Soft Skills
Where should we focus our personal development so that it has the maximum benefit?
“One thing that the brain is very, very good at is self-deception,” says Daniel J. Levitin.
Sloane Ortel and Thomas Brigandi's examination of the seven asset owner organizations shaping the market and a review of Richard Bookstaber's The End of Theory by Robert N. Farago, ASIP, are among the leading Enterprising Investor posts from February.
Why should financial advisers care about our body language? Barbara Stewart, CFA, curates some pointers from nonverbal communication expert Mark Bowden.
"When someone has a razor-sharp memory, we perceive them to be more intelligent,” says memory expert Chester Santos. “And we always want to do business with, we’re always going to refer, those professionals we perceive to be the most intelligent." That's why it's worth sharpening our memory skills, says Santos. And he has some pointers to help hone them.
Perusing an old war manual on how to sabotage organizations will spark instant recognition for any modern office worker. How can firms stop unintentionally sabotaging themselves?
Pulling from his personal experience, Charlie Henneman, CFA, shares six important networking lessons to keep in mind for your career advancement.
“Tone at the top” is a mantra that we hear time and again as the cure for the ethical decay that is permeating financial organizations. But if the industry really wants to create a culture of integrity, it must also establish a “tone at the middle.”
Heather Packard rounds up her favorite articles from 2012 on soft skills and career development.
What does the word "influence" mean to you? Businesses are increasingly moving towards flat and/or matrix organizational structures and valuing and encouraging collaboration and interdependencies across work groups. The ability to influence in all directions and across all types of relationships is also likewise becoming increasingly important. In this brave new world, influence doesn't simply mean achieving a specific outcome you desire but rather collaborating effectively with and leading others collectively towards commitment, outcomes, and change.