A typical networking interaction may go like this: “What do you do?” or “Tell me about your business.” What is your response? Are you prepared to answer in a way that will engage the asker, perhaps even to the point of persuading them to meet with you and ultimately purchase…
The Soft Skill Art of the Critique
My last three posts have focused on the ability to learn — an incredibly important soft skill, perhaps even more so than self-awareness, since without it there is no ability to grow or improve. This may be the ultimate “the chicken or the egg” scenario. What comes first: self-awareness or…
Criticism and the Ability to Learn
My guess is that not many people like to be criticized. Those who do have most likely learned that listening to criticism is a good way to learn. That doesn’t mean it is easy — our egos often get in the way. We tend to see criticism as a personal…
The Core of Leadership is Self-Awareness – Being who you are.
The work of author and business coach Marshall Goldsmith, in particular his book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (2007) has been a significant influence in me becoming self-aware. In the spring of 2009 I attended Goldsmith’s workshop in Boston after reading his book and being intrigued…
How Do We Become Self-Aware?
Last week I wrote about the Ability to Learn in the context of Soft Skills. My comments about self-awareness solicited a response from one of my readers – thanks Mark (see his comments below) – for some powerful questions and your comments. This week I intended to continue my exploration…