Recruiting Animal

The 2-Hour Workday

If you only had two hours to work

What would you choose to do?

How would you prioritize it

What would you leave out? 

Source: Laura Vanderkam

 

A Chess Master's Success Tips

Gary Kasparov says that a talent for chess lies in these skills: pattern-matching and intuitive calculation.

Many strong chess players use these abilities to become successful currency and stock traders.

However, the main skill in chess that can be used elsewhere is the habit of reviewing your experiences to figure out (1) what worked and (2) what didn't and (3) why.

He suggests that you "program yourself" to do this "assiduously".

Source: The Bobby Fischer Defence via Marginal Revolution

 

Bob the Job Hunter and Keppie Careers

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May 11, 2011 - Job Hunter + Job Hunting Author

His Linkedin Profile - Her Book

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Clips: put mouse over title to see Play button

Intro - My Audience Doesn't Understand

Animal Hassles Jerry - 11 05 11

All County Jobs - 11 05 11

My Spat With Keppie

Introducing Keppie Careers - 11 05 11

The Value of Linkedin Connections

Put Contact Info on Linkedin

Shd LI Profile Say UR a Job Hunter

Verbal Summary - 11 05 11

Job Hunter Introduces Himself

Job Hunter Twitter Profile Critique

Robert Brogan 11 05 11 - Full Show

Violent Idealists Won't Face Facts

Forcing The Gates of Heaven

From: In Greece, austerity kindles deep discontent - WaPo May 13, 2011 (edited)

No country is under more pressure to roll back spending than near-bankrupt Greece now saddled with 35% youth unemployment and facing the prospect of years of depressed growth.

Buckling under a culture of tax evasion and rampant overspending, Greece received a $170 billion bailout from the IMF and European Union last year.

Since then, pensions have been cut, the retirement age extended and public sector pay slashed.

Even so, Greece is still drowning in a sea of debt, and some analysts believe it may yet have no choice but to default on at least a portion of its bonds held by investors.

A second massive bailout would come with a requirement to slash domestic spending even further.

“In some countries, the rolling back is happening more gradually, but in Greece, with the nation at the edge of bankruptcy, it is happening like sudden death”....

Polls show that a majority of Greeks — tired of waste, corruption and public largess — support the reforms. But extremism is on the rise and could disrupt attempts to get the nation back on track.

Wisdom From Celebrities

Patrick Schwartzenegger replied to well wishers on Twitter after his parents split:

Appreciate all your messages. Small speed bump In life, luckily we own hummers, we will cruise right over it. All will be okay. #peace

Emily Browning, Sleeping Beauty: a pretty face is always insipring.

Cold Call

Hello. Is Rick in? "Yes. May I tell him who's calling?" Sure. Jerry Albright. "Can I tell him what this call concerns?" No thanks. I will. Mon May 09 22:37:27 +0000 2011 via ÜberSocial Jerry Albright
@Jerry_Albright

Consistent Branding

The very idea of thinking you should keep the same profile picture everywhere in the SM world is ridiculous @animal Wed May 11 16:39:51 +0000 2011 via web Jerry Albright

For More: CLICK HERE

Jerry on Social Media

Attn: I do not, can not and will not connect with, follow, be followed by or friend any dog, cat or other domestic animals Thu May 12 00:06:17 +0000 2011 via ÜberSocial Jerry Albright
@Jerry_Albright

FOR MORE - CLICK HERE

Be Tough On Employees

Source: Andrew O'Connell, Harvard Business Review, Respect Employees: Be Tough on Them

The thing about organizations in the big leagues: They sometimes make you feel like crap, even if you're a pro.

Good companies are not wrong to be tough on employees. If you wade through the recent research performance, you find stark evidence that difficult environments often bring out the best in people.

Carola M. Barth and Joachim Funke of the University of Heidelberg in Germany found that people perform better at complex problem solving in what the researchers call "nasty" workplaces — environments that abound with negative feedback.

Research subjects in a "nice" work environment with lots of positive feedback are generally in better moods than their nasty-workplace counterparts, but they devote less time to complex tasks and get worse results.

I take no pleasure in reporting this. I did not like the sometimes nasty environments that I labored in as a reporter. I like positive feedback, and I pride myself on giving positive feedback.

I recently told a valet parker that he had done a "great job" of delivering my car to me. I'm sure he was glowing afterward.

And I'm a hearty fan of Bob Sutton, who has waged a one-man crusade against abusive bosses and companies, detailing the anxiety and depression they inflict.

But the reality is that it doesn't take an abusive boss to make employees feel anxious and depressed. Sometimes all it takes is a relentless corporate focus on great results.

I wish it weren't so. But wishes shouldn't delude us. While it's fine to provide a few foosball tables and organize a few company outings, it's not fine to pretend that employees come to work in order to have fun and be fulfilled.

That fiction does them a disservice. They're here to do unremitting work, maybe for years on end, and the labor is going to take something out of them. And they may get laid off for their trouble.

Don't feel badly if you find yourself saying, with exasperation, "It can't be this; it has to be this." That's just part of life in the big corporation. And it's a lot more helpful, most of the time, than "Great job."

Candid Culture

What's the best way to say "Your idea totally sucks and we're all laughing behind your back - but I like you as a person"? Mon May 09 13:12:28 +0000 2011 via web Jerry Albright
@Jerry_Albright

From: I work for the ‘brutally honest’ Dragon - by Alex Kenjeev -

Globe and Mail, Wednesday, May. 11, 2011  (edited)

O’Leary’s success in business and his direct style are two sides of the same coin.

The longer I work with him, the more I'm convinced of the value that persistent, unrelenting candour and transparency can bring to any business or organization.

In an O'Leary culture, everyone helps kill bad ideas. No formal report. No all-hands meeting. You simply let the numbers tell their story, and move on to something that adds more value.

Brutal honesty is a huge competitive asset. The faster you can say “Stop the madness!” the sooner your company can give good ideas, and good people, the time and resources they deserve.

Compare this with what you've seen at companies that discourage criticism and stifle creative dissent. They are slow, bureaucratic and wasteful. They are deeply vulnerable to competitors that are more nimble and more efficient.

Candid feedback – with money and action to back it up – is part of O’Leary's formula for finding and retaining top people. It's very simple: reward your top performers, and let go of people the minute you know they aren't working out.

It sounds harsh, but it will boost your team's morale and productivity immediately. Your employees already know who adds value and who destroys it.

The truth hurts some, but white lies hurt everyone

If you think the truth hurts, consider the cost of the alternative.

Let's say you avoid criticism and pay everyone the same amount.

Your middle people will stagnate because they won't see a link between making more money for you and taking home more for themselves.

And your worst people will stay the same, dragging down company profits and infecting the culture by proving that everyone can get away with anything.

It's hard to be fired, demoted or shot down in your job. But it can also be a turning point, and an opportunity to set off on a different track – one that’s a better fit for your strengths and weaknesses.