The difference between a contrarian and an independent thinker

The difference between a contrarian and an independent thinkerThe difference between a contrarian and an independent thinkerWhats the difference between being a contrarian and an independent thinker?People often celebrate contrarian thinkers. After all, theyre the ones who swam against the current, resisted the pressure of the group, and were revered as visionaries because of it.But its important to consider, anyone who aims to consistently be a contrarian thinker is going to be wrong most of the time.Even Jeff Bezos says, You have to remember that contrarians are usually wrong.Theres often a good reason the vast majority of people take one side when it comes to solving a problem or making a decision. It isnt necessary, or even very helpful, to always take the opposing view.And yet, if you think the same way as everyone else, its very difficult to outperform them.So rather than always being swayed by the consensus view - or consistently being a contrarian- you should strive to be an independent thinker. Although they sometimes look the same, an independent thinker isnt a contrarian thinker. Independent minds dont take an opposing stance out of habit or a desire to be different.They simply look at different perspectives, and sometimes find a unique angle. Thats thinking for themselves. Something very different.Heres what that looks likeThe difference between contrarian and independent thinking is perspectiveSomeone who thinks independently may come off as a contrarian when you first meet them. And a contrarian thinker may initially seem to be quite independent. But if you work with one or the other for long enough, the differences begin to emerge.Thats because theres bedrngnis necessarily any value in being a purely contrarian thinker. People tend to choose this style of thinking in order to be different. They want to stand out, not to figure things out. And that can be a problem when they bring that attitude into a workplace or a productive environment. While it might be fun or interesting to take the opposite point of view all the time, doing so may not actually bring any unique conclusions to the table.Its better to develop an independent thought processIf you think independently, then yes, on occasion youre going to look as though youre opposing for the sake of opposing. But thats only because youve come to a different conclusion based on a unique perspective. Its very likely youll often conclude the consensus view is correct.Independent thinking isnt about taking the opposite stance or going with the crowd. Instead, its about looking at a problem in a fundamentally different way and drawing your own conclusion- whether its the same as everyone elses or completely different is irrelevant.You can develop independent thinking skillsThere is reputational risk in independent thinking. When you first look at the successes of some independent thinkers, it may seem great to stand out. Theyre lauded as trailblazers and geniuses.But making the decision to take an opposing stance can be dangerous to your social standing within a group. Consciously or unconsciously, people will often make judgments about you based on how you interact with a group.In Daniel Coyles book The Culture Code, he devotes part of the introduction to a story about making houses with strands of spaghetti. Interestingly, when children are pitted against adults, the children almost always win. According to Coyle, its not because theyre smarter, or have more aptitude for building the structure. Instead, the adults spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out their roles and navigate their social identities.Do I look good here? Should I be in a more managerial role? Am I clashing with Sarah?The kids dont bother with any of that. They jump right in and start building because they find it easy to ignore social pressures. The children always beat the adults in this spaghetti contest.When forming your own views, you have to get over the fear of ho w other people will think about you. That doesnt mean not caring what others think. It just means not being afraid to be seen in a negative light if youre convinced the consensus view is wrong.Becoming aware of the influences around you is a key part of being an independent thinkerYour goal should be to develop a partial attachment to the situation around you. Some part of you should always be watching, noticing, thinking. This is a part of you thats not completely living in the situation. Rather, youre absorbing it and separating yourself from whats happening- to the degree that is possible.Use that detachment to identify how youre being influenced. Are you really reacting to the facts, or are you letting the emotions of the group affect your decision?A good way to objectively grade your decision-making process is by starting a decision journal. Every time you make a decision, write down what you decided and why. Three months later, open the journal to that page and revisit what yo u wrote. Not only will you see whether you were right or wrong, but youll also get to see whether you made a sound decision based on facts, or if you just got lucky. This is usually an eye-opener and a great starting point to understand your own thinking.Independent thinking is about more than just taking the opposing view. Its about constantly evaluating the situation and your decision-making process to get the best results possible. Its a difficult skill to cultivate, but the rewards of doing so can be tremendous for forming unique ideas and your own point of view.This article was originally published on Quora.com.

Green-Collar Jobs Glossary and Guide

Green-Collar Jobs Glossary and GuideGreen-Collar Jobs Glossary and GuideIts easy enough to say you want to work for an environmentally sensitive company or take advantage of the growing green economy, but both are hard to find, even advocates admit.Whats a green-collar job?The easiest definition is any job focused on sustainability limiting a companys consumption of natural resources and production of pollutants. Green goals include limits on carbon emissions, use of energy and material resources as well as more recycling, said Jennifer M. Cleary, a researcher at the The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.Not all jobs are green, even at the greenest of companies. An accountant is still an accountant, even in a company that recycles hybrid mini-cars and hemp using solar power, biodiesel and rainwater. By contrast, a procurement manager at a paper plant may find her job is almost entirely focused on green skills.Its likely we will all have green job s in the future, said G. Dodd Galbreath, executive director at the Institute for Sustainable Practice and assistant professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. Rather than requiring a new breed of green jobs, its likely the new green economy will simply require all of us to employ some green skills.What is clear is that being green, or managing a business process so that it is environmentally sustainable, will become a key part of many managers jobs and a requirement of most business processes, Gallbreath said.This role will include managers in dienstgrad of manufacturing, distribution, sourcing, design, research, facilities or materials management, and nearly every other part of a business that supports either workers internally or produces products or services externally, Galbreath said.Whats a green skill?One that helps you eliminate waste and streamline a business process to minimize its environmental impact, Cleary said. An example of an overt green skill is the financ ing and exchange of carbon credits on either an open or closed market. ( Carbon credits, each of which is equal to a ton of carbon emitted into the environment, are the unit of trade for governmental systems that cap the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted by a nations industries. They create emissions-trading markets in which businesses buy or sell the right to emit those gases.)More-subtle green skills would include knowledge about the lifecycle of products and the material used to produce them knowledge about the source and type of power used in manufacturing, transport and powering of a business and an understanding of the environmental impact of choosing air freight versus truck or ship.Where is green most important?If you work in energy, you have to walk the green walk. Much of the $60 billion earmarked for clean energy in the Obama administrations stimulus plan is intended to make the United States more energy efficient and independent. Heavy manufacturing and tran sportation are almost as high on the list. People in other industries at least have to talk a good game or get left behind. But if you want a job in energy and dont already know the pros and cons of renewable and fossil energy sources, the next few months may be long and cold, no matter what the outside temperature.Where do you go to get the skills?Arizona State University is probably the best-known business program with a focus on sustainability, but there are dozens of others, Galbreath said. The year-old program at Lipscomb is among those offering a degree based on green-skills education.Most business schools have some level of sustainability training, as do executive-training companies, Galbreath said, but theyre not yet worth the time and money for job seekers. There arent enough green-centric jobs to justify the expense and there arent enough standard practices to make a more generic education useful.Green training doesnt work without integration with traditional industries an d skill sets, Cleary wrote in a recent presentation to educators.Most of the real knowledge comes from putting green principles into practice in a particular industry. Galbreath recommends anyone interested in gaining green skills should pursue a green job or industry and learn on the job, putting the cost of education on your employer.

Improving Your Performance as a Manager

Improving Your wertmiger zuwachs as a ManagerImproving Your Performance as a ManagerIt is rare that any manager or executive has no complaints about his teams performance. More often than bedrngnis, however, the more appropriate one to blame is the person staring back at the manager in the mirror. Implementing the following 12 ideas can make a big difference in the improvement of team morale and performance. Incorporate them in your work life and watch yourself and your team grow into the effective and high-functioning team youre meant to be. 12 Ideas to Improve Your Performance as a Manager To improve your teams results, you have to change yourself and take a few risks by performing differently than you have in the past. Try to implement as many of the following ideas as you can, and reap the rewards for yourself and your subordinates. 1. Create more opportunities for one-on-one discussions.It is easy to let the daily firefights keep you from spending quality time with your team members. Fight hard to free some space in your crowded calendar just to talk. Your team members will appreciate the effort and the face-time. 2. Stop micromanaging.The micro-managing boss is no ones favorite. Good people do their best work when youre not staring over their shoulder. Give them space and let them show you what they can do. 3. Change your approach to trust.Instead of requiring everyone to earn your trust, try giving it first. Your team members will appreciate not having to move mountains to gain a grudging amount of trust from you. Your team will respond to this approach by not only trusting you faster but by working hard to exceed your expectations. 4. Avoid becoming the wrinkly-shirted bridge lizard.This colorful and less-than-desirable bridge lizard is that manager who remains firmly planted in his chair watching store employees from the observation deck and peppering them with regular, and often unfounded criticism. No one likes or respects this character. Push aw ay from your desk and insert yourself in the work of your geschftlicher umgang and learn firsthand about your team and their challenges. 5. Quit trying to be the smartest person in every conversation.When looking at your job description, no requirements stipulate that you must be the smartest person in the room at all times. Remember, it is your job to hire and develop people who are smarter than you. 6. Increase the flow of information to your team.Everyone on your team wants to know how the firm is doing and whether the sales team landed that big contract. Set up regular update sessions where you brief your team on the firms results. Make certain they have an opportunity to ask questions. A great technique is to invite a different executive to every meeting to handle the bigger, strategic questions. The executives appreciate the time with your team and your team members get to know the executives while learning about the firms performance. A true win-win. 7. Learn and live the 31 ratio.Deliver 3-times as much positive feedback as constructive (the negative kind). Just remember that the positive feedback must be well-earned and behavioral in nature. 8. Quit stalling on the difficult conversations.Good people want input on how to improve. No one wins when you avoid tackling the constructive feedback discussions. 9. Read more.If you are not reading and learning, you are moving backward at the speed-of-change. From industry journals to the latest business periodicals and bestsellers, there is no excuse for not keeping current with your reading. And of course, do not limit yourself to industry or business fare. Any topic or genre that exposes you to ideas, approaches, and histories serves the purpose. Share your findings and insights with your team members. Kudos if you or your team members identify ideas you can incorporate to improve performance. 10. Help your team read more.Set up and fund a reading discussion group. Get the team started with the initial few t itles and then let them make future choices. Make certain to schedule time to meet and discuss the books. One human resources manager hosted a well-attended monthly reading club discussion session over lunch with pizza or subs on him. A senior software engineer substituted one weekly status meeting per month with a discussion session. Find an approach that fits your culture and schedule. 11. Schedule downtime for your team.You might have found that you unconsciously zustrom your team like you are in a state of perpetual hurry-up. Create opportunities for some brain-stimulating downtime. Take your team on a field trip a few times per year. Kudos if you can use the field trip for some creative brainstorming in the workplace. You can regularly schedule outings with your team members at businesses (in unrelated industries) known for remarkable customer service. Then come back to the office with ideas to strengthen the teams performance. 12. Renew your vow to live by the Coachs Credo.Whe n things go wrong, its the coachs fault. When things go right, its because of the team. The Bottom Line Managers have a tough job, and theyre on the hook for driving great results and promoting continuous improvement. There is no doubt getting things done through others is hard, often frustrating work. However, all of the work you do to promote a healthy work environment that is free of fear and unnecessary stress will pay huge dividends on your mission to strengthen results.

Administrative Resume Mistakes to Avoid

Administrative Resume Mistakes to AvoidAdministrative Resume Mistakes to AvoidAs the saying goes, You never get a second chance to make a first impression. When youre job hunting, its your administrative resume that provides that first impression. You cant afford to fall victim to avoidable resume mistakes.You never know how much competition youll face for a job opening, and just one error on your administrative resume can be a deal breaker.Here are eight common resume mistakes that can prompt hiring managers to hit the delete key - and that can keep you from landing administrative jobs1. Failing to proofreadEvery company out there hiring for administrative jobs is looking for administrative professionals who are detail oriented. You cant really claim that you are if your resume has typos, grammatical errors, misused words or other mistakes. Knowing how to spell matters. Look up words youre not sure about, and also use a spelling checker. Even if you review your administrative resum e multiple times, have friends and family take a look for any resume mistakes, too.2. Sending everyone the same administrative resumeAn employer asking for strong Excel skills is going to be looking at your resume differently than an employer who is wanting to hire someone with the ability to support executives who travel frequently. Youll want to highlight aspects of your hintergrund that suit each job opening, and that means customizing every administrative resume you send out.Ready to start your search for administrative jobs? OfficeTeam can help connect you with top employers in your area - and get you to work faster.GET HELP FINDING WORK3. Sharing a boring list of job dutiesGood resumes are interesting and leave hiring managers eager to talk to you. Make sure youre shining the best possible light on what you did in previous jobs. For example, when your resume states that you updated 32 presentations last year for a team of six deadline-driven marketing professionals, its far m ore impressive than if it states that you updated presentations as needed.Also note any accomplishments, such as winning an internal award or saving the company money.You must do more than avoid resume mistakes to land administrative jobs. Check out the slide share below for Key Traits of Successful Administrative Professionals.4. Being vague about your past administrative jobsProvide sufficient detail so hiring managers arent wondering what exactly you did in your last job. What does it mean when you say you supported the accounting team? Managers wont put in the effort to figure it out.5. Using funky formattingWhen it comes to formatting your administrative resume, less is more. Keep it simple and avoid creative flourishes, like fun fonts. Keep the attention on the content of your resume.6. Providing irrelevant informationYour administrative resume should focus on skills and experience tied to the job opening. Theres no need to mention that youre an avid skier or like crossword pu zzles, and definitely avoid citing political or religious activity. Its ok to note that you have experience volunteering as long as it adds to your professional value.7. Going overboard with industry jargonYou cant assume your administrative resume will end up in the hands of a fellow admin. A department leader or HR professional may take the first look, so avoid using acronyms or terminology they may not understand. There are words to use in a resume - and some to avoid.8. And the worst of resume mistakes lyingThis should go without saying, but its important to mention because some people do try to stretch the truth. Good resumes are accurate ones. Changing the dates of employment to cover up a gap in your work history or saying youre an expert with PowerPoint when youve only used it twice can have serious consequences.

The Dos and Donts of C V and Resume

The Dos and Donts of C V and Resume Job applications, on paper or on the internet, is made up of two distinct documents. You may also have to include specific info. You must take care when youre submitting such info and make sure the info is going to be secured and protected in every fashion. Youre accountable for providing current and accurate info. Another opinion vitae be beneficial in assisting you to craft a well-polished CV. By way of example, even in North America, there are particular circumstances where a CV is necessary. Regardless of whether you take advantage of a CV or resume, you must thoroughly edit your document. CV is a lengthy application document and could be even 5 pages long. CVs must be frequently updated, because its more of a continuing account of activities about the academe. Below are some differences between the CV and a Resume which may be used as a guideline when youre expected to prepare either one of them. In Europe most recruiters would rather have a short CV that isnt difficult to scan and suited for the work font. Each folder consists of 18 design options of Under Construction page, that youll definitely like. Just be certain to match the formatting (font and basic style) to the remainder of your resume so it resembles a cohesive document. The template appears great and itll interest fans of minimalist style. Consider if a summary statement would be proper for you or just nix it altogether to conserve space and concentrate on making the remainder of your resume stellar. In different parts of the Earth, the expression CV keeps its American meaning. For the remainder of the planet, the expression CV is the only one used. In Europe the term CV has become the most common, but the true format changes based on the work type youre applying for. The Rise of C V and Resume American employers are normally partial towards the resume, whereas elsewhere on earth, CVs are deemed favorable. Resumes are usually categor ized by the style in which the info is presented. CVs are also necessary for common job application also in lots of nations, mainly needed to join the area of medicines. They are often tailored to change the emphasis of the information according to the particular position for which the job seeker is applying. Positions will stay open until filled. Resumes are used by employers looking for certain qualifications and techniques. They are usually used to apply for almost any job not in academics. Resumes are somewhat more common and its important that you know how to compose an effective resume if youre in the job application procedure. What You Need to Do About C V and Resume Beginning in the Next Seven Minutes Possessing a strong resume will enable you find quite a few great jobs. Whether youre applying for work, a grant, or using your resume to construct your own client base, a skilled and well-organized resume is encouraged. Proper proofreading is accomplished by somebody else. Meaning, job seekers who look good stand far better odds of getting work, no matter their abilities. Several employers and many job seekers arent able to discern between the 3 due to deficiency of awareness. Transportation jobs involve a lot of responsibility and your resume will want to reflect you can deal with that. Many work in the public service or academia will take a comprehensive CV to be submitted as a member of a work application. The Appeal of C V and Resume Make certain you follow all the overall convention and rule utilized for writing the CV. To compose a very first class resume you want to make it predominantly results oriented and concentrate on your achievements and contributions during your career. In a CV, for instance, if youre asking for work in education, you may want to set your teaching experience on top of your CV. For each resume you send out, you are going to want to highlight only the accomplishments and techniques which are most relevant t o the job at hand (even if this indicates that you dont incorporate all your experience).

Are Video Interviews Replacing The Traditional Interview

Are Video Interviews Replacing The Traditional InterviewThe replacement question. One Im often asked as the CEO of a company that offers video interviewing solutions. Are you looking to replace the traditional, in-person interview with video interviews? The short answer is no. The main purpose of video interviews is to bridge the gap between an anfangsbuchstabe paper resume to the in-person interview. Thus, this new wave of interviewing should be landseen as an enhancement to the screening process rather than a replacement to the traditional interview.The Distance GapThere are multiple ways video interviews bridge the gap between an initial paper resume and the in-person interview. For one, video interviews enable a company to screen candidates anywhere in the world without the need for travel. Does that mean companies wont continue to fly people in town for an in-person interview? No, but it does mean that companies will be able to make smarter decisions on who they fly in. Not to m ention the benefits for the candidates abroad who may not be able to make it in town such as students studyingoverseas.The Insight GapHow do you evaluate candidates and decide who to advance further along in the hiring process? If you havent explored online interviewing, then Im assuming youre still conducting those time-consuming phone screens- a topic I discussed earlier in the week in an article on why you should be conducting video interviews. While I did say that video interviews arent meant to replace the in-person interview, one-way video interviews are a time-saving alternative to the traditional phone screens. PLUS, you gain way more insight on candidates. On video, you see personality, energy, charisma, professionalism and most importantly, body language.The Tie-Breaker GapIn the previous two scenarios, video interviewing helps shrink the gap. In the scenario I like to call the Tie-Breaker Gap, video interviewing widens it. In todays ultra-competitive job market, recruiter s inboxes are flooded with similar looking cover letters and resumes from candidates with almost identical qualifications. How do you judge one candidate versus another? One answer could be a phone screen, but we just discussed how inefficient that can be. The other option is to use video in the hiring process. For example, create a set template of questions for a one-way video interview. Send the template of questions to candidates who are similar on paper and let the tie-breaker begin. Evaluate whats not on paper and youll be able to better differentiate between candidates and widen the gap between candidate As qualifications and candidate Bs.After examining how video interviewingbridges(or widens in the case of the tie-breaker) multiple gaps in the hiring process, one should be able to see how it can be integrated as a key piece of the screening process leading up to a traditional interview. An in-person interview is a big investment of time. The preparation, theinvolvementof mul tiple individuals, the scheduling and more can make one dread the traditional interview altogether. However, if smarter decision making is enabled by a screening process leading up to the traditional interview, then that investment of time is well worth it because its being spent on a quality candidate and hopefully your next superstar employee. So are video interviews replacing the traditional interview? Ill let you be the judge.