Two kinds of failure

Think of it this way: There are two kinds of failure. The first comes from never trying out your ideas because you are afraid, or because you are waiting for the perfect time. This kind of failure you can never learn from, and such timidity will destroy you. The second kind comes from a bold and venturesome spirit. If you fail in this way, the hit that you take to your reputation is greatly outweighed by what you learn. Repeated failure will toughen your spirit and show you with absolute clarity how things must be done. In fact, it is a curse to have everything go right on your first attempt. You will fail to question the element of luck, making you think that you have the golden touch. When you do inevitably fail, it will confuse and demoralize you past the point of learning. In any case, to apprentice as an entrepreneur you must act on your ideas as early as possible, exposing them to the public, a part of you even hoping that you’ll fail. You have everything to gain.

- Via Mastery

When to Give Up on an Innovative Idea

You have a new innovation under way, but things aren’t going well. You find yourself at a crossroads: carry on, or jump ship? It’s always a tough call. But if you haven’t experienced any pleasant surprises in a long time — say, something took far less time than anticipated, or you came across a new but unexpected design enhancement, among other scenarios — take pause. And if you’re not gaining any new insights, it’s time to reassess. Finally, if you also notice a lack of enthusiasm from team members, customers, and/or clients, kill the idea. Bad things, remember, come in threes.

SOURCE: Three Signs That You Should Kill an Innovative Idea by Michael Schrage

Every Job Matters

The rat race begins well before a lot kids graduate from college — extracurricular activities, internships, you name it — everyone has an eye toward securing the best career. But not everyone is lucky enough to beef up their résumés with eye-catching credentials; instead, many college students work in retail or in food service, among other jobs that they may not plan on doing for the long haul. Yet, these experiences can still be very valuable. Working with a diverse group of people, for example, can help pop your ego-centric bubble, among many other things. It’s something we all have to keep in mind: not every experience has to fit so nicely into a career narrative. Sure, it’s important to enhance a résumé, but it’s more important to grow as a person.

SOURCE: In Praise of Humble First Jobs by Simon C.Y. Wong

3 Tips to Build Better Relationships with Your Employees

When people feel connected to you, even difficult conversations feel less threating. Here are three tips to forge stronger bonds with your employees: 

• Relate whenever you can. View every interaction as an opportunity to get to know someone a little better. Make a habit of asking employees one question about their work or their personal lives each time you encounter them.
• Take note of subtleties. People seek emotional connection through countless small “bids” for attention—questions, gestures, or looks. Take stock of how much you notice these cues . You might also solicit some feedback from friends and family on how well you listen and respond to social cues in general.
• Regularly express appreciation. Research shows that the ratio of positive to negative interactions is 5:1 in a successful relationship. You don’t need to pay someone five compliments before offering criticism, but do be mindful of the ratio.

Adapted from the HBR Guide to Coaching Your Employees.

Management Tip of the Day: Make Good Decisions Faster

A simple approach can help replace your slow deliberations with fast decisions. Try this framework: 

• Know your ultimate objective. The biggest hurdle to fast decisions is criteria overload. Of the seven or eight possible objectives you would love to meet, which one or two will make the biggest impact? Consider which stakeholder you least want to disappoint—which goal would they care about most?
• Get a second opinion. Asking one other person can broaden your frame of reference and help eliminate judgment errors. Plus, the act of explaining your situation anew often gives you fresh insights.
• Do something. Select one option while letting go of all the other "good" ones. No amount of deliberation can guarantee that you have identified the "right" option, but remember: The purpose of a decision is not choose perfectly, but to get you to the next decision.

Adapted from “Make Good Decisions Faster,” by Nick Tasler.

Control Is the Key to a Workaholic’s Happiness

According to a recent study, more than 60% of executives, managers, and professionals work 72 hours a week. Blame it on smartphones. These folks are always connected, in other words — 67 hours during the week, 5 hours on weekends. But most of them don’t sweat it. As long as they have control of their workload, and when they can get it done, they don’t mind working long hours. But when their bosses are to blame for the overload — late meetings, demands for overtime — they aren’t too happy about it. It just goes to show: control is king.

SOURCE: Welcome to the 72-Hour Work Week by Jennifer J. Deal

The Best Leaders Are Both Tough and Nice

Leaders often ask themselves whether it's best to be tough or nice. If you're tough — a "driver" — you can push people to go beyond the limits of their abilities. If you're nice — an "enhancer" — you can better understand the needs, problems, and concerns of your charges. It's a hard choice. So which style results in the more highly-engaged employees? According study of 160,576 employees under the command 30,661 bosses, the tough-versus-nice battle is tight. Eight percent of tough-led employees are highly engaged. Nice? Six percent. So tough-minded leaders are the winner, right? Not so fast. The most effective leaders, it turns out, use both styles, and 68% percent — that's right, 68% — of their employees are highly engaged. That's impressive.