The 10 ways smart people stay calm and in control

The 10 ways smart people stay calm and in controlThe 10 ways smart people stay calm and in controlThe ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your pergestaltance. TalentSmart has conducted research with mora than a million people, and weve found that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.If you follow my work, youve read some departureling research summaries that explore the havoc stress can wreak on ones physical and mental health (such as the Yale study, which found that prolonged stress causes verfall in the area of the brain responsible for self-control). The tricky thing about stress (and the anxiety that comes with it) is that its an absolutely necessary emotion. Our brains are wired such that its difficult to take action until we feel at least some level of this emotional state. In fact, performance peaks under the heightened activation that comes with m oderate levels of stress. As long as the stress isnt prolonged, its harmless.Research from the University of California, Berkeley, reveals an upside to experiencing moderate levels of stress. But it also reinforces how important it is to keep stress under control. The study, led by post-doctoral fellow Elizabeth Kirby, found that the onset of stress entices the brain into growing new cells responsible for improved memory. However, this effect is only landseen when stress is intermittent. As soon as the stress continues beyond a few moments into a prolonged state, it suppresses the brains ability to develop new cells.I think intermittent stressful events are probably what keeps the brain more alert, and you perform better when you are alert, Kirby says. For animals, intermittent stress is the bulk of what they experience, in the form of physical threats in their immediate environment. Long ago, this was also the case for menschlichs. As the human brain evolved and increased in comple xity, weve developed the ability to worry and perseverate on events, which creates frequent experiences of prolonged stress.Besides increasing your risk of heart disease, depression, and obesity, stress decreases your cognitive performance. Fortunately, though, unless a lion is chasing you, the bulk of your stress is subjective and under your control. Top performers have well-honed coping strategies that they employ under stressful circumstances. This lowers their stress levels regardless of whats happening in their environment, ensuring that the stress they experience is intermittent and elend prolonged.While Ive run across numerous effective strategies that smart people employ when faced with stress, what follows are ten of the best. Some of behauptung strategies may seem obvious, but the real challenge lies in recognizing when you need to use them and having the wherewithal to actually do so in spite of your stress.They appreciate what they haveTaking time to contemplate what you re grateful for isnt merely the right thing to do. It also improves your mood, because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Research conducted at the University of California, Davis found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood, energy, and physical well-being. Its likely that lower levels of cortisol played a major role in this.They avoid asking what if?What if? statements throw fuel on the fire of stress and worry. Things can go in a million different directions, and the more time you spend worrying about the possibilities, the less time youll spend focusing on taking action that will calm you down and keep your stress under control. Calm people know that asking what if? will only take them to a distribution policy they dont want - or need - to go.They stay positivePositive thoughts help make stress intermittent by focusing your brains attention onto something that is completely stress-free. You have to give your wan dering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about. Any positive thought will do to refocus your attention. When things are going well, and your mood is good, this is relatively easy. When things are going poorly, and your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, this can be a challenge. In these moments, think about your day and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small. If you cant think of something from the current day, reflect on the previous day or even the previous week. Or perhaps youre looking forward to an exciting event that you can focus your attention on. The point here is that you must have something positive that youre ready to shift your attention to when your thoughts turn negative.They disconnectGiven the importance of keeping stress intermittent, its easy to see how taking regular time off the grid can help keep your stress under control. When you make yourself available to your work 24/7, you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors. Forcing yourself offline and even- gulp- turning off your phone gives your body a break from a constant source of stress. Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels.Technology enables constant communication and the expectation that you should be available 24/7. It is extremely difficult to enjoy a stress-free moment outside of work when an email that will change your train of thought and get you thinking (read stressing) about work can drop onto your phone at any moment. If detaching yourself from work-related communication on weekday evenings is too big a challenge, then how about the weekend? Choose blocks of time where you cut the cord and go offline. Youll be amazed at how refreshing these breaks are and how they reduce stress by putting a mental recharge into your weekly schedule. If youre worried about the negative repercussions of taking this step, first try doing it at times when youre unlikely to be contacted- maybe Sunday morning. As you grow more comfortable with it, and as your coworkers begin to accept the time you spend offline, gradually expand the amount of time you spend away from technology.They limit their caffeine intakeDrinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the source of the fight-or-flight response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when youre responding to a curt email. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyperaroused state of stress, your emotions overrun your behavior. The stress that caffeine creates is far from intermittent, as its long half-life ensures that it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body.They sleepIve beaten this one to death over the years and cant say enough about the i mportance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels. When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, so that you wake up alert and clear-headed. Your self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when you dont get enough - or the right kind - of sleep. Sleep deprivation raises stress hormone levels on its own, even without a stressor present. Stressful projects often make you feel as if you have no time to sleep, but taking the time to get a decent nights sleep is often the one thing keeping you from getting things under control.They squash negative self-talkA big step in managing stress involves stopping negative self-talk in its tracks. The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that- thoughts, not facts. When you find yourself believing the negative and pessimistic things your inner voice says, its time to stop and write them down. Literally, stop what youre doin g and write down what youre thinking. Once youve taken a moment to slow down the negative momentum of your thoughts, you will be more rational and clear-headed in evaluating their veracity.You can bet that your statements arent true any time you use words like never, worst, ever, etc. If your statements still look like facts once theyre on paper, take them to a friend or colleague you trust and see if he or she agrees with you. Then the truth will surely come out. When it feels like something always or never happens, this is just your brains natural threat tendency inflating the perceived frequency or severity of an event. Identifying and labeling your thoughts as thoughts by separating them from the facts will help you escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive new outlook.They reframe their perspectiveStress and worry are fueled by our own skewed perception of events. Its easy to think that unrealistic deadlines, unforgiving bosses, and out-of-control traffic are th e reasons were so stressed all the time. You cant control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond to them. So before you spend too much time dwelling on something, take a minute to put the situation in perspective. If you arent sure when you need to do this, try looking for clues that your anxiety may not be proportional to the stressor. If youre thinking in broad, sweeping statements such as Everything is going wrong or Nothing will work out, then you need to reframe the situation. A great way to correct this unproductive thought pattern is to list the specific things that actually are going wrong or not working out. Most likely you will come up with just some things- not everything- and the scope of these stressors will look much more limited than it initially appeared.They breatheThe easiest way to make stress intermittent lies in something that you have to do everyday anyway breathing. The practice of being in the moment with your breathing will begin to train yo ur brain to focus solely on the task at hand and get the stress monkey off your back. When youre feeling stressed, take a couple of minutes to focus on your breathing. Close the door, put away all other distractions, and just sit in a chair and breathe. The goal is to spend the entire time focused only on your breathing, which will prevent your mind from wandering. Think about how it feels to breathe in and out. This sounds simple, but its hard to do for more than a minute or two. Its all right if you get sidetracked by another thought this is sure to happen at the beginning, and you just need to bring your focus back to your breathing. If staying focused on your breathing proves to be a real struggle, try counting each breath in and out until you get to 20, and then start again from 1. Dont worry if you lose count you can always just start over.This task may seem too easy or even a little silly, but youll be surprised by how calm you feel afterward and how much easier it is to let go of distracting thoughts that otherwise seem to have lodged permanently inside your brain.They use their support systemIts tempting, yet entirely ineffective, to attempt tackling everything by yourself. To be calm and productive, you need to recognize your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it. This means tapping into your support system when a situation is challenging enough for you to feel overwhelmed. Everyone has someone at work and/or outside work who is on their team, rooting for them, and ready to help them get the best from a difficult situation. Identify these individuals in your life and make an effort to seek their insight and assistance when you need it. Something as simple as talking about your worries will provide an outlet for your anxiety and stress and supply you with a new perspective on the situation. Most of the time, other people can see a solution that you cant because they are not as emotionally invested in the situation. Asking for help will mitigate your stress and strengthen your relationships with those you rely upon.Bringing it all togetherOverwhelming anxiety and empowerment are mutually exclusive. Any time you are overcome with enough stress/anxiety to limit your performance, just follow the steps above to empower yourself and regain control.This article first appeared on LinkedIn.The 10 ways smart people stay calm and in controlThe ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and weve found that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.If you follow my work, youve read some startling research summaries that explore the havoc stress can wreak on ones physical and mental health (such as the Yale study, which found that prolonged stress causes degeneration in the area of the brain responsible for self-control). The tricky th ing about stress (and the anxiety that comes with it) is that its an absolutely necessary emotion. Our brains are wired such that its difficult to take action until we feel at least some level of this emotional state. In fact, performance peaks under the heightened activation that comes with moderate levels of stress. As long as the stress isnt prolonged, its harmless.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreResearch from the University of California, Berkeley, reveals an upside to experiencing moderate levels of stress. But it also reinforces how important it is to keep stress under control. The study, led by post-doctoral fellow Elizabeth Kirby, found that the onset of stress entices the brain into growing new cells responsible for improved memory. However, this effect is only seen when stress is intermittent. As soon as the stress continues beyond a few moments into a prolonged state , it suppresses the brains ability to develop new cells.I think intermittent stressful events are probably what keeps the brain more alert, and you perform better when you are alert, Kirby says. For animals, intermittent stress is the bulk of what they experience, in the form of physical threats in their immediate environment. Long ago, this was also the case for humans. As the human brain evolved and increased in complexity, weve developed the ability to worry and perseverate on events, which creates frequent experiences of prolonged stress.Besides increasing your risk of heart disease, depression, and obesity, stress decreases your cognitive performance. Fortunately, though, unless a lion is chasing you, the bulk of your stress is subjective and under your control. Top performers have well-honed coping strategies that they employ under stressful circumstances. This lowers their stress levels regardless of whats happening in their environment, ensuring that the stress they experien ce is intermittent and not prolonged.While Ive run across numerous effective strategies that smart people employ when faced with stress, what follows are ten of the best. Some of these strategies may seem obvious, but the real challenge lies in recognizing when you need to use them and having the wherewithal to actually do so in spite of your stress.They appreciate what they haveTaking time to contemplate what youre grateful for isnt merely the right thing to do. It also improves your mood, because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Research conducted at the University of California, Davis found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood, energy, and physical well-being. Its likely that lower levels of cortisol played a major role in this.They avoid asking what if?What if? statements throw fuel on the fire of stress and worry. Things can go in a million different directions, and the more time you spend worrying about the possibilities, the less time youll spend focusing on taking action that will calm you down and keep your stress under control. Calm people know that asking what if? will only take them to a place they dont want - or need - to go.They stay positivePositive thoughts help make stress intermittent by focusing your brains attention onto something that is completely stress-free. You have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about. Any positive thought will do to refocus your attention. When things are going well, and your mood is good, this is relatively easy. When things are going poorly, and your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, this can be a challenge. In these moments, think about your day and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small. If you cant think of something from the current day, reflect on the previous day or even the previous week. Or perhaps youre looking forward to an exciting event th at you can focus your attention on. The point here is that you must have something positive that youre ready to shift your attention to when your thoughts turn negative.They disconnectGiven the importance of keeping stress intermittent, its easy to see how taking regular time off the grid can help keep your stress under control. When you make yourself available to your work 24/7, you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors. Forcing yourself offline and even- gulp- turning off your phone gives your body a break from a constant source of stress. Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels.Technology enables constant communication and the expectation that you should be available 24/7. It is extremely difficult to enjoy a stress-free moment outside of work when an email that will change your train of thought and get you thinking (read stressing) about work can drop onto your phone at any moment. If detaching yourself from work-related communication on weekday evenings is too big a challenge, then how about the weekend? Choose blocks of time where you cut the cord and go offline. Youll be amazed at how refreshing these breaks are and how they reduce stress by putting a mental recharge into your weekly schedule. If youre worried about the negative repercussions of taking this step, first try doing it at times when youre unlikely to be contacted- maybe Sunday morning. As you grow more comfortable with it, and as your coworkers begin to accept the time you spend offline, gradually expand the amount of time you spend away from technology.They limit their caffeine intakeDrinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the source of the fight-or-flight response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but n ot so great when youre responding to a curt email. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyperaroused state of stress, your emotions overrun your behavior. The stress that caffeine creates is far from intermittent, as its long half-life ensures that it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body.They sleepIve beaten this one to death over the years and cant say enough about the importance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels. When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, so that you wake up alert and clear-headed. Your self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when you dont get enough - or the right kind - of sleep. Sleep deprivation raises stress hormone levels on its own, even without a stressor present. Stressful projects often make you feel as if you have no time to sleep, but taking the time to get a decent nights sleep is often the one thing keeping you from getting things under control.They squas h negative self-talkA big step in managing stress involves stopping negative self-talk in its tracks. The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that- thoughts, not facts. When you find yourself believing the negative and pessimistic things your inner voice says, its time to stop and write them down. Literally, stop what youre doing and write down what youre thinking. Once youve taken a moment to slow down the negative momentum of your thoughts, you will be more rational and clear-headed in evaluating their veracity.You can bet that your statements arent true any time you use words like never, worst, ever, etc. If your statements still look like facts once theyre on paper, take them to a friend or colleague you trust and see if he or she agrees with you. Then the truth will surely come out. When it feels like something always or never happens, this is just your brains natural threat tendency inflating the perceive d frequency or severity of an event. Identifying and labeling your thoughts as thoughts by separating them from the facts will help you escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive new outlook.They reframe their perspectiveStress and worry are fueled by our own skewed perception of events. Its easy to think that unrealistic deadlines, unforgiving bosses, and out-of-control traffic are the reasons were so stressed all the time. You cant control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond to them. So before you spend too much time dwelling on something, take a minute to put the situation in perspective. If you arent sure when you need to do this, try looking for clues that your anxiety may not be proportional to the stressor. If youre thinking in broad, sweeping statements such as Everything is going wrong or Nothing will work out, then you need to reframe the situation. A great way to correct this unproductive thought pattern is to list the specific things th at actually are going wrong or not working out. Most likely you will come up with just some things- not everything- and the scope of these stressors will look much more limited than it initially appeared.They breatheThe easiest way to make stress intermittent lies in something that you have to do everyday anyway breathing. The practice of being in the moment with your breathing will begin to train your brain to focus solely on the task at hand and get the stress monkey off your back. When youre feeling stressed, take a couple of minutes to focus on your breathing. Close the door, put away all other distractions, and just sit in a chair and breathe. The goal is to spend the entire time focused only on your breathing, which will prevent your mind from wandering. Think about how it feels to breathe in and out. This sounds simple, but its hard to do for more than a minute or two. Its all right if you get sidetracked by another thought this is sure to happen at the beginning, and you jus t need to bring your focus back to your breathing. If staying focused on your breathing proves to be a real struggle, try counting each breath in and out until you get to 20, and then start again from 1. Dont worry if you lose count you can always just start over.This task may seem too easy or even a little silly, but youll be surprised by how calm you feel afterward and how much easier it is to let go of distracting thoughts that otherwise seem to have lodged permanently inside your brain.They use their support systemIts tempting, yet entirely ineffective, to attempt tackling everything by yourself. To be calm and productive, you need to recognize your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it. This means tapping into your support system when a situation is challenging enough for you to feel overwhelmed. Everyone has someone at work and/or outside work who is on their team, rooting for them, and ready to help them get the best from a difficult situation. Identify these individua ls in your life and make an effort to seek their insight and assistance when you need it. Something as simple as talking about your worries will provide an outlet for your anxiety and stress and supply you with a new perspective on the situation. Most of the time, other people can see a solution that you cant because they are not as emotionally invested in the situation. Asking for help will mitigate your stress and strengthen your relationships with those you rely upon.Bringing it all togetherOverwhelming anxiety and empowerment are mutually exclusive. Any time you are overcome with enough stress/anxiety to limit your performance, just follow the steps above to empower yourself and regain control.This article first appeared on LinkedIn.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivit yThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

So youve defaulted on your loans

So youve defaulted on your loansSo youve defaulted on your loansDefaulting on a loan means that youve missed payments so long that youve broken the payment contract with your lender. This can apply to student loans, personal loans, credit cars, auto loans, mortgages, and more. Basically, any loan you take out can be defaulted on if you stop paying. There are serious, long-lasting consequences to defaulting on your loans, but not all defaults are equal.Student LoansStudent loans are one of the worst types of loans to default on. They wont just go away after you pay penalties and your credit takes a hit. They even usually cant be wiped out by bankruptcy. If you default and try to run away from what you owe, the money can totenstill be taken from you through the IRS, having your wages garnished, or through Social Security. Yes, your student loan provider can still come after you when youre old enough to be collecting Social Security.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and morePro-tipIf you find yourself in a schwimmbad financial situation where you are unable to pay your student loans, you dont have to go into default Call your student loan provider and tell them whats going on. There are ways to either lower your payments or defer your payments until you are able to pay. This is a much better approach than not paying at all.MortgageIf you default on a home loan (also known as a mortgage), your lender isnt just going to penalize you through fees. A mortgage is considered a secured loan, which means there is something the lender can take back from you if you stop paying. In this case, it means that your bank can force you out of your home through foreclosure if you stop paying your loan.Once a home is foreclosed on, it is then sold so that the lender can recoup the money. Unfortunately, if the house sells for less than you owed on it, you might owe the difference. So even if your home is foreclosed on and you are forced out, you still might not be off the hook.Auto LoanCar loans are similar to mortgages since they are also secured loans. In this instance, if you dont pay your car payment, your car can be repossessed by the lender.The car will then be re-sold and you would again be responsible for any money that is still owed on the original loan. This is especially likely in the case of car repossession since cars lose their value very quickly (often as soon as you drive it off the lot).Personal LoanA personal loan is considered unsecured because there is usually no collateral put down in exchange. That means that the bank cant physically take anything from you if you dont make your payments.However, the lender can penalize you through late fees and increased interest rates. They can also send your unpaid debt to collections and/or sue you for the balance. This means that youre at risk of paying more money than you would have owed in the first place , and your credit history will take a hit.Credit CardsWhen you default on paying your credit card, the consequences might not feel as immediately serious. The bank will charge late fees and after missing 60-days worth of payments, your APR will increase.This will, in turn, increase the amount of money that you owe every month. At that point, your missed or late payments will be reported to the credit bureau, which will negatively impact your credit score.Some credit card companies will send your debt to a debt collector, which will also be reported to the credit bureaus. You can even be sued by your creditor and taken to court.The moral of the story is that you should try as hard as possible not to default on any of your debt payments. The extra penalties, fees, and stress will be worse than the original payments that you owed. However, if youve already defaulted on a loan, there are things you can do to improve your credit for the future.Contact your debtors to either settle to pay less than you owe and/or set up a payment plan to pay your balanceAsk for your paid collections debts to be removed from your credit reportContinue to work on paying down the debt that you still owe (both in default and not)Keep an eye on your credit report and dispute any errors listedOnly take out debt that youre certain you can pay backMake all of your debt payments on timeApply for a secured credit card through your bankTo learn more about improving your credit, check out this piece aboutcredit invisibility.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

The History and Purpose of SWAT Teams

The History and Purpose of SWAT TeamsThe History and Purpose of SWAT TeamsOn August 1, 1966, Charles Joseph Whitman killeuchtdiode his wife and mother. Afterward, he ascended the 28 floors of the Main Building at the University of Texas at Austin and took up a position as a sniper. Over the course of approximately one and one-half hours, Whitman shot and killed 14 people and wounded 32 more in and around the campus. The police officers who responded to the incident were poorly equipped to deal with the challenges posed by a well-insulated sniper in an active shooter situation. In part because oftheir lack of appropriate weapons orspecialized training and tactics, respondinglaw enforcement officers simply could not eliminate the threat fast enough. The tragedy garnered national attentionand is widelyregarded asthe catalyst that led to the proliferation of SWAT gruppes across the United States.? aufi Angeles Leads the Way Even as the events of the Texas Tower Shootings - as the tra gedy in Austin came to be called - were unfolding, the Los Angeles assekuranzpolice Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office were developing new units within their agencies to deal with violent and volatile situations everyday police officers werent trained or equipped for. On the heels of the Watts Riots, during which 34 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured, Los Angeles law enforcement officials began to evaluate how similar events could be handled better in the future to minimize civilian and law enforcement casualties and bring about quicker resolutions. It was from these evaluations that the idea of special weapons and tactics evolved. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the first SWAT unit consisted of 15 4-man teams. The teams were made up of a select group of volunteers, all of whom had prior specialized experience and had served previously in the military.The Los Angeles SWAT unit became a model for departments across the United States and around the world, and police agencies sought ways to meet new challenges facing law enforcement. Traditional Police Response and SWAT Teams Once SWAT teams became staples within law enforcement, the traditional response to a high-risk situation was for patrol officers to respond to and secure the area while they awaited the arrival of the better trained and better equipped tactical teams. It was seen as the safest way to minimize casualties, especially police causalities, particularly during hostage situations. The tragic school shooting in Columbine, Colorado on April 24, 1999, caused police to rethink this traditional SWAT response model. In the case of Columbine, it became apparent that during active shooter situations, police could not afford to wait the importance of eliminating the threat as quickly as possible to minimize deaths and injuries was far too great to wait for SWAT officers to suit up and arrive. The Militarization of Police While SWAT teams are still reser ved for high-risk situations like hostage rescues, warrant service, and riot control, more and more police officers are receiving what once would have been considered basic SWAT training. Also, more patrol officers are carrying semi-automatic rifles and even armor to aid in rapid response to dangerous active shooter situations, and military drawdowns have led to surplus vehicles and weapons being made available to police departments that would otherwise be unable to afford such equipment. The proliferation of such tactics and equipment have led some to voice concerns over what they consider to be a blurring of the lines between military and law enforcement roles and functions. Role and Purpose Special Weapons and Tactics teams continue to play a vital role in enforcing laws, particularly in situations that regular patrol officers arent trained or equipped to handle. The goal of the SWAT team is to respond quickly to dangerous situations and bring them to a swift and hopefully n on-violent conclusion. Ultimately, the real job of the SWAT team is to mitigate and minimize casualties to whatever extent possible through special training and tactics. In so doing, their function provides a greater service to the public at large.

Joel Baglole - The Balance

Joel Baglole - The BalanceJoel Baglole - The Balance

Negotiate Media Contracts for More Money and Benefits

Negotiate Media Contracts for More Money and BenefitsNegotiate Media Contracts for More Money and BenefitsBeing asked to sign a media contract is a career milestone. Someone thinks enough of you and your work to want to hold onto you. While thats a flattering gesture, it can also be scary to think that you are committing yourself to a company for two, three, maybe five years when a better job may come along. After learning the basics of a media contract, know the five tips to negotiate a media contract so that youre not faced with disappointment after signing the deal. Do Your Research Whether youre about to accept a new job or are simply sticking with your current company, research will lead to a better agreement. If youre working at a local TV station or newspaper, know its position in the market, in terms of Nielsen ratings for TV, circulation for newspapers and sales revenue for either. In broadcasting, a number-three station doesnt automatically pay less than the market lead er. If a lower-ranked station is trying to turn around its fortunes, it may be willing to pay more than the typical salary to get some momentum started with experienced people. The number-one station may be resting on its laurels, paying the least amount possible. Learn more about the person who will handle the negotiations. Some managers love the give-and-take of hammering out an agreement, others have a take-it-or-leave-it approach. If you walk into a contract meeting using the wrong tactics, you could cost yourself money or even the job. Try to find the sortiment of salaries at the company. If you have two years of experience, its unlikely that you will earn more than someone who works in the same position whos been there for ten years. How to Ask for More Money No matter what amount is offered to you, its only natural to want more. Getting it isnt always easy. It takes patience and usually a willingness to give up something else in the contract. Lets say youre presented with a two-year contract with a $50,000 salary the first year and $53,000 the second. You want $55,000 the first year and $60,000 the second. Mention your figures so that the discussion becomes about concrete numbers. Otherwise, youre just saying, I want more money, which wont get you anywhere. Think of this stage like asking for a pay raise. Plan ahead, be polite but dont be afraid to ask for what you want. Expect to hear something about the economy being down, the numbers being out of the question or a comparison to what someone else in the company is earning. Dont let that discourage you. Back up your request by outlining what type of unique skills or experience you bring to the position can you take on some additional responsibilities to warrant the extra pay? Sell yourself as bringing extra value to the company, which may be paying more to sign you but also getting more. If money is more important to you than the length of the contract, that can be a big selling point to the compa ny. Say that youll sign a three-year contract, which means management wont have to worry about hiring someone new after two years. When to Ask for Out Clauses An out clause in a contract allows you to accept another job before the contract expires. ansicht types of clauses have to be negotiated before the deal is signed. You will have to initiate this conversation. A contract will start with no out clauses, forcing you to remain for the entire length of the agreement. Otherwise, you might be put into a situation where youd someday be tempted intobreaking your contract, which would mean leaving on bad terms and possibly causing long-term damage to your career. Some typical out clauses would allow a person to take a job closer to her hometown, would permit a TV reporter to accept a higher-paying news anchor position or free someone when a big raise in pay is offered in another city. If an out clause is critically important to get, expect to give up something desirable in return. Y ou may be forced to take a lower salary or told that any out clauses wont be granted until later in your contract period. Thats a part of ?the negotiation. If a station agrees to lose your services prematurely, then it should be compensated in some way. Parts of a TV Contract that Usually Arent Negotiable Youll find some parts of your contract contain standard language that the company puts in all of its contracts. Avoid wasting time trying to change or delete these items. You may see a morals clause, which allows the company to fire you if you do something that would bring bad publicity. By saying you want that paragraph removed, you are implying that you foresee getting yourself into trouble, which may cause alarm. A no compete clause prevents you from jumping to a competing media company for a period of time, even after the contract expires. Accept that management doesnt want to pay you, groom you and teach you new skills just to see you working for the competition. The media company will retain the rights to a persons name, face and voice to use however it sees fit. In addition, it will own your work and have the authority to decide whether to use it. You may find it difficult to change the terms of how the company is able to terminate the contract and the amount of severance pay, if any, you would receive. Most employers give themselves a window of time each year to decide whether to continue the relationship for the next year of the deal. What to Remember During Negotiations A company wants you, otherwise, you wouldnt have made it to the contract negotiation stage. Before you walk into the room, decide how much pay youll accept and how long youre willing to stay to get it. No matter the title of the person negotiating with you, that person doesnt have a blank check. The salary you request has to fit into the companys budget and correspond to what the market will bear. To get something, you likely have to give up something else. Be ready to compro mise so that both sides walk away happy. Dont get so carried away with emotions that you turn down what was a fair deal. Successfully negotiating a media contract is a lot like buying a car. The more information you have, the better youll be at bargaining. If crunching the numbers doesnt come naturally to you, youll find that contract talks become much easier with practice.

Heres What I Know About Best Resume Skills

Heres What I Know About Best Resume Skills Who Else Wants to Learn About Best Resume Skills? The skill section may be the most important section on yur resume if you set it together correctly. As you proceed through the list of skills above, make a distinct list with the skills which you already possess. Review their About Us page and see whether your soft abilities or attributes are aligned with the firms core values. Lets make certain you make the absolute the majority of the opportunity that your resumes skills section can offer. If youre able to do that, an employer will surely notice. When creating an effective resume, you will need to understand how to compose a skills section since it is but one of the very first things a possible employer will start looking for to find a fundamental comprehension of what you, as a possible employee, can bring to their company. It is quite a bit easier for a hiring manager to discover that value in a brief paragraph than attempting to piece it together from a lengthy history of expert experience and education. Bear in mind, the hiring manager would like to employ you Getting the Best Best Resume Skills Each career category contains a list of the normal functions, tasks and abilities connected with jobs that fall within the category. For this reason, you must have the ability to get together with all kinds of personalities. Depending on the recommendation of our expert sources, here are a number of broad kinds of skills your resume could include, together with unique methods to express them. Simply take a peek at our list of guides and resume examples for certain professions. Best Resume Skills for Dummies Hard skills arent skills that are really hard to learn. Some skills might be relevant while others arent. 3 First, you must pick the best skills for your resume. Listing your skills provides a chance to showcase your abilities and experiences to prime employers for the remainder of your resume. Bes t Resume Skills Help The info on your resume is a significant component in landing you your dream job, which explains why you should learn the best ideas for writing a great resume. The ideal approach would be to learn the essence of the job. Soft skills are a little bit more vague and open to interpretation. Thus when writing down your job skills take some time to strategize and find out the very best approach to organize them in your resume. What You Dont Know About Best Resume Skills Tailor your resume to each work application. Your skills are an overview of what you could do for the prospective employer if you were offered the work at this time. Needless to say, each job will call for various abilities and experiences, so make certain you read the work description carefully and concentrate on the skills listed by the employer. Tailor your resume to the particular job. The Appeal of Best Resume Skills Your accounting degree or experience with bookkeeping might be more applicable than you believe. Hard skills have a tendency to be more technical, and each business or kind of job will often have its personal necessary set. If you would like to showcase your organization skills, obtaining a tightly structured resume certainly helps. There are a few skills that will be utterly necessary for any successful candidate. If you have lots of social work experience, you should think about employing an expert summary. Your resume is exactly the area you will need to brag about what a remarkable professional youre. To begin with, if youre seeing a great deal of hard skills that you just dont have, it can be far better move on to the next position. Technical skills are either something youve got or you dont, but theyre always something which youre able to learn. The Basics of Best Resume Skills You Will be Able to Learn From Beginning Today Employing the most suitable keyword phrases in your resume is important to getting your resume read. Brands have seen that they must be producing a steady stream of high-quality content in order to draw their audiences. They are recognizing that video is a very engaging and compelling form of content that can be used to a companys advantage. Make certain that you have a minumum of one instance of a time you demonstrated each of the greatest skills listed here. Perhaps your skill set is entirely different. Read through it a couple of occasions and youll probably spot three or four crucial skills mentioned many times throughout the document. If you continue seeing a skill or tool mentioned you dont know a lot about, search for free or low-cost on-line courses on the topic to bolster your skill collection. Best Resume Skills Secrets That No One Else Knows About Below youll find the top skills necessary to fulfill an administrative position. Soft abilities, on the flip side, arent simple to quantify. In most instances, your soft skills can boost your hard skills. As stated earlier, assessing soft skills is quite a bit more difficult. The Advantages of Best Resume Skills There are a couple of different forms of skill sections and formatting alternatives that you should think about when crafting your resume. You must keep your resume short and sweet, but still consist of enough high quality information to generate an impression. If youre interested in submitting an application for a particular job, review the post carefully and pay attention to the list of skill requirements. The format of your entry-level college-graduate resume will be dependent on the info you must work with.

More Than Recruitment the Varied Facets of a Career in Human Resources

More Than Recruitment the Varied Facets of a Career in Human Resources There is more to human resources than recruiting top talent. Contrary to that stereotype, the field offers many varied career paths, and the one you choose should depend on your interests. Before deciding on or discounting a career in human resources, get a firm handle on what is available in the field. HR GeneralistHR generalists wear many different hats. You could find yourself negotiating your companys employee benefits package on the same day that you are interviewing a candidate for a high-ranking position. To help determine if this is the right job for you, ask yourself the following questionsDo I enjoy changing gears on a moments notice?Am I open to learning about areas in which I currently have no expertise?Am I comfortable leaving a project unfinished to handle emergency situations?Do I consider myself flexible?If you answered in the affirmative to these questions, you would probably be a good fitfor a generalist role.Compensation ProfessionalCompensation professionals are typically always in demand, regardless of the state of the economy, and shortages of well-qualified people in this area ensure that demand remains relatively high. The job requires both strong technical skills andgood people skills.Compensation professionals design reward systems that help companies attract, retain, and motivate their employees. This work requires number crunching and creativity. Because compensation packages are not one-size-fits-all products, people in this area need to think outside the box and perform a little magic when both candidates and money are scarce. Consider the following questionsAm I a detail-oriented person?Do I have an aptitude for numbers?Am I comfortable seeing other peoples salaries?Do I have strong communication skills?Answering yes to these questions may mean you have the aptitude for work ing with both people and numbers. This combination could add up to a winning career in an area where talent is sparse.HRIS ProfessionalAnother area of HR experiencing a talent shortageis human resources information systems (HRIS).Technology has become a key parte of HR as companies look at ways to function more efficiently. HRIS products help organizationsmanage one of their most important assets their personnel.As HRIS becomesmore sophisticated, the demand for experienced professionals in this area rises. HRIS professionals are often involved in product selection, systems customization, implementation, and ongoing administration. If you are detail-oriented to a fault and enjoy working with computers, this might be the job for you. Ask yourself the following questionsAre my PC skills strong enough to be successful in this area?Am I comfortable working at a computer most of the day?Am I well-organized?Am I detail-oriented enough to handle this position?If you answered yes to all of t hese questions, then consider this career in HR. The long-term prospects are high, regardless of the economy.The varied jobdescriptions of the HR field pull from many different skill sets, indicating the relevance of different backgrounds to the field as a whole and speaking to a wide variety of transferable skills from any number of educational and professional backgrounds.

The 4 Worst Ways to Start a New Job

The 4 Worst Ways to Start a New Job The 4 Worst Ways to Start a New Job Many companies have nurturing onboarding programs that help you transition into the organization, but ansicht programsare not perfect. As a new hire, it is up to you todeploy great new-job behaviors and avoid terrible ones if you are to ensure your success.Manyhave covered the great new-job behaviors I mention above, so I thought I would take the opportunity to explore the terrible new-job behaviors. Think of this postasa massive red warning side on a road that screams Cliff drop aheadThat is to say these are the four worst ways to start a job, and you should avoid every single one.1. Starting With a Poor Attitude and/or Lack of MotivationThe single worst way to start a job is to start with anything other than a bounce in your stepand a resilient, can-do attitude. The Leadership IQ study to which I linked in the first paragraph foundthatfruchtwein new hires fail thanks to poor attitudes and/or a lack of motivat ion not because they lack technical skills.On your first day along with the obvious requirement of not arriving late you should also avoid complaining about mundane things like parking, traffic, or your own lack of focus. Make sure you are outwardly positive and accommodating, and offer plenty of suggestions whenappropriate. If there is a problem that needs a remedy, fix it if you canstudies showthat new hires who achieve quick wins perform better later on in their careers and are more promotable.2. Neglecting Your BossStudies showthat one of the most influential factors in determining whether an employee quits a job is the employees relationship with their boss. Employee-boss relationships are also linked to satisfaction and productivity.Ensure you meet with your boss early on and quickly try toestablish common ground in terms of personality, values, ideals, social interests, etc. Doing so will help you build a strong rapport with your boss, which bodes well for your tenure at t he job.3. Failing to Manage Your Own Onboarding and OrientationPerhaps you are thinking, Isnt myemployer supposed totake care of that? Well, they very well might notan Aberdeen Group studyfound that only 32 percent of employers have formal onboarding processes.Chances are youll be left to fend for yourselfwhen it comes to joining the company,building your network, and learning the ropes. Waiting around to be told what to do may be one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a new hire. If your manager is slow on assigning goals, chase them down or write your own until your sanctioned goals arrive. If you have a gap in your knowledge, find out who knows the answer and ask them to teach it to you.4. Spending All Day at Your DeskWorking on your first day is crucial, but this study from the Sloan School of Managementfound that new hires who quickly build information relationships with colleagues also get up tospeed more quickly, perform better, and are more satisfied with their jobs. Yo u can do some networking on your computer, but face-to-face networking will help you build the strongest relationships. Dont do it blindly or stickto yourcomfort zone build a political map of influencers at the company, then get out and meet them

Do as I say, not as I did

Do as I say, not as I didDo as I say, not as I didSelf-styled reformed prestige whore David Lat gave a pep talk the other day to students at the University of Virginia Law School. (The brief video clip is worth checking out follow this link and then click the video icon on the right.)SamplesIn a democracy, voters get the government they deserve in an Information Age, students and young lawyers get the legal profession they deserve.When you are on the treadmill, you are so focused on what is ahead of you that you cant see that youre ridiculous.Essentially, Lat advised the aspiringBigLawassociates tolook beyond the rankings, both in law and in life. (Fair enough, but easy for the Harvard/YLS/Wachtell guy to say) -posted by brian

Regular Employee Feedback to Replace the Annual Review

Regular Employee Feedback to Replace the Annual ReviewRegular Employee Feedback to Replace the Annual ReviewNobody enjoysannual performance reviews. The prospect of a manager sitting down at the start of each year with an employee to dissect conduct and work during the previous 12months is daunting for all involved. Neither the employee whose work is under review nor the manager conducting the meeting wants to be there. Annual performance reviews are not viewed as effective by managers, workers, HR leaders or senior leadership. In fact, only49 percentof employees find that reviews are accurate, while90 percentof HR heads believe annual reviews do not yield accurate information. Not only are reviews viewed as flawed, but they also take a lot of time which stifles productivity and wastes talent resources that would provide benefits if they were invested in other activities. Todaysagile workforce needs nimble new strategies, processes, and tools toenable feedback between employees and m anagers. Fortunately, best practices and technology tools are available to help any organization move beyond the dreaded annual review and improve their employee performance feedback and evaluation process. Replace Annual Reviews With Regular Feedback Employee engagement is typically an ongoing focus for company leaders. Many people say that they dont enjoy coming to work, largely because they arent getting thefeedback and coachingthey need to feel engaged. Whilehappy and involved employees lead tobetter business outcomes, only around 30 percent of the U.S. workforce isactively engaged at work,according to Gallup. In response to this growing awareness, companies are replacing annual reviews with frequent check-ins. Adopting more regular assessments is a significant tool for companies to encourage employee engagement, eliminate the burden of the annual review, andoffer managers a chance to connect, listenandprovide valuable coaching. More than one-third of U.S. companies have mov ed to a regular feedback model, according tosome estimates. This move is driven in large part by distaste for the annual review and concerns about retention. The Why and How of Regular Employee Performance Feedback According toDeloitte, the thought of changing a process that takes thousands of hours a year, at an estimated cost ofmillions, is daunting especially if leadership is unfamiliar with the regular feedback practice. While time is needed to get everyone on hauptplatine with the transition from annual performance reviews to regular check-ins, or one-on-one meetings, it is important to help leaders understand why employee evaluations need an upgrade. Todays workforce wants and needs frequent feedback.Millennial employees, in particular, have a particularneed for regular feedback a demand that will grow in the coming years. Between the increasing adoption of agile project management and technological advances like AI and machine learning, the pace of work is rapidly acceler ating. Real-time feedback is increasingly a necessary component to foster engagement and productivity. Weekly and monthly check-ins also provide a way to review challenges and opportunities, while giving direct feedback and outlining achievements and stretch goals. Topicsdiscussed in your one-on-one meetingsshould include immediate workload and how employees are tracking toward accomplishing existing goals, plus any training or development opportunities that could improve performance. You can also identify team collaboration opportunities and ways to improve productivity. Identifying job competencies and incorporating peer feedback in the meeting adds to the value of the discussion. Performance Management Software Can Boost Employee Engagement Regular reviews with employees thrive on interpersonal connection and you need to establish goals and write them downto help focus employee efforts. However, important ideas can fall through the cracks if one-on-ones are held with a pen an d paper or on a spreadsheet. Although the information will be preserved, this is an insufficient way to foster improved performance. Employee reviews are more effective when zugreifbar software is used to help manage the meetings, helping guide the conversation through collaborative agendas. Most technology built to support employee performance have the added benefit of integration with existing software, like calendar functions and document management. Finding the right tools will help managers and employees gain the maximum benefit from moving from annual reviews to regular feedback. The right performance management software can help enhance the ongoing review process by providing A one-on-one management tool to help hold managers accountable for keeping these meetings and making them a priority.Collaborative agendas where managers and team members can both add topics for discussion in the next one-on-one. This can help ensure that the conversations dont always focus on the curren t workload, but also include future goals and growth opportunities.?Performance snapshots to make it easy for managers to landsee and acknowledge successes, as well asencourage improvement in areas where performanceis less than ideal.? Training enrollment so managers can instantly identify and assign training courses and development opportunities. Employees who see their companyproviding strong advancement opportunitiesare likely to beless motivated to find another job. Empowering teams with the tools to ensure feedback and performance assessment are consistent can help boost engagement, strengthen employee-manager relationships, and ultimately improve productivity while cutting out the potentially crippling costs of annual reviews. Benefits of Replacing the Annual Review Across the Entire Organization Making the switch from annual reviews to ongoing performance managementand one-on-ones can take time, money and effort. Overhauling an enshrined process such as annual performance reviews, in which the organizations leadership already has a significant financial investment, is a challenge. However, removing the universally despised annual review programassures it will no longer be a drain on resources, with accompanying negative impact on employee engagement and team unity. Although managers and their employees also have more on their plates than conducting andparticipating in regular performance discussions, the potential benefits and progress are too great to pass up. Regular, ongoing feedback has been shown toimprove the companyat every point, including in collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Making consistent, incremental improvements throughout the year- rather than attempting to fix everything during a single annual meeting- will have an equally profound positiveimpact on the bottom line, something every leader will appreciate.