How the Oscar-Nominated Movies Can Make You a Better Boss

How the Oscar-Nominated Movies Can Make You a Better Boss 

So, I have a confession to make. I am an entrepreneur and a mother, and my time is precious. I have very little free time-- but what free time I do have in the first two months of the year is spent watching every Oscar nominated film. I've seen every one this year, and it occurred to me that weaved throughout each of these films are some serious pearls of wisdom for entrepreneurs. As you sit down this weekend to watch the Oscars, see if you can pick up on any of these leadership themes from the Best Picture nominees:

American Hustle: Fake it til you make it.

Irving Rosenfeld and his partner Syndey Prosser are forced to work with the FBI when they are busted for running a total sham of a business. They get into a situation that is way outside their comfort zone, and are forced to work on the biggest, and scariest, con of their lives. By pushing themselves beyond their perceived limits, they discover an awful lot about themselves, and what they are truly capable of. Leaders can and should get comfortable being uncomfortable--and pushing forward even when it feels impossible.

Captain Phillips: Nice guys finish first.
When Captain Richard Phillips was commanding a cargo ship 145 miles off of the Somali coast, he was captured by pirates. Unlike the pirates, the Captain and his crew were unarmed and had only their negotiating skills to carry them through. Through his ability to connect with the lead pirate, Muse, Captain Phillips was able to protect his men and survive an incredibly challenging situation. He knew exactly how to handle this armed, unstable pirate--and it wasn't by playing hardball. He was simply kind, and thoughtful, while remaining strong and solid in his approach. He was nice, but not weak--a key lesson for all of us.

Dallas Buyers Club: Be solution-oriented.
When Ron Woodruff, a rodeo cowboy was diagnosed with HIV and given 30 days to live, he tried to begin the typical treatments of AZT, and found that the system and the drug was completely broken. He decides to cross the border into Mexico where he learns about alternative solutions to treat HIV, and begins smuggling them into the U.S. and starts the "Dallas Buyers Club," a membership club where HIV patients can get these alternative medications. His willingness to tackle this problem with an (albeit illegal) solution, lengthened the lives of thousands of HIV patients and changed the course of HIV treatment. Although he had a lot of mixed feelings about the gay community, many of whom were his customers, Ron worked to push past his own ignorance to solve a problem and had a successful, game-changing business as a result. As a leader, are you solving problems with your product or on your team? You should be.

Gravity: Remember the power of mentors.
When Dr. Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first shuttle trip to space, ends up having a freak accident on a routine spacewalk, she and astronaut Matt Kowalsky are left spiraling in space, tethered to each other. Matt spends the next hour telling her various lessons about life and space, and their connection is as deep as they come. When Matt and Ryan get separated, Ryan is forced to channel Matt's confidence and knowledge to help get her home. She brings back his words and takes from them what she needs to in order to survive. Many of us as leaders have met people who have said things that we took with us on our journeys. Remember and look for people whose words and actions can inspire you to great success.

Her: Human connection is important.
Theodore Twombley lives in LA in the not-too distant future. He becomes fascinated by a new advanced operating system--basically Siri on steroids. "Samantha," his OS, is so advanced that she feels like a real person. Their connection is deep, and as Samantha gets more and more advanced, it gets complicated. Watching Her was like a giant reminder that we are headed towards a time where technology can and will advance faster than we'd ever expect. Through all of this, it's more important than ever for leaders not to become isolated. We constantly use technology to make our time-pressed lives more efficient, but we must, to be good leaders, make time for people--our most important asset.

Nebraska: If you don't make time for family, you'll regret it.
Nebraska is the story of David and his drunken, elderly, disoriented father Woody. When Woody receives a letter stating that he won a million dollars in a mail-order sweepstakes, he is convinced it's not a hoax. His son David agrees to drive him from Billings, Montana, to Lincoln, Nebraska. David essentially stops his life to go on this goose chase for his father, and along the way, repairs old, damaged relationships with his entire family. As leaders, we can't always stop everything we are doing to spend a week on a road trip with our most difficult and challenging family members, but it's important to ensure that our family relationships are a priority.

Philomena: Don't accept no for an answer.
Based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, this film tells the story of Philomena, a woman who was forced to give her child up for adoption by the nunnery that took her in when she was a pregnant teenager. Philomena had tried to discover the whereabouts of her son, who she signed away to an abbey in Ireland, but based on the church doctrine, she was not entitled to any information about him. It was only after a journalist contacted her and encouraged her to push past the church's refusal to cooperate that Philomena learned the truth about what happened to her son. Because she learned to not accept the first "no" that she got, she was able to achieve her goal and find peace. Leaders need incredible resilience, and they must push forward even when faced with challenges.

The Wolf of Wall Street: There are no shortcuts to success.
New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort built a giant empire off of selling penny stocks. A life filled with greed and corruption, Jordan was the ultimate "get rich quick" hustler--living a life of affluence filled with drugs and corruption. Jordan's story reminds us all as leaders that there truly are no shortcuts to success. True leaders don't cheat their way to the top, and the ones that do, have short-lived success.

12 Years a Slave: Even when the odds are stacked against you, always believe in yourself. 
This true story follows the incredible tale of Solomon Northop, a free man who lived in the North in the 1800s. Abducted and sold into slavery, Solomon spent 12 years living as a slave in deplorable, unimaginable conditions. It seemed that Solomon would never return to his life as a free man--and yet, he never gave up hope and never stopped believing that he was free. Though none of us could imagine a life like Solomon's, we as leaders can face insurmountable odds. Haven't we all felt like it was totally hopeless at one point or another? We must remind ourselves that being a leader involves lots of ups and downs, and that it is only our ability to believe in ourselves and our strength to lead through difficult times that will carry us through.

When you're watching the Oscars this weekend, remember that there are leadership lessons to be learned from each and every film.

By Carrie Kerpen

Source: Inc.

Want to Be Truly Productive? End Each Day Like This

Want to Be Truly Productive? End Each Day Like This

Recently, I wrote a column with tips on how to start a great day. What I neglected to mention is that the best way to make sure your day has a solid start is to have a great ending to the day before. If you finish your day stressed and worried with lots of loose ends, it will impact your time at home as well as your sleep.  String a few of these unhappy endings together and you'll watch your productivity plummet like a rock.

You can solve this problem with a small paradigm change. Focus as much or more energy on ending your days well and you'll start each day more rested and vibrant. Here are 7 simple tips to help you finish right so you can start the next day with a clear mind and a happy heart.

1. Finish one "organizing" project. Busy people always have some organizing project they have yet to get accomplished. It might be cleaning out an old file drawer or clearing your email. Whatever it is, schedule 20 minutes at the end of the day and tackle it.  Even if you get partway done you'll feel like you started to accomplish something.  Within a week at most the task will be done and you'll feel lighter inside.

2. Address all communication. I hate having email and messages that lag overnight. They create little voices in my head screaming Answer me! Answer me!  I feel like I was rude and left people hanging.  I hate ending the day feeling guilty. Even if you can't find a way to deal with all your correspondence and messages, the least you can do is acknowledge that you received the communication. Create a signature that says: Thanks, I got this. I'm a little busy but I will respond within a day or two. Then you can add the task of responding to your list of things to do without offending those who made the effort.

3. Do a brain dump. When I am really busy, my brain will run in circles and I struggle getting to sleep. Rather than suppressing the mental energy, I prefer to release it.  I sit down and write down everything in my brain. Not everything that comes out has value (as some have told me.) But once it's in a document or on paper, my brain frees itself and allows me to rest. Journaling can also help extract those sticky thoughts. I often write my columns at the end of the day since it leaves my head drained and ready to recharge on the pillow. (This one is being written at 2:30 AM.)

4. Review your calendar and to-do list. It seems obvious to do this, but many people wait until the morning to make their list and set their dates. I find the later part of the day is the best time for making the to-do list and reviewing the calendar since that way I can make sure I didn't leave anything hanging or open-ended from the day.  There is nothing worse than trying to rest and feeling like you forgot something important.

5. Set out your clothes. Weather reports have become sufficiently accurate to know how to dress the next day. If you followed tip #4, you'll also know if you have any meetings that require you to dress a little nicer. Better to have a fashion crisis in the evening while watching TV than to end up late because you couldn't find that tie or blouse. You can even catch a little more sleep if the clothes are all there, pressed and waiting when you wake up.

6. Set a "Shut Down" time. Even though late-night phone calls are rare around my house, email and texting can go all night long. This is not a good idea. I finally made a decision to stop checking a couple of hours prior to bed.  It allows me to decompress and takes away the risk of adding more thinking to my brain that will disturb my rest. I'm not a doctor or paramedic, so there are few emergencies that need my immediate attention. They can wait until morning when I am fresh and ready to address them.

7. Center yourself. Once everything is put away, organized and the day is over, find 20 minutes before bed for some relaxing introspection. Be it meditation, prayer or simply quiet breathing, isolate yourself from people and electronics so you can spend some quality time slowing the outer world. (It's ok to have the poodle on your lap. At least this works for me.) This is a good time to let go of anything that made you angry or upset. It's also a wonderful time to acknowledge gratitude for anything good that happened. If that doesn't help you start the next day on the right track, nothing will.

By Kevin Daum

Source: Inc.

7 Important Creative Thinking Skills

7 Important Creative Thinking Skills

We were on a call recently with an extended creative team generating ideas for client videos. During breaks, I found myself jotting down examples of important creative thinking skills the team was exhibiting. These seven creative thinking skills demonstrated during the call are ones which benefit both those who display them and those working with them too:

1. Suspending advocacy of your own idea to push for another person’s concept.

It’s helpful to be able to come into a creative situation and demonstrate your willingness to champion another person’s idea. It can open the way to getting others to support your thinking, as well.

2. Putting your own idea to the same test you apply to an idea from someone else.

When it comes to your own ideas, it’s easy to be a hypocrite and apply all kinds of hurdles to other ideas while letting your own thinking slide by unchallenged in your own mind. Just one thing to remember: don’t become somebody known for doing this!

3. Combining two different ideas and making them better (not muddled) as one idea.

Often (maybe “almost always”) compromising on creative ideas leads to something nobody likes, recognizes, or thinks satisfies the original objective. Being able to dissect ideas to pull out highlights and put them together as something new, however, is entirely different, and a great skill to have.

4. Letting someone else take “ownership” of your idea in order to build support for it.

This skill really tests whether you believe so strongly in an idea you’re willing to let someone else step up and take it on as their own idea to see it prevail. The key to seeing your idea win out can be letting somebody else be the vocal proponent for it.

5. Displaying the patience to wait for someone else to say what needs to be said so all you have to do is agree.

It’s tempting to jump in right away and make all the points you feel necessary in a creative discussion before anyone else talks. At times though, patience and silence are called for when it becomes clear someone can and will express your perspective – and can do it more appropriately than you can.

6. Sticking to your guns amid challenges to a creative idea which makes solid strategic sense.

There are many creative ideas which, while being really cool, have nothing to do with what you’re trying to achieve and how you should be achieving it. When confronted with others who are passionately arguing for highly creative yet hardly strategic concepts, make and remake your case if the idea you’re advocating is on the mark strategically.

7. Always looking for new creative skills to develop in yourself and those around you.

Not only do you want to make yourself stronger creatively at every juncture, it’s in your best interests to help improve the creative performance of your overall team. Creative meetings are a great opportunity to spot gaps others labor under as well as seeing your own creative shortcomings. Inventory what you saw (or didn’t see) after a creative meeting and get to work filling the gaps.

By Mike Brown

Source: Brainzooming

5 Steps to Build a Creative Business from Scratch

5 Steps to Build a Creative Business from Scratch

Any economist will tell you that the creative sector is a leading component of worldwide economic growth, employment and trade. Over the last decade, there has been a significant shift from individuals choosing to work in traditional vocations such as health care to investing in the creative sector.

Operating a business where your intellectual capital is your golden ticket requires a calculated approach that differs from the stock standard business model. Here are five steps to establish a creative business from scratch:

Observe. A pitfall of the boom in the creative sector is that thousands of designers/writers/directors are entering the workplace at the same time you are. There is a solid chance that your skill will be instantly diluted once you join the industry. Graphic designers, for example, are a dime a dozen, and if you do your research you’ll see that becoming an interactive media designer -- someone who can do graphics in addition to sound, animation and digital effects, is a more valuable skill set.

Seek out professionals in your industry and note what they are doing, how they’re doing it and most importantly, what you can offer that is different. What does this industry need right now? What is unique about my approach that’s seldom done? These are good starting points.

Related: 10 Tips to be a Proficient Telecommuter

Brand. Now that you’ve put your original spin on a creative role, it’s time to set up your brand. Branding is a group of ideas and approaches behind your work that must be cemented tangibly through a website and social media presence. Setting up a website can be incredibly cheap, and the beauty of this industry is that you can barter your services in exchange for others, like trading an article for a personalized logo.

Once you’ve got a card, logo, business email -- ideally one that matches your website -- and of course, a web page, start building your social media channels. Begin with LinkedIn and enter as much information as possible. Choose one other platform (I suggest Twitter as it takes the longest to build up) and enter your information and start adding color.

Produce. By color, I mean content. You’d never invite friends over for dinner only to present them with an empty table. Why would you encourage someone to explore your brand when you’ve got no work to show them? Social media participants are fickle; if a person is directed to a ‘Website Under Construction,’ chances are they won’t head back a second time.

In a saturated market, nothing will legitimize your business better than your actual work. Make sure you’ve got a few posts under your belt. I personally had 100 published articles before I felt comfortable promoting my website. Digging into your archives and revamping old work is also a simple way to produce content on your website without having to begin new projects. This third step is probably the most important and time consuming.

Related: Smart Twitter Guidelines to Follow

Plan. You’ve defined your brand and hopefully snuck in a lucrative loophole in your chosen industry. Now is the time to plan. Start by writing down a list of desirable companies, agencies and clients you’d like to work with that are in line with your offering. As a writer I keep a list of publications and editors I’ll target who are likely to respond to my style.

Then map out the dollars and cents; dictate how much you need to earn in your first three months to keep afloat, and how many hours you’ll have to put into your business to make this happen. It's a good idea to plan for a creative slump by having an alternate and consistent stream of income or investing in a savings ‘nest egg.’

Connect. Start within your own personal connections on Facebook and your email contacts to find like-minded creatives who may be able to assist you or be interested in your business. A simple announcement via a status update and email directing your friends and acquaintances to your new business will lay the foundations of your following.

Going over the industry contacts you’ve discovered in your observation phase, start to reach out to professionals who are at a similar stage to you in their career. These newbies are more likely to respond to your emails, and if you extend an olive branch there’s a chance you could share information.

When you’ve achieved a decent-sized social media presence supported by a solid website, target the industry heavyweights, but only if you are absolutely confident that you’ve got something substantial to bring to the table.

By Anna James
Source: Entrepreneur.

10 Secrets to Influencing Absolutely Anyone

10 Secrets to Influencing Absolutely Anyone

Ever wish you were better at getting people to do what you want? You can be. All it takes is practice and desire.

I know this from experience. When I first got involved in the American Society of Journalists and Authors, I quickly learned a few things about freelance writers. They're (mostly) brilliant. They're creative and articulate, accustomed to living literally by their wits. But for the most part, they are not joiners. They're self-motivated, self-directed, and not inclined to go with the flow (or else they'd be working in an office somewhere). They're individualistic, and can be cantankerous. And here I was, trying to get them to follow my lead.

My first initiative was an internal market to match volunteers with volunteer jobs. It didn't go well. The people giving out jobs either didn't want new volunteers or didn't want to put their jobs in my market. They didn't want to hear from me or the volunteers I'd recruited. Despite my best efforts, the project fizzled out. I couldn't figure out how to sway them.

It's been 15 years since then and I'm now president of ASJA which is a job that still in large part consists of asking freelance writers to follow my lead. And sometimes to set aside their strongly held opinions for the good of the organization. I couldn't do it if I hadn't learned a few things over the years about how to get people on my side:

1. Spend lots of time listening.

Even if you already know what people are going to say, and even if there's no way you can do what they want, start by listening. Being listened to is one of the things they want--that's true of just about everyone. That was one mistake I made on my first project: I had listened to people who wanted to volunteer, but not to those who had volunteer jobs to offer. I assumed they'd be happy to have new volunteers but I was wrong.

2. Ask lots of questions.

Not only because everyone wants to be listened to. Careful questioning will help you determine what people really want, which is often different from what they say they want. It will also tell you what they have to offer.

3. Make a human-to-human connection.

Look for ways to connect that have nothing to do with the work at hand. Maybe they have children the same age as yours, or they live somewhere you've vacationed, or you share the same hobby. Even if none of that's true, you can still make a bit of a connection based on universal experiences. For instance, right now a large portion of the United States is suffering through extreme winter weather.

4. Let your own guard down.

It's always tough to know just how much of your personal life it's OK to share in a business context. Many people err on the side of caution by sharing little or nothing about themselves. Instead, decide what you feel comfortable having other people know, and then give them a few details. You'll make other people feel safer, and engage their human side. 

5. Never miss a chance to say thank you.

Think hard about who's helped you or put themselves out, and make sure to thank them. That makes it much likelier they'll put themselves out again for you next time.

6. Never miss a chance to give praise.

Most of us never get enough praise for the things we work hard to do. So if you want to influence someone, make sure to call out what they've done well and how they've contributed to your organization or your well-being. Do it in public if you can.

7. Never miss a chance to apologize.

If you hate apologizing, get over it. An apology is one of the most powerful tools you have for winning people to your side. If a decision you made caused someone inconvenience or upset, an apology lets them know that you care. That's true even if you don't regret the decision itself, but only the harm it caused them.

(One word of caution: Don't ever apologize, praise, or thank unless it's sincerely how you feel. People can tell when you're faking and it will backfire.)

8. Strive to give people what they want.

Obviously, this isn't always an option. But if you can figure out what people really want or need and make sure they get it, they'll be that much more likely to give you what you need from them.

9. Let people save face.

Sometimes you know that someone would be disastrously bad at a job they want. Should you say so? Unless you're giving them feedback with a view to their being qualified later on, don't. You're better off giving that person a more palatable out. For instance, you've already promised the job to someone else.

10. Pick up the phone.

Do you find yourself getting and making a lot fewer phone calls than you used to? With email, text, and social media, I do. But there are times when a phone call or face-to-face communication makes a big difference. One of those is if you have disappointing news to deliver. Another is if you are asking someone to take on a bigger role or added responsibility.

On the phone you can answer any questions they have, or listen to any venting they may need to do in real time. You've stepped away from your other duties to spend time with them. That lets them know you really care about whatever you're calling for. It's a powerful way to make them care too.

By Minda Zetlin

Source: Inc.

7 Habits of Highly Ineffective People

7 Habits of Highly Ineffective People

The modern worker has a quiver full of productivity tools. You can choose from umpteen task list apps like Remember The Milk or Wunderlist. You can talk to your phone to arrange a meeting or reply to a text message. If you have a cluttered email inbox, there are apps likeMailbox that help you sort, archive, and curate your messages in seconds.

Yet, why is it that it's still so hard to get things done? You start out with good intentions--get to inbox zero, prep for a meeting, and check off at least five of the tasks on your to-do list. When the clock finally hits 5 p.m., you've failed to do any of the above and wonder what, in fact, you did do for the last eight hours.

The problem might not have anything to do with the tools. It might be how you use them. There are a few hallmarks of highly ineffective people. Here are seven.

1. You always finish your task list.

Apps like Remember The Milk encourage you to finish your tasks for the day. That's why the apps exist. Yet, as Marissa Mayer explained in a talk with Salesforce.com last year, checking every item off your list is a sure sign you are being unproductive. (It might also imply you just enjoy completing your task list.) Truly productive people prioritize tasks and let things slide if they are not that important. They are not completists--they are productivists.

2. You always answer the phone.

I know a few colleagues who seem to always pick up the phone. One friend who runs an insurance agency tells me his theory: letting a call go to voicemail tells the customer he or she is not that important. Callers want to reach a live human. In some ways, it seems effective--especially if you are the one taking the sales orders. But it's not. In truth, research indicates it is much more effective to focus on what you are doing at the time. A call is an interruption in most cases--it means you are suddenly multitasking, and that means you are slowing down. Finish your task, then call back.

3. You use the "touch once" principle.

Here's one I learned many years ago. Apparently, when it comes to document management, or your email, or social networking, it is more effective to deal with an issue as soon as it arrives. Someone hands you a contract, it's best to sign it then and there. Otherwise, the time invested in receiving the document, filing it, signing it, and handing it back in will multiply. But is that always true? With email and my social feeds, I don't always "touch" once. In fact, I rarely do. Most incoming messages are not that important--and neither are most paper documents.

4. You see communication as a one-way street.

This is a huge problem for ineffective people. You wonder why you can't get anything done or why you can't motivate people. Look in the mirror. In most cases, those who have the most trouble communicating are the ones doing all of the talking. You can't really understand what people want if you never shut up and listen to them. Worse, being a one-way communicator means people are less likely to give you a hand. Listen more, and you might gain a productivity ally.

5. You block all interruptions.

I mentioned how taking every phone call is bad for your productivity. It means you are not finishing the task at hand. Yet, having a strict rule about "no interruptions" is also ineffective. Why is that? As you probably know, interruptions can work like fuel for your brain. You are finishing up a task and then--wham!--someone barges into your office. But those serendipitous moments of the day can inspire new ideas. Also, being effective sometimes means letting interruptions steer you in a different, possibly better, direction. Just make sure you're selective about which interruptions you let dictate your next move.

6. You're in it to win it.

Ineffective people are always looking for the "win" in everything they do. In the book "Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success" by Adam Grant, the idea of always "taking" for yourself turns out to be counterproductive because you fail to realize the role other people play in order for you to succeed. Highly effective people direct their efforts toward a group win; they are part of an overall team effort. It takes a village to be productive.

7. You are solely focused on being effective.

Yes, there is great irony in this one. The more you focus on being effective the less effective you will be. In my job as a writer, I often think the goal is to be as efficient as possible. In the very act of focusing on my own efficiency and knocking things off my list, I complete tasks prematurely before I have enough information. It's a kind of tunnel vision that hampers my ability to see the bigger picture. In many ways, it is better to focus on relationships with coworkers, or on whether your company is offering a better service to the world, or even if you are getting home in time for supper. That more holistic view, in the end, can give you perspective on what's really important.

By John Brandon

Source: Inc.

3 Ways to Spark Employee Passion

3 Ways to Spark Employee Passion

The key to passionate performance is found within the hearts and minds of employees where their basic human needs are fulfilled. It’s a simple but powerful formula: When their needs are fulfilled, they are engaged and perform at their peak ability. When their needs are not met, they are frustrated, out of control, unfocused, and disconnected. In a word, disengaged.

To meet these needs, leaders must first acknowledge and understand them. In order to do that, leaders must view their employees as people and not just workers. Once you do that, you will be able to identify their six basic needs--three of which are intellectual and the other three emotional. The goal of this post will be to highlight the three emotional needs: Purpose, Intimacy, and Appreciation.

Need #1:  Purpose
The need to contribute to something bigger than ourselves is a basic psychological need.  So,leaders must build a bridge between today’s tasks and brighter tomorrow. In essence, you need to create a compelling cause for your team to fight for. If your team’s “why” is strong enough, the “how” will take care of itself.

Need #2:  Intimacy
Nothing we achieve in this world is achieved alone. It is always achieved with others helping us along the way. We all want to--and need to--belong. As the leader, you can create connections with rituals.  Rituals create intimacy by making us feel special and unique from other teams. Ensure your rituals are natural to your leadership style and 100 percent reliable, whether it’s a Monday morning huddle up, a Friday birthday lunch, a quarterly community service day, or monthly performance recognition. The key is for them to be natural and reliable.

Need #3:  Appreciation
People do more for those who appreciate them. Although leaders widely recognize the need for appreciation, it tends to be a blind spot. That is, they generally believe they are much more appreciative of their teams than their teams think they are. The reason is that they do not convert their invisible thoughts of appreciation into visible acts of appreciation. With all of today’s technology options, it’s easy to find ourselves too busy for face-to-face interaction, but that’s one of the best ways to charge up our teams. Showing appreciation is not a matter of time and intention; rather, it’s a matter of priority and action.

This is basic psychology--reinforce those behaviors that you want to see more frequently. When you spot your team doing something right, praise them for it...and do it often. The key is to be sincere and specific. In other words, don’t fall into the trap of blurting out the robotic “Good job”. Take the time to thoughtfully explain why you appreciated the specific action taken by a team member.

In my next column I will highlight the three needs that drive performance. Put them together with the above needs and your will ignite passionate performance in your team!

By Lee Colan

Source: Inc.