Happiness at London Business School - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Bliss at London Business School - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Two or three months prior I went to London to visitor talk at Srikumar Raos class on Creativity and Personal Mastery at London Business School. It was a fun and energizing couple of hours and afterward the understudies in the class totally shocked me. A secretive bundle showed up with a banner which you can see above. These are photos of the understudies being content with a portion of my key messages superimposed. That must be perhaps the coolest thing anybody has ever sent me and that banner is going up on the divider in my trophy room. On account of Srikumars class for an incredible time and a great blessing which shocked me AND satisfied me! A debt of gratitude is in order for visiting my blog. In case you're new here, you should look at this rundown of my 10 most mainstream articles. Furthermore, on the off chance that you need increasingly extraordinary tips and thoughts you should look at our pamphlet about satisfaction at work. It's incredible and it's free :- )Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Hobbies A Powerful Insurance Tool

Hobbies A Powerful Insurance Tool Hobbies: A Powerful Tool for Insurance Sales Personal Development Series Do you want more insurance clients who trust you, are fun to work with, and gladly refer friends to you?   A tool may already be in your handsâ€"your hobbies. Most of us who enter the insurance industry are “people persons.”  We enjoy contact with others and like to provide services that are appreciatedâ€"services that improve the quality of life of our clients.   And many of us, it seems, have hobbies that we are passionate about.  Our hobbies put us in contact with others who share similar interests, creating an affinity which can lead to mutually beneficial business relationships. Here are some examples of how agents use their special knowledge and passion to improve their business and service: Classic Car Restoration Enthusiast An insurance agent likes to rebuild classic cars and is connected with a classic auto club.   Restored cars are often associated with potential insurance issues.  The book value of a 20-year old vehicle may be $1,000, but because the vehicle is restored, it can represent an investment and value of $20,000.   An average agent may not have the necessary network or knowledge on how to handle such a risk.  A specialized agent is differentâ€"he or she knows how to handle this issue using a “Valued Policy,” has the market for this policy, and may even be able to get a discount for all members of the car collectors club which the agent is part of. The same process applies to an agent who is interested in boats, motorcycles, off road vehicles, RV vehicles, aircraft, and other activities that use specialized vehicles or equipment. Nonprofit Organization Volunteer Another agent helps in building houses for a nonprofit organization.   His volunteer work was fun and soon, he was on a committee that coordinated with contractors, suppliers, and vendors who assisted in the organization’s projects.   While the agent did not volunteer to contact companies in the construction and building trades, his knowledge and personal construction experience eventually helped to improve his clientele.   He volunteered because he caredâ€"which, in turn, brought in new business opportunities. Ballroom Dancing Expert Another agent is a ballroom dancer who became an instructor over time.   If one of his clients has a company party or social event, the agent provides a free and fun dance class at the event.   He’d teach Rumba in less than 2 minutes or Fox Trot in 5 minutes. I think you get the idea.   Your hobbies can be your gateway to more opportunities.   Here are my three tips in using your hobbies to improve your insurance business: Tip 1:   Keep it real!   People quickly spot a “poser” who fakes interest in a group just to obtain names and contact information.   Don’t waste time and energy being a phony. Tip 2:   Be a contributor!   Almost every volunteer group is in dire need of people with leadership abilitiesâ€"those who are able to make and execute plans, conduct a meeting, build a website, write a blog, promote group activities, etc.  Be a valuable contributor and demonstrate your abilities. Tip 3:   Don’t be a pest!   There are good ways to let people know that you can help with their insurance needs.  Consider these examples: Write an article for the newsletter or the website about special insurance needs related to the particular hobby. Become an expert in your area of interest and know your resources.   These can be listed in blogs, websites, etc.   Having a basic knowledge about social media is pretty much a given these days. Ask questions.   No one likes to be around a know-it-all.   Raise important questions and ask how they handle certain situations.   This will help you to learn from different perspectives and opinions. We hope that these ideas will help you to utilize your hobbies and help others while having fun! The author may be contacted at:   Tricia.Sharpton@360training.com.

5 non-traditional productivity tips for your busiest work weeks

5 non-customary profitability tips for your busiest work weeks 5 non-customary profitability tips for your busiest work weeks Being beneficial is urgent consistently - yet particularly on your busiest weeks. You have to perform at your best to hit cutoff times, yet interruptions and tedious undertakings can shield you from doing that. Fortunately, you can avoid those efficiency blockers with these straightforward, non-customary tips that assist you with boosting profitability during your busiest weeks.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders' magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more! Make a traffic light signIn a 2018 Udemy Workplace Distraction Report, 54% of representatives state that interruption makes them fail to meet expectations, and half state they're essentially less gainful. To diminish these interruptions, make a traffic light sign for your work area. This may sound peculiar yet can be basic in case you're working in a bustling office space. Here's the way it works: Green methods individuals can converse with you Yellow methods you'd preferably not be annoyed, yet can be if necessary Red methods, don't converse with me, return later or send an email Purchase a sign, like this one on Amazon, and afterward utilize a clingy bolt to highlight your current status.Rethink your mealsWhat do you do when you don't have the opportunity to cook? Request out. On the off chance that your home resembles a vault for Chinese takeout toward the finish of occupied weeks, this efficiency tip is for you. Eating undesirable food makes you drained and touchy while diminishing mental adequacy, lessening vitality levels, and influencing your capacity to think plainly - all of which decrease your efficiency levels, concurring to HealthLine.Instead of burning through cash on unfortunate takeout that will back you off throughout the day, prepare to get sound food that is anything but difficult to snatch and go. Here are two basic approaches to do that. Request pre-made meals: Use a supper conveyance administration to get solid dinners conveyed to your entryway. The expense changes, contingent upon what number of dinners you need, so look at this brand examination guide from MoneyUnder30. Make more than you need: If you would prefer not to go through additional cash, prepare when you cook. On the off chance that you have a bustling week coming up, spend Sunday preparing serving of mixed greens stuff for lunch and cook a major soup or stew to have for supper. You'll have all that you have to get a sound supper without going through the additional money. Get your garments cleaned for youOn your busiest weeks, clothing is only one more task that either shields you from accomplishing work or more regrettable, unwinding at home, before another difficult day in the workplace. Rather than keeping this task on your rundown, utilize an equivalent day wash and overlay administration, only for the week.In 8 Reasons to Use Wash and Fold, cleaning specialists clarify that most same-day benefits currently email or text when your things or prepared. In addition, you can drop them off on your approach to work and get them in transit home. Reward: utilize this opportunity to at long last give your sofa-bed a decent cleaning, without the problem of getting it into your little washer at home.If you're hoping to value this out, call the best three cleaners in your general vicinity and request a statement, which will shift contingent upon what number of things you have. Cost and highlights (like getting an email notice) will shift starting with one are a then onto the next, so do your due tirelessness to locate the most reasonable and advantageous choice. Keep in mind, this should take work off your shoulders, not add to your effectively overwhelming load.Download an application to restrict telephone timeIn the equivalent Udemy report, 36% of twenty to thirty year olds and Gen Z representatives said they burn through at least two hours each work day taking a gander at their telephone for individual purposes. We as a whole know - you go after your telephone as site page is stacking or in case you're exhausted with a venture. While short cerebrum breaks are useful, your telephone could be easing back you down on your busiest weeks, when you should be at the highest point of your game.Don't let your telephone block your efficiency. Rather, download an application that restrains your entrance to certain applications. These applications permit you to confine utilization of certain applications to a particular time or a particular measu re of time every day. For instance, keep Instagram bolted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., when you're generally gainful at work.Here are a couple applications to look at: AppDetox (Android) Flipd (Android and Apple) Forest (Android and Apple) Another choice is to just mood killer your telephone during work hours, which 43% of representatives in the Udemy review said they do as an approach to remain productive.Wear earphones (even without music)Interruptions could be unleashing destruction on your efficiency, as indicated by Gloria Mark, study creator and educator at University of California. She tells Fast Company, It's commonly counterproductive in case you're dealing with one assignment and you're hindered on a totally unique subject. Individuals need to move their psychological assets, or attentional assets, to a totally extraordinary topic.The time this costs you can include rapidly. Imprint proceeds, We found about 82% of all interfered with work is continued around the same time. Be that as it may, here's the awful news - it takes a normal of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to return to the task.One approach to diminish interferences is to shield individuals from conversing with you. Wearing earphones is sign that you're occupied. In the event that you can't work with music, notwithstanding, wear your earphones in any case. Not exclusively will this assistance shut out the clamor of the workplace - which will assist you with evading the interruption of collaborators talking or taking strolling gatherings - yet you'll likewise have less individuals intruding on you. At long last, you'll spare a great deal of time, and remain beneficial, without much effort.Get gainful, stay productiveGet the most from your busiest weeks with these straightforward yet non-conventional tips for being increasingly profitable. You'll shut out interruptions and dispose of assignments that are tedious, permitting you to perform at the most significant level when your best is required most.This article initially showed up on SmartBrief.You may likewise appreciate… New neuroscience uncovers 4 customs that will fulfill you Outsiders know your social class in the initial seven words you state, study finds 10 exercises from Benjamin Franklin's every day plan that will twofold your efficiency The most exceedingly awful errors you can make in a meeting, as indicated by 12 CEOs 10 propensities for intellectually tough individuals

Fun Ways You Can Celebrate Halloween at Work

Fun Ways You Can Celebrate Halloween at Work Fun Ways You Can Celebrate Halloween at Work Customs are similarly as significant in organizations, as they are in families. Furthermore, Halloween is a standout amongst other occasion conventions to set up and to celebrate at work. Halloween is currently the second most well known occasion, second just to Christmas, and its extremely mainstream with representatives. Observing Halloween at work interests to the youngster in everybody and makes a persuasive, cooperation arranged work culture. Also, Halloween isnt associated with a specific religion so assorted representatives are seldom irritated. Likewise with any occasion that isn't a piece of the everyday work plan, cooperation in any Halloween party ought to be intentional. No representative ought to ever feel constrained to praise an occasion that expects you to spruce up in an ensemble. Also, regardless of whether workers dont spruce up, you have to respect the various needs and estimations of the entirety of your representatives. Step by step instructions to Prepare to Celebrate Halloween at Work Likewise with any worker occasion, you need to shape a little, cross-useful board to design and execute Halloween exercises. On the other hand, you can shape a representative occasions group whose enrollment changes each year with the goal that you include a blend of intrigued workers to design your festival. Instead of leaving the entirety of the authoritative occasion arranging in the possession of Human Resources, take a stab at pivoting essential obligation regarding occasions starting with one division then onto the next. Or then again, one representative to another. That way, nobody feels troubled, and everybody (in the end) gets the chance to participate in the arranging. This pivot additionally takes into consideration group building and authority advancement over the organization, since arranging and executing special festivals assemble hierarchical and administrative aptitudes. Also, when various offices take responsibility for occasions, new thoughts are created. The custom of the festival is significant, however new exercises, alongside the dependable ones, are consistently welcome. Festivity Ideas for Halloween at Work These thoughts will start your innovative reasoning and open up the universe of opportunities for commending your own one of a kind Halloween at work festivity. Outfit Party or Parade No Halloween festivity is finished without the open door for staff individuals to wear outfits. You can keep the occasion basic and urge individuals to simply wear their outfit to work for the afternoon. You can likewise pick a subject - like Woodstock, popular celebrities, or fantasies. Make it a point to pick another topic every year. Staff deciding in favor of their preferred ensemble is regularly a prominence challenge. In this way, to abstain from holding a ubiquity challenge, have different classifications of grants. Give out honors for the best ensemble, the most clever outfit, the most modern ensemble, the outfit that took the most work to make, the most startling ensemble, and the most innovative ensemble. Publicize the honor classifications ahead of time and give a little blessing to the champs, for example, a blessing declaration to a neighborhood retailer. Halloween Breakfast Juice and doughnuts are a famous Halloween breakfast treat. So are pumpkin and apple bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin espresso cake, or pumpkin and apple biscuits. For good dieting decisions, have arranged natural products accessible. Ensure you have representatives assembled in one spot, instead of everybody withdrawing with their morning meal to their office or work space. Halloween Luncheon Compose a pizza or sandwich wraps or subs Halloween lunch get-together with an orange-shaded punch and dark paper plates and napkins. In the event that conceivable, hold the lunch festivity for a three-hour term so staff can stun their time. Also, make certain to have proper (i.e., spooky) music playing. Halloween Decorations Offer prizes for best and most happily beautified work territory. Improve the group building parts of this opposition by urging gatherings of individuals to cooperate to beautify their mutual work territory. Or then again, have groups pick a particular office area (e.g., hall, meeting room, break room) and each group finishes their zone. Pumpkin Carving Contests Start at around 4 p.m. so staff can get their youngsters for the pumpkin cutting challenge. Guardians can carry their more seasoned kids to assist and their more youthful youngsters can watch, transforming it into a family experience. Stunt or Treating (Without the Tricking) Not only for kids, you can urge all workers to carry treats to share and representatives can go desk area to desk area or entryway to entryway stunt or rewarding. Give every representative a Halloween stunt or reward pack for included fun. Spending plan permitting you can have the organization logo engraved on the packs. Since stunt or rewarding is predominately for kids, you can hold an ensemble party for the offspring of all staff individuals - an incredible route for families to bond with one another. To speak to the generous hearts of your workers, a type of representative group building and staff inspiration that is developing in prominence with the following ages of workers, welcome kids with extraordinary requirements to deceive or treat, as well. Calendar Philanthropic Activities for Volunteers Utilize your creative mind to discover occasions, exercises, and those deprived in your locale and loan your help. Organization representatives can visit senior consideration habitats in full ensemble and pass out treats. Or on the other hand, they can visit a pediatric consideration division at a neighborhood emergency clinic or a destitute haven. Apparel and food assortment drives for nearby temples, noble cause, and food banks are all the more great alternatives. Bouncing for Apples and Other Games Bouncing for apples is a well established Halloween convention that numerous representatives will choose to skip (its untidy), however is a good time for the individuals who are increasingly courageous or unworried about destroying hair, cosmetics, and apparel. There are additionally a ton of ?group building games and exercises that you can arrange - all in the pretense of a Halloween festivity.

Video Resume, what HR and hiring managers really think

Video Resume, what HR and hiring managers really think Video Resume Sloan Sabbith can pull off a video resume/reel with brains and beauty Video Resume Hiring manager:   “Video Resume??   Seriously, a video resume?” HRNasty:   “If you don’t have one, you wouldn’t get hired here.” The above is a recent dialogue I had with one of our Directors as we were prepping to interview a candidate. The candidate had video resume. The candidate also had a cover letter, traditional resume, LinkedIn profile and a Google+ account. For the record, I didn’t take the above tone with our hiring manager because it was the truth. I came back at this hiring manager hard to prove a point and acted like I was surprised she didn’t have a video resume. I was trying to act like the hiring manager was behind the times in an effort to change their skeptical mindset around the video resume before they went into the interview.       Earlier this week, I delivered a 3-hour presentation to a class of job seekers and the question of the Video Resumes came up. I hadn’t been asked this question before in a classroom setting but I have a lot to say on the topic after seeing 100’s of them. Between the two recent events, I thought a blog post is in order.     I have read and heard opinions from many hiring managers who will talk positively about a video resume.   I don’t think they are giving you the complete truth.   They are being “nice” and don’t want to hurt your feelings.   I want to open the kimono on video resumes and hopefully, my logic will make sense.       Generally speaking, I don’t care for video resumes because they work against most candidates. I can see where they would be useful, and I can see where they would be “required” for some positions, but for the most part, this is an ill-used tool in the war on the job hunt. This is a pair of nunchucks in the hands of a high school jackass that had a few too many beers. Our JackAss starts swinging the nunchucks with an impressive enough start, but you quickly realize that this is a train wreck in the making and it is only a matter of seconds before our boozed up adolescent bonks himself in the back of the head, or worst, the family jewels. You know it’s coming. You don’t want to watch, but there is the voice that whispers in your ear. . .”Stick around, this is going to be interestingggg”. And then WHACK! Our JackAss is laying in the fetal position with his hands grabbing his junk, writhing in pain.   Video Resume’s. . .   If you are interviewing to be a TV newscaster, TV sportscaster, or an actor, then, by all means, shoot the video resume. Actually, in these fields, the video resume and the “reel” two are very different tools. A reel gives a producer/agent an idea of what you look and sound like on film. A video resume is more focused on your work history and your accomplishments. If you are going into public relations, public speaking, or anything position where your voice AND your face will be a selling factor I can see the application of a video resume. I can see its usefulness in some sales positions. If a video is relevant to the position you are interviewing for, then, by all means, spin one up.   There are either not very many positions where a video resume is necessary or I haven’t seen enough video resumes that do justice to the actual job I was hiring for. I haven’t ever said, “we can’t give an offer to this candidate, they don’t have a video resume”.   So lets first talk about how a recruiter would theoretically use a video resume.   I would use a video resume to gain an additional “look” at a candidate before I picked up the phone for the initial phone interview. Below I list my path to scheduling a phone interview.     The cover letter gives me an idea of whether or not they are professional enough to submit one and if the candidate has written communication skills. The resume gives me an idea of their work experience and their accomplishments. 1st link I will click:   LinkedIn/GitHub (for developers) gives me an idea of their professional background. 2nd link I will click: Blogs/personal websites give me an idea about the candidates thought leadership, writing style or work.   Up until this point, I don’t know if this candidate has any verbal communication skills or how they present themselves. If I want to peel back the onion and see the next couple of layers, I need to go to step number 5 and 6 below OR, I click on the link to the video resume.   The phone interview gives me an idea about their verbal communication skills. The in-person interview gives me an idea of how they present themselves, face to face communication and the opportunity to dig further into the work history.   I also get an indication if they can think on their feet.   If the candidate has a video resume, they just increased their engagement time with me and although they haven’t “passed” step 5 and 6, they have an opportunity to increase my engagement and urgency around contacting this candidate. They just gained the opportunity to move forward a couple of steps in the hiring process and without a video resume, this doesn’t happen.     Video Resume’s sound good in theory   So why do video resume’s get in the way?   More often than not, when I submit a candidate to the hiring manager and there is a video resume included, the hiring manager moves past natural curiosity to pure skepticism and this is BEFORE they have seen the video resume. More often than not, the mentality is usually; “I don’t want to hire anyone that turns in a video resume.” It is a hurdle that I as the recruiter have to overcome with the hiring manager.It would be easier to sell a candidate without the link. Here is my personal theory on why video resumes get such a bad wrap. Hiring managers usually fall into Gen X and the Baby Boomer Generation. Millenials are usually creating the video resume and I rarely see a video resume from a Baby Boomer. This generation doesn’t usually fall into the “early adopter” demographic and video resumes aren’t mainstream yet. The Video Resume is just too new. These older generations are typically a bit more traditional. This generation resisted texting, email, and smartphones. I am not saying they don’t have them, I am saying it took a little longer to adopt. This is a generation that still appreciates a face-to-face meeting and a phone call vs. email.     Responses I have heard of the video resume: Seriously?   A video resume? What happened to the traditional resume on paper? As a candidate, I do not want the hiring manager thinking negatively about me. The above comments prove they are not positive. Remember, you are trying to put your best foot forward and make the best impression that you possibly can. This is easy to do with a resume because all it takes is a computer.   Video resumes, on the other hand, become much more complicated.   Lighting, picture quality, editing, and then, of course, your presentation layer. Most candidates have some idea about how to write a resume. Most candidates don’t have any idea on how to go about creating a video resume and just “go for it”. Set up the camera on a tripod, get in front and start talking and call it a wrap. Trust me, it shows.         Video resume expectations In todays day and age where movies cost 100’s of millions of dollars, the expectations of the average viewer are exponentially higher than they were even years ago. I usually end up trying to justify video quality to the interviewers who will be viewing the video. I have my spiel: “Relax!   All the young people are doing it these days!   If you don’t have a Video Resume and a QR code, you wouldn’t get hired here competing with these tech-savvy Millennials. You are not paying 18.00 to see Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie in this summers blockbuster. This is a video resume. It is just another look at the candidate biatch. This is ONLY going to give you a glimpse into their personality and let you know if they are articulate. Never mind they filmed this in their backyard, or in their kitchen. Never mind the lighting sucked and the picture isn’t steady. Put that out of your mind and just focus on the presentation layer.”   In the end, most viewers are not able to get past the stigma of what they are viewing and they go into the interview with a negative mindset. Expectations are just too high for the average videographer to pull this off.   If I were to address a room full of candidates and make a generalization, I would say that there is too much liability for a video resume. There may be a few individuals who have the equipment and the knowledge, but I don’t think a point and shoot that takes video is going to cut it. If you are a hot woman or a great looking guy, you REALLY need to be intelligent to pull this off.   The character Sloan Sabbith from my favorite TV series Newsroom, played by Olivia Munn could pull it off.   She plays a super brain newscaster that happens to be extremely hot. Her character has a PhD. She is also very articulate.   If after all of the above, you still want to give the Video Resume a shot, there would be some things I would keep in mind as you create your next Indie. Please don’t mention you got the idea from HRNasty. I want no part of it. Keep in mind, you are not going to be hired because of your video resume. You only want to generate enough interest for me to pick up the phone and call you.     Introduce yourself with first and last name Keep it short.   I would say no more than 1 min and 30 seconds tops.   The attention span of most recruiters is next to nil when it comes to viewing job qualifications and we are not in the mindset to watch a 3 or 4-minute video. Do not use your resume as a script. Tailor your video resume the same way you would tailor your PDF’d version to each specific job you apply for. Different companies have different cultures, different dress codes and different vocabularies.   Reflect these differences in your each of your video resumes.   Practice what you are going to say.   I have seen too many video resumes where it looked like the candidate went with the first take and called it a wrap.   Look into the camera.   Newscasters imagine themselves in the living room of their audience and you should imagine yourself in a conference room talking with the hiring manager. Thank the viewer. Done well, video resumes can expedite the hiring process. If your equipment consists of a camera that shoots video and will fit into your jacket pocket, I would stick with the cover letter and resume.   See you at the after party, HRNasty nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone who is good at something. “He has a nasty forkball. If you felt this post was valuable please subscribe here. I promise no spam,