Recently, a Forbes article discussed “The Six Enemies of Greatness (and Happiness)” and labelled them as the principal factors that can erode even the grandest and most well-meaning of plans. They’re intended as a warning to those who only dream big, rather than do.

Conversely, and perhaps more interestingly, it also implicitly helps to identify the key steps on the path to success. For instance, what factors influence greatness and happiness? What elements consistently place you in a position to succeed?

Rather than focus on what we shouldn’t, the following compares the original list of “enemies” (found in brackets), with their polar opposites in order to generate a useful guide to achieving success and happiness.

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We spend a great deal of time trying to figure out what it is we should be doing. Whether trying to define a specific career path early on or looking to make a switch in emphasis part-way through, it’s a consideration that never seems far from our mind. All the more reason then to make sure we’re getting exactly what we need from our work, aside from simple monetary considerations.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review by Bill Barnett entitled “Make Your Job More Meaningful” pointed to three distinct attitudes about work – jobs, careers, and callings. According to the article, identifying your own perspective can help you better define what it is you want from your own professional life.

Those that see their work as a “job” are working more for the money and derive less satisfaction and meaning from it.

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Let’s be honest, how much downtime do you actually enjoy on any given day? If you feel the constant pull of everything from emails and phone calls to social network notifications and meeting requests, it’s likely you suffer from some form of acute downtime deficiency.

In his article “What Happened to Downtime”, Scott Belsky discusses the value of a concept in psychology known as the creative pause. It’s defined as the ‘shift from being fully engaged in a creative activity to being passively engaged, or the shift being disengaged altogether’.

More commonly, we know it as that point in time when the minute we stop thinking about a particular problem and focus on something else, the solution often presents itself. The trouble is that these crucial moments of downtime and disengagement are increasingly difficult to come across.

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As a meritocratic society, it’s little surprise we place such a high value on “success”. It also goes a long way to explaining our obsession with dissecting said success and trying to replicate it. However, we frequently come to the wrong conclusions and the myth of the overnight sensation is probably the best example of it.

The Myth

You’ve seen the headline somewhere or read the article that describes the meteoric ascent of someone to the very top of their discipline, seemingly at random. Whether it’s the story of Jeremy Lin, the New York Knicks point guard that led the team to a string of unlikely victories earlier in the year, or the run-away success of the game Angry Birds, the timelines are presented in terms of days and weeks.

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It’s happened to all of us at some time or another: we walk into work one morning and every task suddenly seems harder and more ominous. Every project starts taking us longer to complete. We get bogged down by small details. We’re unmotivated.

Some people would call this a work slump. Others may say that you’re experiencing a period of burnout, malaise, or simple unproductively. Whatever the exact term, there’s no question that this is a normal experience that affects all workers from time to time. One day you’ll be motivated and the next morning you won’t. Then, a few days or weeks later, you’ll snap out of your slump and regain that motivation.

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How to Find More Time in Your Day

Each of us gets a total of 168 hours in a week. Within that you must work (60); eat, shower, dress (25); sleep (50); and do what you do for the remainder (33). You can’t go full out every day, but it’s important to reflect on the 33 hours that are somewhat negotiable.

It is within these hours that we can share some tips on how you can go from couch potato to productivity guru. Don’t try to reschedule your entire life. Instead, focus on small, manageable actions to boost your ability to manage your commitments and time.

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GET UP EARLIER
“But wait! I love to sleep-in. I’m just not a morning person.” Well, you probably didn’t like broccoli as a kid, but now appreciate its superhero stature in the vegetable arena (it’s seriously great for you!). If you can commit to getting up 30 or 60 minutes earlier for the next month, you’ll build a habit that will change your life. In The Greatness Guide, Robin Sharma espouses getting up early as the greatest gift you can give yourself. With this ‘found’ time you can exercise, eat a proper breakfast, journal or think about your life goals, ultimately freeing up even more time to spend on the things you love.

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Let’s face it – we’re obsessed with risk. It permeates everyday life in any number of ways; we employ “Risk Managers”, we look to minimize risks in our investments, apply risk management techniques to the projects we run, and even try and avoid making seemingly risky career moves. The “riskier” the choice, the greater we’re supposed to discount it.

When we’re evaluating a choice, risk has a very well-established place in this process. We use it to avoid making mistakes others have made, to heed the warnings of friends, family and colleagues, and to make ourselves feel better about the choice we ultimately end up making.

However, somewhere along the line risk has taken on a far more prominent place in our everyday decision making than it deserves. That isn’t to say you should ignore risk, but when we’re so focused on mitigating them, we can lose sight of and undervalue the importance of opportunity. This has a lot of implications for your career and the decisions you make.

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Looking for a new career?  Want to launch a new business?  Trying to put your crazy ideas into action?  Whatever the project, most productive innovators will tell you it’s not about the ideas; it’s about making them happen.  One of the most famous American inventors of all time, Thomas Edison famously said, “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.”  In the book “Making Ideas Happen” Scott Belsky goes on a mission to show us how to stay productive and organized in order to drive creative projects to completion.

Today more than ever, we have opportunities to accomplish almost anything we want thanks to the information economy.  The only problem is, that most often we face certain common obstacles that hold us back such as disorganization and perfectionism.  But don’t sweat, here are 3 productivity tips that can help you execute on that next project, big or small!

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This is a difficult question with so many following questions, so let’s break it down. If I decide to study abroad, where would I want to go? How much will it cost me? What program do I want to study? Can I adapt to another country’s culture, system and people? Am I ready to leave my comfort zone? Is it the right time to leave? And the list goes on and on.


The truth is, the thought of moving to a different country to study sounds cool but to actually do it is where many people stop – stopping your life in one place and starting it over in another. For many years I had been seriously considering the idea to study abroad by exhausting all the necessary questions one can ask. However, this process became a bit of a double edged sword because when considering all the questions. Not only did it make it clear for me that I did want to study abroad but it simultaneously raised many reasons not to travel. But when there are so many uncertainties and risks when deciding to study abroad, sometimes it’s best to ignore these uncertainties, use your intuition and just take that leap of faith. 

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Salary negotiation is one part dance, one part game, and all parts stressful. Remember, you are trying to maximize your return on your “perceived” value in the marketplace, and your potential employer is trying to maximize productivity for the least cost. The worst part of salary negotiation is feeling that your potential employer holds all the cards. Here are some quick tips that will tip the balance in your favour and give you some sense of control over your future:


1. Never bring up money first—virtually all employers have done their homework and have a pretty good idea of how competitive their salaries are in the marketplace. They also Twitter and use Facebook to find out how much your friends are getting, so typically you should not be surprised by the number. If they press YOU for a number, you need to ask yourself if they are bargaining in good faith.  Say:  “I am sure you have a range in mind that is commensurate with the role and responsibilities.” If they persist, you need to ask yourself if they are bargaining in good faith (or what else are they hiding.)

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I have learned the tough way that if you can get your boss to trust you, you are much likelier to have a successful career. Your boss can be your biggest ally (or not!) – the one who recommends you for cool projects, introduces you to the right people etc.

When I was starting my career my biggest mistake was thinking that I could change my boss or go over my bosses head. The likelihood of either of these tactics working is slim and also potentially dangerous. But if you still decide to go that way, ask at least three key mentors in your life. In the meantime, here are 3 shortcuts to getting cosy with your boss.

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Understand Your Boss
Interview your boss to learn her expectations of you and share your expectations with her. Do this every time you change projects, roles or companies. Use your first meeting to learn your boss’s priorities and to understand how she will assess your progress. Remember: Your boss has a boss, too.

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Discussions about money in the workplace are inherently annoying and awkward for most people because of the uneven playing field between the employer and the employee. Let’s look at salary discussions and figure out how to get better at this charade.

The Interview
“So [insert name here], what are your salary expectations for this position?” Hello awkward! As a former HR person I can say that I truly hated asking this question. Candidates don’t have access to the same data that companies do when it comes to salary. Plus, as an applicant you feel like you’re doomed because if you ask for less, you will undoubtedly get less, and if you ask for more you feel like you’ll get screened out in asking for too much.

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I guarantee you that if you can have ballsy conversations at work, you’ll not only be more successful at work but you’ll be happier in life altogether. The ability to have direct and honest conversations will get you a raise, get you the love of your life, get you to where you need to go. End of story!

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Open Up a Diamond
Conversations are shaped like a diamond. They start with a sharp focus - a goal and intended outcome - and then open up to two-way dialogue. Seek to understand where the other person is coming from by asking her to self-reflect on why she believes what she does. Ask open-ended questions. Be sure not
to challenge the other person’s beliefs, but rather seek to understand with clarifying questions. Once you and the other person are ready to move into action, close down the diamond with solutions and commitments.

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If you are given the opportunity to run a project or are leading a team, you need to run an effective meeting. Most of us spend a week a month in meetings, a huge opportunity to harness the ideas of the group and motivate people to get things done. So here are 3 starter tips to creating engaging and productive meetings:

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Stand-Up and Be Counted
This meeting style has been popularized by the agile software development methodologies. Have your team meet daily for five to fifteen minutes to sync-in on status. Try this literally standing up, which gives even the most diligent of soldiers a stake in ending the meeting before they pass out. Each team member takes a turn updating everyone, asking clarifying questions, but not using the forum for protracted discussion.

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It’s clear that feedback is essential to keeping your team motivated and engaged – all the best companies make this a practice. Yet, it tends to become part of the process only after an employee is “on-boarded”. However, there’s an opportunity for these same companies to make it part of the hiring process in order to help distinguish themselves and effectively showcase their employer brand.

Why it’s important

Authenticity: How do potential hires know your culture focuses strongly on employee engagement and feedback, because you told them? Make it clear to them from the first step of the hiring process.

Perfect Information: Today, future hires have almost perfect information when it comes to background research on companies. Certainly, the very best ones will have done extensive research, including starting salaries, how many people work there, as well general impressions of your company and its products or services. If the hiring process doesn’t provide very good feedback or clarity, chances are someone’s going to write about it, post it and you might just miss out on your next great hire because of it. The converse is also true – think Zappos and all the people who apply because they’ve read about their unique approach to hiring.

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