Loud Thinking

Archive for 2013

Get More from Twitter with Lists

Twitter is an important way for professionals to learn about their industries, build relationships, and extend the impact of their work. Even Twitter enthusiasts can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tweets and the velocity of conversations, but Twitter lists—groups of individual Twitter accounts—can help focus your attention. You can quickly focus in on updates from the people you really want to hear from—industry experts, well-networked colleagues, and clients—simply by looking at your two or three most crucial lists. Separate your incoming tweet stream into lists by thinking about:
Development: Who do you want to learn from? Section out the smartest people you know or want to know.
Interactions: Which relationships do you want to initiate or strengthen? Engage with the people who will have the greatest impact on your effectiveness by mentioning and retweeting them.
Goals: What do you want to accomplish? Tune into the people and conversations that support your aspirations.

Adapted by HBR from Work Smarter with Twitter and HootSuite, by Alexandra Samuel.

Attitude

On sale today

The Remarkable Power of Optimism
by Nido R. Qubein
Literature and history are full of people who suffered from handicaps, had talents that were inferior to those around them, lived in the worst of circumstances, or faced many defeats.

Yet, many of these people are listed among the winners in life’s Hall of Fame.

The secret is this: Whether you reach success or failure in life has little to do with your circumstances; it has much more to do with your attitude…with your faithful courage…with your choices!

You see, non-achievers blame their circumstances; winners rise above their circumstances. Some concentrate on the blank wall that boxes them in; winners always look for a way to get under it, over it, around it, or through it.

Ambition is an earnest desire for achievement or distinction.

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832);
philosopher, scientist, author

Bill Clinton and Hillary – Joke

One summer afternoon, Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton were vacationing in their home state of Arkansas. After a long road trip, they stopped at a service station to fill up their car with gas.

As it turns out, the owner of the gas station was Hillary’s old high school boyfriend. They exchanged a brief chit-chat before the former White House couple went on their way.

As they were making their way back home, Bill put his arm around Hillary and said, “Well, honey… if you had stayed with him, you would now be the wife of a service station owner.”

She smirked and replied, “No Bill, if I had stayed with him… he would have been the President of the United States!”

Great Vision of the PCB Chief “Misbah to remain Pakistan captain until 2015”

PCB chief must be congratulated for his great vision and also for letting the cat out of the bag, by backing MUH for his captaincy till 2015, when MUH will be in his 43rd year.

The question is why PCB has decided now, to end MUH’s tenure in the year 2015? Why not put faith in his captainship till 2017, when the first Test matches championship will be held in England, during the summer of the year 2017?

It is not easy to comprehend, why the PCB is letting down MUH and not contemplating utilising his VAST experience of monumental leadership, by allowing him the opportunity of leading Pakistani cricket team in the Test matches Championship, when our captain will be in his 45th year?

“Be authentic. Don’t try to be someone you aren’t. You’ll hate yourself for it and the effort to maintain the facade will exhaust you. Be real! Many won’t like the real you but that’s better than having people adore the person that isn’t you at all.”

— Larry Winget

“Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it.”

Wilfred Peterson (1900-1995);
Author

“Never place a period where God has placed a comma.”

— Gracie Allen

2 Tips for Overcoming Your Blind Spots

We all have blind spots – otherwise known as cognitive biases – but how can we overcome weaknesses which, by definition, we’re unaware of? Start by recognizing that full self-awareness lies at the core of great leadership, and take steps to remove your blinders. To counter the effects of two of the most common biases, use these tactics:
Confirmation bias refers to our tendency, when receiving new information, to process it in a way that it fits our pre-existing narrative about a situation or problem. It’s possible to temper it by challenging and testing your own assumptions – or by enlisting a devil’s advocate to help out.
Hindsight bias causes you to “remember” that a previous decision was simpler than it actually was, impairing your ability to draw accurate conclusions. Check your selective memory by keeping a journal and recording minutes from meetings. When you have written proof, it’s harder to rewrite the past.

Adapted by HBR from “Three Tips For Overcoming Your Blind Spots,” by John Dame and Jeffrey Gedmin.