Rational Persuasion: An Effective Tool for Turning Your Ideas into Our Ideas

Rational Persuasion: An Effective Tool for Turning Your Ideas into Our Ideas

"Persuasion is often more effective than force." – Aesop, ancient Greek writer. Personal power comes in a number of different forms, from the positional power of the manager and high-level executive to personal power, where you use your individual influence to help accomplish team goals. Influence itself comes in a variety of flavors: for example, collaboration, consultation, inspirational appeals, rational persuasion, and a number of less team-friendly options. All have circumstances where they represent the best choice, but the best overall influence pattern for team use—especially if you're not the official leader of your team—is rational persuasion. Rational persuasion is exactly what it sounds like: without making threats, misusing your position, or ingratiating yourself to your … [Read more...]

Activating Yourself: Converting Thoughts and Ideas into Action

Activating Yourself: Converting Thoughts and Ideas into Action by Laura Stack #productivity

"Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." ― Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield Here is the roundup of activity from Laura Stack’s blog, columns, podcast, and other featured articles. Scroll down to read the complete roundup of productivity resources to help you create Maximum Results in Minimum Time. This week on the Blog Activating Yourself: Converting Thoughts and Ideas into Action You see it everywhere, from corporate boardrooms to Hollywood: the constant recycling and refining of the same ideas, with anything unique usually plowed under before it has time to bloom. We're on, what, the third reboot of the Batman movie franchise in 20 years? And … [Read more...]

Dangerous Ideas: Achieving Success Through Innovation

Dangerous Ideas: Achieving Success Through Innovation by Laura Stack #productivity

One of the many things the late Peter Drucker taught us was that only two things really make a business money: marketing and innovation. Everything else is an expense. Some people would add a few other profit-makers to the list, but few would deny marketing or innovation their places. At least, not publicly. But what about privately, or at least subconsciously? That's another matter. Many of us just don't want to deal with innovation, because it's too much trouble. New ideas push you out of your comfort zone, requiring you to scramble, to work harder, and to think more. For those of us already overstressed by a challenging work environment, that's asking a lot. Oscar Wilde, an Irish playwright and poet, said, “An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.” … [Read more...]