith Harrell-Steward said: It sounds good. But language is a tricky thing, Having income security is part of Job Security. But then it might not be if your focus was to maintain or improve income and your company was experiencing cut backs which resulted in no monetary increase. Paul Jones says: Income Security is close, but I dont think it hits all the right bases. It sounds like something from one of Robert Allen Multiple Streams of Income books. His point is that you need more than one pan in the fire. But JibberJobber and Jason Alba arent about either of thise ideas. JibberJobber is about job insurance. Susan Travers asks: What about Career Enthusiasm? Thomas E. Kenney says: The term I like to use is career insurance. Reason being is that insurance implies two things: 1 insurance requires an investment, 2 insurance provides dividends when necessary. Chip Hartman says: the best term I can think of is: career equity Bill Florence says: I dont think there is anything that is secure or guaranteed unless your the recipient of a mega annuity for life. I see two parts to how the word security is used here one is duration, the other is amount. Bob Schecter says: Try tenure.   It doesnt guaranty your job, but it at least requires some compelling or just cause for losing it. Bob Waldo says: Try marketability. The only way to stay ahead of the curve and maintain gainful employment is to maintain a marketable skill set. Aaron Huston says: employment viability, which directly relates to both job, career and income security Pete Johnson says: The example he gives is that if you took away Bill Gates money, property, and securities, if you stripped him of everything except the clothes on his back, hed get hired someplace in less than an hour. Why? Because he has knowledge in his head and relationships with people in industry that are in demand. His Human Capital keeps him employable. Charles Caro says: The best one might hope for these days is job stability or career stability, but even that may be overly optimistic. Perhaps something like sustainable career would be more fitting. Heather Gardner says: You can use the term Career Security to some extent. Maxine Hartley says: I think the new security is knowledge, being/staying current basically having a consulting mentality. Ken Schneider says: Id go with lifestyle security Thomas Clifford (Director Tom) says: Career confidence.   Feeling secure is really about feeling confident, right? Stephanie Hester says: I agree with the folks that said income security implies much more than a job/career. That being said, I like the suggestions of employment viability and career confidence. Curtis Koch says: Knowledge Security, coming from the Cobol back ground this may help in the future for securing a position with larger corporations. John Kemp says: Try Self-Employed; you can be sure that the boss you then work for at least listens to you! Carolyn Greco says: I think were stuck with job security, Income security starts sounding like stock, bonds, etc. This is like trying to change the word outplacement. The terms are too entrenched in existing lexicon. Greg Hyer says: Maybe we should consider using the existing phrase Quality of Life rather than job security? Mike Powers says: Remember when Disaster Recovery was re-framed as Business Continuity? Maybe we should call it Career Continuity! Arion Holliman says: Income Security My vote is cast in favor of Income security, while it may sound like an investment, it should. Danette Howell says: income security or even career security depending on which direction you might want to take. Susan Geary says: I use the term Career Assurance and recommend that everyone keep a detailed file with employee performance evaluations, award certificates, training certificates, nice emails, letters of recommendation, official job descriptions, and of course, old resumes. John Reinke says: I think the term you are looking for is Success Security? Gerald Lo says: I favor employability as it seems slightly more dignified than mercenariness. Bengt Wendel says: I prefer the word employable, a translation from a Swedish term (anställningsbar). You can do your best to be employable, build a network and keep knowledge up to date. Polly Pearson says: I like the notions of employability and career assurance in my view it all comes to down to Relevance. Lois Geller says: How about Job Ownership? Jason King says: I definitely think income security is a better word. Because truthfully, not many of us would be devastated if our job ended, as long as we could maintain or improve our income/financial standing. I think this is why people dont care much about their old job when they get a promotion to a new/better job. Even if there isnt a raise immediately, they see that their marketability has just improved. Carlos Hernandez says: Approaching the security aspect whether it be career, job or income is a process that appeals to many. Anthony Bowen says: Income security descibes what I believe most people are aiming for, not career security. I can get a job doing what I want in a stable organization for a substantially less amount of money than in a prior job. Your career would be secure, but not your income. Plus, income security can be return on investments toward retirement; a second activity that promises to provide more income, or even marrying a wealthy spouse! Makini Harvey says: I offer “career focus” as a choice. I encourage my clients to focus on their careers rather than a job because it allows them to think long term rather than something they need to do for the moment, even during difficult times. Billie Sucher says: I like career resilience careers, jobs, and work are constantly in a state of change and flux. Resilience, to me, sounds authentickeep moving forward, respond, bounce back in positive, meaningful, constructive ways to meet todays ever-changing workplace needs and demands. Daniel Harmon says: you might try something that focuses less on the money and more on the persons value. Like your perpetual marketability, perpetual market value, or personal value security. Karthik. B says: I will consider Career Enabler that is the motivator to take it to the next level in career achievement. Sheryl Spanier says: How about work continuity which involves staying professionally current, maintaining an abiding interest in your functional expertise, and engaging with others continuallyhelping, supporting, showing a real ongoing professional commitment. Susan Ireland says: I think income security is an excellent term. Alexander Kofman says: The new key phrase to replace job security is Entrepreneurship. Shazib Khan says: There is no such thing as Job security, income security, career security etc. in this world and it has never been there. never rely on one thing, always keep on striving, always help the needy and leave the rest to God. Dave Maskin says: and the answer is: employment security Krishnamurthy Hegde says: The question of job security stems from two basic aspects ie Financial Security and Confidence in Competence.   You need both to enjoy life. You need Financial Freedom and Confidence about the value that you can bring on the table. Bruno Roques says: Id suggest career continuity strategy Julie Walraven says: I think the most important thing is that people look at possibilities. Alexander Kofmans answer of entrepreneurship is a way of looking at possibilities. Christine B. Whittemore says: it becomes personal security which is a function of confidence, self-motivation, and extreme passion for an area of interest. Its more than income security because it affects your entirety, and it leads to a nimbleness that allows you to overcome the ups and downs of traditional careers and jobs. But it also requires that you be relentless in remaining relevant. Thomas York says: I will suggest two as a starting point of reflection: Income Risk Management and Income Assurance on the flip side, while Job Security may no longer apply, perhaps you might think of Career Risk Management as an alternative. Allan Wind says: Employment variability might be another way of saying no job security, and actively managed life style the solution. Kathleen Wood says: The only real job security we have is our ability to consistently provide value. Periodically the job changes, but as long as you provide value- rest assured the world will reward that and hence, some security exists. so reframe the phrase from security (to stay in one position) to Job opportunity or opportunity to provide value Michael Wolff says: self empowerment leads to relationship security, leads to income security and personal fulfillment Adrienne P. Wilson says says: So I would go for vocational security. Charlotte Weeks says: I actually like Career Security. I feel like Income Security applies strictly to finances. When I hear Career Security, what comes to mind is skills and experience that can be adapted to future positions. Matt Youngquist says: Despite all of the interesting interpretations and suggestions your question has sparked, I actually think you had the right term pegged properly from the outset. Brandon Wright says: I agree. Income is the bottom line, that is why we work (or dont if we have enough of it). We dont hunt for a job, we hunt for income. Anthony Leaton says: Maybe youre looking at risky yet financially viable employment Sharif Mansur says: I use the phrase career skill sets. Its difficulty to speak of security and insurance, as they imply a guarantee. Speaking in terms of skill sets lets the person focus on emplyable skills they can take to another company or industry. Kankesh P.S. says: Income can come from multiple resources and channels to a single person by way of the same type of profession. So it is very hard to replace job security with income security. I think Im going with Income Security not because I dont like the others, but Income Security is still the only phrase that just jumps out at me as the right phrase.   What do you think? Income Security vs. A Bunch of Other Ideas Yesterday I talked about the idea of Income Security.   A few weeks ago I brainstormed where this came from on LinkedIn Answers, and asked for input.   I got over 57 responses, and it was awesome learning from others.   Here is what others had to say (read their entire responses here): Jeff Harris said: Income sounds more like an investment strategy. I like to call it career confidence or employment confidence. Having been in IT with all of its volatility, I gauge 3 factors in employment measurement; Keith Harrell-Steward said: It sounds good. But language is a tricky thing, Having income security is part of Job Security. But then it might not be if your focus was to maintain or improve income and your company was experiencing cut backs which resulted in no monetary increase. Paul Jones says: Income Security is close, but I dont think it hits all the right bases. It sounds like something from one of Robert Allen Multiple Streams of Income books. His point is that you need more than one pan in the fire. But JibberJobber and Jason Alba arent about either of thise ideas. JibberJobber is about job insurance. Susan Travers asks: What about Career Enthusiasm? Thomas E. Kenney says: The term I like to use is career insurance. Reason being is that insurance implies two things: 1 insurance requires an investment, 2 insurance provides dividends when necessary. Chip Hartman says: the best term I can think of is: career equity Bill Florence says: I dont think there is anything that is secure or guaranteed unless your the recipient of a mega annuity for life. I see two parts to how the word security is used here one is duration, the other is amount. Bob Schecter says: Try tenure.   It doesnt guaranty your job, but it at least requires some compelling or just cause for losing it. Bob Waldo says: Try marketability. The only way to stay ahead of the curve and maintain gainful employment is to maintain a marketable skill set. Aaron Huston says: employment viability, which directly relates to both job, career and income security Pete Johnson says: The example he gives is that if you took away Bill Gates money, property, and securities, if you stripped him of everything except the clothes on his back, hed get hired someplace in less than an hour. Why? Because he has knowledge in his head and relationships with people in industry that are in demand. His Human Capital keeps him employable. Charles Caro says: The best one might hope for these days is job stability or career stability, but even that may be overly optimistic. Perhaps something like sustainable career would be more fitting. Heather Gardner says: You can use the term Career Security to some extent. Maxine Hartley says: I think the new security is knowledge, being/staying current basically having a consulting mentality. Ken Schneider says: Id go with lifestyle security Thomas Clifford (Director Tom) says: Career confidence.   Feeling secure is really about feeling confident, right? Stephanie Hester says: I agree with the folks that said income security implies much more than a job/career. That being said, I like the suggestions of employment viability and career confidence. Curtis Koch says: Knowledge Security, coming from the Cobol back ground this may help in the future for securing a position with larger corporations. John Kemp says: Try Self-Employed; you can be sure that the boss you then work for at least listens to you! Carolyn Greco says: I think were stuck with job security, Income security starts sounding like stock, bonds, etc. This is like trying to change the word outplacement. The terms are too entrenched in existing lexicon. Greg Hyer says: Maybe we should consider using the existing phrase Quality of Life rather than job security? Mike Powers says: Remember when Disaster Recovery was re-framed as Business Continuity? Maybe we should call it Career Continuity! Arion Holliman says: Income Security My vote is cast in favor of Income security, while it may sound like an investment, it should. Danette Howell says: income security or even career security depending on which direction you might want to take. Susan Geary says: I use the term Career Assurance and recommend that everyone keep a detailed file with employee performance evaluations, award certificates, training certificates, nice emails, letters of recommendation, official job descriptions, and of course, old resumes. John Reinke says: I think the term you are looking for is Success Security? Gerald Lo says: I favor employability as it seems slightly more dignified than mercenariness. Bengt Wendel says: I prefer the word employable, a translation from a Swedish term (anställningsbar). You can do your best to be employable, build a network and keep knowledge up to date. Polly Pearson says: I like the notions of employability and career assurance in my view it all comes to down to Relevance. Lois Geller says: How about Job Ownership? Jason King says: I definitely think income security is a better word. Because truthfully, not many of us would be devastated if our job ended, as long as we could maintain or improve our income/financial standing. I think this is why people dont care much about their old job when they get a promotion to a new/better job. Even if there isnt a raise immediately, they see that their marketability has just improved. Carlos Hernandez says: Approaching the security aspect whether it be career, job or income is a process that appeals to many. Anthony Bowen says: Income security descibes what I believe most people are aiming for, not career security. I can get a job doing what I want in a stable organization for a substantially less amount of money than in a prior job. Your career would be secure, but not your income. Plus, income security can be return on investments toward retirement; a second activity that promises to provide more income, or even marrying a wealthy spouse! Makini Harvey says: I offer “career focus” as a choice. I encourage my clients to focus on their careers rather than a job because it allows them to think long term rather than something they need to do for the moment, even during difficult times. Billie Sucher says: I like career resilience careers, jobs, and work are constantly in a state of change and flux. Resilience, to me, sounds authentickeep moving forward, respond, bounce back in positive, meaningful, constructive ways to meet todays ever-changing workplace needs and demands. Daniel Harmon says: you might try something that focuses less on the money and more on the persons value. Like your perpetual marketability, perpetual market value, or personal value security. Karthik. B says: I will consider Career Enabler that is the motivator to take it to the next level in career achievement. Sheryl Spanier says: How about work continuity which involves staying professionally current, maintaining an abiding interest in your functional expertise, and engaging with others continuallyhelping, supporting, showing a real ongoing professional commitment. Susan Ireland says: I think income security is an excellent term. Alexander Kofman says: The new key phrase to replace job security is Entrepreneurship. Shazib Khan says: There is no such thing as Job security, income security, career security etc. in this world and it has never been there. never rely on one thing, always keep on striving, always help the needy and leave the rest to God. Dave Maskin says: and the answer is: employment security Krishnamurthy Hegde says: The question of job security stems from two basic aspects ie Financial Security and Confidence in Competence.   You need both to enjoy life. You need Financial Freedom and Confidence about the value that you can bring on the table. Bruno Roques says: Id suggest career continuity strategy Julie Walraven says: I think the most important thing is that people look at possibilities. Alexander Kofmans answer of entrepreneurship is a way of looking at possibilities. Christine B. Whittemore says: it becomes personal security which is a function of confidence, self-motivation, and extreme passion for an area of interest. Its more than income security because it affects your entirety, and it leads to a nimbleness that allows you to overcome the ups and downs of traditional careers and jobs. But it also requires that you be relentless in remaining relevant. Thomas York says: I will suggest two as a starting point of reflection: Income Risk Management and Income Assurance on the flip side, while Job Security may no longer apply, perhaps you might think of Career Risk Management as an alternative. Allan Wind says: Employment variability might be another way of saying no job security, and actively managed life style the solution. Kathleen Wood says: The only real job security we have is our ability to consistently provide value. Periodically the job changes, but as long as you provide value- rest assured the world will reward that and hence, some security exists. so reframe the phrase from security (to stay in one position) to Job opportunity or opportunity to provide value Michael Wolff says: self empowerment leads to relationship security, leads to income security and personal fulfillment Adrienne P. Wilson says says: So I would go for vocational security. Charlotte Weeks says: I actually like Career Security. I feel like Income Security applies strictly to finances. When I hear Career Security, what comes to mind is skills and experience that can be adapted to future positions. Matt Youngquist says: Despite all of the interesting interpretations and suggestions your question has sparked, I actually think you had the right term pegged properly from the outset. Brandon Wright says: I agree. Income is the bottom line, that is why we work (or dont if we have enough of it). We dont hunt for a job, we hunt for income. Anthony Leaton says: Maybe youre looking at risky yet financially viable employment Sharif Mansur says: I use the phrase career skill sets. Its difficulty to speak of security and insurance, as they imply a guarantee. Speaking in terms of skill sets lets the person focus on emplyable skills they can take to another company or industry. Kankesh P.S. says: Income can come from multiple resources and channels to a single person by way of the same type of profession. So it is very hard to replace job security with income security. I think Im going with Income Security not because I dont like the others, but Income Security is still the only phrase that just jumps out at me as the right phrase.   What do you think?

How to spot a cheater

How to spot a cheater You are probably wondering if I think about Melissa having an affair with the Farmer. I do. I think about it all the time. As a preventive measure I tell the farmer that if he cheats on me, Ill stay with him. Forever. Ill never leave him. Hell be stuck on the farm with me, in misery. I try to create a scene in his head like a Beckett play: Two characters isolated from the world, in a room, making each other miserable. Melissa and the Farmer always assure me that they will never do that. One night, in bed alone, I ask the Farmer: Do you think about having sex with Melissa? He says, Well, I notice her body. But I dont think about having sex with her. I say, Of course you notice her body. She has a size 00 waist and a size C bra cup. Well, okay. Then stop talking to me all the time about having sex with her and then Ill be less likely to think about it. When I ask Melissa if she is going to cheat, she is horrified. Probably because it would ruin everything we have here. Also, though, I dont think shes attracted to him. The problem is that I think she is getting more attracted to him. Which gets me thinking about how you can tell if someone will cheat. 1. Cheating is a lot about proximity. We are most attracted to the people we see most often. I have read this in a lot of places. Most notably, a co-worker is more apt to like you if you work in the same office, as opposed to telecommuting, or working in another field office. But the proximity research works for families, as well. A psychologist I interviewed, around the time that the Farmer was dumping me because his parents hated me, told me that if I were living on the farm, his parents would start to like me more because proximity leads to affinity. This never happened, by the way. The Farmers parents hate me more than ever and they disinherited the Farmer from their land even though he is still the only one of their kids farming on the land. What it shows me is that you have to be open to affinity in order for proximity to enhance it. I think a man is always open to affinity when it comes to a woman half his age. And check this out: 70% of married investment bankers have cheated on their spouses. This doesnt surprise me as much as the fact that they are most likely to cheat on a business trip, with whoever is near them at the time. Also, the reason half of Enron was indicted is probably because we become like the people we work with. (The people least likely to believe this, by the way, are law students who take on tons of debt and say they will join a big law firm, not get addicted to power and money, and when their loans are paid theyll join a nonprofit.) So cheaters foster cheaters. Location location location. 2. You can estimate the verity of someones response to: will you cheat? Melissas horses arrived. In order to get the Farmer to agree to horses, Melissa told us, over and over again, how great she is with horses. I believed her. The Farmer says that a lot of people say they are good with horses, when really, they know nothing. Melissa told the Farmer about how her parents home schooled her so she could spend all of her adolescence at a stable, helping the trainer with the horses. The Farmer said, Okay. Get horses. But he knows absolutely nothing about training horses and he cant help her at all. So she cannot ask him for helphe doesnt even like horses. The horses got here and they were supposed to come already accustomed to having a saddle on them. Instead, they reared up like in a Lone Ranger movie when we tried to ride them. So Melissa left the horses in the stall, sort of ignoring them. After a few days, the Farmer said, Somethings wrong. She is not doing anything with the horses. It turns out that Melissa had no idea how to get them to lunge longe without a pen. I dont even know what the word lunge longe means, actually. But the farmer went out and helped her. And it turns out the farmer is great with horses. It turns out that he knows how to get the horses to lunge and Melissa was not so confident. This scenario makes sense to me because peoples ability to self assess is generally constant. For example, the Farmer generally underestimates himself, and Melissa generally overestimates herself. If you can get a read on how someone estimates himself in one scenario, then you can apply it to other scenarios. All that makes me think that the Farmer is a little less likely to cheat than he tells me, and Melissa is a little more likely to cheat than she tells me. And the farmer loves the horse more than he admits. 3. Assuming everyone is honest is a better way to live. Its hard to be trusting. But Im not sure I have another choice. People who trust those around them are happier, more successful people. I want to be that. And Im struck how all the same things we do to build trust at work are the same things we do to build trust at home. So the more trusting you are the more trusting you get. 4. Being able to identify cheaters is a useless skill, even if you could do it. Melissa sent this link from The New Inquiry to me about spotting liars. Its an interview with a college professor who talks about how he sniffs out plagiarism. When he describes the signs, they make sense, but I might have missed them myself. For example, he says, The correct use of a semi-colon is a red flag to me, because most college kids dont use semi-colons at all, let alone correctly, when writing their papers. The interviewer, who is someone who writes college papers for a pay, suggests that maybe so many kids plagiarize because the ability to come up with the stuff on their own isnt that useful when its right there on the Internet. And maybe the kids just dont value a college education. Hm. First of all, I think that probably is true. And a Stanford study shows that writing for social media is more educational than writing for class anyway. So what is the point of the guy being able to identify plagiarizers? Sixteen percent of the students plagiarized. He needs to realize that he has more problems than he does cheaters. For starters, he has the problem that kids obviously dont see value in what he is teaching. Also, did you know that the biggest problem with theft at Barnes Noble is employee theft? They spend a lot of money to guard against internal pilfering. It seems like itd be more effective to spend the money on making people happy at work. 5. Distractions are the best antidote to obsessive worry about cheats. I did some research about cheaters. And it turns out that people who are likely to cheat have a ring finger that is longer than their index finger. I got this from Dr. Phil via Perez Hilton. But before you bitch about my sources, it does turn out that a longer ring finger is a sign of higher rates of testosterone in utero. But I dont know how useful this will be to me. Because I have a longer ring finger. And I have never cheated on a boyfriend, or in a 15 year marriage. But I think that testosterone thing does make a difference in work. I think Im better, more able to compete in a mans world, because of my extra testosterone. So maybe Ive been no use to you as to how to tell if someone is cheating, but you can tell if a woman will fit into an all-male office by looking at her ring finger. Really.

Captivating Your Audience In A Presentation Like Steve Jobs

Captivating Your Audience In A Presentation Like Steve Jobs Steve Jobs was really good at captivating audience in his presentations. His launch speeches were remarkable and they did the job. Heres a breakdown of how you can use the same principles as his to capture the attention of your audience and deliver the next star presentation. I read this from the slideshare blog  What Presenters Can Learn From Steve Jobs. To deliver a presentation like Steve Jobs follow these three steps below. Focus on the Individual: Develop the skill of speaking not to “an audience” but to its individual members. This can be done by direct questions to individuals such as, “How many of you have heard about…?” Build Suspense: While not every topic is going to lend itself to this technique, you should try to keep the audience anticipating what’s next, and save the best for last, when appropriate. This is a matter of planning and sequencing your presentation well, and practicing its delivery. Be Bold: Care about your subject, and how important it is for each listener to “get it.” Where possible, find something in your talk you can be passionate about, and let that passion show. Give the listeners reasons to listen. E.g. say “What I’m going to tell you now changed my life…” Read More via  Slideshare Blog Steve Jobs designed by Stephen Borengasser from the Noun Project 11

The Best Ways to Boost Your Business Income

The Best Ways to Boost Your Business Income Company owners and managers are always thinking of ways to increase income by meeting their customers’ needs and gaining new ones by reaching out to a wider market through innovative products and quality services. One of the business processes they do is gather information and store it in various systems, databases, and storage media for later data analysis. Some forms of data may have already served their purpose and considered obsolete, and have to be removed. To make managing the flow of data throughout a company’s information system easier, data lifecycle management products are utilized. These products have the capability to automate the processes involved in data collection and storage, and are used to manage business information throughout its lifecycle beginning from requirements to retirement. As a general rule, the newer data and information that must be accessed frequently is stored on faster storage media, while data that is considered less critical is stored on slower storage media. Using the right data lifecycle management process can significantly streamline business operations and boost business income by making companies more productive. It also reduces costs by enabling businesses to optimize their existing storage and storing data more efficiently. Aside from data lifecycle management, here are some more ideas that you can do to increase your business income. Expand your business. Business expansion can be done by offering different, but related, services and products. You can sell a variety of services that can be bundled into packages depending on your customers’ needs. For online businesses, aside from selling your own products and services, you can also become an affiliate and sell other people’s products and services. When you get the hang of it, you can then put together your own affiliate program. Another way to boost income is to create a seminar, workshop, class or series of seminars on a topic you have expertise in, such as social media or online marketing. You can make the most out of being online by selling ads on your website. Don’t be afraid of creating multiple income streams; you can always hire a virtual assistant to help you out. Get involved in cooperative sales agreements. If your company sells a product that makes use of another product or service, contact companies that sell those and request them to sell your products as well, and vice-versa. If you are in the business of selling pet food for instance, you can also sell proprietary pet accessories and vitamins upon agreement with another company. By entering into a cooperative sales agreement with another company, your own product or services can get more sales. The power of suggestion. You can generate more revenue from existing customers by making use of the sales information you have on them. For instance, online stores show customers other items that they may be interested in, based on the items that they have bought. If your long-time customer has bought another set of calligraphy pens, make sure you also offer her calligraphy ink and fountain pens. Know what your customers’ want and suggest related products. As a final note, keep in mind that successful businesses continually reinvent themselves. Listen to your customers and adapt your services and products to meet their ever-changing needs and demands, and you will not only have the loyalty of customers but gain new ones as well.

How to Stay Positive in Executive Job Search - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

How to Stay Positive in Executive Job Search

Happy at work at... Happy - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Happy at work at... Happy - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Yes, there is a company in the UK called Happy. Yes, theyre happy :o) We went to London last week and had a chance to visit the Happy HQ and meet with their managing director Cathy Busani to hear more about what makes them a great workplace. Heres a short video with Cathy: And theres much more. At Happy, employees can also choose their own bosses, they help make all major decisions, all bonuses are divided equally just to give you some examples. Cathy will talk much more about thisat our conference about happiness at work in Copenhagen in May. Read all about it here. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Career Corner Job Interviewing Ten Tips for Success! - Hallie Crawford

Career Corner Job Interviewing Ten Tips for Success! This weeks career tips are excerpted from one of my recent career articles published in the National Contract Management Associations Contract Management magazine. Hope these are helpful. You can read the full article finding a career you love. Heres the 1st tip: Relax, you’ll be more authentic and confident if you do.Whether this next job interview is your first or your 51st, it never hurts to brush up on your skills and do some advance prep work to ensure success. Learn how to play up your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, and make a great impression overall. The best suggestion I can give to prep for an interview is to relax. I put this tip first because its so important. Being relaxed and authentic is the foundation for making a good impression. If youre fidgety and nervous that comes across. And if youre trying to be someone youre not, that does too and does not make a good impression. People can tell if youre trying to be something youre not, dont do it. Be real. I know, this can be easier said than done but you can do it. Breathe! And review some things in your mind if you need to. Remember that you have your education, training, and experience working in your favor. Think of all the ways you provided value to your previous employers. Did you land a huge account? Go above and beyond on a certain project? Take some time to recall your accomplishments (even better, make a list of them), and let go of the tension. Good luck! Hallie, Career Coach Related Links:Whats Your Motivation?