10 uncomfortable deeds that will pay off forever

10 uncomfortable deeds that will pay off forever10 uncomfortable deeds that will pay off foreverT.S. Eliot was clearly onto something when he asked, If you arent in over your head, how do you know how tall you are? The very act of stepping outside of your comfort zone is critical to your success and well-being. Our brains are wired such that its difficult to take action until we feel at least some stress and discomfort. In fact, performance peaks when were well out of our comfort zone. If youre too comfortable your performance suffers from inaction, and if you move too far outside of your comfort zone you melt down from stress.Peak performance and discomfort go hand in hand. Stepping outside of your comfort zone makes you better, and it doesnt have to be something as extreme as climbing Mount Everest. Its the everyday challenges that push your boundaries the most, none of which require a flight to Nepal. Step out of your comfort zone and embrace these challenges.Get up earlyUnless y oure a morning person, getting up earlier than usual can take youwayout of your comfort zone. However, if you get up well before you have to start getting ready for work, its worth it. It gives you an opportunity to collect your thoughts and mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead, rather than just dashing from one activity to another. It also gives you the opportunity to eat a good breakfast and exercise, both of which have well-known health benefits.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreAccomplish an impossible goalFew things compare to the exhilaration of accomplishing something that you didnt think you were capable of. These achievements fall so far outside of your comfort zone that they seem impossible. Maybe its running a marathon or giving a keynote speech at a convention. These accomplishments are worth every bit of suffering you endure to achieve them because once you fi nally do it, you feel invincible and carry that triumph with you forever.MeditateIts easy to get stuck in your comfort zone when youre so busy that you dont slow down enough to really think about what youre doing and why youre doing it. Meditation is a great way to break this cycle and also happens to be very good for your brain. Harvard neuroscientist Sara Lazar found that meditation creates important physical changes in your brain. It increases brain density in areas responsible for self-control, focus, problem-solving, flexibility, and resilience. Best of all, these changes are lasting.Focus on one thing at a timeFocusing completely on a single task is a big risk- the risk of failing at something to which youve given your all. Thats why its so uncomfortable. The alternative- multitasking- is a real productivity killer. Research conducted at Stanford confirms that multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. The researchers found that people who are regular ly bombarded with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information, or switch from one job to another as well as those who complete one task at a time. When you try to do two things at once, your brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully. When you spread yourself too thin and chase after every bright, shiny thing that catches your eye, youre missing out on an important opportunity for personal growth.VolunteerIt would be great if everyone volunteered for purely altruistic reasons, but we all have demands on our time and have to tischset priorities. The problem is that after a long workday, volunteering can get pushed down somewhere below watching epic fail videos on YouTube. Volunteering is a powerful experience that feels good and expands your network at the same time. Have you ever met anyone who made volunteering a priority and wasnt changed for the better by the experience? Neither have I.Practice public speakingYouve likely he ard that the majority of people fear public speaking more than death. In fact, 74 percent of Americans have glossophobia (the fancy word for a fear of public speaking). So, yes, its a challenge. Its also worth it. Whether youre addressing five people around a table or an audience of five thousand, becoming a better public speaker can be a huge boon to your career.Talk to someone you dont knowUnless youre an extreme extrovert- or a politician- talking to new people probably makes you at least somewhat uncomfortable. Do it anyway. Social interaction is good for your mood (even when you dont like it), expands your network, exposes you to new ideas, and boosts your self-confidence.Bite your tongueSure, it can feelsogood to unload on somebody and let them know what you really think, but that good feeling is temporary. What happens the next day, the next week, or the next year? Its human nature to want to prove that youre right, but its rarely effective. In conflict, unchecked emotion mak es you dig your heels in and fight the kind of battle that can leave you and the relationship severely damaged. When you read and respond to your emotions, youre able to choose your battles wisely and only stand your ground when the time is right. The vast majority of the time, that means biting your tongue.Say noResearch conducted at the University of California, Berkeley showed that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Saying no is indeed a major challenge for many people.Nois a powerful word that you should not be afraid to wield. When its time to say no, avoid phrases such asI dont think I canorIm not certain. Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them. When you learn to say no, you free yourself from unnecessary constraints and free up your time and energy for the important things in life.Quit putting things offChange is hard. Self-improvement is hard. Scrounging up the guts to go for what you want is hard, and so is the work to make it happen. When things are hard, its always easier to decide to tackle them tomorrow. The problem is that tomorrow never comes. Saying youll do it tomorrow is just an excuse, and it means that either you dont really want to do it or that you want the results without the hard work that comes along with it.Bringing it all togetherStaying in your comfort zone means stagnation. Just as an oyster only makes a pearl when its irritated by a grain of sand, no one has ever accomplished anything remarkable when comfortable.Travis Bradberryis the award-winning co-author ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0,and the cofounder ofTalentSmart.This column originally appeared at LinkedIn.

Understanding Different Sales Approach Methods

Understanding Different Sales Approach MethodsUnderstanding Different Sales Approach MethodsTheres no one best ausverkauf approach. Your personality and background will determine which type of sales technique is most effective for you. Even if you have a methodology that works well, its a good idea to try a different approach now and then. Trying new methods keeps you out of a rut, and you may be surprised by how well a new sales approachworks for you. In fact, many salespeople do best by using a combination of approaches. The Instant Buddy People feel better about buying from someone they like. Salespeople who use the Buddy approach are warm and friendly, asking questions and showing interest in their prospects. They try to connect on an emotional level with each prospective customer. This approach can be very effective, but only in the right hands. Usually, salespeople who are naturally warm-hearted and love making new friends. Dont try this approach with a prospect unless you mean it- people can tell if youre faking it, and theyll be very unhappy with you. Youll also need to do some follow-through to demonstrate that you do like and care about the prospect. For example, if you chat about the prospects eleven-month-old baby during your appointment, you should follow up by sending a card and small gift or both on the childs first birthday. The Guru Salespeople who prefer a more logical and less emotional approach set themselves on the task of becoming experts in anything and everything related to their industry. They position themselves as problem-solvers, able to answer any question and tackle any issue that the prospect lays before them. The guru approach requires plenty of work learning the relevant information and keeping up with changes in your industry. But if youre willing to put in the time it takes, you can do very well both in selling to your prospects and generating plenty of referrals. Once customers realize what a great resource you are, t heyre quite likely to send friends and co-workers with questions straight to you. The Consultant This approach combines the guru and buddy approaches. The salesperson who elects to use the consultant approach presents herself as an expert who has the customers best interests in mind. She knows all about her companys products and by asking a prospect a few questions, she can match him up with the best product for his needs. As an approach that combines the best qualities of the of the first two methods, its extremely effective. But it also requires a great verstndigung im strafverfahren of time and effort on a salespersons part. You must be both knowledgeable and able to make an emotional connection with your prospects. If you can manage both of these feats, your sales will take off like a rocket. The Networker Networking can be a big help for any salesperson. The dedicated networker takes it to the next level, setting up and maintaining a web of friends, co-workers, salespeo ple from other companies, customers, and former customers, and anyone else he meets. A strong enough network will create an ongoing flow of warm leads that can provide most or even all of the salespersons needs. With this approach, youll spend a great deal of time cultivating people. Its a highly effective technique for salespeople who enjoy attending various events, parties, and so on and meeting new people. Just remember that youll need to respond by doing favors and sending leads back to the people whove helped you in their turn. The Hard Seller Best described as scare the prospect into buying, the hard sell approach is what gives salespeople a bad reputation. Hard selling involves getting someone to buy a product even though he doesnt want or need it. Methods range from bullying (e.g., Buy this now, or youll feel stupid tomorrow), to manipulation (e.g., If you dont buy from me Ill lose my job), to outright deception (e.g., This product has a much better safety record than th e competition). No ethical salesperson should use a hard sell approach. Sadly, there are still salespeople who use this type of sales strategy, even though the result is a customer who never buys again and, sooner or later, a bad reputation for the company as a whole. Stick with one or more of the first four approaches- they are all both effective and ethical.

Whats your biggest weakness These are the worst answers

Whats your biggest weakness These are the worst answersWhats your biggest weakness These are the worst answersWhats your biggest weakness?This interview question has tripped up many a candidate. You prepare yourself to play up your strengths, but many candidates dont spend as much time thinking about how to discuss their failures. Hiring managers ask this question because they want to understand the full story of your career and they want to test how you respond to everyday pressure. No matter what you answer, most experts agree that you should briefly own up to your shortcomings, so that you can spend the majority of the answer showing recruiters how youve learned and improved from the experience.But not everyone treats the question this wayBiggest weakness examplesLooking at Reddit answers and recruiting experts advice, Ladders rounded up the worst ways to respond to this question, so we can learn from unterstellung cautionary tales.My biggest weakness is Im a perfectionist.The rea l question being asked with Whats your biggest weakness? is How are you going think critically and face adversity in my organization? When you answer that you seek perfection, that doesnt address the real underlying question being asked, and it doesnt give recruiters insight into how you work with others and what youve overcome.Like saying Im too passionate, saying that you have perfectionist tendencies as your biggest weakness is a non-specific answer that does not tell a recruiter a story about your career. notlage mentioning any weakness also makes you sound defensive. As Forbes advises job seekers on this question, Be honest and specific about key weaknesses that are relevant to the job. Be prepared to tick them off on your fingers without any spin or rationalizing.My biggest weakness is identifying weaknesses.One Reddit user said that when they were asked the question, What is your greatest weakness?, they responded,Identifying weaknesses. It would not be surprising to experts that this user said they didnt end up getting the job. When you say you have a hard time recognizing weakness, youre telling a manager that you dont know how to address failure, conflict, and hardship.Saying that you have a hard time seeing weaknesses in yourself and other people also makes it sound as if you dont understand interpersonal dynamics. It suggests that youre not good at reading peoples emotions and motivations.My biggest weakness is condescension.Sometimes, you can be a little too honest and transparent. One Reddit user said they answered that, People say I can be condescending. Thats when you talk down to people. The user didnt elaborate on what happened when they said this answer, but it would not be surprising if this didnt inspire confidence in a hiring manager about how you, the self-proclaimed condescending candidate, would act on their team.If you do have a problem with interpersonal communication, you at least want to also address how youre working to fix this i ssue.My biggest weakness is I work too hard.Certain career experts use workaholism as an example of a good answer for the weakness question under the thinking that it turns a personal weakness into a strength that could benefit the organizations bottom-line.But others strongly disagree with using this answer. One Reddit user who identifies as a hiring manager said that they when they hear this question from candidates, they consider it a cop-out answer.Writing for Harvard Business Review, human resources expert David Galloreese said that working hard is among the canned responses that he advocates against using because when you turn a negative characteristic into a positive youre not being authentic about the underlying weakness.Responses like these tell me little about how a candidate faces challenges and immediately implies a lack of sincerity. It doesnt demonstrate to me how they think - beyond their ability to creatively avoid being honest or self-critical. It indicates to me t hat theyre not willing to stand up and say whats not working, he argues.Saying that you work too hard does not tell a memorable story about your career, because get in line, buddy, we all work too hard.If you dont believe these recruiting experts, trust in science. A workplace psychology study found that when candidates hid their weaknesses in a compliment such as Im too nice or Im too demanding when it comes to fairness, these answerswerent as interesting to hiring managers as the candidates who mentioned a weakness that didnt airbrush the flaw. Interviewers said they were 30% more interested in hiring the job seekers who acknowledged a weakness like I overreact to situations.When youre in an interview, you need to tell an engaging story about your career that demonstrates that youre self-aware about where you need to improve. Those are the kinds of stories that will linger in a hiring managers mind long after youve finished talking.