Way too often we can get stuck. Our education, experience and even our expectations of how we (and others) should behave can cause us to miss opportunities to get better.
In today’s New York Times, Janet Rae-Dupree writes about research conducted by Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist. Dweck, perhaps not so surprisingly, has found that the way people think about their ability to improve their innate talents makes all the difference. Those who believe that their intelligence and talent has been predetermined by nature are less likely to push themselves to create and innovate than those who subscribe to the belief that their abilities can grow over time.
So which camp do you belong to?
If it is the first - and if you want to move to the other side, consider this quote from Dweck included in the article:
“People who believe in the power of talent tend not to fulfill their potential because they’re so concerned with looking smart and not making mistakes. But people who believe that talent can be developed are the ones who really push, stretch, confront their own mistakes and learn from them.”
(more…)
TAGS: change, creativity, life long learning, productivity, Risk-taking, support
The Wall Street Journal is all abuzz about Barbara Desoer who has recently been asked by Ken Lewis, Bank of America’s CEO, to take over its troubled mortgage business. Not only is the mortgage lending business generally in trouble due to the state of the US economy but Bank of America’s mortgage business has the added burden of trying to swallow the problems of the recently acquired Countrywide Financial. Carol Hymowitz’s Front Line blog asks readers to comment on their experiences regarding taking on high risk roles that have afforded them an opportunity to advance.
One woman’s story (see the comment by risk taker) reminded me about the glass cliff research I wrote about a couple of weeks ago in conjunction with a post about Erin Callan. While she writes that she did the right thing for herself and that it was worth it, she also describes her boss as “difficult”, noting, “when things went right he tended to take the credit”. She also is very clear that there was a high personal cost. (more…)
TAGS: corner office, new to the job, playing to win, Risk-taking, The Wall Street Journal, women and careers, Women at Work, women leaders, women role models
But you’ve got to say “no” sometimes and accept that the other person isn’t going to be happy. I had to do it twice last week — and I did not enjoy it. Nonetheless, I realized that my interests would not be met if I said yes.
One of the ways women can get in our own way is to try to make others happy at our own expense. Way too often we are so focused on building relationships with others that we forget that we too should expect — and get — consideration. (more…)
TAGS: Building workplace relationships, communication, Communication Skills, negotiation skills, Political skills, Risk-taking, ways to work healthy, women, women and power, Women at Work, Women In the Professions, women leaders
When we lived in Laguna Beach, my husband met a man who had two pre-teen daughters. The dad talked about the girls’ latest adventure: learning to scuba dive. My husband wasn’t a parent yet but wondered aloud if the man worried about the risks involved. The father replied that of course he had concerns, but that he wanted his daughters to learn how to gauge and take calculated risks.
Risk is a key part of anything worthwhile. When we fall in love, we take a risk. When we ask for a promotion or start a business, we take a risk. When we invest, we take risks. A life lived without risk, or one lived in constant search of elusive security, is a life unlived.
These may feel like risky times, with the economy in trouble and housing prices in free fall. You may feel like yanking your money out of the market and stuffing it in your mattress. But in risk lies opportunity, and you can bet the seeds of future fortunes are being sown right now by people who have learned to take calculated risks.
TAGS: Economy, Investing, recession, Risk-taking
Remember Eleanor Roosevelt’s wise maxim, “You gain courage and confidence by doing the things you think you cannot do.”
TAGS: Eleanor Roosevelt, gaining confidence, Risk-taking
