We can be better leaders if we understand that unconsciously, as humans we will always seek to increase our status in society.
This need has existed since prehistoric times. According to researcher David Rock, from the time that humans started living together in groups, increasing their status has been as important as getting food.
Modern research has identified a chemical relationship between increases or decreases in status and our neuronal network. When status increases, so do the levels of neurotransmitters associated with pleasure and positive emotions, and stress-related ones are reduced, augmenting our feeling of security and strength.
Far too often we dismiss Machiavelli’s legacy because we associate it with the idea of reaching power at any cost.
We feel we live in a society where competition is not so evident or brutal as in Machiavelli’s times. However, under the disguise of today’s good manners and civility, there’s a strong, and growing trend of competition and rivalry. As business become more global, competition becomes harder and fiercer, and we must deal with many dangers and challenges, developing a state of mind and strategies to succeed in a hostile environment.
"All human interaction involves negotiation, from children to relationships, from work to travel, from politics to diplomacy."
Stuart Diamond, of the Wharton School of Negotiation, explains that although negotiation processes are always present, almost everyone does not negotiate properly and we tend to create conflict rather than solve problems.
The professor shared with Bnet.com the best possible strategies to get what you want:
Better management practices allow taking advantage of opportunities, some of which are lost due to the everyday workload and emergencies to attend.
When we hear ourselves say "I did not have time for lunch" or "I still have 30 emails to answer," we must stop and analyze what we are doing wrong; surely we are transmitting to the company that aching feeling of continuous pressure which weakens the ability to think.
Business schools in the United States developed the Engineering Management Master (MEM), a program which combines training in business engineering.
Cornell, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Duke and Stanford, five prestigious U.S. universities, are the promoters of this new master, explained Jeffrey Glass, program director at Duke: "The key is that we insert engineers in the business world.
The successful career of a manager goes through 5 stages. Check not to be anchored in one of them, it can prevent career success.
Maturity as a human being begins with childhood, then as teenager, youth, and finally adulthood is reached. Many people get stuck in one of these stages; those people can be described as immature.
The same applies to the managerial career, which necessarily passes through 5 stages of professional growth.
Three tips to avoid the "poison of the penis" while in power and ruin your career.
In the classic novel "Portnoy's Complaint”, Phillip Roth writes, " When the penis goes up, the brain is buried in the ground” explaining the behavior of many powerful men.
The list of sex scandals is long, and likely to spread. The "Poison of the penis" is very powerful and has serious implications on personal, family, and of course, institutional matters.
Perfectionism can be a problem which could affect us and those around us, by losing global perspective as we tend to focus more and more on details.
In an article in Bnet.com, Penelope Trunk states perfection is not attainable and there is a risk of going crazy trying to achieve the ephemeral goal. According to her, it is better to accept that it's okay to make mediocre work in a certain percentage of our job.
A list of seven signs to look out for in order to stop you, your boss and your peers becoming bad managers.
Bad managers are often blissfully unaware that they are underperforming. Steve Tobak writing for bnet.com suggests the following tips for identifying when you need to take a long hard look at yourself.
1. Your group is underperforming: very often can be traced back to a management issue.
Although many people feel uncomfortable with the concept, personal branding is becoming more and more important for professional success.
Many people feel comfortable with it, and practice the art of personal marketing and branding in an almost intuitive way. But there are many others who don’t like to stand out from the crowd.
However, personal branding is necessary, and not just on a personal level, as it is becoming very important in the corporate world.
Bnet celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Post-It Note and extracted tips from its invention.
Margaret Heffman remembered how the Post-It Note was invented, and how it went from an idea deemed without potential to a massive commercial hit. A pillar of this was Geoff Nicholson and his stubbornness in believing in the project’s potential while his bosses did not.
10 commandments for having a successful career in the media industry.
Phil Cooke, editor of The Change Revolution, shared 10 tips given by his friend, publicist David Morgenstern. They are not exclusive to the media industry, as they are useful to those who want to reach further, no matter their industry.
1) Return every call and e-mail quickly. Show up on time, even if you're the only one there. Dress like you deserve your salary…
The secret behind self-promotion is to stop thinking about ourselves and focus on spreading ideas.
The reason that self-promotion works and self-adulation doesn’t is because self-promotion is the art of spreading ideas, concepts, and a greater vision. Self-adulation is just the promotion of accomplishments, deeds that have already been done.
When you promote ideas, you give people something to cheer for.