martes, 25 de febrero de 2014

En el deseo y el placer…haz Mindfulness

# 5 – En el deseo y el placer…haz Mindfulness | Andrés Martín Asures
Amor y deseo son dos cosas diferentes; que no todo lo que se ama se desea, ni todo lo que se desea se ama. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616). …
Una vez que hemos presentado estos estados mentales , tan característicos de la experiencia humana, podemos explorar como orientar la práctica de Mindfulness mediante un modelo de 4 niveles de conciencia:
1. Reconocer y aceptar …
2. Valorar …
3. Regular o modular …
4. Reflexionar …
Una de las prácticas tradicionales de Mindfulness es reconocer como los estados mentales surgen y desaparecen. Como la experiencia va cambiando. Con este conocimiento, un practicante va desarrollando mayor ecuanimidad con sus impulsos por un lado y una mayor lucidez mental por el otro, con las que va desplegando una vida más armoniosa y satisfactoria. Ello no implica renunciar al deseo ni al placer, el Budha histórico definió su camino como la vía media, entre el ascetismo que renuncia a los placeres y el hedonismo que solo persigue el disfrute. La vía media es Mindfulness, un camino que combina el corazón con la sabiduría para reconocer, aceptar y decidir como y de que manera responder a aquello que esta ocurriendo, para bien de uno mismo y el de los demás seres.

sábado, 22 de febrero de 2014

Manual para la revolución

Un manual para la revolución policéntrica — Austroanarquistas

Canto del camino real; Whitman. (Comando Dharma)

El camino (real será el que) es la recompensa
¿¿??
:-))

Comando Dharma: canto del camino real (Whitman)


"…
No acumularás lo que llaman riquezas
Disiparás con mano pródiga todo lo que ganes o alcances
No bién hayas llegado a la ciudad a la que has sido destinado
no bién te hayas asentado a vivir en ella una vida de gozo,
serás impelido a partir por una voz irresistible.
Tendrás que aceptar las sonrisas irónicas y las mofas de aquellos a quienes dejes atrás
…"

sábado, 15 de febrero de 2014

The End of Solution Sales - HBR

The End of Solution Sales - Harvard Business Review

"The hardest thing about B2B selling today is that customers don’t need you the way they used to. In recent decades sales reps have become adept at discovering customers’ needs and selling them “solutions”—generally, complex combinations of products and services. This worked because customers didn’t know how to solve their own problems, even though they often had a good understanding of what their problems were. But now, owing to increasingly sophisticated procurement teams and purchasing consultants armed with troves of data, companies can readily define solutions for themselves.
In fact, a recent Corporate Executive Board study of more than 1,400 B2B customers found that those customers completed, on average, nearly 60% of a typical purchasing decision—researching solutions, ranking options, setting requirements, benchmarking pricing, and so on—before even having a conversation with a supplier. In this world the celebrated “solution sales rep” can be more of an annoyance than an asset. Customers in an array of industries, from IT to insurance to business process outsourcing, are often way ahead of the salespeople who are “helping” them.
But the news is not all bad. Although traditional reps are at a distinct disadvantage in this environment, a select group of high performers are flourishing. These superior reps have abandoned much of the conventional wisdom taught in sales organizations. They:
  • evaluate prospects according to criteria different from those used by other reps, targeting agile organizations in a state of flux rather than ones with a clear understanding of their needs
  • seek out a very different set of stakeholders, preferring skeptical change agents over friendly informants
  • coach those change agents on how to buy, instead of quizzing them about their company’s purchasing process


Strategy #1: Avoid the Trap of “Established Demand”
place more emphasis on a customer’s potential to change than on its potential to buy.They’re able to get in early and advance a disruptive solution because they target accounts where demand is emerging, not established—accounts that are primed for change but haven’t yet generated the necessary consensus, let alone settled on a course of action.
One consequence of this orientation is that star performers treat requests for sales presentations very differently than average performers do. Whereas the latter perceive an invitation to present as the best sign of a promising opportunity, the former recognize it for what it is—an invitation to bid for a contract that is probably destined to be awarded to a favored vendor. The star sales rep uses the occasion to reframe the discussion and turn a customer with clearly defined requirements into one with emerging needs. Even when he’s invited in late, he tries to rewind the purchasing decision to a much earlier stage.


Strategy #2: Target Mobilizers, Not Advocates
seven profiles we identified.
1. Go-Getters. Motivated by organizational improvement and constantly looking for good ideas, Go-Getters champion action around great insights wherever they find them.
2. Teachers. Passionate about sharing insights, Teachers are sought out by colleagues for their input. They’re especially good at persuading others to take a specific course of action.
3. Skeptics. Wary of large, complicated projects, Skeptics push back on almost everything. Even when championing a new idea, they counsel careful, measured implementation.
4. Guides. Willing to share the organization’s latest gossip, Guides furnish information that’s typically unavailable to outsiders.
5. Friends. Just as nice as the name suggests, Friends are readily accessible and will happily help reps network with other stakeholders in the organization.
6. Climbers. Focused primarily on personal gain, Climbers back projects that will raise their own profiles, and they expect to be rewarded when those projects succeed.
7. Blockers. Perhaps better described as “anti-stakeholders,” Blockers are strongly oriented toward the status quo. They have little interest in speaking with outside vendors.
Our research also reveals that average reps gravitate toward three stakeholder profiles, and star reps gravitate toward three others. Average reps typically connect with Guides, Friends, and Climbers—types that we group together as Talkers. …
The profiles that star reps pursue—Go-Getters, Teachers, and Skeptics—are far better at generating consensus. We refer to them as Mobilizers. A conversation with a Mobilizer isn’t necessarily easy. Because Mobilizers are focused first and foremost on driving productive change for their company, that’s what they want to talk about— their company, not yours. In fact, in many ways Mobilizers are deeply supplier-agnostic.…
Mobilizers ask a lot of tough questions—Go-Getters because they want to do,Teachers because they want to share, and Skeptics because they want to test. Skeptics are especially likely to pick apart an insight before moving forward. That can be intimidating for most reps, who are apt to mistake the Skeptic’s interrogation for hostility rather than engagement. But star performers live for this kind of conversation.…
…Contrary to conventional wisdom, hard questions are a good sign; they suggest that the contact has the healthy skepticism of a Mobilizer. If the customer accepts the assertion without question, you’ve got a Talker or a Blocker—the difference being that a Talker will at least offer useful information about his organization, whereas a Blocker will not engage in dialogue at all.
Star performers never assume they’ve identified a Mobilizer until that person has proved it with her actions.  Stars usually ask stakeholders they believe might be Mobilizers to set up a meeting with key decision makers or to provide information obtainable only by actively investigating an issue or conferring with colleagues.
Strategy #3: Coach Customers on How to Buy
Sales leaders often overlook the fact that as hard as it is for most suppliers to sell complex solutions, it’s even harder for most customers to buy them. This is especially true when Mobilizers take the lead, because they’re “idea people” who tend to be far less familiar than Talkers with the ins and outs of internal purchasing processes.
Having watched similar deals go off the rails in other organizations, suppliers are frequently better positioned than the customer to steer a purchase through the organization. Suppliers can foresee likely objections. They can anticipate cross-silo politicking. And in many cases they can head off problems before they arise. The process is part of the overarching strategy of providing insight rather than extracting it. Whereas most reps rely on a customer to coach them through a sale, stars coach the customer.
… … …

These sales professionals don’t just sell more effectively—they sell differently. This means that boosting the performance of average salespeople isn’t a matter of improving how they currently sell; it involves altogether changing how they sell. To accomplish this, organizations need to fundamentally rethink the training and support provided to their reps.
It's the end of traditional solution selling. Customers are increasingly circumventing reps; they’re using publicly available information to diagnose their own needs and turning to sophisticated procurement departments and third-party purchasing consultants to help them extract the best possible deals from suppliers. The trend will only accelerate. For sales, this isn’t just another long, hot summer; it’s wholesale climate change. 


Many reps will simply ignore the upheaval and stick with solution selling, and their customers will increasingly rebuff them. But adaptive reps, who seek out customers that are primed for change, challenge them with provocative insights, and coach them on how to buy, will become indispensable. They may still be selling solutions—but more broadly, they’re selling insights. And in this new world, that makes the difference between a pitch that goes nowhere and one that secures the customer’s business.

martes, 11 de febrero de 2014

The Ten Copy Writing Tricks That Every Marketing Manager Must Know

Vía @RinaSond The Ten Copy Writing Tricks That Every Marketing Manager Must Know | Search Engine People | Toronto

Tip #1. Tell a story

Tip #2. Less nouns, more verbsTip #3. KISS- Keep it simple and stupid!

Tip #4. Numbers, numbers, numbers

Tip #5. Make use of dramatic words.

Tip #6. Add a time period into headlines

Tip #7. You, Free, Instantly, Because, New

Tip #8. Tease your readers

Tip #9. Test, test, test

Tip #10. don't reinvent the wheel

lunes, 10 de febrero de 2014

Pues será cosa de esforzarse (más)

El otro día me recomendaron Good to Great, de Jim Collins. Antes de lanzarme con el libro, con toda la lista pendiente quise cotillear sobre él y creo que encontré un gran artículo del mismo autor, que explica algunas cosas a modo de resumen del libro, para Fast Company
FC: Like the anonymous CEOs, most of the good-to-great companies are unheralded. What does that tell us?
JC: The truth is, few people are working on the most glamorous things in the world. Most of them are doing real work—which means that most of the time they’re doing a heck of a lot of drudgery with only a few moments of excitement. The real work of the economy gets done by people who make cars, who sell real estate, and who run grocery stores or banks. One of the great findings of this study is that you can be in a great company and be doing it in steel, in drug stores, or in grocery stores. No one has the right to whine about their company, their industry, or the kind of business that they're in—ever again.
The Myth of the Change Program: This approach comes with the launch event, the tag line, and the cascading activities.
The Myth of the Burning Platform: This one says that change starts only when there’s a crisis that persuades “unmotivated” employees to accept the need for change.
The Myth of Stock Options: Stock options, high salaries, and bonuses are incentives that grease the wheels of change.
The Myth of Fear-Driven Change: The fear of being left behind, the fear of watching others win, the fear of presiding over monumental failure—all are drivers of change, we’re told.
The Myth of Acquisitions: You can buy your way to growth, so it figures that you can buy your way to greatness.
The Myth of Technology-Driven Change: The breakthrough that you’re looking for can be achieved by using technology to leapfrog the competition.
The Myth of Revolution: Big change has to be wrenching, extreme, painful—one big, discontinuous, shattering break.
…a company had to generate cumulative stock returns that exceeded the general stock market by at least three times over 15 years—and it had to be a leap independent of its industry. In fact, the 11 good-to-great companies that we found averaged returns 6.9 times greater than the market’s—more than twice the performance rate of General Electric under the legendary Jack Welch.
The surprising good-to-great list included such unheralded companies as Abbott Laboratories (3.98 times the market), Fannie Mae (7.56 times the market), Kimberly-Clark Corp.(3.42 times the market), Nucor Corp. (5.16 times the market), and Wells Fargo (3.99 times the market). One such surprise, the Kroger Co.—a grocery chain—bumped along as a totally average performer for 80 years and then somehow broke free of its mediocrity to beat the stock market by 4.16 times over the next 15 years. And it didn't stop there. From 1973 to 1998, Kroger outperformed the market by 10 times.
In each of these dramatic, remarkable, good-to-great corporate transformations, we found the same thing: There was no miracle moment. Instead, a down-to-earth, pragmatic, committed-to-excellence process—a framework—kept each company, its leaders, and its people on track for the long haul. In each case, it was the triumph of the Flywheel Effect over the Doom Loop, the victory of steadfast discipline over the quick fix. And the real kicker: The comparison companies in our study—firms with virtually identical opportunities during the pivotal years—did buy into the change myths described above—and failed to make the leap from good to great.
Parece que el libro viene a explicar que el esfuerzo constante y focalizado es el causante del éxito empresarial… mucho más que una revelación repentina o un momento en el discurrir de la empresa en el que cambia su suerte y llega el éxito. Esto coincide mucho con mis conclusiones de final de 2013, así que me interesa.

2013 fue para mi un año de búsqueda de porqués, y 2014 ha arrancado con un espíritu mucho menos preguntón y mucho más enfocado a objetivos y trabajar (más) duro y más centrado (sí, se que m repito, pero lo necesito).

Pero, aunque sin duda compraré el libro y lo leeré, creo que hay alguna premisa en el mismo que me hace dudar de su valor… El libro se basa en empresas que obtuvieron éxito, medido según el valor de las empresas, desde 1985, con crecimiento sostenido hasta el año 2000… eso hace que una de las empresas de éxito sea Fannie Mae y, aunque ha sabido recuperarse, su quiebra y posterior rescate no se si son el mejor ejemplo.

Y es que la empresas que triunfaron y crecieron de forma sostenida y entre 1985 y 2000 consiguieron multiplicar su valor por un factor de 3… lo hicieron en una etapa muy distinta de la turbulenta etapa que vivimos y, sobre todo, antes del advenimiento de internet de manera masiva. Así que me pregunto, a parte del esfuerzo constante y la innovación (como siempre digo, no sólo o no necesariamente en producto, sino en procesos) qué ideas nos traerá el libro aplicables o adaptables (que seguro muchas lo son) a la situación actual (donde nunca fue tan fácil subir y caer).

Mientras guarda el articulo de Good to Great, Sintetia publicaba un (bueno, varios) artículos muy buenos, del que a los efectos de esta entrada cabe destacar uno: Patatas fritas y microinnovación, por Juan Sobejano. Y como Juan escribe muy bien, me sale un rebelde que llevo dentro, escondido,que quiere preguntarle por qué habla de microinnovación. Sea cual sea su tamañas, lo que cambie (el producto, la empresa, el mercado…) una innovación siempre debe mirarse con respeto y sin diferenciarla en tamaño de otras innovaciones. 

Pero con independencia de esa duda, creo que las nueve ideas que deja el autor no tienen desperdicio, y entroncan magistralmente con la idea global de Good to Great, o la que me parece que debe ser.
1.-No hay proyecto pequeño.
2.-Si quieres crecer trabaja.
3.-Si quieres crecer trabaja bien.
4.-Prueba y error.
5.-El producto es fundamental.
6.-Sal con un producto mínimo y a partir de ahí mejora.
7.-No todo es escalabilidad y proyectos digitales.
8.-No pienses en los inversores.
9.-Innovar no es caro, lo que cuesta es tener ideas.
Pero como digo, no puedo compartir del todo esto:
En este caso estamos hablando de un modelo de microinnovación de proceso, en el que se introducen pequeños cambios en cada parte del mismo. Algunos de estos cambios ya han sido introducidos por otras empresas similares, otros no, pero al final la suma de esos cambios crea un proceso de creación de producto (recordemos que para Rafael el producto es clave) relevante, mejorado, que da un resultado excelente y permite una posición líder en el mercado.
La microinnovación, como digo, no transforma el mercado, no obliga a las demás empresas a hacer las patatas fritas como lo hace San Nicasio, ni crea un mercado sustancialmente distinto, pero sí puede abrir nuevos segmentos y permitir un posicionamiento único y sostenible.
Son innovaciones, no por no ser un game changer son microinovaciones. Aunque sí comparto las ideas  del autor para aplicar las innovaciones:
1.-Conocer los recursos de que se dispone, tanto de los que carecemos como aquellos recursos que podemos aportar.
2.-Conocer muy bien el mercado, para ser capaz de ver los puntos donde podemos centrar nuestro trabajo de innovación.
3.-No tenerle miedo a la innovación, no pensar que es algo ajeno a nosotros.
4.-Pensar, reflexionar, probar y fallar.
5.-No querer cambiar el mundo, sino cambiar tu empresa, es necesario focalizar correctamente cuáles han de ser nuestros objetivos.

Por fin, con ya dos artículos que enlazar en una misma entrada, llega Javier Megías con su ¿Por qué mueren las empresas? y a mi entender refuerza la idea de la clave es trabajar mucho… no hay otra.
La mayoría de las empresas mueren porque no han sabido crear un producto o servicio que realmente aporte valor a sus clientes, o al menos valor suficiente como para que paguen por ello. Y aunque en algún momento del pasado lo consiguieran,  a menudo lo que sucede es que se desconectan de esos clientes, se apoltronan y hacen más de lo mismo… que ya es suficientemente duro el día a día (otro gran asesino de empresas). El problema es que olvidan que esos clientes iniciales que tan fieles eran han evolucionado, han ido cambiando mientras que nosotros no… y la competencia sí.
Así que si no queremos morir, hay que salir a la calle todos los días, a hablar con los clientes, manteniendo un ojo en el presente y otro en el futuro… y con lo que aprendamos, tendremos que agachar el lomo y sembrar. No es cómodo ni fácil, y costará que suceda… pero el otro camino nos lleva a convertirnos en muertos vivientes que finalmente acabarán en el cementerio.

L E A D E R S H I P

Tweet de Sean Gardner (@2morrowknight)
(L)earn (E)mpower (A)sk (D)ream (E)ngage (R)ise (S)peak up (H)ave fun (I)nspire (P)repare
~
RT

domingo, 9 de febrero de 2014

El mejor equipo del mundo - Marc Vidal

Una interesante reflexión de Marc Vidal en El mejor equipo del mundo
Corro como emprendo. Avanzo con un destino pero disfruto del camino. Si aparecen subidas pronunciadas las diviso y las valoro, las juzgo y las tomo como reto. Si aparecen bajadas reduzco la velocidad para no lesionarme o caer. Aprovecho que permiten descansar el cuerpo pero mantengo la mente en alerta. Tomo aire. Cuando lo hago en solitario disfruto de cada uno de los metros y de los golpes en el suelo, pero cuando lo hago en grupo es algo extraordinario, divertido y estimulante. Cuando encuentro un nuevo camino, vereda o lugar por el que correr, me lanzo sin mirar, casi sin preguntarme si vale la pena. Es nuevo y eso vale.

En la que enlaza a otro artículo suyo, Emprender por cuenta ajena
…Acumulan experiencia, contactos, educación y llegarán a trabajar en empresas más grandes que las mías. Lo sé y es normal, yo lo hice. Estos son “intrapreneurs” y los calo rápidamente. Toman decisiones y defienden su papel como si les fuera la vida pero sin embargo entienden que el barco puede hundirse si no mantienen a todo el equipo en la parte del barco que les toca. Aprendo mucho de quienes creen aprender de mí.
Leí ayer un artículo que los definía bien. Decía que los “emprendedores por cuenta ajena” tienen las mismas características que los empresarios, incluida la capacidad de asumir riesgos, vender sus ideas y ver oportunidades donde otros no lo hacen. Ellos optan por trabajar para una empresa con el fin de probar ideas, aprender de los errores y prepararse para tener finalmente sus propios negocios.

Keep on Learning (by learning how to learn)

"…I like a six step process that I came across and the acronym M-A-S-T-E-R as a way to master any topic…"
Learning How to Learn: What Business Leaders Need to Know | Experts' Corner | Big Think

Your grandfathers may well have had one job their entire lives. Your parents probably had two or three jobs. Today’s school-leavers face the prospect of three or four career changes during the course of their lifetime. Careers—not jobs. And some of those careers may not even exist right now.
That’s how much the digital age is revolutionizing our world.
And consider this: At one end of the business spectrum one-third of Fortune 500 companies vanish every 15 years. At the opposite end nine out of 10 start-ups fail within three years. A failure to learn, a failure to adapt, is probably a major contributing factor.

I like a six step process that I came across and the acronym M-A-S-T-E-R as a way to master any topic. In brief:
M. Motivating your Mind. You need to be motivated to learn. Frankly, if you don’t have the right attitude—if you don’t want to learn—you won’t be able to learn.
A. Acquiring the information. As discussed above, you need to acquire and absorb the information in the way that best fits your sensory learning preferences.
S. Searching out the meaning. All too often we memorize facts so they can be regurgitated to pass a test. You must make sure you truly understand the subject matter.
T. Triggering the memory. There are numerous memory strategies that can be applied (and numerous full-length books on the subject) to help you “lock it down.” Learning the meaning of the acronym MASTER is one of them!
E. Exhibiting what you know. Find a study buddy to whom you present the information. It’s a great way of testing yourself and proving to yourself that you have permanently acquired the knowledge.
R. Reflecting on how you’ve learned. Reflect on the learning experience. Not what you learned, but how you learned it. Then you’ll evolve an approach that’s perfect for you.

Atención Plena

Todos pensamos que lo que llamamos "yo" nos pertenece solo a nosotros. No es así. Pertenece a la totalidad del universo.
Usted pertenece al universo. Y el universo es más que lo que "tú" podrías llegar a desear ser.
Hardcore Zen, Brad Warner

sábado, 8 de febrero de 2014

Lujo accesible, personalización y el drama de la realidad

El artista que esconde la fábrica y su discurso publicitario de la personalización - ConsumeHastaMorir, contrapublicidad en la sociedad del consumismo

Parece que la sociedad de consumo no termina de aceptarse a sí misma entre cadenas de montaje y lineales equidistantes llenos de tetrabricks. Menos aún dentro de un taller de mano de obra semiesclava. De ahí el éxito de la cultura del lujo accesible o prestigio de masas, un cóctel aparentemente contradictorio pero que mueve sectores enteros, como el de los perfumes, bajo la aspiración de abandonar la clase media y la cadena de producción fordista que la caracteriza. La exclusividad masiva, el artista en la fábrica... relatos casi míticos pero con suficiente fuerza como para seguir dirigiendo la tarjeta de crédito.

martes, 4 de febrero de 2014

Letting go of judging people

En zen habits
Only when you let go of the judgment that has arisen, and come to a place of acceptance and curiosity and empathy, can you really help. … 
Let’s take a fake but typical example so I can show you what I mean (I’m going to bold the symptoms, so forgive the overemphasis): I see a relative who is actively harming her health, who is overweight and diabetic and yet smokes and eats junk food all the time and does other bad things. I know she can make her health better by changing her habits. I judge her for what she’s doing, think badly of her, get frustrated with her, dismiss her because she’s not worthy of my frustration. This kind of thing happens with me and lots of other people all the time — just change the details to spouse, co-worker, kid, friend and instead of unhealthy things, they’re doing something else you don’t like.
What’s going on in this example? Well, first, I’m ignorant of what she’s going through and I don’t understand the situation. She’s been depressed because of her health problems, feeling guilty, feeling stuck, feeling scared, untrusting of herself. Because of these bad feelings, she doesn’t like to think about health, and makes herself feel better through smoking and comfort food. She’s just trying to be happy. And in fact, I do the same kinds of things all the time — I fail. I feel bad. I comfort myself. So I’m not superior, even if I think I am. 
What’s more, I’m not being grateful for the great person she is, despite her health problems. She’s wonderful. By focusing on judging her, I’m not appreciating that. Instead, I’m being self-centered by focusing on how much better I am, how she’s frustrating me, how my frustration is more important than any pain she’s feeling. I’m not being curious about who she is, what she’s going through and why … instead I have made a judgment and that stops all inquiry. And from this place of judgment, I can’t help because I have closed off dialog, and have written her off. 
You can see how all of these things are harmful. They make me frustrated and unhappy, they harm my relationship with this lovely person, they stop communication and learning, they don’t allow me to help alleviate suffering, they close me off to what she has to offer me. Among other harms.

¿Ser una buena persona?

Un par de artículos de Harvard Business Review que me han resultado interesantes…


I meet people every day who admit that they aren’t comfortable with conflict. They worry that disagreeing might hurt someone’s feelings or disrupt harmonious team dynamics. They fret that their perspective isn’t as valid as someone else’s, so they hold back.
Sure, pulling your punches might help you maintain your self-image as a nice person, but you do so at the cost of getting your alternative perspective on the table; at the cost of challenging faulty assumptions; and at the cost of highlighting hidden risks. That’s a high cost to pay for nice.

The secret of having healthy conflict and maintaining your self-image as a nice person is all in the mindset and the delivery.

Here are a few tips on improving your delivery:
1. Use “and,” not “but.”
2. Use hypotheticals.
3. Ask about the impact.
4. Discuss the underlying issue.
5. Ask for help.
Conflict — presenting a different point of view even when it is uncomfortable — is critical to team effectiveness. Diversity of thinking on a team is the source of innovation and growth. It is also the path to identifying and mitigating risks. If you find yourself shying away from conflict, use one of these techniques to make it a little easier.
The alternative is withholding your concerns, taking them up outside of the team, and slowly eroding trust and credibility. That’s not nice at all.

Nine Practices to Help you Say No

Irene can’t say no. And because she can’t say no, she’s spending her very limited time and already taxed energy on other people’s priorities, while her own priorities fall to the wayside. I have experienced the same thing myself. So, over time, I experimented with a number of ways to strengthen my no.
Here are the nine practices I shared with Irene to help her say a strategic no in order to create space in her life for a more intentional yes.
1. Know your no.
2. Be appreciative.
3. Say no to the request, not the person.
4. Explain why.
5. Be as resolute as they are pushy.
6. Practice.
7. Establish a pre-emptive no.
8. Be prepared to miss out.
9. Gather your courage.

She’s still doing great work and she’s still valued by her boss and co-workers, but they’ve noticed the difference too, she told me. And not all of it is positive.
They’re respecting her boundaries — they don’t even seem to resent her for them — but she’s had to give up something she never knew was important to her: her sense of herself as someone who could do it all. It’s been hard for her to feel as valued and necessary as she did when she always said yes.
“Would you rather go back to saying yes all the time?” I asked her.
She answered me with a very well-practiced “No.”

Passionate vs stubborn : core values for entrepreneurs

- resilience
- perseverance
- ability to surround by complementary people
- think out of the box
- emotional intelligence – empathy
- humor
;-)

lunes, 3 de febrero de 2014

¿El ocaso de la clase media? y otros artículos "relacionados"

Sintetia ¿El ocaso de la clase media? Aunque no el extracto más relevante, me ha gustado su sencillez y claridad:
No se trata sólo de tener una cuenta en Twitter o en Facebook, no se trata de saber buscar en Google una información, se trata de saber utilizar esas herramientas para mejorar nuestra capacidad de construir respuestas únicas y relevantes a los retos que la sociedad nos plantea, desde encontrar trabajo hasta innovar en productos.
Otros artículos "relacionados"
Marc Vidal, Microburguesía Low-Cost
The Atlantic, Can the middle class be saved?
Interesantes comentarios.


De aquí:
Cambiar las cosas es posible
La Clase Media

No hay posicionamiento, sino ganas (¿necesidad?) de reflexión.

domingo, 2 de febrero de 2014

Afinando el cuerpomente

Comando Dharma: afinando el cuerpomente

"-Pues así -explicó el Buda- un exceso de celo, Sona, extenúa la mente e irrita más los pensamientos; como un defecto de celo conduce a la indolencia y la pereza. O sea, ambas actitudes son equivocadas.Debes aplicarte con celo sereno, esfuerzo ecuánime, controlando tus sentidos. De modo gradual, paso a paso, sobrevendrá la felicidad y con la felicidad llegarás al Nirvana."–Shakyamuni.

La leyenda de John Appleseed…

…Appleseed dejó su huella en la historia de Estados Unidos y, probablemente, en la de Apple. Además de aparecer en cada presentación de la compañía de Cupertino, el nombre puede verse también en el icono de TextEdit, el procesador de texto de Mac OS. Ampliando la imagen, se puede leer el mensaje de la famosa campaña ‘Think different’, que se presenta como una carta firmada por John Appleseed y dirigida a una tal Kate. ¿La esposa del amigo de Steve Jobs? Vaya, las historias se acaban cruzando…
Así que, ya que Apple jamás se ha pronunciado ante esta cuestión de vital importancia, tendrás que ser tú el que elija cuál de los relatos prefieres. ¿Cuál te convence más? Ya sabes que, cuando de Jobs se trata, todo se encuentra a medio camino entre la realidad y la leyenda. Así es el marketing de la manzana…