4 Emotional Intelligence Skills To Transform Your Leadership Style

by Steven Stein, Ph.D., author of “The EQ Leader: Instilling Passion, Creating Shared Goals, and Building Meaningful Organizations through Emotional Intelligence“

In today’s work settings, many of the old-style hierarchal and authoritarian styles of leadership have become obsolete. We’ve witnessed significant strides in replacing rewards-punishment “transactional” management styles – that have mostly proven unproductive – with “transformative styles” in which organizational leaders inspire their teams to achieve a collective purpose.

And yet we’re still in the transition zone where we need more leaders equipped with the skills that combine interpersonal abilities, including empathy and trust, with the capacity to model creative problem solving when faced with tough situations. We refer to this skill set as Emotional Intelligence, or EI. The awareness that EI is an important job skill – in some cases even surpassing technical ability – has grown in recent years.

In simple terms, EI is the ability to identify and manage emotional information in oneself and in others. But, we continue to experience a scarcity of this new brand of leadership talent. According to a global survey by Deloitte, leadership was rated the most urgent concern when considering gaps in workforce readiness.

Why haven’t we done a better job of cultivating emerging leaders? One reason is that we continue to mistakenly believe good technical or sales skills translate to good management skills. The thinking seems to be: if they excel at analyzing, fixing, selling and so on, then they can likely lead others to excel as well. But these skills and competencies have little to do with being a good leader.

Another erroneous standard of leadership talent is mistakenly assuming that high IQ is a predictor of leadership strength. While it’s likely that leaders have higher IQs than followers, the qualities that make up strong leaders go far beyond one’s cognitive intelligence.

Finally, choosing leaders based on personality remains widespread.  Characteristics such as aggressiveness and extroversion, that tend to stand out in job candidates, don’t always correlate with self-awareness, flexibility and influencing others. The forceful leaders may be good at giving orders, but that doesn’t always translate into inspiring subordinates into action.

The traits that new bodies of research confirm as the most effective in improving workplace morale – and the bottom line – directly relate to qualities associated with EI. After gleaning results from the largest database of EI test scores in the world, researchers have identified four pillars of EI that form the foundation of competencies needed to buttress today’s business world for success now and into the future.

The good news is that EI traits can be cultivated and improved. Practice these four pillars of EI to transform your personal and organizational leadership style:

1. Express authenticity on every level.

Acting without integrity can be the kiss of death in today’s world. Today’s best leaders must be viewed as credible, fair and “real.” Bombastic, arrogant and dominating people are out. For today’s leaders, humility is a strength. People will respect you more and go the extra mile if they think you are real.

2. Coach others to realize their full potential.

Today’s more equitable workplaces run on collaboration and mentoring, not policing. The best leaders coach their teams through tactics as simple as “management by walking around” and one-on-one meetings where they listen to employees’ concerns, offer feedback and guidance and take responsibility for removing any roadblocks.

3. Communicate the organization’s mission in a way that inspires employees, suppliers and customers.

More and more companies are realizing they are not in business just to make money or produce a product. Developing a sense of higher purpose (for example, Google’s mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”) heightens engagement and motivation for employees and other stakeholders, which helps attract and retain the right people. Insightful leaders communicate a purpose, meaning and vision, and express a hopeful view of the future.

4. Encourage innovation and risk-taking.

More success will accrue to organizations that encourage their employees to think creatively and champion new ideas. That doesn’t mean everyone gets their own R&D budget, but it does require that leaders give their people more autonomy and license to explore changing customer needs and provide a fair, safe and encouraging hearing when employees propose new ideas. They also need to be understanding when new, risky ideas don’t succeed. Innovative leaders spur imaginative and autonomous thinking and see challenges as learning opportunities.

 

Steven Stein, Ph.D., is a leading expert on psychological assessment and emotional intelligence. He is the founder and CEO of Multi-Health Systems (MHS), a leading publisher of scientifically validated assessments. Dr. Steven Stein is the author and coauthor of several books on emotional intelligence, including his new book,”The EQ Leader: Instilling Passion, Creating Shared Goals, and Building Meaningful Organizations through Emotional Intelligence“, and the international best-seller, “The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success“.

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Settling Legal Corporate Standings Proficiently

There’s no telling when you might feel the need for an attorney by your side; in fact, not too many of us realize it until time slips away. If you’re a business owner, consider it imperative to invest in the skills and experience of an established and committed lawyer.

When you work with corporate lawyers, they work on behalf of the business to back you up with legal counsel and services. They hold the expertise in all facets of corporate dealings that are legit to make sure you’re not caught on the wrong side of the law.

Gearing Up for Legal Practice.

To help you understand, business attorneys are focused at defending clients, provide legal advice; assist in guarding financial security, real estate, and other such responsibilities. They defend individuals or corporations in acquisitions and mergers, business contracts, disputes and resolutions, and just about anything that screams “legal.”

You want to make sure the attorney you hire to safeguard your business’s legal requirements has the credibility and know-how to practice professionally in your state. A license is mandatory, without which they aren’t at liberty to practice.

By law, they need to pass the American Bar Association (ABA) examination in that state (also called the Bar Exam). A Bachelor degree and Law degree from a renowned institution are prerequisites to taking the Bar exam. It doesn’t quite end there; some states have made it mandatory to pass an ethical exam as well.

What Time Is the Right Time?

Rather than putting your foot into legal situations on your own, it’s best to let the experts do their job. It’s in your best interest to make sure your business, and everyone working under its umbrella, is legally protected.

If you’re being sued, and the sheriff is already at the door with a summons, consider it a little too late. The American judicial system is such that it’s not tough finding your way into court, but it feels like quicksand getting out unscathed. Nobody likes dealing with lawyers, but dependable corporate lawyers guarding you like a rock in a legal predicament is big.

As a corporate giant or business owner you would want to know that the fee a lawyer charges to keep you on the good side of the law is a small fraction of what your lawyer is likely to charge to get you out. Once you do the Math, you’ll realize it’s a fantastic idea to invest time and effort in a well-rounded attorney for the greater good.

Which Is Better – Big or Small Firm?

Obviously, large firms fare better than smaller ones, even though they might have a greater overhead and higher hourly rates. They have diverse and specialized skills, and a lot of leverage with local, and sometimes, national communities. A written statement from a well-established law firm with offices spanning several states generates more noise than a nasty letter from a solo attorney.

What’s more? Large law firms can help introduce you to incredible financial sources; you definitely want this kind of comradeship to get the ball rolling for your growing business. This will come in handy when you have to work with recognized lawyers in investment baking and of the sorts.

The Hot Seat.

Sifting through corporate lawyers is a must if you need the best from the rest. This calls for time and patience, and weighing your options to make sure your business is legally secured:

Experience matters: Ask direct questions like, “How much experience do you have?” There’s no reason to feel awkward asking direct questions. It’s always good to know who you’re up against.

Building network: A business lawyer needs to be “well-connected” to make sure your legal situation is handled as best as possible, and sometimes that means connecting with a specialist. It would be silly to scourge for a new lawyer every time a legal situation crops up.

Clientele: Make sure the lawyer is familiar with your industry and the legal standing surrounding it. If it’s a “maybe” scenario, they should be willing to learn everything there is to your business. Though there’s a code of ethics every lawyer is expected to follow, find out if a business competitor is one of the clients in their clientele – accidental leaks of sensitive material is a possibility here.

Billing: Most lawyers work with flat fees on a one-time basis for routine stuff, but sometimes, unless you ask for it, it’s not likely to happen. Find out if that includes out-of-pocket expenses as well. While you’re at it, find out when the fees needs to be paid. It’s also a good idea to hold back 10-20% of that if you’re doubtful about the lawyer’s expertise.

Taking the Plunge.

It’s never easy finding corporate lawyers in a locale crawling with the best and worst, of which, only a handful of them are probably worth considering. That being said, it’s always better to stay prepared when it comes to legal challenges rather than waiting for all hell to break loose.

Taking some time to shortlist and sift through eligible lawyers to represent your company in its good and bad times is worth every penny. It’s never too late to start if you haven’t already.

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3 Offline Marketing Methods To Use To Build Your Brand

When it comes to marketing your startup, you most likely have all the usual methods covered – creating a website and blog, creating social media marketing, setting up an email marketing list, and perhaps even placing advertisements on other popular websites and blogs in your industry. However, that isn’t all that you need to do. Although the older methods of offline marketing may be declining in popularity today, that doesn’t mean you cannot effectively utilize them to help with building your brand. In fact, there are certain methods of offline marketing that work just as well today as they did decades ago.

Here are some of your best options:

#1. Direct Mail.

How often do you get something interesting through the post anymore? If you’re like most of us, then it’s probably not that often. Since the mail has become a service that tends to be reserved only for bills or parcels that you’ve ordered online these days, getting a letter can be a true novelty; adding a nice personal touch that can be difficult to achieve online.

However, it’s important to be careful when you send direct mail to your customers. You need to make sure that they will be interested in the information that you send them, otherwise, your efforts will be in vain. You can also boost your brand by using branded letterheads and a business envelope.

#2. Business Cards.

In a world where we can quickly share all our information with just the click of a mouse or a few taps on a smartphone screen, it’s no surprise that handing out business cards has quickly become a thing of the past. However, don’t rule them out completely, as there are many uses for business cards that can still be very effective today.

Maybe you won’t be standing on the street handing them out to people, but you can certainly boost interest in your company by leaving business cards where potential customers can find them. A good way to do this is to pair up with other local businesses (not your competition, though!) and ask them to display some business cards in return for you displaying theirs.

#3. Flyers.

Flyers can easily be printed online and are a great way of informing your existing and potential customers about a range of things, such as new special deals, the latest products, or even an option to get money off their next purchase. Whatever it is that you want your customers to know, don’t stick to email and social media to get the word out.

After all, regardless of its popularity, some people just don’t use social media that often. Also, with so much information being shared on social media every hour, it can be easy for your update to become lost in a sea of images, videos, statuses, and shares. Handing out flyers isn’t just an ideal method of making sure that your customers get the information; it can also be a great conversation starter.

Do you use any offline marketing methods to build your brand? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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Campfire – 5 Things To Consider To Be A Digital Nomad

by Wang Tse, co-founder and director of Campfire Collaborative Spaces

There is a certain charm in the idea of being able to work remotely, lounging beside the beach with a mojito in one hand, while updating your social media page, knowing you have it better than the inane 9 to 5.

With more of the world working online, it is easier to take remote working and kick it up a notch, to live the lifestyle of a digital nomad. Expect frequently jet-setting, changing working and living conditions multiple times in a year, while having a life of adventure, fulfillment, and freedom.

If you’re determined to have “Mojito Mondays” as your start-of-the-week staple, here are 5 tips to get you started:

1. Do you possess or share the traits of a digital nomad?

Before looking at the tangibles (finances, skillsets, etc), being a digital nomad goes beyond travel and just purely working remotely. Take a look at these traits and see if any of them resonate with you. It is good to know how your extended global family works and how good a fit you are before diving in.

2. What are the skills and working practices that digital nomads should have?

As companies find it more cost-effective to have lesser office space for their workers, understanding the types of jobs that lend themselves better to being a digital nomad helps. Browse this list to see if you’ve any current skills that fall into these categories, try freelancing, to better understand the workflow and professional requirements, and getting a list of clients under your belt will help you grow your confidence. Not all digital nomad jobs have to be in tech. Hone your competencies, and find a good match through established online resources.

3. Is your destination “digital nomad conducive”?

There are top picks across the world and Asia is a vibrant, preferred destination, with destinations such as Chiang Mai lauded as the place to be. Check out Nomad List, to see a very comprehensive breakdown, by season, budget, lifestyle, internet connectivity, and coworking spaces. Other sites like Colive, allow you to find shared housing while overseas. Need a place to crash in a pinch, like a condensed Airbnb service? Try Overnight.

4. Are you leveraging the right resources and communities?

With digital nomads getting more mainstream, there are guides, such as useful lifehacks for digital nomads that give you a good baseline for your considerations once you are in your current dream location. There are startups that serve to specifically build you to be a digital nomad with coding skills. And conferences such as DNX Camp, being the largest conference for digital nomads to give better insight to the lifestyle, with specific lessons and skills, and retreats such as the annual Nomad Summit held at Chiang Mai give you a relevant head start.

5. If the world is your office, what is the best workspace?

Collaboration and community are cornerstones for the digital nomad, finding the right workspace helps immensely. For the digital nomad, the coworking space works best. To have access to additional resources, services, and a supportive community, the digital nomad can leverage and find new synergies that might not have been apparent before, and it is the strong network that can help propel the business to greater heights.

 

Wang Tse is a co-founder and director of Campfire Collaborative Spaces. Being an entrepreneur at an early age, he has established himself within various industries such as property, jewelry, and F&B. He currently oversees the overall creative and strategic expansion of Campfire.

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How To Use Social Media To Promote Your App

by Juned Ghanchi, CEO of IndianAppDevelopers

If you have not landed on Earth from a faraway planet, you must be aware of the potential of social media already. People these days dig their Facebook walls practically for anything including news, product reviews, socializing with friends and relations, watching an interesting video, gaming, travel guides, publicity and campaigns, community building and much more. People resort to Twitter to reach the wider audience with trending small byte size tweets. Other channels also enjoy unparalleled traction with their niche focus and audience.

With social media playing such robust presence for everything in our life, it plays now a leading role in digital marketing and promotions. When it comes to marketing your new app cannot do without social media. The question is how to use social media more effectively?

Let us discuss here some time-tested ways to use social media to promote your app:

1. Choose your channels.

With a multitude of social platforms at your disposal, you need to be selective. Facebook is the common platform targeted by the vast majority of businesses including of course app development companies. From initiating the first wave of traction and engagement to reaching to the target influencers of your niche, from initiating conversation with your audience to running promotional campaigns and adverts, from building a niche community to posting valuable contents with deep links for your app, Facebook stands as an invaluable platform to promote an app.

Twitter comes as equally important as it allows posting short byte sized posts from time to time and has immense importance in respect of updating the audience is concerned. Twitter account of a business works much like a mouthpiece and by carefully following trending hashtags in related niches it can deliver an app more visibility.

Apart from the above two, choosing rest of the channels depend largely on the type of app and target audience. If you have an app built specifically for the business audience, a LinkedIn account is an invaluable choice. Similarly, if your audience is predominantly women, you cannot do away with Pinterest. If you have an app in which visual contents enjoy a high degree of importance, having a solid presence on both Pinterest and Instagram will be helpful. If your audience is predominantly male, Google+ should be the invariable choice since this social channel has the highest male engagement.

2. A strong pre-launch campaign.

These days, marketing is more about hitting the market early than jumping on the bandwagon of marketing campaigns gushingly at the time of the launch. It is truer in the case of mobile apps which is increasingly becoming a tough market with a lot of competitive players vying for visibility and discoverability. While most mobile apps just do not make enough to sustain themselves as a business, a pre-launch campaign long before the actual app is out in the marketplace seems invaluable. Here we provide some valuable tips to use social media for a strong pre-launch campaign:

• Way before the launch event publishes a trailer of your new app with links to connect your app page on the App Store or Play Store.
• Launch social media adverts for your target audience for a limited period.
• Engage with your target audience frequently with relevant comments, sharing, and posts from time to time.
• Approach the industry influencers and niche people from your industry to invite them to comment on your app and give valuable suggestions.

3. Reach out to influencers, related niche blogs, and publications.

If making your target audience hear about your app is your objective, this is best achieved by reaching out to relevant industry blogs and publications and gain more audience and traction through subsequent sharing by them. Just because social media influencers can influence a lot of people among your target audience, reaching influencers plays such an important role. Here we describe the rules of reaching out to the social media influencers.

• First of all, maintain your address short, simple and direct. Since these valuable people are often approached by too many apps like yours, you need to tell them directly what you are up to.
• Secondly, when approaching them always load your content with shareable links including pre-populated Twitter links and a link for the background information about the app.
• You should target only influencers who enjoys a huge following across all major channels including Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, etc.
• Again, target influencers that appeal to the same people to whom you’re selling your app. In most times they will only take interest if you share their apps as well.
• If you can afford you can pay some influencers for sharing your app but before doing that you must conduct a thorough research about their credibility and the results they achieved for other app developers or publishers.

4. Maintain a personal and engaging voice.

These days we are practically overwhelmed by well-pitched marketing contents. Every social channel and website offer a staggering volume of contents that are openly impersonal and professional in tone. The typical adverts and marketing contents lack the humane passion and engaging tone so common in personal communication. This is why such contents often fail to achieve considerable traction and engagement.

On the other hand, if the developers when pitching their app to the larger audience can maintain a personal tone, they are likely to get more engagement from their social followers and audience in general. Social media is a place to connect individuals rather than automated machines and so, insist on creating contents that address the individual concerns, thought process, apathy, and preferences in a more humanly manner. This is why what formal marketing fails to achieve can easily be made possible by informal conversations with the app publishers if done passionately and for a long period of time.

5. Offer a mixed bag of content.

With the mobile usage dominating the user accessibility, the attention span of the audience is fast decreasing. Most users these days prefer only quickly scannable byte sized contents simply because such contents help them quickly read it. Moreover, simply the portable and movable character of mobile interface demands contents to be more visual.

Now when everybody in the social space is using images and videos more than ever, you need to have a content strategy that clearly incorporates the advantages of various types of contents. Instead of sticking to only legible text or high quality images or short and engaging video contents, you should boast off a variety of contents including posters, images, slideshows, illustrations, GIFs, etc. With mixed bag contents, you can appear more creative and engaging to your audience.

6. To conclude.

Are these all we need to say about your social media strategy to promote your app? No, there are practically too many of them that require equal attention. In the span of this post, we only tried to focus on the important aspects that most app publishers miss out or simply underplay.

 

Juned Ghanchi is CEO of IndianAppDevelopers, a leading mobile app development company in India. He specializes in developing and implementing programs which drive leads and increase revenue for the company. He is passionate about writing on different topics that help startups and small businesses.

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8 Habits Of The Highly Successful Leader

Leadership is a skill that takes command, tact, and vision. As the great entrepreneur Jim Rohn once said, “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”

Leadership is not only one skill, but the culmination of many which help to craft them into someone who can be approached for advice, guide a business through a strenuous time, and have compassion towards those who work for them among other things. No matter the size of their business, a great leader can make a significant impact in their field, whether you’re a Fortune-500 CEO of a global MNC or just the guy who runs a small massage business in Toronto.

If you’re curious what forms someone who has this skill set, here are a number of habits of the highly successful leader:

They Keep a Routine. 

A successful leader knows that keeping a routine is how one can create a lifestyle that is driven to succeed. When one has a daily routine that they follow, they can gear every activity in their life to make sure that it’s positive and will garner results in some form that can benefit not only them, but the people around them.

Delegate Tasks Based Off Ability. 

Many people in business often struggle with task delegation because they want to do everything themselves. While this seems to be admirable and is often a good “weakness” to give while at an interview, it’s not a positive trait among people who leader. Delegation can make or break a team.

A strong leader is able to delegate tasks based on team ability, not seniority or due to a popularity contest. A good leader has the ability to discover people’s strengths and weaknesses and adjust to those in order to assign tasks to be done the best way possible. 

Understand The Importance of Courage and Act. 

Being a leader isn’t always smooth sailing. At times, it means that they’ll have to make a decision that people disagree with or that could result in some slack from others. But deep down, they understand it’s the right thing to do. A leader knows the importance of courage and is able to act on it with integrity and commitment.  

Outsourcing of Weaknesses. 

Knowing what your weaknesses are as a professional is a big stepping stone, and being able to react to those weaknesses is an even bigger one because it removes ego and hubris from the equation. A leader can admit what they’re strengths and weaknesses are with conviction and make educated decisions based off those. For instance, they are not great at developing presentations, they can outsource that task to another member of the team. 

Dedicated & Passionate.

A leader must be dedicated and passionate about what they do. They need to live and breath what they do and make it a part of their life, not just as something that will earn them a paycheck. A leader who is passionate about what they’re doing can inspire the whole team and make them become more efficient and dedicated to the tasks at hand. A passionate leader helps employees become engaged.

Consistency is Everything. 

If there’s one thing that’s true in life, it’s that consistency can get you far. If you want to learn a language, you study every day for a small amount of time, not for hours on end twice a week. A leader understands this principle and approaches tasks with this in mind. It takes a strong leader to know that consistency holds more value than spurts of work.

They Are Self-Aware.

A highly successful leader knows themselves. They are self-aware. A self-awareness allows leaders to reflect on who they are and how effective their leadership style is. A leader isn’t always going to be great at everything in their job description, but they hold a growth mindset in order to improve themselves and they are open to criticism. A self-awareness allows them to continually grow as a person, whereas other leaders remain in a ‘stuck’ position and rarely change. 

Reliability & Trustworthiness. 

Finally, employees need to be able to rely and trust the person they are following. If they do not have confidence in the person leading them, the effort that they put into their work will lack. A reliable leader is able to set a precedent among their employees which sets what an acceptable standard of professionalism and work is.

To be an effective leader, one needs to have a culmination of skills to create a rich and diverse skill set. A highly successful leader is able to reflect on themselves, inspire people, and create growth in not only the organization, but the people who work for them.

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How To Save On Expenses When Starting A Company

Are you a startup owner with a limited budget? This is the situation a large number of new entrepreneurs find themselves in and it’s the people who find ways to overcome this lack of capital that go on to build efficient, successful businesses.

Below are some of the ways you can save on expenses when starting a company:

Upgrade the Equipment You Already Have.

It’s very tempting as a business owner to purchase the latest and greatest equipment for your organization. However, you don’t always have to replace the equipment you already have. For example, if you have old office equipment such as laptops and PC’s, they may not be as powerful as the latest models available.

Instead of replacing them, you should consider upgrading the memory in these machines by purchasing memory products from companies like Offtek. This will ensure that you keep more money in your pocket that can be used for more productive purposes.

Buy Second-Hand.

If you really need to replace an existing item in your business or you don’t already have that item, buying second-hand will allow you to obtaining equipment at a lower price. With so many classified sections in newspapers and online, as well as a wide range of businesses that deal in second-hand products, you are certain to pick up a bargain in most cases.

Work from Home or Look for an Affordable Work Space.

Moving into an office, workshop, store or other business premises is expensive and you have to deal with a wide range of outgoings including rent, utilities, and other business-related costs. To start with, it’s more cost-effective to work from your own home or come to some understanding with another business that will allow you to work from their premises for less. Eventually, once you are up and running you could consider moving into a commercial building of your own.

Shop Around for the Best Deals.

It goes without saying that every entrepreneur has to become an excellent bargain hunter, especially when they don’t have access to large sums of money. Different rates and charges are applied to utilities, business equipment, insurance and any other essential products and services you need, so you should shop around for the best deals. It may take some time, but the savings you can make over time can be substantial.

Hire Freelancers.

Employing full-time staff is another business expense that can financially cripple a new venture. To avoid this problem, you should consider hiring freelancers to help you with your business activities. You can hire all types of freelancers and you only pay them when they complete the work. If you find reliable workers in this way, you could eventually hire them to work on a more permanent basis when you can afford to do so.

Reducing the amount of money you spend when you are establishing a business is crucial. This allows you to improve your cash flow and helps to increase the amount of money you generate through your business.

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